Sean Taylor WAS the best safety to ever play

[Fletch_Lives59]

Sean was amazing and wouldve been a HOF safety but to answer the orignial question, it would have to be ROnnie Lott. And for someone to question Ronnie not being as tough as Sean Taylor is rediculous, dude cut his finger tip off so he could keep playing. If these stats don't prove it then I dont know what does:

• 10x Pro Bowl selection (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)
  
• 9x All-Pro selection (1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)
  
• NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
  
• NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
  
• NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
  
• San Francisco 49ers #42 Retired
  

INT 63 INT yards 730 Touchdowns 5In 1999, he was ranked number 23 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

[SnyderMustGo]

Last season people were ready to run him out of town. Last season he was getting abused in coverage. I recall all the "what happened to Sean"? I recall him missing key tackles while going for the knockout. I remember him getting abused in coverage by nobody tight ends.

ST was better at FS this year and LL helped, I think.

But it is completely asinine to suggest that he is the best safety ever. The consensus within the league is that he was not even the best in the league. If there can be a legitimate argument that Reed, Dawkins, or Polomalu is a better all around safety, then it is completely asinine to suggest ST is the best ever.

Ronnie Lott was better by a large margin.

ST was a very good player that made some plays that were a joy to watch. We don't need to canonize him to remember him and respect what he did.

[NavyDave]

ST was nice and on the verge but he wasn't at Ken Houston's level just yet.

Lets not go overboard on the Idolizing

[SkinInsite]

No.....

Just no.

[NavyDave]

Last season people were ready to run him out of town. Last season he was getting abused in coverage. I recall all the "what happened to Sean"? I recall him missing key tackles while going for the knockout. I remember him getting abused in coverage by nobody tight ends.

ST was better at FS this year and LL helped, I think.

But it is completely asinine to suggest that he is the best safety ever. The consensus within the league is that he was not even the best in the league. If there can be a legitimate argument that Reed, Dawkins, or Polomalu is a better all around safety, then it is completely asinine to suggest ST is the best ever.

Ronnie Lott was better by a large margin.

ST was a very good player that made some plays that were a joy to watch. We don't need to canonize him to remember him and respect what he did.

He was abused primarily because of no pass rush,NFL Europe level playing corners, Adam Archuleta in the secondary and a schem that had him trying to play the 4th linebacker and corner at the same time.

The only people wanting him gone were the same idiots that had personal issues with him. Heck some skins fans (allegedly) were bashing him for that hit in the pro bowl.

He had the potential to be among the alltime greats and he was way above average among safeties before the tragedy.

[bobbydigytel]

he was a very good safety, but we wasn't in the same class as ed reed and polamalu(how ever u spell it), yet

he was reaching his potential and could of have been the best safety ever

unfortuantely, his career and life was cut short

but he made wrs fear him, which only a few other safeties could do

[aubreyjn]

no doubt in my mind, best safety of all time:dallasuck:gaintsuck:eaglesuck

[rokbolt]

I am a huge Sean taylor fan and believe we never actually saw him peak. This year he was really beginning to show his true potential as THE dominant safety in the league.

Now, the statement that Ronnie Lott wasnt tought is just foolish. I think this says enough - "Lott has separated or dislocated his right shoulder twice and separated the left one once. He has pinched a nerve in his neck and broken or sprained three of his fingers. In 1985 he got his left pinkie caught between his shoulder pads and the helmet of Dallas running back Timmy Newsome. The bone at the tip of the finger was shattered, and when the bone failed to heal, Lott had the tip amputated². He has also played with torn cartilage in his right knee and with a cracked tibia in his right leg. "

— Sports Illustrated, January 23, 1989

[Dan T.]

And Gale Sayers was the best running back of all time.

[jayneal7]

Read my sig. 'nuff said.

[JMS]

He just played two years. How can you compare him to Ronnie Lott, Steve A****er, and Jack Tatum; who all dominated, won superbowls, and were universally feared for a decade.

I'll give you this.. Sean Springs was the highest drafted Saftey ever, 3rd over all; and likely had better size and speed than any saftey.

[Dan T.]

He just played two years. How can you compare him to Ronnie Lott, Steve A****er, and Jack Tatum; who all dominated, won superbowls, and were universally feared for a decade.

I'll give you this.. Sean Springs was the highest drafted Saftey ever, 3rd over all; and likely had better size and speed than any saftey.

Steve A****er? Sean Springs?????? 3rd over all????

Other than that, good post. :thumbsup:

[Shilsu]

Steve A****er? Sean Springs?????? 3rd over all????

Other than that, good post. :thumbsup:

Yeah that post just made my mind explode, haha.

[chiplohmillers#1]

This is by far the biggest waste of time on this board.

[Dan T.]

I was reading a little bit about Paul Krause, and have concluded that the Redskins' front office must have been really sucked up back in the 1960's.

Krause played 4 years with the Redskins. His first year he had 12 interceptions and made the Pro Bowl and First Team All-NFL. He was a 2 time Pro Bowler.

Despite having 28 interceptions in those first 4 years, the Redskins traded him to the Vikings for Marlin McKeever and a 7th round draft choice.

Krause played 12 more seasons with the Vikes, went on to 6 more Pro Bowls, played in Super Bowls, and ended his career as the all-time receptions leader.

Marlin McKeever had 3 so-so seasons for the Skins.

[Nuwanda]

He was better and more gifted than any other safety in his age. Thats true. Lott however had like 10 more years to prove how good he was. Sean was only 24.

[da#1skinsfan]

agreed. he was the best YOUNG safety in the league and would have been the best ever. i truly believe that. dude was 24 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dan T.]

He wasn't. But part of the tragedy is that he could have been. He had all the physical skills. And the greatest players work at it in the film room too. Joe Theismann gives evidence that Sean Taylor recognized this and was willing to put in the study time to become better.

Joe tells about visiting Redskins Park and having Sean start asking him questions about how a quarterback reads defenses, what they look for, what they key on. They end up in the film room for an hour and a half looking at game film, with Sean picking Joe's brain.

As much as anything Sean did on the field, that anecdote from Theismann told me that this kid was going to be one of the all-time greatest. To become a true student of the game on top of that amazing raw talent - well, that would have been something to behold.

[ddd723]

Sean Taylor is not only the best safety I have ever seen play but the best all around player I have ever seen play. And I know CP will back me up on that one.

[Mackdaddydean]

Speculation on a future that doesn't and never will exist is futile.

[youngestson]

Ronnie Lott was the best I ever saw. When he was in his prime he commanded the D-backfield on every level.

Sean had outrageous talent and may have have been lauded with such acclaim later in his career, but sadly we will never know.

[thehogs]

Sean Taylor is not only the best safety I have ever seen play but the best all around player I have ever seen play.

You are 19! how many all time great safetys have you seen? he was a guy coming in to his prime no doubt but the best ever is the usual over the top thread I have seen about ST since his tragic death.

We lost an important player to this team. He never got the chance to show everything he had.

[Charlie Murphaaay]

Flying O, your asshat avatar that the staff recently removed still suits you at time. Olskool is being nothing of a tool at all, but you are getting close . Even allowing for Reed, Dawkins, etc. I am as big a ST homer as anyone and see his potential as almost unlimted in several key areas, but I am not delusional.

I'd bet I've watched way more football live and on all film than most here, including seeing Lott, who made the probowl at BOTH safety positions AND cornerback! Lott is the Gold Standard and ST was not there yet. The previously mentioned Houston & Krause of Redskins and nfl history played the game well enough, long enough, and tough enough that they are folks ST had yet to pass in his skill level (not size or power), though I believed he would.

As far as these things go, I do like to believe that given an 8-10 year career, ST would either have become regarded as the #1 ever (it was possible) or definitely mentioned in equal standing with Lott and those others. I miss him a great deal.

In addition, ST was tough, but to say Ronnie Lott wasn't is idiotic. Ronnie Lott once had a good size piece of his finger almost completely severed. He would have had to leave the game and have surgery to repair it, but he told them to cut it off completely, and played the rest of the game.

[DGreenistheBest]

Sean Taylor was going to be the greatest safety, possibly the greatest defensive back to ever play the game, but he was killed before reaching this pinnacle. Therefore, we cannot know. Just another aspect of the tragedy: the frustration on knowing his name deserved a place in the annuls of NFL history but it won't be recorded there, and probably rightfully so.

[PorkSkins]

If we're talking Skins, the name Ken Houston is No.1. Houston could cover and hit. In 1971 he set an NFL record with 5 touchdown returns (four interceptions and one fumble).