Most Feared Tacklers

[Major Harris]

Sean Taylor the 10th most feared tackler EVER?

put down whatever you're smoking.

It was debateable if he was even the most feared safety in the league, let alone tackler, when he passed.

i love sean taylor as much as anyone here, but i do think there is some revisionist history amongst 'skins fans. it's to be expected, though. nothing wrong with it.

[cphil006]

yea, I think he jarred people harder and more often than most... remember TO on the sidelines after a hit? his back was bothering him... almost every hit was a highlight real.

[NewCliche21]

It's a tough job to try to narrow down all the heavy hitters from all the decades of players who have played. I don't envy the task at all. I watch some of those films from back in the day,(the few they show from back when Sammy played and such),and you see just how wild it was and then you watch today's games. The guys are bigger,stronger hitters,but that can't take away from those guys in the past. I think that Sean was probably,even in his short time in the NFL,ahead of Lynch,(who was no doubt a feared hitter). Now if they want to talk about some longer careers,I'll play homer here and say that......(let some of the younger ones guess at this one),there was a Redskin DB who I think was every bit,if not moreso,of a feared hitter,(knowing that's up to those who played against these big hitters),than a few on that list.

For the record, I'm reading this thread in order before responding as to not be caught like some of the MAJOR HARRISes in the other thread, and I know exactly who you're talking about.

#37. Now THAT was a guy I still wouldn't want to see on the street.

EDIT: Saw that you had meant Houston. I'll take that, but I still wouldn't be pleased seeing Pat Fischer lined up on the opposite eleven.

[NewCliche21]

Not sure I ever saw ST bring anything nastier than this:

or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5jM4T_CeaQ

Seriously? I'd take the Moorman hit and the Willie Parker hit over both of those any day. And that's without even thinking of anything else.

[Major Harris]

Seriously? I'd take the Moorman hit and the Willie Parker hit over both of those any day. And that's without even thinking of anything else.

i don't know that the moorman hit really counts. yeah, it was a great hit and funny to watch, but it was a punter in the pro bowl. the only guy going full speed was taylor.

[NewCliche21]

i don't know that the moorman hit really counts. yeah, it was a great hit and funny to watch, but it was a punter in the pro bowl. the only guy going full speed was taylor.

Did he hit him? Yes? Then it counts.

[Major Harris]

Did he hit him? Yes? Then it counts.

if you want to count it, i won't begrudge you that.

[Annonymous Source]

Wow, really?

A few of the hits on this video look a lot like that Dante Hall hit, except Lynch had the benefit of Hall flying right at him, ST took guys out like that going the other way.

Almost every hit on this video is much bigger than that 2nd link you posted. Look at the TO hit, the Steelers hit, and the other Eagles hit near the beginning, then later the Falcons, the Cowboy guy who catches the ball and has it pop out and looks like it had to have flown for 30 yards, then he chases down that NO guy from behind and does what Lynch did to Hall except they aren't running towards each other.

The thing that ST did best was change direction and still hit hard. His biggest hits were mostly in run support when he could fly into the gap. He would have made this list but it is too soon after the end of his career.....

[artmonkforHOF]

Yes Sean hit very hard, but the fact remains his body of work is too small to be considered for things like this. We all think of Sean not only for what he did, but what he could have become.

If Sean played for a few more years, and won a SB, I think he would have replaced A****er or Lynch on that list.

and that list is so subjective anyway, they left off a ton of guys like Lyle Alzedo, Mike Singletary (sic), Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau to name a few.

[McD5]

Yes Sean hit very hard, but the fact remains his body of work is too small to be considered for things like this. We all think of Sean not only for what he did, but what he could have become.

If Sean played for a few more years, and won a SB, I think he would have replaced A****er or Lynch on that list.

and that list is so subjective anyway, they left off a ton of guys like Lyle Alzedo, Mike Singletary (sic), Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau to name a few.

Agreed. People here say Darrell Green was better than Deion Sanders because he played for more seasons.

Well what about Lynch and ST?

Can't have it both ways.

Lynch has racked up probably 50-70 more devastating hits in numbers. You can't even compare the two.

And hits just don't get much nastier than this. Equally nasty, maybe. More nasty? No sir.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5jM4T_CeaQ

[Touchdown Redskins]

Seriously? I'd take the Moorman hit and the Willie Parker hit over both of those any day. And that's without even thinking of anything else.

Those were two of the biggest hits that I've seen, and I LOVE watching hard hits. I don't know how Willie Parker didn't break his sternum after that hit.

Agreed. People here say Darrell Green was better than Deion Sanders because he played for more seasons.

Well what about Lynch and ST?

Can't have it both ways.

Lynch has racked up probably 50-70 more devastating hits in numbers. You can't even compare the two.

Well to be fair, durability isn't the only case for Green. Tackling ability also factors in, but that's another thread.

I think the article is biased toward more HOF-worthy candidates, which is why some names aren't mentioned. I'm sure if you included every player in the NFL since its inception, you'd have a much different list (which might include Lavar and ST).

[NewCliche21]

I think the article is biased toward more HOF-worthy candidates, which is why some names aren't mentioned. I'm sure if you included every player in the NFL since its inception, you'd have a much different list (which might include Lavar and ST).

I think that this is a good way to look at it, it makes more sense, but still no Deacon Jones?

Lists are always going to be debatable. I just don't like Lewis on there because I don't know anyone who's ever been afraid to get hit by him; he's just an amazing football player. You can be a textbook tackler and not be feared.

[stoney26]

i don't know that the moorman hit really counts. yeah, it was a great hit and funny to watch, but it was a punter in the pro bowl. the only guy going full speed was taylor.

Take the Moorman hit out and you could add 5 different ones. The Jerry Porter hit against Oakland was his hardest. If you watch it in slow motion the guys eyes poke out of his head like this guy....

Sean could bring it harder than anyone that Ive seen play this game. I know Im young and didnt get to watch guys like Jack Tatum and Ronnie Lott or Dick Butkis but in his short career Ive never seen anyone hit harder. And I say that with my burgundy glasses off.

[essex03]

I think that ST could've made the top 10 on some people's list...so could Fred Williamson, Ernie Ladd, Mike Curtis, George Atkinson, Deacon Jones etc....It was probably very hard to narrow that list down to 10

I agree that Mike Curtis should have been in there over Ray Lewis for sure.

[stoney26]

Can we all at least agree that if Sean wasnt killed he would have been in the top 5 of this list?? I mean add another 8-10 years of bone jarring, eye popping assaults on guys to his already impressive resume and I dont see how he couldnt be top 5.

I agree he shouldnt be on the list bc everyone on the list had a full career to be judged on. But pound for pound, regardless of how long he played, he is the hardest hitter Ive seen.

[XtremeFan55]

I don't know about these 'all-time' lists...

if Butkus is number one hardest hitter then someone like Mike Curtis can't be far behind....and yet no one seems to remember some of these old timers...

I still remember a fan getting on the field once during a game and running off with the football and Mike Curtis just leveled the poor sucker...guy was so groggy afterwards that he couldn't even walk.

[HitStickTaylor21]

Ultimately these lists don't mean anything. It's only opinion, and everyone's is different.

Bottom line, does Taylor deserve to be on the list? Yes.

Do any of the guys on the list not deserve to be there? No.

It is what it is.

[MikeBass]

I don't know about these 'all-time' lists...

if Butkus is number one hardest hitter then someone like Mike Curtis can't be far behind....and yet no one seems to remember some of these old timers...

I still remember a fan getting on the field once during a game and running off with the football and Mike Curtis just leveled the poor sucker...guy was so groggy afterwards that he couldn't even walk.

I think that Jack Tatum probably should have been #1, not for his hit on Stingley (Stingley was a small guy) but Tatum took on Earl Campbell, one-on-one coming full boar and knocked him backwards. I do not think that anyone on the list is a pound for pound better hitter than Tatum.

[Going Commando]

Give Sean Taylor a couple years. A player's lore grows with time. Lawrence Taylor and Ronnie Lott I believe. But I doubt Dick Butkus and Dick Lane would be that fearsome in today's NFL even though they were mean. But the horse collar move Dick Lane made a career of isn't legal any more and it was dirty anyway. There is just no comparison between the speed of the game then and now. The 250 pound guys move like the 200 pound guys did back then and they can hit a lot harder. Maybe the equipment wasn't as protective and comfortable back then, and the rules were different so they allowed more roughing of the passer and the receivers, but they made those changes to the game because they had to just to keep guys on the field. If I were a receiver I would rather be flattened by Butkus any day of the week than take a clean shot from Ronnie Lott, Sean Taylor or LT.

[Going Commando]

As good as ST COULD have been, Lynch in his prime was a better safety in every way. And I loved ST, but the truth is the truth.

Its speculation either way, but are you saying that you think Lynch in his prime would be a better safety than Taylor in his prime? We'll never ever know what Taylor's prime would have looked like because he was nowhere close to reaching it when he died at age 24. But one thing that I would go to my grave defending is that Sean Taylor was already the best safety bar none in the league the season he was murdered and he was only going to get better. There is not a single other safety in the league with the sheer athletic gifts that he had. Not Sanders, not Reed, not Landry, not Polamalu. No one could move like he could and with his height and build. And he was a football player, in college he could have played any position and been an all-american, linebacker, defensive end, cornerback, running back, wide receiver.

And he was starting to put it all together in that final season. He was a complete player, he could do everything. Let's not forget he was leading the league in interceptions too.

Lynch had a long and distinguished career and is a likely first ballot hall of famer. But he was never at any point in his career the athlete that Taylor was. He's strong and smart but he's stiff. He's rock solid and technically flawless but he's not the type to routinely make explosive leaping interceptions and return them for 6.

Coming from college ST was perhaps the greatest safety prospect ever. We were blessed to have him. What I wouldn't give to have gotten to see his career play out like it should have. And I would have loved to watch those Miami practices and witness him going head to head with Kellen Winslow all the time.

And as for his hitting ability, watch some old Taylor clips. Look at how incredibly fluid he is. He wasn't a top-heavy meathead. But he had tremendous strength and leaping ability and it showed in his hits. He launched his body like a missile, look at how he routinely went perpendicular to the receiver. He hit through guys who were ready for him, not just picking off the unsuspecting. You aren't supposed to leave your feet like he did but still he looked effortless and natural doing it. The only other guy I've watched who did that as consistently and beautifully was Lavar and I think he was on steroids. His 60 inch vertical leap was artificial.

I think the play where he ran that fumble in against Philly demonstrates his athleticism perfectly. He was so fast and low and the way he lept from half way across the field into the end zone is spectacular. So yeah take that part of Ed Reed's game and combine it with the ferocity of a guy like Lott.

[Going Commando]

and that list is so subjective anyway, they left off a ton of guys like Lyle Alzedo, Mike Singletary (sic), Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau to name a few.

Yeah its easy to forget about Rodney Harrison because he's been quiet for the past few seasons but he was, if not the most feared, the most loathed defensive player in the league for about a decade. Guys hated playing against him because of how mean he is and he was a good safety too. The position has changed so much since even he came into the league, but guys like he and Lynch aren't going to be able to dominate anymore. It's not about knocking a guy out. It's all about range these days and the ability to cover a deep half or deep third. You've got to be able to play 20+ yards off the LoS now and still be part of the play if they try something short. If you can't do that you are going to have trouble staying on the field every down. It's why I worry about Chris Horton.

[Morneblade]

Outside of Lynch I like that list. And I dont think ST should be on there as good as he was.

[SkinsFTW]

There is not a single other safety in the league with the sheer athletic gifts that he had. Not Sanders, not Reed, not Landry, not Polamalu. No one could move like he could and with his height and build.

Watching some of the videos of him and his size it's almost like a Jason Taylor running around in the secondary but with all the talent of anybody else back there.

I wonder what would have happened if we played the 3-4 and used him to blitz on occasion. Maybe thats something Williams was going to do.

[Never4get#21]

ST gone but not 4 got. He may not make the top 10 because of his longevity, but one thing is certain. You make that list the top hitters by position ST would be top 5!

[Santana_Fan]

Not sure I ever saw ST bring anything nastier than this:

or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5jM4T_CeaQ

Seriously?? :doh: Did you not see when he laid Reggie Brown out his last year playing? Look at 0:40 in the video below.