Friday, February 1st, 2008...1:00 pm by Lee Gibbons
Darrell Green: The Obvious Choice
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If there was any sort of no-brainer on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot, its Darrell Green. He spent twenty season with the Redskins and was one of the most beloved players in franchise history. The accolades are endless:
- Most seasons with one club (20); tied with Jackie Slater
- Most seasons with one club in one city (20)
- Most consecutive seasons with an interception (19)
- Oldest NFL cornerback (42 years old)
- 4-time NFL Fastest Man, undefeated in competition
- 1991 World’s Fastest Athlete
- Selected as one of the 70 Greatest Redskins
- Named as a cornerback on the 1990’s NFL All-Decade Team
- 7 Pro Bowl selections (’84,’86,’87,’90,’91,’96,’97)
- Named All-Pro 3 times.
- Redskins franchise record for most career interceptions (54)
- Redskins franchise record for most game starts (258) and games played (295)
- In his prime, Green ran the 40-yard dash in 4.125 seconds. At training camp in 1986, he unofficially ran a 4.09 40-yard dash.
- Green ran an Olympic caliber (10.08) 100 meter dash while in college at Texas A&I.
Green was also a part of some of the most memorable plays in team history:
Punt return touchdown to seal a playoff victory over the Chicago Bears (he injuries his rib on this play):
Catching Tony Dorsett from behind on Monday Night Football (this is a very short video, if you have anything better let me know:
What a player!
5 Comments
February 1st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
my favorite all time player.
February 2nd, 2008 at 11:21 am
I remember those plays so well.
The second play that you linked is of course way too short to understand the impact of that play; Tony Dorsett was the “Fastest Man in the League”, a speed burning bruiser of a running back. Darrell Green was a (possibly) talented rookie Cornerback, the fourth drafted and the final pick of the first round (the Redskins were defending Superbowl Champions in 1983, our first SB victory). The Cowboys wanted revenge for the famous playoff berth (the original “We Want Dallas” days, and our “huge” upset of the Cowboys to make it into the playoffs). Dorsett broke this run and ran, IIRC, 84 yards before being brought down by this rookie, on Monday Night Football, in his first game. Darrell was on the opposite side of the field, as far as you could get from Dorsett; he had to run over 100 yards to make the angle. Dorsett didn’t slow (one of the other Redskins would have caught him if he had). So Darrell coming almost literally out of nowhere was just incredible… it was like watching Superman arrive at Metropolis. Some of my buddies and I discussed that play for the next week almost constantly…. we couldn’t figure out how anyone was that fast. And the reason was that nobody was.
I’m going to knock Darrell though for a second… he relied VERY heavily on that blazing speed to cover for some fairly obvious faults during the first two years of his career (and it did, for the most part, cover for it). He had a tendency, every once in a while, to do the same thing in later years, and it actually cost the Redskins a game against the Cowboys years later…. but during his heyday, (oh, only about 16 of the 20 years) he was so fast, and his technique was so good most of the time, that he was by far the greatest of the CBs that ever played the game. He had a few off games… but everyone does. You can’t expect perfection out of a guy just because he’s so darn good that ANY blemish looks huge.
Forget Deon…. Deon wanted to be Darrell, but with a bigger mouth (and less speed, style, and class).
Darrell, you are forgiven for your first couple years… even the greatest CB ever needed a couple years to learn the pro position. And even as a rookie, you were out and out spectacular sometimes.
Welcome to the HOF… there is not a doubt in anyone’s mind that you’re in, they just need to formally say it. You know that when it comes time to discuss you today, it’s going to be almost verbatim like this: “Okay, the next candidate to discuss is Darrell Green. He was a Cornerback and occasional return man for the Washington Redskins for all of his career, and a first round draft pick in 1983. He played until 2003, all with the Redskins. Ready to vote? In!”
February 2nd, 2008 at 6:04 pm
[...] Darrell Green: The Obvious Choice [...]
February 4th, 2008 at 9:47 am
i remember that game with dallas Bill. Irvin kept turning DG around. A classic short field take speed out of the occassion and use muscle and size scenario. Irvin did school him that day, but there would have been some offensive pass interference had the game took place recently. Any hoo. same thing against Detroit at one point in DGs career (can’t remember game scenario) but in the end with the game on the line some how Green jumped the route and took it in to seal the game. I remember a young Randy Moss in Minesota referring to a past his prime DG being the best CB he had faced to date. Remember that game where DG was assigned to him and they ran posts and deep outs and green was up his back all the way. Not to mention the broken up touchdown pass that started a yard into the end zone and almost ended up with both players in the seats. Cheers to DG.
October 10th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Other memorable DG moments:
1983- Intercepts a deflected Danny White pass to set up the Cowboy-killing 43 yd TD from Joey T to Monk.
1983- Returns an interception of Vince Ferragamo 72 yards for a TD in the playoff trouncing of the Rams.
1984- Picks off Danny White and takes it for a TD. This play jump-starts a rousing ‘Skins comeback victory over Dallas in week 15. The ‘Skins win again in week 16 to take the NFC East crown.
1986- Catches Eric Dickerson from DIRECTLY behind in the playoffs. No “angle” taken here.
1991- Picks off Warren Moon to set up the game-winning FG against the Oilers.
1991- Returns an interception for a TD against Detroit in the NFC Championship game. Green was hurt early in the game, and it was while he was out of the game that the Lions scored all 10 of their points. While Green was in the game, he personally outscored the Lions, 6-0.
wow.
1991- Intercepts Jim Kelly during Super Bowl XXVI.
1993- Flashes across the TV screen to return a Colts fumble 60-some yards for a TD.
1995- Returns an interception for a TD against the Lions in overtime to give the ‘Skins a win.
There are more, but these are some of my favorites.
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