Megatron vs Prime Time

Megatron vs Prime Time

     This has been the ongoing debate following the Cowboys meltdown versus the Detroit Lions this past Sunday. Following the game, Jerry Jones came out and said that Deion Sanders could have covered Calvin Johnson. I see this as a shrewd move by Jerry Jones. At a time where Cowboy fans patience is at an all time low and tempers are flaring in Big D, Jerry came out and brought some positive light to his organization which has been mired in mediocrity the past couple of decades.

     Now to address the comparison: It is not even fair. It is two completely different eras but that aside, Sanders is unarguably the greatest cover corner to ever step foot on the gridiron. Don’t trust the statistics? Watch some film or highlights. Don’t think that is good enough? Take it a step further and ask his peers. Jerry Rice in many interviews has been on the record saying the toughest guy he ever had to go against was Sanders.

     Jerry Rice, the greatest receiver to ever play has often said playing against Deion is something he lost sleep over and had to put in some extra film study. Calvin Johnson is working towards the level of Rice but isn’t quite there yet. Lets not also forget one thing: When Deion Sanders went against Rice and Michael Irvin, he was also playing on-the-field chess with Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and arguably the greatest quarterback ever in Joe Montana. Matthew Stafford is nowhere near that level right now. If Montana could not consistently find a way to get Rice the ball with Sanders draped on him, then who is Stafford?

     That all being said, I still think it is a very shrewd move by Jerry Jones to bring that up. Because of this comparison and the universal agreement that Sanders could cover Johnson, I don’t think I have ever seen a player come off of such a record performance and be so heavily criticized. Every analyst is repeatedly forced to say “Yeah Calvin is good, but Deion could stop him.” This is after a performance for the ages by Megatron. It isn’t fair to him to have to hear such negativity, especially after an epic performance.

     Once again, Jerry Jones wins off the field while his team looses on the field. Question his GM abilities all you want, but Jones is a shrewd operator when it comes to being an owner and putting a good name out for the brand.