Michigan's DB of the Decade?
Dr. Saturday's most recent All-Decade team is now asking about DB's: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/All-Decade-… (sorry couldn't create link).
Who, in no particular order, is Michigan's best DB of the decade (sorry I don't have career stats or accomplishments):
Leon Hall
Ernest Shazor
Marlin Jackson
Donovan Warren
Others that I missed?
Of this list, I think it would be Marlin Jackson. Too bad he played safety for a season, otherwise he may have been on Dr. Saturday's list.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:07 AM ^
I really like Marlin Jackson when he was corner i didnt really appreciate him cuz we had such a great D but if we had him and D Warren this year we would be like 7-5 at least
December 12th, 2009 at 1:36 PM ^
I don't know about that, our linebackers (save Stevie for the most part) would still be terrible and exploitable to no end.
December 12th, 2009 at 2:06 PM ^
no kidding. we may well have been 7-5 just keeping woolfolk at safety. if you look at our defense with TW at safety versus at CB, it's an incredible difference. our secondary got torched without him patrolling the middle, and was average with him there.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:09 AM ^
I would take either one. I liked Shazor too, especially that hit on Dorien Bryant that helped seal the victory in that 2004 game.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:10 AM ^
I would say Leon Hall. Not only did he play great defense when defending passes, but the most important thing to keep in mind for a DB is opportunities. Leon Hall played great defense because no one dared to throw his way.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:11 AM ^
Morgan Trent.
But, in all seriousness...I'm going with Leon Hall, for all of the reasons already said above.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:14 AM ^
That reminds me...am I going crazy or did I overhear on sportscenter the other day that Morgan Trent is playing opposite Leon Hall on the Bengals?
December 12th, 2009 at 11:20 AM ^
Trent was mainly playing in nickel packages only and not as a starting corner. I don't really follow the Bengals very closely, so that could have changed due to injuries or something else
December 12th, 2009 at 11:23 AM ^
I live close to Cincy, and Trent has played well all year. Jonathan Joseph is the other starter opposite of Hall.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:26 AM ^
Based on your signature I have to ask . . . what was your favorite Sunny this year? For me, it was the D.E.N.N.I.S. System. That episode had me cracking up.
December 12th, 2009 at 12:03 PM ^
Oh whoops… I dropped my monster condom that I use for my magnum dong.
December 12th, 2009 at 12:34 PM ^
No one likes dealing with Carnies.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:14 AM ^
I agree with the Leon Hall vote. He was a great DB.
They all were great....Ernest Shazor is my favorite player of the bunch. I just remember his hit on a Purdue player in the night game in his senior year.
I was banging my GF at the time while watching the game and specifically remember getting excited about that hit. No Joke.
That's one of my favorite Michigan games of all time.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:22 AM ^
My God man. We are talking about M football, and you're too busy banging some chick. Well I hope Shazor's hit helped you finish.
Seriously, that was a great hit. They were marching right down the field.
December 12th, 2009 at 1:54 PM ^
Seriously though, I explicitly (no pun intended) because that's what I was doing during that game. I know, I know...but it was my anniversary and I had to take advantage of the situation.
Nevertheless, that game still goes down as one of my favorite M games of all time.
I just wish Shazor would've stayed for his Senior year.
December 12th, 2009 at 2:51 PM ^
If I could plus 1000 this, I would. To the people saying "no sex during football" I say, I see your point, but this comment was still just all kinds of win by Raback.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:15 AM ^
IMO it's Marlin or Leon Hall.
Marlin:
All Big Ten (2)
All American (2)
2nd all time in pass deflections at Michigan
Senior year he was thrown at 14% of the time
Did spend one year moving to safety and struggled either his soph or junior year (I forget)
Leon:
Freshman All American
All Big Ten Honorable Mention (1)
All Big Ten Second Team (1)
All Big Ten First Team (1)
1st all time in pass deflections at Michigan
Also it should be noted that he's having an unreal year in the NFL this season.
I think I have to go with Leon Hall here. Played all four years, 1st all time in pass deflections, I believe he had more INTs than Marlin (data is spotty though), and he was a higher draft pick in the NFL draft.
December 12th, 2009 at 11:15 AM ^
He could cover two decades
December 12th, 2009 at 11:20 AM ^
who was good enough to cover DB from his Safety position
December 12th, 2009 at 11:21 AM ^
As could Charlie Weis...but I think you guys are referring to a different kind of cover.
December 12th, 2009 at 6:46 PM ^
I would have to agree with this guy!
December 12th, 2009 at 11:59 AM ^
To me it is a no brainer. Marlin Jackson was by far the most dominant DB Michigan has had since Charles. Leon was good, but he had is vulnerabilities. Marlin had the size, athleticism, speed, and ability to lock you down for an entire game. I don't remember too many games where Hall locked down a top notch receiver for an entire game.
December 12th, 2009 at 12:31 PM ^
I'm surprised Shazor isn't getting more love here, to be honest, especially seeing as he was a competent safety and would killkillkill to have someone like him on the team now.
December 12th, 2009 at 2:47 PM ^
Shazor was the ultimate feast-or-famine safety. Fantastic plays followed by absolutely cringe-worthy ones. Part of the reason our run defense stunk in 2004 was that Shazor would run himself out of a lot of plays. We gave up a ridiculous number of 50+ yard runs that year.
December 12th, 2009 at 1:36 PM ^
Larry Harrison.
Oh, you meant 'defensive back'.
December 12th, 2009 at 1:42 PM ^
You cannot put a price on the reassurance that safeties like Ernest Shazor and Jamar Adams brought to all of us.
You also can't put a price on the joy I get every time I watch Jamar blow up St. Tim...a joy to watch every time.
December 12th, 2009 at 1:50 PM ^
marlin jackson, absolutely no question. he was absolute glue.
cato june has probably had the best pro career of any of our db's in the last decade...but he really wasn't that spectacular here.
December 13th, 2009 at 9:52 AM ^
Cato June might have had the best pro football career so far, but Leon Hall only has 1.75 NFL seasons in the books. I think he'll end up being the best of the bunch.
I loved Shazor, but I have a hard time saying he was the best DB of the decade when the NFL didn't even draft him.
In a close race between Jackson and Hall, I'll take Hall.
December 12th, 2009 at 2:18 PM ^
I'd say Marlin Jackson but Leon Hall appears to have had a great pro career too.
December 12th, 2009 at 2:29 PM ^
Has to be Marlin Jackson. I watched Jackson shut down Reggie Williams of Washington (back when he was regarded as one of the best WRs in football that year), and you just had a sense when he played that his half of the field was covered. I wasn't there when Woodson was playing so I have little reference, but Jackson was the only DB I remember having supreme confidence in. Even when he was burned, you had a sense that it wasn't going to happen again, and that he would make at least one important play a game. Similarly, I loved Shazor because he could help out on the run, could cover over the top on passes, and made his teammates better. Hall was a nice DB, but as others noted, he never just shut down the opposition.
December 12th, 2009 at 2:43 PM ^
The expression "shut down half the field" needs to be retired. That might have been true when Woodson was here and opposing offenses only sent out two WRs on a typical pass play (one to each side of the field), but now that almost everyone spreads things out with 3-5 WRs, a single cornerback can't have the same impact. If you send three wideouts to Leon Hall's side of the field and complete a pass to one of the two that he wasn't covering, that's not his fault.
December 12th, 2009 at 2:56 PM ^
When I use that term, I think most people understand that it means he covers his man particularly well. In truth, the phrase really only applies to man-to-man coverage; you go zone, and the guy who catches the ball may technically be "Jackson's guy" but wasn't his sole responsibility. My greater point is that certain DBs can be put on a WR with little to no safety help and defend them quite well. Guys like Revis and Bailey in the pros come to mind - they make the rest of the secondary's jobs easier. But I see your point.
December 12th, 2009 at 4:08 PM ^
as much as shazor is be my favorite db in recent memory mainly because of his gritty play, big hits, and for the most part consistency in coverage, i would still have t go with marlin. he was just unreal. although you have to wonder how much more opportunities warren would get to prove himself if he had a halfway competent counterpart on the other side of the field. hopefully he stays so that we can see it next year.
December 13th, 2009 at 9:53 AM ^
I thought gritty was a word that could only be used to describe undersized white guys.
December 12th, 2009 at 4:50 PM ^
I would say it's a toss-up between Marlin Jackson and Leon Hall.
December 12th, 2009 at 8:39 PM ^
I've gotta go with Jackson on this one. With Hall a fairly close second.
Shazor had one of the greatest hits in Michigan history against Purdue, but I also have far too many images of him getting beat deep. Also, IIRC he made a terrible decision to leave early and then went undrafted. His lack of speed was his undoing.
MoT ended up being a serviceable corner by his senior year, but that was not enough to undo his prior transgressions.
Warren could move up the list if he stayed another year, but it looks like that won't happen.
IMHO, Jackson was the perfect combo of physicality and coverage skills. Well not perfect of course. That honor belongs to #2.
December 13th, 2009 at 9:55 AM ^
Morgan Trent didn't have a good senior season - he regressed as a senior.