He should have been DPOY in 2019 if the officials were actually calling all the holds he had to endure then. 2019 would have been his third, and last year would have been his fourth.
Aaron Donald is the Rams all time leader in sacks
- Thread starter OldSchool
- Start date
-
To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.
ArkyRamsFan
Hall of Fame
Best ever.
But.. it's not his best season, at this point.
Anyone else concerned about his relative mediocrity the last couple of games? And, I'm comparing Donald to Donald.. not other players.
But.. it's not his best season, at this point.
Anyone else concerned about his relative mediocrity the last couple of games? And, I'm comparing Donald to Donald.. not other players.
DeaconJones
Rookie
Something to consider. Back when Decon and Merlin were racking up sacks that don't count. Not only did Decon get to smack them in the head, the Oline wasn't alowed to hold. it was called not ignored. AD on the other hand would probably have at least 150 sacks by now if those old rules were still being used. So football more than any other sport has changed so much that comparing stats from players of different eras is like comparing apples to oranges. Of course we could list probably 100 other rule changes that affect the stats. Number of games in a season for one. This is just another reason there is no GOAT in football. AD might be the greatest of an era, but you could never realistically call him the GOAT. Same goes for you know who.
Last edited:
No, He is getting held more than ever. He may not be getting the sack total we would like, but man he affects the game on a high percentage of plays. Remember the interception by Reeder in the Colts game. That happened because AD got penetration and blocked the TE who was the intended receiver out of his route and the ball went straight into Reader's hands.
SeminoleRam
Pro Bowler
SeminoleRam
Pro Bowler
The type of athlete, dedication that defines AD is off the charts. I loved Deacon and still do, but if we switched them in their respective eras, Donald would become the most monstrous player of all time and would be on par with how Jim Brown was in his era. Deacon would not be an icon in today's game.
That's not really fair. You're moving Aaron back in time and Deacon forward. To be an even comparison you'd have to put AD in 2060s, 2070s NFL and ask if he would still be as dominant then.
If we're asking how dominant AD would be in the 1960s, then move Deacon back too, to the 1920s or 1930s. The only problem for him then is that they rarely threw the ball.
Florida_Ram
Hall of Fame
For as much as I loved Deacon Jones I really didn't see him playing until the twilight of his career with the Chargers & Redskins as he was traded to the Chargers after the 1971 season, but the highlights and the research over the years have made me love the man.
Love them both and Donald & Jones are upper echelon. Both players would have been great in any era, no debating that hopefully Donald will always be in Horns because although I come to understand why the traded Deacon (Jack Youngblood) as a young lad, it was still sad.
I think back in the olden days , I think they were just recorded as tackles for lose , which really could have meant a lot of things
Wasn't it Deacon Jones that actualy cloned the phrase "sack"
Wasn't it Deacon Jones that actualy cloned the phrase "sack"
That fearsome foursome is something we will not live to see again, for those of us that were lucky enough to enjoy those days. Free agency changed all that.
NFL researcher John Turney documented the sacks from the 1950s, 60s and 70s in the era when the league failed to officially recognize sacks, and he's certain that Jones' sack total should be 173½, which would rank him third on the career list. Jones thinks that career total is wrong. He and many other NFL wise guys like Sabol and Dick Vermeil are certain that for the better part of Jones career, he may have averaged nearly 20 sacks per season.
"Come with me," Jones says. "I got proof that I have the record."
We walk into his den, which is an elaborate bar and sports memorabilia showcase. He reaches onto the bookshelf and pulls out a blue bound book the size of a large dictionary. On the cover are the embossed letters "Los Angeles Rams Playbook: 1967."
On the book's spine, the name "George Allen" is embossed in gold quarter-inch high lettering. The late coach, who is also a NFL Hall of Famer, was the Rams coach in 1967.
"Look at this," Jones says, his voice rising to an angry pitch. "This is how the team kept track of our stats back then. They put them in the playbook after every game. At the end of the year, they gave us these bound volumes, and you could go through every page to see what your statistics were. I got $500 for every sack, and you know damned well they didn't let me count 'em. The team kept track of 'em and this was George's book."
We count the sacks. Twenty-six in 14 games. Six more in the playoffs.
He picks up a trophy that was given to him when he was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary team.
"What does the trophy say?" Jones asks. "Read the inscription."
"Deacon Jones ... had 26 sacks in 1967."
"And I had 24 the next year, too," Jones growls. "See. I told you that damned record book lies."
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/dea...cle_45a5e3ae-e2fd-5bcc-99d2-85bd322db14f.html
"Come with me," Jones says. "I got proof that I have the record."
We walk into his den, which is an elaborate bar and sports memorabilia showcase. He reaches onto the bookshelf and pulls out a blue bound book the size of a large dictionary. On the cover are the embossed letters "Los Angeles Rams Playbook: 1967."
On the book's spine, the name "George Allen" is embossed in gold quarter-inch high lettering. The late coach, who is also a NFL Hall of Famer, was the Rams coach in 1967.
"Look at this," Jones says, his voice rising to an angry pitch. "This is how the team kept track of our stats back then. They put them in the playbook after every game. At the end of the year, they gave us these bound volumes, and you could go through every page to see what your statistics were. I got $500 for every sack, and you know damned well they didn't let me count 'em. The team kept track of 'em and this was George's book."
We count the sacks. Twenty-six in 14 games. Six more in the playoffs.
He picks up a trophy that was given to him when he was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary team.
"What does the trophy say?" Jones asks. "Read the inscription."
"Deacon Jones ... had 26 sacks in 1967."
"And I had 24 the next year, too," Jones growls. "See. I told you that damned record book lies."
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/dea...cle_45a5e3ae-e2fd-5bcc-99d2-85bd322db14f.html
I hadn't really thought about it like that. I think about in terms of the way things were back then. Would AD have had weights in his basement and worked out everyday from junior high back then. No. He probably would have had other priority's back then. He wouldn't have had access to all the things that make him great now.
Give Deacon all of the training and nutrition of today's NFL Dlinemen, along with how AD is now. There is no headslap allowed. Holding is often allowed. AD is double and triple teamed inside while Deacon would have the RT and maybe a TE or RB. Maybe Deacon would have learned new moves in todays NFL, that's hard to say. I'm just saying I have never seen the total package like Aaron Donald is...ever before.