Judge & Jury: Is Aaron Donald the Greatest Player in Rams' History?

[TexasRam]

I haven't seen every game of Deacon Jones, but nearly every highlight I have seen has him coming off the edge 1 on 1, while the fearsome foursome interior guys are getting the double teams. Donald never had a Merlin Olsen playing with him.

The head slaps were something Deacon learned by watching Mohammed Ali and were truly a massive advantage for that generation.

If Aaron Donald was facing one man and allowed to use head slaps, I am sure this wouldn't even be a conversation who was better.

The double and triple teams have really skewed the perception of just how awesome Donald was. Not only from a statistical perspective for each play he is blocked with 2-3 guys, but the required physical exertion and mental motivation to play 4 quarters under these conditions.

Comparing different eras and different positions is also an exercise of futility.

The debate go on forever but I think Donald has an arguement for best defensive player ever.

Donald is definitely the best defensive player I have ever watched, which for me is 45 years of watching NFL football.

Marshall Faulk did have a similar elite level impact and woah factor on the offensive side. I will concede that.

 

[jjab360]

He's the best Ram I've ever watched play and there's a large gap between him and second best. The only reason he won't go down as the greatest defensive player of all time is because he doesn't have the longevity of Reggie White.

 

[Mackeyser]

AD is the greatest player I’ve ever seen play at any position.

Yeah, even when watching Lawrence Taylor, I’d think “why are they only blocking him with a TE”. So much of his dominance was being a physical phenom while embracing a new model for defense that took the NFL years to adjust to. Reggie White was simply “TOO BIG, TOO STRONG”… but again, he mostly faced one on ones or chips from TEs or RBs until later when the speed faded and he successfully moved inside.

AD, otoh, did ALL of his damage from the inside, being double or triple teamed by legit OL 70% during his unreal 2018 year and nearly 45% overall when teams knew from the jump that he was a game wrecker… AND doing this when the Offense has never been centered more…

I’m not surprised how many have noted in going over old footage for their analyses that AD got held…umm… A LOT!!! Like so much more than anyone else that it would be comical if it weren’t so infuriating.

Can any of us imagine how dominant AD would have been if they called every hold??? And I mean this understanding that some games our OL would have been penalized more yards than they gained over an entire season… looking at you 2015-16 Rams… but for real… they already couldn’t do it with two guys and struggled to even get three guys on him before he’d make a play. That doesn’t get talked about enough… how many triple teams he avoided by being so quick that he avoided them altogether.

He was 1 of 1, greatest DT of all time and one of the top 5 greatest Defenders of all time.

 

[Steve808]

We don’t have every down footage available of Olsen, Jones, Youngblood, etc.

Or of any of the great offensive players of yesteryear.

Which is what makes this question impossible to answer.

The Rams have had many great (in the true meaning of the word) players over the years. Aaron Donald was one of them.

Let’s just enjoy this franchise’s history and its wonderful players.

I grew up watching these guys. (Yeah, I'm getting old). But I don't recall the game analysts constantly talking about and showing other players constantly double teaming defensive players on most plays. Also, hands to the face wasn't a penalty back then and you didn't have sacks taken away for being too rough on the quarterback, I'll also add that I've never seen or can't recall a defensive lineman make decisive game winning plays, especially in the Super Bowl, which preserved the championship for the Rams in SB 56. For that reason, I think AD is the best ever and the stats bear it out. Of course this is my opinion and good arguments can be made for other players.

 

[gogoat1]

Yes and no.
The 2 years that Faulk was in his prime with us he was head and shoulders the best player on the field, both sides of the ball by a wide margin too.
All you had to do was lean on Marshal and you won the game.
AD had that too but he did not carry/catch the ball.
Faulk was Superman, but he got hurt.
AD only got hurt by that fluke hit or he would have finished his career untouched.
Beasts of beasts.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Also, hands to the face wasn't a penalty back then and you didn't have sacks taken away for being too rough on the quarterback

That was never a problem for AD. At the beginning is his career he would always put his full body weight on top of the qb. Loved those sacks, best plays of the games.

When they changed the rules so you couldn't do that AD was such a technician that he changed his sack move immediately.

All these other idiots putting their full body weight on the qb then getting up and wondering why there's a flag on the ground, AD was getting the sack but moving to the side of the qb so he could land on the ground instead of the qb. Never saw a flag thrown at AD for a sack.

He was physically better than all the other players, he was technically better than all the other players and he was light years smarter than all the other players.

That's how you become probably the best player of all time.

.

 

[Steve808]

That was never a problem for AD. At the beginning is his career he would always put his full body weight on top of the qb. Loved those sacks, best plays of the games.

When they changed the rules so you couldn't do that AD was such a technician that he changed his sack move immediately.

All these other idiots putting their full body weight on the qb then getting up and wondering why there's a flag on the ground, AD was getting the sack but moving to the side of the qb so he could land on the ground instead of the qb. Never saw a flag thrown at AD for a sack.

He was physically better than all the other players, he was technically better than all the other players and he was light years smarter than all the other players.

That's how you become probably the best player of all time.

.

Can you imagine if AD could use the hands to face technique without a penalty?

 

[kurtfaulk]

Can you imagine if AD could use the hands to face technique without a penalty?

To be honest I don't think it would have changed anything. He didn't need to do that to beat his man. He bamboozled them with his technique combined with his speed. He always beat them.

What he couldn't always beat was holding.

.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Yeah, even when watching Lawrence Taylor, I’d think “why are they only blocking him with a TE”. So much of his dominance was being a physical phenom while embracing a new model for defense that took the NFL years to adjust to. Reggie White was simply “TOO BIG, TOO STRONG”… but again, he mostly faced one on ones or chips from TEs or RBs until later when the speed faded and he successfully moved inside.

AD, otoh, did ALL of his damage from the inside, being double or triple teamed by legit OL 70% during his unreal 2018 year and nearly 45% overall when teams knew from the jump that he was a game wrecker… AND doing this when the Offense has never been centered more…

I’m not surprised how many have noted in going over old footage for their analyses that AD got held…umm… A LOT!!! Like so much more than anyone else that it would be comical if it weren’t so infuriating.

Can any of us imagine how dominant AD would have been if they called every hold??? And I mean this understanding that some games our OL would have been penalized more yards than they gained over an entire season… looking at you 2015-16 Rams… but for real… they already couldn’t do it with two guys and struggled to even get three guys on him before he’d make a play. That doesn’t get talked about enough… how many triple teams he avoided by being so quick that he avoided them altogether.

He was 1 of 1, greatest DT of all time and one of the top 5 greatest Defenders of all time.

Put AD back in the late 80’s and there would be no doubt that he was better than Reggie and LT. The league called more holds and teams played straight up, like you said.

 

[RamsFan4Life]

I'd put Deacon and Donald in a tie as the greatest defenders period. What Donald did against double and triple teams is simply unheard of. For recent times, I'd vote Warner, Faulk, Dickerson and Bruce as the greatest in a tie. Waterfield is my offense vote for old school.

I saw Deacon play and met him in person a couple of times.

Aaron Donald is a great player. Aaron Donald was vexing. Acid reflux inducing Scheme busting nightmare.

Deacon Jones was scary. You didn’t worry about him blowing up your scheme……you worried he’d kill somebody. I watched week in week out fully expecting him to rip somebody’s head or arm off.

AD is fast, strong, smart and a tough day at the office

Deacon Jones was a monster. Full stop

 

[dang]

I have never seen a single player change an entire game.

Aaron Donald is that guy.

AD is the GOAT in these eyes.

LT is the only other defensive player I ever saw that played near Donald’s level of play. Starting following the NFL in 1972 for me.