DeShon Elliott vs Earl Thomas

**ursula** · 01-15-2021, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by BustOfPallas

Anyone think Earl has a little CTE?

Or do people think he was always a knucklehead and his wife is like the nitro to his glycerin?

No, he definitely wasn't always a knucklehead. He worked very hard for years to become a legit HOF candidate. He was dominant and he earned it through hard work. He wasn't Ed Reed, he didn't have the responsibilities that Reed had as the Seattle defense was remarkably straightforward. But he did his job really really well. To pass against him was just inviting heartbreak.

Then things changed. He didn't put in the time and his play fell off. The Ravens overpaid.

**BcRaven** · 01-15-2021, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by ursula

Then things changed. He didn't put in the time and his play fell off. The Ravens overpaid.

Yes they did, but at least have rectified their mistake. It's really too bad because if he was 75% of the player he was 6 or 7 years ago, he would have been well worth it... Bc

**one eyed bird** · 01-15-2021, 01:52 PM

Earl Who?

**LukeDaniel** · 01-15-2021, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by Ravensblitzkrieg

Once you said Thomas controlled the middle of the field possibly better than Ed Reed I had to stop reading.

Are you minimizing INTs to “flashy highlights”? You do realize that one of the biggest determiners of winning/losing a game is the turnover battle.

Ed Reed getting 9 INT in a season isn’t just a “flashy highlight, it had tremendous impact on the outcome of the game.

Not to mention there was a season Ed had 8 INT in 10 games! Lead the league in 10 games.

You seem like a good guy but to say Earl Thomas controlled the middle of the field better than Ed Reed is obsurd at best.

I didn't say it. The stats did. Sorry that they don't back up your opinion.

I'm pretty sure Ed Reed never came close to a season where he allowed only six competions and a 24 QBR. He controlled the center of the field in a different fashion than Earl, but to say it was more dominant is not factually supported.

Also, FWIW, it's kind of hard to get 9 interceptions when you're only targeted 14 times all year!

Deion isn't even in the top 20 in career INTs, and is widely regarded as the best CB ever. Hard stat to accumulate when quarterbacks are scared to throw your way.

Im not saying Earl Thomas was as good as Ed Reed, but I am saying that in 2019, his coverage rating was unmatched by anyone in recent history.

**LukeDaniel** · 01-15-2021, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by ursula

He didn't put in the time and his play fell off.

I wonder how much data you have to ignore to have this type of opinion.

**leachisabeast** · 01-15-2021, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by LukeDaniel

I didn't say it. The stats did. Sorry that they don't back up your opinion.

I'm pretty sure Ed Reed never came close to a season where he allowed only six competions and a 24 QBR. He controlled the center of the field in a different fashion than Earl, but to say it was more dominant is not factually supported.

Also, FWIW, it's kind of hard to get 9 interceptions when you're only targeted 14 times all year!

Deion isn't even in the top 20 in career INTs, and is widely regarded as the best CB ever. Hard stat to accumulate when quarterbacks are scared to throw your way.

Im not saying Earl Thomas was as good as Ed Reed, but I am saying that in 2019, his coverage rating was unmatched by anyone in recent history.

He was a bitch in run support

**Rygar64** · 01-15-2021, 03:30 PM

Stats are why football isn't baseball...

**boller4president** · 01-15-2021, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

He was a bitch in run support

Yeah, I also saw our pass defense get burned repeatedly and often early on the season and what changed wasn't some sort of epiphany by Earl it was our DB's getting healthy and acquiring Peters. He had the benefit of the deepest CB group ahead of him in the entire league.

**DeltaRaven** · 01-15-2021, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by LukeDaniel

I didn't say it. The stats did. Sorry that they don't back up your opinion.

I'm pretty sure Ed Reed never came close to a season where he allowed only six competions and a 24 QBR. He controlled the center of the field in a different fashion than Earl, but to say it was more dominant is not factually supported.

Also, FWIW, it's kind of hard to get 9 interceptions when you're only targeted 14 times all year!

Deion isn't even in the top 20 in career INTs, and is widely regarded as the best CB ever. Hard stat to accumulate when quarterbacks are scared to throw your way.

Im not saying Earl Thomas was as good as Ed Reed, but I am saying that in 2019, his coverage rating was unmatched by anyone in recent history.

This is such a stupid stat. People did the same crap with Nnamdi comparing him to Revis. It got dispelled the moment Nnamdi went to Philly. Teams started throwing at him and they figured out he’s not the lockdown corner he was hyped to be. He was never in Revis’ league.

Having ET3 in the same conversation as Ed Reed when it comes to coverage is a complete joke. ET3 wasn’t ever asked to cover a fraction of what Ed was able to do in coverage.

**BlackBeak** · 01-15-2021, 11:50 PM

Whatever, man. Just one thing ... on Titans we needed every member of the front seven to show up, and they did, not just the starters ... everyone ... BIG TIME BEASTING.

Against Buffalo, its the secondary’s time. Jimmy, Marlo, Marcus, Chuck, and Deshon. ... Tramon, Jayron, Anthony. When it’s your turn to shine fucking shine.

That shithead Earl got drummed out because he wasn’t accepted by that team. If they play like a team in Buffalo I gives exactly zero fucks about who’s the better safety.

**boller4president** · 01-15-2021, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by DeltaRaven

This is such a stupid stat. People did the same crap with Nnamdi comparing him to Revis. It got dispelled the moment Nnamdi went to Philly. Teams started throwing at him and they figured out he’s not the lockdown corner he was hyped to be. He was never in Revis’ league.

Having ET3 in the same conversation as Ed Reed when it comes to coverage is a complete joke. ET3 wasn’t ever asked to cover a fraction of what Ed was able to do in coverage.

FS also rarely are asked to cover 1-1 anyways so I don't understand these target stats are supposed to show to begin with. Is that just when QB's throw to his side of the field? What does the stat even mean?

**leachisabeast** · 01-16-2021, 07:44 AM

Ed Reed could also lay the wood, Earl was never known to be able to do that.

Earl benefitted from the cover 3 scheme in Seattle, with a front 4 who were all amazing pass rushers. Seattle didn't need to rely on blitzing unlike here where we are more geared up in the front 7 to stop the run rather than the pass.

And as B4p noted... look at how Earl suddenly became better as soon as we bought Peters in to form an elite CB trio. It was the same thing when he had Sherman, Chancellor, Maxwell, and Browner in the secondary with him.