I know this series went dormant for a while, but with the draft and free agency in our rear view mirror, it’s time to kick things back up.
If you’ll recall, we ran this through with the best kicker, punter, returners, and sefies of the past quarter century; you selected Money Matt Bryant, Matt Bosher, Allen Rossum paired with Eric Weems, and both Jessie Bates and William Moore. Now we’re into cornerback, where there’s a competitive five man race to consider.
We’ll pick the top three, so vote for your
favorite and hope for the best.
Robert Alford
The raw stats: 250 tackles (5th), 4 tackles for loss (16th) 10 interceptions (15th), 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns (T-2nd), 85 pass deflections (1st), 1 forced fumble (way down there)
There was a long and spirited debate about whether Alford was any good (he was, if inconsistent), whether he was better than Desmond Trufant (I’m not starting that fight again), and so on. Already 25 years old in his rookie season, Alford spent just six seasons in Atlanta and seven seasons in the NFL overall, but he made them count.
He was always stellar at getting his hands on the ball, which helped mask some of his penalty problems and inconsistencies in coverage. But despite being frequently targeted in a prolific passing era, Alford held his own throughout his career, sandwiching a rough rookie and final season in Atlanta around some strong campaigns. Alford deserves his spot on this list for the overall work in his tenure, but his pick six of Tom Brady in a certain Super Bowl is the pinnacle of his career and one of my favorite moments in Falcons history in a vacuum.
Brent Grimes
The raw stats: 222 tackles (7th), 6 tackles for loss (T-10th) 13 interceptions (11th), 85 pass deflections (4th), 1 forced fumble (way down there)
Grimes was one of the more underrated cornerbacks of his era, and one of the great undrafted free agents of the past quarter century, period. A four-time Pro Bowler and one-time second-team All-Star, Grimes had 33 career interceptions and 13 in Atlanta, with the former giving him one of the top 200 totals in NFL history, and had several years where his coverage was pretty damn close to elite. Injuries plagued him in Atlanta and led to his exit—he missed at least four games in 2008 and 2011 and missed all but one game in 2012—but during his peak he could be a shutdown corner. No athlete’s wife has ever come to a player’s defense as regularly or as ferociously as Miko Grimes, too, which I have to say I appreciate a lot more now than I did whenever we wrote critically about Grimes’ play then.
DeAngelo Hall
The raw stats: 222 tackles (7th), 6 tackles for loss (T-10th) 17 interceptions (7th), 2 interceptions returned for a touchdown (T-2nd), 48 pass deflections (6th), 3 forced fumbles (7th), 2 fumbles returned for a touchdown (T-1st)
Talented and mercurial in equal measure, Hall was traded away by Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith in March of their first offseason on the job. In the four seasons before that, Hall was consistently pretty awesome for Atlanta, putting up 17 interceptions and three interceptions returned for touchdowns, three forced fumbles, and three fumble return touchdowns to go with 48 pass deflections and terrific coverage and a pair of Pro Bowl berths. He mixed that in with 2-3 absolute stinkers per year and a couple of notable sideline blowups—though one was with Bobby Petrino, which is very defensible—but was a playmaking cornerback through-and-through who had a terrific stretch in Atlanta as part of a terrific career. Hall has the NFL record for fumble return yardage, which is also very cool.
A.J. Terrell
The raw stats: 282 tackles (3rd), 14 tackles for loss (1st) 6 interceptions (22nd), 61 pass deflections (4th), 6 forced fumbles (2nd), 1 sack
Terrell’s likely to have longevity on everyone on this list by the time his career wraps up, including the next man listed. He’s also, when working at the height of his powers, one of the best cover cornerbacks on this list and a player who offers an aggressive, willing physicality against the run that can border on recklessness. There are games, like last year’s masterclass against Arizona, where he simply erases top receivers.
What might hurt him in the estimation of many fans is the lack of interceptions, as he’s played more games for the Falcons than anyone on this list but Desmond Trufant (93 against Trufant’s 97) and yet has just six picks to his name. As is the case with Trufant, some of his worst games also are easily recalled by fans skeptical of his acumen rather than the consistency with which he plies his craft. All of that is valid if you want to knock him, but Terrell has been quite good in coverage and run defense throughout his time in Atlanta while taking on at least 800 snaps as the team’s top option each of the last six seasons. His 2021 season, when he allowed just 29 receptions and 200 yards on 66 targets, is also quite possibly the most impressive single campaign you’ll find among this group.
Desmond Trufant
The raw stats: 272 tackles (4th), 9 tackles for loss (4th), 13 interceptions (11th), 79 pass deflections (2nd), 3 forced fumbles (7th), 2 fumbles returned for a touchdown (T-1st), 5 sacks (T-2nd)
Nobody told me I had to leave my bias out of this, so here’s my personal choice to top this list.
Trufant was a criminally underrated cornerback for Atlanta throughout his run. Some fans thought Robert Alford was better than him—he wasn’t, though obviously Alford had some great seasons along the way—and some criticized his lack of interceptions, while still others treated him as they treat Terrell today and magnified the handful of big plays allowed per year at the expense of his consistency in coverage. Trufant was the team’s top option for seven seasons—two of those marred by injuries, unfortunately—and was above average-to-terrific in coverage throughout his entire run in Atlanta while playing the run well and tackling soundly. His career took a nosedive after he and the Falcons parted ways, but Trufant was a terrific Falcon on some of the best Atlanta teams of the century thus far.
All Quarter Century Team
Safeties: Jessie Bates and William Moore
Returners: Allen Rossum and Eric Weems
Kicker: Matt Bryant
Punter: Matt Bosher
