How good was Jason Sehorn?

not McMahon

In comment 12200307 BobOnLI said:

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He also sustained a major injury to his back while making an interception that he never fully recovered from. At his peak, he was just flat out fun to watch; in the way that LT was (I'm not, however, suggesting JS was the superstar LT was).

Well Bob, if not for the injury to his knee and subsequent taking of PEDs* while in special rehab, you never know how good he could have become.

* A strong suspicion I've had.

I have more sympathy for athletes who do PEDS after a serious injury. Must be really hard to have to face your own mortality when you have exceptional skills. Of course, I never had to face that never having been that skilled.

In comment 12200347 BobOnLI said:

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I have more sympathy for athletes who do PEDS after a serious injury. Must be really hard to have to face your own mortality when you have exceptional skills. Of course, I never had to face that never having been that skilled.

Interesting use of the word "mortality" here, Bob. I've often thought of how hard it must be to retire as an athlete, and Steve Nash recently said on his retirement that athletes die twice, once when they retire.

I was a kid during his time and remember being just completely devastated after the pre-season injury against the Jets.

Fun player to watch, wonderful athlete. I remember him picking up a fumble in 2001 and getting caught from behind on the return, and realizing he just didn't quite have it anymore. The SF game was tough to watch for him.

What if Brandon Marshall could cover like a top 5 corner ?? That's what he was to that era.

Before injury he was amongst the best corners. Easily in the top 20 all time. Elite speed and a very good football player. Stupid left Angie!

He was a true superstar talent. He didn't approach that level after the injury.

that, (i think it was the Jets) (Parcells, or was it lil bill or al groh) had loaded the Jets up with mean old veterans, linebackers, the works.

jason had been running around lobbying to return kicks in the press,

(fassel?) kept saying no, no, finally, relented.

he ran wide open that day, not seeking to protect himself at all.

prior to that, it was his great body control -at full speed- that really was unusual.

I was for it citing Deion as the reason. He was against citing injury risk.

For a moment that will last forever it appeared Jason was on the brink of going the distance and my scathing barrage of my brother was on my lips...then Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

.... who was vastly overrated by fans (and some media) because of the color of his skin.

the other guys cited returned punts, no kickoff returns.

Sehorn was injured on a kickoff return, which is probably the most violent single play in the NFL.

the runner has to have an instinctive ability to protect himself, eg his legs. You can't protect against everything, but Sehorn ran with abandon and didn't have much experience doing so in games. The instinct to be mindful of his legs, tacklers closing in etc wasn't there, so there should've been reason for caution. Fassel fell into the hype. Imo.

Sanders returned kickoffs and punts

what I posted here before and after the injury.

In comment 12200444 JonC said:

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the runner has to have an instinctive ability to protect himself, eg his legs. You can't protect against everything, but Sehorn ran with abandon and didn't have much experience doing so in games. The instinct to be mindful of his legs, tacklers closing in etc wasn't there, so there should've been reason for caution. Fassel fell into the hype. Imo.

Tiki was incredible at this, positioning himself in such a way that he wouldn't get crushed as much.

In comment 12200446 Torrag said:

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Sanders returned kickoffs and punts

If he did, I don't recall that....although I guess Sanders did return that one for a TD that was called back versus the Giants on MNF at the end of the game!!!

But you're right, mainly in his early years with ATL he's listed as a KO returner too.

I know the Skins put Green back there only on punts, and only during critical times.

The legend goes that he was so fast that he once ran right out of his pants.

It was almost exactly 16 years earlier, in same f*cking preseason game, that Simms blew out his knee. Set his career - and arguably the franchise - back two years.

from what I remember...It was Fassel that wanted him to return kicks not Sehorn.

In comment 12200429 Bluenatic said:

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.... who was vastly overrated by fans (and some media) because of the color of his skin.

Well that's pretty harsh , as seen in the link in a previous post ( superstars challenge) he was one of those rare athletes who do do just about anything he wanted . I would even define him as clutch . He always seemed to make the big play when it was needed. His highlights consistently show him picking off passes in front of the leagues best at that time. Coming thru in playoff games or in the 4th quarter of a big game.

Was he hyped for being white , sure he was . Was he hyped because he had Jame Dean looks and had the body to be in underware adds ? Yup , he was incredibly marketable .

To say he is overhyped would be the same as to say David Beckham was over hyped all those years in soccer .

The fact these 2 guys had model good looks actually takes away from the recognition the deserve for thier athletic accomplishments.

In comment 12200496 Big Blue Blogger said:

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It was almost exactly 16 years earlier, in same f*cking preseason game, that Simms blew out his knee. Set his career - and arguably the franchise - back two years.

That preseason game always seems to get our guys. Same one Osi got hurt in too. It's a shame because Sehorn's '97 season was something special. Never the same.

In comment 12200429 Bluenatic said:

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.... who was vastly overrated by fans (and some media) because of the color of his skin.

I would guess ur kidding. Not sure.

.
Link - ( New Window )

That while at USC he returned 31 punts...admittedly not the same as kickoff returns.

In comment 12200591 Someone on the inside said:

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That while at USC he returned 31 punts...admittedly not the same as kickoff returns.

A SOTI sighting! :)

now!

with modern surgery, he would have been able to continue playing at an elite level?

Good to very good probably more accurate. Very good against the trend back then re: bigger wrs (e.g., Irvin). By his own admission he struggled against the smaller, quicker wrs.

...after he rehabbed from the 1998 ACL. But the second injury - the one in 2001 that required microfracture - would probably still have cooked him.

Keep in mind that Sehorn's threepeat in the Superstars competition all came after the ACL. He was still an amazing athlete, 'roids or no 'roids. He just wasn't an amazing football player any more - at least not consistently.

and still maintain there was nothing wrong with Sehorn returning kicks. They had a poor return game the prior year and he was their best athlete who had a knack for making plays. There is along history before and after Sehorn of starting players (WR, RB, CB, S) returning kickoffs and/or punts. There is nothing unusual about this, nor is it unwise if you think it gives you an advantage in that part of the game.

Returning kicks was not new to him. At Shasta junior college he was a standout wide receiver, kick returner, and punt returner. As for whether he was a shut down corner, I remember a game against the Cowboys. Sehorn covered Irvin and frustrated him the entire day. Toward the end of the game, Irvin ran an out and Sehorn showed up just in time to knock the ball away. Later, with the game now out of reach for Dallas, the TV cameras showed Irvin seated on the bench with tears running down his face from frustration. He had simply been shut down the entire game.

With those that stated he would have been the best we ever had at that position if he hadn't got hurt. He was sensational for that time before his famous injury that really pissed us all off. After his injury he had a good season or two, but never approached anything close to what we all had hoped for, then he just seemed to give up, when he could no longer play up to his standards, and had the personality to go into broadcasting.

In comment 12200393 Torrag said:

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He was a true superstar talent. He didn't approach that level after the injury.

Best ever? Come on.
Em Tunnell - ( New Window )

Stage 2 the light came on in 96 and he was an elite player in 96 and 97. Anybody who says different is full of it.

After the injury was stage 3 and it was not the same although he was still a very good player.

He gets a lot of grief for the SF playoff game. But he was not the problem. In the 2nd half we had no pass rush and often Garcia extended the play. Many of the receptions were on the 2nd and 3rd moves by the WR after the QB had a lot of time. He had a tough matchup playing man vs a young TO and often in the slot. With Garcia having all day it was an impossible task for the Giants DBs that day.

A gassed pass rush is what doomed NYG that day in SF, for sure. If only Shockey doesn't drop that TD ...

He got hurt again, severely, in 2001. He kept coming back though - first as the nickel behind the Wills (regaining his job briefly when Peterson was hurt), then giving it a shot at safety with the Rams his last year. By that time, he was 32.

Webster for a 2-3 year stretch here imo was a better player than Sehorn was.

I think he's a better prince amukamara, maybe more like a Brent Grimes talent level, Post injury more like Aaron Ross or Corey Webster level. Still good but not what he once was.

In comment 12200880 GeofromNJ said:

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Returning kicks was not new to him. At Shasta junior college he was a standout wide receiver, kick returner, and punt returner. As for whether he was a shut down corner, I remember a game against the Cowboys. Sehorn covered Irvin and frustrated him the entire day. Toward the end of the game, Irvin ran an out and Sehorn showed up just in time to knock the ball away. Later, with the game now out of reach for Dallas, the TV cameras showed Irvin seated on the bench with tears running down his face from frustration. He had simply been shut down the entire game.

That was the game in Dallas in 1997 at the end of the year.

but I'll never forget the look of pain on Irvin's face.

He was a good-very good player. Not the best ever, not a perennially All-Pro, but certainly a definite starter and someone that every coach would want in their backfield.

...had some big time stand out moments.....but overall good not great.
athletic as hell.,,got smoked often too though after 97...
Liked the camera and attention...for my taste..I'd rather c Marc Collins on the field.

he was never the same in my view, especially in coverage. Just got too big...

Overall, he was an above average corner who got extra pub because he was (1) a white corner and (2) in NY. JS had this sot of great white hope appeal at a position dominated by black players....

In comment 12201167 GeofromNJ said:

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but I'll never forget the look of pain on Irvin's face.

Me neither. I also remember Tito Wooten waving a broom around behind the bench at the Dallas fans, since it was the second win over the Cowboys that year....hahahaha.

He was a pretty good player and I would love to have him now.

The injury nobody talks about was when he broke his collar bone. Besides being a terrific cover corner, he was a tackling demon before that injury.

He led the team in tackles (and 3 sacks), in 1996. After that, he was a little shy about playing hard-nose.

In comment 12200390 TheCatch said:

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What if Brandon Marshall could cover like a top 5 corner ?? That's what he was to that era.

What? Brandon Marshall isn't fast. Sehorn was a 4.3 guy.

in `96 and `97, but never the same after his injury and Marinovichian rehab.

In the locker room after the preseason game in which Sehorn blew out his knee, Strahan was actually crying. When asked why, he said "we lost our best player".