CSC All-Time Saints Team Nominations: Strong Safety

by Dave Cariello on Jul 19, 2009 7:00 AM CDT in CSC All-Time New Orleans Saints Team

More all-time Saints team talk. Today we're discussing safeties of Saints past. Below is a list of players I've researched and deemed worthy of inclusion in our discussion of great Saints safeties. As usual I will leave it up to you guys, the readers, to nominate any other players you feel should be included.

The poll will open at 6am Central on Tuesday morning and will be open for exactly 48 hours, ending on Thursday, July 23rd.

I now open it up for any other nominations or players that you just can't believe I missed. There very well may be a glaring omission. Talk it out in the comment section. I would also love to hear some personal rumination from our readers who've actually watched these guys plays.

Year Games Int. Yards Avg. TD

2002 16 5 36 7.2 0

2001 16 6 114 19.0 0

2000 16 5 68 13.6 2

1999 16 1 0 0.0 0

1998 14 6 175 28.5 2

1997 16 5 75 15.0 0

Total 94 28 468 16.7 4

Sammy Knight

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 215

D.O.B.: 9/10/1975

College: USC

NFL Experience: 12 Seasons

Seasons with Saints: 1997-2002

Notables: One-time Pro-Bowler (2001)

Year	Games	Int.	Yards	Avg.	TD
1993	16	3	59	19.7	0
1992	16	3	0	0.0	0
1991	16	5	198	39.6	0
1990	16	2	15	7.5	0
1989	14	1	-2	-2.0	0
1988	16	4	41	10.5	0
1987	13	3	12	4.0	0
Total	107	21	323	15.4	0

Gene Atkins

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 201

D.O.B.: 11/22/1964

College: Florida A&M

NFL Experience: 10 Seasons

Seasons with Saints: 1987-1993

Year	Games	Int.	Yards	Avg.	TD
1981	16	2	70	35.0	0
1980	16	5	96	19.2	0
1979	15	7	127	18.1	1
1978	16	6	167	27.8	1
1977	12	1	2	2.0	0
1976	14	1	0	0.0	0
1975	9	5	83	16.6	0
1974	12	3	43	14.3	0
1973	13	3	33	11.0	0
1972	13	3	0	0.0	0
Total	136	36	621	17.25	2

Tommy Myers

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 184

D.O.B.: 10/24/1950

College: Syracuse

NFL Experience: 10 Seasons

Seasons with Saints: 1972-1981

Notables: One-time Pro-Bowler (1979)

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Comments

SAMMY “GOOD” KNIGHT

by Dirty1WB on Jul 19, 2009 8:33 AM CDT reply actions

are we

nominating strong safeties specifically? Or just safeties, in general? All three of the ones you mentioned played both positions at one point or another, but Myers was a FS almost exclusively throughout his career. Atkins split, but had a bigger impact at FS. Knight was more noted as a SS, imo.

I have a few other worthy candidates, but I’d like to know how we’re going about this, before I drop names.

by coldpizza on Jul 19, 2009 8:48 AM CDT reply actions

I noticed

that they all played both so I figured they could be interchangeable. I have a feeling Sammy Knight has a lock on the SS spot anyway though.

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by Dave Cariello on Jul 19, 2009 12:25 PM CDT up reply actions

Originally posted in the CB thread

How are we handling safeties anyway? True free and strong designations … or just safeties in general twice? There’s not much of a field combined. I can only think of about five total that are even worthy of all-time discussion. Imagine how thin it would be, if we went break it down specific.

Dave Waymer (if he doesn’t make it as a CB), Tommy Myers, Sammy Knight = serious contenders

Russell Gary, Gene Atkins, Brett Maxie = second tier, still worthy of consideration, imo

Jay Bellamy, Antonio Gibson, Frank Wattelet, Chris Oldham, Dwight Smith = serviceable honorable mentions

Rob Kelly, Bo Burris, George Youngblood, Don Schwartz, Chuck Crist, Tebucky Jones = scraping the bottom of the barrel

Bennie Thompson, Steve Gleason = better suited as ST ace nominees, if we decide to go that route

Pretty sure Toi Cook wound up playing free safety for the 49ers after he left New Orleans.

by coldpizza on Jul 19, 2009 8:58 AM CDT reply actions