Scottemojo":mi4xslcf said:
Kam is good. Easley was a straight up killer. He had Kam's hits plus some, and Clay Matthews energy level. Sorry young dudes, but this one is no contest. If Easley had had Kam's size, Elway would have died a glorious death.
Kenny Easley is virtually the same size as Kam. They are both 6'3", with Easley at about 220 during his playing days. Thirty years ago, Easley was an absolute monster. For comparison sake, Jacob Green - a traditional sized DE of the era - was 6'3" 250 (I always thought he was huge when I was a kid). He is the exact same size as Chris Clemons. Green today would be considered "smallish" to play DE....player size has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. When people said that Easley was a linebacker playing safety....it was almost literally true. Tom Jackson, the premiere MLB of the era, was 5'11" 220. Easley played the run as well as any linebacker, and the pass as well as any cornerback. His pass rushing ability was also dynamic (I even think the Seahawks may have lined Easley up at hybrid DE position once or twice, rushing the QB with his hand in the ground....he had a few sacks, mostly on blitzes). He also ran back punts.
Easley was by far the most dominant safety of the short time he played. Ronnie Lott was always very good, but Easley overshadowed him during the first few years after they were both drafted in the first round.
i agree that Kam is good, and I love his game. But Easley was on track to be one of the best to ever play the game until his career was cut short. No contest