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Thread: Bears All-Time Best Cornerbacks

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    Member GeorgiaJeff's Avatar
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    Bears All-Time Best Cornerbacks

    With this being the bye week I re-watched the dvd A Tradition of Defense: The Chicago Bears. One thing that struck me is the cornerback position. The players chosen for cornerback on the Bears All-Time Defensive Team were Red Grange and George McAfee. For what it's worth, the now defunct football publication Football Digest once did an all-time team for all football teams and choose Bennie McRae and Red Grange as the cornerbacks for their Bears All-Time Team. They had George McAfee as one of the safeties.

    Back to the dvd. Other Bears cornerbacks mentioned were Leslie Frazier, Mike Richardson, Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, J.C. Caroline, Bennie McRae, Dave Whitsell and Donnell Woolford. One player who wasn't mentioned was Allan Ellis.

    In case you're interested in their (dvd) choices for the safety position it was Gary Fencik and Richie Petitbon.

    Other safeties mentioned were Dave Duerson, Mike Brown, Mark Carrier and Roosevelt Taylor. Todd Bell was only mentioned in regards to his holdout giving Duerson an opportunity.

    Interesting that two different sources pick three of the same players for the Bears all-time secondary.

    dvd - Fencik and Petitbon (safety), Grange and McAfee (cornerback)

    Football Digest - McAfee and Petitbon (safety), Grange and McRae (cornerback)

    For those of you who know your Bears history do you agree or disagree with the selections?
    Last edited by GeorgiaJeff; 10-28-2010 at 06:18 PM.

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    Senior Member short faced bear's Avatar
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    No Doug Plank? Bell was a fearsome hitter and deserved much credit in '84. Other than his rookie year I'm indifferent about Carrier.
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    Member GeorgiaJeff's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by short faced bear View Post
    No Doug Plank? Bell was a fearsome hitter and deserved much credit in '84. Other than his rookie year I'm indifferent about Carrier.
    The only mention of Plank was regarding the 46 Defense being named because of his number and Fencik getting his chance to play when Plank got injured. No highlights of Plank.

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    Banned dabears54's Avatar
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    mcafee more a "slash player", and earned the "one play mcafee" label with his run's and kick returns. he did have 25 INT's and becuase lost 3 years to WW2, hard to know how much better his stats woud have been . And he was more a CB than safety( back then didn't call it a safety)

    Pettibon deserves it, while most know him as a coach he ddi make 4 probowls for the bears and anchored the 1960's teams, i'd put him and fencik at the Safety and Grange and mcafee at the Cb's

    carrier after his great rookie year, just average, ro taylor better, and mike brown deserves honorable mention, unfort his injuries take him out of the running as "best ever"- but deserves mention and probably would ahve been there if not for the injuries

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    Member GeorgiaJeff's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dabears54 View Post
    mcafee more a "slash player", and earned the "one play mcafee" label with his run's and kick returns. he did have 25 INT's and becuase lost 3 years to WW2, hard to know how much better his stats woud have been . And he was more a CB than safety( back then didn't call it a safety)

    Pettibon deserves it, while most know him as a coach he ddi make 4 probowls for the bears and anchored the 1960's teams, i'd put him and fencik at the Safety and Grange and mcafee at the Cb's

    carrier after his great rookie year, just average, ro taylor better, and mike brown deserves honorable mention, unfort his injuries take him out of the running as "best ever"- but deserves mention and probably would ahve been there if not for the injuries
    I agree. Safety has been a stronger postion for the Bears in their rich history than cornerback. I'd say cornerback has been the weakest part of the Bears rich defensive hsitory. Not that there haven't been some good cornerbacks, as the dvd pointed out, but in comparison to the other positions on D.

    Do you remember Allan Ellis? Not the best Bears' teams that he played on.
    Last edited by GeorgiaJeff; 10-29-2010 at 07:47 AM.

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    Banned dabears54's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeorgiaJeff View Post
    I agree. Safety has been a stronger postion for the Bears in their rich history than cornerback. I'd say cornerback has been the weakest part of the Bears rich defensive hsitory. Not that there haven't been some good cornerbacks, as the dvd pointed out, but in comparison to the other positions on D.

    Do you remember Allan Ellis? Not the best Bears' teams that he played on.
    while those mid 70's( like mid 90's) I try and purge from my mind..lol yeah remember ellis, hewas pretty good and getting better( 6 int's in 1976 and 1977), had a probowl seaosn, but then hurt his knee in the preseason the next year and never the same

    1977 was a fun year, started 3-5, and usual 'we suck stuff" then team went on a tear and won last 6 with payton getting 1,825 yards and flying at end( and first playoff apprerance in 15 years, not kidding! and why because lived that crap think today's team mch better).. Came crashing down 37-6 against dallas in the playoffs as avellini his usual dreadful self, they stacked 8-9 in box to stop payton and avelinni responded with 4 INT's.. ughhhhh damm you jeff for making me think about it again! j/k : )

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    Member GeorgiaJeff's Avatar
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    For what it's worth, I got the impression re-watching the dvd that Bennie McRae and Leslie Frazier were the Bears best cornerbacks in the Post Leather Helmet Era (say 1955-present). It makes sense seeing as they were the best cornerbacks on the Bears last two championship teams.

    As much as I loved Johnny U as a player (my favorite non-Bears' player of all-time) I enjoyed the J.C. Caroline pick 6 on Unitas' first pass attempt and that being a trivia question.

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