That's what Nick Eatman over at DC.com is saying, and there's no use trying to compare any current Cowboys to Prime Time either.
Newman is not Deion Sanders. And he'll be the first one to admit that. But he's the closest thing the Cowboys have had to Prime Time since he was released by the club in 1999.
Newman thrives on his cover skills. He rarely, VERY rarely, gives up a touchdown. And that's because many teams choose not to test him, which is another reason he doesn't get as many interceptions as his harshest critics would like.
Newman has returned punts, showcasing his blazing open-field speed and he has dabbled on the offensive side of the ball.
And you can describe Deion the same way. Only Sanders was better at all of that.
Newman has the same problem that Deion had later in his career: teams refused to throw at him. The difference is that Deion always seemed to find a way to make the interception anyway, and the one knock against Newman has been that has a problem making the play when he has the chance. He also has flashed some nice punt return abilities, although the Cowboys have become increasingly reluctant to have their #1 corner taking big open field hits.
Now the Cowboys have Pacman (if he gets reinstated), someone who has openly stated he plans on being the next Prime Time.
To make it better (or maybe worse), Pacman is switching from jersey number 32 to No. 21, in honor of Sanders, who has befriended Jones over the last few months.
So the comparisons are now completely unpreventable. It's a given. The first time the new No. 21 takes a punt return over 30 or 40 yards, or even all the way to the house, he'll be labeled the new Deion.
I completely agree with Eatman on this one. No matter how great a cover corner Newman is or how many incredible punt returns Pacman makes there will never be another Deion Sanders. Deion was one of the most exciting players to ever step on the football field and it started with his very first game.
That's one of my favorite Prime Time memories. Another one is when he missed all of training camp as a rookie with the Falcons in 1989, showed up on Saturday, played on Sunday against the Rams and fumbled the very first punt of the game in his NFL debut. Oh yeah, he then picked it up, ran about five yards backwards before he finally found a hole he was looking for and returned it up the field for an electrifying touchdown.
Gotta love Prime Time.
Normally I just completely ignore anything Jennifer Engel either writes or says. But this time she actually makes a good point about this is the season the defense needs to step up. The problem is that it seems like this is something we say every year.
He dedicates a decent amount of available cap space to re-sign a "lynchpin" defensive player seemingly every off-season. Everybody talks about how this is finally going to be the year the Cowboys' defense lives up to expectations and dominates. Then it is the same pile of underachievement it has always been.
There has been a steady decline in defensive play ever since the Cowboys had the #1 ranked defense in Bill Parcells' first season as coach. It seems that since then, the Cowboys have added defensive player after defensive player until now when they have one the most talented squads in the league. Unfortunately every year it seems that the defense has always been the question mark heading into the new season.
The Cowboys should not be entering another season with the onus again on Romo and The Redheaded Genius to carry them. But that is exactly what is happening.
And exactly what needs to change this season.
And amid JFE's thinly veiled insults and jabs, she slips in this little tidbit of information.
League insiders say that counting on Pacman to do anything except beg Rog for leniency is foolish. The fear is he is going to be suspended for the first four games.
Who knows if this is actually true or not, but that wouldn't be much of a surprise considering the latest developments in the Pacman world. I would just like to know one way or the other.
JJT has a nice article about Herschel Walker and his struggles with mental illness.