The difference between the two legendary int's...

[Reality Man]

A. Woodson. It was a PERFECT blend of athleticism and skill. Can't really do a better job picking off a ball. Sistine Chapel level.


B. Lewis. It was on some level flashier. He doesn't execute the int as well as Woodson but it was flashier. You sense he had to put more effort and his body was contorted. Great int but still only 2nd best. Mona Lisa level.

Sorry Jourdan.



RM

 

[alfadriver]

The better play would have been to just knock it down. We would have been first and goal on the 8 to run the clock out.

Great catch, though.

 

[Doneoett]

A. Woodson. It was a PERFECT blend of athleticism and skill. Can't really do a better job picking off a ball. Sistine Chapel level.


B. Lewis. It was on some level flashier. He doesn't execute the int as well as Woodson but it was flashier. You sense he had to put more effort and his body was contorted. Great int but still only 2nd best. Mona Lisa level.

Sorry Jourdan.



RM

If you are going to write about it, you should post it. You are welcome

 

[GoBlue_since1985]

His verticle is just ridiculous.

 

[Code Blue]

HA! Did anyone notice who was over at the bench coaching him up when he sat down?

 

[detroitjohn]

His verticle is just ridiculous.

"He had no idea that Charles Woodson was able to leap 15 feet in the air..." the old Kentucky and Alabama coach, Bill Curry, sure knew how to call them (a cousin of a good friend of mine, btw). Loved that commentary!

 

[detroitjohn]

A. Woodson. It was a PERFECT blend of athleticism and skill. Can't really do a better job picking off a ball. Sistine Chapel level.


B. Lewis. It was on some level flashier. He doesn't execute the int as well as Woodson but it was flashier. You sense he had to put more effort and his body was contorted. Great int but still only 2nd best. Mona Lisa level.

Sorry Jourdan.



RM

Looking at this from a different angle, Jourdan's INT was more valuable in terms of sealing a tight game. If he misses that stop or fumbles the ball into the air it's disaster. UM was going to kill MSU one way or the other, 6 INTs that day if I remember correctly.

 

[alfadriver]

Looking at this from a different angle, Jourdan's INT was more valuable in terms of sealing a tight game. If he misses that stop or fumbles the ball into the air it's disaster. UM was going to kill MSU one way or the other, 6 INTs that day if I remember correctly.

If Jordan drops the ball, it's first and goal on the 8 for Michigan. How is that a bad thing? It's a pretty easy argument to point out just swatting the ball away is a better play at that moment.

The only bad thing would have been if he tipped the ball to the receiver, but he was all twisted up with confusion anyway.

 

[rchawk]

A. Woodson. It was a PERFECT blend of athleticism and skill. Can't really do a better job picking off a ball. Sistine Chapel level.


B. Lewis. It was on some level flashier. He doesn't execute the int as well as Woodson but it was flashier. You sense he had to put more effort and his body was contorted. Great int but still only 2nd best. Mona Lisa level.

Sorry Jourdan.



RM

Great interception but, wasn't it a 4th down from inside their own 10. Peewee league, knock the damn thing down.

 

[detroitjohn]

If Jordan drops the ball, it's first and goal on the 8 for Michigan. How is that a bad thing? It's a pretty easy argument to point out just swatting the ball away is a better play at that moment.

The only bad thing would have been if he tipped the ball to the receiver, but he was all twisted up with confusion anyway.

I'm sorry, it didn't make a damn difference if he knocked down the ball or not and likely it would have been much riskier for him to do so. Leave it to our faithful to throw a wet blanket over a kickass play that won us the game. Ball at the 8 or 48, we won on a play for the ages and, my argument stands, it was a much more meaningful play for the game than Woodson's.

 

[detroitjohn]

HA! Did anyone notice who was over at the bench coaching him up when he sat down?

I'm pretty sure he said to Charles, "Next time come up clapping after a great INT, it really gets the juices flowing."

 

[alfadriver]

I'm sorry, it didn't make a damn difference if he knocked down the ball or not and likely it would have been much riskier for him to do so. Leave it to our faithful to throw a wet blanket over a kickass play that won us the game. Ball at the 8 or 48, we won on a play for the ages and, my argument stands, it was a much more meaningful play for the game than Woodson's.

You posted that knocking the ball down was a bad thing. Or at least implied that. It would not have been.

I'm not saying that the interception wasn't a great one- it was really amazing.

But in the context of what could have happened... Knocking the ball down or away or just keeping it away from the receiver would have been just fine, too. How that is somehow more difficult or risky than actually catching is would require some kind of diagram- since interceptions are normally harder than just knocking the ball away. And you see a lot of receptions based on the D-back trying to make a catch only to tip it right to the receiver.

The actual importance of the catch will play out as the season progresses. Woodson's was a major highlight of the most dominating player of a undefeated national championship team. If we are lucky, Lewis' catch will be the same.

 

[2dawood]

Great interception but, wasn't it a 4th down from inside their own 10. Peewee league, knock the damn thing down.

totally what i was thinking. The right play is not to pick it off there.

 

[detroitjohn]

You posted that knocking the ball down was a bad thing. Or at least implied that. It would not have been.

I'm not saying that the interception wasn't a great one- it was really amazing.

But in the context of what could have happened... Knocking the ball down or away or just keeping it away from the receiver would have been just fine, too. How that is somehow more difficult or risky than actually catching is would require some kind of diagram- since interceptions are normally harder than just knocking the ball away. And you see a lot of receptions based on the D-back trying to make a catch only to tip it right to the receiver.

The actual importance of the catch will play out as the season progresses. Woodson's was a major highlight of the most dominating player of a undefeated national championship team. If we are lucky, Lewis' catch will be the same.

Agreed on the value of the catch, we will see. I'm comparing apples to apples, important game at mid-season. Simply stated, the armchair analysis that it was "better" to knock the ball away takes a lot of weighing and consideration (time left, position of receiver, etc.), a little more time than a DB making a fourth down stop has...

 

[tarun262]

I think the original question was which was a better athletic show of display? Irrelevant that he should have knocked it down. Makes no difference. I love Charles Woodson and graduated just before we not the NC in 1997 but it's not even close. Woodson was an athletic leap and he ended up needing both hands and had a running start in the direction he was going.

Lewis was looking backwards, while coming down from his jump (mistimed) and then caught the ball with 1 hand the entire way. That is virtually impossible to do...Woodson caught the ball at the peak of his jump...Lewis caught it as he was coming down from the peak of his jump...if you play a sport, try doing that - try contorting when you are about to land versus when you are going up.

Sorry, the Woodson interception was unreal, but the Lewis interception is hands down the most athletic interception I have ever seen - at any level.

 

[tarun262]

I stand corrected, there are some pretty sweet ones here but I would still rank Lewis as a Top 5 of all time.

 

[alfadriver]

Agreed on the value of the catch, we will see. I'm comparing apples to apples, important game at mid-season. Simply stated, the armchair analysis that it was "better" to knock the ball away takes a lot of weighing and consideration (time left, position of receiver, etc.), a little more time than a DB making a fourth down stop has...

All that changes when knocking the ball down vs. the interception is where the ball is placed after the play. Which is out at mid-field or on the 8 yard line. Seems to me that the 8 yard line with goal to go is a superior spot every time. Not much arm chairing needed for that.

Again that was the 4th down play.

The position of the receiver doesn't matter if the ball is swatted away from him. Not sure how that keeps coming up. That receiver was so out of position, he was not going to get it unless it was a magic bounce to him.

Still, an amazing catch.

 

[detroitjohn]

All that changes when knocking the ball down vs. the interception is where the ball is placed after the play. Which is out at mid-field or on the 8 yard line. Seems to me that the 8 yard line with goal to go is a superior spot every time. Not much arm chairing needed for that.

Again that was the 4th down play.

The position of the receiver doesn't matter if the ball is swatted away from him. Not sure how that keeps coming up. That receiver was so out of position, he was not going to get it unless it was a magic bounce to him.

Still, an amazing catch.

Which, of course, knocking the ball down was utterly irrelevant to anything (outcome, score, etc.). Either way UM wins, he just made damn sure there wasn't a crazy tipped ball for a completion. Lewis, win. Still a more athletic play as Brother Tarun contends above.

 

[tarun262]

Which, of course, knocking the ball down was utterly irrelevant to anything (outcome, score, etc.). Either way UM wins, he just made damn sure there wasn't a crazy tipped ball for a completion. Lewis, win. Still a more athletic play as Brother Tarun contends above.

Agree with detroitjohn here. The easiest thing to do is tip the ball but at that point of the catch the ball could have ended up being tipped upwards in the air and he had no idea if other players were around. He did not get the ball at the high point to just knock it down so he did the best thing he could which was catch it. Only thing he could have really done is drop the ball when he landed to have it be incomplete but it could have been a fumble in which case they still get the ball. He did absolutely the right thing as a player and in the ended made one sick play that will continue to be replayed for a long time to come.

 

[ecrosswhite]

IMHO , I would hope that Mr. Brown is coaching ALL of the defensive players to take the ball at every opportunity so much that it is instinct to just "take the ball" vs. making a lot of decisions in game. When in doubt, take the ball. I'm not a coach , and I don't claim to be nearly as smart as the dullest pencil, but how can defensive players taking the ball ever really be wrong? Great practice if nothing else. ..and a reasonable judgement call is all I'm saying. The only way I would say it would have mattered is if we would have needed to score again...and in that case, we would have called that play in or took a time out get alignment before the 4th down play

 

[tarun262]

IMHO , I would hope that Mr. Brown is coaching ALL of the defensive players to take the ball at every opportunity so much that it is instinct to just "take the ball" vs. making a lot of decisions in game. When in doubt, take the ball. I'm not a coach , and I don't claim to be nearly as smart as the dullest pencil, but how can defensive players taking the ball ever really be wrong? Great practice if nothing else. ..and a reasonable judgement call is all I'm saying. The only way I would say it would have mattered is if we would have needed to score again...and in that case, we would have called that play in or took a time out get alignment before the 4th down play

Well said, if we had needed to score again then yes you tell them, knock the ball down but otherwise - "see the ball, get the ball" should be the mantra all day long. 100% of intercepted balls are turnovers, but when you tip or knock the ball down, a lot of different things can happen.