You mean impact ?
Like coming from the reigning SB champ just to make his new team the SB champs ?
Sanders didn't "make" the Cowboys become champs.Had Sanders not been signed to that record contract, there would have been 4-5 players better than the starters on that team.
Sanders had nothing to do with the Cowboys ranked #1 in rushing TD's that season. He had nothing to do with the Cowboys throwing the least INT's in the league with the highest average yards per pass attempt in the league. Sanders was not responsible for the Cowboy offense averaging 29 points a game.
That season Sanders played a little receiver, with 2 receptions, equal to the number of INT's that season, the lowest number in his career up to that point. I will give him partial credit for the INT's of others by eliminating an option and forcing QB's to take more risks.gain, I'm not saying Sanders wasn't a valuyable assett but we are talking about a team that won two of the previous three SB's without him. There were four players on that team that contributed far more than he did.
From the first game Sanders played as a rookie until the last game of his career, Sanders was terrible defending the run. He did not tackle. Unless it was a critical play, Sanders was like a kicker, he would get out of the way.
Again, I'm not saying Sanders wasn't a great player. Yes, he was elite. However, he was not one of the best ten players the Cowboys ever had. Also, when we talk about the best players for a team, it should be in context to his contributions to that specific team.
Mel Renfro was Deion Sanders before there ever was a Deion Sanders.
Renfro holds the Cowboy record for INT's. In his rookie season he led the league in kickoff returns and punt returns. He returned at least one for a TD in his first three seasons. In 1966 he also played some RB, averaging 6.5 yards a carry. Mel Renfro was one of the first true shutdown corners in NFL history. ....and he could tackle.
Renfro participated in four SB's and six conference championship games. He earned 2 rings. In 1970, the Cowboys first SB appearance, Renfro had an INT in each of the three playoff games. Renfro started in 21 playoff games.