FLORHAM PARK, NJ—The grace of Jerry Rice. The nastiness of Lawrence Taylor. The outrageous competitiveness of Tom Brady. The outright dominance of Emlen Tunnell.
Wait, what? Emlen Tunnell?
For the casual observer, that last one is a head-scratcher. What is this Tunnell and where is it?
For the diehard, it makes all the sense in the world. While the greatest safeties in NFL history are rarely mentioned with the quarterbacks, wideouts and running backs of the world, it doesn’t mean the position doesn’t hold importance. It always has; but what’s critical to understand is that, today, the safety spot has reached epic levels of importance.