You’ve heard the glowing reports and NFL comp player comparisons of the Raiders’ young DBs. Coach Joe Woods compared 5th round CB Zeke Masses to Denzel Ward. Jermod McCoy has been compared to Stephon Gillmore. Darien Porter to Tariq Woolen, Treydan Stukes to Kyler Gordon and Cooper DeJean. Even Dalton Johnson has been compared to Cam Taylor-Britt and Javon Bullard.
But in reality, who is a realistic NFL comp for these guys?
Don’t be fooled by the haters Elvis “Toast” Patterson is a 10 year NFL vet with two super bowl rings. Some, including the man himself, claim Patterson’s nickname was short for the Toast of the Town in New York when he won his first super bowl with the Giants.
One thing for sure, Toast reinvented the concept of the “cover corner” – whenever Toast was filling in at CB, the opponents were a lock to “cover the spread”.
True, a year after starting at CB in the Super Bowl, Patterson was cut unceremoniously by Bill Parcells after an allegedly hangover-impaired Monday Night Football performance—according to legend, Tuna canned Toast after a Sunday night on the Town.
But ultimately, the real losers were bookies and New York Bagel Houses, with no Lox to Cover the Spread after Toast left Town with Toast eventually landing successfully with the Raiders where he reinvented himself as “Ghost” as a special teams legend who materialized out of nowhere to make big plays.
Most often, it’s a good bet is to compare almost any young CB or DB to the one and only legend Elvis “Toast” Patterson. Just sayin’.