Best: Los Angeles Rams – Deacon Jones
Deacon Jones was so revolutionary as a defensive end that he is responsible for coining the term “Sack.” “You’re sacking them, you’re bagging them. And that’s what you’re doing to a quarterback”, said Jones in an interview. While the term wasn’t officially part of the statistical lingo of Jones day and the stat wasn’t officially recorded by the NFL until after Jones’s playing days were done, he sure got a lot of them. He set the unofficial NFL sacks record in 1968 with 22 sacks in just 14 games. He unofficially recorded 173.5 sacks throughout his career which would be good enough for third all-time today.
Worst: Los Angeles Rams – Lawrence Phillips
Lawrence Phillips was drafted by the Rams with the 6th overall pick in 1996. He was a terrific football talent but his off the field issues led some to wonder whether he would be able to cut it in the NFL. He rushed for just over 600 yards in both of his first two seasons before abruptly being cut by the team in November 1997. The Rams had finally figured out he wasn’t worth all the headaches he caused.