All-Time Saints Rivals: Ronde Barber leads top 10 for interceptions
Article excerpt
Ronde Barber, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back, leads a list of all-time Saints rivals with seven interceptions against New Orleans, tied with safety Nolan Cromwell for the most pick-offs in the franchise's history. Yahoo Sports is launching a new series examining the players who most frequently victimized the Saints, shining a spotlight on defensive backs and others who made their names partly through success against the green and black. The rankings capture decades of divisional warfare and regular-season matchups that defined some of the league's fiercest rivalries.
We're shifting gears in our look back at the New Orleans Saints' all-time rivals to focus on the defense, and it shouldn't surprise anyone that the list of interceptions leaders includes multiple members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Saints quarterbacks have had to look out for dangerous defensive backs like Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson over the years, but who's on top of the leaderboard? Let's go through the top 10 (which, honestly, is more like top 20).
Tied-10. Dwight Hicks, Eric Allen, and nine others (4)
It's a group of 11 players tied for the last spot here. Allen leads the group in interception return touchdowns (3 of them), while Hicks has the most interception return yards (116). Here's the full count:
Dwight Hicks
LeRoy Irvin
Carl Lee
Eric Allen
Ronnie Lott
Todd Lyght
Scott Case
Eric Wright
Zach Bronson
Michael Booker
Ronnie Bradford
Tied-9. Merton Hanks (5)
Tied-9. Deion Sanders (6)
Tied-7. Bobby Butler (6)
Tied-7. Tim McDonald (6)
Tied-7. Ray Buchanan (6)
Tied-7. Rod Woodson (6)
3. Eric Davis (7)
Tied-1. Ronde Barber (9)
Tied-1. Nolan Cromwell (9)
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: All-Time Saints Rivals: Ronde Barber leads top 10 for interceptions