Here's the interception I remarked on earlier - described in print only; wish I could see it again. This is from an old Sports Il;lustrated article considering Cromwell as possibly the best athlete in the NFL:
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Rams vs. Falcons in Atlanta on Dec. 9, 1979. Atlanta Wide Receiver Alfred Jackson has his man beaten for a sure touchdown. The ball is nearly there, but here comes Cromwell, again seemingly from nowhere, leaping high, hands higher than the goalpost crossbar, to make a shocking interception. Though he lands with a crash on his head and left shoulder, Cromwell leaps up, dodges tacklers and returns the ball 28 yards.
Clearly, if in the war of the airways the receivers have all the big guns, Cromwell is an equalizer—an MX missile—for the defense. He is such a remarkable athlete that opposing coaches hate to describe him for fear of upsetting their own premier athletes. "Maybe we can agree on this," says Atlanta's Leeman Bennett of the Atlanta Falcons. "I don't know of a better athlete than Nolan. You can't draw up a game plan against the Rams without thinking of him." "He's the kind of free safety who takes away your basic patterns," says San Francisco's Bill Walsh.
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For those interested in reading the full article, here's the link. Worth it, for the hilarious Freddie Dryer quotes about halfway through. Shedfs light on how good he was, and who he is. Enjoy.
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vault.si.com]
