Ray Crockett
Donald Ray Crockett is an American former professional football player in the National Football League.
Professional career
Pre-draft
NFL draft analysts projected Crockett would be selected in the late first-round to the early second-round of the 1989 NFL Draft.Detroit Lions
1989 season
The Detroit Lions selected Crockett in the fourth round of the 1989 NFL draft. He was the seventh cornerback drafted in 1989.On July 30, 1989, the Detroit Lions signed Crockett to a three–year, $310,000 rookie contract that included an initial signing bonus of $75,000. Throughout training camp, he competed against Terry Taylor and Bruce McNorton to be the No. 2 starting cornerback. Head coach Wayne Fontes named him a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind Jerry Holmes and Terry Taylor.
On September 10, 1989, Crockett made his professional regular season debut in the Detroit Lions’ home-opener against the Phoenix Cardinals and made one solo tackle as they lost 13–16. On December 17, 1989, Crockett made one solo tackle, a pass deflection, and had the first interception of his career, picking off a pass Joe Ferguson threw to running back Sylvester Stamps as the Lions routed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7–33. The following week, he set a season-high with six combined tackles and made one pass deflection during a 31–24 victory at the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16. He finished his rookie season with 46 combined tackles, four pass deflections, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and one interception in 16 games and didn't receive a start.
1990 season
He entered training camp as a candidate to compete for a starting role at cornerback following the departure of Jerry Holmes. He competed against LeRoy Irvin and Bruce McNorton. Head coach Wayne Fontes named Crockett a backup and listed him as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart, behind Terry Taylor, LeRoy Irvin, and Bruce McNorton.On September 21, 1990, the NFL issued a suspension for life to Terry Taylor for his third violation of the NFL’s drug abuse policy after failing a drug test for illegal substances. Entering Week 12, head coach Wayne Fontes named Crockett a starting cornerback for the remainder of the season, replacing Bruce McNorton. On November 22, 1990, Crockett earned his first career start and made five solo tackles, one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass John Elway to wide receiver Vance Johnson as the Lions defeated the Denver Broncos 27–40. In Week 15, he made six solo tackles, one pass deflection, and made his first career sack on Jim Harbaugh for a 14–yard loss during a 21–38 win against the Chicago Bears. He finished the 1990 NFL season with a total of 91 combined tackles, ten pass deflections, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one sack in 16 games and six starts.
1991 season
He entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback under defensive coordinator Woody Widenhofer following the departures of LeRoy Irvin and Bruce McNorton. Head coach Wayne Fontes named Crockett and Melvin Jenkins the starting cornerbacks to begin the season.In Week 2, he set a season-high with 12 combined tackles as the Lions defeated the Green Bay Packers 23–14. On September 15, 1991, Crockett made three combined tackles, two pass deflections, and secured a 13–17 win against the Miami Dolphins by blocking a pass attempt Dan Marino threw to wide receiver Tony Martin at the goal line on fourth down. On October 27, 1991, Crockett recorded eight combined tackles, set a season-high with four pass deflections, and returned an interception for the first touchdown of his career during a 10–34 win against the Dallas Cowboys. During the fourth quarter, Crockett intercepted a pass Troy Aikman threw to tight end Rob Awalt and returned it 96–yards for a touchdown. He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. On November 28, 1991, Crockett recorded eight solo tackles, made one pass deflection, and sealed a 6–16 win against the Chicago Bears by intercepting a pass Jim Harbaugh threw to wide receiver Wendell Davis with two minutes remaining in the game. In Week 16, he made three solo tackles, two pass deflections, and set a career-high with his sixth interception of the season, intercepting a pass Mike Tomczak threw to Erik Affholter during a 21–17 win at the Green Bay Packers. He started in all 16 games for the first time in his career and finished with 86 combined tackles, 16 pass deflections, six interceptions, a forced fumble, one sack, and scored one touchdown.
The Detroit Lions finished the 1991 NFL season in first in the NFC Central with a 12–4 record to earn a first round bye. On January 5, 1992, Crockett started in his first career playoff game and made five combined tackles and one pass deflection as the Lions routed the Dallas Cowboys 38–6 in the Divisional Round. The following week, he started in the NFC Championship Game and recorded four solo tackles as the Lions lost 10–41 at the Washington Redskins who went on to win Super Bowl XXIV.
1992 season
He returned as the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season alongside Melvin Jenkins. On September 13, 1992, Crockett recorded five solo tackles, set a season-high with two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass Rich Gannon threw to Cris Carter as the Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings 17–31. He was inactive as the Lions lost 7–13 against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5 due to an ankle injury. In Week 11, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles during a 14–17 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished the 1992 NFL season with 52 combined tackles, 12 pass deflections, four interceptions, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a sack in 15 games and 15 starts. On December 31, 1992, the Detroit Lions fired defensive coordinator Woody Widenhofer after they finished the season with a 5–11 record.1993 season
The Detroit Lions selected cornerback Ryan McNeil in the second round of the 1993 NFL draft and also signed free agent Tim McKyer. The Lions' new defensive coordinator Hank Bullough retained Crockett as the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Kevin Scott.In Week 4, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles and made one pass deflection as the Lions defeated the Phoenix Cardinals 26–20. In Week 7, Crockett set a season-high with seven solo tackles and made one pass break-up during a 30–10 win against the Seattle Seahawks. On January 2, 1994, Crockett recorded five combined tackles, made one pass deflection, a sack, a fumble recovery, and intercepted a pass Brett Favre threw to tight end Ed West during a 30–20 win against the Green Bay Packers. He started in all 16 games throughout the 1993 NFL season and finished with 67 combined tackles, five pass deflections, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and one sack.
Denver Broncos
1994 season
On March 12, 1994, the Denver Broncos signed Crockett to a four–year, $6.40 million contract that included a signing bonus of $1.20 million. He entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback under defensive coordinator Charlie Waters following the departures of Tyrone Braxton and Charles Dimry. Head coach Wade Phillips named Crockett the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Ben Smith.In Week 4, Crockett recorded two solo tackles before exiting during the third quarter of a 20–27 loss at the Buffalo Bills after injuring his ankle. He remained inactive for the next two games due to a sprained ankle. In Week 8, he recorded six solo tackles, two pass deflections, and had his first interception as a member of the Broncos, picking off Stan Humphries’ pass to Ronnie Harmon during a 20–15 victory at the San Diego Chargers. On November 13, 1994, he recorded four solo tackles and set a season-high with five pass deflections as the Broncos defeated the Seattle Seahawks 17–10. On November 27, 1994, Crockett set a season-high with eight combined tackles, made one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass Jeff Blake threw to wide receiver Carl Pickens during a 13–15 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. On December 30, 1994, the Denver Broncos fired head coach Wade Phillips after they finished the 1994 NFL season with a 7–9 record. He finished the season with 64 combined tackles, 19 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions in 14 games and 14 starts.
1995 season
On February 1, 1995, the Denver Broncos hired Mike Shanahan to be their new head coach. Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson retained Crockett as the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Lionel Washington.In Week 8, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles and made one pass deflection during a 7–21 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. On December 17, 1994, Crockett made seven combined tackles, a pass deflection, and scored a touchdown after he had a strip/sack on Steve Bono and returned the fumble recovery for a 50–yard touchdown during a 17–20 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs. The following week, he set a season-high with three pass deflections during a 31–28 victory at the Los Angeles Raiders in Week 17. He started in all 16 games throughout the season and recorded 72 combined tackles, 19 pass deflections, three sacks, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, and one touchdown.
1996 season
The Denver Broncos selected cornerback Tory James in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft. Crockett returned to training camp slated as the No. 1 starting cornerback. Head coach Mike Shanahan retained Crockett and Lionel Washington as the starting cornerbacks to begin the season. On October 27, 1996, Crockett recorded three solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass Steve Bono threw to wide receiver Danan Hughes as the Broncos routed the Kansas City Chiefs 7–34. On December 15, 1996, Crockett set a season-high with eight combined tackles, made one pass deflection, and secured a 19–24 win against the Oakland Raiders by intercepting a pass Billy Joe Hobert threw to wide receiver Daryl Hobbs late in the fourth quarter.He finished the season with 58 combined tackles, 15 pass deflections, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and set a career-high with four sacks in 15 games and 15 starts.
The Denver Broncos finished the 1996 NFL season first in the AFC West with a 13–3 record to earn a first round bye. On January 4, 1997, Crockett started in the AFC Divisional Round and recorded two solo tackles as the Broncos lost 27–30 to the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars.