Young ends remindful of Manley-Mann

When Washington was great, most fans cited the quarterbacks, receivers, Hogs, and cornerback Darrell Green. And, they were all great.

- Rick Snider

Not that anyone ignored them, but defensive ends Dexter Manley and Charles Mann were pretty good, too. The pair owned the outside, sacked opposing passers regularly, and won a combined four Super Bowl rings.

Oh, offensive coordinators spent a lot of time and film trying to figure out how to stop Manley and Mann. They never did.

It has been a generation since the pair departed. Manley left in 1990 after drug problems that eventually led him to prison. Mann departed in 1994 to spend one season in San Francisco for his third Super Bowl championship after earning two rings in Washington.

Until Ryan Kerrigan’s recent rise, Manley and Mann were the top two sack artists in team history. Manley made 91 officially, his six in 1981 as a rookie not counted by the NFL that didn’t recognize individual sacks until the following year. Mann recorded 82.

If one didn’t get you, the other did. Manley was the voice of the franchise even when saying some silly things. Mann was the clean-cut opposite of Manley. It was like the old Goofus and Gallant comic series.

Flash forward a generation and maybe we’re seeing the second coming of Manley and Mann. Second-year Montez Sweat and rookie Chase Young, both first-rounders, are making teams look both ways before crossing the line of scrimmage.