Yes, different, but he was exceedingly effective in what he did, much, much better than the vast majority of his contemporaries. He picked off passes in the AFC championship and Super Bowl in the undefeated season, as well.
I think to hold against him that he was undeniably great in the way he was schemed is shortsighted. He was dominant against his contemporaries and, if he had the benefits of today's techniques and training, I see no reason to assume he wouldn't have thrived as well.
He had twice as many interceptions as Zach Thomas AND more sacks and they played an almost identical number of games. He was the quarterback of one of the greatest defenses in NFL history, was a regular Pro Bowler for two different teams and a Hall of Famer. To compare him to Elandon Roberts, I think, is a monumental slight.