DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS

The cliché “Defense Wins Championships” is very true in the NFL. If you don’t believe me, take a look back at the SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS OF THE PAST. There have been cases where a dominant defense has carried an awful offense to a Super Bowl Championship (i.e. the 2000 Ravens), but never has a great offense carried an awful defense to a championship. To win a Super Bowl you have to have at least an average defense no matter how good your offense is. Look at the prolific Colts offense during the Peyton Manning era. They had a championship caliber offense for many years, but did not win the championship until their defense began to play lights out in the post-season of their championship season. We all know that Carson Palmer and the Bengals have an offense good enough to get to the Super Bowl, but the defense is holding them back. I am sure that every team in the NFL would love to have the Colts offense and the Chargers defense, but in the salary-cap era, that is just not possible. You must be smart and spend your money wisely. A good franchise will spend the vast majority of their money on one side of the ball and then have a core group joined by interchangeable parts on the other side of the ball.

Whether you consider yourself a defensive team or not, you had better be good enough on that side of the ball to prevent the opponent from scoring more points than your offense can score. There are some dominant defenses in the NFL, then there are some very good ones. A large group of NFL defenses are average, and then there are those who couldn’t stop their car at a red-light.

Below you will find my rankings for all 32 NFL defenses. As I did with the quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receiver/tight end units, I have ranked these defenses on the basis of who I would want to be the defense of my team. I did not study last season’s defensive rankings or this years projected rankings. I simply looked at the personnel and skill set of each unit to decide which team I thought had the best defense. This is the last entry in my series of NFL rankings, so enjoy. BE SURE TO TUNE IN NEXT WEEK, WHEN I WILL BE MAKING MY PICKS (TEAM & INDIVIDUAL) FOR THE UPCOMING NFL SEASON.

Without further ado, my rankings are as follows….

1. San Diego Chargers – This may be the best defense the league has seen since the 2000 Baltimore Ravens (note: I am not saying that they are better than the 2000 Ravens, simply the best since). The reason that I have this defense ranked #1 is because they have truly dominant players at all three levels of the defense. Their defensive line is led by Jamal Williams, who is THE BEST NOSE TACKLE IN THE NFL. He is simply a space-eating immovable object in the middle of the line. He eats up blockers and allows the linebackers to run free to make plays. They also have one of the best 3-4 defensive ends in Luis Castillo. The outside linebacker tandem of Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips is absolutely scary and arguably the best outside linebacker tandem in the NFL. Look for their front seven to hold a lot of team meetings at the quarterback this season. I know for a fact that they cause a lot of sleepless nights for offensive coordinators and quarterbacks. It doesn’t end there. In the secondary they have Antonio Cromartie, who I believe is a top 5 NFL cornerback. Quentin Jammer mans the other corner and he is also a very good player. Their third corner is Paul Oliver. Although he is yet to make a name for himself in the NFL, we must keep in mind that he played Calvin Johnson man-to-man, better than anyone in college football during his time at the University of Georgia. Therefore, I am expecting big things from him. This defensive unit is absolutely frightening and I would hate to have to play against them. They cover the field with athletes that can make big plays at any given time. Having a unit this talented means that any mistake made by the opposing offense is likely to end up being six points for the Chargers.

2. Minnesota Vikings – Over the past couple of seasons, the Minnesota Vikings defense was the best in the league against the run and very average against the pass. This was because they did not have an elite pass-rusher on the roster. Therefore teams would simply not try to run against them and beat them with the pass. That will no longer be an option, thanks in large part to the trade that brought them Jared Allen. Allen is one of the best defensive ends in football, and can be penciled in for double-digit sacks each season. The Vikings have a very good group of linebackers, solid cornerbacks, and very good safeties. Yet none of that will matter because they have the most dominant defensive line in the NFL. When your line is this good, everyone playing them looks that much better. It will be hard for any team to run or pass against them.

3. Indianapolis Colts – This is no longer simply an offensive team. The Colts have a very undersized and lightening quick defense that plays Tony Dungy’s “Tampa Two” perfectly. It took a few years, but Dungy has finally gotten this roster stocked with players with the proper skill sets to play his defense. They are led by arguably the best defensive end in the NFL in Dwight Freeney and Demond “Bob” Sanders THE BEST STRONG SAFETY IN THE NFL (yes, that even includes you Mr. Polamalu). This defense has no weakness and is equally good at stopping the pass and the run. It is also very rare that they give up the big play. What makes this defense great is the fact that they run fast, hit hard, and are always in the right position to make plays.

4. Baltimore Ravens – This defense has been one of the best in the league for a very long time. Just take a second and think about the number of defensive coaches that once coached this group in Baltimore that are now NFL Head Coaches. The list includes Marvin Lewis, Jack Del Rio, Mike Nolan, and Mike Smith. That is absolutely ridiculous because all of these coaches were defensive assistants since the 2000 season and 8 years later they are all Head Coaches. Ray Lewis is definitely the heart and soul of this unit. Although many people feel as though he has lost a step or two (count me in that group), he is still playing a Pro Bowl level. That really puts in perspective how good he was in his prime. Like the Chargers they are also good at all three levels of the defense. They have Haloti Ngata and Trevor Price on the line. The linebacker core includes Ray Lewis, Bart Scott, and Terrell Suggs. They have a great cornerback tandem in Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle. Also in the secondary they have the very underrated Dawan Landry at strong safety playing alongside their best player and THE BEST FREE SAFETY IN THE NFL, Ed Reed. He is the human playmaking machine. The only thing keeping this unit from being ranked #1 is age. Although Lewis, Rolle, and McAlister are all great players, they are also all on the wrong side of 30.

5. Dallas Cowboys – This defense is very similar to the Charger’s defense. They have a stout defensive line led by Marcus Spears and Chris Canty. Behind that line is an absolutely scary group of linebackers which consists of DeMarcus Ware, Greg Ellis, Bradie James, and the ageless wonder Zach Thomas. In the secondary they have Terrance Newman at one corner who is an elite cornerback. Opposite him, they will have Adam “Don’t call me Pacman” Jones. All of his troubles and off the field issues are well-documented. He totally deserved his “forced vacation” from the NFL. With all of that being said, I think that people forget that he is one heck of a football player. He along with Newman will make up one of the top 5 cornerback tandems in the NFL. To help Adam reach his potential and stay out of trouble, I suggest that Jerry Jones installs “poles” in the locker room of the new billion dollar stadium that he is building. That way he will always know where Adam is during his free time. After reading all of glowing things that I have said about the Cowboy’s defense, you may wonder why I don’t have them ranked even higher (although #5 is very high). They aren’t ranked any higher because Roy Williams is in their defensive backfield. Although Roy may be the hardest hitting safety in the NFL, he leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to his coverage skills. He can be singled out and picked on by opposing offensive coordinators and is really the weakest-link of this defense. I think Randy Cross of Sirius NFL Radio (the best radio on radio) summed up Roy Williams best by saying, “For a safety, he is a heck of a linebacker.”

6. Tennessee Titans – The Titans are another team that can control an entire football game simply on the strength of their defensive line. Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth are so good that teams will not even be paying attention to the newly re-acquired Javon Kearse. They also have very good linebackers and cornerbacks. Their defense is anchored by Chris Hope, who is a stud of a safety.

7. Green Bay Packers – Now that the Diva has left the building, people are about to realize just how good the rest of the Green Bay Packers are. They have one of the best and most underrated defenses in the NFL. Having Charles Woodson and Al Harris at cornerback are a defensive coordinators dream. When you have two corners that can cover elite receivers man-to-man, the defense is able to use all types of blitz packages to get to the quarterback. Having elite corners also allow the safeties to have a great deal of freedom to simply run around and make plays against the run or the pass. Their defensive line is very good and their group of linebackers led by Nick Barnett, is one of the top 4-3 groups in the league. This is simply a very good defense that people are finally about to notice. Another key player on this defense is strong safety Atari Bigby. Keep an eye on him, he is a very good player that no one has heard of. He is simply a playmaker.

8. Philadelphia Eagles – The only thing better than having two shut-down corners, is having three. The Eagles easily have the best trio of cornerbacks in the league in Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard, and Sheldon Brown. This is really important because most teams use three wide-receivers regularly, therefore your third cornerback often plays more plays per game than one of your starting linebackers. These three are joined in the secondary by Brian Dawkins, who has been in Philly so long that it feels like he played there with Randall Cunningham. The defensive line and linebackers are also very solid. The Eagles should have a very good defense as they usually do.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars – Some might wonder how I have a defense ranked in the top ten that does not have a lot of household names. Outside of John Henderson and Mike Peterson there aren’t a lot of household names on this defense (and some would argue that even they aren’t household names). Although they lack “star” power, this is the biggest, most physical, hardest hitting defense in the NFL. To use an old sports saying, “This is one group of players that look good getting off of the bus,” meaning that they look physically imposing. Not only do they look it, beat you up and impose their will on you. They play no-nonsense football and simply bully the opposing offense into submission. Also, pay attention to starting free-safety Reggie Nelson. He is a star in the making. Once people notice him, maybe they will pay attention and notice the rest of the defense.

10. Chicago Bears – This is a defensive unit that is simply wasting their prime years playing on a team with a dreadful quarterback situation. Although the best days for this current collection of players is clearly behind them, this is still a very good defense that is capable of winning a Super Bowl if they played with an average offense and simply a competent quarterback.

11. New York Giants – The Giants proved last season that DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS. Their defense played well during the regular season but turned it up a notch during the playoffs and played lights out football. They turned it up another notch during the Super Bowl and applied pressure to Tom Brady like he had never seen before (I don’t think that the Patriots had the signals for that game). You may wonder why I have them ranked so low if they played so well during their playoff run. The answer to that is simple. First of all they were never as good as they were in the playoffs during the regular season and they do not have the type of defensive unit that can sustain that level of play over a 16 game season. They also lost three key players to free-agency or retirement. Gibril Wilson will be hard to replace at strong safety where he played surprisingly well last season. In fact he played so well that the Oakland Raiders decided to give him a six-year $39 million contract that includes $16 million of STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! They must also replace linebacker Kiwika Mitchell. Although he is not a star, he is a solid player who knows how to play football and is very rarely out of position to make the correct play. The retirement of Michael Strahan will also have an effect on this unit. They still have Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck at defensive end, who are both great players. Having Strahan with these two last season gave them the best rotation in the league. They could also put all three on the field together in obvious passing situations. That gave opposing offensive lines nightmares. Two great defensive ends are nice to have, but having three is much better.

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – This is where the “Tampa Two” defense earned its name and they still play it just as good as anyone in the league. Although they clearly have some great players that are nearing the end of their career, such as Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber. They have done an excellent job of always having a good mix of older and younger players on the field together. This creates continuity in the unit because they never are forced to start over with a lot of first time starters. Although they do have great players (i.e. Brooks, Barber, Cato June, Barrett Rudd, Jermaine Phillips, and Chris Hovan), the system here is so good that you can almost plug in 11 average defenders and the defense would still be very good.

13. Seattle Seahawks – This unit has some great players led by Lofa Tatupu, Patrick Kerney, Julian Peterson, and Marcus Trufant. They would be a top ten unit except for the glaring weaknesses that they have in the secondary outside of Trufant. Cornerback Kelly Jennings is a decent player but is not a shut-down corner or a playmaker. Their safeties are also very average. Fortunately for them they have a great defensive line (which is why they are ranked in the top fifteen) that covers up a lot of their deficiencies in the secondary.

14. Washington Redskins – This is a good group as a whole, but they do have some glaring weaknesses. One weakness is their third cornerback, Fred Smoot. He was once a pretty good player, but he simply hasn’t been the same since Chad Johnson made him look like a backup Junior Varsity defensive back during the 2005 season. He has been a scrub ever since that day. Due to the tragic and unfortunate death of Sean Taylor, there has been a gaping hole at free safety. LaRon Landry is a stud at strong safety, but he definitely misses having a Pro Bowler beside him at the other safety position. Their group of linebackers are also less that spectacular outside of the tackling machine, London Fletcher. On the positive side, they did add Jason Taylor to rush the passer which should pay huge dividends and make their already good corners (Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers) even better.

15. Oakland Raiders – Although this is a dysfunctional organization, they have managed to put together a pretty good defense. I will admit that the defensive line is less than stellar outside of stud defensive end Derrick Burgess, but the secondary will be one of the best in the league. Nnamdi Asomugha and DeAngelo Hall make up a very good cornerback tandem. They are joined in the defensive backfield by Michael Huff and Gibril Wilson. Basically, it will be very difficult to pass against this defense this season. Especially with Derrick Burgess applying pressure up front. Their linebackers are also very good, especially Thomas Howard. Trust me, the Oakland Raiders will be much improved this year and this defense will be a big reason why.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers – I know that I am going to upset a lot of people for ranking the Steelers defense this low (I look forward to your comments), but if I had them any higher I would be basing my opinion of them on their reputation and not on their actual players. The linebackers are very good as they always are in Pittsburgh. They also have Troy Polamalu who IS THE SECOND BEST STRONG SAFETY IN THE NFL. After that is where we begin to see problems. Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend are average cornerbacks at best and their defensive line simply does not impress me. Trust me having average corners and an average line is not a good combination. It also equals a very average defense, which is why they are ranked 16th.

17. Arizona Cardinals – The strength of this defense lies in their safeties. As a last line of defense they have Adrian Wilson who is the MOST UNDERRATED STRONG SAFETY IN THE NFL and Antrel Rolle at free safety. Also look for rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to make plenty of big plays. Outside of the secondary they are simply a solid unit everywhere else that could turn out to be pretty good if everyone plays to the best of their ability and plays within the system.

18. New England Patriots – Like the Steelers, I am also awaiting comments complaining about how low I have them ranked. Let’s call a spade a spade and all admit that outside of Asante Samuel, they were not very good last season. The offense scored a lot of points, and a lot of times the defense gave up almost as many points. Brady and Moss really helped to keep the attention off of the poor play of the defense. Oh yeah, Asante has left the building. Not only did Asante leave, but Randall Gay also decide to leave for greener pastures. So that leaves them with Fernando Bryant and Ellis Hobbs at cornerback. They are backed up by Jason Webster and Lewis Sanders. That foursome doesn’t even strike fear into the heart of Alex Smith or Rex Grossman. (Don’t be surprised if they try to sign Ty Law after training camp is over, which is when he said that he would sign with a team). To go with their corners they have two senior citizens in Rodney Harrison and newly signed John Lynch at safety. These two should definitely be doing AARP commercials by now. Enough about the secondary, let’s talk about the linebackers. They did draft Jerod Mayo to play one inside linebacker position. He should be a stud. This acquisition also allows them to move Adalius Thomas back to his natural position of outside linebacker. Even with that being said we have to wonder just how much Mike Vrabel and Tedy Buschi have left. The defensive line, however, is still very good. Basically it is age and the pathetic cornerbacks that force me to rank them this low.

19. Houston Texans – They have a young and very good defensive line led by Amobi Okoye and Mario Williams. They also picked up Rosevelt Colvin, who should pay huge dividends. In addition to the young defensive line, they also have DeMeco Ryans at middle linebacker (he has 283 solo and assisted tackles in just 2 NFL seasons). The problem with this unit is the secondary. As a whole it is very average.

20. Buffalo Bills – This is a defense that plays hard and plays well together. The sum of the whole is definitely better than its individual parts. They did acquire Marcus Stroud to play defensive tackle, which should improve this unit. Although they don’t look very good on paper, this is a good unit that will cause a lot of problems this season.

21. San Francisco 49er’s – This unit has talent, but I think that the coaching really holds them back. Head Coach Mike Nolan is supposed to be a defensive guru, but he has proven that he is not. They have a very good secondary with Nate Clements, Walt Harris, and Michael Lewis. Patrick Willis is a tackling machine at middle-linebacker. They also acquired Justin Smith who is an upgrade at defensive end. The bottom line is that this unit does not play up to its talent level, which is never a good thing.

22. New York Jets – This is a good solid defense led by strong safety Kerry Rhodes. They are simply solid everywhere. They have solid corners in Justin Miller and Derrelle Revis and a solid group of linebackers. I am interested to see how big of an impact first-round draft pick Vernon Gholston has, because I view him as a potential bust. I think that he was picked too high for a player who doesn’t seem to give great effort all of the time. He is going to quickly realize that the NFL is not the BIG 10. He will face the SEC type speed that killed Ohio State the previous two BCS Championship games, on a weekly basis. As opposed to the BIG 10 type speed (or lack of speed) that Ohio State dominated. I have a feeling that he will have many “Welcome to the NFL” moments this season. All in all this is a solid defense that should give their offense a chance to win games.

23. St. Louis Rams – The defensive line is definitely the strength of this unit. Hopefully Chris Long aka “Howie’s Kid” can live up to the lofty expectations of being the #2 overall pick (Hopefully, for the Rams sake he turns out to be a better #2 pick than Ronnie Brown). The linebackers are average and the secondary is good. This is not a spectacular defense, but they are solid.

24. New Orleans Saints – It’s a good thing that they have such a prolific offense because this is one under-achieving defensive unit. You would think that a team that has Will Smith, Charles Grant, and Hollis Thomas on the defensive line would be much better. They did draft Sedrick Ellis to fortify the line, which was a very good draft pick. He should be very good in this league for a very long time. Their linebackers outside of Jonathan Vilma are less than average and the secondary is filled with question marks. Mike McKenzie is a good player, but is also a 32 year old corner back coming off a knee injury. Jason David CAN’T PLAY MAN-TO-MAN COVERAGE as Peyton Manning pointed out during last season’s opening game and the rest of the opposing quarterbacks pointed out the rest of the season. They did bring in Randall Gay who must prove that he is as good as he played in the New England system.

25. Denver Broncos – This defense has three great players in Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, and DJ Williams. Everywhere else they are slightly less than average at best. They are not very good at rushing the passer and are the amongst the league worst at stopping the run (they really miss Al Wilson). When you are a team that can’t stop the run, it doesn’t matter how good your corners are because they are spending all game chasing down running backs who have broken through the front seven. Looking at this roster, I am not optimistic that things will be any different this season.

26. Carolina Panthers – Two years ago, I would have never ranked this defense this low. My how have things have changed. My first question to the Panthers defense is, “Will the real Julius Peppers please stand up?” What happened to him last season? HE WAS ABSOLUELTY AWFUL. Can he return to form? Their once dominant pass-rush is non-existent. The linebackers and safeties are very average at best. Although Chris Gamble and Ken Lucas are pretty good corners, the lack of a pass rush leaves them exposed and gives quarterbacks way too much time to find a receiver. No corner can cover forever. If given enough time a receiver will always find a way to get open.

27. Cleveland Browns – This is a unit that is overshadowed by their offense and rightfully so. They are very fortunate to have such a good offense that can win games even when they give up 30 points. They added Shaun Rogers to play nose tackle which should be an upgrade. Their linebackers are solid, but their secondary is among the league’s worst. In order to get Rogers, they had to give up Leigh Bodden who was by far their best defensive back. This is also a potential landing spot for Ty Law once training camp is over. If this unit can play well, look for Cleveland to make a lot of noise.

28. Atlanta Falcons – Don’t expect much from this unit this year. They have a stud linebacker in Michael Boley, and they still have the solid Keith Brooking (I still can’t figure out how this average player is a five-time Pro Bowler). At safety Lawyer Milloy is still a solid player although his best days are clearly behind him. Grady Jackson and the oft-injured John Abraham should make the defensive line pretty decent. This defense is nothing to get excited about, which explains why they are ranked 28th.

29. Kansas City Chiefs – Glenn Dorsey will improve this defense immediately. Too bad there isn’t much else to be excited about. Linebacker Derrick Johnson is also a very good player.

30. Miami Dolphins – This is a team that is lacking in talent, but will play above their talent level. Although they are ranked 30th on this list, don’t expect them to finish the season 30th. They will give maximum effort and never take a play off, although they are talent challenged.

31. Detroit Lions – This defense is simply a work in process. They have two solid pieces in linebacker Ernie Sims and cornerback Leigh Bodden.

32. Cincinnati Bengals – Although THEY ARE THE WORST DEFENSE IN THE NFL, they have a very opportunistic secondary. They always find a way to get interceptions and recover fumbles. However, the secondary is not good enough to overcome the horrible defensive line and the dreadful linebackers. Hopefully Marvin Lewis and Mike Zimmer can coach this unit up becasuse their personnel is not very good. I hope that Carson, Chad, TJ, and company are prepared to score 35 points a game, because they will need to do so to be successful.

I am sure that many of you will disagree with where I have some of these defenses ranked, and I welcome all comments. Also remember, that I did not use any defensive rankings to determine the order of this list. I simply based this list on which team’s defensive unit would I want on my team. If you disagree, please tell me why, but without using last season’s stats or rankings.

****NOTE****
KICKOFF IS GETTING CLOSER, WE ARE NOW ONLY 18 DAYS AWAY!!!!