I was tempted to do my quarterback ranking this week, but I decided to wait two more weeks for the Diva to finally decide if she really is going to play this season. Although the rest of the world is sick and tired of him (especially me), I must commend Brett Favre’s self-deprecating sense of humor. (Please see clip below.)
Instead, we will discuss my favorite side of the ball this week. THE DEFENSE!!!!
Eleven guys working together to cause destruction and bodily harm to the offense is the beauty that is defensive football. Everyone knows that I love the NFL, but what I like most about it is the defensive side of the football. The NFL is a marketing machine and they are very good at selling their product to the casual sports fan. They often make rules that will hurt defenses and allow offenses to run freely and score more points. For instance, you can’t touch a receiver more than five yards from the line of scrimmage. That was created to allow receivers to get a nearly free release and get downfield to make big plays. They have also made rules protecting quarterbacks to the point that they cannot be hit above the shoulders, below the knees, in the arm, from behind, while throwing, or while looking for a receiver. In today’s ultra-quarterback friendly NFL, the only way to get a sack is to untie the QB’s shoelaces and hope that he trips.
That being said, the great defenses are still able to bring the pain and wreak havoc all over the football field. They give opposing quarterbacks and coordinators fits and cause many sleepless nights. Can you imagine how whichever scrub starts in Cleveland is going to feel before playing the Steelers and Ravens twice this season? Trust me they will have at least four sleepless Saturday nights this season. A great defense dictates to the offense what they must do. The NFL has some great ones, but there are also some terrible ones. If you are curious to see who fits into each category, scroll down and check out STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY’s!!!! 2009 Defensive Rankings.
#1 Pittsburgh Steelers – Truthfully I have never been a Steelers fan, and for the life of me, I can’t tell you why. I have never held a personal grudge against any of their players (although I did think that Joey Porter was an idiot when he said that he didn’t like playing against Peyton Manning because he forced you think too much). I had a great deal of respect for Bill Cowher, and I am a huge supporter of Omar Epps, I mean Mike Tomlin on the sideline. Yet for some reason, I have never really liked this team. I am also a big fan of three of their current players. The first being the toughest receiver in NFL history, Hines Ward (he’s a favorite, but not a Hall of Famer). The other two play on the side of the ball that I am discussing in this entry. They would be Lawrence Timmons (I am a huge Florida State fan), and the other being none other than the second best safety in the NFL Troy Polamalu. That being said, they are entering the season as my top ranked defense. Casey Hampton leads a very good defensive line. Their linebackers, led by James Harrison are GREAT (as they always are in Steel town). As for the secondary, Ryan Clark & Troy Polamalu are the second best set of safeties in the league (behind Ed Reed and whoever they choose to put beside him in Baltimore), but their corners are far from shut down defenders. Their average corners (Deshea Townsend & William Gay) are the weakest link in this defense. That shouldn’t matter much when the front seven applies so much pressure and you have great safeties covering the back end. To top it all off, they also have a brilliant coach calling the shots. Dick LeBeau might just be the first ever assistant coach elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
#2 Baltimore Ravens – All REAL FOOTBALL FANS should circle November 29th and December 27th on their calendars. On those dates, my #1 & #2 ranked defenses will go head to head, and it will be a blood bath. The Ravens defense has been great for a historically long period of time. General Manager Ozzie Newsome has managed to keep a core group of guys together while sprinkling in the perfect mix of role players. They are led by THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NFL (Safety Ed Reed), Terrell Suggs, and future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis. They are truly the rock of a team that has never really had a consistent offense. I know they lost coordinator Rex Ryan, but I honestly don’t think that will matter one bit. On this team the players make the coach, not the other way around. If you don’t believe me, answer this one question. What do Marvin Lewis, Mike Nolan, Jack Del Rio, Mike Smith, Mike Singletary, and Rex Ryan all have in common? The answer is that they are/were all NFL Head Coaches, who at one time was a defensive coach for the Baltimore Ravens. So, does the coach make the players, or do the players make the coach? The only reason that I have them ranked #2 instead of #1 is because they lost Bart Scott and Jim Leonard. Truthfully they will be great without them, but they will still be missed in crunch time against the Steelers.
#3 Tennessee Titans – Again, not a big fan of the Titans but I must call a spade a spade. This defense is the truth. I know that they lost Albert Haynesworth, and that they don’t have a tackle on their roster nearly as good. But they still have a very good rotation of defensive ends (Jevon Kearse, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Jacob Ford), and solid tackles. The linebackers are rock solid, but their secondary is filled with BALLERS!!!! Cortland Finnegan, Nick Harper, Chris Hope, and Michael Griffin will make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks and receivers.
#4 Minnesota Vikings – This is easily the best four-man defensive front in football. As a matter of fact, I would like to make a Public Service Announcement to the teams that will play them this season. YOU CAN’T RUN THE FOOTBALL AGAINST THEM, SO DON’T TRY! (They gave up less than 80 rushing yards per game last season.) Any defense that can completely take away one phase of the oppositions offense, will be successful. Also, it is a good idea to avoid third and long situations against them. In case you forgot, Jared Allen is a beast coming off of the edge. The sad thing is that if you slide the protection his way, someone else WILL beat you.
#5 San Diego Chargers – The players on this defense have absolutely jaw-dropping athletic ability. The two outside linebackers (Shawne Merriman & Shaun Phillips) look like they were built in some sort of lab or something. They also have the best 3-4 nose tackle in the game in Jamal Williams. They also have arguably the best athlete in the league at cornerback. I am referring to Antonio Cromartie. Last season Merriman was injured and Antonio Cromartie was a bit banged up both physically and mentally (he played with a broken hip and let’s just say that he was thinking about all of his kids, by all of those women, in all of those different states). They are both back to full strength, so the league had better watch out.
#6 New York Jets – Not only did Rex Ryan go to New York, but he brought two of his star pupils with him. That’s right, the Jets defense will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Kris Jenkins is holding down the middle of the line. They also have the best linebacker in the NFL that no one has heard of. That would be David Harris. If you didn’t recognize the name, I will say it a little slower for you. His name is D-A-V-I-D H-A-R-R-I-S. He is a true baller, and people will realize just how good he is this year. As for the secondary, they will be a lot of fun to watch this year. Darrelle Revis is one his way to becoming a shut-down corner, and he has Lito Sheppard playing opposite him. They also have a great pair of safeties behind them in Jim Leonhard and Kerry Rhodes (Ed Reed Jr.). They will produce a lot of turnovers.
#7 Arizona Cardinals – They have ballers all over the field. They have Darnell Dockett on the defensive line, Karlos Dansby at linebacker, and a secondary that consists of Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, Bryant McFadden, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
#8 New York Giants – Aaron Ross and Corey Webster are good corners and their linebackers are decent. But those characteristics don’t make a top ten defense. They are in the top ten because of the pass rushers they possess. It truly is an embarrassment of riches. Just imagine facing this foursome on third and long; Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Canty, and Rocky Bernard. That is only if they are playing straight up. If they decide to blitz you better find blockers for Michael Boley and/or Mathias Kiwanuka. Remember this is the same team that made the Patriots offensive line look like the high school team that Brett Favre works out with. Scientific research has shown that quarterbacks hate pressure, and guess what, they bring a lot of it.
#9 Washington Redskins – This was the best unspectacular defense in the NFL last season. Believe it or not, they were the NFL’s 4th ranked defense last season. That was in spite of having only 13 interceptions and 24 sacks all season. They have added some playmakers to an already solid defense. The biggest addition (both literally and figuratively) is Albert Haynesworth. If he lives up to his contract, the rest of the league is in trouble. They also drafted Brian Orakpo with their first round pick. Trust me, he will be in the running for Rookie of The Year.
#10 Dallas Cowboys – Demarcus Ware = 20 sacks.
#11 Miami Dolphins – If you are calling an offensive play, how do you block both Jason Taylor and the most intellectual player in the NFL (Joey Porter)? Bill Parcells knows the 3-4 defense very well, and it shows by how he built this one so fast. They will have young corners, but the pass rush should help them out a great deal. They also have Gibril Wilson, who is one heck of a safety.
#12 Carolina Panthers – They will go as Julius Pepper goes. Look for him to have a heck of a year this season. He has $16.7 reasons to be a beast this year. On top of that, this is also a contract year. In other words, look for Peppers and the Panthers defense to be very good this season.
#13 Philadelphia Eagles – If this team has safeties that actually belonged in the NFL, they would be much higher on this list. I hope Asante and Sheldon Brown are ready because they will not get any help all season from the back end of the defense. (Please don’t say they will miss Brian Dawkins, because he was just as bad as those other clowns last season.) Too bad Michael Vick doesn’t play safety, because he would surely help.
#14 Indianapolis Colts – They have two great pass rushers, very good linebackers, and good corners. But none of that will mean a thing if Bob Sanders is not healthy. He is the key to everything they do, in defending against the pass as well as the run. So basically they are what Bob allows them to be. I sure hope he stays healthy. Without him, they can’t get to the AFC title game and lose to the Patriots.
#15 Cincinnati Bengals – SURPRISE! Are they higher than you expected? I think that Marvin Lewis & Mike Zimmer have finally gotten this defense right. They will be a fast and hard-hitting defense that will create a lot of turnovers. This team will be a lot better than people think this year, and the defense is a big reason why.
#16 New England Patriots – They have a good defensive scheme, but some of the components are old enough to have voted for Jimmy Carter. They have been getting younger and younger each year, but they aren’t done yet. As long as Teddy Bruschi and Shawne Springs are starters, I just can’t put them in the top ten. That being said they will still be good enough to make enough plays to ensure that the offense carries the team to the Super Bowl.
#17 Chicago Bears – How the mighty have fallen. It’s a good thing that they traded for quarterback Jay Cutler, because their days of controlling the ball on offense and having their defense win games are over. This defense was once great, but now they are average. Tommie Harris is without a doubt the key to this defense. When he is healthy (which is about as often as Steven Jackson is healthy), he absolutely dominates opposing offensive lines. Lance Briggs is still a great player also. Age and injury have caught up with Brian Urlacher, and the rest of the defense just isn’t as good as they once were. They used to be top five, but now they will hover around mediocrity all year. It will be Jay Cutler and Matt Forte that will win games for them, not the defense.
#18 Oakland Raiders – Last year MeAngelo Fall (aka DeAngelo Hall) got a chance to see what a real shutdown corner looks like. NNAMDI ASOMUGHA IS THE BEST CORNER IN THE NFL! If you don’t believe me, watch a Raiders game and watch the opposing quarterback avoid throwing his way the entire game. I haven’t seen respect like this since Champ Bailey was in his prime. Asomugha is so good that, offenses chose to focus on exposing MeAngelo last season. They were successful. MeAngelo was fired midway through the season. They also have two very good linebackers in Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard. They will be decent this year, especially considering that they added Greg Ellis to play defensive end.
#19 Houston Texans – Is this the year the Texans finally make the playoffs? (I will tell you in a couple of weeks.) If so, their defense will have to play better. They have a superstar in DeMeco Ryans, and a stud at defensive end in Mario Williams (admit it, we were all wrong about him). Dunta Robinson is also a very good corner, but the rest of the defense leaves a lot to be desired. If Houston is going to finally make the playoffs this year, they will have to play above their talent level.
#20 Seattle Seahawks – They drafted Aaron Curry, but lost Julian Peterson, which put them right back where they started. They also lost Rocky Bernard, and you really can’t count on Patrick Kerney or Marcus Trufant to stay healthy all season. They still have some good players and should be competitive in most games. Personally, I hope that they don’t and that Jim Mora has a miserable season. I’m just not a fan.
#21 Green Bay Packers – This defense has too much talent to be as bad as they were a year ago. They were so bad that the team decided not only to switch defensive coordinators, but to also implement an entire new defensive philosophy. Coach Dom Capers has brought his version of the 3-4 of the defense to the land of the Cheeseheads. I hope that they can turn things around in a hurry, because the offense is very good. The back end of the defense will be fine with Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Nick Collins, and Atari Bigby. But the front seven has a lot of work to do.
#22 New Orleans Saints – If this defense could just be average, the Saints would be a Super Bowl contender. Unfortunately they are ranked #22, which means that they are six spots below average. New coordinator Gregg Williams will make a huge difference. They also have some very good players such as Jonathan Vilma, Tracey Porter, Randall Gay, Rod Coleman, and rookie Malcolm Jenkins. However, they still have the most talented, under-performing duo at defensive end in the entire NFL. Will Smith and Charles Grant should be much better than they are. They are also likely to miss four games, which makes matters even worse. While I do expect this defense to be better than they were last year, I still don’t think they will be good enough to be considered average. Believe it or not, it is entirely possible that this team could miss the playoffs again. All because of the defense.
#23 Atlanta Falcons – Are we ready to call Jamal Anderson a bust yet? Just imagine how good this defense would be if he was as good as a slightly below average player. Then offensive lines could focus on John Abraham. If Abraham had any help, he could easily be a twenty sack guy. I must say that I am extremely happy that Keith Brooking, the first down tackling machine, has left the city. He has been replaced by Mike Peterson, which is a definite upgrade. However, the Falcons will struggle because they failed to keep two budding defensive stars on the roster. Although Thomas Demitroff has done nothing that we should second guess up to this point, I often wonder why he allowed Michael Boley and Dominique Foxworth to leave via free agency. They did not exactly break the bank, and the Falcons could afford to match or even surpass both of those contracts. They will regret those decisions. Abraham is the only proven commodity on the defensive line, and let’s face it, he is due for an injury (not wishing it on him, just looking at history). The linebacker group is solid, although they would be great with Boley. There are a lot of questions in the secondary. Is Chris Houston a #1 corner? Is Brett Grimes (feisty as he may be) a #2 corner? Will the safeties be any good? Too many questions to have ranked any higher. Remember, they weren’t exactly the Ravens last year and they lost their second and third best defensive players (Boley & Foxworth). However, they will play hard and not get blown out of too many games.
#24 San Francisco 49ers – They have some good players, but not enough. Mike Singletary will do the best that he can with the talent that he has. Patrick Willis is a stud, but Nate Clements is over-paid and over-rated. Takeo Spikes is just old and not very good anymore.
#25 Buffalo Bills – Former Falcon Brian Scott has a chance to start at safety. Need I say more to explain why they are ranked this low. This one player negates all of the positive things that I planned to say about this defense.
#26 Jacksonville Jaguars – It is not going to be fun playing defense in Jacksonville this season. You have to face Peyton Manning, Andre Johnson, and Chris Johnson twice each. In addition to that you also have to deal with high powered offenses of the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots. Oh, and one more thing, YOU’RE NOT THAT GOOD!!!! Good luck, you are going to need it. (Jack, it’s time to dust off the resume. Because you my friend, have a bad football team on your hands).
#27 Cleveland Browns – Shaun Rogers and Eric Wright are legitimate NFL players. Too bad they are the only two.
#28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – This unit is either too old or too unproven at basically every position. It will be a long year in Tampa. They are in the wrong division to have a bad defense.
#29 St. Louis Rams – Can Steve Spagnuolo create the pressure he did with the Giants. The answer is NO, and THEY WILL STRUGGLE! On the bright-side, running backs will be stopped as soon as they cross the first-down marker this season. That is because they drafted THE NEXT KIETH BROOKING, in middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. Am I the only one that sees the similarities?
#30 Detroit Lions – Any success that they have this season will be the result of scheme and effort. They do have two talented players on defense in Ernie Simms and Julian Peterson, but the star of this defense will be new head coach Jim Schwartz. I’m sure that Lions fans are hoping their defense can one day be as good as the one in Nashville. Well they have the man that built the Titans on their sideline now, so we will see what he can do.
#31 Kansas City Chiefs – At least they aren’t last, but they are behind Detroit.
#32 Denver Broncos – Josh McDaniel was smart enough to run off a franchise quarterback, when he was inheriting the league’s worst defense. That was smart. Then you replaced him with a quarterback whose skill set says that you play it safe on offense and let your defense win the games. BUT YOUR DEFENSE SUCKS!!!! This guy is definitely not winning Coach Of The Year. Champ Bailey is still good, but past his prime. DJ Williams is also a good player, but the defensive line can’t get any pressure on the quarterback. This means that it will be a long year in Denver. They won’t be able to score on offense and they CERTAINLY WON’T BE ABLE TO STOP TEAMS FROM SCORING ON DEFENSE!!!! You must remember that this team had the #2 ranked offense in the league last season, and MISSED THE PLAYOFFS!!!! And guess what, they did not make any upgrades from that defensive unit.
AND NOW FOR MY BALLER & SCRUB OF THE WEEK!
BALLER: Usain Bolt (Jamaican Track Team) – Bolt not only won three gold medals at the Track & Field World Championships, he also set two new world records. This guy is amazing. He is easily the fastest human on earth. What is really scary is that none of his races are ever close. All I can say is WOW!
SCRUB: Josh McDaniel (Head Coach of the Denver Broncos) – That quarterback you replaced Jay Cutler with threw THREE INTERCEPTION IN HIS FIRST PRE-SEASON ACTION! That was a great trade. I know it is only pre-season, but it is Kyle Orton. Do you expect him to suddenly turn into Peyton Manning when the regular season starts? Don’t hold your breath! I know that you didn’t throw the picks, but I am still blaming you because you are the one that brought him here. If you didn’t make him a Denver Bronco, there is no way that he throws those picks for the Denver Broncos. I used to have a hard time deciding if Mike Tice or Marty Mornhinweg were the dumbest coaches in NFL history. But you have taken that title from both of them, WITHOUT COACHING ONE REGULAR SEASON GAME!!!! By the way, your best player (Brandon Marshall) also wants out. Have you ever heard the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Guess what, the offense in Denver was great before you arrived. Why didn’t you try to run off the defensive players instead? That would have been more productive. If you don’t win the Super Bowl this year (and trust me, you won’t), the people of Denver will do their best to run you out of town.
Showing posts with label defense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label defense. Show all posts
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday, October 26, 2008
THEY AIN'T DEAD
Imagine this, it is 2nd and 4 and you are a defensive coordinator. On the other side of the line of scrimmage you see Tony Romo in the shotgun flanked by Marion “the Barbarian” Barber and Felix “Catch me if you can” Jones. You immediately start to scratch your head wondering how you are going to stop these two. Then you notice that Terrell Owens (whom I hate) and Roy Williams are lined up at wide receiver. That causes even more concern, but just when you think you know what defense to call to stop them you take another look from the booth and notice that Jason Whitten is flanked out on the side with Roy Williams. At that moment you realize that you are facing your worst nightmare and that you just wet your pants. So Mr. Coordinator, what do you call? Do you double T.O. and leave Whitten and Williams one-on-one on the other side (with a linebacker or safety covering Whitten)? Do you put eight in the box and play the receivers one on one? Do you play Cover 2 and give Barber and Jones all kind of running lanes? What do you do?
This is the problem that the Dallas Cowboys will pose to all defensive coordinators when they get their full complement of skill players healthy. There is no doubt that the Dallas Cowboys are struggling. There are many causes, but no excuses for their current struggles. They are currently dealing with the consequences of making a deal with the devil and signing Pacman Jones. The real T.O. is starting to rear his ugly head, and they have been ravaged by injuries to such players as Tony Romo, Felix Jones, Roy Williams, and Terrance Newman. Looking at their current situation, plenty of people have decided to jump off of their bandwagon and leave them for dead. There are some people that I know that are saying things like they are not going to make the playoffs. Prior to the start of the season, they were my pick to be the NFC representative in the Super Bowl. Although their recent struggles have puzzled me, unlike most people, I AM STANDING BY MY PICK! Now don’t get me wrong, I realize that they are not playing up to their potential. There is also a chance that they won’t make it to the Super Bowl. However, saying that they won’t even make the playoffs is absolutely ludicrous. Due to the overwhelming amount of offensive talent on this team I can see them getting everyone healthy and turning it around in time to go on an insane winning streak. When that happens, I don’t want to see anyone trying to jump back on the bandwagon and saying that they knew all along that they would make the playoffs.
I am by no means a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. I am simply looking at the situation as a person that knows a little something about football. Looking at this team objectively, I see a team that has some holes in their defensive secondary. These holes came from injuries to Terrance Newman (one of the best corners in the game) and Roy Williams (although he can’t cover his bed with a blanket, he is a devastating hitter that make receivers think twice about coming across the middle). We can also contribute some of the secondary problems to the Pacman Jones experiment. In case you didn’t hear, he was suspended again. Is anyone surprised? I guess we can now safely say that he wasn’t worth the risk. Their defensive line and linebackers are playing pretty well. They are led by DeMarcus Ware (my pre-season pick to lead the NFL in sacks) who is currently leading the NFL in sacks.
The offense is only being held back by injury. When they get everyone healthy they should be fine. We have not seen this group play together yet and when we do, they will be a treat to see. My real question to all of the naysayers is, ‘Where were you when they started 3 – 0 with three impressive showings?’
Picking the two teams in the pre-season that will play in the Super Bowl is very difficult. If you don’t believe me just think back over the past couple of years. Raise your hand if you picked the Giants to go to the Super Bowl last season, or better yet if you had the Seahawks or Steelers a couple of years ago. So there is a chance that my pick of the Cowboys could prove to be incorrect. But saying that they aren’t making the playoffs is just stupid.
The Cowboys currently have a record of 5-3 and will probably have all their key players healthy a week or two after their bye week. Therefore, we can safely say that the best is yet to come. I’m even going to go as far as to say that they will finish the season with a better record than the Giants, who are the defending Super Bowl Champs and currently leading their division. That being said if you really don’t see this team making the playoffs, please comment and name the six teams in the NFC that will make it over them. Remember your comments will be posted on this blog forever, so think carefully before counting them out and naming your six teams.
Oh, I almost forgot about my original question, ‘What defense would you call?’
I look forward to hearing from all of the doubters.
****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 9 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. NOW THAT EVERYONE IS REGISTERED TO VOTE, BE SURE TO GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND ACTUALLY VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH. SPEAK NOW OR SHUT UP FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!!!!
This is the problem that the Dallas Cowboys will pose to all defensive coordinators when they get their full complement of skill players healthy. There is no doubt that the Dallas Cowboys are struggling. There are many causes, but no excuses for their current struggles. They are currently dealing with the consequences of making a deal with the devil and signing Pacman Jones. The real T.O. is starting to rear his ugly head, and they have been ravaged by injuries to such players as Tony Romo, Felix Jones, Roy Williams, and Terrance Newman. Looking at their current situation, plenty of people have decided to jump off of their bandwagon and leave them for dead. There are some people that I know that are saying things like they are not going to make the playoffs. Prior to the start of the season, they were my pick to be the NFC representative in the Super Bowl. Although their recent struggles have puzzled me, unlike most people, I AM STANDING BY MY PICK! Now don’t get me wrong, I realize that they are not playing up to their potential. There is also a chance that they won’t make it to the Super Bowl. However, saying that they won’t even make the playoffs is absolutely ludicrous. Due to the overwhelming amount of offensive talent on this team I can see them getting everyone healthy and turning it around in time to go on an insane winning streak. When that happens, I don’t want to see anyone trying to jump back on the bandwagon and saying that they knew all along that they would make the playoffs.
I am by no means a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. I am simply looking at the situation as a person that knows a little something about football. Looking at this team objectively, I see a team that has some holes in their defensive secondary. These holes came from injuries to Terrance Newman (one of the best corners in the game) and Roy Williams (although he can’t cover his bed with a blanket, he is a devastating hitter that make receivers think twice about coming across the middle). We can also contribute some of the secondary problems to the Pacman Jones experiment. In case you didn’t hear, he was suspended again. Is anyone surprised? I guess we can now safely say that he wasn’t worth the risk. Their defensive line and linebackers are playing pretty well. They are led by DeMarcus Ware (my pre-season pick to lead the NFL in sacks) who is currently leading the NFL in sacks.
The offense is only being held back by injury. When they get everyone healthy they should be fine. We have not seen this group play together yet and when we do, they will be a treat to see. My real question to all of the naysayers is, ‘Where were you when they started 3 – 0 with three impressive showings?’
Picking the two teams in the pre-season that will play in the Super Bowl is very difficult. If you don’t believe me just think back over the past couple of years. Raise your hand if you picked the Giants to go to the Super Bowl last season, or better yet if you had the Seahawks or Steelers a couple of years ago. So there is a chance that my pick of the Cowboys could prove to be incorrect. But saying that they aren’t making the playoffs is just stupid.
The Cowboys currently have a record of 5-3 and will probably have all their key players healthy a week or two after their bye week. Therefore, we can safely say that the best is yet to come. I’m even going to go as far as to say that they will finish the season with a better record than the Giants, who are the defending Super Bowl Champs and currently leading their division. That being said if you really don’t see this team making the playoffs, please comment and name the six teams in the NFC that will make it over them. Remember your comments will be posted on this blog forever, so think carefully before counting them out and naming your six teams.
Oh, I almost forgot about my original question, ‘What defense would you call?’
I look forward to hearing from all of the doubters.
****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 9 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. NOW THAT EVERYONE IS REGISTERED TO VOTE, BE SURE TO GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND ACTUALLY VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH. SPEAK NOW OR SHUT UP FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!!!!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
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!!!!
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!!!!
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