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He debuted in 1968 with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played a total of 200 games and recorded 20.5 sacks and 8 forced fumbles. Ted Washington always amazed me. started his career with the Detroit Lions in 1987 and later played in three more teams, including Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, and Minnesota Vikings. 6'5" and around 375 pounds, he was literally an immovable object in the trenches. These players are often the most recognized players in the locker room especially among the defensive coordinators for helping clear up space for the rest of the team. He would also play left end on occasion, usually when Lyle Alzado was taking a series off or if he missed a game or two. The more space they take up, the less of a hole the running back has to make it through the line of scrimmage. Burt also helped the 49ers in their Super Bowl seasons as a rotation nose tackle. This allows the defensive ends to cover the outside of the offensive line and frees up the middle linebackers to find the quarterback or running back. The NFL's top 11 interior defensive linemen - Touchdown Wire Super Bowl LVII: All You Need To Know About Its Results, Winner, Highlights and Half-Time Show !! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Where the 3-4 defense has two gaps in-between the nose tackle and defensive ends, those two gaps are completely covered by two defensive tackles in the 5-2 scheme, which makes it hard to run the ball. First-team All-Pro: 5 times (1980, 1981, 82, 83, 88). It is no coincidence that with Peko disrupting the line of scrimmage, youngsters Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunalp have been able to blossom into dangerous pass rushers. Admittedly, in this period, it was less characterized by the dominating nose tackle and more by the fearsome outside linebacker, such as Lawrence Taylor. Everything You Need to Know, What Is a Pick 6 in Football? Team (s): Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions & Philadelphia Eagles. This is because the 4-3 defensive scheme has two inside linebackers that can fill those two gaps if needed. Vincent Lamar Wilfork (born November 4, 1981) is a former American football nose tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. One name that is well worth mentioning among the Top 10 Strong Safety All-Time list is the former Seattle Seahawks and Pro Football Hall of Famer strong safety Kenny Easley. These savvy veterans and youngsters such as Knighton, Cleveland Browns rookie Phillip Taylor and Arizona Cardinals youth Dan Williams, are collectively ensuring the nose tackle remains very relevant. A 3-4 defensive scheme is more of a base defense that can be effective against the run and pass when performed correctly. Best Defensive Tackles of All Time in the NFL - Ranker Nonetheless, he was an inside, power player whose job it was to stop the inside running game and he did that well. It seems unfair to rank him above more versatile players like Ratliff and Wilfork, but from a purist point of view, Casey Hampton is the finest nose tackle in the game. Casey Hampton is criminally low on this list. Wilfork played more than 100 games for the Patriots and is considered the best player in the nose tackle position for the Patriots. He had great strength, along with skills and techniques. 4-3 duo Terrence Knighton and Brandon Mebane do not appear on the list due to the same inconsistency. Raji possesses a more diverse and dynamic skill set than Pouha. For the most part, the nose tackle is responsible for filling up these two gaps. Like Bill Wills, Pat Williams was also undrafted in 1997. Charlie Johnson had a short career in the NFL, but he still managed to cement his preposition among the best nose tackles of all time in NFL history. He was a Second-team All-Pro once and a three-time Pro Bowler (all when playing as 1/2 of the "Williams Wall" in Minnesota. An excellent athlete for the position, Sharrif Floyd (6'3", 305 lbs, one season) has lateral quickness and moves well both along the line of scrimmage and heading upfield to make tackles. 11. Best Nose Tackles in NFL History Throughout history, there have been several players that have revolutionized what it means to be a nose tackle. A Financial Overview, What Is a Cycle in Baseball? Now we are getting into the run-stopping specialists, though very good at that specialty. Wilfork is widely considered one of the best nose tackles to play the game of football. Wilfork was drafted by the Patriots with the 21st overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. My name is Steven and I have a passion for sports and staying physically active. Ngata played more than the shade (1-tech) for the Ravens, playing mostly over guards and even inside shoulder of a tackle (4i) technique. His power and ferocity at the point of attack make him virtually impossible to handle one on one. Ted Washington's the best I've seen play. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Relying on awesome strength and excellent leverage, Garay is able to create a powerful forward push, few centers can deal with. STEELERS' ALL-UNDRAFTED TEAM Quarterback: Devlin Hodges Running Back: Willie Parker Fullback: Dan Kreider Wide Receivers:. Gil Brandt's greatest NFL defensive tackles of all time NFL Media senior analyst and personnel guru Gil Brandt ranks the greatest defensive tackles in NFL history. Ngata, from 2008-14 received post-season honors every season, three of those years he was a First-team All-Pro and the others Second-team or Pro Bowl or All-AFC, showing remarkable consistency. He was All-Pro once and a Second-team All-Pro once and an All-AFC pick twice and voted to four Pro Bowls. He was a Second-team All-Pro in 1987 and a consensus First-team All-Pro in 1988 and was picked to Paul Zimmerman's (. Gil Brandt's greatest NFL tackles of all time NFL Media senior analyst and personnel guru Gil Brandt ranks the best offensive tackles in NFL history. I realize he was mostly a part-time player but I thought Pete Kugler for the 49ers played alot of quality snaps. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Take a look at the best portraits from the 2023 NFL Combine! At 6-1 330 (350?) They line up in front of the offensive center and are responsible for clogging up the two gaps on both sides of the center in-between the center and two offensive guards. Then in 1986-87 he was still the starter but played less in passing situations and recorded just one sack in 1987 and five in 1988. This article features the ten best nose tackles of all time in the NFL who set examples of how to contribute from the back. . With a player like Raji over the center, Dom Capers can utilise every page of his zone blitz playbook. LOL, really curious where you got the film to do an in-depthanalysis of Les Bingaman. And in 1980 he got his hands up enough to pick off three passes from his nose position. He spent the first 11 years of his career with the Patriots, a time during which he was one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL -- especially against the run. Being five times first-pro and the five-times pro bowler is a rare achievement in the NFL for a nose tackle. Whether youre playing in a 3-4 defensive scheme or 4-3 defensive scheme, two defensive ends line up by the offensive tackle. Gilbert Brown was a big piece in that loaded Packer defense. Sometimes even experts fail to recognize talent. The nose guard, however, lines up in the middle of the defensive line in a 5-2 defense. Career stats: 106 games started, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, 150 tackles, four-time Pro Bowler. Said legendary writer/talent evaluator Joel Buchsbaum about Carter, "has awesome ability, strength, quickness, and explosion but is not very durable". I think he was part of at least three of their championships, though undersized. One of his best assets is his quick first step, giving him an excellent takeoff at the snap. The 34 was very popular in the 70's and 80's. May 18, 2022 9:45 am ET. Also, played some DE. Taylor Lewan, Tennessee Titans. Super Bowl champion: 2 times (XXXIX, XLIX). Pouha has gone from a deputy to the oft-injured Kris Jenkins, to becoming a significant force at the heart of the Jets opportunistic defense. The two-time pro bowler Hank Thomas is often underappreciated and is one of the most underrated players of recent times. Like we mentioned above, the 0-technique (and any other even-numbered technique) is asked to line up head-to-head with the offensive line. The NFL's Top Ten Greatest Offensive Tackles of all Time Tim Goad is a very good player from start. Who is the best New York Jets defensive tackle ever? Wills played a key role in the defense and was all-pro once and a pro bowler. Johnsons primary duty was to stop the run, and he did it so well. The top 25 NFL offensive tackles heading into the 2020 season They need to have a big body, but they also need to have some speed and strength to make them quicker and stronger than a center and offensive guard. This is different from the 0-technique, which is responsible for the two gaps in between the center and both offensive guards. Lorenzo Neal as a fullback is one. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tackling the Defense - City of Champions Throughout history, there have been several players that have revolutionized what it means to be a nose tackle. These Are Unarguably The 10 Greatest Defensive Tackles Of All Time Consistently an excellent player, he had a career year for Pittsburgh when they needed to lean on him more than usual with his running mate Stephon Tuitt going down hurt. He did that while ascending as one of the greatest nose tackles of all time. In the Bears under front,Toeaina is required to take on the center and occupy the interior, creating one on one matchups for pass rushing defensive ends and the 3-technique tackle. At the time he was drafted, he was the most athletic defensive tackle of all-time. 8. . Washington had played for several teams in his 17-year-long career. WithToeaina in the lineup, there is often more space for destructive duo Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs to exploit. However, his contribution to the teams victories earned him four all-pro awards. Who are the Top 10 greatest Nose Tackles of all time? : r/nfl - reddit During his stay in Kansas, Culp shined as a defensive nose tackle. Vea had four sacks last season playing out of the nose. Smears also played and started the most number of matches as a nose tackle. Whitworth has been one of the top NFL offensive tackles for the majority of his career and is a true model of consistency. Wilfork frequently drew. John, in your opinion, and others on this site, would you put Smerlas, Krumrie or Henry Thomas in the HOF ? Thomas played in 213 games, started 199 of them, totaled 864 tackles including 93.5 sacks and 95.0 run stuffs, totals that rival players like Warren Sapp and Bryant Young, two of the 1990s All-Decade selections. Tim Krumrie was a very active-type nose tackle, all hustle all the time. Kendall Wright looked like the perfect slot receiver for a lot of the year. Some NFL players are just physical freaks in terms of taking a pounding and lasting and lasting. Theyre usually the largest player and go head-to-head with the opposing center. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. Many defenses are also choosing to play more nickel on first and second down. Since nose tackles are largely responsible for clogging up the middle of the line of scrimmage, its almost required that they have a big body thats difficult to block. B/R NFL 1000: Top 50 Defensive Tackles - Bleacher Report You have to keep in mind that offensive linemen are big players and that the nose tackle is almost always double-teamed. Said Buchsbaum, "As good as Ball is, he'd be better if he controlled his weight. Being a team player is their primary characteristic. Smears was an exceptional talent. You simply cant run a 3-4 defensive scheme without one. Maas was "Big, mean, strong, and nasty" according to Buchsbaum who also though Maas would have been an excellent 4-3 tackle. WATCH: Vince Wilfork just dropped the best retirement video ever Though he played as a run stuffer in the later part of his career, he is mostly known for his role as a nose tackle. Carter played nine seasons, 121 games with 97 starts. Moving former defensive end Isaac Sopoaga to nose tackle has made an already stout 49ers run defense even more formidable. We may reconsider in the future, but for now, we put him with the tackles. Of course, thats not the case with any odd-numbered technique. Al Amin Sagor is simply a movie freak who is passionate about writing entertainment content. This is due mainly to the fact that most of the standout nose tackles in the league play for 3-4 teams. After getting drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1984, Michael Carter remained unmoved throughout his pro football career. He was a 'move' guy, not a power guy and he could rush the passer very well in addition to playing his two-gap responsibilities. He's a shade tackle that played all three downs and never needed to be replaced by a designated pass rusher like so many nose tackles, which accounts for his high sack total, in fact, no nose/shade tackle is even close and from film review, he was as good versus the run as any of them. Upon arriving in Houston, the Oilers fortunes changed, going from the bottom of the AFC to among the better teams from 1975 through 1980. His pro career started as remaining undrafted and ended as one of the best nose tackles of all time! The Steelers have had some of the best nose tackles of all time and when that position is thought of, often the Steelers come to mind. A coach usually elects to have two defensive tackles on the field, although one of those defensive tackles might be a versatile nose tackle. Occupying multiple blockers and creating lanes of pursuit for fellow defenders is the weekly requirement of a nose tackle, regardless of system. The 0-technique is generally played in the 3-4 defensive scheme, which is why its largely a nose tackle technique. After his stellar 1980 season, coaches from opposing teams would fly to Buffalo to watch how Smerlas played in the middle of the Bill defense and exported the style to their own 3-4 teams. He's likely best known for a gruesome broken leg in the Super Bowl versus the 49ers but he came back from that in 1989 and had a couple solid seasons after that. If theres a tight end on the play, a 6-technique lines up head-to-head with the tight end. Here is a ranking of the 10 best nose tackles in the game today. In recent seasons the position has taken on greater significance thanks to the proliferation of 3-4 fronts. Vince Wilfork was born in 1981 in Florida. Super Bowl champion: 3 times (XIX, XXIII, XXIV), First-team All-Pro: 3 times (1986, 1987, 1988). He weighs 375 pounds and still ran so fast. But his place went to a division rival who doesn't benefit from quite as strong a supporting cast around him. Top 10 Defensive Tackles in NFL 2022 Rankings And he deserved it due to what he meant to those Charger defenses. Theyre responsible for taking up space and making it hard for the center and guards to make room for the running back. That fact that Bob Dee, who has No. It frequently took 2 or 3 linemen to block him, freeing up teammates to double-cover or blitz. Pro Football Journal: The Best Nose Tackles in NFL History - Blogger The next time you see a nose tackle playing well, make sure you tip your hat to them! He received a Hall of Fame induction from the New England Patriots soon after his retirement in 2017. Joe Klecko (89%, 59 Votes) Kris Jenkins (8%, 5 Votes) Jason Ferguson (3%, 2 Votes) Sione Pouha (0%, 0 Votes) Abdul Salaam (0%, 0 Votes). Career stats of Henry Thomas: 6. Smerlas was among the first bigger nose tackles, weighing about 290 (though often listed as less) and he also was among the first to crowd the center. This is because four linebackers can either drop back and guard the middle of the field or play at the line of scrimmage against the run. But Garay's brute force makes him formidable at the point of attack. The nose tackle is largely used in the 3-4 defensive scheme as well as a 5-2 defensive scheme. More teams havemoved back toa 4-3 this season and many 4-3 teams are choosing to do without a nose tackle and attack an offense with double 3-techniques. We also mentioned how the 1-technique lines up on the outside shoulder of the center and the 3-technique lines up on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard. Bill Pickel in an interesting player. A Complete Overview, What Is a Sack in Football? They are often referred to as the anchor of the defense because their sole responsibility is to limit the amount of space an offense has down the middle of the line of scrimmage.