Taylor Lewan, Tennessee Titans. When you think of the Steelers' 3-4, you think of a couple names: it starts with Casey Hampton, the best true nose tackle the team has ever had. Pat Williams was a top nose for a long time, playing 14 seasons and was a starter in his last 10. 6'5" and around 375 pounds, he was literally an immovable object in the trenches. Stephon Tuitt, Pittsburgh Steelers Tuitt is the second Steelers player to find his way into the top 12, coming off another strong showing in 2020. Akiem Hicks is one of the best run defenders in the NFL today. Thomas was great at tackling and arguably the best among all nose tackles. You have entered an incorrect email address! The next year, Taylor was released, and this became the season Wilfork made his name known by recording 54 tackles in only 16 games. Press J to jump to the feed. But the majority of the players on the list operate as the focal point ina base 3-4 defense. He was a Second-team All-Pro in 1977 and that was the only season he received post-season honors. STEELERS' ALL-UNDRAFTED TEAM Quarterback: Devlin Hodges Running Back: Willie Parker Fullback: Dan Kreider Wide Receivers:. A 5-2 defensive scheme is extremely effective against the run, especially the inside run. NFL Media senior analyst and personnel guru Gil Brandt ranks the greatest defensive tackles in NFL history. 89 retired in New England, is forming a one-two punch with Wilfork is simply lethal. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The 34 was very popular in the 70's and 80's. Team (s): Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions & Philadelphia Eagles. The same argument applies to Barry Cofield of the Washington Redskins. But was a Pro Bowler in 1986, but was certainly worthy of selection in 1984 and 1985 as well. Take a look at all the action as the 2023 Combine gets underway in Indianapolis. profootballjournal@gmail.com. He had a high of 85 tackles in 1978, 68 in 1979, and 67 in 1980. But nose tackle still remains a key position and its distinctive skills perform a vital function for many defenses. Not only that, but theyre offensive linemans specifically the center and guards worst nightmare. Last year (1989) he was 20 points overweight and he was double-teamed on almost every play had nine sacks and 73 tackles". He was a bit of a vagabond playing for seven different teams in his 17 years, with six for the Bills, the most of any of his stops. Wilfork played more than 100 games for the Patriots and is considered the best player in the nose tackle position for the Patriots. Corey Williams of the Detroit Lions performs an important function for Gunther Cunningham's defense. What does it need to be a good nose tackle? Therefore, he does not have a lot of individual achievements to boast about. Williams became a three times pro bowler in three consecutive seasons, from 2006 to 2008. A 4-technique lines up head-to-head with the tackle. I realize he was mostly a part-time player but I thought Pete Kugler for the 49ers played alot of quality snaps. You can guess from his career highlights how much we could write about him. He has played a total of 200 games and recorded 29 sacks and two interceptions. The most common requirement of a nose tackle is to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the rest of the defense. He played in the NFL for 13 seasons and recorded 32.5 sacks. Al Amin Sagor is simply a movie freak who is passionate about writing entertainment content. And he deserved it due to what he meant to those Charger defenses. It is not easy for the nose tackles to be the best defender, but Culp did it in 1975 after joining the Houston Oilers. Admittedly, in this period, it was less characterized by the dominating nose tackle and more by the fearsome outside linebacker, such as Lawrence Taylor. all the guys ahead of him were better than he was. Carter was a dominant nose when motivated. Defensive tackles are mostly the silent killer of a team. The 55 Best Movies and Series on HBO Max (Where You 1968 (Denver Broncos, Round: 2 / Pick: 31), Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions, 1979 (Buffalo Bills, Round: 2 / Pick: 32), Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers, 1991 (San Francisco 49ers, Round: 1 / Pick: 25), San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, 1987 (Minnesota Vikings, Round: 3 / Pick: 72), Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots andDetroit Lions, 1984 (San Francisco 49ers, Round: 5 / Pick: 121), 1977 (Philadelphia Eagles, Round: 7 / Pick: 175), Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, 2004 (New England Patriots, Round: 1 / Pick: 21), 1987 (Detroit Lions, Round: 3 / Pick: 63), Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings. The over six ft tall was like a mad bull himself. To be fair, Williams was a Second-team All-Pro in 2004 and then First-team in 2005 and 2006. Casey Hampton is criminally low on this list. Instead of going head-to-head with the center, theyll line up on the outside shoulder of the center, either on the left or right. Fat Pat Williams is top 10 material bias aside. He was usually the shade tackle in the Raiders 40 nickel (Bandit) defense and herecorded 6 sacks in 1983 and 12.5 in 1984. Really, on a game-to-game basis, Hamilton was the NFL's first modern nose tackle. Some NFL players are just physical freaks in terms of taking a pounding and lasting and lasting. Well, a player needs to have the mentality to sacrifice himself for the teams achievement. 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. Yep, he arrived when those guys were on their way out of town. Follow us on Twitter: @NFL_Journal - However, until that time, he is without question the best nose tackle in the league. Email us at: Although used in very specific situations in the NFL, the 5-2 defensive scheme was largely phased out of pro football in the 1950s and eventually college football in the 1980s. Since the 5-technique features an odd number, that means the defensive lineman lines up on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle. He ended his career with just 20.5 sacks but the main reason he was on the field was to stop the run and that he did, evidenced by his 90 run stuffs in his career (five times he had 9.0 or more). Wilfork has served as the centerpiece of BillBelichick's hybrid defenses for years. Maybe if he hadn't gone to USFL but really, except for 1983, he was a backup---someone who got to play when Carter was hurt, would play some 40 tackle in nickel/dimeHe was considered by the 36 starts was kind of a problem. Check out the Top 10 photos from Super Bowl LVII! Hank Thomas is one of the more underrated players in recent NFL history in our view, right up there with Eugene Robinson, LeRoy Butler, Larry Brooks, and others. Ted Washington always amazed me. 2022 The News Titan - All Rights Reserved, The 10 Best Nose Tackles of All Time in the NFL, The 10 Best Defensive Ends of All Time in the NFL. The next time you see a nose tackle playing well, make sure you tip your hat to them! Again, these are two completely different positions in the game of football and have entirely different roles in defensive schemes. He is one of the "Jewel" of The News Titan. He ended his career with 1017 tackles, more than any other nose we can find and 34.5 sacks. Domato Peko is the fulcrum of the Cincinnati Bengals aggressive 4-3 defense. Randle signed with the Vikings and went on to become one of the best defensive tackles of the 1990s and definitely the mouthiest. This list of the top nose tackles in American football includes all the greats from both the NFL and college football. Gary Dunn/NT - 1976-1987. Tim Goad is a very good player from start. A Financial Overview, What Is a Cycle in Baseball? It all depends on the game situation. Thomas was a solid defensive nose and could have been a terrific 3-technique. He was also part of the Dolphins pass rush packages for the first 2/3 of his career, totaling 9 sacks in 1981, 8 in 1978 and 1983 and 6 in 1979. . He'd done yeoman's work, playing the run, coming out of the game on likely passing downs, but never getting a sniff of Hawaii and the Pro Bowl. Had he not been denied the opportunity to follow up his stellar 2010 season, Williams would certainly have merited inclusion. I also thought Jamal Williams was excellent for a few years at his peak. And with Carter, he'd have his moments getting to the passer. I think Wilfork has to be up there too but Wilfork has been used in more than 1 tech for a lot of his time on the Pats but that just shows what a good skill set he had. This is different from the 0-technique, which is responsible for the two gaps in between the center and both offensive guards. There have been many legendary nose tackles in the NFL and NCAA, and you'll find all of them on this list below. Plus he played the position until 39 years old; amazing longevity for a position where you're fighting off double teams from other 300 lb men your whole career. WhenToeaina is over the center, the Bears run defense is more stout. Its where the defender lines up head-to-head with the offensive center. He was a Dr. Z favorite as well. But he did the dirty work of a shade tackle in a 4-3 under defense. Not only is Art Shell at the top of this list, but he was also among the best tackles in NFL history, and there those who believe . Take a look at all the action as the 2023 Combine gets underway in Indianapolis. Nobody is better at absorbing double teams than Hampton. Balls retired from the game in 1999, leaving behind a dominant legacy. In his first four years he was a top backup for Ted Washington forming an amazing 1-2 punch. Regular five-on-five basketball is a fun game on its own, but its always nice to have some variety in the types of games that can be played, especially with kids. They line up with a defensive end on both sides of them, but theres a pretty large gap between them since the offensive line is made up of five players. He benefits from a strong and talented supporting cast, but everything the Steelers are able to do on defense, is determined by the play of Hampton. Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. An extremely aggressive player, Garay is one of the few 3-4 nose tackles who is at his best when threatening the quarterback. He was the straw that stirred the drink for the 2x Champion defenses for the Steelers in the 2000s. Its okay for a nose tackle to be smaller or bigger than the average nose tackle, so long as that player is good at taking up space and freeing up room for the rest of the defense to do what they do best. 25. ", Minnesota Vikings, 1967-1978; Chicago Bears, 1978-1981 Played in four Super Bowls, one-time NFL champion 1971 NFL MVP Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Voted to nine Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro six times NFL 1970s All-Decade Team Played in 238 consecutive games Had six seasons of double-digit sacks, including 18 in 1976; unofficially finished with 173 career sacks Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, 2014-Present Voted to three Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro two times 2014 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Set record for fastest recorded 40 time for DT at NFL Scouting Combine Has logged 28 sacks and 116 tackles in his three NFL seasons Voted 15th best player in NFL on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017, Cincinnati Bengals 2010-present Voted to Pro Bowl six times, First Team All-Pro twice 290 career tackles, 61 sacks, and eight forced fumbles, Detroit Lions, 1960-1966; Los Angeles Rams, 1967-1969 Voted to six Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro two times Member of the Rams' "Fearsome Foursome" First player in NFL history with playing weight exceeding 300 pounds Sacked Bart Starr seven times (one for a safety) in the famous 1962 "Thanksgiving Day Massacre", Kansas City Chiefs, 1968-1974; Houston Texans 1974-1980; Detroit Lions, 1980-1981 One-time Super Bowl champion Voted to six Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro one time 1975 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Unofficially had 68 sacks and 14 forced fumbles in 14 NFL seasons Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Minnesota Vikings, 1990-2000; Seattle Seahawks, 2001-2003 Voted to seven Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro six times 1997 NFL sacks leader NFL 1990s All-Decade Team Played in 219 career NFL games, recording 137.5 sacks and 556 tackles Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Kansas City Chiefs, 1963-1975 One-time Super Bowl champion, two-time AFL champion Voted to eight Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro four times, six AFL All-Star games Played in 182 career NFL games, including 166 consecutively Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Seattle Seahawks, 1990-2000 Voted to eight Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro three times 1992 NFL Defensive Player of the Year NFL 1990s All-Decade Team Had 58 sacks and 568 tackles durin 11-year NFL career Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, New York Yanks, 2948-1949; New York Giants, 1950-1953 Two-time NFL champion Voted to four Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro five times Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1995-2003; Oakland Raiders, 2004-2007 One-time Super Bowl champion Voted to seven Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro four times 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year NFL All-Decade Team in 1990s and 2000s Recorded 96.5 career sacks, 435 tackles, and 19 forced fumbles Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dallas Cowboys, 1975-1988 One-time Super Bowl champion Super Bowl XII co-MVP Voted to nine Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro seven times NFL 1980s All-Decade Team Unofficially recorded 111 sacks (high of 16 in 1978) and 1,104 tackles in 14 NFL seasons Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Los Angeles Rams, 1962-1977 Voted to 14 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro five times 1962 NFL Rookie of the Year NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team,Br> Member of two NFL All-Decade Teams (1960s, 1970s) Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1969-1981 Four-time Super Bowl champion Voted to 10 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro five times Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team Recorded unofficial 78.5 career sacks and 16 fumble recoveries Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dallas Cowboys, 1961-1974 One-time Super Bowl champion Voted to 11 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro seven times NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team member of NFL's All-Decade Teams in 1960s and 1970s Started every game (164) of his 14-year career 29-yard sack of Bob Griese in Super Bowl VI is NFL record and one of the most memorable in Super Bowl history Scored four defensive touchdowns in career Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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