NFC East All Division Defense: The Making of One Beastly Brass Ball
The saying in the NFL is that a defense is what wins championships, and thinking along those lines I've decided to rummage up a list (or slide show) of players who I feel would best represent the NFC East in an All Division Defense.
The Beast is chalked full of defensive playmakers, ranging in all shapes and sizes and in order to be considered for a spot on a Dubrow All Division Team, every aspect of your game better be on point or else, as the famous Trump would sayโyou're fired!
I'm leaving rookies out for the most part with the exception of one for the simple reason that no matter how highly regarded a player may be coming out of college, you really don't know how they will translate their skills over to the NFL.
With that, let's begin to unleash the beast within the Beast and establish one havoc creating defensive unit.
Feel free to offer your thoughts in the comment section and I hope you enjoy!
Starting Left Defensive End: Justin TuckโNew York Giants
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New York Giants fans should be happy hear as I'm selecting DE Justin Tuck to play on the left side of the defensive lineโprimarily because he is capable of serving in multiple roles either as a DE (defensive end)ย and as a DT (defensive tackle).
Originally a 2005ย third-round (74th pick overall) draft pick of the New York Giants, Tuck has quickly emerged as one of the NFL's most competitive players at the DE position over the last couple of years.
Not only did he appear in his first Pro Bowl in 2009 but since 2008 he has recorded 22 regular season QB sacks.
Duringย Super Bowl XLII, Tuck proved to be among the best of the best as he went on to record four solo tackles which included two sacks on New England Patriots QB Tom Brady.
However, his defensive play ability isn'tย the only reason I would have to select Tuck here, he is also a fantastic special teams player, recording 24 tackles on that front.ย
With that in mind, let's move on to the left end, and as a Philadelphia fan I think it is pretty easy to see who I will select there!
Juqua Parker is my selection to be the backup to Justin Tuck. Yes the Eagles first-round selection, Brandon Graham, is performing better than anticipated but Parker is a polished veteran and actually posted eight and a half sacks in 2009.
He is an above average but not elite defensive end in the league, but he is worthy of the backup role in the NFC East.
Backup: Juqua ParkerโPhiladelphia Eagles
Starting Right Defensive End: Trent ColeโPhiladelphia Eagles
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Can anyone really blame me either for picking Trentย Cole?
Since being drafted as a 2005 fifth-round (146 overall) selection of the Philadelphia Eagles, he has emerged as a premier end in the league and a two time Pro Bowler in the process.
Trent has quickly become known as "The Hunter" around the city of Philadelphia and it is a very fitting nickname for multiple reasons.
First, he enjoys hunting wild game during the offseason, and two, I can think of only a few players ranked better than Cole in the entire NFL, but he takes the cake in the NFC East hands down.
In his five professional years, all with the Eagles, Trent has served out 47 QB sacks and with high expectations that their 2010 first round pick DE Brandon Graham picking up the pieces very fast, I expect Cole's numbers to increase for the upcoming season.
He ended the 2009 season with 12.5 sacks. Is looking for 16 or more in 2010 completely out of the question? Time will tell, but Trent Cole is my starting RDE regardless!
Backing him up in the East, I have New York Giants' Mathias Kiwanuku as he continues to impress and dominate in the NFL. He only had three sacks in 2009, but it's second best in the NFC Eastย to Trent Cole's 12.5.
Backup: Mathias KiwanukuโNew York Giants
Starting Left Defensive Tackle: Mike PattersonโPhiladelphia Eagles
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That's right, I'm not going anywhere near Washington Redskins nose tackle Albert Haynesworth for reasons so obvious I shouldn't need to get into the reasoning, but I will just a little bit.
For starters, how about his lack of production over the last couple of years and his flat out piss-poor mentality and personality.
I don't care how good a player is, if he isn't on the field, then he isn't benefiting my teamโadios, mi amigo!
For a guy who was paid the type of bread he was just one year ago, his four sacks is a mere joke.
Granted, Redskins new Head Coach Mike Shannahan has reported that Haynesworth should be ready to go for the start of the regular season, but I'm still not taking that investment risk.
Instead, for my Right DT I'm going ahead with a guy who I know is a solid starter for the Philadelphia Eagles Mike Patterson.
With the exception of Haynesworth, Patterson had the best season for a DT in a 4-3 scheme in 2009.
While only getting to the QB on one and a half ocassions, he showed improvement in his initial push and ability to get in the backfield on a more consistent basis.
He isn't being named the starter by a landslide, as his backup I feel is equally as good but didn't quite have the 2009 season that Patterson had.
Backup: Barry CofieldโNew York Giants
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Starting Right Defensive Tackle: Jay RatliffโDallas Cowboys
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I know the Dallas Cowboys employs more of a 3-4 defensive scheme but this is one cat, I'm willing to gamble on capable of being a continued disruptive force.
If there is any proof that a seventh-round draft pick (224th overall) can become a very legitimate football playerโlook no further than Jay Ratliff.
When the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the 2005 NFL Draft, I'm sure there wasn't a single fan who gave this guy a shot to really become someone special, but he has turned into the most devastating tackle in the NFC East in 2009, earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl trip.
Of all the players I have assembled, Ratliff may just be the prize player due to his ability to be in the backfield, either putting pressure on the QB as he did in 2009 with 33, seven QB sacks,ย 83 tackles, andย four fumble recoveries.
He is an undeniable talent and a low risk-high reward type player on the Cowboys squad.
Put an additional man on the line and Ratliff could very well be unstoppable!
Backup: Brodrick BunkleyโPhiladelphia Eagles
Starting Middle Linebacker: Stewart Bradley โPhiladelphia Eagles
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Philadelphia Eagles starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley is returning after being forced to sit out the entire 2009 season due to an ACL tear which occured during the Eagles annual Flight Night at Lincoln Financial Field.
However if you remember it was just two seasons ago that Stew truly made a name for himself in the NFL and was on the verge of his Pro Bowl berthโunfortunately he wasn't quite cool enough to hang with the cool kids.
Well, times have changed and Bradley returns with a fire in his eyeโdon't think so, just ask Cincinnati Bengals WR Chad Ocho Cinco or just look at his latest Twitter comments, but here's one of his better one directed towards Stew:
"Stew that was a great hit you caught me with last night, if i ever see you in public i am gonna whoop your ass", which was posted on his Twitter account on August 21, 2010 at 1:11 PM.
I'm sure it was said in good fun, so lets not take it out of context and say Chad is ready to fight Stew, all right, folks?
Stewart has looked outright fantastic in the camp practices I attended and has continued straight through to the preseason, in the short time he is provided on the field.
Can he bring back that tenacity the Eagles missed last season and make another push for a berth in the Pro Bowl or will his injury prove to be more devastating than what we believed?
Those answers will only come once the season gets under way, but I have a good feeling teams in the Beast should just start planning for him now!
Backup: London FletcherโWashington Redskins
Starting Strongside Linebacker: Anthony SpencerโDallas Cowboys
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This position came down to two players really as there isn't a single LB on the Redskins roster not named London Fletcher who truly scares me, and the New York Giants have some talent but their LB corps are, for the most part, unknowns.
So the battle comes down to Anthony Spencer of the Dallas Cowboys and Akeem Jordan who represents the Philadelphia Eagles.
It truly is a no-brainer here if I'm looking at it from a popularity aspect, the choice would have to go to Spencer, and he does get the selection here in this case.
However don't just simply overlook Akeem Jordan. Here you are talking about an extremely talented player who rose up from the Eaglesย practice squad after going undrafted in the 2007 NFL draft to become a solid starting LB for the Birds.
Still, Anthony Spencer is tiers above Jordan, so I would be a fool to go with anyone other than him when creating a NFC East All Division Defense.
Spencer has become an extreme force since entering the league, and as an Eagle fan, he is a player I hope the Birds game plan for twice a season.
Backup: Akeem JordanโPhiladelphia Eagles
Starting Weakside Linebacker: DeMarcus WareโDallas Cowboys
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I'm a Philadelphia Eagle fan, but even I have to say, that's just one funny pictureโall right, down to business!
DeMarcus Ware is one of those LBs you have to game plan for, or else your QB will end up belly down likeย the displayย in the picture above.
It takes an extremely talented player to offset Ware's abilities when he is on the field.
What the Dallas Cowboys received in their 2005 first-round (11th overall) draft pick is a 6'4", 262 lb (currently) monster who has an overwhelming blend of speed and power.
Now entering his fifth season in the NFL, Ware is recognized as one of the most destructive LBs in the league, owning the rights to four of the top five sack figures by a franchise LB.
Not only is he a menace to defend against, but he is more machine than human, starting in 83 games out of a possible 84โyou won't hear Cowboys owner Jerry Jones discussing durability concerns about this guy ever.
He has also, in his professional career, recorded an eye-popping 13 games where he sacked the QB more than once and posted a team leading 11 sacks in 2009, becoming his fourth year completing that task.
I don't care what team you play for or what players make up your team, if you don't keep four eyes on Ware at all times, even when he's on the bench, he'll find a way to make a play!
Backup: Ernie SimsโPhiladelphia Eagles
Starting Left Cornerback: Asante SamuelโPhiladelphia Eagles
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How could I not go with Asante Samuel to be my starting left cornerback, even if his tackling was enough to make me want to go bald in 2009โhe still ended the season with nine interceptions.
Samuel continues to be one of the most explosive CBs in the league even as a eight-year veteran, so one might start to believe that he is simply just preserving his body so he can continue to play a game he loves, but he still needs to work on it just a bit to say the least.
It appears as if he took the criticism to heart, stating that he plans to focus on that element of his game, and in the first preseason game he held true to his word, making a few really nice open field tackles.
Asante is a two time Super Bowl champion and also a three time Pro Bowl (2007-09)ย athlete who has notched the most interceptions since 2006 (29).
There were fans crazy enough to say that the Eagles should rid of Asante Samuel during this past offseason, even after the Sheldon Brown trade, and I couldn't find one reason to justify the Birds pulling off such a foolish moveโyet the chatter continued!
Had the Eagles done such a move, the Eagles would have Ellis Hobbs and who knows who replacing Samuel.
Unless they brought in another extremely talented CB via a trade, this move would've left the position open to Victor "Macho" Harris, Dimitri Patterson, and Joselio Hanson to become the starter.
Of those three, based off of preseason performance onlyโI would say Dimitri Patterson would have taken the job.
As mentioned in the beginning, I know Samuel's tackling was far from desirable in 2009, but you can't overlook hisย ability to ambush a play when putting together this type of defense.
Backup: Corey WebsterโNew York Giants
Starting Right Cornerback: Terrell ThomasโNew York Giants
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The New York Giants are without question in the best shape at Right Cornerback in the NFC East having the electric Aaron Ross, who missed most of 2009 with a nagging hamstring injury that began during the 2009 preseason.
However, it is a new year and the Giants have him as theirย second-stringย LCB for the 2010 season on their depth chartย behind Terrell Thomas.
Thomas stepped up huge for the G-Men in 2009 after Ross sustained his hammy, contributing 85 tackles, one sack, and five INTs returning one of those for six points.
Because of how vital he was to the Giants defense, Ross was listed as a safety when he returned only to miss the final four games after he re-aggravated his hamstring.
If Aaron Ross can stay healthy, he is as forceful as they come at the CB position so but I want to see how he reacts to the new season as a backupโwill he force his way back to a starting role or will that hamstring injury continue to limit his playing time.
For that reason, I am taking as my backup Washington Redskins starter DeAngelo Hall.
Hall immediately bolstered the Redskins defense when he was acquired in 2008, and since then he has contributed 109 tackles, nine INTs for 151 yards, and 30 defended passes.
His veteran experience brings a leadership mentality and a strong knowledge of the game which is essential even as a backup in the NFL.
Backup: DeAngelo HallโWashington Redskins
Starting Free Safety: Antrel RolleโNew York Giants
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As much as I would love to take Philadelphia Eagles rookie Nate Allen as my starterย because he shows all the promise in the world to be an outstanding safety in this league, I haven't seen enough of him in his professional career to really justify thatโbut he is my backup!
Instead I'm going with another New York Giant who was recently acquired during the 2010 NFL Free Agency periodโMr. Antrel Rolle.
Rolle was considered the top prize free agent for the safety position in the offseason, and the Giants were fortunate to reel him in because if they didn't, and couldn't acquire another player, they would be looking at either Sha'reff Rashad or John Busing as their potential startersโthat would've been bad news for Giants fans.
With Rolle, they have a player who ended the 2009 season with 72 tackles, 4 INTs, and 1.5 sacks.
The Giants paid handsomely to acquire his services and he has already proved worthy in the preseason game vs the Jets, notching his first INT as a Giant.
Backup: Allen BallโDallas Cowboys
Starting Strong Safety: Quintin MikellโPhiladelphia Eagles
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Quintin Mikell is an eight-year veteran in the NFL who quietly hasย yet toย receive his due respect by outsiders. He went about his business being a solid strong safety for the Philadelphia Eagles.
He has received a bit more attention after the "X Factor" Brian Dawkins departed for the Denver Broncos, and has even taken on more of a leadership role in the Birds secondary.
Mikellย played in all 16 games in 2009, recording 122 tackles (75 solo) and two INTs. He has a keen sense for the game and knows the Eagles defense like the back of his hand.
His durability and physical play ability is what lands him this position on the All Division Defense.
He out-performed every other starting strong safety in the division for the 2009 season, especially in the tackling department, and hopes to have even more of an impact in the Eagles secondary this season.
My backup for the position is Washington Redskins LaRon Landry whose 2009 stats included 90 tackles and one INT.
Landry is good, no question about it, but I truly think that Mikell is levels above any other starting strong safety in the Beast as of late and is worthy of getting more attention.
Backup: LaRon LandryโWashington Redskins
On Paper
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Thanks for reading my slideshow everyone, I hope you enjoyed it!
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