Super Bowl LI: Chris Simms' All-22 Team for the Big Game

Chris SimmsJan 31, 2017

Six or seven jam-packed yards will decide the NFL's next champion.

I'm talking about the mash of big bodies that'll comprise the defensive line of scrimmage at Super Bowl 51. Either the New England Patriots or Atlanta Falcons will hoist a Lombardi Trophy, not just because of stellar quarterback play or dynamic touchdown-scoring options, but also because they won the war waged in the middle of the field. I, for one, can't wait to see that war play out.

On paper, Bill Belichick's defense figures to have an edge in talent and experience. But New England's defensive center is not—I repeat, not—the more talented group. Throw a football at Atlanta's first two levels, and you're bound to hit a freak athlete. The Falcons just haven't seen a stage as big as this before.

As you watch the events unfold in Houston, remember the back half of this All-22 team. Each lineman and linebacker I've listed has the potential to turn the tide of Sunday's big game. The front seven that best realizes that potential will win.

QB: Tom Brady, New England Patriots

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Matt Ryan had an amazing year. Hell, he's probably going to be voted Most Valuable Player.

But he'll be the second-best quarterback at NRG Stadium on Sunday. Tom Brady has his Falcons counterpart (and everyone else) beat when it comes to Super Bowl experience. As a former player who's been in a locker room with guys with rings, I know there's no substitute for that.

Scheme also favors New England's quarterback. Atlanta will roll out a defense similar to the one Brady saw two weeks earlier against Pittsburgh—and even more similar to the one he defeated in Super Bowl 49. That Seahawks zone defense was one of the greatest ever; this Falcons one isn't.

RB: LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots

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LeGarrette Blount looks like he ate a starting NFL running back.

So imagine what he’ll do against linebackers who are 15 to 25 pounds his junior. It probably involves a lot of bone-crunching hits and flailing Falcons tacklers.

It won’t stop at head-to-head collisions, either.

Blount’s forceful running style is just a front; pound-for-pound, he’s probably the NFL’s most elusive ball-carrier. Should any of those young, skinny 'backers overcommit, he’ll dice them up—particularly in the fourth quarter if New England’s leading.

RB: Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons

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If I know Bill Belichick—and I do—he's circling Devonta Freeman as having the ability to exploit a weak link in the pass-protection game.

But I know Kyle Shanahan, too. Atlanta's offensive coordinator probably has the perfect counter ready to go should ol' Bill test his starting running back with blitz pickup.

Expect Shanahan and the Falcons to push New England's limit in the screen-passing game. Freeman's role? Set up like he's a protector, then get behind a wall of blockers and look for the football if defenders try to capitalize. A 100-yard receiving day is a possibility.

WR: Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

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Julio Jones is so good, he's Belichick-proof.

New England's head coach won't be able to make No. 11 disappear like he has so many other dangerous targets. Jones is perhaps the best pass-catcher to suit up in a Super Bowl since Jerry Rice. He's going to get catches, and he's going to get yards.

Kyle Shanahan will make sure of both. Atlanta has moved Jones around the formation throughout this postseason—one minute he's an X-receiver, the next minute he's in the slot.

A tactician like Bill Belichick has to be concerned that Jones will draw a linebacker or some unfavorable corner. If he does, watch out.

WR: Julian Edelman, New England Patriots

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This isn’t Julian Edelman’s first Super Bowl tango with a Seattle-style defense.

He faced off against the real deal a couple of seasons ago. And the end result was a dominating nine-catch outing that could’ve nabbed him an MVP award.

These Falcons aren’t as defensively treacherous as those Seahawks were. Edelman will find so many chances to move the sticks across the middle, be it on crossing routes versus man defense or sitting in a hole against zone. Expect a statistical show.

WR: Chris Hogan, New England Patriots

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Chris Hogan has been getting the just-another-white-guy-in-New-England treatment for about 20 weeks now.

Teams don't treat him like the deep threat he is—until he runs by their top cover corners, that is. Maybe Atlanta will try a different approach and actually—oh, I don't know—cover the guy it sees on film.

Then again, it might not matter. The former lacrosse player brings that speed to the table with a 6'1", 210-pound frame to match. For the Falcons' smaller secondary, that could spell trouble.

TE: Martellus Bennett, New England Patriots

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Associated Press

He's the best run-blocking tight end in the game.

He's the best pass-blocking tight end, too.

Any questions about Martellus Bennett's inclusion on this All-22 list? Please direct them to Mr. Dan Quinn, who's tasked with preparing his linebackers and safeties for one tough matchup.

No one believes it'll be an easy task. The 29-year-old Bennett can work younger defenders on over-the-middle routes or block them straight up in the run game. Tread carefully, Atlanta.

OL: Nate Solder, New England Patriots

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Not enough love is going Nate Solder’s way during this playoff run.

I’m here to change that. We often forget in our lavish Tom Brady praise that we’re also praising his protection; no one’s better at that job than this veteran left tackle.

Solder’s greatest asset should come in handy in Houston. He’s able to handle speed rushers (think: Vic Beasley) and power rushers (think: Brooks Reed or Tyson Jackson) alike. Atlanta might want to bring its pass-rushers somewhere else.

OL: Alex Mack, Atlanta Falcons

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Atlanta reached an agreement to sneak Alex Mack out of Cleveland.

Then it reached its first Super Bowl in almost 20 years. Coincidence? Not likely.

Matt Ryan will run the show, but it’s Mack who provides the foundation of this dream Falcons offense. Just watch on Sunday as No. 51 directs traffic; he’ll point out oncoming blitzers, outflank Alan Branch on zone-read run plays, peel off double-team blocks to take out additional Patriots and more. His importance can’t be overstated.

OL: Marcus Cannon, New England Patriots

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If you were drawing up the ideal right tackle, he'd look a lot like the guy on the end of New England's line.

Marcus Cannon has that build and size (6'5", 335 pounds). Opposing ends aren't going to move him easily in the run game. And more often than not, they're going to get steamrolled if he comes straight at them.

So Vic Beasley better take notice. New England might come out running right at the NFL's leading sack-getter—and right behind Cannon. One false step, and Atlanta will be a man short in run defense.

OL: Shaq Mason, New England Patriots

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Like his two namesakes, Shaquille Olajuwon Mason is one dominant big man.

Too bad for the Falcons that he makes his living on a gridiron instead of a hardcourt. Come Sunday, there's not a defender on the field this guy can't maul.

Josh McDaniels knows it, too. New England's offensive coordinator will send Mason around the edge as a pulling guard—a de facto 310-pound fullback paving the way for 250-pound LeGarrette Blount. Something tells me that play won't be fun for undersized Atlanta to defend.

DL: Alan Branch, New England Patriots

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The best hope Atlanta has of stopping Alan Branch?

Get him tired. Make him run to the perimeter and chase outside zone runs down. Because if the Falcons hand off the ball anywhere near him, it won't end pretty for coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

New England's entire defensive front runs downhill because Branch clogs up lanes so well. He's a force of freaking nature that one blocker (and sometimes even two) can't handle. I'm ready to watch him work against Alex Mack.

DL: Trey Flowers, New England Patriots

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Matt Ryan needs to know where Trey Flowers is before every snap.

That won’t be so simple. Flowers is the queen on Bill Belichick’s defensive chessboard; he moves just about everywhere and can do just about anything New England asks of him.

Stopping that takes hard work, particularly on the part of guards Chris Chester and Andy Levitre. We’ve seen New England Super Bowl bids sink due to up-the-middle pressure. Flowers can be the guy inflicting it this time around.

DL: Malcom Brown, New England Patriots

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He's the perfect mix of big Alan Branch and versatile Trey Flowers. And he could be the guy who ruins Atlanta's day.

You'll hear Malcom Brown's name a lot on Super Bowl Sunday. At 320 pounds, he's large enough to match Alex Mack block-for-block. Yet somehow, the football gods also saw fit to bless him with extreme athleticism—the kind you need to run down the Falcons' zone handoffs.

New England plays him everywhere, but he always seems to end up in the same place: in an opponent's backfield.

DL: Grady Jarrett, Atlanta Falcons

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Meet one of my biggest Super Bowl wild cards.

Grady Jarrett isn’t just another member of Atlanta’s D-line rotation. He’s a special pass-rushing talent who’s only improving. New England hasn’t seen a guy as quick and explosive as him since it played Ndamukong Suh or Aaron Donald in the regular season.

Keep an eye out for No. 97 in the A-gap (the space between the center and guards). If the line in front of Tom Brady is vulnerable anywhere, it’s right there.

LB: Dont'a Hightower, New England Patriots

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Dont'a Hightower's about to make his presence felt in a big way.

For starters, he's one of the biggest linebackers in football (6'3", 265 lbs). That means Matt Ryan's throwing lanes off play action will be a little narrower. It also means no Falcons blocker is going to manhandle him in the run game.

Remember his pass-rushing ability, too. Hightower is listed as an inside 'backer but loves to swing outside and play there as well. He'll be there to set edges when Atlanta tries its inside-outside zone runs.

LB: Deion Jones, Atlanta Falcons

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How Deion Jones acclimates to the pace of Super Bowl 51 could determine who wins it.

I'm not exaggerating. It'll be up to the rookie out of LSU to leap over hurdles both physically and mentally. New England won't let up until he answers a few questions.

Here are some of them: Can Jones handle the Tom Brady quick-snap game and identify tempo changes? Can he switch back and forth between low-tackling mode (LeGarrette Blount) and quick-twitch tackling mode (Dion Lewis)? Can he see the layers of crossing patterns New England deploys over the middle?

LB: Vic Beasley, Atlanta Falcons

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Look back on New England’s playoff failures, and you’ll notice one common thread.

Transcendent pass-rushers—the Michael Strahans and Von Millers—make their mark in a big way. Vic Beasley is the closest thing left to that caliber of player you’ll see. His ability to dominate like those aforementioned stars is still up in the air, but he’s that athletically gifted.

New England’s defense will get its stops. Beasley will almost single-handedly need to match them. A forced fumble here, a hurry there and suddenly New England’s offense stalls. That’s how upsets happen.

DB: Malcolm Butler, New England Patriots

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Malcolm Butler once dreamt of covering Julio Jones in a big game.

Well, dreams do come true. And the hero of Super Bowl 49 has a chance to reprise his role in Super Bowl 51 by shutting down Jones.

That's no easy task, so Bill Belichick and coordinator Matt Patricia will be smart with when and how they deploy Butler. At the very least, he'll hold his own on the few occasions it's just the two of them on the outside.

DB: Keanu Neal, Atlanta Falcons

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A game's worth of bad tackling sunk Seattle more than one bad goal-line call did two years ago.

New England's receivers were able to wiggle free and turn five-yard gains into first downs. That can't happen on Keanu Neal's watch.

Neal's primary objective will be to stick on Martellus Bennett. But he has the additional job of making sure Josh McDaniels' cross-heavy offense doesn't break a big one through his secondary. Communication is key for one of the best strong safeties in football.

DB: Logan Ryan, New England Patriots

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Logan Ryan goes way back with the guy he'll be shadowing Sunday.

They used to be college teammates, after all. Ryan and Mohamed Sanu are quite familiar with each other after a few years at Rutgers. That familiarity favors Ryan.

New England's top slot corner has the size (5'11", 195 lbs) to play man-to-man defense on Sanu. He'll also play zone, taking away some of the seam routes his fellow Scarlet Knight loves to run. Either way, he'll wrap up Sanu when the ball reaches him.

DB: Devin McCourty, New England Patriots

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Need a safety to protect against the Julio Jones long bomb?

An in-the-box option to keep an eye on Austin Hooper?

What about a third corner to come down against Taylor Gabriel?

The answer to all three scenarios is simple: Devin McCourty. He's the Swiss army knife in Bill Belichick's coverage schemes. No job is out of his range as a safety.

Plus, he understands the name of the position he plays. McCourty gets deeper than the deepest receiver, and given Atlanta's penchant for big pass plays, that's so important.