best nose tackles of all time
Obviously, times have changed since 1963, but Buck's legacy lives on as one of the greatest defensive tackles ever. Nobody is better at absorbing double teams than Hampton. John Banaszak: Born in rival city Cleveland, Ohio, John Banaszak played in Pittsburgh's final three Super Bowls of the 1970s starting in Super Bowls XIII and XIV. Hopefully, Whitworth and the rest of Los Angeles can have a bounce-back year as they will look to contend in a very competitive NFC West. Email us at: Here are the top 25 offensive tackles for the 2021 NFL season. A 3-4 scheme has one nose tackle in the middle, while a 4-3 defense has two defensive tackles in-between the defensive ends. Bob Baumhower Baumhower was a unique player, tall (6-5) for a nose tackle and may have been better suited as a 4-3 tackle or 3-4 end. Johnson played just eight years but they were mostly good some, some even very great. WithToeaina in the lineup, there is often more space for destructive duo Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs to exploit. This is due mainly to the fact that most of the standout nose tackles in the league play for 3-4 teams. Lorenzo Neal as a fullback is one. Nose tackle is an underappreciated and selfless position in American football. Jump Around This Article Click to show. The creative direction of Super Bowl LVII was inspired by the beauty of Arizona's natural landscapes - from its grand rock formations to its vast rainbow skies. 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. He was a Dr. Z favorite as well. Domato Peko is the fulcrum of the Cincinnati Bengals aggressive 4-3 defense. While many people often confuse a nose guard with a nose tackle, many fans also use the terms nose tackle and defensive tackle interchangeably. Thomas was great at tackling and arguably the best among all nose tackles. Pat Williams is a perfect example that nose tackles are selfless and dedicated to the teams benefits. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. With that said, most nose tackles in the league are anywhere from 60 to 63 and weigh anywhere from 300-350 pounds. Being a team player is their primary characteristic. He played a total of 179 and recorded 68.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles. Pouha is the basis for the Jets swarming rush defense and his stout performances in the middle of the line ensures the schematic flexibilitycharacteristicof Rex Ryan's multiple system. 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. Casey Hampton is criminally low on this list. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. With Hampton occluding the middle of an opposing blocking scheme, ball carriers are consistentlyforced sideways. The more space they take up, the less of a hole the running back has to make it through the line of scrimmage. This is because the nose tackle position is one of the most physically demanding positions in all of football. Everything You Need to Know, What Is a Pick 6 in Football? This is where the defensive player lines up on the inside shoulder of the offensive guard. Curly Clip is, undoubtedly, the flag bearer for the best nose tackles of all time. He received a Hall of Fame induction from the New England Patriots soon after his retirement in 2017. Bill Wills is one such example, he was undrafted in the 1946 draft! 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. You have to keep in mind that offensive linemen are big players and that the nose tackle is almost always double-teamed. Sugar Bear Hamilton began his career as a defensive end in 1973 but when the Patriots moved to a 3-4 defensive full-time in 1974 he was the middle guard. Many people refer to a nose tackle as a nose guard, but theyre two completely different positions in football. Tier 2: Elite 2. 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. 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. That. Besides, he had been a part of the 49ers three super bowl winning teams and a three-time first-team all-pro and three-time pro bowler. This makes it hard for the running back to find a hole through either of the two B-gaps (in-between the guard and tackle). 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. all the guys ahead of him were better than he was. The way he singlehandedly collapsed the pocket and allows fellow Tampa pass rushers to torture Patrick Mahomes all day night long. And in 1980 he got his hands up enough to pick off three passes from his nose position. Dan Saleaumua was like a rolling ball of butcher knives, moving around all the time, always seemingly around the ball. He ended his career with 1017 tackles, more than any other nose we can find and 34.5 sacks. Is Pedro Pascal Related To Burt Reynolds? 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. Jake Matthews, Atlanta Falcons. + Indicates Hall of Famer. Hell, I bet JJ Watt would be the best nose in the league if they lined him up there. He was the straw that stirred the drink for the 2x Champion defenses for the Steelers in the 2000s. 17. Wills played a key role in the defense and was all-pro once and a pro bowler. Upon arriving in Houston, the Oilers fortunes changed, going from the bottom of the AFC to among the better teams from 1975 through 1980. Gilbert Brown was a big piece in that loaded Packer defense. Smears was an exceptional talent. With a player like Raji over the center, Dom Capers can utilise every page of his zone blitz playbook. Pouha is blessed with tremendous strengthand possesses deceptive speed when working down the line. WhenToeaina is over the center, the Bears run defense is more stout. A 375-pounder as a defensive tackle is something not everyone can expect. Take a look at all the action as the 2023 Combine gets underway in Indianapolis. . He can sometimes be a little inconsistent against the run and doesn't always bring the same fiery determination to disrupting the ground game. Carter played nine seasons, 121 games with 97 starts. His pro career started as remaining undrafted and ended as one of the best nose tackles of all time! A Complete Overview. And in that role, he recorded 24 sacks in 1985-86. Theyre largely responsible for the C-gap, which is the space on the outside of the tackle, but they might try and confuse the tackle by starting outside and making a move inside. 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 (. started his career with the Detroit Lions in 1987 and later played in three more teams, including Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, and Minnesota Vikings. When you line up in a 3-technique, youre only responsible for the gap between the offensive guard and offensive tackle also known as the B-gap. 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. He played both ways early in his career but his primary position was right over the center in 5-man lines. Casey Hampton Jr. (born September 3, 1977), nicknamed "Big Snack," is a former American football nose tackle who played twelve seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League, The Best Miami Football Players of All Time, The Greatest Out of Shape Athletes in Sports. Two slots for the Pro Bowl and at times 25 of the teams in the NFL playing a 3-4 defense. His penetration causes havoc in the running game and makes hima credible danger to the quarterback. If theres a tight end on the play, a 6-technique lines up head-to-head with the tight end. But was a Pro Bowler in 1986, but was certainly worthy of selection in 1984 and 1985 as well. Team (s): Seattle Seahawks. He also forced 19 fumbles and recorded three defensive touchdowns. Wills was exceptionally quick for his size, and so he was nicknamed The Cat.. 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. And for a nose, he was very durable. He's pure run-stopper, he's one of the few players to actually go to a Pro Bowl in a season when he had zero sacks. This list below has a variety of items in it, from Casey Hampton to Jim Burt. Much like you have the 2i-technique, which lines up on the inside of the offensive guard, you also have the 4i-technique, which lines up on the inside of the offensive tackle opposed to the outside of the tackle. Whitworth has been one of the top NFL offensive tackles for the majority of his career and is a true model of consistency. Really, on a game-to-game basis, Hamilton was the NFL's first modern nose tackle. He was First-team All-Pro once and a Second-team All-Pro twice and was a Pro Bowler all three of those seasons. 6'5" and around 375 pounds, he was literally an immovable object in the trenches. It reached peak popularity with the Bill Parcells style in the mid 80's. His 10 kick blocks rank top 10 among all NFL players. Plenty of other factors were there, but the move to the 3-4 defense and Culp's play in it were certainly right up there in the reasons why there was a turnaround (they were 3-31 in the previous 34 games prior to Culp's arrival.). The over six ft tall was like a mad bull himself. He was part of the good, innovative defenses of Bill Arnsbarger with the Dolphins, the 'Killer Bs' if you will. Concerns about his every down durability have persisted in recent seasons, but Ratliff is still the best pure athlete to play nose tackle in the NFL. Art Shell, 1968-1982. In this technique, the defensive player must line up over the outside shoulder of the offensive line. Equally comfortable operating as either a 1 or 2-gap defensive tackle, Wilfork possesses both the raw power and schematic versatility to disrupt any blocking scheme. Ted Washington's the best I've seen play. Williams became a three times pro bowler in three consecutive seasons, from 2006 to 2008. He could even muster some pass rushfrom 2010-2012 he had a total over 15.5 sacks, averaging just over 5 a season which is very good considering his positional responsibilities. At 6'4" and287 pounds, Ratliff is taller and significantly lighter than the prototypical NFL nose tackle. CoachingKidz.comis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking toAmazon.com. Smears also played and started the most number of matches as a nose tackle. What does that make the 5-technique? Any even-numbered technique (including the 0-technique) must line up head-to-head with the offensive line. He would go on to be selected first overall by the Jimmy Johnson-led Cowboys in 1991, just the. Tom LaMarre. Lets take a look at some of those specific nose tackles: Its unclear if well ever see any nose tackles in the future that live up to the names listed above, but theres no doubt that these players are some of the least-recognized superstars of their time. 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. This is different from defensive ends, which are usually taller (around 65) and slimmer (285 pounds) so they can keep up with offensive tackles. Louis Rams, 1976-1995 Voted to seven Pro Bowls First player to play 20 seasons for one team Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, St. Louis Rams, 1997-2008; Chicago Bears, 2009 Voted to seven Pro Bowls; First Team All-Pro three times One-time Super Bowl champion Started 154 consecutive games Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dallas Cowboys, 1967-1979 Voted to six Pro Bowls; First Team All-Pro three times Two-time Super Bowl champion Started in six NFC Championship Games Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Chicago Bears, 1936-1946 Three-time NFL champion Voted to four Pro Bowls, First-Team All-Pro four times Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, New York Yanks, 1951; Cleveland Browns, 1954-1962 Voted to six Pro Bowls Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns, 2007-2016 Voted to 10 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro six times Has started all 160 games he has played in the NFL, Green Bay Packers, 1956-1970; Dallas Cowboys, 1971 Started on eight NFL championship teams Voted to nine Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro seven times Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Minnesota Vikings, 1968-1981; Los Angeles Rams, 1982 Voted to seven Pro Bowls; First Team All-Pro six times First O-lineman to be selected No. Pro Football Network analyst Matt Valdovinos ranks the top 25 offensive tackles in the NFL. Well.it's more that it goes through cycles. Klecko was a fan favorite and defensive stand out for the Jets through the 1980's. Arriving at the Jets after playing his college ball at Temple University, Klecko quickly had an impact on the . As one of the few proponents of the traditional, 2-gap style 3-4 leftin the game, the Steelers are absolutely reliant on a dominant nose tackle. 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. With that in mind, he shared some final thoughts on his playing career. The Ultimate Guide, What Is the Neutral Zone in Football? 1. Vince Wilfork was born in 1981 in Florida. So he ended up playing for three-techniques likeJovan Haye and Tony Williams, though he got to play some three-technique himself for a few years in the early 2000s when Fred Robbins manned the nose. 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. Pro Bowl: 4 times (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001). My name is Steven and I have a passion for sports and staying physically active. A 5-2 defensive scheme is extremely effective against the run, especially the inside run. Moving former defensive end Isaac Sopoaga to nose tackle has made an already stout 49ers run defense even more formidable. . James P. Burt (born June 7, 1959 in Orchard Park, New York) is a former American football player who played for the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). Said Buchsbaum, "As good as Ball is, he'd be better if he controlled his weight. To be the best in the league, one needs to be fast, athletic, dedicated, hard-working, and have exceptional talent. The nose guard, however, lines up in the middle of the defensive line in a 5-2 defense. Defensive tackles rarely line up head-to-head with the center. An extremely aggressive player, Garay is one of the few 3-4 nose tackles who is at his best when threatening the quarterback. Baumhower was a unique player, tall (6-5) for a nose tackle and may have been better suited as a 4-3 tackle or 3-4 end.
