With a jolly, big guy about to embark on his annual round-the-world trek it feels like a fine time to recognize some of the best jolly, big guys to play in the NFL. Here's one look at the best defensive tackles to ever play for each of the 32 NFL franchises.
Minnesota Vikings
Alan Page
Page is an easy choice but it's still tough to pass on John Randle. Some of the younger Vikings fans might even prefer Randle. Page was the first defensive player to be named NFL MVP.
Green Bay Packers
Henry Jordan
Jordan was a defensive mainstay for Lombardi's Packers that won five NFL titles.
Chicago Bears
Dan Hampton
Hampton was a big reason the Bears defenses of the mid-1980s were some of the best in league history.
Detroit Lions
Alex Karras
Karras should be in the Hall of Fame. He should have been in the Hall of Fame a long time ago.
New York Giants
Arnie Weinmeister
Weinmester only played six seasons. Four with the Giants. He was unanimous All-NFL in all four of those seasons. He dominated in each of his six seasons like few players ever have.
Washington Redskins
Dave Butz
Butz was a solid football player for the Redskins for 14 seasons and a big reason for two Super Bowl wins.
Dallas Cowboys
Bob Lilly
Randy White makes this a very difficult decision but I have to go with Mr. Cowboy.
Philadelphia Eagles
Jermone Brown
Brown's life and career ended way too soon.
Atlanta Falcons
Jonathan Babineaux
It feels like Babineaux has been playing forever. He's in his 11th season but it feels like forever. He doesn't get a lot of attention but he seems to make an impact in every game.
New Orleans Saints
Jim Wilks
Wilks was a very good player on some horrible Saints teams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Warren Sapp
Not much to see here. There really is no other choice.
Carolina Panthers
Kris Jenkins
Jenkins was a force in the middle of the Panthers defense. Current Panthers Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short are taking a serious run at this spot.
San Francisco 49ers
Leo Nomellini
With a name like Leo Nomellini he had to be great. And he was.
St. Louis Rams
Merlin Olsen
It must have been a daunting to task for an offensive line to face a defensive line that had Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones on it. Olsen was a fantastic football player. It's really early in his career but Aaron Donald is a serious threat to Olsen's best Rams defensive tackle title.
Seattle Seahawks
Cortez Kennedy
A very easy choice. Kennedy simply crushed teams in 1992.
Arizona Cardinals
Walt Kiesling
Kielsing overwhelmed opponents in the 1920s.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Joe Greene
Greene was one of the most dominant defensive players in the 1970s.
Cleveland Browns
Bill Willis
It might be a stretch to include Willis among the defensive tackles. The middle guard position that he played in the late-1940s and early 1950s more closely resembled today's middle linebacker. He was too quick for offensive linemen to stop.
Cincinnati Bengals
Geno Atkins
Maybe this is a little early but Atkins has been extremely disruptive for several seasons.
Baltimore Ravens
Haloti Ngata
Too big. Too quick. Ngata is still a load for an offensive line.
New England Patriots
Vince Wilfork
Perhaps not as quick Ngata, Wilfork has been a similar sort of load for an offensive line.
New York Jets
Joe Klecko
Klecko played in the long shadow of Mark Gastineau. I always thought that Klecko was the better player.
Buffalo Bills
Tom Sestak
The Bills had a dominant defense in the mid-1960s. Sestak was a big reason for that dominance.
Miami Dolphins
Manny Fernandez
The Dolphins defense in their Super Bowl years was excellent. Fernandez was in the middle of that.
Indianapolis Colts
Art Donovan
Donovan would make an outstanding Santa. He was perhaps the most jolly of all of the jolly, big guys. He was a great football player too.
Tennessee Titans
Curley Culp
It was awesome to finally see Culp take his much-deserved place in the Hall of Fame. He could have been tapped as the best defensive tackle to play for the Kansas City Chiefs as well as the Titans. Actually the Houston Oilers.
Jacksonville Jaguars
John Henderson
Henderson was a huge, dominant presence in the middle of the Jaguars defense.
Houston Texans
Seth Payne
The Texans short history provides a small sample size. Payne was a solid player.
Denver Broncos
Rubin Carter
This pick is a little biased as Carter is the father of former Cal defensive end Andre Carter. The senior Carter was an important part of some very good Broncos defenses of the late 1970s.
San Diego Chargers
Ernie Ladd
At 6'9" and nearly 300 lbs Ladd brought unusual size to the football field in the early 1960s. At times he was unstoppable.
Kansas City Chiefs
Buck Buchanan
The Chiefs defense in the latter half of the 1960s is one of the most underrated. They were loaded with talent. It started up front with Buchanan.
Oakland Raiders
Tom Keating
Keating was part of a couple of the terrific Bills defenses of the mid-1960s. For some reason they let him leave for the Raiders. He was one of the best defensive tackles in the history of the AFL.
I didn't know Tom Keating played for Buffalo (he also played for Pittsburgh in 1973, by the way). The stupid Bills and Broncos had to go and let the Raiders have Keating, Lamonica, and Willie Brown.
ReplyDeleteWithout them, it takes the Raiders longer to contend, more than likely.
The Raiders "took advantage"of several teams. Hewritt Dixon and Art Powell in the early years. Ted Hendricks and Mike Haynes later on. In addition to the players that you mentioned. Jim Plunkett, Lyle Alzado, Jim Plunkett. It's as if the Raiders didn't even need the draft.
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