Positional Rankings: Defense

Defensive Line:
1. Giants - The Giants are one of the few teams in the league that can get consistent pressure without blitzing. That allows them to put seven men in coverage and really constrict the passing lanes.

2. Patriots – The best 3 man front in football sports three 1st round picks in Jarvis Green, Richard Seymore, and Vince Wilfork. Depth is a bit of an issue, and they don’t get a lot of pressure without blitzing, but the Pats blitz almost every play, so that’s not really an issue.

3. Titans – Kyle Vadnen Bosch and Albert Haynesworth are a couple of STUDS! However, Haynesworth has been bothered by injuries, and without him, this unit is barely above average due to lack of depth.

4. Cowboys – Much like their offensive line, Dallas’ D-line is a group of giants. All five guys in the two deep are within 5 pounds of 300. They do a great job of keeping linemen off of their linebackers.

5. Chargers – Jamal Williams is a beast at 6’3” and nearly 350 lbs, but he just had surgery on BOTH knees in mid-October, and missed out on the last two games of the season. The rest of the Chargers D-linemen are competent if not spectacular

6. Packers – Aaron Kampman is having a career year on an athletic D-line. He’s taking attention away from an aging Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila somewhat rejuvenating KGB. A pair of solid DTs clog up the middle, and keep pressure off of MLB Nick Barnett.

7. Jaguars – This D-line would probably be fourth or fifth on this list if Marcus Stroud hadn’t been lost for the season. Without him, the onus will be on John Henderson to fight his way through constant double teams and disrupt the opposition’s running game.

8. Seahawks – Other than Patrick Kerney, this is a very young and very average group.

9. Steelers – Casey Hampton is solid in the middle, but Brett Keisel and Nick Eason don’t scare anyone which means that at least one opposing offensive lineman is going to be free to go downfield on ILBs James Farrior and Larry Foote in the running game. The Steelers will also have to blitz extensively to get pressure against better O-lines. Lucky for Pittsburgh, they are very proficient blitzers.

10. Redskins – The Skins D-line is more than the sum of its’ parts. Greg Williams uses a great scheme to make the most of average players.

11. Colts – Talk about injury depleted. The Colts D-line would be top three on this list if healthy, but the loss of Dwight Freeney allows teams to double team Robert Mathis on every snap.

12. Buccaneers – The Bucs D-line is a weird combination of very old and very young, and yet young or old, all are very ineffective. Just 16.5 sacks from the front four. Ugh.


Linebacker:
1. Cowboys – DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis are sack machines playing behind a massive D-line that keeps the opposing O-line busy. While not outstanding at the ILB spots, the Cowboys are deep, and can use different packages depending on their opponent.

2. Chargers - Another team with outstanding athletes on the outside. Shaun Phillips and Shawne Merriman are guys you have to game plan against. While not great on the inside, Stephen Cooper and Matt Wilhelm are solid and don’t hurt their team against the run or pass.

3. Steelers – Lose a Pro Bowl linebacker and don’t miss a beat has been a Steeler mantra for a couple decades now. Most recently Joey Porter brought his mouth and his game to Miami, and James Harrison responded. While Harrison is doing everything on the right side, James Farrior and Larry Foote are competent vets roaming inside, and Clark Haggans and LaMarrWoodley don’t let you forget about them on the left.

4. Packers – Nick Barnett is a Pro Bowler who can play the pass and the run. A.J. Hawk seems to have improved by the week since entering the league. Playing behind a D-line that gets pressure on the QB without forcing the linebackers to blitz is always nice too.

5. Seahawks – Julian Peterson is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Lofa Tatupu is undersized, but is a play maker in the middle with 4 INTs this season.LeRoy Hill is average at best on the weak side.

6. Patriots – While the Patriots have a savvy group of veterans, these guys are OLD! Junior Seau, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel average almost 14 years in the league. Adalius Thomas, the baby of the group is in his 8th year. Granted, none of these guys play their age, indeed Vrabel earned his first Pro Bowl selection in this, his 11th year, and Bruschi and Seau are still solid contributors. The loss of any of these guys to injury could be disastrous though as there is no depth of value at this position.

7. Colts – Losing Dwight Freeney impacted all levels of the Colts defense. Only Gary Brackett is an above average NFL player at his position, and this group relies on Bob Sanders to come into the box to stop the run.

8. Titans – Keith Bullock defends the pass well as his 5 picks this year can attest, but he isn’t a guy you need to account for in a pass blocking scheme. There’s not a lot of quality in the depth at any position.

9. Redskins – No one in this group scares you. London Fletcher is an overachiever at 5’10” and Marcus Washington is having a nice year coming off surgery in 2006. Randall Godfrey is a guy you can attack in the pass and the run.

10. Buccaneers – The bottom half of this list is a pick ‘em. Barrett Ruud is having a good year. Cato June was a nice pick up from Indy. And Derrick Brooks still plays at a high level in his 13th season.

11. Jaguars – This group might be a couple spots higher if Mike Peterson were healthy and if Marcus Stroud were still around to keep offensive linemen off of the ‘Backers. Neither of those things are the case. It will be interesting to watch how this group does in the playoffs.

12. Giants – Another group that’s been beat up this season. Injuries to Mathias Kiwanuka, and now Kawika Mitchell have depleted the Giants at the outside ‘backer position. Antonio Pierce is an above average MLB, but not by much.


Defensive Back:
1. Packers – The Packers have the best corner tandem in the league in Al Harris and Charles Woodson. Their safeties are VERY young, but when you can shut down a team’s top two receivers with man coverage as Green Bay can, you can scheme a lot of ways to shut down the rest of a team’s receiving threats.

2. Colts – Bob Sanders is one of the top two or three safeties in the league. Marlin Jackson has come on strong this year after sealing the Colts win over the Patriots in the AFC Championship last year. Depth is an issue, especially at safety, but when healthy, this is one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL.

3. Patriots - Asante Samuel has followed a breakout 2006 with another Pro Bowl caliber season this year. He’ll be getting a nice pay raise next year. Rodney Harrison is still a force against the run, but can be a liability in coverage. There is some depth and Bill Belichick has shown an ability to replace just about anyone on his defense through the years.

4. Buccaneers – Ronde Barber is a versatile corner who plays well in Tampa’s Cover 2 system. No real standouts in this secondary, but they can all hit, and while individual cover skills aren’t great across the board, they play well as a group.

5. Seahawks – Marcus Trufant is the only real difference-maker in Seattle’s secondary. They are a deep group and can match-up well against 3 or 4 receiver sets, but lack a real presence at either safety position.

6. Cowboys – Oh-Ver-Ray-Ted! Roy Williams is a big time hitter but is useless in coverage to the point that he has been subbed for in passing situations at times this year. Anthony Henry started the season on fire, but has just 1 INT in the second half of the season. Terrance Newman and Ken Hamlin are above average at their positions, but when half of your secondary can’t cover, you better expect a lot of shoot outs.

7. Chargers – Antonio Cromartie has had an amazing second half of the season and Quentin is no slouch at the other corner. The Chargers have 3 quality safties, and Drayton Florence is a solid nickel corner with starting experience.

8. Jaguars – Rashean Mathis, Brian Williams, and Reggie Nelson are all above average players at their positions, and Sammy Knight is a solid vet who can play the pass and run.

9. Steelers – Troy Polamalu has been hampered by injuries but is still one of the best at his position. Deshea Townsend and Ike Taylor are both solid cover corners. Anthony Smith needs to learn to shut the hell up and just play ball.

10. Redskins – Before the losses of Sean Taylor and Carlos Rodgers this was arguably the best unit in the NFL. Fred Smoot is a huge step down, and Shawn Springs can’t cover the top receivers anymore. LaRon Landry is a big hitter, but is still developing his coverage skills.

11. Titans – No stars here but Michael Griffin appears to be on his way Imagine if they had another 1st round pick at the other corner…Anyway, everyone is willing and able to hit but don’t expect any game changing performances from this group.

12. Giants – Aaron Ross is the most talented player in the group. Sam Madison and R. W. McQuarters are aging but able second and third corners. There isn’t much going on at safety. Think a less talented version of the Seahawks.

Special Teams:
1. Patriots
2. Cowboys
3. Colts
4. Chargers
5. Seahawks
6. Packers
7. Titans
8. Jaguars
9. Buccaneers
10. Redskins
11. Steelers
12. Giants