Smerlas was among the first bigger nose tackles, weighing about 290 (though often listed as less) and he also was among the first to crowd the center. He played a total of 179 and recorded 68.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles. The likes of Vince Wilfork, Jamal William, Haloti Ngata, Ted Williams are some of the best ever. There are players that play close to the ball and others that play further away. This is a subreddit for the NFL community. Bill Pickel in an interesting player. Washington has four first-round picks on its defensive line, and Jonathan Allen might have been the best in 2020. Check out the Top 10 photos from Super Bowl LVII! The number one requirement of a nose tackle is to take on and occupy blockers. Email us at: This comment has been removed by the author. I like Davis' chances of having a productive rookie season behind Payne and the rest of this defensive line. He played college football for the University. Smears was a very durable nose tackle and had played 149 consecutive matches. Team (s): Seattle Seahawks. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. This is where the defensive player lines up head-to-head with the offensive tackle. as a nose tackle, mostly a backup or part-time player. From 1980 through the first six games of 1990 he played in (and started) 149 consecutive games, remarkable given the duties of his position. He had a high of 85 tackles in 1978, 68 in 1979, and 67 in 1980. An excellent run defender, Soliai needs to refine his technique in order to make more plays behind the line of scrimmage. Not only that, but theyre offensive linemans specifically the center and guards worst nightmare. This allows the defensive ends to cover the outside of the offensive line and frees up the middle linebackers to find the quarterback or running back. 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. Nose Tackles typically don't stuff the stat sheet so it can be hard to measure their greatness unless you're watching tape but I would say that any 3-4 team with a great NT had good numbers v the run, I find your lack of Casey Hampton disturbing. Smears also played and started the most number of matches as a nose tackle. New England is one of the greatest sports franchises of the last 20 years. Michael Carter Career Highlights: Super Bowl champion: 3 times (XIX, XXIII, XXIV) First-team All-Pro: 3 times (1986, 1987, 1988) Pro Bowl: 3 times (1985, 1987, 1988) Sione Pouha has quietly emerged as one of the most effective run defenders in the game. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Carter was the classic run-stopper at nose, not much of a rusher. Take a look at how they. He had great strength, along with skills and techniques. Yep, he arrived when those guys were on their way out of town. The over six ft tall was like a mad bull himself. Pouha has gone from a deputy to the oft-injured Kris Jenkins, to becoming a significant force at the heart of the Jets opportunistic defense. The same argument applies to Barry Cofield of the Washington Redskins. Burt also helped the 49ers in their Super Bowl seasons as a rotation nose tackle. Still, only a few of them are as large as Ted Washington. Instead, they line up head-to-head with the offensive guards. This is different from the 0-technique, which is responsible for the two gaps in between the center and both offensive guards. Since nose tackles are largely responsible for clogging up the middle of the line of scrimmage, its almost required that they have a big body thats difficult to block. He was a First-team All-Pro four times and voted to five Pro Bowls and was an alternate to a couple of others. He was drafted into the NFL in 2004 by the New England Patriots. And in 1980 he got his hands up enough to pick off three passes from his nose position. While most nose tackles dont receive a lot of praise from the fans (largely due to their lack of stats), some nose tackles throughout history were so good that you had to recognize them no matter what. The 55 Best Movies and Series on HBO Max (Where You 1968 (Denver Broncos, Round: 2 / Pick: 31), Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions, 1979 (Buffalo Bills, Round: 2 / Pick: 32), Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers, 1991 (San Francisco 49ers, Round: 1 / Pick: 25), San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, 1987 (Minnesota Vikings, Round: 3 / Pick: 72), Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots andDetroit Lions, 1984 (San Francisco 49ers, Round: 5 / Pick: 121), 1977 (Philadelphia Eagles, Round: 7 / Pick: 175), Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, 2004 (New England Patriots, Round: 1 / Pick: 21), 1987 (Detroit Lions, Round: 3 / Pick: 63), Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings. Williams would rush into the offense and occupy multiple blockers to create a lane of pursuit for fellow defenders. And in that role, he recorded 24 sacks in 1985-86. I created this website to share my passion with all of you. Wilfork has served as the centerpiece of BillBelichick's hybrid defenses for years. In the 1980 season, almost 3/4ths of teams were running one. He debuted in 1968 with the Kansas City Chiefs. Ostensibly a 2-gapper, Raji manages to make a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage. They are often referred to as the anchor of the defense because their sole responsibility is to limit the amount of space an offense has down the middle of the line of scrimmage. Well, a player needs to have the mentality to sacrifice himself for the teams achievement. I realize he was mostly a part-time player but I thought Pete Kugler for the 49ers played alot of quality snaps. But Garay's brute force makes him formidable at the point of attack. They need to have a big body, but they also need to have some speed and strength to make them quicker and stronger than a center and offensive guard. The goal of this website is to provide you with content that will help you get a leg up on the competition, whether thats in the realm of coaching or on the field itself. After getting drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1984, Michael Carter remained unmoved throughout his pro football career. Excellent article, John T! Then he was signed by the Buffalo Bills, but it was with Minnesota Vikings where he shined and reached his full potential. Willis was a dynamic6-2, 213-pound middle guard for the Cleveland Browns from 1946-53. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. However, we are going to keep it short. The Oilers were next who committed to it after getting Curley Culp at mid-season, though they used it some in previous games and years. Pro Football Network analyst Matt Valdovinos ranks the top 25 offensive tackles in the NFL. As they continue to learn the What Is a Secondary in Football? The dynamic 6ft 2 inches tall and 210 pounder middle and noseguard was the key player in the defensive back for the browns. When on form, Antonio Garay is capable of regularly collapsing the pocket. 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. Gary Dunn/NT - 1976-1987. Relying on awesome strength and excellent leverage, Garay is able to create a powerful forward push, few centers can deal with. Defensive techniques serve two major purposes they tell the defenders where they need to line up for that specific play and they tell the defenders what their role is when on the field. View Current Leaderboard. Ratliff is one of the most dominant players in the league and is the key to the Cowboys multiple 3-4 scheme. 1 Joe Greene 3,939 votes Charles Edward Greene (born September 5, 1946), better known as "Mean" Joe Greene, is a former American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football .more #1208 of 1,316 The Best Athletes Of All Time #11 of 25 Old Athletes You Didn't Realize Are Still Alive #1 of 146 He did play some 3-4 end in his career and was always effective as a defensive tackle in the Chiefs 4-man lines when they went to nickel, he would routinely turn in 5, 6, or 7-sack seasons. Joe Nash is a glaring omission. They have a similar role, but the defensive schemes are very different. 8. The next year, Taylor was released, and this became the season Wilfork made his name known by recording 54 tackles in only 16 games. A 3-4 defensive scheme is more of a base defense that can be effective against the run and pass when performed correctly. He's a shade tackle that played all three downs and never needed to be replaced by a designated pass rusher like so many nose tackles, which accounts for his high sack total, in fact, no nose/shade tackle is even close and from film review, he was as good versus the run as any of them. From Culp to Jerry Ball, everyone featured in this article has played major roles in their teams success, which established them as the best defensive nose tackles of all time in the NFL. He has been an all-pro or pro bowler more than any other nose tackle. This player is mostly responsible for filling the two gaps on either side of the center in-between each guard also known as the A-gaps. A Guide for Fans, NFL Practice Squad Salary Rules and Eligibility Explained, What Is a DB in Football? Enter Wade Phillips who installed a 3-4 and Williams as the nose andvoila, he's in the Pro Bowl for the next three years. So far, weve mentioned how the 0-technique lines up head-to-head with the center, and the 2-technique lines up head-to-head with the offensive guard. We also mentioned how the 1-technique lines up on the outside shoulder of the center and the 3-technique lines up on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard. He has played a total of 200 games and recorded 29 sacks and two interceptions. 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. The Complete Guide, How Much Do NHL Refs Make? In some situations, they might line up in-between the guards and center if they want to directly fill the gaps during a run play. The ball was so dominant that the opposition had to make a change in their alignment to bring their best player in the middle to face the pressure Ball created. Ive played and watched sports all my life and have coached them as well for the last few years. 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. At the time he was drafted, he was the most athletic defensive tackle of all-time. I think Wilfork has to be up there too but Wilfork has been used in more than 1 tech for a lot of his time on the Pats but that just shows what a good skill set he had. He did not focus on personal achievements, which is one of the reasons that his stats are not filled with rich numbers. In terms of pure 3-4 nose tackles, to this day no nose has played in and started more games at the position than Fred Smerlas. But his place went to a division rival who doesn't benefit from quite as strong a supporting cast around him. 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. Ted Washington is another. WhenToeaina is over the center, the Bears run defense is more stout. Many people refer to a nose tackle as a nose guard, but theyre two completely different positions in football. This is because the nose tackle position is one of the most physically demanding positions in all of football. Then in 1986-87 he was still the starter but played less in passing situations and recorded just one sack in 1987 and five in 1988. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Best Nose Tackles in NFL History Throughout history, there have been several players that have revolutionized what it means to be a nose tackle. If youre interested in learning more about the nose tackle position in football, continue reading for a full breakdown of what a nose tackle does and what it takes to be a dominant nose tackle. 1. Tier 2: Elite 2. 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. 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. Great list -- Curley is indeed #1. This allows the safeties to stay deep and maintain the integrity of Chicago's preferred Tampa-2 coverage scheme. Moving former defensive end Isaac Sopoaga to nose tackle has made an already stout 49ers run defense even more formidable. However, until that time, he is without question the best nose tackle in the league. Whitworth has been one of the top NFL offensive tackles for the majority of his career and is a true model of consistency. In those situations, Howie Long would play the right end. He was also part of the Dolphins pass rush packages for the first 2/3 of his career, totaling 9 sacks in 1981, 8 in 1978 and 1983 and 6 in 1979. Regular five-on-five basketball is a fun game on its own, but its always nice to have some variety in the types of games that can be played, especially with kids. The 3-4 had been around for years but no one committed to it on an every-down basis like the Patriots in 1974. These amazing nose tackles may currently be active while others have been retired for quite sometime. Jamal Williams career seemed to be heading into obscurity as a very good shade (nose) tackle in a 4-3 defense for the Chargers from 1998 to 2004. NFL players are large in size. It all depends on the game situation. If youre a football player, you must understand what a defensive technique is. He was a Second-team All-Pro in 1977 and that was the only season he received post-season honors. 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. Wilfork played more than 100 games for the Patriots and is considered the best player in the nose tackle position for the Patriots. In his rookie year, he had to share his position with Keith Traylor. Check out the Top 10 photos from Super Bowl LVII! He loves to watch web series, and movies and write on celebrity gossip or trendy movie news. He is one of few nose tackles that play on all three downs. This is because four linebackers can either drop back and guard the middle of the field or play at the line of scrimmage against the run. started his career with the Detroit Lions in 1987 and later played in three more teams, including Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, and Minnesota Vikings. Rowe helped the Raiders to their first Super Bowl trophy (IMO) - I was at that Super Bowl. 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. Along the way, Ill also answer general sports related questions. Consistently an excellent player, he had a career year for Pittsburgh when they needed to lean on him more than usual with his running mate Stephon Tuitt going down hurt. one bid wonders has more information on college football bowl game. A high-motor, hustle type. He ended his career with just 20.5 sacks but the main reason he was on the field was to stop the run and that he did, evidenced by his 90 run stuffs in his career (five times he had 9.0 or more). He had unusually large legs and Dolphin locker room lore includes the fact that even the large socks would not fully cover Baumhower's calves when stretched all the way to the top. They line up in front of the offensive center and are responsible for clogging up the two gaps on both sides of the center in-between the center and two offensive guards. But was a Pro Bowler in 1986, but was certainly worthy of selection in 1984 and 1985 as well. A Complete Overview. Ted Washington was another great nose tackle, dude was massive! ", Minnesota Vikings, 1967-1978; Chicago Bears, 1978-1981 Played in four Super Bowls, one-time NFL champion 1971 NFL MVP Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Voted to nine Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro six times NFL 1970s All-Decade Team Played in 238 consecutive games Had six seasons of double-digit sacks, including 18 in 1976; unofficially finished with 173 career sacks Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, 2014-Present Voted to three Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro two times 2014 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Set record for fastest recorded 40 time for DT at NFL Scouting Combine Has logged 28 sacks and 116 tackles in his three NFL seasons Voted 15th best player in NFL on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017, Cincinnati Bengals 2010-present Voted to Pro Bowl six times, First Team All-Pro twice 290 career tackles, 61 sacks, and eight forced fumbles, Detroit Lions, 1960-1966; Los Angeles Rams, 1967-1969 Voted to six Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro two times Member of the Rams' "Fearsome Foursome" First player in NFL history with playing weight exceeding 300 pounds Sacked Bart Starr seven times (one for a safety) in the famous 1962 "Thanksgiving Day Massacre", Kansas City Chiefs, 1968-1974; Houston Texans 1974-1980; Detroit Lions, 1980-1981 One-time Super Bowl champion Voted to six Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro one time 1975 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Unofficially had 68 sacks and 14 forced fumbles in 14 NFL seasons Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Minnesota Vikings, 1990-2000; Seattle Seahawks, 2001-2003 Voted to seven Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro six times 1997 NFL sacks leader NFL 1990s All-Decade Team Played in 219 career NFL games, recording 137.5 sacks and 556 tackles Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Kansas City Chiefs, 1963-1975 One-time Super Bowl champion, two-time AFL champion Voted to eight Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro four times, six AFL All-Star games Played in 182 career NFL games, including 166 consecutively Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Seattle Seahawks, 1990-2000 Voted to eight Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro three times 1992 NFL Defensive Player of the Year NFL 1990s All-Decade Team Had 58 sacks and 568 tackles durin 11-year NFL career Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, New York Yanks, 2948-1949; New York Giants, 1950-1953 Two-time NFL champion Voted to four Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro five times Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1995-2003; Oakland Raiders, 2004-2007 One-time Super Bowl champion Voted to seven Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro four times 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year NFL All-Decade Team in 1990s and 2000s Recorded 96.5 career sacks, 435 tackles, and 19 forced fumbles Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dallas Cowboys, 1975-1988 One-time Super Bowl champion Super Bowl XII co-MVP Voted to nine Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro seven times NFL 1980s All-Decade Team Unofficially recorded 111 sacks (high of 16 in 1978) and 1,104 tackles in 14 NFL seasons Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Los Angeles Rams, 1962-1977 Voted to 14 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro five times 1962 NFL Rookie of the Year NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team,Br> Member of two NFL All-Decade Teams (1960s, 1970s) Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1969-1981 Four-time Super Bowl champion Voted to 10 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro five times Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team Recorded unofficial 78.5 career sacks and 16 fumble recoveries Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dallas Cowboys, 1961-1974 One-time Super Bowl champion Voted to 11 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro seven times NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team member of NFL's All-Decade Teams in 1960s and 1970s Started every game (164) of his 14-year career 29-yard sack of Bob Griese in Super Bowl VI is NFL record and one of the most memorable in Super Bowl history Scored four defensive touchdowns in career Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Highest single-season PFF grades since 2017 Donald's peers are the NFL's all-time greats on defense the Reggie Whites and Lawrence Taylors of the world rather than anyone else currently playing. 3-4 Defences have only become really popular around the nfl in the last 15 years so there hasn't been that many Nose Tackles in the last 40-50 years in comparison to other positions. 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). Corey Williams of the Detroit Lions performs an important function for Gunther Cunningham's defense. The six-time pro bowler is also an AFL and Super Bowl champion. By this time, he played over 200 games to record 93.3 sacks, 1007 tackles, and four touchdowns, so many for a defensive nose tackle. A Financial Overview, What Is a Cycle in Baseball?