For the most part, the nose tackle is responsible for filling up these two gaps. Said legendary writer/talent evaluator Joel Buchsbaum about Carter, "has awesome ability, strength, quickness, and explosion but is not very durable". He. The Top Five New York Jets Defensive Tackles of All-Time - The Jet Press It all depends on the game situation. And in that role, he recorded 24 sacks in 1985-86. What does that make the 5-technique? 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. Taylor Lewan gets a lot of attention for his off-field attention-seeking antics. Gil Brandt's greatest NFL tackles of all time NFL Media senior analyst and personnel guru Gil Brandt ranks the best offensive tackles in NFL history. Ted Washington always amazed me. He played a total of 200 games and recorded 20.5 sacks and 8 forced fumbles. The way he singlehandedly collapsed the pocket and allows fellow Tampa pass rushers to torture Patrick Mahomes all day night long. 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. I'm assuming that we're talking about a true NT as in 2 gap players. And in 1980 he got his hands up enough to pick off three passes from his nose position. Best Nose Tackles in NFL History Throughout history, there have been several players that have revolutionized what it means to be a nose tackle. Who are the Top 10 greatest Nose Tackles of all time? : r/nfl - reddit Art Shell, 1968-1982. So it's harder to peg players. Jamal Williams was the monster in the middle. 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. Tim Goad is a very good player from start. Soliai excels at drawing and occupying double teams. Any even-numbered technique (including the 0-technique) must line up head-to-head with the offensive line. These Are Unarguably The 10 Greatest Defensive Tackles Of All Time He ended his career with 32.5 sacks and 75.5 run stuffs. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. But Garay's brute force makes him formidable at the point of attack. Most defensive tackles that line up in a 4-3 defensive scheme are lining up in a 3-technique. NFL, one of the most exciting sports leagues in the world, is the gathering place of all American football legends. This player is only used in a 3-4 defensive scheme, opposed to a 4-3 defensive scheme. 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. 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. One of his best assets is his quick first step, giving him an excellent takeoff at the snap. He was First-team All-Pro twice and a Second-teamer three other seasons and went to five Pro Bowls as a nose tackle (tied with Fred Smerlas for the most-ever by a 3-4 nose). 10. All-Time Tackles Leaders. 2022 The News Titan - All Rights Reserved, The 10 Best Nose Tackles of All Time in the NFL, The 10 Best Defensive Ends of All Time in the NFL. A Complete Overview, What Is a Sack in Football? Sopoaga is a disruptive force over the center. In fact, he ended his career with 53 sacks with highs in 9 in 1977, 8 in 1980 and 6 in 1976. And for a nose, he was very durable. Take a look at how they stack up. NFL players are large in size. Best Defensive Tackles of All Time in the NFL - Ranker This list of the top nose tackles in American football includes all the greats from both the NFL and college football. He frequently drives blockers backwards and is a consistent threat to penetrate the line of scrimmage. Top 10 NFL Strong Safeties of All Time Rankings My name is Steven and I have a passion for sports and staying physically active. For the first half of his career, he played all downs, playing left tackle in the Bills sub defensive packages, something not all nose tackles could do. WATCH: Vince Wilfork just dropped the best retirement video ever Pittsburgh Steelers All-Underrated Team: Nose Tackle Additionally, that year, he had 14.0 run stuffs(second in NFL behind Jerome Brown's 17.0). The more space they take up, the less of a hole the running back has to make it through the line of scrimmage. Like Bill Wills, Pat Williams was also undrafted in 1997. Raji's versatility is the foundation of Green Bay's defensive scheme. Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1968-1982 Voted to eight Pro Bowls; First Team All-Pro two times Two-time Super Bowl champion Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns, 1946-1967 Voted to nine Pro Bowls; First Team All-Pro four times Four-time NFL champion Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Buffalo Bills 2004-2008; Philadelphia Eagles 2009-present One-time Super Bowl champion (LII) Voted to Pro Bowl nine times, First Team All-Pro twice Has started 166 of 176 career games Has two career receiving touchdowns, Dallas Cowboys 2011-present Voted to Pro Bowl five times, First Team All-Pro twice Voted No. He got the do the grunt work for the guys that replaced John Randle and Warren Sapp. Domato Peko is the fulcrum of the Cincinnati Bengals aggressive 4-3 defense. This is different from the 0-technique, which is responsible for the two gaps in between the center and both offensive guards. 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. We may reconsider in the future, but for now, we put him with the tackles. Top 10 Defensive Tackles in NFL 2021 Rankings Defensive nose tackles do not have flashy statistics or bouquets of trophies on their accolades; rather, they silently distribute for the teams wins. ", 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. Everything You Need to Know, What Is a Pick 6 in Football? Houston Texans starter Shaun Cody has adapted well to the rigours of Wade Phillips' 1-gap 3-4. 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. Willis was a dynamic6-2, 213-pound middle guard for the Cleveland Browns from 1946-53. Since the 5-technique features an odd number, that means the defensive lineman lines up on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle. Being a team player is their primary characteristic. Probably not over the full course of his career since he was injured so much, but I'll throw peak Kris Jenkins in the mix for top 10 best NT peaks. He also covers media and entertainment news on various online platforms. Thomas was a solid defensive nose and could have been a terrific 3-technique. WhenToeaina is over the center, the Bears run defense is more stout. He used his size to his advantage and made the lives of the blockers impossible. As with any list there is room for debate here and there but he's ranked about right.Let me guess, you are a Steeler's fan? He'd done yeoman's work, playing the run, coming out of the game on likely passing downs, but never getting a sniff of Hawaii and the Pro Bowl. He's likely best known for a gruesome broken leg in the Super Bowl versus the 49ers but he came back from that in 1989 and had a couple solid seasons after that. The change of league did not have much impact on the team as the team continued to dominate, and in 19450, they became the NFL champion. Nose tackle is an underappreciated and selfless position in American football. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Of course, it leaves some space right up the middle. His tremendous upper body strength and relentless motor help Sopoaga to constantly move the pocket. This list includes the tackle's accomplishments, honors, awards, records, & statistics. 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. Pro Bowl: 6 times (1969, 1971, 19751978), Defensive Player of the Year: 1 time (1975). In the 1980 season, almost 3/4ths of teams were running one. Gil Brandt's greatest NFL defensive tackles of all time These savvy veterans and youngsters such as Knighton, Cleveland Browns rookie Phillip Taylor and Arizona Cardinals youth Dan Williams, are collectively ensuring the nose tackle remains very relevant. It's tough to find true nose tackles. NFL Tackles Career Leaders (since 1994) - Pro-Football-Reference.com Like all 4-3 nose tackles, Pekoregularly operates in a shaded alignment over the center. 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. Some NFL players are just physical freaks in terms of taking a pounding and lasting and lasting. After his stellar 1980 season, coaches from opposing teams would fly to Buffalo to watch how Smerlas played in the middle of the Bill defense and exported the style to their own 3-4 teams. A long injury layoff is the only reason that Buffalo Bills defensive linchpin Kyle Williams didn't make the list. There are always 22 football players on the field at once and they all have their own specialized roles. He had a high of 85 tackles in 1978, 68 in 1979, and 67 in 1980. But the tenacious and resourcefulfourth-year prois a significant member of the Bears defensive line rotation. The 3-4 had been around for years but no one committed to it on an every-down basis like the Patriots in 1974. Being five times first-pro and the five-times pro bowler is a rare achievement in the NFL for a nose tackle. 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. But Ratliff is a very underrated force against the run. The nose guard, however, lines up in the middle of the defensive line in a 5-2 defense.