Wilfork was drafted by the Patriots with the 21st overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Johnson played just eight years but they were mostly good some, some even very great. I swear every time there is a discussion about nose tackles Ngata is mentioned, and Ravens fans go berserk because he doesn't play nose tackle. Bills, in his career, became a total of a three-time pro bowler and a four times all-pro. As we learned above, the nose tackle lines up in the middle of the defensive line in a 3-4 defense which consists of one nose tackle and two defensive ends. 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. For the 3-technique, the defensive player is asked to line up on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard. 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). During his stay in Kansas, Culp shined as a defensive nose tackle. He played a total of 200 games and recorded 20.5 sacks and 8 forced fumbles. If its a 2-technique, the player must line up head-to-head with the guard. Players must meet the minimum requirements to show up on this leaderboard. Bullshitter. Still, only a few of them are as large as Ted Washington. With 91 games played during his career, made . 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 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. Soliai excels at drawing and occupying double teams. Washington had played for several teams in his 17-year-long career. This is different from defensive ends, which are usually taller (around 65) and slimmer (285 pounds) so they can keep up with offensive tackles. Nose tackles dont receive a lot of glamour in modern football. His 47.5 sacks and 779 tackles put him easily among the best who have ever played. Super Bowl champion: 2 times (XXXIX, XLIX). Ted Washington always amazed me. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. Obviously, its popularity has recovered quite a bit to now when almost half the league is using one again. When done correctly, the nose tackle acts as a space-eater. He played in the NFL for 13 seasons and recorded 32.5 sacks. The 34 was very popular in the 70's and 80's. He was also one of the best kick blockers ever and the best of the 2000s by far with 17 blocked place kicks. Joe Klecko (89%, 59 Votes) Kris Jenkins (8%, 5 Votes) Jason Ferguson (3%, 2 Votes) Sione Pouha (0%, 0 Votes) Abdul Salaam (0%, 0 Votes). 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. But was a Pro Bowler in 1986, but was certainly worthy of selection in 1984 and 1985 as well. With that said, Im happy to have you on the site and hope I can help you out in achieving your goals! The likes of Vince Wilfork, Jamal William, Haloti Ngata, Ted Williams are some of the best ever. 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. However, his play for the Titans down the stretch was . NFL Media senior analyst and personnel guru Gil Brandt ranks the greatest defensive tackles in NFL history. John Randle Awards: 7 Pro Bowler, 6 All-Pro, 1997 NFL sacks leader, Pro Football Hall of Famer, and NFL 1990s All-Decade Team Championships: None Till 1949, The Browns were playing in the AAFC, and then the team joined the NFL. STEELERS' ALL-UNDRAFTED TEAM Quarterback: Devlin Hodges Running Back: Willie Parker Fullback: Dan Kreider Wide Receivers:. 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. Ted Washington was another great nose tackle, dude was massive! Though he played as a run stuffer in the later part of his career, he is mostly known for his role as a nose tackle. 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. 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. John, in your opinion, and others on this site, would you put Smerlas, Krumrie or Henry Thomas in the HOF ? The 3-4 had been around for years but no one committed to it on an every-down basis like the Patriots in 1974. 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. For many defenses the nose tackle's performance is the most critical element of the scheme. Williams would rush into the offense and occupy multiple blockers to create a lane of pursuit for fellow defenders. started his career with the Detroit Lions in 1987 and later played in three more teams, including Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, and Minnesota Vikings. While many people often confuse a nose guard with a nose tackle, many fans also use the terms nose tackle and defensive tackle interchangeably. He played both ways early in his career but his primary position was right over the center in 5-man lines. Smears also played and started the most number of matches as a nose tackle. 16. But his place went to a division rival who doesn't benefit from quite as strong a supporting cast around him. 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. The next year, Taylor was released, and this became the season Wilfork made his name known by recording 54 tackles in only 16 games. By its nature, nose tackle is one of the most unheralded and selfless positions in the NFL. And he deserved it due to what he meant to those Charger defenses. Enjoy! Fronts are more complex now than there were "back in the day". What does that make the 5-technique? However, his contribution to the teams victories earned him four all-pro awards. 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. Who is the best New York Jets defensive tackle ever? 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. Whitworth has been one of the top NFL offensive tackles for the majority of his career and is a true model of consistency. In the game of football, every player is given a specific position both on offense and defense that determines their role when on the field. Thomas played in 213 games, started 199 of them, totaled 864 tackles including 93.5 sacks and 95.0 run stuffs, totals that rival players like Warren Sapp and Bryant Young, two of the 1990s All-Decade selections. Ngata played more than the shade (1-tech) for the Ravens, playing mostly over guards and even inside shoulder of a tackle (4i) technique. Akiem Hicks, Chicago Bears. However, we are going to keep it short. 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 has played a total of 200 games and recorded 29 sacks and two interceptions. In this technique, the defensive player must line up over the outside shoulder of the offensive line. 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. Vea had four sacks last season playing out of the nose. Washington has four first-round picks on its defensive line, and Jonathan Allen might have been the best in 2020. Upon arriving in Houston, the Oilers fortunes changed, going from the bottom of the AFC to among the better teams from 1975 through 1980. In the 1980 season, almost 3/4ths of teams were running one. He. The Ultimate Guide, What Is the Neutral Zone in Football? Is The NBA Star Tyrese Maxey & Lavender Briggs In A Christian Bale Lost Five Roles to Leonardo DiCaprio in the 90s, The Legend of Maula Jatt: A Pakistani Movie Breaking Records. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. He was All-Pro once and a Second-team All-Pro once and an All-AFC pick twice and voted to four Pro Bowls. The type of reliable-backup career you just don't see much anymore. There are players that play close to the ball and others that play further away. From his 121 games, he recorded 121 sacks. One of the least glamorous positions in the NFL is Nose Tackle, but they are still a critical position in the NFL so who are the greats? 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. His role into 2021 as a top defensive tackle will be to keep rookie linebacker Jamin Davis free to attack downhill. It all depends on the game situation. Unlike a nose tackle, a defensive ends main responsibility is to control the outside of the line of scrimmage and get to the quarterback. Additionally, that year, he had 14.0 run stuffs(second in NFL behind Jerome Brown's 17.0). 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. Instead, they line up head-to-head with the offensive guards. + Indicates Hall of Famer. And as was normal, Long would play the three-technique in passing situations. Two slots for the Pro Bowl and at times 25 of the teams in the NFL playing a 3-4 defense. In fact, he ended his career with 53 sacks with highs in 9 in 1977, 8 in 1980 and 6 in 1976. 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. See leaders through past seasons Raji possesses a more diverse and dynamic skill set than Pouha. Maas was "Big, mean, strong, and nasty" according to Buchsbaum who also though Maas would have been an excellent 4-3 tackle. He used his size to his advantage and made the lives of the blockers impossible. Nose tackles are found in the middle of the defensive line when running a 3-4 defensive scheme. The number one requirement of a nose tackle is to take on and occupy blockers. They line up with a defensive end on both sides of them, but theres a pretty large gap between them since the offensive line is made up of five players. In his first four years he was a top backup for Ted Washington forming an amazing 1-2 punch. But on a serious note I would say wilfork or Hampton, with big Ted slightly behind those guys. They try to take up as much space as possible down the middle of the line of scrimmage, which often means taking on the center and one or both of the offensive guards. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. But he did the dirty work of a shade tackle in a 4-3 under defense. May 14, 2020. Many defenses are also choosing to play more nickel on first and second down. 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 is different from the 0-technique, which is responsible for the two gaps in between the center and both offensive guards. This is because the nose tackle position is one of the most physically demanding positions in all of football. Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Carter played nine seasons, 121 games with 97 starts. As mentioned above, the best feature of a nose tackle is that he sacrifices himself for the greater good of the team. 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. The players Hey there! The dynamic 6ft 2 inches tall and 210 pounder middle and noseguard was the key player in the defensive back for the browns. Most of Ratliff's reputation is built on his pass rushing ability. one bid wonders has more information on college football bowl game. 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.). Now we are getting into the run-stopping specialists, though very good at that specialty. Last year (1989) he was 20 points overweight and he was double-teamed on almost every play had nine sacks and 73 tackles". He frequently drives blockers backwards and is a consistent threat to penetrate the line of scrimmage. 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). We may reconsider in the future, but for now, we put him with the tackles. Chicago Bears, 1985-1993; Philadelphia Eagles, 1993-1994 One-time Super Bowl champion Recorded 29.5 sacks in 138 NFL games, Oakland Raiders, 1996; New Orleans Saints, 1997-2001; Dallas Cowboys, 2002-2005; St. Louis Rams 2006-2008 Voted to six Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro one time NFL 2000s All-Decade Team 2000 NFC Defensive Player of the Year 2000 NFL sacks leader (17.5) Finished career with 433 tackles, 83.5 sacks and 16 forced fumbles, San Francisco 49ers, 1994-2007 One-time Super Bowl champion Voted to four Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro one time NFL 1990s All-Decade Team Had 89.5 sacks and 618 tackles in 208 career games, Cleveland Browns, 1946-1953 One-time NFL champion Voted to three Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro three times NFL 1940s All-Decade Team Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Baltimore Ravens, 2006-2014; Detroit Lions, 2015-Present One-time Super Bowl champion Voted to five Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro two times Started 160 of 162 NFL games Has 29.5 sacks, 491 tackles, 6 forced fumbles and 5 interceptions in 11 NFL seasons, Baltimore Ravens, 2013-Present One of the most dominant interior defensive linemen in NFL today Became highest-paid nose tackle in the NFl by signing a five-year, $54 million deal with Ravens in March Has 4.5 sacks and 101 tackles in 55 career games, Cincinnati Bengals, 1983-1994 Voted to two Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro one time Recorded 34.5 sacks and 1,017 career tackles Missed only four games (out of 192) in 12-year career, Detroit Lions, 1958-1970 Voted to four Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro three times NFL 1960s All-Decade Team Missed only one game in 12-year career, New England Patriots, 2001-2008; Oakland Raiders, 2009-2012 Three-time Super Bowl champion Voted to seven Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro three times NFL 2000s All-Decade Team Logged 57.5 sacks and recorded 496 career tackles, Minnesota Vikings, 1985-1990; Green Bay Packers, 1992; Seattle Seahawks, 1992; Philadelphia Eagles, 1993 Voted to two Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro two times 1989 NFL Defensive Player of the Year NFL 1980s All-Decade Team Holds NFL record for most sacks by DT in single season (18) Three double-digit sack seasons Recorded 58 career sacks, Houston Oilers, 1985-1995; Dallas Cowboys, 1996 Voted to five Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro one time NFL-record three fumble recoveries in single game Recorded 76.5 sacks, 861 tackles, and 19 forced fumbles in 12-year NFL career, Pittsburgh Steelers, 1950-1963 Two-time Super Bowl champion Voted to nine Pro Bowls (1957 Pro Bowl MVP), First Team All-Pro once NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team Recorded 23 fumble recoveries and at time of retirement was the all-time career safeties leader with three Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, San Francisco 49ers, 1950-1963 Voted to 10 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro six times NFL 1950s All-Decade Team 49ers' first-ever draft pick Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Baltimore Colts, 1950; New York Yanks, 1951; Dallas Texans, 1952; Baltimore Colts, 1953-1961 Two-time NFLchampion Voted to five Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro four times NFL 1950s All-Decade Team Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns, 1957-1958; Green Bay Packers, 1959-1969 Two-time Super Bowl champion, five-time NFL champion Voted to four Pro Bowls (1961 Pro Bowl MVP), First Team All-Pro five times 21 career fumble recoveries Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Chicago Bears 1979-1990 One-time Super Bowl champion Voted to four Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro four times NFL 1980s All-Decade Team Made All-Pro as both defensive end and defensive tackle Officially credited with 57 career sacks Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, New York Jets, 1977-1987; Indianapolis Colts, 1989 Voted to four Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro two times 1981 AFC Player of the Year Started 145 of 155 NFL games 24 career sacks, 9 fumble recoveries in 10 NFL seasons Anthony Munoz called Klecko "the strongest guy I ever faced. Press J to jump to the feed. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. This article features the ten best nose tackles of all time in the NFL who set examples of how to contribute from the back. We think he would have been a fine left 3-4 defensive end and inside rusher in nickel but the Raiders already had that guyHowie Long. Randle signed with the Vikings and went on to become one of the best defensive tackles of the 1990s and definitely the mouthiest. The nose guard, however, lines up in the middle of the defensive line in a 5-2 defense. They silently contribute and help their team to win. Since the 5-technique features an odd number, that means the defensive lineman lines up on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle. Dedicated to reporting mainstream and esoteric aspects of professional football. Check. as a nose tackle, mostly a backup or part-time player. The most common requirement of a nose tackle is to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the rest of the defense. With that said, the nose tackle position is highly respected by their teammates and is most likely going to be the defensive coordinators favorite player when things are going well. 4-3 duo Terrence Knighton and Brandon Mebane do not appear on the list due to the same inconsistency. 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. 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. A high-motor, hustle type. Like all 4-3 nose tackles, Pekoregularly operates in a shaded alignment over the center. Gary Dunn/NT - 1976-1987. He also covers media and entertainment news on various online platforms. But Garay's brute force makes him formidable at the point of attack. Tom LaMarre. Top 10 Defensive Tackles of All Time | NFL Highlights NFL 11M subscribers Subscribe 269K views 5 years ago Former VP of Player Personnel Gil Brandt's Top 10 Defensive Tackles of All Time! For the most part, the nose tackle is responsible for filling up these two gaps. Joel Steed will come . I think he was part of at least three of their championships, though undersized. 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. With Hampton occluding the middle of an opposing blocking scheme, ball carriers are consistentlyforced sideways. Charlie Johnson had a short career in the NFL, but he still managed to cement his preposition among the best nose tackles of all time in NFL history. Again, these are two completely different positions in the game of football and have entirely different roles in defensive schemes. His professional football career began in 1977 when he was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles 1977. 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. I'm assuming that we're talking about a true NT as in 2 gap players. I would have thought Manu Tiuasosopo would have been in there as he was mixing it up well in the era with Sugar Bear Hamilton, Rubin Carter, Fred Smerlas, etc.And if Reggie Kinlaw makes the list then I would have put Dave Rowe in as well.