Fletcher Cox is the best DT in the NFL

[Rock Strongo]

hes a DE, not a DT

 

[Cincyfan78]

I don't care where he's rated. People should be aware of the most dominating force on any NFL Dline though - Fletcher Cox.

Wouldn't a better measure then be PFF's sacks/Hits/Hurries?

Dunlap leads all DE's.

Atkins leads all DT's.

Cox is good, don't misunderstand, but saying he's the most disruptive DL player in the NFL right now would be faulty.

Also, I originally used sacks because YOU used sacks in your original post. That is why I used just sacks. You can say you don't care where he's ranked, but people who are paid really good money to do this (and are hired by several NFL teams as well) disagree.

 

[eaglesnut]

Yeah, I wiki'd the age after I posted because I assumed Cox was older because he has been in the league so long. I think its fair to say that Cox and Donald could both be improving still.

Like I said, I love Donald. I'm a Pitt grad afterall. But without seeing every Rams defensive snap I have extreme doubt that he can do all the things Cox can do only two years into this league. Even if he has an easier job every down.

 

[eaglesnut]

Wouldn't a better measure then be PFF's sacks/Hits/Hurries?

Dunlap leads all DE's.

Atkins leads all DT's.

Cox is good, don't misunderstand, but saying he's the most disruptive DL player in the NFL right now would be faulty.

Also, I originally used sacks because YOU used sacks in your original post. That is why I used just sacks. You can say you don't care where he's ranked, but people who are paid really good money to do this (and are hired by several NFL teams as well) disagree.

I never mentioned sacks. If I did I would have talked about a 3 sack game and forced fumbles. Stats aren't what I'm looking at, it's results and play by play disruption of the offense. Cox doesn't get to be a DE or a DT. He has to be both on a 3 man DLine. He's doing the Justin Smith thing and doing it well which is why a thread like this had to be started to even get his name out. When your team plays the Eagles then you'll definitely know who he is.

 

[cdumler7]

I never mentioned sacks. If I did I would have talked about a 3 sack game and forced fumbles. Stats aren't what I'm looking at, it's results and play by play disruption of the offense. Cox doesn't get to be a DE or a DT. He has to be both on a 3 man DLine. He's doing the Justin Smith thing and doing it well which is why a thread like this had to be started to even get his name out. When your team plays the Eagles then you'll definitely know who he is.

His name is out there though. I hear it all the time. It just seems like some here don't like that he isn't mentioned with the likes of a Donald or Watt. And yes I do think on a play by play disruption those are the two best in the league. I've seen them fight through triple teams to make the play in the backfield. I've not seen any other players in the league get that much attention.

 

[PhoenixEagles1]

His name is out there though. I hear it all the time. It just seems like some here don't like that he isn't mentioned with the likes of a Donald or Watt. And yes I do think on a play by play disruption those are the two best in the league. I've seen them fight through triple teams to make the play in the backfield. I've not seen any other players in the league get that much attention.

I may be wrong but some how I doubt you watch the Rams, Texans and Eagles and study the DLINE play. Cox is a better player than Donald.

 

[FadeToBlack]

Cox is damn good, but the best? I'd say top 4 for sure, but best is a tough place to get to with the kind of quality talent out there in the league on D-Lines today. He's a tremendously disruptive force against the run (collapses holes all on his own several times a game) and if the QB holds the ball a second too long, he's very good at shedding his blocker(s) and penetrating the pocket to either hit the QB or flush them outta the pocket.

I don't really care what other people think of him. He's the ideal player for our defensive scheme right now, and hopefully will remain so for the next 7-10 years. He continues to improve every year too, which I find to be most impressive, I haven't seen him take a step back yet, or a game off for that matter. His total level of play combined with all-pro talent level makes for quite an exciting and dominating player, and I just hope I get to see him keep it up for the Eagles for the better part of the next decade.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Cox is damn good, but the best? I'd say top 4 for sure, but best is a tough place to get to with the kind of quality talent out there in the league on D-Lines today. He's a tremendously disruptive force against the run (collapses holes all on his own several times a game) and if the QB holds the ball a second too long, he's very good at shedding his blocker(s) and penetrating the pocket to either hit the QB or flush them outta the pocket.

I don't really care what other people think of him. He's the ideal player for our defensive scheme right now, and hopefully will remain so for the next 7-10 years. He continues to improve every year too, which I find to be most impressive, I haven't seen him take a step back yet, or a game off for that matter. His total level of play combined with all-pro talent level makes for quite an exciting and dominating player, and I just hope I get to see him keep it up for the Eagles for the better part of the next decade.

This is an excellent point. It's hard to cross analyze positions and defensive schemes. What one player does well in a 3-4 may not work in a 4-3, and the opposite is true. Not only that, but sometimes schemes are just for players to do certain things that may not look good on film, but are exactly what the coaches are wanting that player to do.

It's fair to say that he's up there in terms of DL play in general. But, hard to say that any one player is the best without completely blowing away the competition in ridiculous terms.

 

[cdumler7]

I may be wrong but some how I doubt you watch the Rams, Texans and Eagles and study the DLINE play. Cox is a better player than Donald.

Well you would be wrong. I do watch many of the games throughout the year. I have NFL Gamepass that allows you to watch every game in 30 minutes.

 

[eaglesnut]

His name is out there though. I hear it all the time. It just seems like some here don't like that he isn't mentioned with the likes of a Donald or Watt. And yes I do think on a play by play disruption those are the two best in the league. I've seen them fight through triple teams to make the play in the backfield. I've not seen any other players in the league get that much attention.

"The 24-year-old defensive lineman finished with three sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He became the first Eagles players to ever do that, and he became the first NFL player to do that since 2007."

Not Reggie White. Not JJ Watt. And presumably no one, or not many, currently in the league since they would have had to complete that accomplishment over 8 seasons ago.

His coach, who didn't draft him and seemingly wants to rid himself of Andy Reid's draft picks:

"I really think for us, it's what Fletch has done here since we've been here. I mean, he's been a very disruptive force on the defensive line since we've been here. I think he's just starting to get noticed what he probably should have gotten before. I think you even -- you go back to last year, and an opponent is talking about going in, getting ready to play us, and they're talking about Fletcher's name... I think he's played at a really high level for a while here. It's just yesterday it kind of all came together for him, but I still remember him picking up and scoring one against Jacksonville. I mean, he's made some really big plays; this wasn't his first big game for us. But, it's something that we've become kind of accustomed to because of the type of player Fletch is."

The team's become accustomed to player-of-the-week type of performances from Cox.

 

[cdumler7]

"The 24-year-old defensive lineman finished with three sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He became the first Eagles players to ever do that, and he became the first NFL player to do that since 2007."

Not Reggie White. Not JJ Watt. And presumably no one, or not many, currently in the league since they would have had to complete that accomplishment over 8 seasons ago.

His coach, who didn't draft him and seemingly wants to rid himself of Andy Reid's draft picks:

"I really think for us, it's what Fletch has done here since we've been here. I mean, he's been a very disruptive force on the defensive line since we've been here. I think he's just starting to get noticed what he probably should have gotten before. I think you even -- you go back to last year, and an opponent is talking about going in, getting ready to play us, and they're talking about Fletcher's name... I think he's played at a really high level for a while here. It's just yesterday it kind of all came together for him, but I still remember him picking up and scoring one against Jacksonville. I mean, he's made some really big plays; this wasn't his first big game for us. But, it's something that we've become kind of accustomed to because of the type of player Fletch is."

The team's become accustomed to player-of-the-week type of performances from Cox.

Ok? So he has one week that nobody else has done. Pretty sure JJ Watt has done plenty of things that nobody has ever done in this league and then he ends up the next year breaking his own records.

 

[Cincyfan78]

So, a poster on here feels a player on a team he roots for doesn't get the recognition he deserves, and/or is the best player in the NFL.

Shocked. I've never seen such a post on here before. How brazen.

 

[PhoenixEagles1]

Ask Rex Ryan if Cox is better than Donald...


The Bills drew even with the Eagles in the third quarter of Sunday’s game and seemed to have momentum going their way in a game that was essential to their playoff hopes.


That momentum came crashing to a halt largely created by the front line of the Eagles defense. The Bills stopped moving the ball after tying the game and the team’s offensive line was reduced to grabbing their opponents in hopes of keeping them from wrecking another play.

Fletcher Cox was a particularly big wrecking ball for the Eagles. He dropped LeSean McCoy for a 10-yard loss in the fourth quarter, drew a holding penalty on guard Richie Incognito that prevented what would have been his second sack of the day and generally looked like too much for the Buffalo blockers to handle.

“Fletcher Cox, he ate my lunch today,” Incognito said, via the Buffalo News. “He really shows up on film and makes a lot of plays. I got to see it first-hand today. He got me early and often. I didn’t play nearly up to my level. I’m man enough to say I didn’t play well enough for this team to win.Penalties late. Giving up a sack. That’s not a recipe for success.”

Incognito’s coach was left impressed by Cox as well. Rex Ryan said he laughed when he heard people comparing Cox to the late Jerome Brown before Sunday’s game, “but I’m not laughing now.”

 

[Battlelyon]

Ask Rex Ryan if Cox is better than Donald...


The Bills drew even with the Eagles in the third quarter of Sunday’s game and seemed to have momentum going their way in a game that was essential to their playoff hopes.


That momentum came crashing to a halt largely created by the front line of the Eagles defense. The Bills stopped moving the ball after tying the game and the team’s offensive line was reduced to grabbing their opponents in hopes of keeping them from wrecking another play.

Fletcher Cox was a particularly big wrecking ball for the Eagles. He dropped LeSean McCoy for a 10-yard loss in the fourth quarter, drew a holding penalty on guard Richie Incognito that prevented what would have been his second sack of the day and generally looked like too much for the Buffalo blockers to handle.

“Fletcher Cox, he ate my lunch today,” Incognito said, via the Buffalo News. “He really shows up on film and makes a lot of plays. I got to see it first-hand today. He got me early and often. I didn’t play nearly up to my level. I’m man enough to say I didn’t play well enough for this team to win.Penalties late. Giving up a sack. That’s not a recipe for success.”

Incognito’s coach was left impressed by Cox as well. Rex Ryan said he laughed when he heard people comparing Cox to the late Jerome Brown before Sunday’s game, “but I’m not laughing now.”

That is great, meanwhile is coming off destroying the Lions, of course he also leads DTs in sacks this season. You Eagles love your guy but Aaron Donald is the man, just like Pro Football Focus has him rated as the best defensive player in football.

 

[PhoenixEagles1]

Watching the Eagles games I noticed two things. The announcers said, "Cox was playing DLine better than any player in the NFL THIS YEAR and that includes Watt". Then they said the Eagles DLine is destroying the Bills with 10 QB hurries. Cox alone was credited with 12 the week before against the Patriots. 3-4 DLine guys dont put up the numbers of 4-3 guys. Donald is a star. Fletcher Cox is the best DLineman this year.

 

[Tainthappening]

This argument is still going on..... only way to solve this, Cox and Donald both are sent to the Packers and I can evaluate both players over remainder of this season and next season

 

[eaglesnut]

Watching the Eagles games I noticed two things. The announcers said, "Cox was playing DLine better than any player in the NFL THIS YEAR and that includes Watt". Then they said the Eagles DLine is destroying the Bills with 10 QB hurries. Cox alone was credited with 12 the week before against the Patriots. 3-4 DLine guys dont put up the numbers of 4-3 guys. Donald is a star. Fletcher Cox is the best DLineman this year.

Cox was a filthy beast on Sunday. Most important game of the year and he plays as big as anyone. Love that dude.

 

[Rambulance]

As was Donald, 3 sacks vs the Lions...

 

[Balljim55]

You have to separate 3/4 from 4/3 schemes when talking about success in a particular position. In a 4/3 set up I think Kawain Short is up there. He is a disruptive sumbich

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Watching the Eagles games I noticed two things. The announcers said, "Cox was playing DLine better than any player in the NFL THIS YEAR and that includes Watt". Then they said the Eagles DLine is destroying the Bills with 10 QB hurries. Cox alone was credited with 12 the week before against the Patriots. 3-4 DLine guys dont put up the numbers of 4-3 guys. Donald is a star. Fletcher Cox is the best DLineman this year.

Fletcher can have that title this year or any other year...great young player, but we're seeing in HOU and MIA that a dominant DL needs help to really make his effort pay off in terms of wins and losses.