List your all time starting 11 NFL defensive players.....

[Rockinkuwait]

I am going to be the resident Bobby Bell truther I guess.

lol how so?

 

[Fountain City Blues]

lol how so?

>Reads back in the thread

Oh I see how it is.

 

[richig07]

Butkus > Every MLB ever to play

 

[klbynes500]

Representing my look will be the 3-4.

DT--Reggie White
NT--Casey Hampton
DT--Bruce Smith

OLB--Lawrence Taylor
ILB--Mike Singletary
ILB--Ray Lewis
OLB--Derrick Thomas

CB--Deion Sanders
CB--Rod Woodson
SS--Ronnie Lott
FS--Ed Reed

 

[Great Dayne]

DE: Reggie White
DE: Bruce Smith
DT: Joe Greene
DT: John Randle
LB: Lawrence Taylor
LB: Dick Butkus
LB: Junior Seau
FS: Ronnie Lott
CB: Deion Sanders
CB: Charles Woodson
SS: Ed Reed

That's right Charles fucking Woodson.

 

[Great Dayne]

I'll have to disagree on who was best at his best.
I'd take Rod, but it's close enough to respect your opinion.

I think Rod was the better cover corner but Woodson was a more complete player IMO. It's close either way though.

 

[TeddyJackEddy]

Representing my look will be the 3-4.

DT--Reggie White
NT--Casey Hampton
DT--Bruce Smith

OLB--Lawrence Taylor
ILB--Mike Singletary
ILB--Ray Lewis
OLB--Derrick Thomas

CB--Deion Sanders
CB--Rod Woodson
SS--Ronnie Lott
FS--Ed Reed

If I'd gone with a 3-4 my lineup would have been close to yours. I would have Warren Sapp at NT, Jack Ham in place of Derrick Thomas and I'd have Mike Haynes as 1 of my CBs, the rest would be the same.

 

[TeddyJackEddy]

I think Rod was the better cover corner but Woodson was a more complete player IMO. It's close either way though.

Charles was a better pass rusher, but with my front 7 I don't need that from a DB.

 

[rmilia1]

Prime Time.....

This. Any list without the greatest shut down corner of all time is automatically disqualified

 

[rmilia1]

Deion didn't have to shadow receivers because no QB ever threw to anyone he was covering. The guy literally took away half the field. If you happened to accidently throw it his way he'd intercept it and house it.

 

[JMR]

The two best safeties I've ever seen play are Lott and Easley. Both could play either position, too.

Surprised at how few have mentioned Derrick Thomas.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

"Tom Brady at all 11 positions"


The New England fanbase is now covered

Why didn't you list 11 NE defensive players? That shoukd've been easy considering the way the haters here continually tell us how it was the NE defenses that won their SBs.

 

[Ricky Roma]

Surprised at how few have mentioned Derrick Thomas.

Pleasantly suprised for me. A great pass rusher who was average at best in run defense and virtually a nothing in pass defense. I wouldn't even consider him on an all time defensive roster.

 

[cdumler7]

The two best safeties I've ever seen play are Lott and Easley. Both could play either position, too.

Surprised at how few have mentioned Derrick Thomas.

Derrick Thomas unfortunately is hurt a bit by not getting to finish off his career because of his unexpected death. I agree though the guy was special. Not sure we have seen a player just be able to single handily win games on defense like him in a while. There were times it didn't matter how talented the guy across from him was Thomas was winning that battle.

 

[SonnyCID]

Pleasantly suprised for me. A great pass rusher who was average at best in run defense and virtually a nothing in pass defense. I wouldn't even consider him on an all time defensive roster.

How could a player be a great pass rusher and be virtually nothing in pass defense?

 

[Ricky Roma]

How could a player be a great pass rusher and be virtually nothing in pass defense?

Pass defense ie dropping back into coverage.

The more I think of Thomas, the more overrated he was. I knew those Chief teams in the 90's loved to hype it up at home and play well beyond what their talent was, so I looked up Thomas' home/away stats. As I figured, the guy had twice as many sacks at home as he did on the road. I looked up his running mate in Neil Smith and he basically split his home/road numbers. Looking at other pass rushers from DT's era, I saw pretty much similar performances.

I couldn't find anyone with the home/road discrepancy like Thomas. A very good player, but IMO shouldn't even be considered for an all NFL defensive team.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Yeah but I do wonder how much of that was situation. Champ was able to have Von and Dumerville forcing QB's to throw early or afraid and had Chris Harris opposite him who's been really underrated. Champ was able to have the help around him as he slowed down, where Revis is still being expected to be all world on that defense for it to work and give Skrine the safety help.

I think CB is one where you can really help out the guy with the pass rush and other DB help. I really don't believe we'd be seeing this kind of fall off if he was still playing in NE, not so much because he'd be playing better, but because the D wouldn't have to be expecting as much from him.

I think Champ was finished physically as a CB...much like Revis is now. If he'd transitioned to S on a good team, maybe he lasts another yr, but his legs were gone...when you can't make it in NO as bad as their CB situation was...it's time to hang it up.

Revis...you're right...the staff still thought he was a shutdown CB and schemed that way and have paid the price for not recognizing he's been in decline for a long time. Sherman is still in his prime, but if he had to play man all over the field with no help over the top we'd be looking as him in a different light as well....good but maybe not great.