Which type of DE would you rather have

[Hangman]

One like Justin Smith in his prime or one like Bryant Young in his prime. I know BY played DT for most of his time in the NFL but he was a great 3-4 DE too.

 

[NinerSickness]

BY, and it's not even close. Before he broke his leg, he was the most dominant defensive player in the entire league.

 

[dredinis21]

I terms of their games, pre-injury, I would say BY without hesitation. The scary part is that I consider BY post-injury to be just as good as JS no injury. Maybe I'm looking at things through my Championship-colored glasses but BY is my dude.

 

[DoobieKeebler]

Love BY. Love him. BY was my dude, but JS is just a freak. I was probably too young to appreciate BY because I was only 8-10 in his younger years, but Smith has constantly amazed me with his play. Justin just eats OTs for breakfast, and Aldon would have never had a chance to even sniff the sack record without him (evident by the D's play without a healthy Smith).

Though, for the record, BY being carried off the field made me tear up.

In the end, though, they are both greats, and I appreciate that neither of them were/are dipshits like Jered Allen or Peppers. Shame neither BY or JS will make the HOF....

 

[NinerSickness]

BY was more dominant than Justin Smith by a decent margin IMO. He was one of the best in the game even in his last couple of years.

I appreciate that none of them were/are dipshits like Jered Allen or Peppers.

What do you mean? I'm drawing a blank here. Jared Allen was arrested for like 3 DUIs, but what did Julius Peppers do?

By the way, Peppers is the Randy Moss of D-linemen IMO. Most talented DE to ever play, and one of the best to ever play.

 

[RobertPhD01]

B.Y. !! Fred Dean, Charles Haley, Pierce Holt, Roy Barker, Kevin Greene!!! We need more of them!!

 

[NinerSickness]

B.Y. !! Fred Dean, Charles Haley, Pierce Holt, Roy Barker, Kevin Greene!!! We need more of them!!

Tank Carradine!




...Sorry, I'm becoming a bit of a Carradine / Hankins stalker (not literally if you're reading this FBI).

 

[DoobieKeebler]

BY was more dominant than Justin Smith by a decent margin IMO. He was one of the best in the game even in his last couple of years.



What do you mean? I'm drawing a blank here. Jared Allen was arrested for like 3 DUIs, but what did Julius Peppers do?

By the way, Peppers is the Randy Moss of D-linemen IMO. Most talented DE to ever play, and one of the best to ever play.

Just never cared for Peppers, I guess. He is a freak of a talent, no doubt, but he always seemed like a ME first guy, which is counter to everything SF has ever stood for. I laughed when he got his FA contract because I thought to myself, "Well, he just financially crippled his new team."

I mean, look at Mario Williams.... he went to BUFFALO because he could get money. Nobody in their right minds who wants to win would ever go to Buffalo. How well did the Texans do without him? Pretty F'n good.

 

[NinerSickness]

Just never cared for Peppers, I guess. He is a freak of a talent, no doubt, but he always seemed like a ME first guy, which is counter to everything SF has ever stood for. I laughed when he got his FA contract because I thought to myself, "Well, he just financially crippled his new team."

I mean, look at Mario Williams.... he went to BUFFALO because he could get money. Nobody in their right minds who wants to win would ever go to Buffalo. How well did the Texans do without him? Pretty F'n good.

Well, those guys both did get huge contracts, but they're both earning every penny. Peppers may seem like a "me first" guy, but he carried that defense when the Bears made the playoffs.

And Mario Williams had 10.5 sacks despite playing injured at the beginning of the season. Those 2 really are a couple of the most valuable non-QB commodities in the NFL. You just don't find big DEs like them who are elite pass-rushers very often. And they've both been extremely consistent through the years.

 

[clyde_carbon]

As a 34 DE Justin Smith is the first player EVER to be voted all pro to two different positions (DE/DT). Young is one of my favorite Niners of all time, but I gotta go with JS.

What about JS vs BY vs Watt?

 

[dredinis21]

Need a bigger sample size from Watt but he is a badass. I think that BY pre-injury is significantly more beastly then JS and I think the world of JS! I think that BY as a 4-3 DT was unstoppable and his quickness off the snap was something I have not seen duplicated. If we are talking about 3-4 DE (and I would also like to point out that when comparing apples to apples, or in the case BY as 3-4 DE vs JS as 3-4 DE, that was post-injury for BY) then the voting for me gets significantly closer.

 

[DoobieKeebler]

Well, those guys both did get huge contracts, but they're both earning every penny. Peppers may seem like a "me first" guy, but he carried that defense when the Bears made the playoffs.

And Mario Williams had 10.5 sacks despite playing injured at the beginning of the season. Those 2 really are a couple of the most valuable non-QB commodities in the NFL. You just don't find big DEs like them who are elite pass-rushers very often. And they've both been extremely consistent through the years.

Mario Williams may have picked it up in the second half of the season, but he will never have a decent team in Buffalo. I only played sports through high school due to injury, but I've never understood people who play for cash vs a contender. I loved playing sports because of the great people I played with, not because of glory. Then again, I never was the star of my teams.

These guys are like Norv Turner was to the Niners; they are amazing at what they do, but they don't give a crap about anything except their own advancement. They care about themselves far more than anyone they are around. I'll just never understand that..... unless they have a HUGE drug addiction. At least drug addicts have a physiological reason for their whore-ism.

 

[DoobieKeebler]

What's the difference of, say, arbitrary salary numbers of either 8 or 10 million a year, if it means the difference of playing for SF/NE vs BUF/JAC? I guess people can't live on 8 mil a year? Maybe it is the politics of California's 39% tax rate for millionaires?

 

[CalamityX11]

As a 34 DE Justin Smith is the first player EVER to be voted all pro to two different positions (DE/DT). Young is one of my favorite Niners of all time, but I gotta go with JS.

What about JS vs BY vs Watt?

THIS... really cannot be ignored lol...

seriously, who has done this?

incredible accomplishment IMO by Justin....

Tough to gauge between BY n JS... I might swing towards BY but gimmie JS anyday as well...

We're going to find out about Watt more so next year... see how he gets the Aldon treatment...

 

[supreme_clientele81]

BY, and it's not even close. Before he broke his leg, he was the most dominant defensive player in the entire league.

As a 34 DE Justin Smith is the first player EVER to be voted all pro to two different positions (DE/DT). Young is one of my favorite Niners of all time, but I gotta go with JS.

What about JS vs BY vs Watt?

True but I believe that was more so he didn't get any recognition the year before when he had a great year. Also we had the best defense in the league on a 13-3 team. To me post injury BY was just as dominant as J. Smith was last year. It was just the teams he was on the last few years wasn't as good as Smith was so BY didn't get the same recognition IMO

 

[NinerSickness]

What about JS vs BY vs Watt?

Too soon?

 

[numone9er]

Too soon?

I don't know man. Watt not only plays in a 3-4, but he nearly breaks the sack record in a position that is commonly known for not getting a lot of sacks. I think Watt will probably be considered the best of all time when he's done. Obviously he has a long way to go in his career, but unless off the field issues or injuries get in the way he will just continue to get even better.

 

[RedneckNiner]

I'd rather have By at RDE and Justin Smith at LDE

 

[NinerSickness]

Watt certainly has the potential to be considered the best defensive player who ever lived. In my humble opinion, LT deserves that distinction for now.

He has to stay healthy though. Bo Jackson could've been the greatest RB to ever play; now he's more of a what-could've-been story.

I'd rather have By at RDE and Justin Smith at LDE

Don't you mean BY at LDE and JSmith at RDE?

 

[Crimsoncrew]

You're making me choose between my two jerseys here.... I agree with Clyde, I think. At DT in a 4-3 in his prime, BY was unbelievable. But Smith has been such an impact player at 3-4 DE for the last several years. He's not the penetrator BY was, but he can tie up OL and sniff out running plays as well as anyone I've seen play the position.