Matt Toeainais the most unheralded member of the Chicago Bears tough defense. Excellent article, John T! They need to have a big body, but they also need to have some speed and strength to make them quicker and stronger than a center and offensive guard. Players must meet the minimum requirements to show up on this leaderboard. During his stay in Kansas, Culp shined as a defensive nose tackle. 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). And with Carter, he'd have his moments getting to the passer. But the starter at nose in the first game was Lyle Alzado, not Carter. Pro Football Hall of Fame/Associated Press, Al Messerschmidt Archive/Associated Press. Really, on a game-to-game basis, Hamilton was the NFL's first modern nose tackle. Occupying multiple blockers and creating lanes of pursuit for fellow defenders is the weekly requirement of a nose tackle, regardless of system. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Pro Football Journal: The Best Nose Tackles in NFL History - Blogger It frequently took 2 or 3 linemen to block him, freeing up teammates to double-cover or blitz. I think he was part of at least three of their championships, though undersized. Sugar Bear Hamilton began his career as a defensive end in 1973 but when the Patriots moved to a 3-4 defensive full-time in 1974 he was the middle guard. Hank Thomas is one of the more underrated players in recent NFL history in our view, right up there with Eugene Robinson, LeRoy Butler, Larry Brooks, and others. Johnsons primary duty was to stop the run, and he did it so well. The way he singlehandedly collapsed the pocket and allows fellow Tampa pass rushers to torture Patrick Mahomes all day night long. When you line up in a 3-technique, youre only responsible for the gap between the offensive guard and offensive tackle also known as the B-gap. Vita is one of the best nose tackles in the NFL because he has the ability at 345-pounds to rush the passer. profootballjournal@gmail.com. My name is Steven and I love everything sports! In fact, he ended his career with 53 sacks with highs in 9 in 1977, 8 in 1980 and 6 in 1976. Top 5 Canes: DTs - State of The U 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 ended his career with 1017 tackles, more than any other nose we can find and 34.5 sacks. Ostensibly a 2-gapper, Raji manages to make a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage. ", 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. Upon arriving in Houston, the Oilers fortunes changed, going from the bottom of the AFC to among the better teams from 1975 through 1980. Therefore, he does not have a lot of individual achievements to boast about. Another big man, around 330-350 (390?) Ngata played more than the shade (1-tech) for the Ravens, playing mostly over guards and even inside shoulder of a tackle (4i) technique. Press J to jump to the feed. He played college football for the University. Donald is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a seven-time First-Team All-Pro, Made the 2010 NFL All . Carter was a dominant nose when motivated. He also forced 19 fumbles and recorded three defensive touchdowns. But the majority of the players on the list operate as the focal point ina base 3-4 defense. With Sopoaga over the center, Navorro Bowman and Patrick Willis are always kept clean and remain free to chase plays down. Nose Tackles typically don't stuff the stat sheet so it can be hard to measure their greatness unless you're watching tape but I would say that any 3-4 team with a great NT had good numbers v the run, I find your lack of Casey Hampton disturbing. Nose tackles dont receive a lot of glamour in modern football. But on a serious note I would say wilfork or Hampton, with big Ted slightly behind those guys. The next year, Taylor was released, and this became the season Wilfork made his name known by recording 54 tackles in only 16 games. As they continue to learn the What Is a Secondary in Football? 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). Carter played nine seasons, 121 games with 97 starts. 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. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. Smears was an exceptional talent. And for a nose, he was very durable. 16. But his place went to a division rival who doesn't benefit from quite as strong a supporting cast around him. Casey Hampton is criminally low on this list. Till 1949, The Browns were playing in the AAFC, and then the team joined the NFL. The six-time pro bowler is also an AFL and Super Bowl champion. Also, played some DE. Wills played a key role in the defense and was all-pro once and a pro bowler. 1 overall Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Seattle Seahawks, 1997-2009 Voted to nine Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro four times Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Cincinnati Bengals, 1980-1992 Voted to 11 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro nine times Started 184 of 185 NFL games Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Baltimore Ravens, 1996-2007 One-time NFL champion Voted to 11 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro four times Started 176 of 177 NFL games Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Baltimore Colts, 1958, 1959 Two-time NFL champion Voted to eight Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro eight times (five times at OT, three times at OG) Called by Woody Hayes "the best offensive lineman I've ever coached." And my man Smerlas getting his due love it! Ive played and watched sports all my life and have coached them as well for the last few years. Tom LaMarre. The 0-technique is generally played in the 3-4 defensive scheme, which is why its largely a nose tackle technique. He is one of few nose tackles that play on all three downs. 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. Kendall Wright looked like the perfect slot receiver for a lot of the year. You have entered an incorrect email address! Nose tackle is an underappreciated and selfless position in American football. This is due mainly to the fact that most of the standout nose tackles in the league play for 3-4 teams. 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. For the most part, the nose tackle is responsible for filling up these two gaps. 8. The Complete Guide, How Much Do NHL Refs Make? 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. He was active, fast, and really stood out on film. The 0-technique is largely specific to the nose tackle but can be played by defensive tackles as well. But nose tackle still remains a key position and its distinctive skills perform a vital function for many defenses. The quintessential 2-gap artist, Hampton is the cornerstone of the Steelers ferocious run defense. But Garay's brute force makes him formidable at the point of attack. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. However, until that time, he is without question the best nose tackle in the league. He loves to watch web series, and movies and write on celebrity gossip or trendy movie news. Of course, thats not the case with any odd-numbered technique. Art Shell, 1968-1982. He was usually the shade tackle in the Raiders 40 nickel (Bandit) defense and herecorded 6 sacks in 1983 and 12.5 in 1984. He was solid in all aspects and could have been a terrific 3-technique if asked. Carter was the classic run-stopper at nose, not much of a rusher. By its nature, nose tackle is one of the most unheralded and selfless positions in the NFL. But Ball did it. Not only is Art Shell at the top of this list, but he was also among the best tackles in NFL history, and there those who believe . Top 25 offensive tackles in the 2021 NFL season - Pro Football Network Take a look at how they. The Top Five: Best 3-4 Nose Tackles in the NFL - Bleacher Report Consistently an excellent player, he had a career year for Pittsburgh when they needed to lean on him more than usual with his running mate Stephon Tuitt going down hurt. Super Bowl champion: 3 times (XIX, XXIII, XXIV), First-team All-Pro: 3 times (1986, 1987, 1988). 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. 17. First-team All-Pro: 5 times (1980, 1981, 82, 83, 88). He played in the NFL for 13 seasons and recorded 32.5 sacks. He played a total of 200 games and recorded 20.5 sacks and 8 forced fumbles. His 47.5 sacks and 779 tackles put him easily among the best who have ever played. Many people refer to a nose tackle as a nose guard, but theyre two completely different positions in football. He debuted in 1968 with the Kansas City Chiefs. View Current Leaderboard. May 4, 2021 8:47 AM EDT.