| With apologies to the glamorous QB position, there is a
saying around the NFL that "it’s what’s up front that counts." Whereas
the QB spot can become a position of strength with one effective player, it takes much
more work to build up strength in the trenches. It takes a lot of quality players to build
strong offensive and defensive lines. Although being strong in the trenches does not
guarantee team success, it is one of the best ways to build a quality team.
What follows are the top 10 teams in the NFL in terms of combined OL-DL play:
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1. Kansas City Chiefs — Not only is the
Chiefs’ OL-DL combination the best in the NFL, but it is the best by a fairly
comfortable margin. On the offensive line, there is great, young talent and potential at
the OT spots, and if Dave Szott returns from injury at his old level of play, the Chiefs
will have an awesome interior. This could be the most effective offensive line in football
if all the pieces fall into place. The defensive line gets Dan Williams back, and Chester
McGlockton can be dominant when he wants to be. If McGlockton can live up to his press
clippings, and Leslie O’Neal can be used in spots (thereby maximizing his
effectiveness), the defensive line can really shine. The Chiefs’ strength in the
trenches gives me reason to believe Kansas City could exceed expectations in 1999.
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2. Miami Dolphins — Jimmy Johnson enjoyed
terrific play in the trenches with his great Cowboys teams, and he’s accomplishing
the same thing in Miami. The defensive line has extraordinary depth, allowing players to
maximize their effectiveness. The offensive line may finally allow Miami to achieve its
longtime goal of developing a running game. I especially love the tough, physical style of
OGs Kevin Donnalley and Kevin Gogan. The defensive line is pretty far ahead of the
offensive line, but the Dolphins’ offensive line shows signs of really developing
nicely.
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3. Minnesota Vikings — While most
people’s initial thought on the Vikings revolves around their incredible aerial game
featuring WRs Randy Moss and Cris Carter and QB Randall Cunningham, the fact remains that
Minnesota is amazingly strong in the trenches. The offensive line is extremely strong,
although the Vikings’ Super Bowl hopes would be improved if they can resolve the
Randall McDaniel situation and make him happy. McDaniel has been a star for a long time. C
Jeff Christy is coming off a big year. The Vikings get excellent play from OTs Todd
Steussie and Korey Stringer. The defensive line suffered some free-agency losses, but the
Vikings still have All-Everything John Randle.
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4. New Orleans Saints — It may seem
surprising to see the Saints this high given the team’s lack of success in recent
years, but the Saints’ troubles cannot be linked to their line play. The offensive
line has the talent to really make rookie RB Ricky Williams shine. The OT spots are
especially strong with William Roaf and Kyle Turley. Roaf is one of the top three
offensive tackles in the NFL, and Turley has the potential to be special. Wally Williams,
Chris Naeole and Jerry Fontenot look like nice pieces to the puzzle. On the defensive
line, DE Joe Johnson is developing into a premier player. DT Wayne Martin has been a
high-quality performer in the past, although his productivity really slipped last season.
With so much talent in the trenches, the Saints may be closer to breaking through than
people realize. A solid, veteran quarterback from somewhere other than the Saints’
current roster is needed for the first big jump to take place. Then improvements are
needed at receiver, linebacker and the secondary for the leap to the elite to occur. The
hardest part of building a great team is building up the trenches, though, and the Saints
have already accomplished that.
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5. Denver Broncos — It’s a misconception
to think that the Broncos’ strong prospects for success this upcoming season are due
solely to Terrell Davis’ rushing and Mike Shanahan’s play-calling genius. Denver
is strong in the trenches as well, especially the offensive line. Although only C Tom
Nalen gets high individual grades, the Broncos’ offensive line gets very high marks
as a unit. OL coach Alex Gibbs gets this unit to work spectacularly well together. Davis
is not posting huge rushing totals on his own. The defensive line is nowhere near as good
as the offensive line, but it’s still effective. DTs Trevor Pryce and Keith Traylor
are very solid, especially Pryce, who appears to be developing into a top player. Maa
Tanuvasa is a very capable pass rusher. The DE spots are not as strong with Alfred
Williams and Neil Smith getting pretty far up in years, but their experience could still
count for something. Second-round pick Montae Reagor adds a touch of youth at defensive
end.
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6. Buffalo Bills — The defensive line is
getting very old, but it’s still very good. DE Bruce Smith isn’t as dominant as
he used to be, but he’s still the NFL’s best player at his position. Fellow DE
Phil Hansen has always been an underrated, productive player. DT Ted Washington is a force
against the run — when he’s in shape. All three have been around for quite a
while. Marcellus Wiley provides some much-needed youth. The Bills’ offensive line
isn’t as good as the defensive line, but it gets the job done. The best players are
on the left side, where OLT John Fina and OLG Ruben Brown reside.
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7. Seattle Seahawks — Seattle has an
extremely good defensive line. Even though he doesn’t get the hype he deserves,
Michael Sinclair has become one of the most productive defensive ends in the NFL. He is
one of the top half-dozen players in the league at his position. The middle of the
defensive line is quite strong with Cortez Kennedy and Sam Adams. Kennedy isn’t what
he once was, but he’s still pretty darned good. Adams has tremendous potential, and
if he ever puts it all together on a consistent basis, look out. As if there weren’t
already enough talent on the defensive line, the Seahawks spent a first-round pick on DE
Lamar King. On the offensive line, OT Walter Jones has the talent to become truly great.
OG Pete Kendall is a very solid performer.
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8. Dallas Cowboys — The offensive line looks
very exciting. As good as Larry Allen was at tackle, I think he will dominate opposing
players even more at guard. Getting wily veteran C Mark Stepnoski via free agency was a
tremendous coup. There is nice, youthful potential in Flozell Adams and Solomon Page. Erik
Williams isn’t what he once was, but I think if the Cowboys can limit the number of
snaps he plays, he can still contribute. Hudson Houck is a quality OL coach, and that
helps matters. The defensive line is difficult to grade. There is a ton of young
potential, which means there are wide parameters on the level of play we could see, and
there is also great uncertainty surrounding Leon Lett. Greg Ellis and Ebenezer Ekuban give
the Cowboys a lot of upside at defensive end, but they are so young that we’ll just
have to wait and see how much they can produce in 1999. Down the road, both should be
quite good. DE Kavika Pittman also has quite a bit of potential, and he finally started to
put it together a bit last season. How much, if at all, Lett plays this season will go a
long way in determining how good this defensive line can be. If everything falls into
place for the Cowboys, the defensive line could be very interesting to watch.
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9. New York Giants — Michael Strahan is the
real deal at defensive end. He is one of a handful of players who has a shot at becoming
the best defensive end in football once Buffalo’s Bruce Smith retires or slips a
little more due to age. Neither Keith Hamilton nor Robert Harris is a star, but both are
quality players who, as a tandem, could give the Giants a nice presence in the center of
the line this season. If the offensive line can regain the level of success it enjoyed two
seasons ago, the Giants will really be in great shape in the trenches. First-round draft
choice Luke Petitgout joins the mix, and if center Brian Williams can successfully return
from an eye injury, the Giants would benefit mightily.
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10. Tennessee Titans — How OL Bruce Matthews
continues to play so well at his age is an absolute marvel. OT Jon Runyan has really
developed nicely, and some NFL insiders feel he is one of the top 10 players at his
position in the NFL. Fellow OT Brad Hopkins isn’t that far behind Runyan. There is a
lot of young talent on the defensive line in Jevon Kearse, Kenny Holmes and John Thornton.
Obviously, as young as they are, we’ll just have to wait and see, but if they can
live up to their press clippings, the Titans’ defensive line could take a step up in
class.
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Friday: The middle of the pack |
