Yesterday marked three months exactly to the start of the NFL season; today we look at the best 91s in NFL history:
5. Aaron Smith, DE 1999-2011 (Pittsburgh); One Pro Bowl; 326 career tackles
(Keith Srakocic/Associated Press)
Aaron Smith was never flashy in his 13 years with the Steelers, but he was one of their most dependable players on defense throughout the 2000s. A fourth-round selection out of Northern Colorado, Smith became a starting defensive end for Pittsburgh in his second season. 2004 was his lone Pro Bowl season; Smith forced three fumbles, recovered two and provided eight sacks for the top-ranked Pittsburgh defense. After being a key contributor to both Super Bowl-winning Steelers teams last decade, Smith was plagued by injuries for the last three seasons of his career. 4. Cameron Wake, DE/LB 2009-Present (Miami); Five Pro Bowls; One First-Team All-Pro; 81.5 career sacks
(Bill Ingram/The Palm Beach Post)
Cam Wake is among the more underrated edge rushers in today's NFL, which is saying something because five of his eight NFL seasons have ended at the Pro Bowl. Undrafted out of Penn State, Wake spent part of the 2005 offseason with the Giants before playing two seasons with the Canadian League's BC Lions. After both of his CFL seasons ended with Wake being named the league's best defensive player, the Dolphins came calling. The 27-year-old first year NFL player earned five and a half sacks in 2009, mostly playing as a backup. Wake has been a full-time starter in Miami since 2010 and has continued to have a knack for getting to the quarterback. His finest season to date was 2013, in which the All-Pro recorded 15 sacks and three forced fumbles. Wake's fifth Pro Bowl season last year led him to sign a two-year extension with the Phins; he'll be wearing aqua and orange at least through 2018.
3. Tamba Hali, DE/LB 2006-Present (Kansas City); Five Pro Bowls; 89.5 career sacks
(Peter G. Aiken/Getty)
Wake's teammate at Penn State, Tamba Hali made an immediate impact in his pro career. Hali, the Chiefs' first-round draft pick in 2006, started every game but one at defensive end for his first three seasons. After switching to a 3-4 outside linebacker in 2009, the Liberian native reached his first Pro Bowl in 2011 as a sixth-year pro. He made the all-star game in each of the next four years; his streak of consecutive Pro Bowls ended after last season. In addition to being statistically productive, Hali is reliable; in 11 years he has only missed four games. Like his former college teammate, Hali is under contract with his current team through 2018.
2. Leslie O'Neal, DE/LB 1986-1999 (Chargers, Rams, Kansas City); Six Pro Bowls; 1986 Defensive Rookie of the Year; 132.5 career sacks
Leslie O'Neal burst onto the scene in 1986. The Defensive Rookie of the Year showed signs of what was to come later on when he produced 12.5 sacks, forced three fumbles and even returned an interception for a touchdown. In one game alone against Dallas, O'Neal churned out a Chargers record five sacks. A knee injury suffered near the end of his phenomenal debut season kept O'Neal from returning to his 1986 form for two full seasons; he missed the entirety of 1987 and only started once in nine total game appearances throughout 1988. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy made his first of six Pro Bowl games after making a career-high 96 tackles in the 1989 season, and avoided any more major injuries for the rest of his career. O'Neal left San Diego prior to the 1996 season; after two seasons in St. Louis and two with the Chiefs, he retired among the top 10 in sacks in league history.
1. Kevin Greene, LB 1985-1999 (Four teams, notably LA Rams); Five Pro Bowls; Two First-Team All-Pro; NFL All-1990s Team; Pro Football HOF class of 2016; 160 career sacks (third all-time)
(Doug Sheridan/Associated Press)
Auburn alum Kevin Greene was for the better part of a decade one of the most underrated defensive players in the NFL. He made one Pro Bowl in his eight-year Rams career despite averaging a dozen sacks a year once he became a starter in 1988. Greene joined the star-studded cast of the first-ever NFL free agency frenzy in 1993 and wound up as a member of the vaunted Pittsburgh defense. The switch back to a 3-4 defensive scheme suited Greene, who earned his first all-pro nod as a 10th-year pro in 1994. Playing left outside linebacker, Greene led the Steelers to a conference title in 1995. A Super Bowl XXX loss was the closest the sack master got to a championship ring, however. In 1996 he helped the Panthers reach the NFC Championship game in the team's second year of existence. After one final playoff run as a member of the 49ers stalled in 1997, Greene returned to Carolina to finish out the last two years of his career. It took 12 years for the Hall of Fame to recognize his contributions; Greene and his wavy blond hair were finally inducted into Canton last August.
Arguably the two greatest defensive ends in football history both wore 92, they feature prominently in today's list:
5. Shaun Ellis, DE 2000-2010 (NY Jets); Two Pro Bowls; 72.5 career sacks
Shaun Ellis was the first player the New York Jets selected in the 2000 NFL draft. For 11 years, the dependable defensive end led the Jets for better (back-to-back AFC championship game appearances in 2009 and 2010) or worse (4-12 finishes in 2005 and 2007). Ellis was most dominant in 2003, when he earned his first Pro Bowl berth with a 12-sack performance. His second all-star invitation came after the 2009 campaign, in which he led New York to its first of two straight AFC championship games. No Jets defender during the Tom Brady era is likely to ever make the Hall of Fame, but Ellis at least deserves consideration to be inducted into the Jets Ring of Honor.
4. James Harrison, LB 2004-Present (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati); Five Pro Bowls, Two First-Team All-Pro; 567 career tackles
(Justin K. Aller/Getty)
It wasn't until his second season that undrafted free agent James Harrison played any significant football for the Steelers. After switching numbers from 93 to 92 the Kent State alum played a contributing role on the 2004-06 Steelers squads, winning a Super Bowl XL ring as a backup. Harrison finally took over the starting right linebacker role for Pittsburgh in 2007, his fifth pro season. He spent the next five seasons as one of the most productive and concussive linebackers in football. In one notable 2010 game against Cleveland, Harrison knocked out two Browns receivers in the same quarter and was fined $75,000 for the second of the two tackles. In his finest moment as a Steeler, Harrison returned a Super Bowl XLIII interception 100 yards for a score. The controversial linebacker spent 2013 in Cincinnati before returning to Pittsburgh, where the 39-year-old is now preparing for his 15th year in the NFL.
3. Haloti Ngata, DT 2006-Present (Baltimore, Detroit); Five Pro Bowls; Two First-Team All-Pro; 308 career tackles
(Tom Hauck/Associated Press)
Unlike Harrison, his former AFC North rival Haloti Ngata was a first-round draft pick out of Oregon who has been a full-time starting NFL defensive tackle since his first game in Baltimore. The 335-pound behemoth has spent 11 seasons among the league's premiere run stuffers, including a five-year stretch from 2009-2013 in which the nose tackle earned five Pro Bowl invitations, two first-team all-pro honors and a Super Bowl ring for his efforts in helping the Ravens win their second Lombardi. While his production has decreased somewhat since signing with the Lions in 2015, Ngata is still a dependable part of Detroit's defensive line. In addition Ngata, who is of Tongan lineage, has one of my more favorite NFL names.
2. Michael Strahan, DE 1993-2007 (NY Giants); Seven Pro Bowls; Four First-Team All-Pro; 2001 Defensive POY; NFL All-2000s Team; Pro Football HOF class of 2014; NFL Single Season Sack Record (22.5 in 2001)
(Doug Mills/The New York Times)
Michael Strahan was a 30-year-old seasoned vet when Brett Favre became the final victim of his historic 22.5-sack season in 2001. By the time he was named the league's best defensive player that year Strahan had already earned his fourth Pro Bowl nod and third all-pro recognition, as well as having helped his Giants win the George S. Halas Trophy as 2000 NFC Champions. Another all-pro season came for the second-round draft pick from Texas Southern after Strahan led the league again in sacks in 2003, this time with 18.5 quarterback takedowns. The gap-toothed defensive end with a personality made for television finally earned his elusive championship ring in his 15th season, when the Giants completed one of the most improbable upsets ever over the 18-0 Patriots. Currently ranked sixth all-time in sacks, Strahan achieved football immortality in just his second year of Canton eligibility.
1. Reggie White, DL 1986-2000 (Philadelphia, Green Bay, Carolina); 13 Pro Bowls; Eight First-Team All Pro; Two-time Defensive POY; NFL All-1980s Team; NFL All-1990s Team; Pro Football HOF class of 2006; 198 career sacks (second all-time)
Tennessee defensive end Reggie White was a supplemental draft selection in 1984; by 1994 his spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame was already cemented. Playing primarily at left end, The Minister of Defense notched double-digit sack totals in all but three of his 15 NFL seasons. He was named to the Pro Bowl in all but his rookie and final seasons. White singlehandedly brought the Green Bay Packers back into relevance for the first time in two decades when he joined the team as a free agent in 1993. Four years later, he was hoisting the only Super Bowl trophy he ever won. This highlight reel of a description barely scratches the surface of Reggie's impact on the NFL landscape; for my money White was the best defensive lineman to ever play the game.
One of the biggest personalities in the history of the game grace's today's list along with two future Hall of Famers:
5. Wayne Martin, DL 1989-1999 (New Orleans); One Pro Bowl; 82.5 career sacks
Former Arkansas Razorback Wayne Martin only missed five games in his 11-year NFL career and was a starter on the Saints' defensive line in every game he played from 1990-1999. Martin helped lead New Orleans to a 12-4 regular season record in 1992 - the best 16-game record for the first 40 years of the franchise's existence - with career highs in forced fumbles (3), fumbles recovered (2) and sacks (15). It took two more years for the NFL to recognize Martin with his only Pro Bowl appearance in 1994, but the under-appreciated lineman tallied five double-digit sack seasons while playing left end and both left and right tackle. Martin was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2003. 4. Calais Campbell, DL 2008-Present (Arizona, Jacksonville); Two Pro Bowls; 373 career tackles
(Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
When the Jaguars signed Calais Campbell to a four-year deal this offseason, they got one of the league's more dynamic defensive lineman of the last three years. Originally drafted in the second round, Campbell played in all 20 games of the Cardinals' 2008 season that ended in Super Bowl XLIII defeat. He earned a full-time starting role in his sophomore season, which he didn't relinquish until departing for Jacksonville in free agency after last season. In 2015 Campbell switched from end to tackle, the position he is listed as on the Jags' roster heading into 2017. Heading into this year, the former Miami Hurricane's goal will be to improve a Jacksonville defense that has finished among the league's 10 worst for the past five seasons. If he can manage it, he'll be remembered as one of the best 93s for years to come. 3. Richard Seymour, DL 2001-2008 (New England); Five Pro Bowls; Three First-Team All Pro; NFL All-2000s Team; 223 career tackles
(Tom DiPace/Associated Press)
Perhaps the only player more important than Tom Brady to the Patriots' dynasty in the early 2000s was Richard Seymour. The sixth overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft made an immediate impact in New England, notching three regular season sacks and a critical third-quarter sack in Super Bowl XXXVI. In the year the Patriots won their second championship, Seymour reached an entirely new level. The team's first-year defensive captain earned his second Pro Bowl nod and first all-pro selection with career highs in sacks (8) and pass deflections (10). Seymour was key in getting the Pats to the playoffs in 2004 as well, finishing with his second-straight all-pro season, and despite battling injuries in the postseason recorded a key sack in Super Bowl XXXIX. The future Hall of Famer reached two more Pro Bowls while wearing 92 in Oakland, which is why he doesn't rank higher on today's countdown.
2. Dwight Freeney, DE/LB 2002-2014, 2016 (Indianapolis, Chargers, Atlanta); Seven Pro Bowls; Three First-Team All-Pro; NFL All-2000s Team; 114.5 career sacks
(Andy Lyons/Getty)
Yesterday, I discussed DeMarcus Ware being one of the best of the original hybrid edge-rushers. Undoubtedly Dwight Freeney is in that group as well. Freeney was the perennial all-star on a Colts defense that was often seen as Peyton Manning's only obstacle to winning a championship. When he and Manning finally did win the Lombardi, Freeney started all 20 games in the regular season and playoffs. In Super Bowl XLI, Freeney recovered a first-quarter fumble, which helped shift momentum to the still-trailing Colts. The three-time all-pro left Indy after 2012; after spending two underwhelming seasons in San Diego, he experienced a career rebirth in Arizona. His eight-sack 2015 season doesn't count toward his position on this list as he wore number 54 each time he brought down an opposing quarterback. Freeney reached Super Bowl LI last year as a member of the Falcons; despite tallying a fourth-quarter sack on eventual game MVP Tom Brady, his team lost in overtime. Currently a free agent, the Syracuse product will earn a spot in Canton five years after whenever he hangs up the cleats for good.
1. John Randle, DL 1990-2003 (Minnesota, Seattle); Seven Pro Bowls; Six First-Team All-Pro; NFL All-1990s Team; Pro Football HOF class of 2010; 137.5 career sacks
John Randle was perhaps the NFL's loudest player of the '90s, and he deserved to be. He was the most dominant defensive lineman in the league for an entire half-decade; from 1993-1998 he tallied 74 sacks, forced 15 fumbles, and was named first-team all-pro in all six of those seasons. After an 11-year stay in Minnesota in which he recorded eight or more sacks in all but his rookie season, Randle shipped off to the Pacific Northwest. 2001 marked his only Pro Bowl as a Seahawk and his final of nine double-digit sack seasons. Tied for fourth on the all-time NFL sack list when he retired, the Texas native joined the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility.
Today's list features the best hybrid edge rusher to ever play the game:
5. Aaron Schobel, DE 2001-2009 (Buffalo); Two Pro Bowls; 78 career sacks
(Don Heupel/Associated Press)
Aaron Schobel is one of the more underrated players of the 2000s. The former TCU Horned Frog only made two Pro Bowls despite putting up double-digit sack numbers four different times. Schobel played eight full seasons in his nine-year career, starting in all but five of his NFL appearances. Aaron was the most successful of three members of the Schobel family to be in the league simultaneously; his brother Matt spent seven years as a tight end with the Bengals and Eagles and his cousin Bo was a journeyman defensive lineman from 2004-2008.
4. Lawrence Timmons, LB 2007-Present (Pittsburgh, Miami); One Pro Bowl; 680 career tackles
(Keith Srakocic/Associated Press)
Although he's never been the flashiest member of the Steelers defense, Lawrence Timmons spent a decade as a reliable linebacker in Pittsburgh before signing with the Dolphins this offseason. Timmons was originally the 15th overall pick in the 2007 draft. The inside linebacker has only missed two games in his entire NFL career and started every game with the Steelers from their fifth game of 2010 through the end of last season. Timmons' sole Pro Bowl berth came after the 2014 campaign. He was the sole defensive all-star honoree on the 11-5 Steelers squad that won the AFC North title before losing in the Wild Card Round.
3. Jim Wilks, DL 1981-1993 (New Orleans); 45.5 career sacks*
The longest-tenured member of today's list made the top five for just that reason. Jim Wilks is one of only a few 94s to wear the number for 13 seasons; he did so for a Saints franchise that notably played its first four playoff games while he was on its defensive line. Wilks played the majority of his career as New Orleans' right end but moved inside for the 1989 season, spending most of his twilight years playing nose tackle. Considering he was a 12th round draft pick out of San Diego State, it's safe to say the Saints got an excellent return on their investment with Wilks.
2. Justin Smith, DL 2008-2014 (San Francisco); Five Pro Bowls; One First Team All-Pro; 43.5 career sacks
(Ben Margot/Associated Press)
Justin Smith was a highly productive defensive end for the first seven years of his career, in which he wore the number 90 for the Bengals. The latter half of his career took off after he moved to San Francisco, switched to tackle and changed his number to 94. Compare his stats from his seven years in Cincinnati to those from his seven seasons as a 49er and there isn't much difference; in fact, in several instances the numbers are exactly the same. The glaring difference is that all five of Smith's Pro Bowl invites came as a member of a 49ers team that made back-to-back NFC Championship appearances. Smith transformed his game when he switched to 94; as a result he went from a footnote in NFL history to a player that many will remember for a long time.
1. DeMarcus Ware, LB/DE 2005-2016 (Dallas, Denver); Nine Pro Bowls; Four First Team All-Pro; 138.5 career sacks
(Wesley Hitt/Getty)
Drafted 11th overall out of Troy in 2005, DeMarcus Ware revolutionized the defensive end-linebacker hybrid position and became the prototype "tweener." The future Hall of Famer was the driving force behind the defense for a Dallas team that chose him in 2005 specifically to be the driving force behind its defense. Ware was an immediate starter; he did not miss a game in his first eight NFL seasons and started in 127 of those 128 contests. Statistically, Ware's finest season as a Cowboy came in 2008. He recorded career highs in forced fumbles, tackles, and sacks (with 20, he is one of just 10 players in NFL history to have crossed that statistical threshold). After missing the Pro Bowl in 2013 for the first time since his rookie season, the aging Ware became a member of the Denver Broncos. His individual production waned in each of his three seasons at Denver, but he contributed two sacks in Super Bowl 50 en route to winning his only NFL championship. Ware retired after last season in eighth place on the league's all-time sack leaders list and should earn his gold jacket well before 2025.
Like yesterday, the 95 list features one Hall of Fame member and one active AFC East defensive lineman:
5. Tim Bowens, DT 1994-2004 (Miami); Two Pro Bowls; 1994 Defensive Rookie of the Year; 296 career tackles
(David Duprey/Associated Press)
When I was a student at Samford, our football team had an offensive assistant coach named Tim Bowens. Until somewhat recently I mostly assumed he and the former Miami defensive lineman who shares his name were the same person. I have since figured out that the Bowens I was acquainted with was earning all-academic honors as a receiver at the University of Alabama at the time the latter earned his first Pro Bowl berth as a member of the Dolphins. Tim Bowens the defensive tackle burst onto the scene in 1994 and spent a decade anchoring a defensive line that could never quite get Dan Marino back to the Super Bowl during the twilight of his career.
4. Michael Carter, DT 1984-1992 (San Francisco); Three Pro Bowls; One First-Team All-Pro; Three Super Bowl championships
(George Rose/Getty)
A rookie during the 49ers' second Super Bowl run, 1984 Olympic shot put silver medalist Michael Carter was in the prime of his career during San Francisco's back-to-back championship campaigns at the end of the 1980s. The nose tackle started all 16 games just once in his career; the 1988 season saw him start not just the entire regular season but all three of the 49ers playoff games. The Pro Bowler was a key contributor for the Super Bowl XXIII champions; when the Niners repeated in 1989, Carter played just roughly half the season. After Carter retired following the 1992 season, his 49ers were able to win just one more championship.
3. Kyle Williams, DT 2006-Present (Buffalo); Five Pro Bowls; 345 career tackles
(Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press)
The first three years of fifth-round draft pick Kyle Williams' career did not draw much attention to the LSU product, but he was productive enough to warrant a three-year contract extension with the Bills. From 2009 on, Williams has cemented his place as one of the NFL's best defensive linemen in the first half of this decade. While he has yet to play in a postseason game as a member of the woeful Buffalo Bills, Williams earned the recognition of his peers in 2014 and 2015 as one of the league's best 100 players. Coming off a fifth Pro Bowl season last year, Williams will celebrate his 34th birthday next week and is entering what are likely the final few years of his career.
2. Greg Lloyd, LB 1988-1998 (Pittsburgh, Carolina); Five Pro Bowls; Three First-Team All-Pro; 707 career tackles
Through the first half of the 1990s, only a few linebackers could claim to be as good or better than Greg Lloyd. The outside linebacker was a giant reason the Steelers reached Super Bowl XXX after the 1995 season, his final of three straight All-Pro and five straight Pro Bowl seasons. In the 1995 campaign Lloyd tied career highs for interceptions (3) and forced fumbles (6), also recording six and a half regular season sacks and an additional two sacks in Pittsburgh's postseason run. Lloyd's dominance ended after the Steelers' 27-17 loss to Dallas in the championship contest; his 1996 season barely existed as he only played one game thanks to a knee injury. His career ended with a solid 1998 campaign as a member of the Carolina Panthers. Lloyd's son, also a linebacker named Greg, played two games with the Bills in 2012 but could not live up to the father's football success.
1. Richard Dent, DE 1983-1995, 1997 (Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia); Four Pro Bowls; One First-Team All-Pro; Super Bowl XX MVP; Pro Football HOF class of 2011; 131 career sacks
(Paul Spinelli/Associated Press)
Nicknamed "The Colonel," former Tennessee State Tiger Richard Dent was arguably the best defensive player on the best defensive team in NFL history. In the historic 1985 Bears season, Dent sacked the quarterback 14 more times than Defensive Player of the Year Mike Singletary, forced more fumbles, and intercepted the ball twice compared to Singletary's one pick. Dent's dominance continued straight through the Super Bowl, in which he put up another sack and a half and forced two more fumbles en route to being named the game's MVP. After a decade in the Midway, Dent earned a second ring while playing sparingly in the 49ers' 1994 championship season. After a somewhat successful 1996 wearing 96 in Indy, Dent returned to 95 for one more season. In his final year, the 2011 Hall of Fame inductee contributed four and a half sacks in 15 games with the Eagles.
