By Brian Abate, Chris DiGeronimo, and Gianluca Milea
"Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships." - Paul "Bear" Bryant
In the spirit of some wild free-agency moves we decided to take a minute to recognize some of the greats of the past 21 years. There have been some defensive stalworths during the 2000s, but we try to narrow them down to our GOATS. While, these are in no particular ranking or order, we did include some honorable mentions just to make sure we didn't miss anybody. Happy Sunday, only 5 months until football is back!
Cornerbacks:
Charles Woodson:
Woodson was a dominant defensive back throughout his 18-season career. He spent the majority of his career as a shutdown cornerback before switching to safety late in his career. He had great hands and instincts and he retired with 65 career interceptions, tied for the fifth most all time. He came up just short of a Super Bowl victory with the Raiders before going on to join the Packers and helping lead them to a Super Bowl victory in 2010. His consistency was remarkable as he made the Pro Bowl in his first season and his final season. He is now a Hall of Famer.
Champ Bailey:
Bailey began his career with Washington, where he developed into a shutdown cornerback and perennial Pro Bowl selection. In addition to shutting down the top receivers on opposing teams, he was a playmaker, finishing his career with 52 interceptions, including 10 in 2006. In 2005 he picked off Tom Brady in the end zone and ran it back 100 yards, coming up just short of the end zone and helped the Broncos defeat the defending champion Patriots 27-13. He made the Pro Bowl 12 times, was an All-Pro three times and is now a Hall of Famer.
Darelle Revis:
Darelle Revis was one of the best and most feared lockdown cornerbacks of his time. Quarterbacks refused to throw his way, and receivers dreaded the trip to infamous “Revis Island”. Revis played a big role in the success of the Jets number one ranked defense in 2009 and in their back to back AFC Championship appearances in 2010 and 2011. 2009 was Revis’ most dominant year, where he held Andre Johnson, Randy Moss (twice), Marques Colston, Terrell Owens (twice), Torry Holt, Steve Smith, Reggie Wayne, and Chad (Ochocinco) Johnson under 35 yards receiving in their respective matchups. Revis finished his future hall of fame career with 497 tackles, 2 sacks, 29 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles, 140 pass deflections, and 3 defensive touchdowns. He was also a 7-time Pro Bowler, 4-time First-Team All-Pro, PFWA All-Rookie Team, all while winning a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2014. Revis will go down in history as one of the best corners of all time, and is most likely the greatest Jet of his generation.
Safeties:
Ed Reed:
Ed Reed played with Ray Lewis most of his career and still carved himself out as a leader on that defense. Easily one of the best safeties to ever do it, Reed achieved nearly every accolade possible for a defensive player. He led the league in interceptions for 3 years, 5 time all pro, NFL defensive player of the year, Super Bowl champ and was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame. There’s no debate Ed Reed was definitely a GOAT of the 2000s and also all-time.
Troy Polamalu:
When you think of the Steelers and the 2000’s, only one player comes to mind. Troy Polamalu. Polamalu was a dynamic and electric strong safety that impacted the game on all levels. He was disruptive up front with his amazing jump over the line sacks, and was a force in the secondary with countless big game interceptions. He was the definition of “being all over the field”, and a staple in those dominant Steelers defenses. Polamalu was a two-time Super Bowl Champion with Pittsburgh, NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2010), 8-time Pro Bowler, 4-time First-Team All-Pro, and a 2-time Second-Team All-Pro. He finished his Hall of Fame career with 770 tackles, 12 sacks, 32 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles, 3 touchdowns, and 107 pass deflections. You can now catch Polamalu on TV, as he is the face of Head and Shoulders Shampoo alongside Patrick Mahomes.
Linebackers:
Ray Lewis:
Ray Lewis was one of the most dominant middle linebackers the NFL has ever seen. Lewis put fear in the eyes of all who came across the middle, but to his teammates he was their unquestioned leader and that's what truly separated him from the pack. With his fiery pregame speeches, motivational talks,and his iconic entrance dance, Lewis helped the Raven’s reach the promised land twice by capturing two Super Bowls in his 16 year career. During his dominant career, Lewis accumulated 2,061 tackles, 41.5 sacks, 67 pass deflections, 31 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles, 20 fumble recoveries and 3 defensive touchdowns. His 31 interceptions rank him 5th all-time amongst NFL linebackers. Lewis was a 13-time Pro Bowler, 7-time First-Team All-Pro, 3-time Second-Team All-Pro, and 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Lewis was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
Brian Urlacher:
Urlacher helped turn the Bears defense into one of the best in the NFL in the 2000s. He helped lead them on a run to the Super Bowl despite a limited offense in 2006, where they came up just short against Peyton Manning and the Colts. Urlacher was a tackling machine who was equally effective in both rush and pass defense. He spent his entire 12-season NFL career with the Bears, finishing with 1,046 solo tackles, the ninth most in recorded history. He was named the 2000 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, the 2005 AP Defensive Player of the Year and is now in the Hall of Fame.
Pass Rushers:
DeMarcus Ware:
DeMarcus Ware began his career with the Dallas Cowboys after being drafted 11th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft. Ware was a disruptive pass rusher that gave defensive coordinators nightmares on a weekly basis. In his 9 seasons in Dallas, he rewrote the Cowboy’s record books becoming the franchise leader in sacks (117), forced fumbles (32), tackles for loss (145), and QB hits (185). Ware was a 9-time Pro Bowler, 4-time First-Team All-Pro, and 2-time NFL Sacks Leader. Ware spent his last three seasons in Denver where he won Super Bowl 50 as a member of one of the most dominant Super Bowl winning defenses of all-time.
Michael Strahan:
In his prime Strahan was one of the most dominant pass rushers of all time and he was also excellent against the run. He set the NFL record for sacks in a single season with 22.5 in 2001 and was named AP Defensive Player of the Year. He also led the NFL in sacks in 2003, with 18.5. He spent his entire 15-season career with the New York Giants and was the heart and soul of the team. In 10 career playoff games he had 9.5 sacks and led the Giants on one of the most improbable Super Bowl runs in NFL history as they won four consecutive road games. His Giants defense allowed 14 points in a victory over the Bucs, 17 points in a victory over Tony Romo, Terrell Owens and the Cowboys, 20 points in a victory over Brett Favre and the Packers and just 14 points against Tom Brady, Randy Moss and the then-undefeated Patriots. With the Giants trailing 14-10 with two minutes left he told the team’s offensive line “17-14” over and over. They listened and after the offense scored to give the Giants a 17-14 lead, Strahan's defense held the Patriots one final time to win the Super Bowl and he retired as a champion. Strahan finished with 141.5 career sacks, the sixth most all time and is now a Hall of Famer.
JJ Watt:
An absolute beast coming out of Wisconsin, the Watt name has seemingly become royalty in the NFL. JJ gave all he had to a seemingly dysfunctional Texans’ organization. He was a regular probowler, lead the league in sacks for 2 years, and a three time defensive player of the year. As he leaves Houston, Watt is chasing the elusive Super Bowl ring. Many thought he would sign with bigger contenders, but JJ appears to believe he has a chance to win as his first message to Kyler Murray after signing with the Cardinals was “I’m here because I believe in you.” Although seemingly far-fetched, it remains to be seen if Watt will be able to cap off his Hall of Fame career with an illustrious Super Bowl victory.
Aaron Donald:
This man is a problem. I’ve never seen someone double and triple teamed as much as Aaron Donald. At 6’1, 285 pounds he seemingly toys with offensive lineman regularly and is able to put pressure on the quarterback at will. His accolades are incredible, he’s been an all-pro 6 of his 7 years in the league, and has been a pro bowler every year. He’s also 29 and is showing no signs of slowing down. As long as he is on that Rams front that defense will be top in the NFL. Donald is a sure fire Hall of Famer, but he’s still got plenty of years left in the tank to dominate offensive lineman. He will definitely go down as one of the best to ever do it.
Honorable Mentions:
Brian Dawkins, Darren Sharper
Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman
Luke Kuechly, Patrick Willis, Bobby Wagner, Terrell Suggs
Julius Peppers, Von Miller, Jared Allen, Khalil Mack, Richard Seymour, Dwight Freeney
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