NFL 100 Defense

We're less than a week from the start of the NFL's 100th season.  To celebrate, I'm choosing the ultimate all-time team.  The best player ever at each position.  That's it.  A super-exclusive list that's bound to cause some debate.

Yesterday, I named the 13 players on offense.  Today it's time for those on the defensive side of the ball.  There have been some great defenses in NFL history.  The Steel Curtain, Doomsday, the Monsters of the Midway, the Fearsome Foursome, the Purple People Eaters, the No-Name Defense.  But, having cool names doesn't necessarily mean that those defenses necessarily provided anybody to this squad.

I'm also naming my punter and coach today, so it'll be 13 total selections.  As for the defensive positions, I'm going with the traditional 4-3, so nose tackles were considered with defensive tackles and middle/inside linebackers were considered together, as well.  And, once again thanks to Shades for both the inspiration and the contributions/input.  Now on to the team...

Defensive End: Reggie White-Was there a better pass rusher ever?  Reggie White is the prototype of what you're looking for in a defensive end.  And not to mention the fact that he might just be the best free agent signing in history, launching the Packers' rebirth from oblivion back to Super Bowl champions.  He played 15 years and was an All-Pro in 13 of them, including eight straight First Team selections.  And let's not forget the two Defensive Player of the Year nods a decade apart!

Defensive End: Deacon Jones-They invented a stat because of him!  That's all you need to know about Deacon Jones.  He made up the term "sack"and unofficially had 173.5 of them in his career (the sack wasn't an official statistic until 1982).  I think the "Fearsome Foursome" nickname was coined mainly because of him.  Because Deacon Jones was scary!

Defensive Tackle: "Mean" Joe Greene-His name seems incomplete without "Mean" at the front, doesn't it?  For all the great players on that Steel Curtain defense of the 70s, he stands above the rest.  Greene is on the shortlist of the best defensive players in NFL history.  It's not a coincidence that drafting him in 1969 helped set the Steelers on that run of four Super Bowl titles in six years.  Plus, he was the star of the greatest Super Bowl commercial ever!  "Thanks, Mean Joe!"

Defensive Tackle: Merlin Olsen-Earlier in the month, I made a Hall of Fame case for Rosey Grier as an underrated and overlooked member of the Rams' Fearsome Foursome.  He didn't get enough credit because he was standing next to Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen!  Jones is the one who got the headlines, but Olsen was consistently great throughout a 15-year career.  He made 14 consecutive Pro Bowls, was a First Team All-Pro five straight times, and was named to the All-Decade Team for both the 60s and 70s.

Outside Linebacker: Lawrence Taylor-Duh!  As easy and obvious a selection as any on the list.  LT redefined the outside linebacker position, and he's right at the top of the list of greatest players in history.  At all positions, not just defense.  Among defensive players, he's pretty near a consensus No. 1.  He was the MVP in 1986.  A freakin' linebacker was MVP of the entire league!  A defensive player hasn't won it since.  He's also considered one of the "most feared" and "most intimidating" players in league history.  Just ask Joe Theismann.

Outside Linebacker: Jack Ham-A second member of the Steel Curtain.  I guess that defense was pretty good.  And, in the interest of full disclosure, I didn't know which Jack (Ham or Lambert) played on the outside and which was the middle linebacker.  Fortunately Shades was there to help me out!  On a defense that also included Mean Joe Greene, Ham managed to snag Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1975.

Inside/Middle Linebacker: Dick Butkus-This was arguably the hardest position to choose of them all.  There have been so many great middle linebackers in NFL history.  But none was better than the original, Dick Butkus.  Butkus.  The name itself is bad ass!  He had a reputation similar to that of Jones and LT.  In that you didn't want to mess with him.  And George Halas himself (you know, the guy who founded the league!) called Butkus "the gold standard by which other middle linebackers are measured."  So, really, how could I pick anybody else?

Cornerback: Deion Sanders-Sadly, I couldn't find a good Cowboys picture of Deion.  With all due respect to Jim Thorpe, Prime Time just might be the best athlete with a bust in Canton.  Don't forget, he played football and baseball simultaneously for a few years.  He eventually had to pick one, and I think he made the right decision.  Because in addition to being the best cover corner the NFL has ever seen, he could also play receiver and return kicks.  Deion also owns the distinction of being the only man to play in both the Super Bowl and the World Series.

Cornerback: Rod Woodson-After some back-and-forth about who would join Deion at corner, I settled on Rod Woodson.  His 17-year career included a stint at safety towards the end, but in his prime, Woodson was right up there with Deion as the top two corners in the game.  He had eight interceptions in a season twice and finished his career with 71.  Woodson holds the NFL record with 12 career pick-6's, and he also recovered 32 fumbles.  That's about more than just being in the right place at the right time.

Free Safety: Ed Reed-Speaking of being in the right place at the right time, didn't it seem like Ed Reed always was?  It's incredible how every time the Ravens needed a big play, he made one.  Reed had at least seven interceptions in a season five times, and he has the two longest interception returns in NFL history (107 and 106).  He also holds the record for postseason interceptions (9).  Fittingly, he and Ray Lewis, the two greatest players in franchise history, both played their final game for the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.  Guess who had an interception in the Baltimore win?

Strong Safety: Ronnie Lott-Yes, I cheated a little bit by putting Ronnie Lott at strong safety, but he played both almost an equal amount of time so I feel OK about it.  He's right up their on those "greatest defensive players of all-time" lists.  And, let's face it, as good as Montana, Rice and the offense were, the 49ers don't win four Super Bowls in the 80s without Ronnie Lott.  He led the league in interceptions twice (finishing with 63), was an eight-time All-Pro and 10-time Pro Bowler.  And Lott's also one of those rare players to appear on two different All-Decade Teams.

Punter: Ray Guy-You know my feelings on Ray Guy.  It's ridiculous that it took as long as it did for this "Guy" to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Because there's absolutely no debate about who the greatest punter in history is.  You can debate the merits of the position all you want (which is why his Hall of Fame induction took so long), but there's no question about Ray Guy.  He was a football player.  Period.  And his value to the Raiders was obvious.  When he finally gave an enshrinement speech in Canton, he said "now the Hall of Fame has a complete team."

Coach: Vince Lombardi-For all the great coaches to have roamed NFL sidelines over the years, only one has the championship trophy named after him.  He never had a losing season, had a career winning percentage of .728, and only lost one playoff game in his coaching career (which was his first one, the 1960 NFL Championship Game).  The Packers would go on to win five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls over the next seven years.  That standard of excellence, and doing it with class, is what made him such a great leader of men.  It's a legacy that so many try to live up to...while also trying to win a trophy with Lombardi's name on it!