AkronsWitness Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Are defensive intimidators extinct and with the NFL rules, is it possible for them to even exist anymore? Who is one in todays NFL, if any? I wanted to start this thread to not only get answers to that question, but give some shine to those 'rough and rugged' defenders from decades past where the rules were a little different that legitimately altered the offensive gameplan. This is half nostalgic, half seeking answers for the current/future NFL landscape. Have the rules became so altered that its impossible for guys like this to play anymore? Is it like the NFL sneakily killing off the Kick Returner position or is there hope now or in the future by changing technique with similar results? Some notables: Ray Lewis Brian Urlacher James Harrison Lawrence Taylor Patrick Willis John Lynch Brian Dawkins Sean Taylor Troy Polamalu Steve Atwater Vontaze Burfict Jack Tatum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trojan Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 I love how Jack Tatum makes the list a good 20 years before anyone else with no peers from his era. There is no Tatum in today's game. The linebacker position today is more coverage plus to get recognized as one of the better ones in the game. I think you'll find the intimidating hitters still in the game but they are like quasi-starters in the modern game guys like Denzel Perryman. The run game support safety isn't as hype as when it had Kam Chancellor, but guys like Jamal Adams still try and play that style of game. It kinda makes sense if the RBs aren't valued the defensive players whose job is to stop the run go down as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronsWitness Posted August 14 Author Share Posted August 14 17 minutes ago, Trojan said: I love how Jack Tatum makes the list a good 20 years before anyone else with no peers from his era. There is no Tatum in today's game. The linebacker position today is more coverage plus to get recognized as one of the better ones in the game. I think you'll find the intimidating hitters still in the game but they are like quasi-starters in the modern game guys like Denzel Perryman. The run game support safety isn't as hype as when it had Kam Chancellor, but guys like Jamal Adams still try and play that style of game. It kinda makes sense if the RBs aren't valued the defensive players whose job is to stop the run go down as well. Well I included Tatum because he was deliberately abusive whose style wouldn't cater to any era post 1990 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trojan Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Just now, AkronsWitness said: Well I included Tatum because he was deliberately abusive whose style wouldn't cater to any era post 1990 lol He crippled Derek Stingley Jr.'s grandpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbertGOAT Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 The NFL wants high-flying offense. The high-flying style is being drilled into football strategy down to Junior High, with the exceptions of small schools who can't play that style. Speed is the name of the game, and teams and players can't afford to sacrifice speed for toughness or strength in numerous cases. The short answer is no, I don't think there will be many more, if any defensive intimidators like we've seen in the past. Maybe guys like Shaq Leonard, Jamal Adams, or Aaron Donald fit the bill today, but it's a far cry from where the league was even 10 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT14 Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Is Donald not one of those guy? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoboRocket Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 2 hours ago, MikeT14 said: Is Donald not one of those guy? He is, for sure. Also, not just a homer take: Budda Baker is the player everyone else wants Jamal Adams to be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFlaccoSeagulls Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 20 minutes ago, HoboRocket said: He is, for sure. Also, not just a homer take: Budda Baker is the player everyone else wants Jamal Adams to be. not a single person in the entire world fears Budda Baker in the way this thread is intending. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ET80 Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Intimidators were legislated out of the game via fines and suspensions. The last one we’ll ever see was James Harrison - his $75,000 fine for nearly decapitating Browns WR Mohammad Massaquoi was the meteor that killed these creatures. Sure - there are guys who can intimidate with their style of play. But the reckless abandon guys such as Harrison played with? Nah, that’s a quick way to bankruptcy court for a defender, Goodell has plenty of FedEx envelopes and five figure fines to pass out. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soko Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Nothing would be stopping a prime Kam Chancellor from wrecking RBs and WRs in the short-intermediate. They just don’t make guys like that that often. Same with Patrick Willis, Ray Lewis, Troy Polamalu, etc. Those guys are HOFers for a reason. The rules did make it harder on Joe Schmo safety absolutely plastering guys. So smaller guys like a Ryan Clark or a Brandon Meriweather or a Dunta Robinson can’t head hunt. Guys who hit clean but were just incredibly physical (like Kam, Browner, Ray) are just few and far between, especially with emphasis on speed/coverage in today’s game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetterCallSaul Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 No players are big hitters anymore. The best chance of seeing a big hit without a flag is a RB trucking someone. Sad how soft football has gotten. Still the best sport, but I miss what it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malfatron Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 Chuck cecil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tugboat Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 Leonard has a bit of that too him. He hits with speed that equals force. Jamal Adams was this sort of tone-setter but then he went to Seattle and sucked hard. There are others. They just aren't as prominent, cut from a little bit of a different mold, and don't get the same accolades and attention as that type of player did back in the day. The whole game is becoming different though. The collisions are still violent due to the speed. But elusiveness and agility are now the prime attributes over physicality. Even OLinemen, all these "road graders" have disappeared. It's all about guys who can move nimbly and use technique to execute the system over physically overpowering guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwibrown Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 Player safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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