We’re going to do a ‘best NFL defense’ tournament to determine who are the top NFL defenses (not top defenses/DSTs for FF)...and it’s a way for me to go back through the personnel and coaching, etc., to see who we might be missing, good or bad, hiding in the weeds.
We’ll do a division per day, then the Final Four/Conference finals ending with the Super Bowl/finals. An 11-day series that carries us though the end of the month.
We have 7 categories for a ‘Best of 7’ style process...with a lean towards the importance of the two key positions on a defense: The CB group and the DT group.
The seven categories are...
Cornerbacks: The most critical spot, in our estimations.
Def. Tackle: The 2nd most critical spot.
Def. Coordinator: Management is key here.
Interior LBs: The non-pass rush LBs.
Pass Rush: Judging the pass rush as a whole, the front 7.
Def. Backs: Judging the CBs and SAFs.
Backups/Depth: The overall depth, judging the 2nd and 3rd team defenses for the team.
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NFC West
49ers v. Rams
Cornerbacks: (LAR 1-0)...edge to LAR...Witherspoon and Lake are very underrated.
Def. Tackle: (LAR 2-0)...easy win for LAR
Def. Coordinator: (LAR 2-1)...I’m not a Robert Saleh guy at all, but he gets the edge here.
Interior LBs: (2-2 tie)...the 49ers by a wide margin here.
Pass Rush: (LAR 3-2)...Verse-Fiske-Young-Turner is gonna be tough to beat for any defense in this tourney.
Def. Backs: (LAR wins 4-2)...LAR has better CBs and edge at SAF as well. SF has young talent that may be 1-2 years away.
Backups/Depth: (LAR 4-3)...I was surprised at how much better/more promising the 49ers defensive depth was over LAR. The Rams are all about the starters.
The Rams slide past SF to go to the NFC West finals.
Cardinals v. Seahawks
Cornerbacks: (ARI 1-0)...the Cards are deeper and better than Seattle.
Def. Tackle: (ARI 2-0)...the Cards win again based on the depth...maybe the deepest DT group in the NFL, and it’s not even close.
Def. Coordinator: (ARI 2-1) Mike Macdonald gives Seattle the edge for now, but Jon Gannon is good too.
Interior LBs: (2-2 tie)...the edge goes to the Seattle starters over Arizona’s.
Pass Rush: (SEA 3-2)...could go either way but the EDGE rusher advantage goes to Seattle.
Def. Backs: (3-3 tie)...Arizona is deep at CB and very good with the starters at SAF. We’re going to a game seven!
Backups/Depth: (ARI wins 4-3)...Seattle is deep, but Arizona may have the deepest roster of defensive talent in all the NFL.
Arizona slides by Seattle and now goes on to face a Rams team that slipped by SF for the NFC West title.
Cardinals v. Rams
Cornerbacks: (LAR 1-0)...the Rams are good with their starting trio, with a bit of depth. Arizona has a very promising CB group, and it’s deep, but it’s unproven compared to LAR’s.
Def. Tackle: (LAR 2-0)...easy win for LAR.
Def. Coordinator: (LAR 2-1)...Jonathan Gannon is the best defensive mind on either side of this.
Interior LBs: (2-2 tie)...wow, are these two LB groups bad.
Pass Rush: (LAR 3-2) ...Verse-Fiske-Young-Turner is really good.
Def. Backs: (LAR wins 4-2)...so close at DB, but the Rams starting CB group just holds so much sway that Budda Baker cannot make up the gap. Arizona has depth and upside, but the Rams have the experience advantage with the starters. If Will Johnson were assured to be healthy and ‘right’ -- Arizona wins it, but I have to lean Rams right now.
Backups/Depth: (LAR 4-3)...Arizona has such great depth.
The Rams book two (4-3) wins to get to the NFC Final Four, joining Philly.
