by David ElfinFiled under: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Redskins, NFC East
If defensive linemen are judged by sacks, then 2010 was a successful one for NFC East defensive linemen. Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora of the New York Giants and fellow end Trent Cole of the Philadelphia Eagles all finished in the top 10 in the league among defensive linemen. Only the AFC South matched with three such players in the top 10. New York (fourth) and Philadelphia (10th) ranked in the top 10 in sacks per pass attempt with the Dallas Cowboys coming in 13th.If stopping the run is mission number one for a defensive line, then the NFC East can pride itself on New York (eighth) cracking the top 10. However, Dallas (12th) and Philadelphia (15th) also finished in the top half of the league. The Giants (seventh) and Eagles (12th) also stacked up well in total defense.
However, the NFC East didn't have a single team in the top 16 in points allowed (a category that also includes touchdowns on returns which don't come against the defense) and Washington can't be found in positive territory in any of these categories so 2010 wasn't exactly a return to the days of Randy White and Too Tall Jones, Charles Mann and Dexter Manley, Reggie White and Clyde Simmons or Leonard Marshall and Jim Burt along the defensive line in the NFC East.
But it's still worth taking a look back and a look ahead to 2011 with the big men who live to cause havoc for opposing offenses.
GIANTS: As noted above, Tuck and Umenyiora had good years getting after the quarterback even though fellow end Mathias Kiwaunka was lost for the season with a neck injury after recording a team-leading four sacks during New York's first three games. Among NFC defensive linemen, only Atlanta's John Abraham produced more sacks than the 11.5 apiece recorded by New York's ends.
The Giants were never more effective than in Week 4 when they set an NFL record with nine sacks in the first half against Chicago. They wound up with 10 while sending Bears quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Todd Collins to the sidelines. Carolina's Matt Moore had gone down in Week 1 under the New York assault, Detroit's Shaun Hill would follow in Week 6 and linebacker Michael Boley got Dallas' Tony Romo in Week 7.
All told, the Giants finished with 46 sacks, a nearly 50 percent increase from their 32 of 2009. Tuck and Umenyiora, who much preferred 2010 defensive coordinator Perry Fewell to predecessor Bill Sheridan, accounted for most of the increase, rising from 13 between them to 23. First-round draft choice Jason Pierre-Paul went sackless during the first 10 games, but the end, who turned 22 on New Year's Day, recorded 4.5 sacks during the next four weeks. Top tackle Barry Cofield rose from one in 2009 to four.
The 27-year-old Tuck, who was chosen for the Pro Bowl, led the line with 76 tackles and 48 solos while the 29-year-old Umenyiora edged him out with 29 hurries to 27. Remarkably, Tuck, Umenyiora, Cofield and Chris Canty started all 16 games as a unit for position coach Robert Nunn. Cofield, 26, and Kiwanuka, 27, are unsigned for 2011 but the former figures to be back and the latter's return depends mostly on his health. GRADE: A-
EAGLES: Philadelphia defensive line coach Rory Segrest could only hope for such stability. While right end Cole started every week until resting during the meaningless finale along with most of the starters, veteran Juqua Parker and Brandon Graham went back and forth at left end until the first-round draft choice tore an ACL in Week 14.
After the Eagles lost their opener to visiting Green Bay, neither of Segrest's veteran tackles, Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley, were in the lineup in Week 2. By the time Bunkely returned three weeks later, 2009 rookie free agent Antonio Dixon had taken his job for the rest of the season.
Cole's 10 sacks gave him 57 during his six seasons, moving him into third place on Philadelphia's career list behind Hall of Famers White and Simmons. Cole's 52 sacks the past five years rank third in the league, second to Minnesota's Jared Allen among defensive linemen. Cole, 28, also easily led Philadelphia with 34 hurries (Graham was next with 13) and clearly topped the line with 81 tackles and 53 solos.
The 27-year-old Patterson had an off year. His 57 tackles were half the career-high he recorded in 2007. Parker, who'll be 33 in May, slipped to 31 tackles, 16 fewer than he had as a backup in 2006. However, the knee injury to the 22-year-old Graham means that the veteran doesn't figure to be going anywhere for a while. The 25-year-old Dixon, who has overcome much adversity to reach the NFL, has been a big surprise during his two seasons in Philadelphia. His 10 starts in 2010 equaled his total during his four seasons at the University of Miami. Barring a big pushback from the 27-year-old Bunkley, Dixon should remain the starter in 2011 if he can keep improving and keep his weight in check. GRADE: B
COWBOYS: During Dallas' 2009 NFC East championship season, only two of its 16 opponents scored at least 30 points. In 2010, eight of the Cowboys' foes reached that level. In 2009, Dallas defensive linemen combined for 14 sacks. In 2010, they combined for 7.5. In 2010, the Cowboys finished second in scoring defense, fourth in run defense and ninth overall. In 2010, those rankings were 31st, 12th and 23rd.
All those numbers pretty much tell the story of Dallas' plunge from 11-5 to 6-10 (including the 5-3 second half under then-interim coach Jason Garrett and interim defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni). There were some games when the Cowboys' defense couldn't have stopped a high school team. In Weeks 7-9, Dallas allowed 121 points to the Giants, Jacksonville and Green Bay.
Nose tackle Jay Ratliff made another Pro Bowl, but he wasn't the force that he had been in 2008 and 2009 when he was credited with 83 tackles each season and totaled 13.5 sacks. Ratliff finished with just 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Right end Igor Olshansky's tackles were cut in half from a career-high 76 to 38. Neither Stephen Bowen, who took over at left end in the Cowboys' 3-4 scheme when Marcus Spears suffered a season-ending calf injury in Week 9, was much of a factor at left end. Backups Jason Hatcher and Josh Brent weren't that special either. Spears is unsigned for 2011 as are Bowen and Hatcher. Now that Garrett's the coach, their futures in Dallas likely lie in his hands and those of whomever he hires as defensive coordinator. GRADE: D
REDSKINS: After finishing 10th in total defense, 16th against the run and 18th in points allowed in 2009 in former coordinator Greg Blache's 4-3 scheme, Washington sank to 31st, 26th and a tie for 21st in its debut in Haslett's 3-4 alignment. Haynesworth, who figures to be traded or cut, was a disruptive force off the field but rarely so on it while producing just 21 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Kedric Golston, 27, who moved from backup tackle to starting right end, was credited with a line-high 57 tackles as he heads into free agency.
Left end Adam Carriker, acquired from St. Louis, had 54 tackles while starting every game after missing all of 2009 with the Rams. Nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu, signed from Carolina for whom he had missed all of 2009 with an Achilles, never fully bounced back before going on injured reserve in December as did Golston and former starting left end Phillip Daniels, 37. Daniels and end Vonnie Holliday, 35, were reliable backups.
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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/01/13/giants-top-nfc-east-defensive-line-rankings-in-2010/
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