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White, Smith a cut above today's great pass rushers
Great technical read - But The Answer disagrees about Reggie White being in a class by himself. Bruce Smith was an untamed beast and a big reason why the Bills went to four straight superbowls:
White, Smith a cut above today's great pass-rushers
By KC Joyner
ESPN Insider
(Archive)
Updated: March 13, 2008
Former NFL defensive end Chuck Smith contends that today's pass-rushers lack the technical pass-rushing skills of their 1990s counterparts. After hearing this, my first thought was to wonder how today's elite sack masters compare with the best of the previous decade.
Ihappen to have some film from the 1990s, so I decided to see how the best pass-rushers of 2007 compare with the best rushers of the '90s.
There are seven basic pass-rushing moves (see related box) that provide the basis for any pass-rusher's overall repertoire. Each of these techniques requires mastering a specific skill as well as variations on the standard moves, so most pass-rushers will lean heavily on two or three techniques (or combinations of techniques) and not use the others.
The first step in the analysis is to name the five best pass-rushers from each period. When I rank pass-rushers, I lean primarily on two criteria: ........................
~The Answer
White, Smith a cut above today's great pass-rushers
By KC Joyner
ESPN Insider
(Archive)
Updated: March 13, 2008
Former NFL defensive end Chuck Smith contends that today's pass-rushers lack the technical pass-rushing skills of their 1990s counterparts. After hearing this, my first thought was to wonder how today's elite sack masters compare with the best of the previous decade.
Ihappen to have some film from the 1990s, so I decided to see how the best pass-rushers of 2007 compare with the best rushers of the '90s.
There are seven basic pass-rushing moves (see related box) that provide the basis for any pass-rusher's overall repertoire. Each of these techniques requires mastering a specific skill as well as variations on the standard moves, so most pass-rushers will lean heavily on two or three techniques (or combinations of techniques) and not use the others.
The first step in the analysis is to name the five best pass-rushers from each period. When I rank pass-rushers, I lean primarily on two criteria: ........................
~The Answer