Vince Wilfork best NT in the league?

I know silly question to ask in a Pats forum but we seem to have a very objective group here. Seriously though who is better at the NT or for that matter an interrior DL spot than big Vince? If someone says Sapp you automatically get forum slapped haha.

i know he plays DT but Albert Haynesworth is playing out of his mind right now. I'd still take Wilfork but he's my early season number 2 interior D lineman.

Hard to go against Jamal Williams here, but Vince might be a slightly better pass rusher. And Haynesworth is a monster, but more of a penetrator.

its nice to see him beating centers rather than just stepping on them

I would have to go with Casey Hampton. People have overlooked just how well that Pitt Defense has been playing. Plus I don't think the DE's are comparable to NE's, it all starts in the middle.

Who's he competing against? There aren't many NT's in the league.

Casey Hampton and Jamal Williams would be pretty close/ahead of him in most people's eyes. If you're going with interior linemen than there's a couple of guys leaguewide who would be at that level, although I'm mostly thinking of non-NT types.

letekro said:

Hard to go against Jamal Williams here, but Vince might be a slightly better pass rusher.

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Jamal is good but I feel he plays more like a 4-3 lineman in a 3-4 scheme. Vince is doing what Ted Washington did for his one year here, except he's 13 yrs younger and 30 lb's lighter

He is close but I think Casey Hampton is the best NT in the league and I think Wilfork and Jamaal Williams are right there behind him.

stats cloud the mind watch technique and all will become clear. I know I sound like a honk but I was a NT in college and Semi-pro so I know a little something about this. His 2 gap technique and ability to shed the gaurd/center are amazing. When your a NT in a 3-4 your not supposed to make the tackle all the time but he beats his man off a 2 gap better than most 1 gap tackles

If Wilfork stays healthy, this is the year he makes Pro-Bowl. Running into Wilfork is like running straight into a brick wall. He is starting to get mentioned every week now.

cartmen said:

stats cloud the mind watch technique and all will become clear. I know I sound like a honk but I was a NT in college and Semi-pro so I know a little something about this. His 2 gap technique and ability to shed the gaurd/center are amazing. When your a NT in a 3-4 your not supposed to make the tackle all the time but he beats his man off a 2 gap better than most 1 gap tackles

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Watching technique will cloud the mind even worse. The Patriots play the two gap Fairbanks-Bullough 3-4, whereas the Chargers play the Phillips 3-4, a one gap system. The Steelers run a modified version of that in LeBeau's zone blitz 3-4. All play their system at a high-caliber level and are the best NT at that defense, but their respective systems are so different that it's not really a position you can define any one player as being the best.

BWareofDWare said:

Watching technique will cloud the mind even worse. The Patriots play the two gap Fairbanks-Bullough 3-4, whereas the Chargers play the Phillips 3-4, a one gap system. The Steelers run a modified version of that in LeBeau's zone blitz 3-4. All play their system at a high-caliber level and are the best NT at that defense, but their respective systems are so different that it's not really a position you can define any one player as being the best.

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Point noted but to say technique will cloud the mind is untrue. I am not saying any of those guys aren't good trust me if we had any of those guys we'd be in pretty good shape, but thats what makes my case VW is in a 2 gap 3-4 and still puts up comparable to better numbers.

Great thread. Hampton, Haynesworth, Wilfork and Williams do seem to be the league's premier immovable objects...and all AFC, of course. Just like Brady, Manning, Palmer. One of those little points to ponder.

Yes...........

Last year I would have said Jamal Williams. This year I'm not so sure. I haven't seen Casey Hampton play this year, but I'll give the edge to Vince anyway because his performance in the Chargers game was huge (considering LDT has always had field days against the Pats).

To the Hampton and Williams supporters: It's early. Things can change.

Regards,
Chris

He is getting there, the best young NT by far. It is hard to go against Williams (31) and Hampton (30) but they are both 30 or over. BB recently called him "the most complete player he's ever coached at the position" Hard to go against BB.

Wilfork is also hungry (pun intended) and has improved each year. I hope we get to see Seymour, Warren and Wilfork on the field together a whole lot the next couple of season. Both he and Seymour are FAs after the 2009 season.

Wilfork is the #1 guy to lock up early with Randy Moss and Ellis Hobbs rounding up the list.

Madden said Jamal Williams was the best NT in the league a couple weeks agho during the Pats game. FWIW, I think Wilfork is just as good.

Williams is a little banged up at the moment, which makes the comparison a little unfair. But I agree that some order of Williams/Wilfork/Hampton make up the top three, with little variation between them.

cartmen said:

Point noted but to say technique will cloud the mind is untrue. I am not saying any of those guys aren't good trust me if we had any of those guys we'd be in pretty good shape, but thats what makes my case VW is in a 2 gap 3-4 and still puts up comparable to better numbers.

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Just saying that while I agree that comparing stats don't let you judge the players in their system, neither does comparing technique since all 3 of the top 3 are supposed to be playing a different technique. I can guarantee you that the coaches of all 3 players would say on and off the record that they wouldn't want any other nosetackle in their defense.