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I think one of the keys to the game is how we handle DE/DT Haloti Ngata. He is a beast. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if I had to pick any one defensive player in the entire NFL to build my defense around, it would be Ngata. Here's why:
(1) He's young (25). High character kid, no issues. Ed Reed is a fabulous player, but he's 31, with back problems.
(2) He's versatile. At 6'4" 345# he mostly plays DE in the 3-4, but can easily play NT, or 4-3 DT. To have the athleticism to play 3-4 DE at that size is incredibly rare.
(3) He shuts down the run. Despite the NFL becoming a passing league, stopping the run is still critical, and Ngata excels at that. In 2005 the Ravens were 9th in passing defense at 99.4 YPG (just behind the 2005 Patriots, at 98,8 YPG). Then they drafted Ngata. In the 3 full seasons since they have finished 2nd in 2006 (75.9 YPG), 3rd in 2007 (89.9 YPG, despite losing starting DE Trevor Price for almost the entire season), and 3rd in 2008 (81.4 YPG). They currently rank 1st so far in 2009, average a measly 51.0 YPG, over 10 better than 2nd ranked Tennessee. Even the 2000 Ravens with Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa in the middle didn't do that well, giving up 60.6 YPG. The 2003 Pats in comparison allowed 89.6 YPG rushing. The Ravens haven't allowed a 100 yard rusher since Ngata's rookie season.
Ngata hasn't posted the kind of sacks that Seymour did (4.5 in 3 years prior to this year), but to my mind he is the biggest impact 3-4 DL player since vintage Seymour. He doesn't have huge numbers on the stat sheet, but his presence on the DL is what allows Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed to make plays.
Pass rushing DE/OLBs like DeMarcus Ware (25), shut down CBs like Darrell Revis (24) and play making safeties like Troy Polamalu (28) are all tempting, but a great defense starts on the DL, and I can't think of a better player to build around than Ngata.
I can't see Matt Light making much of an impact on Ngata. I'd like to see how Seabass might fare against him.
(1) He's young (25). High character kid, no issues. Ed Reed is a fabulous player, but he's 31, with back problems.
(2) He's versatile. At 6'4" 345# he mostly plays DE in the 3-4, but can easily play NT, or 4-3 DT. To have the athleticism to play 3-4 DE at that size is incredibly rare.
(3) He shuts down the run. Despite the NFL becoming a passing league, stopping the run is still critical, and Ngata excels at that. In 2005 the Ravens were 9th in passing defense at 99.4 YPG (just behind the 2005 Patriots, at 98,8 YPG). Then they drafted Ngata. In the 3 full seasons since they have finished 2nd in 2006 (75.9 YPG), 3rd in 2007 (89.9 YPG, despite losing starting DE Trevor Price for almost the entire season), and 3rd in 2008 (81.4 YPG). They currently rank 1st so far in 2009, average a measly 51.0 YPG, over 10 better than 2nd ranked Tennessee. Even the 2000 Ravens with Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa in the middle didn't do that well, giving up 60.6 YPG. The 2003 Pats in comparison allowed 89.6 YPG rushing. The Ravens haven't allowed a 100 yard rusher since Ngata's rookie season.
Ngata hasn't posted the kind of sacks that Seymour did (4.5 in 3 years prior to this year), but to my mind he is the biggest impact 3-4 DL player since vintage Seymour. He doesn't have huge numbers on the stat sheet, but his presence on the DL is what allows Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed to make plays.
Pass rushing DE/OLBs like DeMarcus Ware (25), shut down CBs like Darrell Revis (24) and play making safeties like Troy Polamalu (28) are all tempting, but a great defense starts on the DL, and I can't think of a better player to build around than Ngata.
I can't see Matt Light making much of an impact on Ngata. I'd like to see how Seabass might fare against him.