Who Has the Best Front Seven Defensive Tackles?
Dontari Poe. The key position in a 3-4 defense is the nose tackle. The Chiefs have one of the best in the business in Dontari Poe. Entering only his third season in the league Poe began last season like gangbusters with 4.5 sacks in the first 5 games but, faded a bit as the year wore on and he had zero sacks in games 6-16. That’s because other teams quickly figured out they would have to double team him at all times, which they did. Poe also had 17 tackles in the first five games but only 26 tackles the rest of the season. If Poe figures out how to beat double-teams there will be no stopping Poe or the Chiefs defense. Defensive linemen often take three years to reach their potential and since this is year three for Mr. Poe there’s a good chance he’ll be taking another step up the performance ladder. Whether or not Poe is consistently able to beat a double-team really doesn’t matter as long as he’s able to continue to demand the double-teams, which will allow his front seven teammates to go off. And this year… there should be loads of… going off. The depth at the NT position looks better this season too. Whether it’s Kyle Love or Jermelle Cudjo, Poe should get more quality relief during games and be better in the 4th quarter of the season and specific games.
Glenn Dorsey. In San Francisco, the 49ers have ex-Chief Glenn Dorsey manning the ones and zero (and that has nothing to do with computers) gaps. Dorsey was a terrific college player and that’s why the Chiefs drafted him 5th overall in 2008 but, he hasn’t won any awards for his play since… college. When the Chiefs cut Dorsey loose he went on to the bay area to stabilize a position of need and although he played well this past season I wouldn’t currently place him in the same class as Dontari Poe. Also, Poe’s upside is much greater with room to improve while Dorsey is likely at or past his zenith for a defensive lineman as he turns 30 next year.
Brandon Mebane and Tony McDaniel. In Seattle, the Seahawks run a 4-3 defense so in many ways it’s not fair to compare individual players at selected positions. However, the Seahawks front seven basically dismantled the Broncos offensive line in the Super Bowl and it was a team effort starting up front with the big boys. DT Brandon Mebane had three tackles including a tackle for a loss in that game. However, he and DT Tony McDaniel should never be mistaken for Dontari Poe. While depth was/is a strength of the Seahawks the Chiefs have added quality depth too. With Dontari Poe already making the Pro Bowl in his second year the edge goes decidedly to the Chiefs at defensive tackle… as long as Poe can get the kind of penetration he got in the first part of last season and sustain that throughout the year. Sustaining the best front seven is dependent on having a great NT so if Poe goes down it changes everything. That’s how important he is.
“There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood,
Where lived a country boy named of Johnny B. Goode.
Go Go, Go Johnny Go, Go Go, Johnny B. Goode”
Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry, 1958
Now, let’s see if the best front seven defensive ends belong to the Chiefs, 49ers or the Seahawks.
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