For 91 years The National Football League has been in business. It
started in Canton, Ohio and quickly expanded to the big cities of
America. From coast to coast fans have seen great players at every
position. One position that stands out is the pass rusher. The pass
rusher is generally either an outside linebacker or a defensive end.
This player can cause havoc and put fear into a quarterback. The pass
rusher must always be accounted for and even when he is accounted for it
doesn’t stop him from bringing the pain. For the players on this list
it isn’t just about stats. The sack wasn’t an official NFL stat until
1982 but that won’t stop players who played prior to 1982 from having a spot on this list. A
player had to put that fear into his opponent game in and game out. For
this list, players must have the ability to take the game over
single-handedly. Starting from fifteenth to number one here is my list
off top pass rushers.
15. Mark Gastineau 1979-1988 (New York Jets)
Gastineau
had the hair of a rocker and the arrogance needed to play in New York
City. Note that I said New York City because The Jets actually played in
The Big Apple until the end of 1983. Gastineau had 20 sacks in 1981,
19 in 1983, and had 22 in 1984 which stood as a single-season NFL record
for nearly 20 years. Gastineau was brash which was demonstrated by his
“sack dance” after sacking a quarterback.
14. Doug Atkins 1953-1969 (Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints)
If
opponents did not respect Atkins he would be it out of them for four
quarters. Atkins stood in at 6’8″ and was the anchor of The Bears
“Monster of The Midway” defense. Atkins was an eight-time Pro Bowl
selection and a 1982 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
13. Randy White 1975-1988 (Dallas Cowboys)
White was a
monster in the middle of The Cowboys famed “Doomsday Defense”. White
was one the strongest players of his era as he was constantly able to
shed double teams to stop the run and get to the quarterback. White was a
Co-MVP of Super Bowl 12 along with teammate Harvey Martin. White
finished his career with 111 sacks.
12. DeMarcus Ware 2005-Present (Dallas Cowboys)
Ware
is the only active player on this list and in a few years his position
will be higher. Ware has the combination of speed and strength to beat
offensive tackles and punish quarterbacks. In six seasons Ware has
tallied 80 sacks including a career high 20 in 2008.
11. Michael Strahan 1993-2007 (New York Giants)
For
the 90’s and 2000’s Strahan was one of the most feared defensive ends in
football, just ask Donovan McNabb who was sacked more times than any
other quarterback that Strahan sacked. There will be an asterisk next to
it, but Strahan is the single season sack leader of The NFL with 22.5.
The last sack was handed to him by Brett Favre but a sack is a sack.
Strahan finished his career with 141.5 sacks which is good enough for
the franchise lead for The Giants. Strahan’s most memorable sack came
in Super Bowl 42 when he sacked quarterback Tom Brady in helping The
Giants to a 17-14 upset of the unbeaten New England Patriots.
10. Jack Youngblood 1971-1984 (Los Angeles Rams)
Youngblood
personified guts and determination during his career. Known as “The
John Wayne of Football” his guts were on display when Youngblood
fractured a bone in his in The Divisional Round versus The Cowboys in 1979.
Youngblood played through the pain in helping The Rams win The NFC
Championship. Aside from that Youngblood had a career high 18 sacks that
season. Youngblood was brought in to replace a legend in Deacon Jones
and he paved a way for himself. Youngblood tallied 151.5 sacks for his
career which earns him a spot on this list.
9. Harvey Martin 1973-1983 (Dallas Cowboys)
No I am
not showing a bias for The Cowboys, but they have had some fierce pass
rushers. Nicknamed “The Beautiful” Martin wreaked havoc along with Randy
White, Jethro Pugh, and Ed “Too Tall” Jones for head coach Tom Landry’s
“doomsday defense”. In 1977 Martin had 23 sacks en route to being
Co-MVP of Super Bowl 12 along with White.
8. Kevin Greene 1985-1999 (Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers)
Very
quietly Greene is third on The NFL’s all-time sack list with 160.
Greene looked like Hulk Hogan with the long blonde hair sticking out of
his helmet and he ran wild on quarterbacks. In 15 seasons Greene tallied
double digit sacks ten times.
7. Derrick Thomas 1989-1999 (Kansas City Chiefs)
Hands
down Thomas was one of the premier pass rushers of his era. Thomas’
defining moment as a pro came in 1990 when Thomas recorded seven sacks
in one game versus The Seattle Seahawks. Thomas went on to have 20 sacks
that season and finish with 126.5 for his career.
6. John Randle 1990-2003 (Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks)
For
his position Randle was small in stature, but he made up for it with
his play and his mouth. Randle came into the league undrafted out of
Texas A&I and he set out to prove critics wrong. Many felt at 6’1″
and 287 lbs. that he was to small to play defensive tackle and he
quickly put that myth to bed. During the 90’s Randle was one of the
toughest men to block, even by two opponents. Randle’s best season came
in 1997 when he recorded 15.5 sacks on his way to finishing his career
with 137.5 sacks which places him tied with Richard Dent for sixth on
the all-time list.
5. Alan Page 1967-1981 (Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears)
Any
man that wins The Most Valuable Player Award as a defensive player
deserves to be on this list. Page starred on The Vikings famed ‘Purple
People Eaters” defense of the 70’s. Page was very quick as a defensive
tackle which allowed him to constantly split double teams. Page combined
that speed with the strength to sandwich any quarterback in his path.
Page’s best season came in 1976 when he recorded 18 sacks and finished
with 148.5 for his career.
4. Bruce Smith 1985-2003 (Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins)
Smith
is the all-time leader for sacks with 200 and all he did was terrorize
opposing quarterbacks for 19 seasons. Smith had tremendous speed off of
the edge to go along with very long arms. Smith helped The Bills to four
consecutive Super Bowl appearances. Along the way Smith kept the
pursuit on AFC quarterbacks such as Dan Marino and John Elway, who Smith
tried to plant into the turf.
3. Reggie White 1985-2000 (Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers)
White
was known as “The Minister of Defense” and he delivered the message to
quarterbacks every Sunday. White got his start in The United States
Football League and recorded 23.5 sacks in two seasons for The Memphis
Showboats. White joined The Eagles in 1985 and it didn’t take him long
to make his presence known in The NFL. In White’s first season he
totaled 13 sacks followed by 18 in 1986. White then totaled 21 in 1987.
His ’87 total was most impressive due to the fact that White only played
in 12 games due to a player strike. White moved on to Green Bay
in 1993 and helped The Packers bring The Vince Lombardi Trophy back home
in 1996. White took Super Bowl 31 over in the fourth quarter when he
destroyed New England Patriot offensive lineman Max Lane for three sacks
of quarterback Drew Bledsoe. White will go down as one of the strongest
players ever to play pro football.
2. Lawrence Taylor 1981-1993 (New York Giants)
There
may be players that accumulated more sacks than Taylor, but LT meant
so much to the term pass rusher. When Taylor broke into the league,
outside linebackers were usually handled by a blocking tight end. Taylor
was too strong for tight ends, too quick for offensive tackles, and too
mammoth for running backs to block. Washington Redskin head coach Joe
Gibbs invented the h-back position because of Taylor and the havoc that
he caused. Along with Alan Page, Taylor is the only defensive player to
become league MVP as he won the honor in 1986. Taylor ended the career
of Redskin quarterback Joe Theismann in 1985 and put fear in every
opponent he faced. Taylor had the ability to line up at multiple
positions and wherever he was Taylor would get to the quarterback.
Taylor finished his career with 141.5 sacks as he took up a permanent
residence in the opponents backfield.
1. David Deacon Jones 1961-1974 (Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins)
The Deacon coined the term sack and put the emphasis on getting to the
quarterback. While with The Rams, Jones was apart of “The Fearsome
Foursome” which may have been one of the best defensive lines ever.
Along with Lamar Lundy, Merlin Olsen, and Rosey Grier, this quartet
dominated football of the 1960’s. According to Pro Football Weekly,
Jones recorded 194.5 sacks for his career. In 1967 Jones had 26 sacks
followed by 24 in 1968. What is most amazing is that The NFL regular
season was only 14 games during that time as opposed to 16 now. When a
great pass rusher comes into the league the gold standard will always be
The Deacon.
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