Will DeMarcus Ware catch Bruce Smith?

When The Dallas Cowboys selected DeMarcus Ware they were hoping that he
would be an impact player on defense. The Cowboys selected Ware with the
11th overall pick of The 2005 NFL Draft and the outside linebacker from
Troy University has been putting the beat down on quarterbacks. Ware is
one of the most feared pass rushers of his generation and you start to
wonder if Ware can become The National Football League’s all-time sack
leader by the time that his career is finished.

Through six-plus seasons Ware has totaled 87 sacks which is 41st on the
all-time sack list. Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith is the
current leader in the clubhouse with 200 career sacks. At this point of
his career, Ware has more sacks than Smith did at the same point of his
career with 78 sacks. In 2008 Ware totaled 20 sacks that season which is
a mark that Smith never reached in his decorated career.

Ware already has seven sacks this season and he is on pace for 21.5 to
finish the year. At 6’4″ 247 lbs. Ware has the rare gift of speed and
strength for an edge rusher. Ware must be accounted for by opposing
offenses at all times as he loves to wreak havoc in the offensive
backfield. Cowboys owner/general manager/ball boy/bus driver Jerry Jones
created a great pairing once he hired Rob Ryan at the team’s defensive
coordinator prior to this season. Ryan’s defensive scheme calls for a
ton of blitzes and Ryan has been like a kid at Christmas in the way that
he has used Ware this season. Instead of Ware just lining up at outside
linebacker, Ware has been lining up at multiple positions in the
defensive front seven. This philosophy by Ryan doesn’t allow opposing
offenses to get a fix on Ware therefore neutralizing any plans of a
double team on the sack specialist. Ware is still strong enough to get
through double teams and inflict pain on quarterbacks.

What made Smith great was his durability. Smith played in The NFL for 19
seasons as a member of The Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. With
13 more sacks this season Ware would be at 100 sacks for his career and
he won’t be 30 years old until the start of next season. Ware himself
has been very durable as he has not missed a contest since suiting up
for The Cowboys. Without any severe injuries I feel that Ware is looking
at giving Smith’s sack record a serious run. As long as Ryan is dialing
up great defensive schemes, Ware will consistently post double-digit
sack seasons. Ware’s presence doesn’t bode well for NFC quarterbacks
such as Eli Manning of The New York Giants who has been a regular victim
of Ware’s sacks. Ware’s ability as an edge rusher will put Smith’s sack
record in jeopardy.