Sporting News Today - Best Defensive Coordinators

[awalt]

No surprise, Dick LeBeau is #1 and that's hard to argue.

Also no surprise that Greg Mattison did not make the list (of 20 best) since he has not yet coached a game.

But this really shocked me -- Mike Zimmer of the Bengals #9?

Bob Ryan of the Browns (Rex's brother) is at #18. I do think he will make their defense better, given he did accomplish something with the worthless Raiders

Mike Nolan is #7. That may seem a little high, but looking at the list it's amazing how many new DCs there are.

Top 5 -

Dick LeBeau Pitt
Jim Johnson Philly (I like this choice too)
Leslie Frazier Vikings
Jim Bates Bucs
Dom Capers GB (I think he will make GB defense better too)

Greg Williams is #13. His stock has sure fallen since he went to the Skins. Oh yeah right. Never mind.

Ron Rivera #14 has fallen a lot too in the last couple of years, as has Gunther Cunningham (Lions), who was arguably one of the top DCs in the league around when the Ravens hired Billick. Anything short of a serious turnaround in Detroit and he has probably become completely irrelevant.

[psuasskicker]

Got a link?

- C -

[baltimore_hokie]

isn't jim johnson not coaching this year because of cancer or something?

[JimZipCode]

Got a link?
It's a feature with top 20 lists for all positions, incl coordinators.

OC's (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=555913)

DC's (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=556104)

They have top 20 lists for each position.

They rate Gaither the #14 OT (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=546898):
14. Jared Gaither, Ravens. Gaither is a mountain (6-9, 350) who excelled, particularly as a run blocker, in his first year as a starter. If the Ravens had any apprehension about the retirement of Jonathan Ogden, it's now a thing of the past.
Heap the #9 TE (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=548205):
9. Todd Heap, Ravens. Heap, 29, has slowed considerably because of a litany of recent injuries. He also is not an ideal fit in coordinator Cam Cameron's scheme, and there's reason to believe Heap will slide further down this list. He's still a solid in-line blocker, but the arrival of L.J. Smith means team officials believe Heap's best days are behind him.
Flacco the #16 QB (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=548865):
16. Joe Flacco, Ravens. Flacco has a big arm and certainly proved himself as a rookie, but he was protected by an elite defense and the AFC's No. 1 running game. The coaches gave Flacco conservative game plans to limit his mistakes, yet he still threw 12 interceptions (14 touchdowns) and struggled at times against aggressive, pressure defenses. There is plenty of room to improve.
McClain the #2 FB (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=550141):
2. Le'Ron McClain, Ravens. At 260 pounds, McClain is a punishing blocker. Last season, when injuries crippled the running back position, he showed the athleticism to become the featured ballcarrier and led the team in rushing. He can fill multiple roles within the offense, critical in the Ravens' run-first attack. (Ovie Mughelli #3)


Ngata the #4 DT (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=551297):
4. Haloti Ngata, Ravens. He's officially listed as an end, and he has the athleticism to play that spot in the Ravens' 3-4 alignment. But he is a wide-bodied run-stuffer who is tough to budge and has the raw power to push blockers into the pocket.
Suggs the #4 OLB (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=551771):
4. Terrell Suggs, Ravens. A franchise player for the second straight year, Suggs is the motor that makes the Baltimore defense go. He has stellar physical tools, can align almost anywhere in the front seven and showed tremendous toughness last year playing through a separated shoulder in the playoffs. (Adalius Thomas #6)


Ray-ray the #4 ILB (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=552520):
4. Ray Lewis, Ravens. As long as he is protected by big guys like Kelly Gregg, Justin Bannan and Haloti Ngata, Lewis can do what he does best -- attack the ballcarrier. Lewis is a good tackler and run defender, and in '08 he proved he is surprisingly effective in coverage.(Bart Scott #12)


Ed Reed the #1 safety (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=553552):
1. Ed Reed, Ravens. Reed was the only unanimous selection for the 2008 All-Pro team and rightly so. He led the NFL with nine interceptions and returned two for touchdowns, and he tacked on another TD in the playoffs. The system won't change in Baltimore this year, and Reed is on his way to a Hall of Fame career if he can stay healthy.

[baltimore_hokie]

mattison is already kind of old, so i'm hoping he can be our dick lebeau and be here for years to come. it would be nice to not have to worry about turning over our DC every four years.

[JimZipCode]

mattison is already kind of old, so i'm hoping he can be our dick lebeau and be here for years to come. it would be nice to not have to worry about turning over our DC every four years.
I suspect we're only going to have Mattison for a few years.

I think Pagano is next in line, though I think it "should" be Clarence Brooks.

[JimZipCode]

It's a feature with top 20 lists for all positions, incl coordinators.
Can't believe I forgot punters (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=554368):

3. Sam Koch, Ravens. He ranked in the top 10 in the league with a 45.5-yard average and a 39.9-yard net. His 74-yard boot was the third-longest punt of the season in the NFL. He was also second with 34 punts inside the 20. The Ravens were smart to sign him to an extension this offseason.
I like Koch, but it doesn't make sense to rank him ahead of Scifres. Zastudil at #5, BTW.

They also have ranks for head coaches (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=556480):

10. John Harbaugh, Ravens. Unlike most coaches, he has no ego, but is still very effective in front of the team. He gets the most out of every player and coach on the roster.

[Jeremiah W]

I love this kind of stuff even though I have no idea how thy come up with the rankings. I think any defensive coordinator with Ray and Reed, Nagta and Suggs, should basically just be able to say go to work. All they need is a good gameplan, audible package, and the recognition skills and up front dominace should take care of the rest.

One of my nagging concerns with Rex was, even though the type of bltz and coverage was not predictable, the blitz and mixed coverages did not fool good QBs very often or stop high powered passing attacks that were known to not like old fashion bump and run with 4 man pressure on 3rd and long.

I would like to see the Ravens play more press coverage and do less blitzing vs QBs that have proven they can handle it.

[baltimore_hokie]

i see us being much much improved in 3rd and long situations this year and in the future in general. rex had to cover up a sorry group of CB's and general lack of a pass rush with exotic blitzes that left us susceptible to long plays (especially with big jen running around for ten minutes without us taking him down). we will no longer need to open our defense up to such situations with a much improved secondary AND pass rush.

[Jeremiah W]

i see us being much much improved in 3rd and long situations this year and in the future in general. rex had to cover up a sorry group of CB's and general lack of a pass rush with exotic blitzes that left us susceptible to long plays (especially with big jen running around for ten minutes without us taking him down). we will no longer need to open our defense up to such situations with a much improved secondary AND pass rush.

I agree with that, but also felt like a lot of time it was the quick hitting slants to Ward or the quick outs or seem passes to TEs and backs on 3rd and medium when they knew we were blitzing, could have been shut down just by mixing it up with straight press coverage and a 4 man rush if they have a weak O line and a QB that likes to hold the ball. Too many times Wrs that should nt be able to run the timing routes when pressed, would be given a free release even with a Cb playing up on them, like Marvin Harrison last year, and when you have Reed back there hawking your cover 2, all you have to do is make the Qb hold the ball and stare down his throw for half a second and he will jump it.

[baltimore_hokie]

I agree with that, but also felt like a lot of time it was the quick hitting slants to Ward or the quick outs or seem passes to TEs and backs on 3rd and medium when they knew we were blitzing, could have been shut down just by mixing it up with straight press coverage and a 4 man rush if they have a weak O line and a QB that likes to hold the ball. Too many times Wrs that should nt be able to run the timing routes when pressed, would be given a free release even with a Cb playing up on them, like Marvin Harrison last year, and when you have Reed back there hawking your cover 2, all you have to do is make the Qb hold the ball and stare down his throw for half a second and he will jump it.

the thing is our CB's were not capable of playing press coverage at all. couple that with a 4-man pass rush that was mediocre, and we had trouble on those passing plays. all of our LB's had to blitz alot, this leaving gaping holes in the middle of the field (almost always where we were beat). hopefully this year we have the speed in our secondary to play more press coverage, but we still have a ton of small, quick CB's that simply can not do that to the upper echelon WR's with size.

[Rxdoxx]

Ray-ray the #4 ILB (http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=552520) 4. Ray Lewis, Ravens. As long as he is protected by big guys like Kelly Gregg, Justin Bannan and Haloti Ngata, Lewis can do what he does best -- attack the ballcarrier. Lewis is a good tackler and run defender, <b>and in '08 he proved he is surprisingly effective in coverage.</b>


Gee, 2003 with 7 passes defended and 6 Ints, career 48PD and 28 Int
If they were surprised they must not watch a lot of Ravens games.
Admittedly it is not his primary role (levelling the Winslows is more like it :laugh: ), but we have known in Baltimore that Ray ain't toast in coverage for a long time.

[Jeremiah W]

Gee, 2003 with 7 passes defended and 6 Ints, career 48PD and 28 Int
If they were surprised they must not watch a lot of Ravens games.
Admittedly it is not his primary role (levelling the Winslows is more like it :laugh: ), but we have known in Baltimore that Ray ain't toast in coverage for a long time.

I would like to know by what criteria they have Urlacher or anyone rated higher than Ray at inside linebacker. He has punished so many fools in coverage accross the middle it is a shame. Sometimes I wonder if is even legal the way he knocks guys out on shallow crossing routes in the "chuck" zone. I think he was going to hit Winslow like that, on that play whether the ball was coming or not.