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mattmillen4president won the Throwdown.

Big Ben68

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Best front 7 in the AFC.

mattmillen4president said 07/19, 09:27 PM
Has to belong to the Patriots.
Richard Seymour
Vince Wilfork
Ty Warren (all 1st rounders)
Adalius Thomas
Mike Vrabel
Tedy Bruschi
Roosevelt Colvin

The lineman will take up blockers and free up the LB's to swarm the RB's and stop the run, Seymour is a beast of a pass rusher, Colvin will bring the heat from the other side and ADalius Thomas is the most versatile LB in the NFL. Tedy Bruschi is the definition of "leader" and Mike Vrable always seems to make the big play. Top to bottom, the best front 7 in the AFC.

Big Ben68 said 07/20, 09:17 PM
The best front 7 in the AFC is easily given to the linebacking machine that is the Baltimore Ravens. The linebackers have ALWAYS been monsters on defense no matter who played; from special teams players to first round picks, anyone thrown into that defense was great. Such special teamers as Bart Scott, ADALIUS THOMAS, Edgerton Hartwell to Ray Lewis and others. The best front seven are: Bart Scott (103 tackles, 9 pass defensed, 9.5 sacks, and two INTs), Ray Lewis (103 tackles, 8 pass defensed, 5 sacks, 1 FF, and 2 INTs), and Jarrett Johnson (a player going into his second year and as I showed the Ravens are always revolving the LBs about Lewis and they, obviously, always produce), Trevor Pryce (47 tackles, 3 Pass defensed, 13 sacks, and 2 FF; he tied his career high in sacks in his 11th year, which means he STILL has the skills to compete), Terrell Suggs (65 tackles, 7 PD, 9.5 sacks, and 3 FF), Kelly Gregg (62 tackles, 2 PD, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF, and 1 FR), and Haloti Ngata (31 tackles, 2 PD, 1 sack, and 1 INT). The incredible secondary on this team allows the front seven to pretty much roam free and cause chaos for the opposing offense.

mattmillen4president said 07/21, 04:40 PM
Ok guys I'm back and we have water again. Smooth sailing ahead (knocking on wood). Now, why is NE's front 7 better? Lets start by comparing the best player on each team.
NE - Richard Seymour. Dominant at 2 positions, and arguably the best in the league at either. He dominates the run and gets pressure on the QB. The kind of player you can build a team around.
Bal - Ray Lewis. Arguably the greatest MLB in history, he used to dominate more than the game, he dominated people. Unfortunately, he hasn't been dominant in 4 years and is clearly in decline. Also, he kills people and gets away with it, so he gets another demerit.
Vince Wilfork has already proven himself to be reliable, whereas Ngata is only going into his second year. Point to Wilfork.
Terrell Suggs - pass rusher. Trevor Price - run stopper. Ty Warren - both.

Big Ben68 said 07/22, 12:28 AM
Ray Lewis is still dominate in the game. He is a spirited leader for that defense, which is infinitely important, as well as a great playmaker even for his age. He still makes enough plays for that defense to make a difference. Wilfork may be proven, but Ngata is going to be something. He is a great run stuffer and is able to tie up blockers (like he is supposed to) which allows the linebackers to make plays. Kelly Gregg is another run stuffing, blocker absorbing defensive blocker. Many of the Ravens' players even say that Gregg is a reason that the defense is able to run so well and you can't really disagree with them. The secondary on this team allows the front seven to do cause chaos for the opposing offense. Chris McAlister, rated by some as the second best CB in the league behind Bailey, is a shutdown, lockdown corner and pretty much takes the opposing teams best WR out of the game. Ed Reed and DaWan Landry are playmaking, ballhawking safeties making passing even tougher. This allows the front seven to get ALOT of sacks and ALOT of INTs. Read my comment for more.

mattmillen4president said 07/23, 08:28 PM
First of all, what does the secondary have to do with it? I'm talking front 7, not team defense. Now the whole argument is skewed. Anyway, I'll grant you I was wrong on Price, but calling Suggs a run stopper is a pretty big stretch. He gets overpowered by the bigger tackles and wears down by the 4th quarter. Also, to Jarret Johnson is no Adalius Thomas, so that's a big win for NE. Bruschi and Lewis cancel each other out, as do Vrabel and Scott. Remember, the schemes are different, so stats don't tell the whole story. The Ravens attack attack attack, whereas the Patriots confuse opponents with their personnell groupings and presnap changes. It is much more difficult to stand out in NE's scheme, yet year after year Vrabel, Bruschi, and Colvin do it as undersized and "slow" LB's.
In closing, the most dominant player on either team is Richard Seymour and he puts NE over the top.

Big Ben68 said 07/23, 08:38 PM
I included the secondary to show that the front seven can take over games with little need of worrying about covering guys unless someone like Suggs, Scott, or Lewis were needed to cover a guy. Also, you can see the speed and strength of Jarrett Johnson in the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Colts as he swam past a tackle and chased after Manning, nearly sacking him as he let go of the ball. Suggs is a run stopper. He is a hybrid defensive monster. He can sack the QB and put RBs to the ground with relative ease. The AGE of the Pats LBs is what gives the Ravens an even LARGER edge. Lewis still has speed and can make plays Bruschi can???t. Scott is MUCH faster than Vrabel and that helps him make plays that Vrabel can???t. The Ravens play a 4-3/46 hybrid defense which is about masking things and confusing the opponent, so you can???t use that against the Ravens. I would say that Seymour is a great player, but my hat must tip to THE Ray Lewis. Back to Johnson: he was a late round draft pick much like Thomas and played special teams his first year or two and then started, making a GIGANTIC impact on the defense. I, and many others, foresee that for Jarrett Johnson???

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i wanted to take jacksonville just to argue but A. Thomas really skews the LB to heavy. JAX dline is as good if not better but the LB position is just not there

sorryjoe | 07/19/07, 09:34 PM

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Best front 7 in the AFC.

Big Ben68 beat mattmillen4president 13 to 8

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