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Bucky Brooks
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...l-teambuilding
The wild-and-wacky NBA offseason undoubtedly has NFL executives thinking about their own roster-construction plans going forward. Although there are plenty of differences in the successful team-building models of each sport, there is a common denominator between star power and successful title runs.
In basketball, the "Big Three" approach has produced multiple title runs through the years, most recently for the Heat (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) and Celtics (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen) before them. And then the Warriors took it to another level, adding Kevin Durant to a unit that already included the "Splash Brothers" (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) and Draymond Green. Long story short: Most of the NBA's top teams over the last dozen years have featured multiple headliners on the marquee.
In football, the "Big Three" concept can be applied to both sides of the ball. Offensive triplets, which garner the vast majority of ink and interest, consist of a quarterback, running back and pass catcher. Meanwhile, defensive triplets feature a combination of three standouts from multiple levels of the unit, whether it be a pass rusher, linebacker and defensive back, or a couple of pass rushers and a designated playmaker in the back seven. The top teams have a set of triplets on each side of the ball with the capacity to dominate the game.
Earlier this week, my colleague Ali Bhanpuri ranked every team's offensive triplets, with the Saints, Chargers and Browns topping the board. The overall explosiveness of those top-tier units provides the teams with the capability to toss up 40-plus points in any game.
Defensively, the top trios not only have the potential to stifle passing games with a ferocious pass rush and/or airtight coverage on the perimeter, but they're capable of wreaking havoc on opponents with their collective speed, quickness and athleticism. Sparked by a triumvirate of dynamic defenders, defensive coordinators freely attack the opposition with a variety of pressure tactics that frustrate quarterbacks, suffocate perimeter playmakers and overwhelm offensive linemen.
With total domination of individual and collective battles serving as the standard, here are my top five defensive triplets heading into the 2019 season:
1) DE Joey Bosa, DE Melvin Ingram and S Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers: Before you @ me on Twitter about the Bolts' standing atop the list, you should check out the unit's dominance the last half of the 2018 season after Bosa returned to the lineup. As a skilled rusher with outstanding hands and pass-rush skills, the former No. 3 overall pick bullies blockers off the edge, exhibiting a refined game that looks like it's pulled straight from a teaching video. Not to be outdone, Ingram flashes explosive pass-rush skills and a non-stop motor on the opposite side. Despite notching just seven sacks in 2018, Ingram's relentlessness off the edge leads to negative plays from a quarterback ill-equipped to deal with pressure. James gives the Bolts a bully between the hashes with the capacity to create chaos near the line of scrimmage or punish receivers venturing over the middle.
2) DE DeMarcus Lawrence, LB Jaylon Smith and LB Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas Cowboys: Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard have put their stamp on the Cowboys' defense with their lofty standard of play. The duo not only expects each and every defender to run to the ball with reckless abandon, but they demand that they do it while giving maximum effort on every snap. Lawrence is not only standard bearer on the defensive line with his non-stop motor and unremitting spirit, but he is a high-level performer boasting 25 sacks over the past two seasons. Smith and LVE match No. 90's intensity with a wolfpack mentality that allows the young, energetic defense to flex on opponents through the unit's collective speed, quickness and athleticism. With the Cowboys in position to potentially make a Super Bowl run sparked by their defense, we could see this unit vault to the top of the charts by the end of the season.
3) DL Akiem Hicks, LB Khalil Mackand S Eddie Jackson, Chicago Bears:Credit Chicago general manager Ryan Pace for going all in to acquire a dominant edge player who elevates the defense to elite status. Mack crushed opponents with his "bull in a china shop" playing style and dominant rush skills. In his first year with the Bears, Mack piled up 12.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a pick-six as the unit's designated playmaker. Hicks is Mack's Pro Bowl sidekick, with seven-plus sacks in each of the past three seasons. He is the perfect complement to Mack, as a destructive interior rusher with outstanding hands and combat skills. Jackson is a ball magnet in the secondary with superb instincts, awareness and range. He has eight interceptions in his first two NFL seasons, with three pick-sixes and a pair of scoop-and-score touchdowns.
4) DT Aaron Donald, LB Dante Fowler Jr. and CB Marcus Peters or S Eric Weddle, Los Angeles Rams: The back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year is arguably the best football player in the league. Donald sets the standard for the Rams' defense with his endless energy and freakish athleticism. He's unstoppable at the point of attack and opponents must account for his whereabouts on every single play. Fowler finally showed flashes of being a top-five draftee when he teamed up with Donald after a midseason trade. Fowler took his game up a notch in the playoffs, as evidenced by his 1.5 sacks and persistent pressure off the edges. Peters didn't bring his A-game in 2018, but still finished with three interceptions to push his career total to 22 picks in just four seasons. Considering the pressure the Ramsshould be able to generate with Donald and Fowler pushing the pocket, we could see No. 22 swiping passes left and right in 2019. And if Peters doesn't tickle your fancy, how about the savvy six-time Pro Bowl safety L.A. just scooped up in free agency?
5) LB Von Miller, LB Bradley Chubb and CB Chris Harris Jr., Denver Broncos: New Broncos coach Vic Fangio has spent the offseason salivating over the game-planning at his disposal with Miller and Chubb crashing off the edges. The Broncos' dynamic duo combined for 26.5 sacks and six forced fumbles in the team's previous scheme, and those numbers should only improve with Fangio's uncanny ability to create sack opportunities for pass-rush specialists. Harris is a crafty playmaker with the intelligence, versatility and instincts to make plays as a cornerback, nickel or safety in base or sub-packages. Given the impact of the pass rush on the effectiveness of coverage, Denver boasts one of the most feared threesomes in football.
Honorable Mention: DE J.J. Watt, LB Jadeveon Clowney and LB Benardrick McKinney, Houston Texans; DE Leonard Williams, LB C.J. Mosley and S Jamal Adams, New York Jets; DE Danielle Hunter, LB Anthony Barr and S Harrison Smith or CB Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota Vikings; DT Fletcher Cox, DE Brandon Graham and S Malcolm Jenkins, Philadelphia Eagles; DE Calais Campbell, LB Myles Jack and CB Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville Jaguars.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...l-teambuilding
The wild-and-wacky NBA offseason undoubtedly has NFL executives thinking about their own roster-construction plans going forward. Although there are plenty of differences in the successful team-building models of each sport, there is a common denominator between star power and successful title runs.
In basketball, the "Big Three" approach has produced multiple title runs through the years, most recently for the Heat (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) and Celtics (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen) before them. And then the Warriors took it to another level, adding Kevin Durant to a unit that already included the "Splash Brothers" (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) and Draymond Green. Long story short: Most of the NBA's top teams over the last dozen years have featured multiple headliners on the marquee.
In football, the "Big Three" concept can be applied to both sides of the ball. Offensive triplets, which garner the vast majority of ink and interest, consist of a quarterback, running back and pass catcher. Meanwhile, defensive triplets feature a combination of three standouts from multiple levels of the unit, whether it be a pass rusher, linebacker and defensive back, or a couple of pass rushers and a designated playmaker in the back seven. The top teams have a set of triplets on each side of the ball with the capacity to dominate the game.
Earlier this week, my colleague Ali Bhanpuri ranked every team's offensive triplets, with the Saints, Chargers and Browns topping the board. The overall explosiveness of those top-tier units provides the teams with the capability to toss up 40-plus points in any game.
Defensively, the top trios not only have the potential to stifle passing games with a ferocious pass rush and/or airtight coverage on the perimeter, but they're capable of wreaking havoc on opponents with their collective speed, quickness and athleticism. Sparked by a triumvirate of dynamic defenders, defensive coordinators freely attack the opposition with a variety of pressure tactics that frustrate quarterbacks, suffocate perimeter playmakers and overwhelm offensive linemen.
With total domination of individual and collective battles serving as the standard, here are my top five defensive triplets heading into the 2019 season:
1) DE Joey Bosa, DE Melvin Ingram and S Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers: Before you @ me on Twitter about the Bolts' standing atop the list, you should check out the unit's dominance the last half of the 2018 season after Bosa returned to the lineup. As a skilled rusher with outstanding hands and pass-rush skills, the former No. 3 overall pick bullies blockers off the edge, exhibiting a refined game that looks like it's pulled straight from a teaching video. Not to be outdone, Ingram flashes explosive pass-rush skills and a non-stop motor on the opposite side. Despite notching just seven sacks in 2018, Ingram's relentlessness off the edge leads to negative plays from a quarterback ill-equipped to deal with pressure. James gives the Bolts a bully between the hashes with the capacity to create chaos near the line of scrimmage or punish receivers venturing over the middle.
2) DE DeMarcus Lawrence, LB Jaylon Smith and LB Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas Cowboys: Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard have put their stamp on the Cowboys' defense with their lofty standard of play. The duo not only expects each and every defender to run to the ball with reckless abandon, but they demand that they do it while giving maximum effort on every snap. Lawrence is not only standard bearer on the defensive line with his non-stop motor and unremitting spirit, but he is a high-level performer boasting 25 sacks over the past two seasons. Smith and LVE match No. 90's intensity with a wolfpack mentality that allows the young, energetic defense to flex on opponents through the unit's collective speed, quickness and athleticism. With the Cowboys in position to potentially make a Super Bowl run sparked by their defense, we could see this unit vault to the top of the charts by the end of the season.
3) DL Akiem Hicks, LB Khalil Mackand S Eddie Jackson, Chicago Bears:Credit Chicago general manager Ryan Pace for going all in to acquire a dominant edge player who elevates the defense to elite status. Mack crushed opponents with his "bull in a china shop" playing style and dominant rush skills. In his first year with the Bears, Mack piled up 12.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a pick-six as the unit's designated playmaker. Hicks is Mack's Pro Bowl sidekick, with seven-plus sacks in each of the past three seasons. He is the perfect complement to Mack, as a destructive interior rusher with outstanding hands and combat skills. Jackson is a ball magnet in the secondary with superb instincts, awareness and range. He has eight interceptions in his first two NFL seasons, with three pick-sixes and a pair of scoop-and-score touchdowns.
4) DT Aaron Donald, LB Dante Fowler Jr. and CB Marcus Peters or S Eric Weddle, Los Angeles Rams: The back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year is arguably the best football player in the league. Donald sets the standard for the Rams' defense with his endless energy and freakish athleticism. He's unstoppable at the point of attack and opponents must account for his whereabouts on every single play. Fowler finally showed flashes of being a top-five draftee when he teamed up with Donald after a midseason trade. Fowler took his game up a notch in the playoffs, as evidenced by his 1.5 sacks and persistent pressure off the edges. Peters didn't bring his A-game in 2018, but still finished with three interceptions to push his career total to 22 picks in just four seasons. Considering the pressure the Ramsshould be able to generate with Donald and Fowler pushing the pocket, we could see No. 22 swiping passes left and right in 2019. And if Peters doesn't tickle your fancy, how about the savvy six-time Pro Bowl safety L.A. just scooped up in free agency?
5) LB Von Miller, LB Bradley Chubb and CB Chris Harris Jr., Denver Broncos: New Broncos coach Vic Fangio has spent the offseason salivating over the game-planning at his disposal with Miller and Chubb crashing off the edges. The Broncos' dynamic duo combined for 26.5 sacks and six forced fumbles in the team's previous scheme, and those numbers should only improve with Fangio's uncanny ability to create sack opportunities for pass-rush specialists. Harris is a crafty playmaker with the intelligence, versatility and instincts to make plays as a cornerback, nickel or safety in base or sub-packages. Given the impact of the pass rush on the effectiveness of coverage, Denver boasts one of the most feared threesomes in football.
Honorable Mention: DE J.J. Watt, LB Jadeveon Clowney and LB Benardrick McKinney, Houston Texans; DE Leonard Williams, LB C.J. Mosley and S Jamal Adams, New York Jets; DE Danielle Hunter, LB Anthony Barr and S Harrison Smith or CB Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota Vikings; DT Fletcher Cox, DE Brandon Graham and S Malcolm Jenkins, Philadelphia Eagles; DE Calais Campbell, LB Myles Jack and CB Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville Jaguars.
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