Pittsburgh: With LaMarr Woodley jersey(notes) and James Harrison(notes), the Steelers have the best combination of accomplished pass rushers among 3-4 defenses in the NFL. In fact, it's not real close. The only team that could close the gap anytime soon is Dallas if Anthony Spencer(notes) improves. When you add in inside linebackers James Farrior(notes) and Lawrence Timmons(notes) (seven sacks last season), you have the best overall linebacking corps in the league by a pretty good margin. Dallas is really good, but the Steelers are special.
Dallas: Critics of new DeMarcus Ware jersey(notes) like to point out that his sacks (11) dropped by nearly 50 percent last season from 2008 and that his total tackles also saw a precipitous lag, dropping all the way to a career-low 57. Unfortunately, those critics also don't draw up blocking schemes to deal with Ware, which is why he continues to be considered one of the most dynamic forces in the game. On the other side, Anthony Spencer made progress last season, collecting six sacks, mostly during an impressive run during the second half of the season. Inside linebackers Bradie James(notes) and Keith Brooking(notes) are solid, but the depth is untested.
Green Bay: Someday in the near future, NFL people will talk about how the Packers linebacking corps is like some four-headed nightmare. With Nick Barnett(notes), Clay Matthews(notes), Brad Jones and A.J. Hawk football jersey(notes) (who is almost an afterthought in this group), the Packers have the best combination of great tacklers against the run and potential pass-rush stars. Throw in the fact that Barnett is the only one older than 26 (he's 29), and you have the makings of something marvelous. Matthews was terrific all season, and Jones was a late-season revelation with all four of his sacks coming in the last five games.
San Francisco: If you like good run defense, this group is excellent. Starting with stud Patrick Willis(notes), the 49ers linebacking corps is very much in the image of coach Mike Singletary, a Hall of Fame linebacker, in his playing days. They don't miss a lot of tackles, and they play with great intensity. With Willis and fellow inside linebacker Takeo Spikes(notes) playing behind a line that does a nice job of holding the point against the run, the 49ers jerseysare very much a classic 1980s-style defense. Too bad it's 2010, and you have to play a lot more pass defense. That's where the 49ers need to get a lot more out of outside linebackers Manny Lawson(notes) (who had a career-high six and a half sacks last season) and Parys Haralson(notes) (five sacks). If Lawson can finally overcome the injuries he has suffered, this group can be very good. The depth is excellent.
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