European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 29, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes monday August 29,1994 v =. Of a /. File photos 2 muscular defensive linemen such As Green Bay s Reggie White left photo and 310-Pound Eric Swann of Arizona right pose some big problems for nil offences. Nil defences trying bulk on for size by Bob Gla Berthe sporting news you want to know Why quarterbacks should be afraid of what s going on with the nation Al football league s new Breed of defensive linemen com into the Arizona cardinals Looker room and listen Eric Swann has just completed his morning ritual two hours of torturous exercise on the weight machines that leave his 6-foot-4, 310-Pound body glistening with sweat and he wants to talk about quarterbacks. A smile that can Best be described As diabolical flashes across his face. That s where you do the damage Swann says. It All starts up the Middle kind of like in baseball. It s like once Youcan harm the Core of the brain then the whole nervous system shuts Down you want to know Why quarterbacks should be afraid Lis ten to Dan big daddy Wilkin son the monstrous Rookie defensive tackle the Cincinnat bengals chose with the first pick of the draft. When 1 was Young everybody else wanted to be a quarterback or a running Back he says. I never liked playing quarterback. There was too much running around. I hate of sense. It s More for passive peo ple. I d rather be tearing through get the picture now a a a and things num. Welcome to the Era of the big Man quarterbacks. We Hope you re ready for the pour tiling because the nil s rising stars on the defensive line Are ready to throw of Guys around like rag Clolla i Hal goes Tor the backups too because these Nuhi act hungry linemen figure to be seeing plenty of you Guys us once they re vim a Wah the Lai Tiv or a -. � s out of their decade Long swoon because of a few rules changes. Think again. Because no amount of rules modifications Short of playing two handed touch is going to help offences counteract recent development son the other Side of the Ball specifically the renewed emphasis on the defensive line. The balance of Power continues to tilt toward the defense where most of the Best athlete usually Are especially when you take into account the recent surge in the number of Impact defensive linemen who have entered the league this decade. Swann in Arizona. Wilkinson in Cincinnati. Cortez Kennedy and Rookie Sam Adams i Seattle. Chester Mcglockton with the los Angeles Gilbert with the los an Geles rams Leon Lett and ton Tolbert in Dallas. Dana stub Blefield and Bryant Young in san Francisco. Keith Hamilto with the new York giants Chris Mims in san Diego. Rook ies Tim Bowens in Miami and John Thierry in Chicago. You can smell heir shoes Al ready. But those arb just the Young ones. Don t forget Bruce Smith Reggie White Leslieo Neal Chris Doleman and Sean Jones. Or Clyde Simmons Richard Dent Charles Hale Yand Pierce Holt. Not a bad cast for a position that not Long ago was a Point of concern for the league whose personnel men continually fretted about a Lack of the Days when Law rence Taylor and Andre Tippet tand Rickey Jackson and the other great pass Rushing line backers were Alt the rage and Quality linemen were either unavailable or untouchable because of Low suppl now you d be haul or cased to come up with the names of half a Jobert i a out mile Ime Kukut i under the age of a. Us Vou pc not Deusa i Homas of the Kansas City chiefs an Junior seau of the san Diego chargers and and. And of yeah Tony Bennett of the Indi Anapolis Colts and. And us. Hmm. They just Aren t out there in,.big numbers anymore having been replaced by a crop of big Nasty linemen who figure to be dominant figures on defense for the rest of the decade this year s draft underscored the trend. More defensive linemen 36 were drafted than any other position including nine in the first round. Only three Lineback ers went in the first round. Perhaps it s More accurate today Welcome Back to the Era of the big Man because this trends actually a throwback to another period in nil history. It s a return to a bygone Era that Fea tured some of the most prolific defences the league has Ever seen with nicknames to match. The steel curtain of Pittsburgh featuring mean Joe Greene. The purple people eat ers of Minnesota with Alan pageant Carl Eller. The doomsday defense in Dallas first featuring Bob Lilly and later with Handy White Harvey Martin and Rul too tall Jones. I think it s a Cycle that has conic Back Minnesota Viking defensive coordinator Tony Dungy says Mack in the Oil Days of the no All you saw was the tour Man inc. Then you stalled getting the athletic. 40 Pound Type linebackers Guys like Lawrence Taylor Rickey Jackson Hugh Green Andre Tippett Carl Banks those types of players. But now you re see ing the four Man line coming Back almost teams Are relying More on the brute strength of their line men rather than the Speed and athletic ability of their Lineback ers. Gone Are the Days of the 3-4 As the leading defense in the nil featuring the great outside linebacker As the Lead character. The 4-3 is Back with a vengeance and the starring roles belong to a group of 300-Poundguys who have the Speed and agility that their counterparts of25 years ago did t have. Hey quarterbacks. You still with us right now giant defensive tackle Erik Howard says i think the 3-4 is a hardly see it anywhere these Days with so Many line men coming into the a number of teams have made the switch this year with Taylors retirement even the giants have decided to go to a 4-3, rather than try to develop another pass Rushing out Side linebacker Hamilton an Mike Strahan Are the bookends on the line and Howard Fer Merly a nose tackle gets to Dis play his pass Rushing skills. In Green Bay the packers have switched to a 4-3, letting Bennett go As a free agent and signing Houston Oiler free agent defensive end Sean Jones to complement left end White. In Arizona the cardinals Are plugging Swan and Simmons into Ryan s 46 defense. The bengals longtime advocates of the 3-4, have switched to a 4-3 to accommodate the arrival of Wilkinson who has the ability to become the dominant defensive player of his Era. He joins former Alabama defensive lineman John Cope land the team s first round pick in 9,v i noticed that in the draft this Vear Vvs Swann a lust round pick in 1991. You had Guys like Dan Wilkinson Sam Adams Bryant Young really big Guys. It s kind of amazing when you think about consider the Impact. When Yoti have a four Man line that s capable of putting sustained pressure on a quarterback with out the need for heavy doses of blitzing you can commit your linebackers to drop off and help out in pass coverages and your cornerback Aren t subjected to consistent single coverage. With a number of teams deploying two or More Premier pass rushers offences might be forced to reduce the number of receivers they Send out in Pat terns and keep extra backs in to account for the this limits options which limits offences. What else can offences do they have to bulk up in the line especially at guard to counteract the increased size of defensive tackles and use scaled Back play calling. When you have a big Guy scorning up the Middle says Keith Sims the Miami dolphins 305-Pound guard you Nave to try to counteract their strengths with Quick passes to in Flat or runs that go away a their strength. The Short parsing game is going to continue of be Here because you can expect to have your quarterback b Back and pass and have alot of time to throw with the size and Speed of the linemen you have to use Quick hit stuff. I think if the quarterback Rolls out that can throw a de sense off a Little bit. Then if your defense is getting a heavy pass Rush the offence can change things up by calling for a draw or a trap just a second Here or there will help then again an offence does t always get just a second Here or there and chances duct there Wojt t to i May Here or thute the season
