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Since they left out the NFL's most unstoppable force of all, Aaron Donald, I added him on myself at the end.
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https://www.profootballfocus.com/the-nfls-10-most-unstoppable-forces/
THE NFL’S 10 MOST UNSTOPPABLE FORCES
Watt's swim move, Brown's route-running ability, and more: Mike Renner identifies of the NFL's top signature moves and abilities.
By MIKE RENNER
Almost every great player has a “signature” move or ability that they become known for over time. Reggie White had the hump move, Randy Moss had the deep ball, and Barry Sanders had freakish balance. So, with that in mind, let’s count down the signature abilities of today’s elite.
1. J.J. Watt’s swim
It’s been the most devastating force in the NFL for a few years now, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Watt has the unique ability to pull off the swim so well because of his height (6-foot-6) and elite lateral agility, making it easy for him to get his arm over the top of opposing linemen while crossing their face. The reason it sits at No. 1 on this list is because he deploys it with equal efficiency in both the run game and as a pass-rusher. Offensive linemen know it’s coming, but they still can’t stop it.
2. Antonio Brown’s routes
He’s not the biggest, he’s not the fastest, and he can’t jump the highest, but no one gets open more than the Steelers’ Antonio Brown. That’s the reason why the Steelers’ wideout has led the NFL in receptions each of the past two seasons, while also catching over 70 percent of his targets each year. It’s also why he made one of the top corners in the league, Chris Harris, Jr., look absolutely silly in their Week 15 matchup.
3. Luke Kuechly reading keys
Last week, I highlighted what exactly makes the Panthers’ linebackers so special. It bears repeating, though, that Kuechly is playing at a level we’ve never seen in our nine years of grading. While he’s an athletic freak in his own right, the Panthers’ LB separates from the competition in his processing speed. He simply doesn’t make mistakes in his reads. The former Defensive Player of the Year’s +33.0 cumulative season grade last season is the highest we’ve ever given to an off-ball linebacker.
4. Rob Gronkowski’s catch radius
It’s no secret that the Patriots’ offense isn’t the Patriots’ offense without Gronkowski on the field. The main reason being that, when things go south, Brady knows he can heave it to Gronk and he’ll have a chance. Gronkowski has graded out as a top-five tight end every season of his career.
5. Von Miller’s spin move
When you have the upfield burst that Miller does, you better have a good counter, and the Bronco may well have the best one in the NFL. The inside spin move is deadly if executed correctly, but it takes a rare blend of speed, power, and balance to pull off—a rare blend that Miller has in spades. In fact, 16 of Miller’s pressures a year ago came via the spin move.
6. Richard Sherman’s press
You know you’re signature move is impressive when it triggers a revolution of sorts throughout the entire NFL. Ever since Sherman took the league by storm back in 2011, the Seahawks’ version of the cover-3 has spread throughout the league, while length at the cornerback position has been put at a premium. Even with all the added emphasis around the NFL, no one has come along who can press quite like Sherman.
7. Tyron Smith’s cut blocking
Smith is an absolute freak of nature for an offensive tackle. His athleticism suggests he should be lining up on the opposite side of the ball, and the Cowboys use that to their advantage. They frequently run outside zone away from Smith, giving him the task of chasing down backside linebackers and defensive tackles, which he does with ease. Smith’s +26.5 cumulative run-blocking grade was the highest among all tackles last season.
8. Le’Veon Bell’s plant leg
After Bell shed 20 pounds in his first NFL offseason, he came back in year two looking like a completely different player. One of those changes was the ability to stop and start on a dime. Even at 220 pounds, Bell still routinely makes defenders looks silly in the open field when he sticks his foot in the ground. It’s a shame he got hurt when he did, as his 69.6 elusive rating last season was on pace to be the highest of his career.
9. Tom Brady’s quick decisions
When the Patriots’ offense was fully healthy last season, no quarterback was playing at a higher level than Brady. He’s aged like a fine wine, with his decision-making only speeding up with time. Through the first five weeks of last season, Brady only took 2.06 seconds to throw on average (the league average is 2.5) and had a quarterback rating of 121.5. Those numbers are nothing short of incredible.
10. Linval Joseph’s power
It took awhile for Joseph to realize his raw potential, but now that he has, no nose tackle can match his proficiency against both the run and pass. Joseph had a ridiculous 39 reps at the combine back in 2010, despite having long, 34.5-inch arms. He now uses that strength to bench press centers and guards. No game of his (or any other nose tackle last season, for that matter) was more impressive than Week 9 against St. Louis, where he collected seven stops and an +11.4 overall grade.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/a...y-aaron-donald-is-better-than-watt-right-now/
Aaron Donald is playing better than any defensive player in the NFL this year
by Pete Prisco
The two best defensive players in the NFL are Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. They are different in a lot of ways, but there is one thing that binds them together, which is their use of their hands.
For all the talk about power and strength and quickness and agility -- which both have -- the thing that stands out to me when watching tape of both players is how well they use their hands to get off blocks.
The word that comes to mind is finesse, but that would be an injustice to the power both can play with when needed. But these are two athletes, pure and simple, who grew into dominating defensive linemen.
Watt was a former tight end who grew and moved to the defensive side. He still plays with the agility of the tight end position. Donald ran 4.68 at the NFL scouting combine when he came out of Pittsburgh in 2014, which is blazing for a defensive lineman and he has used martial arts to improve his hand fighting.
I break down Watt’s games every week here as part of After Further Review. I study all of his snaps (later you will see the breakdown from last week’s game). But this column is highlighted by a breakdown of Donald.
The debate this year is which player is better. I’ll say it this way: Watt would be my pick if I were starting a team in terms of a defensive player, but Donald is playing better this season, which makes him a strong candidate to be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
The amazing thing about Donald’s play is that he’s 6-foot-1, 285 pounds and he looks even smaller than that in his No. 99 jersey. At times when he’s running down plays away from him, Donald looks like a linebacker or even a strong safety. That’s how athletic he is as a player.
When he came out of Pitt, there were a lot of scouts who had reservations about his size. Would Donald hold up in the run game? That was one of the most-asked questions about him coming into the league. Was he strong enough?
The answer to that question after two years is a resounding yes. Sure, there are times when a guard or a tackle can get their big bodies on him and root him out, but it doesn’t happen a lot. His ability to use his hands and his quickness to prevent that from happening is as good as any inside player in the league.
Donald has 11 sacks this season, the most of any inside player, and he has 21 tackles for a loss. Without end Robert Quinn next to him -- he started seven games but is now out for the season -- Donald is also seeing more doubles. That’s the next challenge for any great player, handling two big guys at once. It’s even tougher for a smaller defensive player, but Donald has adjusted well.
Here’s a play from the Week 13 game with Arizona that shows how Donald has learned to deal with the double.
Donald is lined up in his three-technique position, outside the shoulder of left guard Mike Iupati. At the snap, he exploded into left tackle Jared Veldheerand moved him back. It was a show of strength as he used his legs to push into Veldheer with a low center of attack.
That made it tough for Iupati to get a real good double on him. As running back David Johnson tried to get through on the left side, Donald was able to reach out with his right arm and get involved in the play. That’s power.
Here’s a look at Donald using his power as a pass rusher.
On this play, he was lined up over center Lyle Sendlein. At the snap, Sendlein had no chance. Donald got off the line quickly, and then used his powerful legs to get under Sendlein and drive him back. As Carson Palmer tried to move, Donald disengaged Sendlein and got the sack.
Take a look.
Here’s a play from Week 15 against the Bucs where he overpowers guard Logan Mankins to make a stop in the run game. This is just brute strength on display.
It’s a fourth-and-1 play in the second quarter. The Bucs want to run Doug Martin to the left behind the fullback, and it’s a play that is well blocked up front.
But Donald blows it up by powering into Mankins and tackling Martin for a 2-yard loss.
You can see by the screen shot that Martin would have had the first down and a lot more if Donald doesn’t win and make the play.
Even when it appears Donald is handled on a play, he really isn’t. Here’s a look at a run play against the Cardinals that shows that.
Donald appeared to be cut off by right tackle Bobby Massie on the run to the left. That’s tough to do with Donald being so quick, but Massie actually did a nice job getting in front of him. The problem was he didn’t stay with his block. Donald was able to free himself from Massie’s big body to slide over and help tackle Johnson for a 2-yard gain.
That’s the type of effort Donald plays with every play. You don’t see him take downs off.
The power is nice, but it’s his quickness that sets him apart. There are so many plays where he’s the first guy off the ball, which makes it so tough for the offensive linemen.
Here’s another play that highlights his quickness from the Week 13 game with the Cardinals.
On this play, his ability to get off the ball prevented Massie from getting a down block on him. What I liked was how skinny he got to split to the two linemen to make the play.
That’s technique of a player much older. You can tell he studies the tactical side of the position.
As far as pass-rush skills, he has all the moves. Like the one sack above, he can use power. He also can use his wonderful athletic ability and his bag of moves. Here’s a sack from the Lions game that shows off his ability to use a variety of techniques to get the quarterback.
Lined up on the outside shoulder of rookie guard Laken Tomlinson, Donald charged hard into his body, then tried a swim move to disengage. But Tomlinson did a nice job initially. So Donald spun away from him and exploded to drop Matthew Stafford for a loss.
That is a lot of stuff happening in short time, which shows just how quick he is as a player and pass rusher.
In the game against the Cardinals, Donald also dropped out in coverage . This is not something I would do ever, but the Rams like to use some blitz-replace concepts, with a linebacker coming and a lineman dropping out. This time, Donald dropped and nobody else came. The way Donald played it he looked like a much smaller man.
Donald dropped out from a down stance, knocked tight end Jermaine Gresham off his route and then got in on the tackle on Larry Fitzgerald when he crossed into his zone.
That is an amazing play for a man that big.
Watching him on tape, he comes across at times like a one-man wrecking crew, even on a talented defense. That’s how much he shows up. Even when he’s not making the stat sheet, he’s impacting the game, which all the greats do.
Watt does it on weekly basis, which is where the comparisons are being made, even if they don’t play the same position.
Who would you take?
I’d take Watt, but it’s damn close. I think Watt gets way more attention from the opposing offenses than Donald does. But as the season has moved along, and Quinn hasn’t been off the field, Donald is getting a lot more of the Watt treatment.
That’s a sign of respect, a sign of greatness.
Most compare Donald to Warren Sapp. I’d also throw in former Minnesota Vikings star John Randle. Both of those players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is great company for Donald.
He’s on his way.
Like Watt, he can thank his amazing hands and quickness.
*********************************************************************************************
https://www.profootballfocus.com/the-nfls-10-most-unstoppable-forces/
THE NFL’S 10 MOST UNSTOPPABLE FORCES
Watt's swim move, Brown's route-running ability, and more: Mike Renner identifies of the NFL's top signature moves and abilities.
By MIKE RENNER
Almost every great player has a “signature” move or ability that they become known for over time. Reggie White had the hump move, Randy Moss had the deep ball, and Barry Sanders had freakish balance. So, with that in mind, let’s count down the signature abilities of today’s elite.
1. J.J. Watt’s swim
It’s been the most devastating force in the NFL for a few years now, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Watt has the unique ability to pull off the swim so well because of his height (6-foot-6) and elite lateral agility, making it easy for him to get his arm over the top of opposing linemen while crossing their face. The reason it sits at No. 1 on this list is because he deploys it with equal efficiency in both the run game and as a pass-rusher. Offensive linemen know it’s coming, but they still can’t stop it.
2. Antonio Brown’s routes
He’s not the biggest, he’s not the fastest, and he can’t jump the highest, but no one gets open more than the Steelers’ Antonio Brown. That’s the reason why the Steelers’ wideout has led the NFL in receptions each of the past two seasons, while also catching over 70 percent of his targets each year. It’s also why he made one of the top corners in the league, Chris Harris, Jr., look absolutely silly in their Week 15 matchup.
3. Luke Kuechly reading keys
Last week, I highlighted what exactly makes the Panthers’ linebackers so special. It bears repeating, though, that Kuechly is playing at a level we’ve never seen in our nine years of grading. While he’s an athletic freak in his own right, the Panthers’ LB separates from the competition in his processing speed. He simply doesn’t make mistakes in his reads. The former Defensive Player of the Year’s +33.0 cumulative season grade last season is the highest we’ve ever given to an off-ball linebacker.
4. Rob Gronkowski’s catch radius
It’s no secret that the Patriots’ offense isn’t the Patriots’ offense without Gronkowski on the field. The main reason being that, when things go south, Brady knows he can heave it to Gronk and he’ll have a chance. Gronkowski has graded out as a top-five tight end every season of his career.
5. Von Miller’s spin move
When you have the upfield burst that Miller does, you better have a good counter, and the Bronco may well have the best one in the NFL. The inside spin move is deadly if executed correctly, but it takes a rare blend of speed, power, and balance to pull off—a rare blend that Miller has in spades. In fact, 16 of Miller’s pressures a year ago came via the spin move.
6. Richard Sherman’s press
You know you’re signature move is impressive when it triggers a revolution of sorts throughout the entire NFL. Ever since Sherman took the league by storm back in 2011, the Seahawks’ version of the cover-3 has spread throughout the league, while length at the cornerback position has been put at a premium. Even with all the added emphasis around the NFL, no one has come along who can press quite like Sherman.
7. Tyron Smith’s cut blocking
Smith is an absolute freak of nature for an offensive tackle. His athleticism suggests he should be lining up on the opposite side of the ball, and the Cowboys use that to their advantage. They frequently run outside zone away from Smith, giving him the task of chasing down backside linebackers and defensive tackles, which he does with ease. Smith’s +26.5 cumulative run-blocking grade was the highest among all tackles last season.
8. Le’Veon Bell’s plant leg
After Bell shed 20 pounds in his first NFL offseason, he came back in year two looking like a completely different player. One of those changes was the ability to stop and start on a dime. Even at 220 pounds, Bell still routinely makes defenders looks silly in the open field when he sticks his foot in the ground. It’s a shame he got hurt when he did, as his 69.6 elusive rating last season was on pace to be the highest of his career.
9. Tom Brady’s quick decisions
When the Patriots’ offense was fully healthy last season, no quarterback was playing at a higher level than Brady. He’s aged like a fine wine, with his decision-making only speeding up with time. Through the first five weeks of last season, Brady only took 2.06 seconds to throw on average (the league average is 2.5) and had a quarterback rating of 121.5. Those numbers are nothing short of incredible.
10. Linval Joseph’s power
It took awhile for Joseph to realize his raw potential, but now that he has, no nose tackle can match his proficiency against both the run and pass. Joseph had a ridiculous 39 reps at the combine back in 2010, despite having long, 34.5-inch arms. He now uses that strength to bench press centers and guards. No game of his (or any other nose tackle last season, for that matter) was more impressive than Week 9 against St. Louis, where he collected seven stops and an +11.4 overall grade.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/a...y-aaron-donald-is-better-than-watt-right-now/
Aaron Donald is playing better than any defensive player in the NFL this year
by Pete Prisco
The two best defensive players in the NFL are Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. They are different in a lot of ways, but there is one thing that binds them together, which is their use of their hands.
For all the talk about power and strength and quickness and agility -- which both have -- the thing that stands out to me when watching tape of both players is how well they use their hands to get off blocks.
The word that comes to mind is finesse, but that would be an injustice to the power both can play with when needed. But these are two athletes, pure and simple, who grew into dominating defensive linemen.
Watt was a former tight end who grew and moved to the defensive side. He still plays with the agility of the tight end position. Donald ran 4.68 at the NFL scouting combine when he came out of Pittsburgh in 2014, which is blazing for a defensive lineman and he has used martial arts to improve his hand fighting.
I break down Watt’s games every week here as part of After Further Review. I study all of his snaps (later you will see the breakdown from last week’s game). But this column is highlighted by a breakdown of Donald.
The debate this year is which player is better. I’ll say it this way: Watt would be my pick if I were starting a team in terms of a defensive player, but Donald is playing better this season, which makes him a strong candidate to be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
The amazing thing about Donald’s play is that he’s 6-foot-1, 285 pounds and he looks even smaller than that in his No. 99 jersey. At times when he’s running down plays away from him, Donald looks like a linebacker or even a strong safety. That’s how athletic he is as a player.
When he came out of Pitt, there were a lot of scouts who had reservations about his size. Would Donald hold up in the run game? That was one of the most-asked questions about him coming into the league. Was he strong enough?
The answer to that question after two years is a resounding yes. Sure, there are times when a guard or a tackle can get their big bodies on him and root him out, but it doesn’t happen a lot. His ability to use his hands and his quickness to prevent that from happening is as good as any inside player in the league.
Donald has 11 sacks this season, the most of any inside player, and he has 21 tackles for a loss. Without end Robert Quinn next to him -- he started seven games but is now out for the season -- Donald is also seeing more doubles. That’s the next challenge for any great player, handling two big guys at once. It’s even tougher for a smaller defensive player, but Donald has adjusted well.
Here’s a play from the Week 13 game with Arizona that shows how Donald has learned to deal with the double.
Donald is lined up in his three-technique position, outside the shoulder of left guard Mike Iupati. At the snap, he exploded into left tackle Jared Veldheerand moved him back. It was a show of strength as he used his legs to push into Veldheer with a low center of attack.
That made it tough for Iupati to get a real good double on him. As running back David Johnson tried to get through on the left side, Donald was able to reach out with his right arm and get involved in the play. That’s power.
Here’s a look at Donald using his power as a pass rusher.
On this play, he was lined up over center Lyle Sendlein. At the snap, Sendlein had no chance. Donald got off the line quickly, and then used his powerful legs to get under Sendlein and drive him back. As Carson Palmer tried to move, Donald disengaged Sendlein and got the sack.
Take a look.
Here’s a play from Week 15 against the Bucs where he overpowers guard Logan Mankins to make a stop in the run game. This is just brute strength on display.
It’s a fourth-and-1 play in the second quarter. The Bucs want to run Doug Martin to the left behind the fullback, and it’s a play that is well blocked up front.
But Donald blows it up by powering into Mankins and tackling Martin for a 2-yard loss.
You can see by the screen shot that Martin would have had the first down and a lot more if Donald doesn’t win and make the play.
Even when it appears Donald is handled on a play, he really isn’t. Here’s a look at a run play against the Cardinals that shows that.
Donald appeared to be cut off by right tackle Bobby Massie on the run to the left. That’s tough to do with Donald being so quick, but Massie actually did a nice job getting in front of him. The problem was he didn’t stay with his block. Donald was able to free himself from Massie’s big body to slide over and help tackle Johnson for a 2-yard gain.
That’s the type of effort Donald plays with every play. You don’t see him take downs off.
The power is nice, but it’s his quickness that sets him apart. There are so many plays where he’s the first guy off the ball, which makes it so tough for the offensive linemen.
Here’s another play that highlights his quickness from the Week 13 game with the Cardinals.
On this play, his ability to get off the ball prevented Massie from getting a down block on him. What I liked was how skinny he got to split to the two linemen to make the play.
That’s technique of a player much older. You can tell he studies the tactical side of the position.
As far as pass-rush skills, he has all the moves. Like the one sack above, he can use power. He also can use his wonderful athletic ability and his bag of moves. Here’s a sack from the Lions game that shows off his ability to use a variety of techniques to get the quarterback.
Lined up on the outside shoulder of rookie guard Laken Tomlinson, Donald charged hard into his body, then tried a swim move to disengage. But Tomlinson did a nice job initially. So Donald spun away from him and exploded to drop Matthew Stafford for a loss.
That is a lot of stuff happening in short time, which shows just how quick he is as a player and pass rusher.
In the game against the Cardinals, Donald also dropped out in coverage . This is not something I would do ever, but the Rams like to use some blitz-replace concepts, with a linebacker coming and a lineman dropping out. This time, Donald dropped and nobody else came. The way Donald played it he looked like a much smaller man.
Donald dropped out from a down stance, knocked tight end Jermaine Gresham off his route and then got in on the tackle on Larry Fitzgerald when he crossed into his zone.
That is an amazing play for a man that big.
Watching him on tape, he comes across at times like a one-man wrecking crew, even on a talented defense. That’s how much he shows up. Even when he’s not making the stat sheet, he’s impacting the game, which all the greats do.
Watt does it on weekly basis, which is where the comparisons are being made, even if they don’t play the same position.
Who would you take?
I’d take Watt, but it’s damn close. I think Watt gets way more attention from the opposing offenses than Donald does. But as the season has moved along, and Quinn hasn’t been off the field, Donald is getting a lot more of the Watt treatment.
That’s a sign of respect, a sign of greatness.
Most compare Donald to Warren Sapp. I’d also throw in former Minnesota Vikings star John Randle. Both of those players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is great company for Donald.
He’s on his way.
Like Watt, he can thank his amazing hands and quickness.
