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It is like the old chicken-or-the-egg conundrum.
Are more franchises changing to a 3-4 defensive front because they possess great depth at the linebacker position? Or has the move back to a front seven alignment that seemed to have gone out of vogue resulted in fatter, and more talented, linebacker contingents?
|  | | Keith Brooking led the Falcons with 140 tackles last season. |
Truth be told, whether it was an element of depth or design, it is difficult to overlook the impressive linebacker corps assembled by most of the teams that will rely on the 3-4 front as their base defense in 2003. And difficult, as well, to identify which of those groups qualifies as the NFL's deepest linebacker unit.
For years a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that has historically played the 3-4 has been able to boast of a deep and talented linebacker assemblage. The Steelers could be challenged in 2003, though, by the linebackers in New England, Atlanta and Baltimore, all of whom will be working in the 3-4 this season.
So deep are the Ravens, in the second season as a 3-4 team, that coordinator Mike Nolan will be hard-pressed to find playing time for veterans like Cornell Brown and Bernardo Harris. The Steelers like second-year pro Larry Foote, and feel rookie Alonzo Jackson is a superb fit for the way they play, but won't get those youngsters on the field too much in 2003. Perhaps the best young group is in Atlanta, where Wade Phillips could trot out a quartet of starters that might not include veterans such as Sam Rogers or Keith Newman.
The Falcons have one star already in Keith Brooking and third-year veteran Matt Stewart is quietly emerging as a force. Chris Draft will move inside this year and '02 third-round draft pick Will Overstreet, who missed virtually all his rookie campaign after surgery to correct a shoulder problem, likely will claim a starting job. The impressive corps also includes special teams standouts Artie Ulmer and Twan Russell.
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If you're going to play the 3-4, you better have some linebackers, and we've got them. I don't think there are many linebacker corps in the league that can match up to ours. It's a very, very deep bunch.” |
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—Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour |
But in a close call, on the depth meter, we're going with the Patriots linebacker unit as the deepest in the league. The offseason addition of Rosevelt Colvin should provide coach Bill Belichick, already one of the most adroit and inventive game-planners in the league, even more latitude and flexibility. The projected starters are Colvin, Ted Johnson, Roman Phifer and Mike Vrabel, and that means Belichick can bring veterans like Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest off the bench.
The prospect of McGinest and Colvin, flying off the edges in a pincer-type pass rush, will rival the Pittsburgh tandem of Joey Porter and Jason Gildon. Phifer will have to adjust to his new role inside, but the veteran should be able to make the switch, and Johnson could resurrect his career as the primary run-stuffer in the 3-4 deployment. Getting Colvin, one of the prize catches in the free agent pool, was a masterstroke.
"You can see, even without the pads on, how disruptive he can be," said defensive end Richard Seymour. "He makes everyone better. If you're going to play the 3-4, you better have some linebackers, and we've got them. I don't think there are many linebacker corps in the league that can match up to ours. It's a very, very deep bunch."
With strength in numbers as the theme then, here is a look at how we assessed the deepest groups at the other positions:
Quarterback: When starter Donovan McNabb went down with a fractured ankle, the Philadelphia Eagles managed to keep winning, even with their No. 2 quarterback (Koy Detmer) and their third-stringer (A.J. Feeley). It would seem easy to look at that notable accomplishment and declare that the Eagles have the league's deepest contingent of passers. Easy, but a little too convenient, we think. For all the deserved plaudits Feeley gleaned leaguewide, for all the rhetoric about how he might contend for a starting spot on another franchise, no one made a serious trade offer for him in the offseason. Perhaps we are reading too much into that but it is worth mentioning. Certainly the depth that Andy Reid has at quarterback is undeniable. But the pressure Kelly Holcomb is putting on Tim Couch in Cleveland, the performance of Marc Bulger for the Rams in 2002, and the nice insurance policy the Tennessee Titans possess in Neil O'Donnell makes all those teams contenders as well. We're going, though, with the Miami Dolphins, because getting Brian Griese as a safety net was an essential piece of the playoff puzzle for a franchise that has seen too many late-season collapses. There figures to be some rough spots in Miami, and fans will begin screaming for Griese the first time an errant Jay Fiedler aerial dribbles to the turf, but the risk is probably worth the reward. Third-stringer Sage Rosenfels appears to have some skills as well.
 Running back: So if Duce Staley reports to camp, after boycotting most of the offseason workouts in a contract snit … and if Correll Buckhalter is rehabilitated from the knee injury that sidelined him the entire 2002 season … and if mercurial second-year veteran Brian Westbrook develops into a dependable third-down component … and if new fullback Jon Ritchie fits into the offense, the Eagles could have the deepest backfield in the league. Way too many if's there for us, though, so we're going with the ol' tried and true and opting for the Oakland Raiders. His age might start to soon become a factor but, for now at least, Charlie Garner remains one of the NFL's top all-around tailbacks. Tyrone Wheatley is said to be healthy again and should add the power element the Raiders were missing at times in 2002. And while fullback Zack Crockett isn't as refined a blocker as the departed Ritchie, the guy is still an incredible short-yardage and red-zone back. Over the past three seasons, Crockett has converted on 29 of 34 third-and-one situations and totaled 21 touchdowns, with all of those scores coming from close range. To compensate the Ritchie exit, the Raiders signed two veteran fullbacks, tough-blocking Cecil Martin and utilitarian Chris Hetherington, and both will find roles. Other units considered here were the backfield stables from Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and the New York Giants.
 Wide receiver: There were only two offenses in 2002 that featured four wide receivers with 37 or more catches each and, surprise, they are both Ohio-based. The state that created and then nurtured the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust philosophy moved into the 21st century with its professional franchises spreading the field. Cincinnati actually possessed four wideouts in '02 with 41 or more receptions apiece, all are back for this season, and the Bengals added potentially explosive Kelley Washington in the draft. But since this exercise in identifying areas of strength is a somewhat subjective pursuit, one where personal preferences serve as tiebreaker, we're going with the Cleveland Browns quartet of Kevin Johnson, Quincy Morgan, Dennis Northcutt and André Davis as the deepest bunch in the league. Certainly there are clubs with excellent wide receiver trios (like Oakland, with Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and the emerging Jerry Porter), but few can field four sprinters like the Browns, who could put together a competitive sprint relay team with this bunch. When they go to a "spread" formation, it is difficult to match up, and all four wide receivers have home run potential. The slowest of the group, Johnson might have the best hands in the league, and Morgan has taken his game to a new level as his confidence has grown. No matter which of the Cleveland quarterbacks claims the starting job, he will not lack for viable targets, that's for sure. And for a long time, since the quartet averages just 25.3 years of age, and 2.5 seasons of league experience.
 Tight end: Minnesota head coach Mike Tice played 14 seasons in the league at tight end. Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, a former tight end who interviewed for head coach positions each of the last two offseasons and will soon land a top job, played the spot for nine seasons. So it shouldn't be too surprising that they not only emphasize the tight end position, but have also assembled two of the NFL's deepest units. When we began working on this story last week, we were ready to call tight end a toss-up between the Steelers and Vikings, but then Minnesota lost Byron Chamberlain to a four-game suspension after he tested positive for a banned substance. The Vikings still have Jim Kleinsasser and Hunter Goodwin, but neither is the receiver Chamberlain has been, and his absence will hurt. The suspension swung the pendulum toward the Steelers, who can go four-deep, with Mark Bruener, Jay Riemersma, Jerame Tuman and Matt Cushing. The free agent acquisition of former Buffalo starter Riemersma, by far the best receiving threat of the bunch, should provide the inventive Mularkey another new wrinkle for an offensive design that historically ignored the tight end in the passing game.
Offensive line: A 1999 first-round draft choice, Matt Stinchcomb can play all five of the offensive line positions, and would be a starter on most teams. Other clubs annually scour the waiver wire at cutdown time, hoping the Raiders will tire of paying the four-year veteran big money to be a backup, and release him. At least two of the three Florida-based clubs covet him. Yet Stinchcomb has started just 16 games in four seasons, graphic evidence of the depth of the Oakland offensive line. While there remains considerable uncertainty about whether center Barret Robbins will return to the starting lineup, or even if he will make the roster, there is no such doubt about the Raiders' admirable numbers at a difficult position to achieve depth. Assuming that Robbins does regain starter's status, the backups are Stinchcomb, Adam Treu, Langston Walker and Brad Badger. Stinchcomb and Walker, a second-year veteran who will supplant Lincoln Kennedy at some point in the next year or two, are a potentially better tackle tandem than the one several teams in the league trot out every week. Treu started when Robbins was injured for much of the '01 season, and then in the Super Bowl last year, when the Raiders' star center went AWOL prior to the championship game. Badger isn't particularly special, but he can play guard or tackle, and isn't a bad No. 9 lineman to have around. There are a few other line units that appear to have sufficient depth. New England needs to figure out who is playing where, but clearly has numbers, and flexibility. New Orleans isn't quite as strong as a year ago but, if two highly regarded draft choices pan out, they should be set. Seattle is developing some depth, but needs left tackle Walter Jones to get his contract issues resolved much earlier this year.
 Defensive line: Any discussion of depth on the defensive front is defined in relative terms, since no team ever has enough big bodies around, and clubs are forever scrambling to locate viable backups with a pulse. But some franchises to consider include Carolina, Tampa Bay and Miami. The youthful Panthers have a starting unit that might be the best in the NFL and added a veteran backup in Kavika Pittman. The Bucs lost tackle Anthony McFarland for much of last season and released end Marcus Jones, both high-profile starters, and still won the Super Bowl by plugging in role players like Greg Spires, Ellis Wyms and Chartric Darby. The Dolphins appear to have enough reinforcements onhand to withstand the loss of David Bowens, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament two weeks ago, while changing a light bulb. But if we're combing quantity and quality in this assessment, we've got to cast our lot with the Seattle Seahawks, who can go 10 deep on the defensive front. Granted, the Seahawks really don't have a big-time pass rusher, and they struggle to stop the run. But new coordinator Ray Rhodes will find a way in 2003 to rotate players more effectively and he will have plenty of options. The Seahawks added a decent end in Chike Okeafor, and also a proven (albeit overweight) run stuffer in tackle Norman Hand, during the offseason. They re-signed end Antonio Cochran. Youngsters like end Anton Palepoi and tackles Rocky Bernard and Cedric Woodard are developing into good players. And there are still veterans such as Chad Eaton, John Randle, Lamar King and Brandon Mitchell around. One can argue pretty convincingly that the 'Hawks depth hasn't translated into production and it is hard to debunk that assessment. But with Rhodes onboard now, things should get better.
Secondary: Even his detractors, who insist Sammy Knight has lost a step after six seasons, have to acknowledge that the former New Orleans star is still a guy who comes up with a lot of loose footballs. Adding him to the already well-stocked Miami secondary just further bolsters the depth of the unit. The Dolphins had one of the best cornerback trios in the NFL, with starters Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison, and "nickel" back Jamar Fletcher. But they actually upgraded the "nickel" spot by signing the wily Terrell Buckley who, in his second stint with the franchise, retains his big-play mindset. In 11 seasons, "T-Buck" has 45 interceptions, including four for New England in 2002, when most observers felt he was washed up. "We've got an awful lot of good players here," Buckley allowed. Don't bet against Buckley, 32, ousting Fletcher from the No. 3 corner job. The acquisition of Knight, who should beat out Arturo Freeman for the strong safety job, figures to increase the number of turnovers generated by the Miami secondary. No safety in the NFL authored more big plays -- the total of interceptions, fumble recoveries, fumbles forced and sacks -- than Knight over the past three seasons. In what some folks considered a poor '02 campaign, Knight snatched five interceptions, just one fewer than all of the Dolphins safeties had combined. Coming off the bench, Freeman, who a couple teams considered signing as a restricted free agent this offseason, will provide the coaches plenty of flexibility. Shawn Wooden is a solid No. 4 safety, Scott McGarrahan a very good special teams player and second-year veteran Omare Lowe a younger the Dolphins really like. There are a few units, like those in Philadelphia and Seattle, that might in time challenge Miami for depth. But those teams will need some younger players, such as safeties Michael Lewis (Eagles) and Ken Hamlin (Seahawks), to come through for them.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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