Originally posted by TheNef77:
I hope we go big in free agency here. NT is the most important position against the run in the 3-4. Its gotta be Poe or Hankins. We got what we paid for, quit low balling that position. Plus, if we're looking to draft ILB and OLB, there's no vet presence other than Bow.
I think Brandon Williams is better than either one of those guys, he just doesn't get as much publicity for his excellent play. He's a shorter tackle that plays with excellent leverage, very hard to move and simply owns the middle.
One of the big Pro Bowl misses from 2015 is the player I think is the NFL's Most Underrated. He is Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams .
A year ago, I picked him as his team's most-underrated player. But after an impressive 16 games in 2015, where he played as well as any nose in the league, Williams shoots to the top overall honor.
Brandon Williams does the dirty work for Baltimore's defense. How he missed out on a Pro Bowl in 2015 is mystifying.
At 6-foot-1, 335 pounds, he is a load inside against the run. It's tough for centers to move him in one-on-one situations and he helps free up the linebackers to run to the football.
Williams, who came out of tiny Missouri-Southern, is entering his fourth season and should be on the verge of getting more accolades. He doesn't get sacks, which hurts his chances to get noticed. He had just two last season, and has just 3.5 in his three seasons.
That's not where his impact is made, even if he can push the pocket some. He does the dirty work, anchoring in against the run. He also had 53 tackles last season, which is a lot for a nose.
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said Williams might be the best nose tackle in the game. But you'd never know it by the attention that comes his way.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfls-most-underrated-32-teams-32-players-who-deserve-more-props/
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-williams-1202-20161201-story.html
Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase was reluctant to single anyone out because when he watches film of the Ravens' top-ranked rush defense, he sees seven guys who adeptly play within the team's scheme. He observes defensive linemen occupying blockers and running lanes, outside linebackers setting the edge and inside linebackers flying to the ball and making tackles.
The key to making it all work, though, stands front and center on the Ravens' defense. At 6-foot-1 and 340 pounds and with hulking arms and tree stumps for legs, nose tackle Brandon Williams absorbs double teams on most running plays. He doesn't make a whole lot of tackles, but then again, it's really not his job to.
His responsibility is to fill holes, get penetration and keep blockers off of other Ravens. If you ask his teammates and coaches, Williams is doing his job about as well as anybody in the NFL.
"That's what he was born for," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "If you look at his body, he's built to be a run stopper and a pocket pusher. He's built perfectly for it. God gifted him to do that job."
It's long been an organizational strength and the current Ravens are doing it better than any team in the NFL. They have allowed just 74.9 rushing yards per game and four touchdowns on the ground, both totals leading the league.
Only three opposing backs — Isaiah Crowell, Matt Forte and Ezekiel Elliott — have gained more than 60 rushing yards in games this season against the Ravens.
The Dallas Cowboys, who are lauded for having the NFL's best offensive line, frequently double-teamed Williams. Before facing the Ravens this season, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called Williams "the man inside" and said he "generally requires two men to block him."Pierce, who plays alongside Williams, estimated that Williams sees a double team nearly 70 percent of the time.
[ Edited by Phoenix49ers on Dec 25, 2016 at 1:07 PM ]
