Worst and 10 – AFC West Linemen

I’m shifting around my usual Top 10 list from now on – introducing Worst and 10, the revamped Top 10 Tuesday segment that sorta sounds like “First and 10” (good, huh) and celebrates the Top 10 of some topic… and also discusses the worst of that topic. Today I’m revisiting my old Top 10 Players in the AFC West post and, as promised, running through the ten best offensive and defensive linemen in the West (NOTE: only players with at least two years experience were considered… I need at least 2 years of games to determine if the player can be consistent, and not just a one-year wonder).

Determining the skills of a lineman isn’t easy – particularly on the offensive side of the trenches. You can look at sacks, forced fumbles, etc. on the defensive side, but even then you’re not getting the whole picture of how a player performs game in and game out. Pro Bowl selections help, but being a slightly biased Denver Broncos fan, and knowing how the Pro Bowl voting works, I know that Denver O-Linemen have gotten the shaft more than once.

In case you don’t know, Pro Bowl voting is half fan votes, half player votes, and it’s the player voting that has kept Broncos O-Linemen out of the Pro Bowl since Tom Nalen made it in 2003. The players you face on the field as an opponent vote for the best, and the players can’t vote for players on their own teams. So the interior offensive linemen vote for defensive tackles; wide receivers vote for the secondary, etc. Because Denver uses the controversal, but perfectly legal, chop block, I and others believe they’re not getting the votes from opposing D-Linemen because it is generally hated by those units. The point of all this – even Pro Bowl appearances can be skewed, and so while the Denver Broncos’ offensive line has been one of the most dominant in all of football over the past 10 years, they’re not getting the Pro Bowls to show for it.

As always, these lists are my opinion and yours is welcome to join… just leave a comment at the bottom of this post. On to the list!

Worst – Robert Gallery – LT, OAK

[Out of the Starters] – The Raiders’ first round pick of only a few years ago took steps back last year, anchoring the most important position on the worst offensive line in recent memory. Gallery got beat by everyone you can think of, and Andrew Walters was never safe back there. I could have chosen anyone from the Raiders’ line, and no doubt Gallery has the most physical ability of any of them – but such a high-profile, high-round draft pick should be doing better than that after a few years in the league.

…and 10

10) Nick Hardwick – C, SD

Chargers center Nick Hardwick has his best year of his young career in 2006, earning him a Pro Bowl alternate spot. He put on about 15 pounds in the offseason before, and it’s obvious that the move paid off. He is extremely quick and athletic, and helped move the ball for the leading-offense Chargers. He’s still young and will be a thorn in the Broncos’ side (or rather, our front) for years to come.

9) Ben Hamilton – LG, DEN

I’m not the only Broncos fan who noticed that Ben Hamilton‘s game fell apart a bit last year. Many of the pressures we saw Jay Cutler face happened from quick, powerful jabs at left guard that Hamilton simply couldn’t answer. He’s very athletic, and one of our most underrated players, but he fell in my list as I was doing my ranking because of this exploited weakness at the end of last year. He’s still an exceptional guard and can make huge blocks at the second level, and with questions along the right side of our offensive line, he’s solid overall at the left spot.

8) Jared Allen – DE, KC

I’ve said before that I would love to see Jared Allen in a Broncos uniform next year. His 4-game suspension was recently dropped to 2, so this defensive end will have more oppotunities to wreak havoc against the opposing quarterback. He’s a big ugly with a lot of power and attitude, and he knows how to make big plays, tallying 27.5 sacks in his 3 years in the league. Contract issues mean this will likely be his final year as a Chief (and we all know Carl Peterson will help us out there), but until then he’s still one of the more dominant ends in the game.

7) Luis Castillo – DE, SD

Possibly the most underrated player on the San Diego Chargers, Luis Castillo almost always seems to be the reason Shawne Merriman makes his big plays. Castillo keeps offensive lines honest, freeing up the opposite side for Merriman to sneak in and make his big plays. I’ve seen it happen so many times, I’m literally tired of it! As a 3-4 end, he still had a solid individual performance with 7 sacks and an interception. He’s speedy and is a quality run-stopper, and a perfect fit in the Chargers system.

6) Brian Waters – LG, KC

With Will Shields gone and retired now, it looks like it will be up to Brian Waters to carry the torch. And honestly, he looks like possibly the one truly bright spot on this once-dominant offensive line. He’s been to three straight Pro Bowls, and he’s been elected twice to First-Team All-Pro by the AP. Just consider this – in 1984, the NFL started the AFC/NFC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week Awards. It only took 20 years, but a guard finally won one of those awards, and it just happened to be Brian Waters on October 24, 2004.

5) Derrick Burgess – DE, OAK

The best pass rushing lineman in the West resides in Oakland of all places. After 4 years and 8.5 sacks in Philadelphia, he joined the Raiders in 2005 to tally a whopping 27 sacks in the past two years. Burgess has become a beast, and a real concern for every defensive coordinator when they gameplan against the Raiders.

4) Matt Lepsis – LT, DEN

The Broncos season fell apart when Matt Lepsis went on IR. 7-2 before the injury; 2-5 after… he and Nick Ferguson going down at the same time were just too big of blows for the Broncos to handle. And while Erik Pears looks promising, and word is he might win the right tackle spot in training camp, our offense, and our team, just wasn’t the same without Lepsis. Broncos fans know of his athleticism and his smarts – it’s something you just can’t replace right away.

3) Warren Sapp – DT, OAK

I would say Warren Sapp is the only sure-fire guaranteed lock at the Hall of Fame on this list. Sapp made another Pro Bowl last year, and registered another 10 sacks at defensive tackle. Yeah, the guy’s a monster, and word is he’s even losing weight for the upcoming season. His bounceback season last year showed everyone that he’s still got it, and this longtime veteran multiple Pro Bowler is worthy of worry for years to come.

Couple of our boys in the Top 4. Photo Courtesy

2) Tom Nalen – C, DEN

It seems like the end of an era in Denver – Tom Nalen and Rod Smith likely seeing their final years in the league. The last remnants of our Super Bowl winning teams are on their way out, but Nalen is still a dominant center after all these years. I don’t need to give you a scouting report on Nalen – everyone knows about his size, speed and ferocity. The Broncos will miss him when he calls it a career in a year or two.

1) Jamal Williams – NT, SD

You could make a case for this nose tackle as the most underrated player in the entire NFL. In a 3-4 defense, the nose tackle is inarguably the most important position on the field. And, when you ask most scouts, the best nose tackle in the NFL resides in San Diego. Not nearly as flashy as Merriman, or even Castillo – Jamal Williams holds his own in the middle of the line. At 6-3, 348 lbs., Williams is still athletic enough to make it dangerous for any team to try a run up the middle. He doesn’t make the big plays, but his solid technique and career-high 69 tackles in 2006 make him the clear cut choice for #1 on this list.

I probably spent more time on this list than I have on any other of my Top 10’s, and I feel pretty good about where I’ve ranked them. It was hard to cut players like Gerard Warren, Elvis Dumervil, Marcus McNiell, Tamba Hali, and Kris Dielmann out of this list – all were put under consideration, along with others, but just couldn’t make the cut. There are a lot of talented linemen in this division – hell, I could have easily split it into two lists (offensive, defensive). If you’re like me, sometimes it’s just as fun to watch the trenches knock the snot out of each other as it is to watch the big throws and runs – now you some of the names to go along with the numbers.