Rams
Solid D, probably the safest pick, thats why there at the top. however be aware that although week 15 is easy against the cards, week 16 (possibly super bowl week for fantasy) they play the eagles.
Bucs
still a pretty good defense, and expect enough int to keep your team in it. they would be below the cowboys except for the fact that they have the 30th ranked SoS. oh and another thing, if your leagues superbowl is week 17, the bucs play the cardinals. (if not its the panthers in week 16)
Dallas
Last year the cowboys let up the second least points against with 16.3 ppg scored against them. Only New England had lower. Cowboys also had 2 Defensive touchdowns last year and although that is the worst of the group, the cowboys only improved their d this off season, now with wiley they are poised for another good season. also the cowboys have the easiest scedule in the league. that should help.
except, you might not want them in the playoffs as week 15 + 16 + 17 they play division rivals eagles skins giants, in that order.
Titans
still not a bad D, i just dont think they are better than the previous three, also look around playoff time again and they play Cheifs(week 14) raiders(week 15) and broncos(week 16) Not that hard,(unless your playoffs start in week 14) but not that easy either.
Me being a Cowboys fan, I hate to rank them at the bottom, but here's my thoughts.
The Rams were just outstanding at forcing turnovers. The only key contributor they lost was Grant Wistrom, who has a good motor, but was never really a sack artist. They have a playmaking secondary with Aeneas WIlliams and Adam Archuleta, and Leonard Little is still hell-on-wheels (even though he's a piece of $hit as a person). The Rams have young defensive tackles and if they continue to improve, the front four could be a good one.
The Buccaneers. Losing Sapp hurts, but probably not as much as people think. Sapp hasn't been a big sack producer in a long time. Part of that could be because teams were doubling him and part of that could be because he just doesn't have it anymore. Losing Lynch also hurts, as he was the QB of the secondary. They still have McFarland, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks, which are their three main contributors. They also added Ian Gold via free agency. Still a solid D as long as Rice, Brooks and McFarland are around, but losing Sapp and Lynch has to hurt some.
The Titans. They lost two starters on the D-line. However, Kearse only had 7 sacks last year and those 7 sacks shouldn't really be that hard to replace. They drafted DE's Travis LaBoy and Antwaan Odom, who were good college players, and should ease the loss of Kearse. They also drafted DT Randy Starks, who is a good pass rushing DT. They still have playmakers like Keith Bulluck and Samari Rolle, and did a good job intercepting the ball.
The Cowboys. Don't get me wrong, I feel that the Cowboys have the best NFL defense in the league. But on the fantasy stat sheet, it doesn't show up as well. The only two things that changed on the NFL's #1 ranked defense is that they lost CB Mario Edwards, and they added DE Marcellus Wiley. Dallas finished the season with 34 sacks, which is ok, but nothing spectacular. The addition of Wiley should help, but I wouldn't expect Dallas to reach 40 sacks this year because of him. The loss of Mario Edwards is big, but Pete Hunter will replace him and has better measurables, he just doesn't have the experience. The real key to the Dallas defense will be if Terence Newman really steps up and becomes a top 5 cornerback in the league. Dallas only finished with 13 interceptions last year, which is why I can't rank them above the other defenses in this short list.
fantasy wise id say the rams are the top. the cowboys are probably the best D of the group but second for fantasy. I'd take the bucs over the titans because losing kearse and robaire smith will hurt more then just losing warren sapp.
The Rams were just outstanding at forcing turnovers. The only key contributor they lost was Grant Wistrom, who has a good motor, but was never really a sack artist.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Ram's also lose their defensive coordinator last season? Last time I checked that's a pretty important piece to the puzzle.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Ram's also lose their defensive coordinator last season? Last time I checked that's a pretty important piece to the puzzle.
Yeah, as a rams fan I have to say that Lovie Smith was pretty important to their sucess. With that said, I don't think they will be very bad regardless. They have a good core of playmakers who make up a solid team.
The Rams were just outstanding at forcing turnovers. The only key contributor they lost was Grant Wistrom, who has a good motor, but was never really a sack artist.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Ram's also lose their defensive coordinator last season? Last time I checked that's a pretty important piece to the puzzle.
Yes it is. How did I make that oversight? And I call myself a guru. Shame on me.
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by FootballDrummer6 » Sun Jul 11, 2004 12:01 pm 
