Gil Brandt's greatest NFL defensive tackles of all time

kskboys

Well-Known Member
Messages
44,054
Reaction score
46,962
And Bob Lily and Randy White couldn’t keep up with Donald’s speed on their best day.
Don't see that as being true. Lilly was known as a freakishly fast player for his size. Donald ran a 4.68. Lilly was known to catch RB's from behind.

Why do you think Donald was faster?
 

eromeopolk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,499
Reaction score
4,387
Gil Brandt's greatest NFL defensive tackles of all time

http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap3000000816301/gil-brandt's-greatest-nfl-defensive-tackles-of-all-time




30. La'Roi Glover
Oakland Raiders, 1996; New Orleans Saints, 1997-2001; Dallas Cowboys, 2002-2005; St. Louis Rams 2006-2008
» Voted to six Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro one time
» NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
» 2000 NFC Defensive Player of the Year
» 2000 NFL sacks leader (17.5)
» Finished career with 433 tackles, 83.5 sacks and 16 forced fumbles


21. Ray Childress
Houston Oilers, 1985-1995; Dallas Cowboys, 1996
» Voted to five Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro one time
» NFL-record three fumble recoveries in single game
» Recorded 76.5 sacks, 861 tackles, and 19 forced fumbles in 12-year NFL career


4. Randy White
Dallas Cowboys, 1975-1988
» One-time Super Bowl champion
» Super Bowl XII co-MVP
» Voted to nine Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro seven times
» NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
» Unofficially recorded 111 sacks (high of 16 in 1978) and 1,104 tackles in 14 NFL seasons
» Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame


1. Bob Lilly
Dallas Cowboys, 1961-1974
» One-time Super Bowl champion
» Voted to 11 Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro seven times
» NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
» member of NFL's All-Decade Teams in 1960s and 1970s
» Started every game (164) of his 14-year career
» 29-yard sack of Bob Griese in Super Bowl VI is NFL record and one of the most memorable in Super Bowl history
» Scored four defensive touchdowns in career
» Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
I have no problems with this list except for the omission of Fletcher Cox. Take Fridge off and add Fletcher Cox.
 

TwoDeep3

Well-Known Member
Messages
14,387
Reaction score
17,212
Did you ever see the manster play. Randy White

I have searched for the video on the internet for a long time, but fail to find it.

Dallas was playing the Eagles. Ron Jaworski was the QB for Philly and Wilbert Montgomery was the RB. The Eagles ran a lead draw (I think). Randy White was in the backfield about to take Jaws off at the knees when Montgomery blasted through a huge hole and broke toward the sidelines. He was a fast, tough RB and the best in the East at that time.

Forty yards down the sidelines Randy White caught him for the tackle. Think of the Larry Allen play against the Saints that had Madden drooling. Same thing. Except White started 6 yards deep in the Eagles backfield.

This is as close as I can get. He runs down an Eagle WR who caught a slant.

 

ClappingCarrot

Well-Known Member
Messages
6,762
Reaction score
19,444
I more or less disagree with having Lilly above White. Randy White wasn't even human at the position.

I do love watching tape of Bob Lilly though. He wasn't even built like a DT and had zero mass to speak of, but had that brute country boy strength and quickness to always end up in the backfield.
 

Pola_pe_a

Well-Known Member
Messages
941
Reaction score
803
Obviously you’ve never saw them play. They would eat Aaron Donald for lunch

Aaron Donald has 20 pounds on both those guys and plays with better leverage and he’s faster. Sorry those guys weren’t running 4.68 when no one trained.
Donald also has great hands, something White or Lily didn’t have to develop because hand blocking wasn’t a thing.

All great players but all said and done Aaron Donald goes down as the best ever.


Brian Baldinger seems to agree with me.

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/19/nfl-rams-aaron-donald-best-ever-brian-baldinger/
 

quickccc

Well-Known Member
Messages
16,062
Reaction score
13,981
I more or less disagree with having Lilly above White. Randy White wasn't even human at the position.

I do love watching tape of Bob Lilly though. He wasn't even built like a DT and had zero mass to speak of, but had that brute country boy strength and quickness to always end up in the backfield.

i'll leave it up to the the old timers ...er i mean old schoolers :p... to decide which of Lilly vs White was the best among all time Cowboys DTs.

i wasn't even born when Lilly retired, and i only caught Randy White in early 80's and on ..La Roi Glover was a min-Randle in his prime in New Orleans .. it's phenomenal when you have a 4-3 DT getting an astounding 16 sacks as he once did,. i thought he was every bit a argument for Glover to make the Hall of Fame just as Cortez Kennedy has, imo.
 

Captain43Crash

Well-Known Member
Messages
7,297
Reaction score
7,563
Aaron Donald has 20 pounds on both those guys and plays with better leverage and he’s faster. Sorry those guys weren’t running 4.68 when no one trained.
Donald also has great hands, something White or Lily didn’t have to develop because hand blocking wasn’t a thing.

All great players but all said and done Aaron Donald goes down as the best ever.


Brian Baldinger seems to agree with me.

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/19/nfl-rams-aaron-donald-best-ever-brian-baldinger/
Randy White, the Manster was a Karate expert! A true Ninja. He knew how to use his hands!
Did you see him pound the shi_ out of his fellow DT from the Jets, in a boxing match, after he retired.

Randy White was a bad dude!
 

Super_Kazuya

Well-Known Member
Messages
7,074
Reaction score
9,113
Aaron Donald has 20 pounds on both those guys and plays with better leverage and he’s faster. Sorry those guys weren’t running 4.68 when no one trained.
Donald also has great hands, something White or Lily didn’t have to develop because hand blocking wasn’t a thing.

All great players but all said and done Aaron Donald goes down as the best ever.


Brian Baldinger seems to agree with me.

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/19/nfl-rams-aaron-donald-best-ever-brian-baldinger/
Lilly and White still have better resumes for now... but Donald at only age 28 is closing fast.
 

Pola_pe_a

Well-Known Member
Messages
941
Reaction score
803
Randy White, the Manster was a Karate expert! A true Ninja. He knew how to use his hands!
Did you see him pound the shi_ out of his fellow DT from the Jets, in a boxing match, after he retired.

Randy White was a bad dude!

In the context of football neither guy has the hand skills Donald has, wasn’t part of the game.

Those guys are great players but some on here are a little blinded by their homerism.

Aaron Donald in 6 years

5 All-Pro’s. (I value these more than Pro Bowls
6 Pro-Bowls
Back to Back defensive player of the year award
 
Last edited:

Whirlwin

Cowboy , It’s a way of life.
Messages
23,977
Reaction score
16,255
CowboysZone DIEHARD Fan
Aaron Donald has 20 pounds on both those guys and plays with better leverage and he’s faster. Sorry those guys weren’t running 4.68 when no one trained.
Donald also has great hands, something White or Lily didn’t have to develop because hand blocking wasn’t a thing.
Listen I’m a Donald fan. But no way is he better
All great players but all said and done Aaron Donald goes down as the best ever.


Brian Baldinger seems to agree with me.

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/19/nfl-rams-aaron-donald-best-ever-brian-baldinger/
 

Whirlwin

Cowboy , It’s a way of life.
Messages
23,977
Reaction score
16,255
CowboysZone DIEHARD Fan
Aaron Donald has 20 pounds on both those guys and plays with better leverage and he’s faster. Sorry those guys weren’t running 4.68 when no one trained.
Donald also has great hands, something White or Lily didn’t have to develop because hand blocking wasn’t a thing.

All great players but all said and done Aaron Donald goes down as the best ever.


Brian Baldinger seems to agree with me.

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/19/nfl-rams-aaron-donald-best-ever-brian-baldinger/
I train a two time Super Bowl running back.. And he agrees with me so. Randy white best ever
 

MichaelValentino

Well-Known Member
Messages
283
Reaction score
436
Aaron Donald has 20 pounds on both those guys and plays with better leverage and he’s faster. Sorry those guys weren’t running 4.68 when no one trained.
Donald also has great hands, something White or Lily didn’t have to develop because hand blocking wasn’t a thing.

All great players but all said and done Aaron Donald goes down as the best ever.


Brian Baldinger seems to agree with me.

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/19/nfl-rams-aaron-donald-best-ever-brian-baldinger/


Where do I start?

Randy White ran a 4.6 coming out of college, and he maintained that speed for years. Dallas envisioned him as the heir apparent to Lee Roy Jordan, and thought he would be another Dick Butkus-type MLB. White couldn't back peddle into pass coverage and so he was moved to DT.

White did 10 reps of 450 on the bench, and he didn't go beyond 500 for his max not to lose flexibility. I think he limited his squat to 600 for the same reasoning.

Hands? He trained in Filipino Martial Arts and Muay Thai. He did hubud drills. I've done these in FMA-Jeet Kune Do, and talk about building up insane hand speed, hubud is the way to go.

White had amazing quickness. He was 6'4" and topped out at 270. He could have played at 285 if he needed to.

Lilly was a transcendent player, the best DT in the golden era of the front four in NFL history. Lifting wasn't a thing in the 60s to early 70s, and it didn't really catch on until the Steelers O-line were lifting ridiculous amounts (in that era). Still, Lilly had incredible natural strength, and he had the ability to knife between blockers. He was always double-teamed and often triple-teamed. While the head slap was legal (for D-linemen) in those days, he was too nice a guy to use it. He was 6'5" and played at 260. With his body type, he could have added another 20 lbs easily. And today, he'd be in the weight room and I'm pretty sure he'd bench more than Donald's 490.

Lilly deserves top billing on this list, over Mean Joe Greene, who was a legendary player and the best defensive player on those tremendously talented Pittsburgh teams of the 70s.

I will say, because I believe it to be so, Aaron Donald is the best DT I've seen since White and Greene. Donald is an amazing talent.

I also think Alan Page deserves a higher ranking. You can argue he was the best pass-rushing interior lineman ever. He didn't play the run as well as Lilly, Greene, Merlin Olsen or the Manster, and wasn't as strong as they were, but he posted ridiculous sack totals, even though the NFL has no official records from his career.

I'm glad to see Joe Klecko on the list. He was vastly underrated, made the Pro Bowl at DT, NT and DE, and none other than the great John Hannah once said the two toughest guys he ever faced were Klecko and Randy White.
 

Whirlwin

Cowboy , It’s a way of life.
Messages
23,977
Reaction score
16,255
CowboysZone DIEHARD Fan
Where do I start?

Randy White ran a 4.6 coming out of college, and he maintained that speed for years. Dallas envisioned him as the heir apparent to Lee Roy Jordan, and thought he would be another Dick Butkus-type MLB. White couldn't back peddle into pass coverage and so he was moved to DT.

White did 10 reps of 450 on the bench, and he didn't go beyond 500 for his max not to lose flexibility. I think he limited his squat to 600 for the same reasoning.

Hands? He trained in Filipino Martial Arts and Muay Thai. He did hubud drills. I've done these in FMA-Jeet Kune Do, and talk about building up insane hand speed, hubud is the way to go.

White had amazing quickness. He was 6'4" and topped out at 270. He could have played at 285 if he needed to.

Lilly was a transcendent player, the best DT in the golden era of the front four in NFL history. Lifting wasn't a thing in the 60s to early 70s, and it didn't really catch on until the Steelers O-line were lifting ridiculous amounts (in that era). Still, Lilly had incredible natural strength, and he had the ability to knife between blockers. He was always double-teamed and often triple-teamed. While the head slap was legal (for D-linemen) in those days, he was too nice a guy to use it. He was 6'5" and played at 260. With his body type, he could have added another 20 lbs easily. And today, he'd be in the weight room and I'm pretty sure he'd bench more than Donald's 490.

Lilly deserves top billing on this list, over Mean Joe Greene, who was a legendary player and the best defensive player on those tremendously talented Pittsburgh teams of the 70s.

I will say, because I believe it to be so, Aaron Donald is the best DT I've seen since White and Greene. Donald is an amazing talent.

I also think Alan Page deserves a higher ranking. You can argue he was the best pass-rushing interior lineman ever. He didn't play the run as well as Lilly, Greene, Merlin Olsen or the Manster, and wasn't as strong as they were, but he posted ridiculous sack totals, even though the NFL has no official records from his career.

I'm glad to see Joe Klecko on the list. He was vastly underrated, made the Pro Bowl at DT, NT and DE, and none other than the great John Hannah once said the two toughest guys he ever faced were Klecko and Randy White.
Compare Randy white speed to the players around him in that time that era. Far greater than the distance between Aaron Donald and others in his era. Just goes to show you can’t compare. Randy white without a doubt he eat Aron for lunch
 

EST_1986

Well-Known Member
Messages
10,188
Reaction score
14,647
Best defensive tackles before the turn of the century?
 

RS12

Well-Known Member
Messages
31,800
Reaction score
27,472
Did a google search and came up with nothing. Give me the skinny.
I read it online so I know it exists but basically the Manster said Howie Long was greatly over rated because he was constantly moved around so he was always against the opponents weakest lineman. Some would say this was a smart strategy. Randy thought it was because Howie wasn't that good and good O Lineman would shut him down. Basically empty stats and empty performance.
 
Top