Turning up the heat: good pass-rushers are harder to find than ever, but we've uncovered the ones who are the best in the business

Football Digest, Dec, 2004 by Vito Stellino

WHEN JOE NAMATH was one of the game's premier players in the 1960s, he once said, "I'm the trophy." Namath knew what every quarterback knows. Quarterbacks are the trophies for the pass-rushers.

The NFL, though, doesn't want its quarterbacks to be trophies. They're the glamour, players, so the league wants them playing, not standing on the sidelines with injuries. That's why many of the hits that were legal in Namath's time are now illegal. The league passes out stiff fines for late hits on the QB or blows to the helmet. The NFL also outlawed the headslap in 1977 and virtually legalized holding. In Namath's day, offensive linemen had to block with their hands held to their jerseys. Now they can use their hands to strike blows to opposing linemen.

The NFL likes high-scoring games, not affairs that are dominated by defense. That's why in 1978 it passed a rule outlawing the bumping of wide receivers after five yards. It put new emphasis on the rule this year, making it even easier for a quarterback to throw the ball before the rushers get to him.

All this explains why there is such a premium on pass-rushers, and why Jevon Kearse and Adewale Ogunleye got big contracts in the offseason, even though Kearse has been plagued with injuries and Adewale has been in the league just three years. It's so difficult to get to the quarterback that the players who can do it are worth their weight in gold.

Consider that all of the top 10 sack leaders since 1982 (when the league made sacks an official statistic) are retired.

When Bruce Smith called it quits at the end of last season, he had 200 sacks, making him the leader by two over Reggie White. Kevin Greene is a distant third at 160.

Michael Strahan of the New York Giants entered this season as the leader among active players with 114, and he's still at the top of his game after pacing the league last year with 18.5 sacks. It's little surprise, then, that he tops our list of the best pass-rushers in football. Here's a look:

1. Michael Strahan New York Giants

Strahan not only is the leader among active players, but he also holds the single-season record with 22.5 in 2001. Strahan's record was somewhat tarnished because Brett Favre seemed to gift wrap the final sack for him, but that doesn't change the fact that he has been the most consistent pass-rusher of his era. At age 32 and in his 12th season, he shows no signs of slowing down. He hasn't missed a game the past eight seasons.

2. Simeon Rice Tampa Bay Buccaneers

He's made the Pro Bowl three times in the past four years, stopping his game up a notch since leaving the Arizona Cardinals in 2001. He's had 46.5 sacks the past three seasons and appears to be still in his prime in his ninth season and at age 30. Rice was drafted out of Illinois with the third overall pick in 1996, and he's missed only one game in his career. That was the 2000 opener, when he didn't report because of a contract dispute.

3. Jason Taylor Miami Dolphins

Taylor should get a cut of the $15 million in guaranteed money that Adewale Ogunleye received from the Chicago Bears this year. Adewale was able to accumulate 15 sacks in 2003 partially because Taylor was being double-teamed all the time. Still, Taylor managed to get 13 sacks, including 10.5 in the final nine games. In his eighth season and at age 30, Taylor is at his peak.

4. Jevon Kearse Philadelphia Eagles

It could be debated whether Kearse belongs on the list because, entering 2004, he had started only 15 of 32 games the previous two years. But since the Eagles gave him a $66 million deal with a $16 million signing bonus, he has to qualify. The Eagles manage their salary cap very carefully, so that type of major investment showed they weren't worried about his history of injury problems. Kearse had 47.5 sacks in his first five seasons, but he still has to prove he can stay healthy. He's facing a lot of pressure in Philadelphia because he's supposed to be one of the missing pieces of its Super Bowl puzzle.

5. Shaun Ellis New York Jets

Ellis had a breakout season with the Jets last year, earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl after compiling 12.5 sacks. At age 27, he appears ready to take his place among the very best pass-rushers. He didn't miss a game in his first four seasons, starting the final 43 games of that span. The 16th pick overall in the 2000 draft, he's beginning to show why he was so coveted.

6. Kevin Carter Tennessee Titans

Carter is the only defensive lineman in the league who has not missed a game since the start of the 1995 season. He played six years with the St. Louis Rams before being traded to the Titans and entered the 2004 season ranked fourth among active players with 80 sacks. Although he had only 5.5 sacks last year, he led the team in quarterback pressures for the third consecutive season, with 28. At 31, he seems as fit and strong as ever.

7. Dwight Freeney Indianapolis Colts

Freeney is in only his third season after being picked 11th overall by the Colts in the 2002 draft, but he already has established himself as a top pass-rusher. He had 24 sacks in his first two seasons, including 13 in his fabulous rookie year. Freeney has been the one sure thing on a Colts defense that has struggled to keep pace with the team's explosive offense.