For years, anytime I discussed the elite defensive players, a few always came to mind. There was Darrelle Revis who single-handedly shut down the team’s best receiver, there was Troy Polamalu who was the Steelers Mr. Everything on defense, of course you had Ray Lewis who’s a lead-pipe lock for the hall of fame and there was Ed Reed, the guy who played the safety position as if he were a center fielder and lured quarterbacks into throwing the ball sooner rather than later. Then, there was Demarcus Ware, a guy that was as pure of a pass rusher as they came. Today, the guy that is ranked eighth all-time in sacks has decided to call it a career and retire.
Not only was he a premiere defensive player, he was a top overall player in the league and I’ve been known to say that you’re pretty special as a defensive player if you’re the first guy that comes up when game planning and during his days with the Cowboys, that was indeed the case. Everything he did as a defensive end, he did with finesse and power but did it with ease. His first step, which is always a key for the best pass rushers was lethal and once he breezed passed you, it was over for anyone trying to defend him and he never gave up on the play. If he wanted to get to that quarterback, he did it. His footwork was tremendous to cut inside and make offensive linemen work to keep him out the backfield. When he joined Denver in 2014, he teamed up with Von Miller and this gave the Broncos the best pass rushing tandem in the NFL and with Ware apart of a great Broncos defense in 2015, he was able to win his first Super Bowl.
As I said up top in the first paragraph, he’s eighth all-time in sacks with 138.5 and in five years, expect to see him in Canton in the Hall of Fame. He’s one of the best pass rushers I’ve ever seen.
