The one thing I’ve always enjoyed about Super Bowl weekend is finding out who is next in line to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Some of these last few classes have been memorable. In 2018, we saw Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Brian Dawkins all receive gold jackets. A year later, Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed, Champ Bailey, and Ty Law were next in line to get to Canton. 2020, we saw Troy Polamalu, Edgerrin James, and Bill Cowher and 2021, we saw Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, and Calvin Johnson get inducted. Another big name when he played was DeMarcus Ware. He was a feared defender during his playing days. As expected, he’s a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
I’ve seen many pass rushers over the years and he’s one of the very best I’ve seen do it. From a pure pass-rushing standpoint, not many were better than DeMarcus. He did everything with finesse and made things look powerful, but he did everything on the field with ease. Anything DeMarcus wanted, he got it. In his prime, I saw him win battles against some of the best offensive linemen. As a defensive lineman or a pass rusher, it’s key to have a consistent first step. Not only was his consistent, but it was also lethal and when he used it, he won every battle upfront. DeMarcus would always use his quickness to his advantage. His speed off the snap of the ball always amazed me. What stood out to me was all his sacks were different. He could get you with a pure bull rush and push you up off the line of scrimmage, then go after the quarterback, he could stunt which means he would fake as if he were coming off the edge and cut inside to apply pressure. It was nice seeing a pass rusher with versatility. DeMarcus was Khalil Mack before Khalil entered the league and I say that because I saw many similarities in their skillsets.
DeMarcus came into the league in 2005 out of Troy University. The Dallas Cowboys selected him in the first round with the 11th pick. While in Dallas, he became their best defensive player and established himself as one of the best all-around defenders in the league. After nine years in Dallas, he signed a free-agent contract with the Denver Broncos in 2014. He teamed up with fellow pass rusher Von Miller. 2015 was a memorable year for the Broncos. Denver’s defense was the best in the league and they helped guide the team to the top seed in the AFC on their run to a third Super Bowl championship in franchise history. He retired in 2017 after a stellar 12-year career. DeMarcus has a Super Bowl ring and has the 13th most sacks in NFL history with 138.5. A well-deserved honor for one of the great guys around the football community.