#1 Cowboys: DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis form one of the best pass-rushing duos. On the outside, they get a lot of one-on-one matchups-- and win them. Bradie James is coming off an average year. Zach Thomar was signed for his leadership and playmaking ability.
#2 Seahawks: Lofa Tatupu leads the defense from the middle and uses his quickness and instincts to make plays. Leroy Hill is one of the best blitzers on the team. Julian Peterson, who like Tatupu,is a Pro Bowl player, steps up as a rush end in the nickel.
#3 Bears: Lance Briggs lines up on the weakside and makes plays from sideline to sideline just like his partner in the middle, Brian Urlacher. Hunter Hillenmyer is steady over the tight end.
#4 Buccaneers: Derrick Brooks (weak side), Barrett Ruud (middle) and Cato June (strong side) are playmakers. June has great mobility and speed. Brooks showed more life last year, and Ruud has a year running the defense behind him.
#5 Packers: Nick Barnett (middle) and A.J. Hawk (weak side) form an athletic combination. Barnett has sideline-to-sideline range, but Hawk needs to make more big plays. Free agent pickup Brandon Chillar and Brady Poppinga will compete on the strong side.
#6 Vikings: E.J. Henderson uses great instincts to get to the ball from the middle. Chad Greenway, on the weak side, is a younger version of strongside starter Ben Leber, who is proficient at blitzing, coverage and tackling.
#7 Cardinals: Free-agent pickup Travis LaBoy is battling Bertrand Berry on the weakside; both have pass-rushing skills. On the strong side, Chike Okeafor is being pushed by Clark Haggins. Karlos Dansby and Gerald Hayes are solid inside.
#8 Panthers: Jon Beason emerged as a star in the middle as a rookie, and Thomas Davis finally appeared to understand his position on the strong side. The team added free agent Landon Johnson (Bengals) on the weak side.
#9 Redskins: Middle linebacker London Fletcher is a sure tackler. On the outside, Marcus Washington has been hampered by injuries. Rocky McIntosh is one of the teams best playmakers but has been slowed while recovering from knee surgury.
#10 Giants: Antonio Pierce deciphers offenses and gets his teammates lined up in the correct spots. On the strong side Mathias Kiwanuka needs work on his coverage. Gerris Wilkinson is the leading candidate on the weak side.
#11 49ers: Patrick Willis is fast and instinctive inside. The team hopes Dontarrious Thomas wins the other inside spot. Outside, Manny Lawson is returning from an ACL tear. Tully Banta-Cain and Parys Harelson are battling for the other outside job.
#12 Eagles: Omar Gaither can cover tight ends and backs. He is moving to the weakside to accommodate Stewart Bradley, who showed flashes as a playmaker in the middle. Chris Gocong rushes the passer from the strong side.
#13 Lions: Ernie Sims has been playing at a Pro Bowl level on the weak side but hasn't had a lot of help. Paris Lenon will be moved to the strong side; rookie Jordan Dizon, an excellent tackler, will start in the middle.
#14 Falcons: Michael Boley is a force against the run and can cover. If rookie Curtis Lofton is ready in the middle, Keith Brooking could slide back to the weak side, where he made the Pro Bowl.
#15 Rams: Will Witherspoon isn't big enough to be consistantly strong in the middle. Outside, Pisa Tinoisamoa must show he can stay healthy. Chris Draft has the slight edge over Quinton Culberson on the strong side.
#16 Saints: Jonathan Vilma is coming off knee surgery but might be the playmaker the needs in the middle. Dan Morgan (since retired) is trying to bounce back from injuries. If they aren't healthy, the team could go with Scott Fujita, Mark Simoneau and Scott Shanle, none of whom is a suberb athlete.
So this is what they think about our moves to bolster the linebacking core.
