JJ Watt, Scariest Def. Player?

Interesting read and a ton of respect for a 2nd year player. Keep it up JJ
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8549824/nfl-jaws-jj-watt-leads-top-10-scariest-defensive-players

There is a lot that can go wrong as an NFL quarterback. There's the footwork as you drop back. Finding the proper arm slot on the release. Moving quickly and cleanly through your progressions. But even the simplest action can be complicated -- often drastically -- by one ever-present factor: the defense.

You'd be surprised how much more difficult even the easiest tasks become when a 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end is hurling himself at the small of your back. However, for NFL QBs that's just another day at the office. If you want to succeed, you have to put those thoughts aside. Still, some defensive players leave more of an imprint on your psyche than others. Simply put, some guys are just flat out scarier.

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When I was taking snaps, I always hated facing really skilled edge rushers. I wanted to get the ball, get to my launch point and make my reads from there. With those edge rushers bearing down though, you often get pushed off your spot. You're forced to move, and once that happens, your mechanics suffer and the resulting throws ... well, sometimes I shudder just thinking about them.

I was never afraid of any defensive player during my playing days, but I absolutely respected them. So to be clear, I don't think there are guys on the defensive side of the balls that actually scare today's signal callers. Tony Romo isn't checking under his bed for Jason Pierre-Paul before he falls asleep. But the psychological impact these defenders have on quarterbacks is absolutely real.

The phrase I often use to describe the impact is, "renting space in a quarterback's head." They affect the QB's ability to think clearly both before and after the snap. That cloudiness leads to mistakes on the field and that's when we witness the horror of a mangled offensive game plan.

The defenders I'm about to describe are excellent at renting space in a quarterback's head. Altogether, they'd form a veritable Bates Motel for any NFL signal caller. Here are the 10 scariest faces a QB could see any given Sunday.

1.) J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans


In compiling this list I gave a lot of weight and consideration to the totality of a player's career, but what Watt is doing this season is truly remarkable. For a QB it can't get any scarier than when your passes never get beyond the line of scrimmage. The batted balls (nine on the year) are a result of Watt's uncanny ability to read the QB's eyes. I know some of my colleagues thought that he might not be able to do that against a taller QB like the 6-6 Joe Flacco. Well, he did it twice in that Texans romp over the Ravens.

The truth is the whole of the Houston defensive line does a good job batting down passes, and the technique is familiar to me from my Arena Football League team, the Philadelphia Soul. The technique is called a mirror rush. Rather than plunge full speed at the quarterback the defensive line watches the QB's eyes and mirrors his motions, timing their jump to coincide with his release. It works well in the arena league because the ball must come out on a flatter trajectory due to the smaller field. It works well in Houston because the line has absolutely bought in to what D-line coach Bill Kohler is preaching.


2. DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Dallas Cowboys


Ware's athleticism makes him a potent threat coming off the edge and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan really does good job utilizing his skills. Ware's talent makes him versatile in Ryan's scheme. He can rush off the edge or play the joker position. And Ware can beat his man in a variety of ways -- bull rush or speed rush -- he's got the full repertoire. Flat out, DeMarcus Ware is a sack master and he is scary as hell.

3. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Detroit Lions


I think you'll agree with me when I say Suh is a violent football player. Not dirty, mind you, but violent. From the tackle position, he is a penetrator. And when he reaches his target ... just ask Jay Cutler what happens. The Lions haven't played with a lead that much this season, and because of that Suh hasn't been able to move around the line as much. Usually, Suh is able to find that soft marshmallow on the offensive line and eat him up down after down. The Lions' situation this season has made it impossible for him just cut loose and thrive in a lot of attack schemes. If that changes between now and the end of the year though, look out.

4. Ed Reed, S, Baltimore Ravens


Reed's great ability is reading a QB's eyes, but he does it so well you'd think he was reading his mind. He is instinctive and one of the best ball hawks in the history of the NFL. If you want to throw to the right, you better not look there as soon as you get the snap. If you do, you'll be chasing after Reed as he streaks by you with the ball. Ironically, because of his scary talent to pick off passes, Reed makes every QB in this league better. You have to have great eye discipline and be mindful of every little nuance in your passing motion. Because if you don't pay attention to those tells, you know Reed will.

5. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, New York Giants


On the whole, I've been very disappointed in the Giants' pass rush this year. When I watch the film it looks like Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck have been living off their reputations. Historically they've both been quick-twitch guys, but not this year. Well, JPP is still showing off his elite skill. He is one of most gifted athletes I've ever seen. He has the size and strength to outmuscle mountain-sized tackles, the quickness to turn them around and the speed to close on the quarterback before he can escape. He doesn't have the nastiness of a Suh, but there's an edge to his game for sure.

6. Clay Matthews, OLB, Green Bay Packers


From a QB perspective, defensive guys that move around the formation scare me. Against static players you can set your protection and almost forget about them. But Matthews just keeps popping up in new places. He's like a whack-a-mole ... one that can actually put you on your butt. You never know where he's going to be and defensive coordinator Dom Capers is a master of deploying him in different areas of his schemes. A quarterback will get his protection set one way -- get his tight end set, get his running back set -- and then Matthews slides all the way to the other side of the line and you're screwed. He just wreaks havoc with pass protection schemes.

7. Charles Tillman, CB, Chicago Bears


This one may be a surprise, but if you look at his history in Chicago, you realize he's one of the game's best ball hawks -- but in a different way than Ed Reed. Reed reads your eyes for picks, but Tillman inspires fear by forcing fumbles. It seems like no ball is safe when Tillman wants to strip the football. Timing is a key component for him. He can anticipate that split second when the ball isn't quite secure or when a receiver doesn't quite have control and punch it away. Look at last Monday's game against the Lions. Just before the Lions lost the ball on the goal line fumble by Joique Bell, Tillman was matched up one-on-one against Calvin Johnson on the right side. Matt Stafford delivered the ball to the much-bigger Megatron, but just as the game's best receiver got his hands on the ball, Tillman jabs upward on Johnson's wrist to force the drop. Tillman's scary sense of timing allowed him to make that play. And there have been plenty more where that came from.

8. Cameron Wake, LB, Miami Dolphins


Wake is a flat-out, quick twitch guy off the ball. He may have quickest start of any pass rusher in the league. He'll get in that jet takeoff stance and his get-off is as good as it gets. That inspires trepidation in the quarterback, and the linemen because your first step needs to be very good and very precise. Stumble and you won't have time to recover. Wake has really flourished as he's been given more playing time and with 6.5 sacks already, you could make a good argument that he's just as good an early candidate for defensive player of the year as Watt.

9. Von Miller, OLB, Denver Broncos


Miller is just a fierce pass rusher, so much so that Tom Brady wanted no part of him when the Pats met the Broncos this year. Brady tried very hard to keep Miller off the field when those two teams met in Week 5. Whenever the Broncos used a defensive package that sent Miller on the sidelines, Brady wouldn't huddle after the next play to make sure Miller stayed there. The Patriots had 89 offensive snaps in that game and Miller was only on field for 60 of them. That's about as big a compliment as you can pay him.

10. Justin Smith, DT, San Francisco 49ers


Smith has always been an underrated player because he's often not the one making the play. Rather he's the one that allows the defense to make the play. Watch him on film and you see he always commands a double team. That attention allows Aldon Smith, NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis to play so well because it allows them to run to the ball or the QB. Smith is unselfish, but it's clear that offensive coordinators think highly of him because of the attention he commands. And he's a playmaker too. I remember last season's game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4. With the Niners up one in the fourth quarter, Michael Vick hit Jeremy Maclin on a bubble screen, pushing the ball down to the San Francisco 32 -- that's when Smith caught him. From his starting position on the defensive line, Smith chased down the speedy Maclin and stripped the ball. The Niners recovered the fumble and won the game. Tell me that didn't inspire a few nightmares in Philly.

Honorable Mentions

James Harrison, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Cortland Finnegan, CB, St. Louis Rams
Jared Allen, DE, Minnesota Vikings
Darnell Dockett, DT, Arizona Cardinals
John Abraham, DE, Atlanta Falcons

You could easily slide all of these guys up on the list, but I had to cap it at 10. What do I find impressive in all these guys? There's Allen's non-stop motor, Harrison's intimidation factor, Finnegan's grating peskiness, Docket's power coming up the middle and Abraham's pure ability to take down the QB as an edge rusher. And like Indiana Jones hated snakes, well, I hate edge rushers!