10. Green Bay Packers -- A.J. Hawk is a friggin' stud and these guys will be higher in years to come. Kind of weak on the right side and there is a real lack of depth, but Nick Barnett was good for 105 tackles last year. But seriously, A.J. Hawk is a stud and he will be in Brady Quinn's nightmares in more ways than one.
9. Atlanta Falcons -- Does the loss of Ed Hartwell's overpaid and under producing ass hurt? Not really. Keith Brooking moves back to his natural position in the middle. Young guys Demorrio Williams and Michael Boley turned some heads early in the season last year. The signing of Orlando Huff is no roster filling move, he will come in and make some plays. I'm expecting big things out of the meathead from GA Tech this year.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- There are some age concerns here, but Cato June and Derrick Brooks are still very dependable on the outside. You'd like to see more sacks out of this unit, but some nice depth with guys like Patrick Chukwurah, Jamie Winborn, and Ryan Nece.
7. Dallas Cowboys -- A fairly young linebacker unit that is only going to get better, especially DeMarcus Ware. Akin Ayodele is no slouch and Greg Ellis is the solid seasoned vet on the end. Close to 20 sacks last year between everybody.
6. Baltimore Ravens -- Ray Lewis is still Ray Lewis and the anchor of this very strong core. A little bit more strength on the right side next to Lewis could not hurt, but the 20 + sacks on the left side between Bart Scott, Terrell Suggs and backups are pretty intimidating to any quarterback.
5. Philadelphia Eagles -- Maybe a little overrated here, because they really had some trouble stopping the run last year, but if Jeremiah Trotter and Takeo Spikes can stay healthy and return to their old form, Philly's defense is going to look pretty intimidating next year.
4. Miami Dolphins -- Joey Porter, Zach Thomas, Channing Crowder, and Jason Taylor from left to right. About 21 sacks and close to 300 tackles between the four of them. Some age concerns here, but still very dependable and the anchor of a less than spectacular overall defense.
3. New England Patriots -- Again, pretty old, but probably the deepest linebacker unit in the NFL. Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and the addition of Adalius Thomas round out a very strong core. Some old fart named Junior Seau is a back up on the inside. This is unit is the perfect example of how the 3-4 can be effective.
2. Chicago Bears -- This guy makes me and about every quarterback in the NFL want to shit their pants. Now that his locker room buddy Lance Briggs is off his high horse and securely a Bear, you have the same scary unit as last year. The stats are not really all that impressive, because the defensive line is so dominant, but these guys are good.
1. San Diego Chargers -- How did these guys not make it to the Super Bowl last year? Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips are probably the best two outside linebackers in the NFL combining for nearly 30 sacks last year. Merriman is only going to get better and more dominant.
Just missed the cut -- NY Giants, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks
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