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The offensive line. A center, two guards and two tackles--all working together. Five big guys with big appetites and bigger responsibilities. You don't have to invite them to dinner. Just […]

It has really always been about Reggie. No matter how many sacks he records or offenses he terrorizes or Super Bowls he plays in, he can't shake Reggie. Reggie always […]

Here's your assignment. Get off the couch, shut off the television, walk away from the air conditioning, march outside and close the garage door. OK, stride to the end of […]

Ohio State tackle ORLANDO PACE may not win the Heisman, but nobody is going to catch him in talent At the Columbus, Ohio, apartment of Orlando Pace, there are dirty […]

On a two-lane Minneapolis-area road, we're following a man on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The biker is decked out in leather chaps, black leather vest, Harley T-shirt, snakeskin boots and an […]

When Eric Swann applied for the draft in 1991, he was a mystery the NFL needed to solve. He was impressive physically at 6-4, 310 pounds, showing good speed and […]

|My man," says Seattle safety Eugene Robinson about teammate Cortez Kennedy, "is the best." San Diego cornerback Gill Byrd smiles and shakes his head at Robinson. "I know who is […]

Titans defensive bookends Kevin Carter and Jevon Kearse both have adjustments to make. If they are successful, opponents better be prepared for a double dose of trouble. For quarterbacks, it […]

In recent years, the Buccaneers' defense was comprised of the same types of players. Not anymore. End Simeon Rice is a French epee in an arsenal of bludgeons. Rice can […]

DEFENSIVE TACKLES A number of these players are worthy of being chosen high in the draft. At least four defensive tackles are expected to go in the first round, and […]

OFFENSE Chris Samuels Alabama, T, 6-6/291, Sr. Move over, John Hannah. Chris Samuels may be the best lineman Alabama has produced. "Chris Samuels, in our opinion, is maybe the best […]

Teams are listed alphabetically When coach Jon Gruden came to the Raiders two years ago, his goal was to transform a traditionally vertical passing team into a more balanced, ball-control […]

Dick Butkus. Chuck Bednarik. Mike Singletary. The list of football's 100 greatest players is laced with names of guys who blazed a trail of broken helmets and bruised ribs. It's […]

Their roles have become similar, but you can still tell a left offensive tackle from a right one. Just ask Denver's Tony Jones. "They're two different beasts to me," says […]

It's almost easier to win the lottery these days than it is to find a premier defensive end, so teams looking for pass-rush help are investing in other strategies and […]

Defensive tackles sometimes are treated like tie tacks--accessories, not necessities. But this spring, defensive tackles are the must-have items. There was a stampede for the big men in the draft; […]

So, you're angling to be the first defensive tackle picked in the 2003 NFL draft. Already spent your bonus money, have you? Thinking Warren Sapp himself will call to abdicate […]

It's still sore (not that you can tell), but White and an Inspired defense have served notice that the Packers won't roll over for anyone Little did anyone know that […]

Free-agent defensive tackles always have been like winter watermelons--available in limited quantifies, but overpriced and lacking in quality. That could change in the coming months, however, as a group of […]

Like every defensive coordinator, Larry Peccatiello of the Bengals analyzes his opponent's offense when he Prepares for a game. And when be studies film of the Steelers, the Bengals' AFC […]

The NFL Scout and I are watching tapes of Southern California games, concentrating on left tackle Tony Boselli. The Scout, a former NFL offensive-line coach, doesn't say much. Doesn't need […]

Defensive tackle Tim Bowens played nine games in his junior season - his only season - at the University of Mississippi. Bowens then dropped out of school and returned to […]

* Not a senior 1. Tommie Harris *, 6-3, 288, Oklahoma. This potential top 10 pick is a complete player. Has excellent initial quickness and instincts. Is explosive. Uses hands […]

Their work in the trenches jump-starts some of the league's best offenses: 1. Chiefs Three important factors in the success of an offensive line are continuity, communication and cohesiveness, and […]

* Denotes underclassman 1. Robert Gallery, 6-6, 320, Iowa. An elite blocking prospect in the same class as Orlando Pace and Walter Jones. Has size, athleticism, quick feet, intelligence and […]

Three years ago, the space-eating buffet of Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams was a big factor in the Ravens' run to the Lombardi Trophy. Last season, the Buccaneers relied on […]

He was listed as a tight end, but it's not really what he did, and it's not how he'll be remembered. Trey Junkin snapped on special teams. It was his […]

Week 15 matchup Chuck Smith vs. Willie Roaf Theirs is a rivalry within a rivalry, an emphatic demonstration of the intense feelings between two Southern franchises that came into the […]

Free agency was not yet part of the NFL landscape when I retired from coaching in 1989. Current coaches, however, are not so fortunate. Packers coach Mike Holmgren lost five […]

John Randle is a defensive tackle as surely as a rhinoceros is a pachyderm. Yet there he is lined up at defensive end for the Vikings. What gives? It started […]

Great college athletes have to come from somewhere. They can't all rise out of the major population centers. So why not small-town America? Why not Aplington, Iowa, population 1,034, a […]

Remember when Georgia was known as "Tailback U.?" Herschel Walker, Rodney Hampton and Garrison Hearst all took their turns at one of the most ennobled positions in college football. Now, […]

It looks like a USC offensive line. Check out guard Travis Claridge, a 6-6, 300-pounder who conjures memories of former Trojans greats Brad Budde and Bruce Matthews. It feels like […]

At this time every year, it seems NFL scouts find flaws in almost every draftable prospect. Some wondered back in 1983 if John Elway would hold up physically. Fourteen years […]

The buzz about Baylor defensive end Daryl Gardener began in the spring last year when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.75, and it is reaching a crescendo leading up […]

The Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Cardinals hooked up in some pretty fierce battles in the 1970s, with Dan Dierdorf and Ed (Too Tall) Jones smack in the middle of […]