Who'll get sack time?

Some nominees for 2002's breakout pass rushers

Every team in the NFL prays that a player, given a year or two of coaching, can become a top pass rusher. Everyone is looking for the next Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila to walk through the door and deliver 13 1/2 sacks in his second season.

I asked a number of defensive line coaches which players I should keep an eye on as I make my annual summer camp tour. I wanted non-starters or one-year starters that weren't high-draft picks who might be capable of breakout seasons. Based on my conversations, here's the short list of players I'm going to take a long look at:

Derrick Burgess: This second-year undersized defensive end out of Mississippi has made four career starts with the Eagles but was only active for 10 games in 2001. Burgess had six sacks last year and in Philadelphia's defense could easily reach double digits in 2002.

Tyrone Rogers: This former free agent from Alabama State got to the quarterback six times last year with the Browns in his first real season of playing time.

Mike Rucker: The Panthers' second-round pick from 1999 had a breakout season in 2001 with nine sacks. Now that Julius Peppers will line up on the opposite side, Rucker won't be double teamed and could make the jump to double figures in the sack category.

Brian Young: This former fifth-rounder out of Texas-El Paso got his first starting assignment under his belt for St. Louis last year and responded with 6 1/2 sacks. The Rams jump out to the lead in most of their games, thus forcing their opponents into more passing situations. Young won't be listed as a starter this season, what with Grant Wistrom and Leonard Little combining for 23 1/2 sacks last year and 2001 first-rounders Daimone Lewis and Ryan Pickett lining up on the inside, but he has proven he can get to the QB. Let me remind you that Gbaja-Biamila doesn't start for the Packers, either.

Building on momentum

Two years ago the Packers and the Steelers failed to make the playoffs. But both teams finished strong in the month of December and carried that momentum into the 2001 season.

Green Bay finished up 4-0 in 2000 and wound up with an 8-8 record; Mike Sherman parlayed that into a 12-4 regular season and a return to the playoffs last year. Pittsburgh finished up the last month of 2000 with a 3-1 mark and roared into 2001. By season's end the Steelers were 13-3. Sherman and Cowher never stopped telling their players that their strong finishes were more indicative of the kind of teams they really were, even as their clubs failed to make the playoffs.

Which teams will likely carry over momentum from last year? Well, both the Chiefs and Seahawks closed out the 2001 season with 3-1 records and Dick Vermeil and Mike Holmgren have each resurrected franchises before. From what players in both Kansas City and Seattle tell me their respective coaches have been very convincing in preaching that this is the year they'll break through to the playoffs. Recent history sure backs up the idea.

Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNNSI.com.

 

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