FPF to NFL Comparison: Rusher/Defensive Line/Linebacker

Welcome to the FPF/NFL Rusher comparison article. This is my favorite list to make because I played Defensive Tackle (and some Defensive End) for nearly a decade, from bantam to Junior, and at the university level too. Yes, I am short for both positions, but quick feet, and some strength go a long way.

There is nothing better than ending a drive by hitting a Quarterback and imposing your will on an offense. Throwing a QB to the ground and falling on top of him, while talking a little bit of trash before, during, and after the play, always brought a smile to my face.

I love the trenches. Skill positions are cool, and they obviously get more attention, but the line of scrimmage is where every single game is decided. You learn a lot about yourself and what it means to be tough by playing in there. It takes a lot of skill to run a 4.4, burn a Defensive Back, lock down a Receiver, or to throw a ball 60 yards accurately off your back foot, but it takes even more skill to get positioning on someone, throw, lift, duck below, run past, or through them, shed their block, and get to the Quarterback, and do it again and again play after play, while taking a pounding on several parts of your body.  

While I still haven’t convinced Rob to start a semi-contact flag league, I have tried over the years (Am I the only one that wants to see the Snapper have the chance to block the Rusher at least a few times a game?) I think that a lot of the feelings I described about rushing the QB in tackle apply to flag football as well. You can’t smoke or record a strip sack on passers unfortunately, but getting a game-changing or sealing sack, is still possible. My team did it on Thursday in Laval, and it felt damn good.

To make this comparison more interesting, I will be using Defensive Ends, Defensive Tackles, and Outside Linebackers. What makes this position fun, but also hard to chose from, is the fact that Quarterbacks in these divisions rarely take sacks, so kudos to all the Rushers who sign up to play the second most important position in flag football, and do it on a high level.

Here we go…

Matt Kirouac – Nick Bosa

I was going to use my exception and say either Lawrence Taylor or Charles Haley, but I figured I would stick to only current players this time around. Kirouac is the best Rusher in FPF history, and Bosa is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. What else do you need?

Maybe this. Both players have the unique combo of speed, power, and finesse. Most importantly, they share the ability to come up with a big pay exactly when their team needs it. Other names might get mentioned from time to time, but these two are the bar that every other pass rusher must meet.

I was going to go with Aaron Donald here, but I figured Bosa would be more suitable, as I can see him and not Donald catching a post route like Kirouac.

Julien Paiement – Micah Parsons

Speed, relentlessness, and the ability to bend are the keys to success for both players when it comes to chasing opposing Quarterbacks, as both players have non-stop motors. Both sack-masters seemingly shine the bigger the game is for their teams, and their respective defenses would be lost without them.

Francois Hogue – T.J. Watt

Power, speed, and a non-stop motor are what help both players wreak havoc in opposing backfields. Quarterbacks always have to pay special attention to these players, as their ability to stop on a dime, and force ball-carriers to go east to west, is something that can’t be taught.

During the Winter Season Semi-Finals, I spoke to Jeff Rosenblatt, and he told me that adding Hogue to his Division B team was going to be the move that should carry them to a championship. While he only has two sacks so far, he has helped spearhead the second-best defense in Div. B, as Run It Once have only surrendered 157 points. Division A is where Hogue is doing his most damage, as he leads all players with nine sacks.

Isiah Allard – Maxx Crosby

Length and speed are the two key attributes that help both players get to the passer. Causing Quarterbacks to have to change release points and arm angles is an underrated facet of pass rushing, and both Allard and Crosby can do exactly that with their length. Their ability to knock down passes in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage have forced punts and caused numerous turnovers over the years.

While batting down passes is key to their games, sacking the QBs with their long reach, and making QBs have to throw the ball over and around their outstretched arms is what helps makes them such unique and elite players.

Jerry Beauboeuf – Von Miller

Is it just me, or does Beauboeuf remind you of John Randle when he rushes the passer? I know the Pro Football Hall of Famer wore face paint, but Beauboeuf’s cold weather hood gives off a similar look.

Moving on to a current NFL player, Miller, who is coming off a torn ACL, is still a dominant force. He might go without a sack for a few games, but then he will just turn it on at the drop of a hat and record a multi-sack performance. That is exactly what Beauboeuf has done both in Division A with Star city, and in Co-Ed Division 2 with The IG Team.

That is the first reason for the comp. The second is because both players rely on speed, quickness, and strength to get to the Quarterback, and are extremely successful while doing it. Miller is a guaranteed Hall of Famer once he hangs up his cleats. While Beauboeuf has a long way to go to reach that level in FPF, but the talent is there (he is also an underrated Receiver), and if he continues to stack sacks on a more consistent basis, he might not only lead his Div. A team to a title, like Miller is trying to do with the Buffalo Bills, he might also get into the FPF HOF too.

Francois Rocheleau – DeMarcus Lawrence

Between 2017 and 2018, Lawrence had 25 sacks for the Dallas Cowboys. Rocheleau, who plays for a signature team here in FPF in the Braves, had 23 alone in 2018. Since that time, neither player has been able to come close to matching those totals, as the former has 21.5 QB takedowns, while the latter has recorded 22.

Despite the lack of sacks, both players still posses the speed and closing ability to cause problems for Quarterbacks. So far this Spring Season, Rocheleau has proven that to be true, as he has posted 14 sacks while playing for three teams.  Last year, Lawrence had 6 QB takedowns, his second highest total in the last four seasons. The arrow appears to be pointing upward for both players.

Marc-Antoine Vallée – Arik Armstead

Both players are experts at using their speed and length to bat down passes and bring down Quarterbacks and disrupt plays beihnd the line. Veterans on loaded teams with championship experience, they work in concert with the talent around them to put up solid numbers, take over games from time to time, and come up with sacks in key moments. The duo are also key members and leaders of a championship contender.

Gabe D’Amico-Mazza – Myles Garrett

He is the one Division A player on this list who looks like they could line up at Defensive End for a few snaps. Just like Garrett, D’Amico-Mazza, brings both speed, athleticism, and size to the table, and they use those attributes to hunt Quarterbacks on game day. They are also the anchors of their respective defenses, as they make everyone’s job around them that much easier when they are on the field.

Nathan Cornelow – Jaelen Philips

The firs time I saw him play was two weeks ago when he had the unenviable task of rushing Quarterback Jeanslee Alexis, which is like trying to rush Lamar Jackson all game. Needles to say, it wasn’t an easy ask for the second-year Rusher.

After recording eight sacks in his rookie year, Cornelow, is already halfway to that total with four. The best is yet to come for both players, as the more experience he has, the better he will become, just like Phillips who had an impressive rookie season with the Miami Dolphins, as has recorded 15.5 sacks combined his first two years in the NFL.

Raffaele Morelli – Montez Sweat

Both players don’t get mentioned as much as they should due to playing on teams that have bigger names, but don’t let that fool you, both can get after the passer. With Morelli, his speed and football knowledge from having played with the St. Leonard Cougars show up when he steps on the field, as his ability to cut down angles, and force opposing Quarterbacks to change their delivery and rush their throws is just as important as getting to the passer.

For the Washington Commanders, the first four years of Montez Sweat’s career which have produced 29 sacks, have been a bright spot for what has otherwise been an array of pain, despair, and embarrassment under soon-to-be former Owner Daniel Snyder.

Both Sweat and Morelli are young, but they are already making an impact, and it feels like the best is yet to come. 

Julien Proulx – Josh Allen

Another Rusher with blazing speed and agility makes the list. Since the 2019 Winter Season, Proulx, has made a name for himself with his ability to close the gap quickly to bring down Quarterbacks, as he has done it an impressive 41 times.  

When you take a closer look at that number, Proulx has never posted a double-digit sack season, and has only recorded more than five in a campaign twice. While not gaudy, those numbers tell you he is consistent.

Allen, the Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive End had an outstanding rookie year with 10.5 sacks in 2019. He hasn’t recorded more than 10 in a season since. In four seasons as a pro, he has brought opposing QBs down 27.5 times. In football consistency is key, and that is something both players deliver to their respective teams.  

Joey Notaro – Shaq Barrett

I want to pick Dwight Freeney as my NFL comp, due the fact that both players are undersized, but don’t let the lack of height stop them from harassing QBs, but since I must pick a more recent player, I am going with the Shaq Barrett, as the ninth-year Defensive End/Outside Linebacker is only 6’2.

Don’t let the lack of height fool you, both players have the speed and quickness to close the gap between the line of scrimmage and the QB in a flash. Just like Barrett did with the Denver Broncos and now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, no matter what team Notaro plays on, that defense will be elevated by his play.

Emile Chateauvert – Khalil Mack

The speedster had nine sacks in the Winter Season with the Braves 2.0 of Division 2 and has picked up three in Div. B this spring. For what he lacks for in height, he makes up for it in quickness, agility, and effort. Both players are experts at causing passers to have to speed up their delivery, and even eliminate plays from their playbook because they take too long to develop with the speed of both players coming at the Quarterback.

Mike Zenobi – Hassan Reddick

I talked to Mike a few weeks ago while I was scorekeeping in Laval. He told me he wanted to be labelled as a defensive specialist. Sorry Mike, I am listing you as a Rusher, because you are too good at it not to be on the list. At least you can take solace in the fact that as an Eagles fan, I think you will like my NFL comparison.

Both players area terrors coming off the edge. As a San Francisco 49ers fan, I still have nightmares about Reddick going one-on-one against backup Tight End Tyler Kroft. On a totally different note, I think Kyle Shanahan is a brilliant play-caller and offensive mind, but he absolutely chokes when it comes to decision-making in playoff games. I digress.

Quickness, determination, speed, bend, and the ability to be shifty, are the attributes that help both players blow-up plays. When there is a big game, it is all but guaranteed that Zenobi and Reddick will play a huge role in the outcome, as their experience and skill always make a difference.  

Picks

Royaume Luminaire vs Star city – Star city

Blessed vs Star city – Blessed (Upset Special)

Braves vs Party Crashers – Braves

The Jamesons vs Royaume Luminaire – The Jamesons (My pick for Game of the Week in Div. A)

Beer Belly Brigade vs Beers and Brownies – Beers and Brownies

Silent Ticklers vs Poseidon’s Kiss – Poseidon’s Kiss

B-Raves vs EZW – B-Raves

Run It Once vs B-Raves – B-Raves

Beer Belly Brigade vs Blessed – Blessed

Run it Once vs Blessed – Run It Once (My pick for Game of Week in Div. B)

Last Week: (8-3)

That is it for this week. I will be back next week with my final Receiver comparison article. I wanted to include it in this article, but the Rusher comps took longer than I thought, and no one wants to read an entire novel.

Good luck to everyone in their games tomorrow and this week, and happy Father’s Day to my dad, and all the other dads out there. Enjoy your day!

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or reach out to me on the FPF Facebook page.