Defensive Players Given Radio Helmets

It was decided that next season will be the first in which a defensive player will be allowed to have a radio device in his helmet. A backup will be designated who will also have a radio helmet, but he will only be allowed to wear it when the original player chosen is not on the field. This has been proposed, in different forms, for the last few years, but I think what really got is passed this year was Spygate... since the use of radio will cut down on defensive hand signals. It does, however, make it very important for every team to have a real leader and intelligent player on their defense. Some guys who come to mind:

1) Ray Lewis, BAL

2) Antonio Pierce, NYG

3) Derrick Brooks, TB

4) Keith Bulluck, TEN

5) Brian Urlacher, CHI

Ray Lewis, despite what happened in the 2000 Super Bowl, really does lead the Baltimore defense, and there's a lot of people in the league who call him for advice. They don't call him 'Sugar Ray' 

A season ago, I would have put Brooks above Pierce, but after their Super Bowl win it's Pierce by a nose. Strahan is the mouth of that locker room, that joking guy, but he's not the leader. You can always see Pierce before each play tapping at least one of the D-line men or other LBs on the shoulder and telling them what to do. 

Derrick Brooks, despite his faltering production, remains the guy for Tampa Bay. They can take risks on players like Antonio Bryant because if he steps out of line Brooks will keep everyone else in order. Their Super Bowl was a while ago, but he's still the player for this franchise.

Keith Bulluck is one of the more underrated guys in the league. He's put up really consistent numbers, but is rarely ever noticed. The only thing that's holding him back is how bad the Titans' offense is. His leadership though in invaluable to this pretty no name defense. 

A lot of people will probably take issue with ranking Urlacher so low, but I think he's less of a leader than a spectacular player. I also wasn't so impressed 

Five Worst Led Defenses

1) Cincinnati Bengals

2) Oakland Raiders 

3) San Francisco 49ers

4) Detroit Lions

5) New York Jets

All these teams really lack leadership on defense, and so won't benefit from this rule... among their other problems. 

The Bengals are an obvious case, but they might be able to look at one of their younger players like Rashad Jeanty, Landon Johnson, or Robert Geathers. Even Deltha O'Neal is a possibility. 

The Oakland Raiders could look at one of their younger LBs, perhaps Kirk Morrison or maybe Thomas Howard. Michael Huff is a possibility. Nnamdi Asomugha certainly has star skills, but he's a quiet guy. For this defense to get to the next level though, one of them has to step up. 

The 49ers paid a lot of money to Nate Clements, and he's a solid character guy. They also have Patrick Willis, who with some real production under his belt can become a locker room force. Look for him to step up next season  and probably be the 49ers radio player. 

The Jets lost their defensive captain Johnathan Vilma in a trade to the Saints. Kerry Rhodes is a solid, but quiet player, and their only other real leader is Laveranues Coles, their starting WR. Kris Jenkins was a leader in Carolina, but at the same time, you have to look at how he left. The Jets do a good job of really underpaying a lot of players (Pete Kendall) and so end up angering even their most supportive players. 

The Detroit Lions are in a hole here. Ernie Sims is a great player but a quiet guy, and they brought in Dwight Smith this season who has really questionable character. They gave Cory Redding a big raise in the hopes that he could coax more effort out of some players, Shaun Rogers in particular, but that didn't exactly work out. Brian Kelly is a tremendous CB who is mostly overlooked because he plays opposite Ronde Barber, and he's a great signing, but he comes from a great locker room and look for him to maybe add some veteran leadership.