Making NFL’s great quarterbacks eat dirt
Elvis Dumervil has brought legends to their knees.
There was Tom Brady: “That was a good one,” the 49ers outside linebacker said, smiling.
And Brett Favre: “It was so cold,” Dumervil recalled.
And Peyton Manning, who was then 37: “I helped him up.”
Dumervil, 33, has been doing it so well, for so long, that his sack sheet includes 48 quarterbacks. The laundry list features old Eagles (Donovan McNabb), young Eagles (Carson Wentz) and mid-career Eagles whom Dumervil sacked when they were Steelers (Michael Vick).
He’s dropped No. 1 picks who won multiple Super Bowls (Peyton and Eli Manning), a No. 1 pick who’s celebrated like Superman (Cam Newton) and a No. 1 pick who was a super bust ( JaMarcus Russell).
He’s toppled everyone from Christian Ponder to Carson Palmer. And the latter could be the QB he fells for his 100th
career sack Sunday when the 49ers visit the Cardinals.
This week, Dumervil, whose total of 99 sacks ranks third among active players, reflected on his greatest hits. After signing with the 49ers in June, his next sack could be his final milestone in the homestretch of a 12-year career that began with the Broncos (2006-12) and continued with the Ravens (201316).
He’s treated quarterbacks rudely, but he sounds like a parent discussing his or her children on a related topic: He talks tenderly about his sacks.
“I cherish them all,” he said. “I don’t take any for granted.”
Including playoff games, Dumervil has dropped Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger for 10 sacks, three more than any other quarterback.
And the former AFC North rival he’s contacted the most is the QB who had the greatest impact on Dumervil — before he reached the NFL.
One of Dumervil’s fundamental principles is “when you get to the guy, close the deal.” And it was instilled on Dec. 18, 2003, when Roethlisberger threw four touchdown passes in his final college game to lead Miami (Ohio) to a 49-28 romp over Dumervil, a sophomore, and Louisville in the GMAC Bowl.
For the next four months leading up the NFL draft, where Roethlisberger was the No. 11 pick, Dumervil couldn’t avoid reminders of how the 240pound QB consistently swatted him away.
“He shook off three or four sacks in our bowl game,” Dumervil said. “I remember being on his highlight reel. Yeah, they always said, ‘And he shakes off a Louisville defender.’ That always motivated me to focus and not miss sacks.”
Dumervil learned his lesson. And quarterbacks have paid the price.
Dumervil can’t recall the specifics of any post-sack conversations with QBs, but he says his hits tend to inspire a reaction.
“Guys are competitive and so you hear stuff like, ‘Ughhh,’ ” Dumervil said, mimicking a sound of pain, “and then ‘Dammit.’ When they see an opening to get a pass down the field and they get sacked instead, yeah, they’re going to respond.”
Dumervil has a hazy memory of some of his sacks. For example, he actually didn’t help Peyton Manning to his feet after his lone sack of him on Sept. 15, 2013 (“OK,” he said after this was pointed out, “it must have been a quarterback hit.”)
However, some sacks will always register:
Dumervil’s lone sack of Brady, arguably the NFL’s greatest quarterback, was arguably his most violent hit.
On Dec. 18, 2011, Dumervil was unblocked after a blitz confused the Patriots offensive line and had a free, runninghead-start shot at Brady. The result: Brady’s feet flew in the air as Dumervil buried his helmet in his sternum.
“It was Dumervil who tagged him,” said CBS’ Jim Nantz on the broadcast. “And actually lifted him off the ground.”
Dumervil’s biggest takeaway? Brady got to his feet before he did.
“I’m sure he felt it, but he’s a competitor,” Dumervil said. “He’s not going to show a sign of weakness. That’s why he’s one of the greats.”
Dumervil’s only sack of Favre came on Nov. 20, 2008, when the wind-chill was 29 degrees at Giants Stadium.
Favre, then with the Jets, was 39. Dumervil was 24. And the youngster picked up on how the 19-year veteran kept tipping off the snap count.
“It was so cold that he would keep his hands in his gloves until he felt like he wanted to get the ball,” Dumervil said. “So that gave me a good jump.”
Dumervil said Peyton Manning and Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck “are nicer than normal because they don’t want to get hit from the blindside,” but one quarterback has never cared about ticking him off: San Diego’s Philip Rivers, his AFC West nemesis during Dumervil’s first seven seasons with the Broncos.
“He’s fiery and talks a lot of crap,” Dumervil said. “He’s a great competitor, man. He’s the kind of guy you want to play with and he was so fun to play against.”
Dumervil, a five-time Pro Bowler, is now an off-the-bench player who arrived in Santa Clara with just nine sacks in the previous two seasons as he dealt with an Achilles injury that eventually required surgery.
Still, one of his biggest sacks came last year. On Nov. 27, after missing five games, he returned to sack and strip Andy Dalton in the red zone with 1:12 left to seal a 19-14 home win over the Bengals.
“It was a must-stop and I got the game-winning, walk-off sack,” Dumervil said. “Everyone was going wild. Whenever you get those type of sacks to win the game, you feel something.”
And 48 quarterbacks have felt something over the years.
Dumervil smiled at the mention of his laundry list: “I just like hitting quarterbacks.”