ox a 2-1 lead. Kansas City was poised for a big sixth in

The NFL can seem like a world dominated by quarterbacks, but did you notice who won the Super Bowl last season? It was the Broncos, who had Peyton Manning in name alone; the future Hall of Famer threw nearly twice as many interceptions (17) as touchdowns (nine). The Broncos were led to that Super Bowl by their defense, which dominated the regular season and held three of the leagues best offenses to a combined 44 points in the playoffs.The centerpiece of that defense: star pass rusher Von Miller, who piled up five sacks in three games and was named Super Bowl MVP. If Miller was the best defender in the postseason, the best defensive player of the 2015 regular season was otherworldly Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who led the league in sacks (17.5) and quarterback hurries (50). In addition to serving as helpful ambulatory examples of the word disruptive, Watt and Miller have something else in common: They were both taken in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft.We have a ways to go, but we may very well be watching the prime years of the best defensive draft class to ever play the game.The 2011 class did deliver a certain MVP named Cam Newton, but the vast majority of the drafts output has been from the other side of the line of scrimmage. In fact, forming a starting lineup from that 2011 class produces a terrifying defense. If you line them up in a 4-3, you can go with Watt at one defensive end spot across from the Rams Robert Quinn, who had a 19-sack season as recently as 2013. Jets end Muhammad Wilkerson would kick inside to play tackle alongside massive Bills nose tackle Marcell Dareus, forming a devastating two-way front four.Now consider the back end. The AFC West came away from the 2011 draft with a pair of terrors at outside linebacker. We can slot Miller alongside Chiefs star Justin Houston, who has averaged more than one sack per game over the past three seasons. The interior isnt quite as laden with talent, but we can move Seahawks cover linebacker K.J. Wright into the middle.Throwing on this team? Good luck. Our cornerbacks are an NFC West tandem; Arizonas Patrick Peterson and Seattles Richard Sherman are both capable of shutting down top talent. The lone weak spot comes at safety, where the likes of DaNorris Searcy and Chris Conte would be competing for starting reps. But thats not much of a complaint.The scariest thing, perhaps, is the players I havent named who narrowly miss out on this team. Chris Harris was an undrafted free agent in 2011 before turning into a perennial Pro Bowl corner in Denver. Jimmy Smith, Byron Maxwell and Buster Skrine could easily step in as nickel corners. Aldon Smith was as dominant a pass rusher as there was in the league before his career unraveled. Ryan Kerrigan and Pernell McPhee are dominant at their best, as is defensive tackle Jurrell Casey. Cameron Jordan has made two Pro Bowls and cant even sniff this team. The talent level in this class is unreal. It is already historic.What can rival it? The best defensive draft in post-merger NFL history is almost definitely the class of 1981, which produced five Hall of Famers on the defensive side of the ball: Lawrence Taylor, Ronnie Lott, Howie Long, Mike Singletary and Rickey Jackson.That 81 class made 15 first-team All-Pro appearances through its first five seasons in the league, a staggering number. The defenders of 2011? They have 16 All-Pro appearances in their first five seasons. Watt, Peterson, Sherman and Miller have been awarded the honor multiple times. The offensive players from that same draft have combined for just four All-Pro appearances over that span.Can the class of 2011 live up to the lofty heights of 1981 and send five defenders to Canton? Its not out of the question. Watt faces some injury concerns, but hes probably already done enough to justify enshrinement. Every eligible two-time defensive player of the year has made it to the Hall of Fame, and Watt has already won the award three times.The same logic also suggests that Peterson and Sherman have already done enough to get in. Of the 25 Canton-eligible, post-merger defenders who were named first-team All-Pros three times during their careers, 16 (64 percent) made the Hall of Fame. Both NFC West cornerbacks have done that before the sixth year of their respective careers. Miller, who has racked up the same honor two times, is knocking on the door. The fifth Hall of Famer isnt quite as clear, but with Dareus (when not suspended), Houston and Quinn all regularly producing dominant seasons, there are reasons to be optimistic.You can make the case that this is an offensive era. Enlightened by college football, its a pass-heavy league with tempo everywhere. Offenses averaged 22.8 points per game last year, the fifth-highest figure in NFL history.But ... Denvers run to the Super Bowl with some of the leagues worst quarterback play tells us again just how impactful a team with several star defenders can be. Offenses are better-schemed and better-coached than ever, but a great defense can still rip their plan to shreds. And the class of 2011 has delivered more world-class, game-changing, opponent-destroying defenders than any other draft in 30 years.Custom Robin Yount Jersey . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Robin Yount Jersey Large . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. http://www.custombrewersjersey.com/custom-paul-molitor-jersey-large-71z.html . 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"You make a mistake and you have a guy in there who can still get you out of it." It wound up being a decisive moment when Alejandro De Aza drove in Jordan Danks with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth, sending the White Sox to a 3-2 victory over Kansas City. "I always have the feeling out there that Im going to get through it no matter what," said Crain, who hasnt allowed a run since April 12. "Just make the best pitch you can." Addison Reed handled a perfect ninth for his 21st save. Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez provided the only runs for the slumbering Royals, who have dropped four straight since climbing back to .500. "The difference in the game was that we both had the same situation late -- had the winning run on third base -- and they executed and we didnt," Royals manager Ned Yost said. Crain (2-1) may have made the clutch pitches, but it took a bunch of critical at-bats for the White Sox to escape with their second straight win in the three-game series. Dayan Viciedo led off the ninth with a single off Aaron Crow (3-3), and Jeff Keppinger drew a walk to reach base for the fourth time. Yost brought in closer Greg Holland, and he got pinch-hitter Gordon Beckham to fly out to centre field. That allowed Danks, who was pinch-running for Viciedo, to reach third base. De Aza laid off a couple of pitches out of the strike zone, and then ripped a fly ball to right field that was just deep enough to allow Danks to slide home ahead of the throw with the go-ahead run. It was the 25th one-run game the White Sox have played this season. "It seems like were always on the losing end of one-run games, so fundamentally to get a sac fly to get the winning run, its a good feeling,&qquot; Keppinger said.dddddddddddd. "Hopefully we can build off it." The Royals struck first when Miguel Tejada, starting at second base for the ninth time in his 16-year career, hit a two-out single in the second inning. The 39-year-old then chugged all the way around on a double by Moustakas to give Kansas City the early lead. It was the first RBI for Moustakas since May 23. The White Sox threatened in the third when Keppinger singled and Tyler Flowers walked to start the inning. Alex Rios hit a ball down the right-field line that fell foul by just a couple of feet, and then he struck out looking to keep the White Sox off the scoreboard. At least until the fourth. Adam Dunn, who was hitting .186 coming into the game, walked leading off the inning. Paul Konerko followed with a single up the middle, and Conor Gillaspies slow roller up the middle was enough to drive in Dunn with the tying run. Wade Davis nearly escaped the inning when he got Viciedo to ground into a double play, but Keppinger delivered a single to right that gave the White Sox a 2-1 lead. Kansas City was poised for a big sixth inning, tying the game on a single by Perez and putting runners on first and second with one out. But reliever Matt Lindstrom entered the game and got Cain to ground into a double play on his first pitch to end the threat. "Its baseball, man. Its a hard game," Moustakas said. "Sometimes you get the job done, sometimes you dont get it done, and thats just kind of how it turns out." White Sox starter Jose Quintana wound up going 5 1-3 innings, while Davis made it through seven innings on the warm afternoon. He also gave up two runs for the Royals. "Tough loss," Davis said, "having a tie game in the ninth inning." NOTES: The Royals (34-38) dropped to 11-33 when scoring three runs or fewer. ... Keppinger started at 2B in place of Beckham and finished 3 for 3. ... The White Sox secured their first series win since May 24-26 at Miami. ... The Royals activated OF Jarrod Dyson (right high ankle sprain) from the DL and optioned 2B Chris Getz to Triple-A Omaha. ... RHP Dylan Axelrod goes to the mound for the White Sox in Sundays series finale. RHP James Shields starts for Kansas City. ' ' '