Rickey Jackson doesnt always get the credit he deserves, but hes a top 10 linebacker of the modern era. When you ask who is the greatest MLB of all-time is, many people jump straight to Dick Butkus. Lewis stats at this point of his career are 1,349 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and 28 INTs. If Bulluck played on a better team, I believe his stats would be much better and his accomplishments would be a lot more. Holdovers from the National Football League 1960s All-Decade Team were Bob Lilly, Dick Butkus, Merlin Olsen, Larry Wilson, and Jim Bakken, which made them the first players to make multiple All-Decade teams in NFL history. 2022 - SportsUnfold.
#NFL100 - Top 6 Outside Linebackers But he proved them wrong and was a key piece on the Broncos Super Bowl winning team.
Penn State football all-time defense | Who are the greatest defensive Kevin Greene will always be known as one of the craziest and talented pass rushers in NFL history. He finished his career with 1,106 tackles and 627 assisted tackles as well. 2013 MAC Hall of Fame Inductee: Western Michigans John Offerdahl. In 1984 and 1985, Tippett put up two of the best back to back seasons recording 18.5 and 16.5 sacks in them. The Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1970s Other Links > Football > Player Rankings by Position > Top Ranked Linebackers . He was close to averaging a sack per game, which is an amazing number. He even made the Pro Bowl in a year that he only started eight games and also a year in which he only started nine games. Over his nine-year career, he had 2,049 tackles, although this number is solo and assisted because he played before solo tackles were an official stat. He also took over Lloyds role in pass coverage as the only linebacker in the Steelers nickel defense.
Linebacker finalists announced for NFL 100 All-Time Team He played for a bad team with not much of a surrounding cast, but still excelled. Young was a fierce hitter, and would always stick his nose in the middle of the play. Lewis was the leader of the 2000 Super Bowl-winning Ravens team. The defense was ranked right up there along with the 1985 Bears, and Steelers teams of the 1970s. Jan 25, 1981; New Orleans, LA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Oakland Raiders players Mickey Marvin (65), Willie Jones (90), Rod Martin (53), Ted Hendricks (83) and Raymond Chester (88) on the field against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl XV at the Superdome. He even made the Pro Bowl in a year that he only started eight games and also a year in which he only started nine games. That is the reason you will not find Butkus, Huff, Nitschke etc in these rankings. He had less than seven sacks in a season only once.
Chicago Bears: Top 10 linebackers in franchise history - NFL Spin Zone Leslie ONeal was a sack machine in his career. A five-time pro bowler, Wilson was one of the best linebackers in the league during the early 2000s. He is still active, and is a starter, but he might be on his way out of San Diego. .
Las Vegas Raiders: 15 best defensive backs of all-time - Just Blog Baby Punter Ray Guy was the leading vote-getter for the 1970s All-Decade Team, receiving 24 of a possible 25 votes. 21, Patrick Willis* (49ers) (2006-Present) *Three-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Pat Swilling was an outstanding pass rusher in his career, totaling up 107 sacks in his career and 101.5 sacks in a 10 year period throwing out his rookie year and last season of his career. He was also the first player to have a TE or RB used for chip blocking on, and overall changed the way offensive lineman block. He tried to get in your head before you even took a step on the field of play.
The Best Linebackers of All-Time - Sports Central He also played two different positions, playing ILB and OLB for the Vikings in his career. No. Derrick Brooks may be the most accomplished linebacker on this list. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports. In his time in the NFL, he intercepted 25 passes and returned six of them for touchdowns with three of those in 2002 alone. The second member of the Dome Patrol comes off the board at No. Ranking Explanation . Blair was outstanding in coverage, along with being a great tackler. For a four-year span with Seattle, Young was arguably the best Seahawks linebacker of all-time. Linebacker U Penn State Tradition Jack Ham as a Steeler. Brooks wasnt just a pass coverage linebacker, but he also played the run well. Don Moorehead, Dennis Franklin, Jim Harbaugh, Elvis Grbac, Tom Brady, Forest Evashevski, Benny Friedman and John Navarre were all elected Captains by their teammates. This list isnt based solely on performances from the 2020 NFL season. Not only did he change the way defenses are run, but he changed the way offensive schemes are run as well. LSU ENDS REGULAR SEASON 27-1LSU women's basketball ties program-best season . In the words of Vikings' head coaching legend Bud Grant, "Paul personified the term free safety.". 35, Lance Briggs* (Bears) (2003-Present) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Jackson had 40 forced fumbles, just one short of the NFL record. But Mills did much more than that. 40, Bryce Paup (Packers/Bills/Jaguars/Vikings) (1990-2000) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro.
20 greatest linebackers in NFL history - Franchise Sports Lloyd had 54.5 sacks and 11 INTs in his career, but the most remarkable number was his 35 forced fumbles. Already in his career, Ware has forced 23 fumbles.
NY Jets: Top 10 linebackers of all-time - The Jet Press 1953-65, Detroit Lions.
Top 50 Minnesota Vikings Players of All-Time - Sports Articles Of the five LBs chosen to the 1950s All-Decade Team the others were Bednarik, Fortunato, George, and Huff Schmidt made the most Pro Bowls (nine) and the most all-pro teams (seven first-team, nine altogether).
Steelers by the decade: 1970s - Pittsburgh Steelers Even now, you can tell what kind of person he is by his charity work with the REACH Foundation that he started. 2011 Butkus Award winner for nation s best linebacker at Boston College. Sacks and tackles werent recorded until late in his career, but he was a great pass rusher and all-around linebacker. You might be thinking Top 10 already? But look at his numbers. Depending on the day, you might view Ham as the best player on the Steel Curtain defense or the 4th best, and it's . Gildon was most known for his pass rushing ability, picking up 54 sacks in a 5 year span. The Raiders defeated the Eagles 27-10. He was the quintessential linebacker and easily the greatest of his era. But in those three years, hes racked up 328 tackles and seven INTs, all while starting every game of his career. Ware is not just an outstanding pass rusher though. K.J. Johnson wasnt very flashy, but he was very solid all-around, which is why he sneaks onto the list. Outside linebacker Joey Porter came to Pittsburgh in 1999. He could do it all. Ray Lewis came into the league and dominated right away. In 1976, Jackson had seven INTs. Pat Swilling was an outstanding pass rusher in his career, totaling up 107 sacks in his career and 101.5 sacks in a 10 year period throwing out his rookie year and last season of his career. Mike Singletary had the whole package. He was effective as a pass rushing OLB, tallying up 14 sacks in one season with the Dolphins, and as an inside run stopping linebacker with the Jets. He was the only good player (other than Albert Haynesworth, but even he was only good for 2-3 years) on a generally bad defense and team. His 1989 rookie season was one of the best the NFL has ever seen. NFL WAGS: 10 Hottest NFL Wives & Girlfriends 2023. (Pro Football Weekly 1975 Defensive Player of the Year, 1970s All-Decade Team, 1994 75th anniversary team), and also the team success (4 Super Bowls). Discuss this article along with many other quality articles, discussions, and much more at: http://forums.sportsjabber.net/sjforums/showthread.php?t=54444. Nickerson wasnt just a one hit wonder though.
The Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1960s - AinsworthSports.com Blair was also one of the greatest special teams players of all-time! He was Lawrence Taylor before Taylor was. James Farrior* (Jets/Steelers): Two-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro, one-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Merriman still has the potential to be a great player again. Wilson recorded 560 tackles and 21.5 sacks as a member of the Broncos. He did it once in 1985 and again in 1988. His best season was his first year with the Bills where he had 17.5 sacks, 70 tackles, two INTs, and three forced fumbles. Thats right, seven. He was selected late in the 12th Round, and nobody expected much out of him. He also played a big role in one of the most dominant performances by a defense in Super Bowl history. Mar 3, 2023 Updated 4 min ago. Over the course of his two-year Ohio State career, Lee accumulated 147 tackles. The defense was ranked right up there along with the 1985 Bears, and Steelers teams of the 1970s. He holds the NFL record for the most Pro Bowl selections by a middle linebacker (13). The player that gives Butkus the most competition in that category would be Mike Singletary. Bill Romanowski (49ers, Eagles, Broncos, Raiders) : Two-time Pro Bowler. Tribute to Elvis I have combined outside and inside linebackers on the list and factored in the players ability to stop the run, drop into coverage and leadership. Keith Bulluck WAS the Titans defense, and has been every year hes been there. Lambert and Ham also won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. Thomas' remarkable personality was also recognized by being awarded the Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award in 1993. Lamberts best season was in 1976, where he won the Defensive Player of the Year award. 13, Greg Lloyd (Steelers/Panthers) (1988-1998) *Five-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro. 25, Karl Mecklenburg (Broncos) (1983-1994) *Six-time Pro Bowler *Three-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro Karl "The Albino Rhino" Mecklenburg was the definition of a blue collar player.
The 15 Greatest NFL Linebackers of All Time - Sportscasting Randy Gradishar Joins The Speer Wealth Team.
You decide: Ohio State football's all-decade linebackers Taylor changed the way football is played today. He did everything. Interview with Former Steeler Great levon kirkland. No. The NFL started in 1920 and commemorated its 100th season in 2019 with a season-long celebration of "NFL 100." The game has come a long way in 100 years. It was tied for the best of the day with linebacker Owen Pappoe, of Auburn, and was the second-fastest time from an . Next up, we look at a much better-rated unit in the linebackers. He had less than seven sacks in a season only once. Collect, curate and comment on your files.
The art of the interview: Terry Fontenot provides a look inside the But, if you didnt know, Jackson was once an outstanding linebacker for the Denver Broncos Orange Crush defense. The 70s were a rough decade for the Browns, but the 1980s were getting off to a great start with the franchise returning to the playoffs, despite the tragedy of " Red Right 88 " in 1981. The Pittsburgh Steelers are second with all-time players in four decades. Lawrence Taylor: one of the greatest defensive players ever, Taylor was a pass-rushing force who revolutionized the outside linebacker position . With rule changes being what they have been, I decided to rank the linebackers that have played since 1970. Baltimore, with 2,038 rushing yards through its first 10 games of the season, is the seventh team since 1970 and first since the 1978 New England Patriots (2,029 rushing yards) with at least 2,000 .
PFF Rankings: The NFL's top 25 linebackers ahead of the 2020 NFL season Thomas did everything you asked out of a linebacker. These were the players who were great players, but not quite good enough to be placed inside the top 50. AP. Lofa Tatupu* (Seahawks) : Three-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro. 1986 Boston Celtics - Were they the greatest Team? Of course, prior to 1970, there was only one captain chosen; since 1970, we've had as many as four chosen in a single season. When you think of Singletary, the first thing that comes to mind is intense focus. All Rights Reserved.
List of All Buffalo Bills Linebackers, Ranked Best to Worst He totaled 28 INTs in his career while he also racked up 1,045 tackles.
Steel Curtain - Wikipedia Shawne Lights Out Merriman was the face of NFL linebackers for a three year stretch. Those would be accomplishments by themselves, let alone all together. Wilber Marshall was one of the greatest pass coverage linebackers of the modern era. The two-time All-American helped the Cornhuskers win back-to-back national titles in 1970 and '71 . Chris Spielman was a tackle machine during his 10 years in the NFL. Hes also great against the run and is a turnover forcing monster. Not only did he change the way defenses are run, but he changed the way offensive schemes are run as well. An important part of the Las Vegas defense, the LB position includes middle or inside linebackers and outside (strong side or weakside) linebackers. Mike Kolen 1970-77. In only 11 seasons, Thomas had 126.5 sacks, and an NFL record 41 forced fumbles. Overlooked because he played alongside Lawrence Taylor, Carson did most of the dirty work in that linebacking core. No. He knew how to make big plays. He took up blockers and threw his body around a lot. Patrick Willis is everything you look for in a linebacker. Super Bowl winner. Call it foreshadowing, but you will see some of his teammates higher up on this list. He had 885 career solo tackles, which is impressive on a defense filled with swarming the ball, shown by his 1,488 career tackles. Any coach would be lucky to have a player like Karl Mecklenburg on their roster. 10. Banks was a player that any coach would want on their team. 44, Jessie Armstead (Giants/Redskins) (1993-2003) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. He was also the fastest linebacker of the bunch and excelled in pass coverage. Here is my ranking of the top 10 Giants linebackers, along with some honorable mentions. 16, Robert Brazile (Oilers) (1975-1984) *Seven-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Four-time 2nd Team All-Pro. No. Lloyd will always be remembered as the lightning quick pass rusher from the Blitzburgh days. Thats amazing consistency.
Reese, GM of Titans' Super Bowl team, dies at 73 If you take away his last three seasons, where he was slowing down, he averaged 12.4 sacks per season, which is just remarkable.
The best linebackers in Minnesota Vikings history That is just unheard of.
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 7:03 a.m. EST | National | wdrb.com Mike Singletary is one of three players on this list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. Thats fine, he played enough linebacker to be considered this high. In 1993 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker, Nickerson piled up an astounding 214 tackles. He was unstoppable in goal line situations especially. Thomas never had less than seven sacks in a season in his entire career, and only had less than eight sacks in one season.
The Greatest Linebackers of All Time - SportsUnfold Thomas was one of the most instinctive linebackers of all-time. The Steelers had lost their emotional leader, outside linebacker Greg Lloyd, at the start of the season to a knee injury, but Kirkland took over the mantle of leadership. Over his nine-year career, he had 2,049 tackles, although this number is solo and assisted because he played before solo tackles were an official stat. 3, Mike Singletary (Bears) (1981-1992) *Ten-time Pro Bowler *Seven-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Singletary was a leader, not only vocally, but by example. He was a good pass rusher, having at least 5.5 sacks in 10 straight years, but he was also good against the run and in coverage. In that game, the Steelers defense held the Cowboys to just 15 first downs and Emmitt Smith and the Cowboys powerful running attack to just 56 yards, despite losing 27-17 in large part due to two key interceptions thrown by Steelers quarterback Neil ODonnell.
NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1970s - DEFENSE - pfhof Those would be accomplishments by themselves, let alone all together. Offerdahl was a blue collar type of player who was an even better person off the field. He was also the fastest linebacker of the bunch and excelled in pass coverage. and Jack Ham played as . Featuring some of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time, the best Bills LBs include Sam Rogers, Keith Ellison, Shane Conlan, and John Holecek. As also playing DE should tell you, he was very versatile and could play many different positions. Robert Brazile- Tums all time neutralizer. He started all but one game in his last eight seasons, which is very impressive for a linebacker. 17, Brian Urlacher* (Bears) (2000-Present) *Six-time Pro Bowler *Four-time 1st Team All-Pro. He was one of a kind and will always be remembered as one of the best linebackers of all time. Known as quite possibly the most sound tackler in school history, Ham was an extremely fundamental linebacker who was the captain of the 1970 Penn State defense. Thats an outstanding number. First-Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl w/Raiders (1991) NFL interceptions leader w/Raiders (1991) Ronnie Lott is best known for being arguably the best safety in football history. Let me start out by saying that yes, I know that he was only a linebacker for half his career and DE the other half. In 2006, he had an amazing season and won defensive MVP, which is a very high honor that most players on this list never achieved.
1970 Minnesota Vikings Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees With rule changes being what they have been, The number one pick was obvious. No. Most people know Tom Jackson as the commentator working with Chris Berman. Demarcus Ware has only played five seasons in the NFL, but already hes one of the best of this era. 47, Fredd Young (Seahawks/Colts) (1984-1990) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. 50, Bryan Cox (Dolphins/Bears/Jets/Patriots/Saints) (1991-2003).