Colette Evert Obituary, Quotes About Inlaws Not Liking You, Articles B

Super Bowl winner. Although still early in his career, Demarcus Ware deserves to be this high on the list. We started off with a rough one the wide receivers. 1970s A 1-13 record in 1969 gave the Steelers the first overall choice in the 1970 draft, with which Noll addressed the offense by selecting quarterback Terry Bradshaw, another Hall of Famer, after the Steelers won the first selection by winning a coin toss with the Chicago Bears. There is a reason the award given to the best linebacker in high school, college and the NFL each year is named after Butkus. Ranking Explanation . The most obvious change from 1920 to today is the size of players, but there also have been many changes in the schemes . He already has 57.5 sacks in his short career, along with 16 forced fumbles. Jeremiah The Axeman Trotter has been a very recognizable name over the past decade. Greene was one of the best pass rushers of all time, recording 160 sacks in his career. Over the past decade, virtually every stage of the offensive evolution has increased stress on linebackers, putting them in a bind and asking them to account for multiple things on the same play. He played in 10 playoff games and had two INTs and three fumble recoveries in them. Kirkland was an all-around better linebacker, he was a 300lb linebacker whose coverage skills were vastly underrated. Ray Lewis is the highest-ranked active player on this list, and the top middle linebacker on it. Eleven Pro Bowls. Wilber Marshall had the whole package. In only five seasons, Wares already totaled up 64.5 sacks, including 20 in 2008. Thats over 10 sacks per season, which is outstanding. Robertson was one of the NFLs most athletic linebackers. Power Ranking the 5 Greatest Linebackers in Minnesota Vikings History Tribute to Elvis 1. Jackson tallied up 128 sacks in his career, but even thats not his most impressive number. The thing about Derrick Thomas that is the most remarkable was how nice of a person he was off the field. During the late 1970s and early 80s, he was the best linebacker the NFL had. When Indiana travels to San Antonio, it will MLB Rule Changes | Can F1 Compete With NASCAR | Froggy Talkin Sports #MLB #indianahoosiers #nascar, Indiana Basketball Postgame W/Steve Risley: Indiana vs Iowa Recap and more, Must be 21+. 1970 Robert E. Lee Generals (13-0) Jim Chafin's team allowed just seven points a game and held 10 of its 13 opponents to 10 points or less. Top 10 Best Linebackers In Cleveland Browns History. Notre Dame, Mike Brey and the awkward goodbye - The Athletic Lewis was the leader of the 2000 Super Bowl-winning Ravens team. The Raiders defeated the Eagles 27-10. Those would be accomplishments by themselves, let alone all together. Anything you asked him to do, he would do. A truly great linebacker must be able to read the offense, set the defensive scheme, play the run with cat-like instincts and defend the pass with the utmost precision. Kirkland had great speed and agility for a big man. In his three years at Clemson (1995-'97) Simmons recorded 486 tackles, only 29 off the school record Bubba Brown recorded in four years from 1976-'79. Born April 20 . Chip Banks was another linebacker that was solid at everything, but not great at anything. Swilling was the best pass rusher of the Dome Patrol, but he also forced 36 fumbles to go along with all the sacks. His best days were with the Bears and Redskins, but he had an impact everywhere he went. Kevin Greene will always be known as one of the craziest and talented pass rushers in NFL history. 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. Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie #47 gets a hold of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields #1 during the second half of a game against the Chicago Bears at Mercedes-Benz Stadium . Also note that an asterisk (*) by the players name means they are still active today. Lambert is said by many to be the best inside linebacker of all-time. In 1985, a trophy awarded to the best linebacker in college football was named in his honor. Gary Reasons (1984-91) Gary Reasons, a fourth-round draft pick from Northwestern State, was a key . Top 50 Minnesota Vikings Players of All-Time - Sports Articles 1970, slow dancing in Mark Wooldridge's basement with my first girlfriend, Karen Frey, who wore white high-top . #NFL100 - Top 6 Outside Linebackers Michigan Football Position Greats Mecklenburg finished his career with 79 sacks, which is great for an ILB, and also ranks 2nd all-time in Broncos history. He had 1,301 tackles and 25 forced fumbles in his career. Two years later, the Giants sunk to 1-12-1. May 24, 2022. 24, Leslie ONeal (Chargers/Rams/Chiefs) (1986-1999) *Six-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. I think thats largely due to the NFL not keeping sacks and tackles numbers during his career. Porter will try to continue his success in Arizona and continue to climb up this list. This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. Thats over 10 sacks per season, which is outstanding. HELLO, PANDORA. He was the type of player that you would want your kids to look up to. NFL Defensive Rookie of the . He wasnt great at just one aspect he was equally great at everything he did. He should still improve this season with Ndamukong Suh in front of him to help free him up. With rule changes being what they have been, I decided to rank the linebackers that have played since 1970. Check out the 1970 Minnesota Vikings Roster, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports and more on Pro-Football-Reference.com. Robertson is one of the most underrated players in NFL history. He finished his career with 1,106 tackles and 627 assisted tackles as well. Randy Gradishar played along with Tom Jackson in the Denver Broncos Orange Crush defense. Brooks is most known for his coverage ability in the Bucs cover-two scheme. He had five INTs in a season twice in his career. Lost Super Bowl 13-16 vs. Baltimore Colts. The Best of Tommy Brady at Michigan . 31, Tom Jackson (Broncos) (1973-1986) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. But perhaps more than the star players, the decade was dominated by dynasty teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, and . In the 2017-18 NFL season, the current Buffalo Bills starting LBs and backup LBs are Lorenzo Alexander, Deon Lacey, Matt Milano, and Tanner Vallejo. Top 10 Draft Picks in Broncos History | No. No. 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. Regardless, he definitely deserves the respect for what he accomplished on the field. No. No. Schmidt stood out in an era of great middle linebackers. Jack Lambert was the teammate of Jack Ham who took the inside linebacker duties. But we would be remiss to not acknowledge some of the top performers from that earlier era. Chad Brown played a very long NFL career, especially for a linebacker. . Spielman had seven straight 100 tackle seasons, and did it eight out of nine years. 49, Vaughn Johnson (Saints/Eagles) (1986-1994) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Singletary was a leader, not only vocally, but by example. He had over 1,000 tackles, over 70 sacks, and over 30 forced fumbles in his career. Minnesota Vikings reporter suggests All-Pro defender a likely 2023 cap He did it in 2000 and again in 2003. . T&Cs apply. Top 10 Linebackers in New York Giants History Other Links > Football > Player Rankings by Position > Top Ranked Linebackers . 12. Chris Spielman was a tackle machine during his 10 years in the NFL. Thomas never had less than seven sacks in a season in his entire career, and only had less than eight sacks in one season. Johnson was most known for his days with the Saints. He made five straight Pro Bowls, but the reason he doesnt rank higher on this list is because he was never a feared player like his teammate Michael Strahan was, and his stats just arent good enough. Top 30 Linebackers in the NFL since 1970! . The leader of the Dome Patrol comes in at No. Blair was also one of the greatest special teams players of all-time! Gil Brandt's greatest NFL linebackers of all time - NFL.com Beason may be the most controversial player on this list. The Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1970s FCK Prediction, Head-To-Head, Live Stream, Hamilton vs Arbroath Prediction, Head-To-Head, Live Stream, Paderborn vs FC St. Pauli Prediction, Head-To-Head, Live, Andorra vs Las Palmas Prediction, Head-To-Head, Live Stream, AGF vs Horsens Prediction, Head-To-Head, Live Stream Time,, Southend Utd vs Barnet Prediction, Head-To-Head, Live Stream, Kawasaki vs Shonan Bellmare Prediction, Head-To-Head, Live. 2, Ray Lewis* (Ravens) (1996-Present) *Eleven-time Pro Bowler *Seven-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Jackson tallied up 128 sacks in his career, but even thats not his most impressive number. Suggs is a pass rushing monster with the Ravens. Bill Parcells considered Carson the best all-around linebacker he ever coached, which is very high praise from someone who has coached a ton of linebackers in his day. Elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2018. He played for a bad team with not much of a surrounding cast, but still excelled. Lewis stats at this point of his career are 1,349 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and 28 INTs. Their greats span the decades of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. He was also a good pass rusher, and a good coverage man as well. The 150 greatest players in college football's 150-year history - ESPN.com 4, Derrick Thomas (Chiefs) (1989-1999) *Nine-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Three-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Select from premium 1970 1979 America of the highest quality. Jul 07, 2014 at 11:02 PM. The player that gives Butkus the most competition in that category would be Mike Singletary. Thats nearly 13 sacks per season. No. Blair was outstanding in coverage, along with being a great tackler. More Team Info. Please click on "Comments" and make sure to vote in the poll. He produced 32 sacks over the 3 seasons. 6 - Carl McAdams. Hardy Nickerson may not have the name recognition as many of the other linebackers on this list, but he deserves to be this high. No. Ray Lewis came into the league and dominated right away. No. Top 13 Indiana High School Players of all Time, The 6 greatest Indiana Highschool pure Shooters, The 8 greatest IHSAA Championship Games in History. Suggs will only continue to climb this list the longer he plays, since hes in the middle of his prime right now. Spielman was a great leader and intense player who always gave everything he had. Top ten linebackers in Steelers history: Version two - Steelers Sanctuary Top 25 SEC LBs of all-time: 15-11. Ham is the only linebacker other than Tom Jackson to have seven INTs in a single season. But Mills did much more than that. Mike Singletary is one of three players on this list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. Hes on pace to not only break, but shatter the NFL record of 41. Thats amazing consistency. Use Isiah Robertsons name in a talk of most underrated players of all time, and youll impress your fellow football fans. Mike Singletary is one of three players on this list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. No. With time to spare in the NFL offseason, Ill take a look at the top 50 linebackers in the NFL in the modern era. A five-time pro bowler, Wilson was one of the best linebackers in the league during the early 2000s. 5, Jack Lambert (Steelers) (1974-1984) *Nine-time Pro Bowlers *Seven-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. 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. Georgia's top players by position: Linebackers - ajc During his career Williams amassed 62.5 sacks, which is the second most in Bengals history. 8. Ham had arguably the most successful NFL career out of any of the names on this list as he was a star for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Top 9 Greatest World Series Upsets of All Time, 2021 NBA Finals Phoenix Suns vs Milwaukee Bucks: Series Preview and Prediction, Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89), NFL Draft 2021: Sam Teets top 100 prospects big board, Sam Teets two-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft 5.0 with Kyle the Commish, Every NFL teams best player not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame- NFC East, Top 100 remaining 2021 NFL free agents after Day 1, Predicting the next five Pro Football Hall of Fame classes, Ranking the top 200 players in the NFL ahead of the 2021 season, Top 100 NFL free agents entering the 2021 offseason, Notable Pro Football Senior Committee Hall of Fame candidates for 2020, Active NFL players in 2019 who will make the Hall of Fame- AFC North, Top 13 Indiana High School Players of all Time, The 6 greatest Indiana Highschool pure Shooters, The 8 greatest IHSAA Championship Games in History. Jack Lambert played middle linebacker. AP Sports SummaryBrief at 7:03 a.m. EST. Bryce Paup was an outstanding pass rusher in the 1990s. . The next year, he followed it up with four more interceptions. Over the course of his career he racked up over 1,000 tackles, 52.5 sacks, and 14 INTs, all of which are very good numbers. Lambert wasnt just great on the inside, he was an outstanding coverage linebacker. 37, Wilber Marshall (Bears/Redskins/Oilers/Cardinals/Jets) (1984-1995) *Three-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Merriman still has the potential to be a great player again. Not only did he change the way defenses are run, but he changed the way offensive schemes are run as well. Top 25 SEC LBs of all-time: 10-6. 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. Wilson doesnt have the career numbers because his career was so short, but theres no doubt when he was playing he was the most feared player on the field. 5.) As an outside linebacker, he put a lot of pressure on opponents' quarterbacks. Super Bowl XX champion. Perfect Seahawks NFL Draft 2023 plan: Select C.J. Stroud if there at No 2. No. Super Bowl winner. They surrendered only 20 points in that game, and seven of them were off a blocked punt. Julian Peterson has had a very well-rounded NFL career to this point, and its still going on. Steelers by the decade: 1970s - Pittsburgh Steelers With rule changes being what they have been, The number one pick was obvious. Isiah Robertson, nicknamed The Playmaker, was known for coming up with the big plays in the biggest games. In only 11 seasons, Thomas had 126.5 sacks, and an NFL record 41 forced fumbles. Over the past 50 years, the Steelers have tallied 36 winning seasons . Matt Blair was a very intimidating linebacker, and helped the Vikings get to two Super Bowls in his career. 19, Harry Carson (Giants) (1976-1988) *Nine-time Pro Bowler *Three-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Any coach would be lucky to have a player like Karl Mecklenburg on their roster. LSU women's basketball makes it rain in rout of Georgia in SEC The line was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV) in six years.. He finished his career with 1,106 tackles and 627 assisted tackles as well. Ray Lewis is another one of the three players on the list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. Who knows how many he wouldve had if he played in the entire 16? He was a tackling machine for the majority of his career. Mike Singletary. Since Donnie Shell finally cracked the Hall of Fame, I would say the . . That game and his outstanding 1996 season earned Kirkland his first trip to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors after the 1996 season. He just goes out every week and hustles. 42, Chip Banks (Browns/Chargers/Colts) (1982-1992) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st team All-Pro. The best linebackers in Minnesota Vikings history Gradishar was the silent assassin of the team. He led some of the greatest defenses in NFL history in both performance and spirit. Gradishar was the silent assassin of the team. These were the players who were great players, but not quite good enough to be placed inside the top 50. Brooks wasnt just a pass coverage linebacker, but he also played the run well. Thats an outstanding number. He is most known for the neck plate he wore behind his head, but dont let that distract you from his great play on the field. 1970 Minnesota Vikings Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees He did it in 2000 and again in 2003. He knew how to make big plays. He did everything. After a very bad injury in 2008, Shawne Merriman hasnt been the same. Peppers' 159.5 career sacks rank fourth on the all-time list. Dick Butkus: one of the fiercest and best linebackers the NFL has ever seen, Butkus was a Pro Bowler every year except his final season while also garnering five All-Pro selections for the Bears. No. He also is the only linebacker to ever win a Super Bowl MVP and be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in the same season (2000). Derrick Thomas was on pace to absolutely shatter NFL records before his tragic death in 2000. He has been one of the most intimidating players in the NFL his entire career. could hit like a freight train, but it was his finesse and high football IQ that helped him revolutionize the linebacker position. And he's still going. Over his career, Brooking has racked up 962 tackles and 12 INTs. 10 Tom Jackson. Mills, along with Swilling, was another member of that Dome Patrol defense. 26, Cornelius Bennett (Bills/Falcons/Colts) (1987-2000) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. No. No. The-greatest-linebackers-in-Denver-Broncos-history-series 1953-65, Detroit Lions. He started his career out with the Packers, if they would have used him correctly he would have been higher on this list. When you think of Singletary, the first thing that comes to mind is intense focus. Thomas is also third all-time in safeties and fumble returns for touchdowns. Jack Ham might be the best coverage linebacker of all time. Behind the Purple People Eaters of the 70s was one of the best safeties the league has ever seen. Lamberts best season was in 1976, where he won the Defensive Player of the Year award. Here Are 8 Ways NBA Has Changed That Modern Fans Don't Realize. Briggs does a lot of pass coverage with the Bears, and has had 53 passes deflected already in his career. The only thing that could match his signature stare was the stellar play of Samurai Mike on the field. Lambert wasnt just great on the inside, he was an outstanding coverage linebacker. No. ONeal should get more recognition as one of the best pass rushers to play the game. Those would be accomplishments by themselves, let alone all together. The 2008 season was his best sack season with 17.5. He was always good enough for Pro Bowls, but was never an All-Pro Player. He was 73. The only reason Brooks isnt higher up on this list is because he had a fantastic surrounding cast which includes, most notably, Warren Sapp taking up blockers on the line. Here is my ranking of the top 10 Giants linebackers, along with some honorable mentions. He became a starter at inside linebacker for the Steelers in his second season, 1993, replacing Pro Bowler David Little. No. Young was a fierce hitter, and would always stick his nose in the middle of the play. Playoffs: Won Divisional Round 5-0 vs. Detroit Lions. Sacks and tackles werent recorded until late in his career, but he was a great pass rusher and all-around linebacker. Thomas did everything you asked out of a linebacker. Jackson was most notable for being a pass rusher, but he really did it all. Williams recorded 16 interceptions and 23 fumble recoveries (a franchise record). If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link: Top 10 Athletes past the age of 40: Where does Tom Brady rank? 39, Peter Boulware (Ravens) (1997-2005) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Demarcus Ware has only played five seasons in the NFL, but already hes one of the best of this era. The art of the interview: Terry Fontenot provides a look inside the 47, Fredd Young (Seahawks/Colts) (1984-1990) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. Swilling was the best pass rusher of the Dome Patrol, but he also forced 36 fumbles to go along with all the sacks. 2022 NFL Linebacker Rankings and Tiers | NFL News, Rankings and - PFF Brooking was the face of the Falcons defense for nearly a decade, and is a well-rounded player. 1, Lawrence Taylor (Giants) (1981-1993) *Ten-time Pro Bowler *Eight-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. The NFL's Top 50 Linebackers of the Modern Era - Bleacher Report He started all but one game in his last eight seasons, which is very impressive for a linebacker. All Rights Reserved. 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 Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1970s - AinsworthSports.com Call 1-800-522-4700. Best players in Clemson history: Linebackers