Demarcus Ware has only played five seasons in the NFL, but already hes one of the best of this era. The 150 greatest players in college football's 150-year history - ESPN.com The second member of the Dome Patrol comes off the board at No. A tall order to say the least, and these 5 players did it better than anyone in the history of the NFL. Mills, along with Swilling, was another member of that Dome Patrol defense. Defensive MVP in 2002. AP. LSU women's basketball makes it rain in rout of Georgia in SEC Depending on the day, you might view Ham as the best player on the Steel Curtain defense or the 4th best, and it's . Thats an amazing number as well. He was always good enough for Pro Bowls, but was never an All-Pro Player. [1][2] The squad consists of first- and second-team offensive, defensive, and special teams units, as well as a first- and second-team head coaches. He wasnt great at just one aspect he was equally great at everything he did. Lambert and Ham also won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. He just goes out every week and hustles. As also playing DE should tell you, he was very versatile and could play many different positions. 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. He had an outstanding attitude and would do anything to get his team a win. Earl Campbell called Williams the toughest linebacker he ever played against. 30, Matt Blair (Vikings) (1974-1985) *Six-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. Las Vegas Raiders: 15 best defensive backs of all-time - Just Blog Baby But Mills did much more than that. Wilson recorded 560 tackles and 21.5 sacks as a member of the Broncos. Top 25 SEC LBs of all-time: 10-6. Romanowski might be overrated because of his name, but theres no doubt he was one of the most memorable and feared linebackers of the modern era. No. 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 right, seven. 23, Isiah Robertson (Rams/Bills) (1971-1982) *Six-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Three-time 2nd Team All-Pro. The line was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV) in six years.. Here is my ranking of the top 10 Giants linebackers, along with some honorable mentions. He has played the role of pass rusher and coverage linebacker in his career, and has excelled at both. Top 5 Tennessee linebackers of all-time - Saturday Down South Harry Carson was an outstanding linebacker who played alongside Lawrence Taylor. 31, Tom Jackson (Broncos) (1973-1986) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Johnson was most known for his days with the Saints. In the words of Vikings' head coaching legend Bud Grant, "Paul personified the term free safety.". could hit like a freight train, but it was his finesse and high football IQ that helped him revolutionize the linebacker position. Eddie Johnson arrived in Cleveland at exactly the right time. In 1984 and 1985, Tippett put up two of the best back to back seasons recording 18.5 and 16.5 sacks in them. Wagers only accepted in CO. For full terms and conditions, click here. Chuck Drazenovich. He wasnt very vocal, but his play did all the talking for him. Thats fine, he played enough linebacker to be considered this high. Ray Lewis is the top MLB of the modern era and is easily the linebacker of the 2000s. He has already had three 100 tackle seasons in his first three years, and also has already forced 10 turnovers (four INTs, six forced fumbles). Thomas is also third all-time in safeties and fumble returns for touchdowns. Lewis wasnt as vocal as Cox, but his play was a little better, and lasted for a longer period of time. Quinto was a regular at both inside and outside linebacker for head coach Ron Gladnick's Saints. Franchise Encyclopedia. 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. Featuring 2018-2019 Raiders and some of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time, the best Raiders LBs include Ted Hendricks, Khalil Mack, Rod Martin, Sam Wiliams, and Greg Biekert. 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. Swilling was the best pass rusher of the Dome Patrol, but he also forced 36 fumbles to go along with all the sacks. Greene was one of the best pass rushers of all-time, recording 160 sacks in his career. 40, Bryce Paup (Packers/Bills/Jaguars/Vikings) (1990-2000) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. 1970s All-decade team. Their greats span the decades of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. His 1989 rookie season was one of the best the NFL has ever seen. Born April 20 . 60 Greatest Linebackers in NFL History | Stadium Talk So while there were outstanding linebackers in previous years, like Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke, they will not be on this list. Lawrence Taylor. Fredd Young went a little under the radar due to his short seven year career. With time to spare in the NFL offseason, Ill take a look at the top 50 linebackers in the NFL in the modern era. Linebacker finalists announced for NFL 100 All-Time Team Other Links > Football > Player Rankings by Position > Top Ranked Linebackers . In today's NFL, few positions have become as difficult to play as off-ball linebacker. Tippett finished his career with 100 sacks. He was said to have the fastest 10 yard burst of any player on the team, and that included receivers John Stallworth and Lynn Swann, and runningback Franco Harris. They surrendered only 20 points in that game, and seven of them were off a blocked punt. Thats over 10 sacks per season, which is outstanding. With rule changes being what they have been, I decided to rank the linebackers that have played since 1970. Those would be accomplishments by themselves, let alone all together. Lamberts best season was in 1976, where he won the Defensive Player of the Year award. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. 35, Lance Briggs* (Bears) (2003-Present) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. He always tried to better himself and did it effectively. Ham had outstanding . He did it once in 1985 and again in 1988. His best days were with the Bears and Redskins, but he had an impact everywhere he went. He racked up a staggering 1,181 tackles, and 1,131 of them in his first nine seasons. No. Mike Singletary is one of three players on this list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. He did anything the Bears asked of him, especially stuffing the run. Jeremiah The Axeman Trotter has been a very recognizable name over the past decade. James Harrison. Blair was outstanding in coverage, along with being a great tackler. After a very bad injury in 2008, Shawne Merriman hasnt been the same. NFL Defensive Rookie of the . Lambert won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. He was Lawrence Taylor before Taylor was. Over his career, Brooking has racked up 962 tackles and 12 INTs. Elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2018. 5, Jack Lambert (Steelers) (1974-1984) *Nine-time Pro Bowlers *Seven-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. No. Robertson is one of the most underrated players in NFL history. In that career he played both 4-3 OLB and 3-4 ILB. Thats nearly 13 sacks per season. Gradishar was the silent assassin of the team. Ray Lewis came into the league and dominated right away. But, if you didnt know, Jackson was once an outstanding linebacker for the Denver Broncos Orange Crush defense. No. Those would be accomplishments by themselves, let alone all together. Simpson in 1973 or Terry Bradshaw's two Super Bowl MVP performances. Chicago 1981-92. And here are the 25 greatest linebackers in NFL history: 25. 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. Jason Gildon (Steelers/Jaguars): - Three-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro. Brian Urlacher is one of the greatest linebackers of this decade. Despite the bad taste he left when leaving the team, James Harrison belongs on the upper half of the top ten linebackers in Steelers history. 23. Michigan Football Position Greats Linebacker U Penn State Tradition Jack Ham as a Steeler. 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 . I think hell climb up this list further in the near future. Brooks was the leader of that defense, but his surrounding cast was just too good to rank him higher. Tippett was a big reason to why so many teams value pass rushing OLBs in todays game. Sam Huff. Porter will try to continue his success in Arizona and continue to climb up this list. Robert "Dr. Doom" Brazile is another one of those underrated linebackers. Next: A dangerous combination. Williams recorded 16 interceptions and 23 fumble recoveries (a franchise record). Thomas is also third all-time in safeties and fumble returns for touchdowns. He also had 20 INTs, three of which he returned for touchdowns. He had eight seasons with 10+ sacks. Opponents thought Kirkland would not be as adept in pass coverage as the fast Lloyd, but they quickly found out that Kirkland was just as fast and quick. 10. Over the course of his two-year Ohio State career, Lee accumulated 147 tackles. The two-time All-American helped the Cornhuskers win back-to-back national titles in 1970 and '71 . He could do it all. Linebacker Jack Ham and Tight end Dave Casper each received 20 votes. Overlooked because he played alongside Lawrence Taylor, Carson did most of the dirty work in that linebacking core. 27. 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). No. Most people know Tom Jackson as the commentator working with Chris Berman. No. He also played two different positions, playing ILB and OLB for the Vikings in his career. 25. He was always around the ball. Hes also great against the run and is a turnover forcing monster. 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Lewis stats at this point of his career are 1,349 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and 28 INTs. He was never the most athletic player on the field, but he was always the hardest working. In 1993 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker, Nickerson piled up an astounding 214 tackles. 13, Greg Lloyd (Steelers/Panthers) (1988-1998) *Five-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro. 49, Vaughn Johnson (Saints/Eagles) (1986-1994) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Nickerson wasnt just a one hit wonder though. 17, Brian Urlacher* (Bears) (2000-Present) *Six-time Pro Bowler *Four-time 1st Team All-Pro. The versatile middle linebacker played a significant role in helping the Steelers win four Super Bowls in a span of six years in the 1970s. The player that gives Butkus the most competition in that category would be Mike Singletary. 32, John Offerdahl (Dolphins) (1986-1993) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Jack Lambert played middle linebacker. He was one of a kind and will always be remembered as one of the best linebackers of all time. Jack Ham had the whole package as a linebacker. No. 18, Andre Tippett (Patriots) (1982-1993) *Five-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Don Moorehead, Dennis Franklin, Jim Harbaugh, Elvis Grbac, Tom Brady, Forest Evashevski, Benny Friedman and John Navarre were all elected Captains by their teammates. He may be one of the most hated players, but man can he play football. Ralph Baker - Years with Jets: 11 (1964-74) Baker played in 142 games with the Jets in his 11 seasons, which is tied with Marvin Jones for the 4 th most by a linebacker. No. Other Links > Football > Player Rankings by Position > Top Ranked Linebackers . 10. Many of you will say that Keith Bulluck is way too high. He took up blockers and threw his body around a lot. St. Jackson was most notable for being a pass rusher, but he really did it all. Marshall wasnt just a pass coverage linebacker though, he also racked up 1,020 tackles during his 11 year NFL career, along with 24 forced fumbles. He started his career out with the Packers, if they would have used him correctly he would have been higher on this list. He led the Eagles in tackles in his time with the team. Gambling Problem? Thomas was one of the most instinctive linebackers of all-time. Bill Romanowski (49ers, Eagles, Broncos, Raiders) : Two-time Pro Bowler. If you take away his last three seasons, where he was slowing down, he averaged 12.4 sacks per season, which is just remarkable. Jackson had 40 forced fumbles, just one short of the NFL record. His sacks are the main reason hes this high, but he was also a great all-around player. Here Are 8 Ways NBA Has Changed That Modern Fans Don't Realize. Peter Boulware was the pass rusher alongside Ray Lewis. For a four-year span with Seattle, Young was arguably the best Seahawks linebacker of all-time. Next were Defensive end Jack Youngblood and Joe Greene who each had 18 votes. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 38, Chad Brown (Steelers/Seahawks/Patriots) (1993-2007) *Three-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro. He was a dominating force in the NFL during that stretch of time. He is not only the greatest linebacker in NFL history, hes one of the games greatest players period. No. Ham is the only linebacker other than Tom Jackson to have seven INTs in a single season. Lambert wasnt just great on the inside, he was an outstanding coverage linebacker. Taylor is one of only two defensive players (DT Alan Page, 1971) in the history of the NFL to be named NFL MVP. It seemed like he knew where the ball was going at all times. Patrick Willis is everything you look for in a linebacker. 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 'Skins historically have had some solid inside linebackers capable of both stopping the run and being reliable in coverage.
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