No. 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. 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. He was also a good pass rusher, and a good coverage man as well. [a][4]. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports. He also had 20 INTs, three of which he returned for touchdowns. In 2007, he racked up a remarkable 17 sacks in only 12 games. No. No. Who were the linebackers for the Steel Curtain defense? - Quora Top 30 Linebackers in the NFL Since 1970 - The Grueling Truth Williams was the heart and soul of two Super Bowl defenses. Ill take into account Pro Bowls, All-Pros (1st and 2nd team), stats, team success, players success, intimidation factor, and reputation, along with many other factors to make this list. Next up, we look at a much better-rated unit in the linebackers. When you ask who is the greatest MLB of all-time is, many people jump straight to Dick Butkus. Comic-Con Museum named best pop culture museum by USA Today. He also had at least 99 tackles in seven years of his 12-year career, which is outstanding. It was tied for the best of the day with linebacker Owen Pappoe, of Auburn, and was the second-fastest time from an . If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org. 36, Jeremiah Trotter (Eagles/Redskins/Bucs) (1999-2007 & 2009) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. He was also the first player to have a TE or RB used for chip blocking on him, and overall changed the way offensive lineman block. He was Lawrence Taylor before Taylor was. Both . But before you come to a conclusion, let's take a look at the facts. No. Brian Urlacher is one of the greatest linebackers of this decade. That truly shows what kind of person he was off the field. Two years later, the Giants sunk to 1-12-1. Mike Singletary had the whole package. Thomas is also third all-time in safeties and fumble returns for touchdowns. He has played the role of pass rusher and coverage linebacker in his career, and has excelled at both. How NFL Players Have Evolved | Stadium Talk The next year, he followed it up with four more interceptions. Steve Kiner (1966-69): Tennessee fans didn't have to wait long after Emanuel left to find the next superstar linebacker. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1989. He did it once in 1985 and again in 1988. The 150 greatest players in college football's 150-year history - ESPN.com Top 10 Draft Picks in Broncos History | No. You could stick him on any TE in the league, even some slot receivers, and he would take them out of the game. 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? With rule changes being what they have been, The number one pick was obvious. Over his career, he totaled 1,271 tackles, 12 INTs, and 19 forced fumbles. Lambert and Ham also won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. The only thing that could match his signature stare was the stellar play of Samurai Mike on the field. Super Bowl winner. The National Football League 1970s All-Decade Team is a list of National Football League (NFL) players selected by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Greatest Linebackers of All Time - SportsUnfold 24, Leslie ONeal (Chargers/Rams/Chiefs) (1986-1999) *Six-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Most known for his antics like spitting in other players faces, Romanowskis play sometimes gets overshadowed. Floyd Reese, the general manager who assembled the roster for the Tennessee Titans' lone Super Bowl appearance, died Saturday. In 1976, Jackson had seven INTs. 25 Greatest Defensive Linemen in NFL History - AthlonSports.com 10. 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. He had over 1,000 tackles, over 70 sacks, and over 30 forced fumbles in his career. A true enforcer in every sense of the word, Lewis intensity was unmatched by any player of his era. The Greatest Penn State Linebackers of All Time He is still active, and is a starter, but he might be on his way out of San Diego. 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 . No. Hes going into his first healthy season again in three years. Seau was the definition of consistency. The NFL is back in L.A. for the first time since 1995, as the Rams return to the Coliseum. The second member of the Dome Patrol comes off the board at No. In only 11 seasons, Thomas had 126.5 sacks, and an NFL record 41 forced fumbles. Randy Gradishar may be the single-most deserving player of a spot in Canton. He did everything. The Steelers began their 1976 season 1-4 and lost their quarterback, Terry Bradshaw.For the nine games remaining in the season, the Steelers . Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. In 2008, Suggs even had two INTs, both of which he returned for touchdowns. Next: A dangerous combination. *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. In only five seasons, Wares already totaled up 64.5 sacks, including 20 in 2008. 10. Nine All-Pros. Urlacher was the leader of those great Bears defenses of the 2000s, including when they got to the Super Bowl only to lose to Peyton Manning and the Colts. The thing about Derrick Thomas that is the most remarkable was how nice of a person he was off the field. If you take away his last three seasons, where he was slowing down, he averaged 12.4 sacks per season, which is just remarkable. Lambert wasnt just great on the inside, he was an outstanding coverage linebacker. But, if you didnt know, Jackson was once an outstanding linebacker for the Denver Broncos Orange Crush defense. He may be one of the most hated players, but man can he play football. Mills was more of a complete player than Swilling, although the two are too close to separate one from the other. Still, he was a very solid MLB for many years. He took them to the AFC Championship game in 1998, where they fell victim to John Elways Super Bowl winning Broncos. He had an outstanding attitude and would do anything to get his team a win. 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. Named to NFL's All-Decade Team for 1970s and 1980s. 10 Best Linebackers in Steelers History (+Honorable Mentions) HELLO, PANDORA. Robertson is one of the most underrated players in NFL history. He was very athletic, a great tackler, and he could cover. St. Republican Rep. James Comer suggested during a right-wing podcast earlier this week that President Joe Biden's deceased son Beau Biden should have been investigated in connection with a long-settled case on "campaign donations" from a backer who was eventually indicted. In today's NFL, few positions have become as difficult to play as off-ball linebacker. Julian Peterson has had a very well-rounded NFL career to this point, and its still going on. Thats over 10 sacks per season, which is outstanding. Top 5 Tennessee linebackers of all-time - Saturday Down South No. 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. Ham is the only linebacker other than Tom Jackson to have seven INTs in a single season. He was a hard worker, good tackler, and had great hands. Check out the 1970 Minnesota Vikings Roster, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports and more on Pro-Football-Reference.com. Taylor changed the way football is played today. Lambert is said by many to be the best inside linebacker of all-time. Thats an amazing number as well. Paup was a complete linebacker, who was especially great at rushing the passer. Briggs should only continue to move up this list, as he takes over as the star linebacker spot in Chicago. 1970 Defensive Player of the Year 5-time first-team All-Pro 8-time Pro Bowler The best high school, college and NFL linebackers are annually presented with the Butkus Award, named in honor of . 1953-65, Detroit Lions. 2013 MAC Hall of Fame Inductee: Western Michigans John Offerdahl. Singletary was a leader, not only vocally, but by example. Answer: Two of the three were constants for all four Super Bowls and ended up in the Hall of Fame. Ware has made four consecutive Pro Bowls and has had three consecutive All-Pro seasons. He was also a good pass rusher, and a good coverage man as well. Offerdahl was a blue collar type of player who was an even better person off the field. The Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1970s - AinsworthSports.com During the late 1970s and early 80s, he was the best linebacker the NFL had. The defense was ranked right up there along with the 1985 Bears, and Steelers teams of the 1970s. He could do it all. Ray Lewis came into the league and dominated right away. Joe Schmidt. The leader of the Dome Patrol comes in at No. 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. He may have actually been crazy. 7, Rickey Jackson (Saints/49ers) (1981-1995) *Six-time Pro Bowler *Five-time 2nd Team All-Pro. I think thats largely due to the NFL not keeping sacks and tackles numbers during his career. Ranking Explanation . He was always good enough for Pro Bowls, but was never an All-Pro Player. Taylor changed the way football is played today. 25. He holds the NFL record for the most Pro Bowl selections by a middle linebacker (13). No. 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. 42, Chip Banks (Browns/Chargers/Colts) (1982-1992) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st team All-Pro. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1974 and Defensive Player of the Year two years later. Tippett finished his career with 100 sacks. Zachary Petrizzo. Offensive Coordinator: Jim Myers. He was also the fastest linebacker of the bunch and excelled in pass coverage. He was close to averaging a sack per game, which is an amazing number. James Harrison. The Raiders defeated the Eagles 27-10. Tippett was a big reason to why so many teams value pass rushing OLBs in todays game. 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). Briggs has made five straight Pro Bowls for the Bears, and that streak still continues. He had ten seasons with 10+ sacks. Seau was the definition of consistency. Lloyd will always be remembered as the lightning quick pass rusher from the Blitzburgh days. Thats amazing consistency. 8. He started his career out with the Packers, if they would have used him correctly he would have been higher on this list. Top 10, however, is not only a sure thing but easy as it was very tough for me to keep Levy out of the top 5 over the guy that made it. Al Wilson was an outstanding MLB for the Broncos. Urlacher was an all-around great linebacker who flew around the field with reckless abandon. 17 Reasons why Jordan is greater than Lebron, 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan, The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History, The Top 21 Offensive Linemen in NFL History, 19 undeniable Lies in Disney's Remember the Titans. Top 25 SEC LBs of all-time: 15-11. Hes been amazing. Willis could potentially end up in the top 10, or even top five of this list by the time his career is over. His best season was his first year with the Bills where he had 17.5 sacks, 70 tackles, two INTs, and three forced fumbles. In 1993 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker, Nickerson piled up an astounding 214 tackles. Teamwork and Leadership from Karl Mecklenburg NFL Motivational Keynote Speaker. Merriman still has the potential to be a great player again. Those are remarkable numbers, especially when he is still going strong. He is not only the greatest linebacker in NFL history, hes one of the games greatest players period. Find 1970 1979 America stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. 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 . He was never the most athletic player on the field, but he was always the hardest working. Ham had outstanding speed. 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. Jackson had 40 forced fumbles, just one short of the NFL record. Top 10 Best Linebackers In Cleveland Browns History (Updated) No. Lambert won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. Lewis stats at this point of his career are 1,349 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and 28 INTs. Eddie Johnson. Any coach would be lucky to have a player like Karl Mecklenburg on their roster. Isiah Robertson, nicknamed The Playmaker, was known for coming up with the big plays in the biggest games. 43, Keith Brooking* (Falcons/Cowboys) (1998-Present) *Five-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Patrick Willis has made the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro team every single year hes been in the NFL. 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). We started off with a rough one the wide receivers. The exhibit features the Fleet's classic collection set in five themed galleries representing the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Williams recorded 16 interceptions and 23 fumble recoveries (a franchise record). Jackson was not just a coverage linebacker, he was also a good pass rusher and a very hard worker off the field. How NFL Players Have Evolved. They surrendered only 20 points in that game, and seven of them were off a blocked punt. In 1984 and 1985, Tippett put up two of the best back to back seasons recording 18.5 and 16.5 sacks in them. Love him or hate him, Lewis has earned the title of greatest middle linebacker of all time. Ray Lewis is another one of the three players on the list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. AP Sports SummaryBrief at 12:30 a.m. EST Top 10 Linebackers in Miami Dolphins history - Phin Phanatic Their greats span the decades of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. Thats the type of player you want on your team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. No. Ray Lewis is the top MLB of the modern era and is easily the linebacker of the 2000s. Keith Bulluck WAS the Titans defense, and has been every year hes been there. 10 Tom Jackson. He racked up a staggering 1,181 tackles, and 1,131 of them in his first nine seasons. Thats right, seven. SRS: 6.97 (5th of 26), SOS: 1.40. Bryce Paup was an outstanding pass rusher in the 1990s. O. J. Simpson and Lynn Swann were next with 22 and 21 votes, respectively. No. The Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1960s No. Chris Spielman was a tackle machine during his 10 years in the NFL. The most obvious change from 1920 to today is the size of players, but there also have been many changes in the schemes . Nickerson wasnt just a one hit wonder though. Bill Romanowski (49ers, Eagles, Broncos, Raiders) : Two-time Pro Bowler. 17 Reasons why Jordan is greater than Lebron, 16 Reasons why Lebron is greater than Jordan, The 18 greates Coaches in College Football History, The Top 21 Offensive Linemen in NFL History, The Top 10 Seattle Mariners of all Time, 19 undeniable Lies in Disney's Remember the Titans, If you enjoy hearing from the legends of pro sports, then be sure to tune into The Grueling Truth sports shows, Where the legends speak. When you think of Singletary, the first thing that comes to mind is intense focus. Lloyd had 54.5 sacks and 11 INTs in his career, but the most remarkable number was his 35 forced fumbles. A tall order to say the least, and these 5 players did it better than anyone in the history of the NFL. 45, Shawne Merriman* (Chargers) (2005-Present) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. I personally think football before 1970 and after 1970 can be seen as two completely different games, in terms of its evolution. Thomas was one of the most instinctive linebackers of all-time. 4, Derrick Thomas (Chiefs) (1989-1999) *Nine-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Three-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Boulware had at least seven sacks every year he played other than his last season in the NFL. 9-time All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler. He led the team in tackles five of the 11 season he played for them. Jackson had 40 forced fumbles, just one short of the NFL record. NFLs Merchants of Menace Andre Tippett. He also played two different positions, playing ILB and OLB for the Vikings in his career. Hes had 92 sacks and 23 forced fumbles so far in his career. 5.) Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (1969), three-time Pro Bowl (1970-72), two . Don Moorehead, Dennis Franklin, Jim Harbaugh, Elvis Grbac, Tom Brady, Forest Evashevski, Benny Friedman and John Navarre were all elected Captains by their teammates. Theres not much Brooks doesnt have. The entire enterprise of Notre Dame basketball, gone strange. Jack Ham might be the best coverage linebacker of all-time. The next year at the Pro Bowl, Thomas remembered him by name. When you see a list of greatest linebackers, Isiah Robertson very rarely even gets brought into the discussion. Lofa Tatupu* (Seahawks) : Three-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro. Top 25 SEC LBs of all-time: 10-6. Taylor is one of only two defensive players (DT Alan Page, 1971) in the history of the NFL to be named NFL MVP. But he proved them wrong and was a key piece on the Broncos Super Bowl winning team. 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. A five-time pro bowler, Wilson was one of the best linebackers in the league during the early 2000s. 12 sacks and three picks. Wilber Marshall was one of the greatest pass coverage linebackers of the modern era. The Steelers went 6-10 in his first season, but along with players like Hines Ward, Jerome Bettis, and Alan Faneca . His 32 career INTs lead the way for linebackers. Zach Thomas is exactly what you want in a player and a linebacker. No. 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. Briggs does a lot of pass coverage with the Bears, and has had 53 passes deflected already in his career. Harry Carson was an outstanding linebacker who played alongside Lawrence Taylor. He was a tackle machine and a very big hitter. Jul 07, 2014 at 11:02 PM. Mar 3, 2023 Updated 4 min ago. Suggs will only continue to climb this list the longer he plays, since hes in the middle of his prime right now. Quinto was a regular at both inside and outside linebacker for head coach Ron Gladnick's Saints. 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. 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1985, '88) Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1989.

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