38, Chad Brown (Steelers/Seahawks/Patriots) (1993-2007) *Three-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro. Floyd Reese, the general manager who assembled the roster for the Tennessee Titans' lone Super Bowl appearance, died Saturday. The Steelers went 6-10 in his first season, but along with players like Hines Ward, Jerome Bettis, and Alan Faneca . In his time in the NFL, he intercepted 25 passes and returned six of them for touchdowns with three of those in 2002 alone. Mecklenburg was never a cocky player, but just a guy who would show up on Sundays. Hardy Nickerson makes it this high on the list mainly because of one ridiculous season he had. ONeal should get more recognition as one of the best pass rushers to play the game. Randy Gradishar played along with Tom Jackson in the Denver Broncos Orange Crush defense. He already has 57.5 sacks in his short career, along with 16 forced fumbles. Coverage was definitely Bullucks claim to fame, but he was also good at other things. Spielman had seven straight 100 tackle seasons, and did it eight out of nine years. No. He was very solid in coverage, good against the run, and had no real weaknesses. Rickey Jackson was one of the fastest linebackers in the game, but he was also one of the hardest hitters. But, theres no doubt that hes been one of the top linebackers in the NFL, and still is today. Edmunds will have to clean up the missed tackles and improve in coverage to rise toward where most slot him currently a top-10 linebacker on this list next season. Are you ready for some football history? Andy Russell 7x Pro Bowl, 4x All-Pro, 2x Super Bowl Champion Linebacker '63, 1966-1976 Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images. He was a dominating force in the NFL during that stretch of time. So while there were outstanding linebackers in previous years, like Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke, they will not be on this list. Singletary was a leader, not only vocally, but by example. He was Terrell Suggs before Suggs got to Baltimore. Two years later, the Giants sunk to 1-12-1. No. Jason Gildon (Steelers/Jaguars): - Three-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro. Mike Kolen 1970-77. Mills was more of a complete player than Swilling, although the two are too close to separate one from the other. Check out the 1970 Minnesota Vikings Roster, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports and more on Pro-Football-Reference.com. Cornelius Bennett was just a great all-around player. But before you come to a conclusion, let's take a look at the facts. He was close to averaging a sack per game, which is an amazing number. 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. Merriman still has the potential to be a great player again. 21, Patrick Willis* (49ers) (2006-Present) *Three-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. 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 also finished his career with 17 INTs. 16, Robert Brazile (Oilers) (1975-1984) *Seven-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Four-time 2nd Team All-Pro. No. Thats over 10 sacks per season, which is outstanding. A true enforcer in every sense of the word, Lewis intensity was unmatched by any player of his era. 6, Jack Ham (Steelers) (1971-1982) *Eight-time Pro Bowler *Six-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. But Mills did much more than that. Urlacher was an all-around great linebacker who flew around the field with reckless abandon. The longtime backup led the NFL in completion percentage (69.8%), set the Seahawks' single-season passing yards record (4,282) and ranked in the top five in the entire league in both passing . In 1993 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker, Nickerson piled up an astounding 214 tackles. Lewis was the leader of the 2000 Super Bowl winning Ravens team. No. In only 11 seasons, Thomas had 126.5 sacks, and an NFL record of 41 forced fumbles. Mecklenburg was never a cocky player, but just a guy who would show up on Sundays. Zachary Petrizzo. Joe Schmidt. 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. 12. Peppers' 159.5 career sacks rank fourth on the all-time list. Dennis Onkotz was a two time first team All American on the great Penn State teams of 1968 and 1969. With rule changes being what they have been, The number one pick was obvious. From his time at USC, Lott . His 32 career INTs lead the way for linebackers. 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 . He was always around the ball. The best LB in the NFL today comes in at No. The Chicago Bears have the most all-time great linebackers. Paul Krause | S. The NFL's all-time leader in interceptions spent 12 of his 16 years in Minnesota. Jackson was most notable for being a pass rusher, but he really did it all. He has been one of the most intimidating players in the NFL his entire career. He was the quintessential linebacker and easily the greatest of his era. Hes on pace to not only break, but shatter the NFL record of 41. Brooking was the face of the Falcons defense for nearly a decade, and is a well-rounded player. Eleven Pro Bowls. He also had 1,173 tackles in his career. No. 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. 8. Boulware gets overlooked a lot playing because of playing with Ray Lewis, but he was a key component in that dominating Ravens defense of the early 2000s. During his career Williams amassed 62.5 sacks, which is the second most in Bengals history. Collect, curate and comment on your files. No. 1970s All-decade team. 5.) The Best of Tommy Brady at Michigan . Voted to seven Pro Bowls, named First Team All-Pro five times. 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. He knew how to make big plays. 13, Greg Lloyd (Steelers/Panthers) (1988-1998) *Five-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro. Lambert wasnt just great on the inside, he was an outstanding coverage linebacker. Any coach would be lucky to have a player like Karl Mecklenburg on their roster. No. Comic-Con Museum named best pop culture museum by USA Today. He was the notorious leader of one of the greatest defenses to ever make its way onto a football field Pittsburghs famed Steel Curtain.. Mecklenburg finished his career with 79 sacks, which is great for an ILB, and also ranks 2nd all-time in Broncos history. Chris Spielman was a tackle machine during his 10 years in the NFL. 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No. 9-time All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler. John Offerdahl may have had the shortest NFL career on this list, but he made the most of it. Keith Bulluck WAS the Titans defense, and has been every year hes been there. Brazile might not get the credit because of the team he played for, but he was an outstanding player. Wagers only accepted in CO. For full terms and conditions, click here. 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. I know, how can I rate Kirkland over Greene? 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. Ray Lewis came into the league and dominated right away. Randy Gradishar Joins The Speer Wealth Team. 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. Kirkland had 10 tackles and a key sack of Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman. He may have been undersized, but he made up for it with his mind and his hustle. He was also a good pass rusher, and a good coverage man as well. Jack Lambert played middle linebacker. Still, its an amazing number. LT finished his career with 142 sacks, averaging nearly 11 sacks per season. No. Thats an amazing number as well. We started off with a rough one the wide receivers. Lewis wasnt as vocal as Cox, but his play was a little better, and lasted for a longer period of time. Jul 07, 2014 at 11:02 PM. Boulware had at least seven sacks every year he played other than his last season in the NFL. Gary Reasons (1984-91) Gary Reasons, a fourth-round draft pick from Northwestern State, was a key . He had 885 career solo tackles, which is impressive on a defense filled with swarming the ball, shown by his 1,488 career tackles. Although he only played three full seasons, he made five Pro Bowls. Harry Carson was an outstanding linebacker who played alongside Lawrence Taylor. The entire enterprise of Notre Dame basketball, gone strange. Shawne Lights Out Merriman was the face of NFL linebackers for a three year stretch. You could stick him on any TE in the league, even some slot receivers, and he would take them out of the game. He wasnt great at one aspect but was equally as good at everything he did. Julian Peterson has had a very well-rounded NFL career to this point, and its still going on. Lewis, playing alongside Bryan Cox, led a very good Jets team to the closest theyve been to a Super Bowl since they won Super Bowl III. Chad Brown played a very long NFL career, especially for a linebacker. 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. Lloyd will always be remembered as the lightning quick pass rusher from the Blitzburgh days. Schmidt stood out in an era of great middle linebackers. Since Donnie Shell finally cracked the Hall of Fame, I would say the . LT was the most intimidating player ever to put on an NFL uniform. Elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2018. 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. Suggs will only continue to climb this list the longer he plays, since hes in the middle of his prime right now. No. Ham is the only linebacker other than Tom Jackson to have seven INTs in a single season. 1, Lawrence Taylor (Giants) (1981-1993) *Ten-time Pro Bowler *Eight-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Wilber Marshall had the whole package. Those would be accomplishments by themselves, let alone all together. He had ten seasons with 10+ sacks. Even now, you can tell what kind of person he is by his charity work with the REACH Foundation that he started. Greene and Greg Lloyd made one of the best pass rushing duos in NFL history with the Pittsburgh Steelers. No. He was never the most athletic player on the field, but he was always the hardest working. 9. Top 10 Boxers of the 1990s: Was Roy Jones Jr. the best? 15, Zach Thomas (Dolphins/Cowboys) (1996-2008) *Seven-time Pro Bowler *Five-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Both . Find 1970 1979 America stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. . 7. He should still improve this season with Ndamukong Suh in front of him to help free him up. In that career he played both 4-3 OLB and 3-4 ILB. Robertson is one of the most underrated players in NFL history. He took up blockers and threw his body around a lot. 6 - Carl McAdams. Jackson was the vocal leader of the orange crush defense. Wilson recorded 560 tackles and 21.5 sacks as a member of the Broncos. Young was a fierce hitter, and would always stick his nose in the middle of the play. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times. No. Lawrence Taylor of course, is regarded as the best 3-4 linebacker ever, . 19, Harry Carson (Giants) (1976-1988) *Nine-time Pro Bowler *Three-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Chicago 1981-92. No. Derrick Brooks may be the most accomplished linebacker on this list. Visit Our Patreon Page to Create Your Own All-Time Fantasy Teams and See Other Bonus Material . 10. The Raiders defeated the Eagles 27-10. Lewis stats at this point of his career are 1,349 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and 28 INTs. Keith Brooking has been one of the most consistent linebackers of all-time. Woodrow Lowe, Alabama (1972-75) Respected as college football's top linebacker in the early 1970s, Lowe was the first . (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). NFL Defensive Rookie of the . This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. 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Bergey became one of the NFL's best linebackers in Philly, where he made five consecutive All-Pro teams and was the foundation for the "Gang Green" defense that made the playoffs in each of his last three seasons, including a trip to the Super Bowl in 1980. . Over his career, he totaled 1,271 tackles, 12 INTs, and 19 forced fumbles. Fredd Young went a little under the radar due to his short seven year career. Suggs is a pass rushing monster with the Ravens. 8, Demarcus Ware* (Cowboys) (2005-Present) *Four-time Pro Bowler *Three-time 1st team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Gradishar was the silent assassin of the team. By 1995, he was recognized as one of the top inside linebackers in the league and had a stellar performance in Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys at the end of the season. Although he only played three full seasons, he made five Pro Bowls. In the first round, the team tabbed Fred McNeill of USC, who became a fixture at the outside linebacker spot for many . No. Kevin Greene will always be known as one of the craziest and talented pass rushers in NFL history. For most other franchises, a resume like this would make Jack Ham the greatest linebacker in thier history by a wide margin. But, if you didnt know, Jackson was once an outstanding linebacker for the Denver Broncos Orange Crush defense. Super Bowl winner. 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. From canvas high-tops to social media dominance, the NBA has come a long way. The next year, he followed it up with four more interceptions. Chris Spielman was a tackle machine during his 10 years in the NFL. 41, Mo Lewis (Jets) (1991-2003) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. He led the team in tackles five of the 11 season he played for them. Here Are 8 Ways NBA Has Changed That Modern Fans Don't Realize. Brooks wasnt just a pass coverage linebacker, but he also played the run well. Sacks and tackles werent recorded until late in his career, but he was a great pass rusher and all-around linebacker. He led some of the greatest defenses in NFL history in both performance and spirit.
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