An important part of the Las Vegas defense, the LB position includes middle or inside linebackers and outside (strong side or weakside) 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 . 9, Derrick Brooks (Bucs) (1995-2008) *Eleven-time Pro Bowler *Five-time 1st Team All-Pro *Four-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Other Links > Football > Player Rankings by Position > Top Ranked Linebackers . Swilling was the best pass rusher of the Dome Patrol, but he also forced 36 fumbles to go along with all the sacks. (Photo: David Boss, Getty) Historians will tell you that McAdams is one of the best linebackers to ever play at The University of Oklahoma. 13, Greg Lloyd (Steelers/Panthers) (1988-1998) *Five-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro. Among linebackers, that would include two-way stars George Svendsen (1935-41), Bud Svendsen (1937, 1939) and Charley Brock (1939-47), along with Bill Forester (1953-63), Tom Bettis (1955-61) and Roger Zatkoff (1953-56). 12 sacks and three picks. He wasnt very vocal, but his play did all the talking for him. Since Donnie Shell finally cracked the Hall of Fame, I would say the . In 1976, Jackson had seven INTs. Ham had outstanding speed. 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 running back Franco Harris. Thats amazing consistency. No. Mills, along with Swilling, was another member of that Dome Patrol defense. He has speed, size, toughness, instincts, vision, patience, and football smarts. Lloyd had 54.5 sacks and 11 INTs in his career, but the most remarkable number was his 35 forced fumbles. Lewis was the leader of the 2000 Super Bowl-winning Ravens team. 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. Demarcus Ware has only played five seasons in the NFL, but already hes one of the best of this era. He led the team in tackles five of the 11 season he played for them. Robert "Dr. Doom" Brazile is another one of those underrated linebackers. He also played two different positions, playing ILB and OLB for the Vikings in his career. Thomas did everything you asked out of a linebacker. HELLO, PANDORA. 31, Tom Jackson (Broncos) (1973-1986) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. [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. Discuss this article along with many other quality articles, discussions, and much more at: http://forums.sportsjabber.net/sjforums/showthread.php?t=54444. Best of the Packers: Top 10 linebackers since 1960 - Dairyland Express He was also a good pass rusher, and a good coverage man as well. No. Derrick Thomas was on pace to absolutely shatter NFL records before his tragic death in 2000. Porter will try to continue his success in Arizona and continue to climb up this list. Seau was the definition of consistency. In 2008, Suggs even had two INTs, both of which he returned for touchdowns. No. 46, Jon Beason* (Panthers) (2007-Present) *One-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. The Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1960s Both . These are the newest members of GHSF Daily's Georgia Power 100. With time to spare in the NFL offseason, I’ll take a look at the top 50 linebackers in the NFL in the modern era. Lewis stats at this point of his career are 1,349 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and 28 INTs. Ray Lewis came into the league and dominated right away. Wright, Seattle Seahawks. Any coach would be lucky to have a player like Karl Mecklenburg on their roster. The-greatest-linebackers-in-Denver-Broncos-history-series Next up on the docket for my top Redskins players series are the linebackers. He did it in 2000 and again in 2003. Use Isiah Robertsons name in a talk of most underrated players of all time, and youll impress your fellow football fans. I know, how can I rate Kirkland over Greene? 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. Franchise Encyclopedia. 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. To stoke the nostalgia, we talked to some of the key players from the team's winningest, most . He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1974 and Defensive Player of the Year two years later. The line was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV) in six years.. No. The Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1970s - AinsworthSports.com Not only did he change the way defenses are run, but he changed the way offensive schemes are run as well. He also took over Lloyds role in pass coverage as the only linebacker in the Steelers nickel defense. Hardy Nickerson may not have the name recognition as many of the other linebackers on this list, but he deserves to be this high. Andy Russell 7x Pro Bowl, 4x All-Pro, 2x Super Bowl Champion Linebacker '63, 1966-1976 Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images. . He also finished his career with 17 INTs. 12. Jul 07, 2014 at 11:02 PM. 27. Shawne Lights Out Merriman was the face of NFL linebackers for a three year stretch. He wasnt great at one aspect but was equally as good at everything he did. Ham is the only linebacker other than Tom Jackson to have seven INTs in a single season. Linebacker Jack Ham and Tight end Dave Casper each received 20 votes. Please play responsibly. His best season was his first year with the Bills where he had 17.5 sacks, 70 tackles, two INTs, and three forced fumbles. His high sack number was 15 in 2001, a year that he didnt even get voted into the Pro Bowl. No. As also playing DE should tell you, he was very versatile and could play many different positions. L.T. You decide: Ohio State football's all-decade linebackers Paul Naumoff. Ray Lewis is another one of the three players on the list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. 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. Thomas is also third all-time in safeties and fumble returns for touchdowns. He played in 10 playoff games and had two INTs and three fumble recoveries in them. Thomas is also third all-time in safeties and fumble returns for touchdowns. He was Terrell Suggs before Suggs got to Baltimore. Lambert is said by many to be the best inside linebacker of all-time. This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. Lamberts best season was in 1976, where he won the Defensive Player of the Year award. 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. Outside linebacker Joey Porter came to Pittsburgh in 1999. This list isnt based solely on performances from the 2020 NFL season. Tippett finished his career with 100 sacks. And here are the 25 greatest linebackers in NFL history: 25. Two years later, the Giants sunk to 1-12-1. That Steelers linebacking core could easily be the best of all-time, and it was led by Jack Lambert and Jack Ham. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1989. Don Moorehead, Dennis Franklin, Jim Harbaugh, Elvis Grbac, Tom Brady, Forest Evashevski, Benny Friedman and John Navarre were all elected Captains by their teammates. In that career he played both 4-3 OLB and 3-4 ILB. Playoffs: Won Divisional Round 5-0 vs. Detroit Lions. NFLs Merchants of Menace Andre Tippett. . He is still active, and is a starter, but he might be on his way out of San Diego. Being a linebacker makes that feat that much more impressive. He was just a great all-around player who could do it all. Mike Singletary was the leader of the most dominating defense the NFL has ever seenthe 1985 Bears. He is not only the greatest linebacker in NFL history, hes one of the games greatest players period. Detroit Lions History: Top 5 Linebackers - SideLion Report Thats right, seven. Lambert and Ham also won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. Wilber Marshall was one of the greatest pass coverage linebackers of the modern era. LT finished his career with 142 sacks, averaging nearly 11 sacks per season. Gildon was most known for his pass rushing ability, picking up 54 sacks in a 5 year span. That truly shows what kind of person he was off the field. He did anything the Bears asked of him, especially stuffing the run. 3 hours ago. Im only going to be looking at players drafted in 1970 or later. The NFL's Top 50 Linebackers of the Modern Era - Bleacher Report He was unstoppable in goal line situations especially. Kevin Greene will always be known as one of the craziest and talented pass rushers in NFL history. 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. 49, Vaughn Johnson (Saints/Eagles) (1986-1994) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Ham had outstanding . No. The Greatest Penn State Linebackers of All Time Bryce Paup was an outstanding pass rusher in the 1990s. It seemed like he knew where the ball was going at all times. NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019). Brooks wasnt just a pass coverage linebacker, but he also played the run well. 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 may be one of the most hated players, but man can he play football. And he's still going. Lewis most notable accomplishment may be starting the Tom Brady era by knocking out Drew Bledsoe on a roll out, giving Tom Brady his first ever NFL action. Collect, curate and comment on your files. 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 . K.J. 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. Over his career, he totaled 1,271 tackles, 12 INTs, and 19 forced fumbles. 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. could hit like a freight train, but it was his finesse and high football IQ that helped him revolutionize the linebacker position. Wilson recorded 560 tackles and 21.5 sacks as a member of the Broncos. Still, he was a very solid MLB for many years. He was the notorious leader of one of the greatest defenses to ever make its way onto a football field Pittsburghs famed Steel Curtain.. Gil Brandt's greatest NFL linebackers of all time - NFL.com 1970 Dallas Cowboys Roster & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com No. 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. He was close to averaging a sack per game, which is an amazing number. 1, Lawrence Taylor (Giants) (1981-1993) *Ten-time Pro Bowler *Eight-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Thomas did everything you asked out of a linebacker. Gambling Problem? In his final two seasons with the Bengals, Williams was appointed to an open seat on the Cincinnati City Council in 1988 and was elected for a second term in 1989 on the Charter Party ticket. Gary Reasons (1984-91) Gary Reasons, a fourth-round draft pick from Northwestern State, was a key . 1970, slow dancing in Mark Wooldridge's basement with my first girlfriend, Karen Frey, who wore white high-top . More Team Info. His best season was his first year with the Bills where he had 17.5 sacks, 70 tackles, two INTs, and three forced fumbles. 2. 10, Junior Seau (Chargers/Dolphins/Patriots) (1990-2009) *Twelve-time Pro Bowler *Six-time All-Pro 1st Team *Three-time All-Pro 2nd Team. The Best Linebackers of All-Time - Sports Central Jackson tallied up 128 sacks in his career, but even thats not his most impressive number. Jason Gildon (Steelers/Jaguars): - Three-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro. 14, Hardy Nickerson (Steelers/Bucs/Jaguars/Packers) (1987-2002) *Five-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. 1970 1979 America Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images
