As an outside linebacker, he put a lot of pressure on opponents' quarterbacks. He was unstoppable in goal-line situations especially. 1970 1979 America Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images The Best Las Vegas Raiders Linebackers of All Time - Ranker Paul Krause | S. The NFL's all-time leader in interceptions spent 12 of his 16 years in Minnesota. Eddie Johnson. How NFL Players Have Evolved. With rule changes being what they have been, I decided to rank the linebackers that have played since 1970. 9, Derrick Brooks (Bucs) (1995-2008) *Eleven-time Pro Bowler *Five-time 1st Team All-Pro *Four-time 2nd Team All-Pro. He would give it his all on every single down of every single play. No. No. Isiah Robertson, nicknamed The Playmaker, was known for coming up with the big plays in the biggest games. As part of the Steelers Blitzburgh defense in the 90s, Greg Lloyd was a speedy, undersized pass rusher.Sometimes, he would use his size to his advantage to disguise where he was coming from. Lewis stats at this point of his career are 1,349 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and 28 INTs. He totaled 28 INTs in his career while he also racked up 1,045 tackles. During the five year stretch from 1991-1995 where he made five consecutive Pro Bowls, Lloyd was one of, if not the, most dominating linebackers in the NFL. Who were the linebackers for the Steel Curtain defense? - Quora A shot of Jameson for Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey. . 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. White House Livid Over Republican's Attack on Biden's Dead Son Junior Seau finished his career with 1,524 tackles, the highest total on this list. No. No. 45, Shawne Merriman* (Chargers) (2005-Present) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Brazile might not get the credit because of the team he played for, but he was an outstanding player. No. National Football League 1970s All-Decade Team - Wikipedia 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. Lamberts best season was in 1976, where he won the Defensive Player of the Year award. No. 2011 Butkus Award winner for nation s best linebacker at Boston College. 9. Other Links > Football > Player Rankings by Position > Top Ranked Linebackers . 29, Joey Porter* (Steelers/Dolphins/Cardinals) (1999-Present) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *Three-time 2nd Team All-Pro. The Best of Tommy Brady at Michigan . Zachary Petrizzo. and Jack Ham played as . Andre Tippett. He was a tackling machine for the majority of his career. LaVar Arrington. Sam Huff. Andre Tippett may have been outshined by Lawrence Taylor playing basically the same position at the same time frame, but theres no mistaking what Tippett did on the field. 17, Brian Urlacher* (Bears) (2000-Present) *Six-time Pro Bowler *Four-time 1st Team All-Pro. Top 10 Linebackers in Miami Dolphins history - Phin Phanatic 25 Greatest Linebackers in NFL History - AthlonSports.com Depending on the day, you might view Ham as the best player on the Steel Curtain defense or the 4th best, and it's . Hardy Nickerson may not have the name recognition as many of the other linebackers on this list, but he deserves to be this high. Derrick Thomas was on pace to absolutely shatter NFL records before his tragic death in 2000. 13, Greg Lloyd (Steelers/Panthers) (1988-1998) *Five-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro. He did it once in 1985 and again in 1988. LT finished his career with 142 sacks, averaging nearly 11 sacks per season. Jeff Siemon (Vikings) : Four-time Pro Bowler. LSU women's basketball makes it rain in rout of Georgia in SEC No. Lawrence Taylor: one of the greatest defensive players ever, Taylor was a pass-rushing force who revolutionized the outside linebacker position . The best linebackers in Minnesota Vikings history It seemed like he knew where the ball was going at all times. Neal Olkewicz. He finished his career with 1,106 tackles and 627 assisted tackles as well. The NFL is back in L.A. for the first time since 1995, as the Rams return to the Coliseum. He had five INTs in a season twice in his career. That truly shows what kind of person he was off the field. 25. Wilber Marshall was one of the greatest pass coverage linebackers of the modern era. No. 20, Keith Bulluck* (Titans) (2000-Present) *One-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. He was blue collar player who was a great leader on defense and could do everything well on a football field. 25 Greatest Defensive Linemen in NFL History - AthlonSports.com Randy Gradishar Joins The Speer Wealth Team. Top 25 SEC LBs of all-time: 15-11. In the first round, the team tabbed Fred McNeill of USC, who became a fixture at the outside linebacker spot for many . Trotter was a complete, all-around linebacker. He even made the Pro Bowl in a year that he only started eight games and also a year in which he only started nine games. Taylor changed the way football is played today. 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. Their greats span the decades of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. Visit Our Patreon Page to Create Your Own All-Time Fantasy Teams and See Other Bonus Material . You could stick him on any TE in the league, even some slot receivers, and he would take them out of the game. Rickey Jackson could do it all. Not only did he change the way defenses are run, but he changed the way offensive schemes are run as well. He was close to averaging a sack per game, which is an amazing number. His best days were with the Bears and Redskins, but he had an impact everywhere he went. He was the quintessential linebacker and easily the greatest of his era. From canvas high-tops to social media dominance, the NBA has come a long way. He played in 10 playoff games and had two INTs and three fumble recoveries in them. He should still improve this season with Ndamukong Suh in front of him to help free him up. 1986 Boston Celtics - Were they the greatest Team? He was the notorious leader of one of the greatest defenses to ever make its way onto a football field Pittsburghs famed Steel Curtain.. Mike Singletary is one of three players on this list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. Briggs does a lot of pass coverage with the Bears, and has had 53 passes deflected already in his career. 20 greatest linebackers in NFL history - Franchise Sports Ray Lewis is the highest-ranked active player on this list, and the top middle linebacker on it. Offensive Coordinator: Jim Myers. Kirkland was an all-around better linebacker, he was a 300lb linebacker whose coverage skills were vastly underrated. He played for a bad team with not much of a surrounding cast, but still excelled. AP Sports SummaryBrief at 7:03 a.m. EST. 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. 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 was also the fastest linebacker of the bunch and excelled in pass coverage. The 15 Greatest NFL Linebackers of All Time - Sportscasting Many of you will say that Keith Bulluck is way too high. Jack Ham, Linebacker. These were the players who were great players, but not quite good enough to be placed inside the top 50. Hardy Nickerson makes it this high on the list mainly because of one ridiculous season he had. 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 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. Jason Gildon (Steelers/Jaguars): - Three-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro. Keith Bulluck WAS the Titans defense, and has been every year hes been there. In his time in the NFL, he intercepted 25 passes and returned six of them for touchdowns with three of those in 2002 alone. He may be one of the most hated players, but man can he play football. The Steel Curtain was the defensive line of the 1970s American football team Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). 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. Jackson tallied up 128 sacks in his career, but even thats not his most impressive number. 3, Mike Singletary (Bears) (1981-1992) *Ten-time Pro Bowler *Seven-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Lawrence Taylor of course, is regarded as the best 3-4 linebacker ever, . Floyd Reese, the general manager who assembled the roster for the Tennessee Titans' lone Super Bowl appearance, died Saturday. Nine All-Pros. He also had 1,173 tackles in his career. 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). Thats right, seven. He wasnt great at one aspect but was equally as good at everything he did. 6, Jack Ham (Steelers) (1971-1982) *Eight-time Pro Bowler *Six-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Thats amazing consistency. No. He always tried to better himself and did it effectively. Paup was a complete linebacker, who was especially great at rushing the passer. Lambert and Ham also won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. 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 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. Eleven Pro Bowls. Gildon was most known for his pass rushing ability, picking up 54 sacks in a 5 year span. The second member of the Dome Patrol comes off the board at No. Beason may be the most controversial player on this list. Next up, we look at a much better-rated unit in the linebackers. Visit Our Patreon Page to Create Your Own All-Time Fantasy Teams and See Other Bonus Material . No. Jack Lambert was the teammate of Jack Ham who took the inside linebacker duties. As a pass rusher, Greene would be top 5 at least, his ability to be an every-down linebacker hurts him overall, he was not great against the run. Top 10 Draft Picks in Broncos History | No. Punter Ray Guy was the leading vote-getter for the 1970s All-Decade Team, receiving 24 of a possible 25 votes. 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. He just goes out every week and hustles. I think thats largely due to the NFL not keeping sacks and tackles numbers during his career. List of All Buffalo Bills Linebackers, Ranked Best to Worst No. Patrick Willis has made the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro team every single year hes been in the NFL. 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On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In today's NFL, few positions have become as difficult to play as off-ball linebacker. Best players in Clemson history: Linebackers He was also a good pass rusher, and a good coverage man as well. 7. 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. NFL WAGS: 10 Hottest NFL Wives & Girlfriends 2023. If Bulluck played on a better team, I believe his stats would be much better and his accomplishments would be a lot more. It seemed like he knew where the ball was going at all times. Robert Brazile. I think hell climb up this list further in the near future. The entire enterprise of Notre Dame basketball, gone strange. The 2008 season was his best sack season with 17.5. 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). This list isnt based solely on performances from the 2020 NFL season. He could do it all. Swilling was the best pass rusher of the Dome Patrol, but he also forced 36 fumbles to go along with all the sacks. Gambling Problem? 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. No. He took up blockers and threw his body around a lot. 100th NFL Anniversary team. 5. Featuring some of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time, the best Bills LBs include Sam Rogers, Keith Ellison, Shane Conlan, and John Holecek. He was 73. Top 25 SEC LBs of all-time: No. 5-1 - Saturday Down South Joey Porter. Those would be accomplishments by themselves, let alone all together. 8. 40, Bryce Paup (Packers/Bills/Jaguars/Vikings) (1990-2000) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. Wright has been one of the most reliable linebackers in the NFL since entering the league as a fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State . 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. Lambert wasnt just great on the inside, he was an outstanding coverage linebacker. He was close to averaging a sack per game, which is an amazing number. Peterson is another versatile linebacker who has played both inside and outside linebacker. 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. I think thats largely due to the NFL not keeping sacks and tackles numbers during his career. 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. The Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1960s 12, Randy Gradishar (Broncos) (1974-1984) *Seven-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Three-time 2nd Team All-Pro. He finished his career with 132.5 sacks. And here are the 25 greatest linebackers in NFL history: 25. He knew how to make big plays. . The Greatest Linebackers of All Time - SportsUnfold He did it in 2000 and again in 2003. Franchise Encyclopedia. Lambert won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. 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. In 1993 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker, Nickerson piled up an astounding 214 tackles. 15, Zach Thomas (Dolphins/Cowboys) (1996-2008) *Seven-time Pro Bowler *Five-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. No. Less of a nod goes to pass rushers, linebackers and safeties. Here's 8 Ways NBA Has Changed That Modern Fans Don't Realize Those are remarkable numbers, especially when he is still going strong. Kirkland had 10 tackles and a key sack of Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman. Jack Ham might be the best coverage linebacker of all time. He started all but one game in his last eight seasons, which is very impressive for a linebacker.