He was very solid in coverage, good against the run, and had no real weaknesses. With time to spare in the NFL offseason, Ill take a look at the top 50 linebackers in the NFL in the modern era. Named to NFL's All-Decade Team for 1970s and 1980s. To stoke the nostalgia, we talked to some of the key players from the team's winningest, most . 5, Jack Lambert (Steelers) (1974-1984) *Nine-time Pro Bowlers *Seven-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Kevin Greene was a mad man in a football uniform. 2011 Butkus Award winner for nation s best linebacker at Boston College. The . Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week. thegruelingtruth.com is available in the following countries: The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. 5.) Fredd Young went a little under the radar due to his short seven year career. No. 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 . Lloyd will always be remembered as the lightning quick pass rusher from the Blitzburgh days. Not only did he change the way defenses are run, but he changed the way offensive schemes are run as well. John Offerdahl may have had the shortest NFL career on this list, but he made the most of it. Sam Huff. Jan 25, 1981; New Orleans, LA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Oakland Raiders players Mickey Marvin (65), Willie Jones (90), Rod Martin (53), Ted Hendricks (83) and Raymond Chester (88) on the field against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl XV at the Superdome. 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. He may have been undersized, but he made up for it with his mind and his hustle. Selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 2nd round . Williams has received numerous honors, including selection to the NFL All-Rookie Team (1976), the Byron Whizzer White Award for Humanitarian Service (1985), the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (1986), and Sports Illustrateds Co-Sportsman of the Year (1987). This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. Trotter was a complete, all-around linebacker. Thomas is also third all-time in safeties and fumble returns for touchdowns. He also had at least 99 tackles in seven years of his 12-year career, which is outstanding. SRS: 6.97 (5th of 26), SOS: 1.40. In 1976, Jackson had seven INTs. Thomas never had less than seven sacks in a season in his entire career, and only had less than eight sacks in one season. He was very athletic, a great tackler, and he could cover. Jackson was not just a coverage linebacker, he was also a good pass rusher and a very hard worker off the field. No. LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) At New Mexico State, the once-treasured men's basketball program has been suspended for the season due to a fatal shooting and a gruesome allegation of locker-room . As an outside linebacker, he put a lot of pressure on opponents' quarterbacks. Boulware had at least seven sacks every year he played other than his last season in the NFL. Junior Seau finished his career with 1,524 tackles, the highest total on this list. He had 1,301 tackles and 25 forced fumbles in his career. He holds the NFL record for the most Pro Bowl selections by a middle linebacker (13). 1970s A 1-13 record in 1969 gave the Steelers the first overall choice in the 1970 draft, with which Noll addressed the offense by selecting quarterback Terry Bradshaw, another Hall of Famer, after the Steelers won the first selection by winning a coin toss with the Chicago Bears. He had ten seasons with 10+ sacks. I think thats largely due to the NFL not keeping sacks and tackles numbers during his career. Mar 3, 2023 Updated 4 min ago. During his career Williams amassed 62.5 sacks, which is the second most in Bengals history. Kirkland was an all-around better linebacker, he was a 300lb linebacker whose coverage skills were vastly underrated. Bryce Paup was an outstanding pass rusher in the 1990s. Super Bowl winner. He did everything. Jackson was the vocal leader of the orange crush defense. He knew how to make big plays. Eleven Pro Bowls. A shot of Jameson for Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey. Linebacker Jack Ham and Tight end Dave Casper each received 20 votes. Comic-Con Museum named best pop culture museum by USA Today. He finished his career with 1,106 tackles and 627 assisted tackles as well. He could play zone and man. We started off with a rough one the wide receivers. The best LB in the NFL today comes in at No. Many of you will say that Keith Bulluck is way too high. 15, Zach Thomas (Dolphins/Cowboys) (1996-2008) *Seven-time Pro Bowler *Five-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Thats nearly 13 sacks per season. Jack Lambert played middle linebacker. Top 13 Cincinnati Reds Starting Pitchers of all time. 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No. 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. He should be in the Hall of Fame. Briggs should only continue to move up this list, as he takes over as the star linebacker spot in Chicago. No. Call it foreshadowing, but you will see some of his teammates higher up on this list. LT was the most intimidating player ever to put on an NFL uniform. After being labeled a bust by many after his first four seasons with the Jets, Farrior broke out with the Steelers and became one of the most consistent players in the league. Lewis stats at this point of his career are 1,349 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and 28 INTs. And he's still going. [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. But before you come to a conclusion, let's take a look at the facts. Paup was a complete linebacker, who was especially great at rushing the passer. Playing 20 seasons in the NFL is amazing at any position. Thomas' remarkable personality was also recognized by being awarded the Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award in 1993. 39, Peter Boulware (Ravens) (1997-2005) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. He had 1,301 tackles and 25 forced fumbles in his career. He is the only linebacker to ever take the honor. 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. He was the notorious leader of one of the greatest defenses to ever make its way onto a football field Pittsburghs famed Steel Curtain.. Top 13 Indiana High School Players of all Time, The 6 greatest Indiana Highschool pure Shooters, The 8 greatest IHSAA Championship Games in History. But in those three years, hes racked up 328 tackles and seven INTs, all while starting every game of his career. The 'Skins historically have had some solid inside linebackers capable of both stopping the run and being reliable in coverage. No. HELLO, PANDORA. He wasnt very vocal, but his play did all the talking for him. Singletary was a leader, not only vocally, but by example. No. 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. Randy Gradishar played along with Tom Jackson in the Denver Broncos Orange Crush defense. Voted to seven Pro Bowls, named First Team All-Pro five times. No. 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 . He finished his career with 132.5 sacks. But Mills did much more than that. He was unstoppable in goal-line situations especially. That suggestion from the newly appointed House . Since Donnie Shell finally cracked the Hall of Fame, I would say the . Anything you asked him to do, he would do. He was also the fastest linebacker of the bunch and excelled in pass coverage. Seau is one of the Chargers' all-time great players, and will go to Canton five years after he retires like he should. Woodrow Lowe, Alabama (1972-75) Respected as college football's top linebacker in the early 1970s, Lowe was the first . Lambert wasnt just great on the inside, he was an outstanding coverage linebacker. He also finished his career with 17 INTs. The NFL is back in L.A. for the first time since 1995, as the Rams return to the Coliseum. Dennis Onkotz 1967 - 1969. He would always be found around the ball, and around the play. No. 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). Most known for his antics like spitting in other players faces, Romanowskis play sometimes gets overshadowed. Brian Urlacher is one of the greatest linebackers of this decade. 25, Karl Mecklenburg (Broncos) (1983-1994) *Six-time Pro Bowler *Three-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro Karl "The Albino Rhino" Mecklenburg was the definition of a blue collar player. 31, Tom Jackson (Broncos) (1973-1986) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Wilson doesnt have the career numbers because his career was so short, but theres no doubt when he was playing he was the most feared player on the field. 3, Mike Singletary (Bears) (1981-1992) *Ten-time Pro Bowler *Seven-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Beason may be the most controversial player on this list. Ware is not just an outstanding pass rusher though. 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. He racked up a staggering 1,181 tackles, and 1,131 of them in his first nine seasons. No. It seemed like he knew where the ball was going at all times. Ham had outstanding speed. He also played a big role in one of the most dominant performances by a defense in Super Bowl history. Linebacker is one of the most important and demanding positions in football. Mike Singletary had the whole package. 40, Bryce Paup (Packers/Bills/Jaguars/Vikings) (1990-2000) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. 12. He left everything he had on the field of play, and even though he was a tenacious player on the field, he was one of the most genuine and nice guys off the field. Visit Our Patreon Page to Create Your Own All-Time Fantasy Teams and See Other Bonus Material . No. Although still early in his career, Demarcus Ware deserves to be this high on the list. 1953-65, Detroit Lions. Outside linebacker Joey Porter came to Pittsburgh in 1999. Thats fine, he played enough linebacker to be considered this high. Gambling Problem? He was also a good pass rusher, and a good coverage man as well. 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 . Junior Seau finished his career with 1,524 tackles, the highest total on this list. 10. Brazile might not get the credit because of the team he played for, but he was an outstanding player. Those would be accomplishments by themselves, let alone all together. No. The Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1960s Keith Brooking has been one of the most consistent linebackers of all-time. No. Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (1969), three-time Pro Bowl (1970-72), two . 48, Terrell Suggs* (Ravens) (2003-Present) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. From his time at USC, Lott . Swilling was the best pass rusher of the Dome Patrol, but he also forced 36 fumbles to go along with all the sacks. Lofa Tatupu* (Seahawks) : Three-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro. Butkus nasty disposition and ability to blow up anyone standing in his path, made him one of the most feared players in the history of the game. 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. In the first round, the team tabbed Fred McNeill of USC, who became a fixture at the outside linebacker spot for many . 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. In this Article . When you see a list of greatest linebackers, Isiah Robertson very rarely even gets brought into the discussion. Over the past 50 years, the Steelers have tallied 36 winning seasons . He was unstoppable in goal line situations especially. The Chicago Bears have the most all-time great linebackers. Bet with your head, not over it. No. Answer: Two of the three were constants for all four Super Bowls and ended up in the Hall of Fame. In the words of Vikings' head coaching legend Bud Grant, "Paul personified the term free safety.". Even now, you can tell what kind of person he is by his charity work with the REACH Foundation that he started. Ray Lewis came into the league and dominated right away. How NFL Players Have Evolved. Regardless, he definitely deserves the respect for what he accomplished on the field. 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. Eddie Johnson arrived in Cleveland at exactly the right time. 38, Chad Brown (Steelers/Seahawks/Patriots) (1993-2007) *Three-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro. 25. 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. He had 885 career solo tackles, which is impressive on a defense filled with swarming the ball, shown by his 1,488 career tackles. He is ninth in team history with 14 forced fumbles; he recovered 11, had 6 QB sacks, and 11 interceptions. 24, Leslie ONeal (Chargers/Rams/Chiefs) (1986-1999) *Six-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. In only 11 seasons, Thomas had 126.5 sacks, and an NFL record of 41 forced fumbles. 28a, Pat Swilling (Saints/Lions/Raiders) (1986-1998) *Five-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. 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). Mike Singletary. 37, Wilber Marshall (Bears/Redskins/Oilers/Cardinals/Jets) (1984-1995) *Three-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. This team was widely regarded as having one of the best defenses of all time. 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1985, '88) Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1989. 9-time All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler. Mike Singletary had the whole package. During the late 1970s and early 80s, he was the best linebacker the NFL had. 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. Over his career, Brooking has racked up 962 tackles and 12 INTs. 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). In 1985, a trophy awarded to the best linebacker in college football was named in his honor. Tippett finished his career with 100 sacks. He is still active, and is a starter, but he might be on his way out of San Diego. In 1984 and 1985, Tippett put up two of the best back-to-back seasons recording 18.5 and 16.5 sacks in them. [3] 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. Top 25 SEC LBs of all-time: 15-11. Eleven Pro Bowls. Holdovers from the National Football League 1960s All-Decade Team were Bob Lilly, Dick Butkus, Merlin Olsen, Larry Wilson, and Jim Bakken, which made them the first players to make multiple All-Decade teams in NFL history. Im only going to be looking at players drafted in 1970 or later. Lewis stats at this point of his career are 1,349 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and 28 INTs. The middle linebacker also recorded 52 tackles for loss, which is fourth all-time in Clemson history. He also ranks third all . . 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. Mecklenburg was never a cocky player, but just a guy who would show up on Sundays. Peterson is another versatile linebacker who has played both inside and outside linebacker. Pittsburgh 2002, '04-12, '14-17; Cincinnati 2013; New England 2017. No. The next year at the Pro Bowl, Thomas remembered him by name. The Minnesota Vikings did an outstanding job of drafting linebackers in 1974. Jack Lambert was the teammate of Jack Ham who took the inside linebacker duties. Call 1-800-522-4700. His 32 career INTs lead the way for linebackers. 21. Coverage was definitely Bullucks claim to fame, but he was also good at other things. 16, Robert Brazile (Oilers) (1975-1984) *Seven-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Four-time 2nd Team All-Pro. He may be one of the most hated players, but man can he play football. 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. No. These were the players who were great players, but not quite good enough to be placed inside the top 50. 1986 Boston Celtics - Were they the greatest Team? Mike Singletary is one of three players on this list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. Thomas never had less than seven sacks in a season in his entire career, and only had less than eight sacks in one season. Kolen was drafted by the Dolphins in the 12 th round . 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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. Hes on pace to not only break, but shatter the NFL record of 41. He was Lawrence Taylor before Taylor was. Lawrence Taylor. He did it in 2000 and again in 2003. 49, Vaughn Johnson (Saints/Eagles) (1986-1994) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. There is a reason the award given to the best linebacker in high school, college and the NFL each year is named after Butkus. Top 10 Boxers of the 1990s: Was Roy Jones Jr. the best? . 1. 45, Shawne Merriman* (Chargers) (2005-Present) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro.