Brooks is most known for his coverage ability in the Bucs cover-two scheme. He was always around the ball. He totaled 28 INTs in his career while he also racked up 1,045 tackles. The Top Ranked Linebackers of the 1970s The 'Skins historically have had some solid inside linebackers capable of both stopping the run and being reliable in coverage.
Lawrence Taylor. Nine All-Pros.
The forgotten members of the legendary 1970's Steelers team Nickerson wasnt just a one hit wonder though. He also had 1,173 tackles in his career. Woodrow Lowe, Alabama (1972-75) Respected as college football's top linebacker in the early 1970s, Lowe was the first . Tippett finished his career with 100 sacks. This team was widely regarded as having one of the best defenses of all-time. Mills, along with Swilling, was another member of that Dome Patrol defense. But, if you didnt know, Jackson was once an outstanding linebacker for the Denver Broncos Orange Crush defense. That game and his outstanding 1996 season earned Kirkland his first trip to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors after the 1996 season.
Top 10 Best Linebackers In Cleveland Browns History (Updated) 10. AP. Paup was a complete linebacker, who was especially great at rushing the passer. He did it once in 1985 and again in 1988. 17, Brian Urlacher* (Bears) (2000-Present) *Six-time Pro Bowler *Four-time 1st Team All-Pro. 34, Julian Peterson* (49ers/Seahawks/Lions) (2000-Present) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Peterson is another versatile linebacker who has played both inside and outside linebacker. 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 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. Lambert and Ham also won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. No. In that game, the Steelers defense held the Cowboys to just 15 first downs and Emmitt Smith and the Cowboys powerful running attack to just 56 yards, despite losing 27-17 in large part due to two key interceptions thrown by Steelers quarterback Neil ODonnell. Depending on the day, you might view Ham as the best player on the Steel Curtain defense or the 4th best, and it's . He was a good pass rusher, having at least 5.5 sacks in 10 straight years, but he was also good against the run and in coverage. His best days were with the Bears and Redskins, but he had an impact everywhere he went. 12. Porter is mostly known as a sack master. Linebacker is one of the most important and demanding positions in football. He was a very solid 3-4 ILB playing on one of the best LB Cores of all-time, the Dome Patrol. Hardy Nickerson may not have the name recognition as many of the other linebackers on this list, but he deserves to be this high. 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. . He also took over Lloyds role in pass coverage as the only linebacker in the Steelers nickel defense. But in those three years, hes racked up 328 tackles and seven INTs, all while starting every game of his career. He did anything the Bears asked of him, especially stuffing the run. The second member of the Dome Patrol comes off the board at No. In 1976, Jackson had seven INTs. 9. His 32 career INTs lead the way for linebackers. He also had 1,173 tackles in his career. Greene led the way in the pass rushing department. 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. Quinto was a regular at both inside and outside linebacker for head coach Ron Gladnick's Saints. Brooks was the leader of that defense, but his surrounding cast was just too good to rank him higher. 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. Cox was also a vocal leader of the teams he played for, directing his defenses to success. Still, its an amazing number. Spielman was a great leader and intense player who always gave everything he had. Hes also had at least 83 tackles in every year other than his rookie season. Top 13 Cincinnati Reds Starting Pitchers of all time. He took up blockers and threw his body around a lot. He was a dominating force in the NFL during that stretch of time. In 1993 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker, Nickerson piled up an astounding 214 tackles. Being a linebacker makes that feat that much more impressive. . This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. 30, Matt Blair (Vikings) (1974-1985) *Six-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. Spielman had seven straight 100 tackle seasons, and did it eight out of nine years. An important part of the Las Vegas defense, the LB position includes middle or inside linebackers and outside (strong side or weakside) linebackers. Bryan Cox was an all-around package at linebacker. Andre Tippett. 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. No. Anything you asked him to do, he would do. He started all but one game in his last eight seasons, which is very impressive for a linebacker. The nine-time Pro Bowl player, two-time All-Pro, and Hall of Fame is one of the all-time sacks leaders with 126.5, and he also forced 41 fumbles during his 11-year career. He was Lawrence Taylor before Taylor was. It seemed like he knew where the ball was going at all times. Neal Olkewicz. He led the Eagles in tackles in his time with the team. Derrick Thomas was on pace to absolutely shatter NFL records before his tragic death in 2000. Suggs will only continue to climb this list the longer he plays, since hes in the middle of his prime right now. Robert Brazile- Tums all time neutralizer. 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. Thats an amazing number as well. 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 . 27. He has played the role of pass rusher and coverage linebacker in his career, and has excelled at both. Controversial Nights: Pernell Whitaker vs Julio Cesar Chavez, Top 11 Big Ten Basketball Teams, since 1960, Top 12 Guards in Big Ten Basketball history, NBA Pacers vs Spurs: Odds, Tips and predictions 03/02/23, NCAA Basketball Purdue vs Wisconsin: Odds, Tips and Predictions 03/02/23, NCAA Basketball Xavier vs Providence: Odds, Tips and Predictions 03/01/23, Top 20 Big Ten Basketball players of all time, Framer Fran McCaffery takes his sideshow and crybaby antics to play Indiana, NCAA Basketball Arkansas vs Tennessee: Odds, Tips and Predictions 02/28/23, The Hypocrisy of Major League Baseball, Gambling, Steroids, and Why it's Time to Put Pete Rose in the Hall. Lewis stats at this point of his career are 1,349 tackles, 36.5 sacks, and 28 INTs. No. With rule changes being what they have been, The number one pick was obvious. LT finished his career with 142 sacks, averaging nearly 11 sacks per season. Houston Oilers, 1975-1984.
Best players in Clemson history: Linebackers Punter Ray Guy was the leading vote-getter for the 1970s All-Decade Team, receiving 24 of a possible 25 votes. 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 . Featuring 2018-2019 Raiders and some of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time, the best Raiders LBs include Ted Hendricks, Khalil Mack, Rod Martin, Sam Wiliams, and Greg Biekert. No. A truly great linebacker must be able to read the offense, set the defensive scheme, play the run with cat-like instincts and defend the pass with the utmost precision. With rule changes being what they have been, I decided to rank the linebackers that have played since 1970.
#NFL100 - Top 6 Outside Linebackers He was the type of player that you would want your kids to look up to. Joey Porter. The NFL is back in L.A. for the first time since 1995, as the Rams return to the Coliseum. Thomas was one of the most instinctive linebackers of all-time. Their greats span the decades of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. No. Also note that an asterisk (*) by the players name means they are still active today. No. 7. Peppers' 159.5 career sacks rank fourth on the all-time list.
Who are the Packers' greatest defenders of all time? - Green Bay Packers Thats over 10 sacks per season, which is outstanding. Check out the 1970 Minnesota Vikings Roster, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports and more on Pro-Football-Reference.com. No. Ray Lewis is the highest-ranked active player on this list, and the top middle linebacker on it. Jack Ham had the whole package as a linebacker.
NY Jets: Top 10 linebackers of all-time - The Jet Press O. J. Simpson and Lynn Swann were next with 22 and 21 votes, respectively. He was also the first player to have a TE or RB used for chip blocking on, and overall changed the way offensive lineman block.
PFF Rankings: The NFL's top 25 linebackers ahead of the 2020 NFL season . 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. Offensive Coordinator: Jim Myers. . credit : - yahoo. Taylor changed the way football is played today. No. Any coach would be lucky to have a player like Karl Mecklenburg on their roster. He was also a good pass rusher, and a good coverage man as well. 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. 7. . A five-time pro bowler, Wilson was one of the best linebackers in the league during the early 2000s. He was a tackle machine and a very big hitter. Bulluck was an outstanding tackler, and was great at run support too. How NFL Players Have Evolved. Linebacker Jack Ham and Tight end Dave Casper each received 20 votes. In the words of Vikings' head coaching legend Bud Grant, "Paul personified the term free safety.". Thats fine, he played enough linebacker to be considered this high. 7, Rickey Jackson (Saints/49ers) (1981-1995) *Six-time Pro Bowler *Five-time 2nd Team All-Pro. He did it in 2000 and again in 2003. 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.