He had four interceptions that season, a high number for an inside linebacker, to go along with four sacks and 114 tackles. LT finished his career with 142 sacks, averaging nearly 11 sacks per season. Beason has only been in the league for three years now. Still, its an amazing number. The Pittsburgh Steelers are second with all-time players in four decades. Julian Peterson has had a very well-rounded NFL career to this point, and its still going on. NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019). Lamberts best season was in 1976, where he won the Defensive Player of the Year award. But Mills did much more than that. 9-time All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler. Next: A dangerous combination. Robert Brazile. Swilling was the best pass rusher of the Dome Patrol, but he also forced 36 fumbles to go along with all the sacks. Eddie Johnson. He also finished his career with 17 INTs. Jackson was the vocal leader of the orange crush defense. Visit Our Patreon Page to Create Your Own All-Time Fantasy Teams and See Other Bonus Material . HELLO, PANDORA. And here are the 25 greatest linebackers in NFL history: 25. 9. Elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2018. A two-time All-American and a three-year starter for the Vols, Kiner . Spielman had seven straight 100 tackle seasons, and did it eight out of nine years. Tippett was a big reason to why so many teams value pass rushing OLBs in todays game. Jason Gildon (Steelers/Jaguars): - Three-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro. 22, Chris Spielman (Lions/Bills) (1988-1997) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. In the first round, the team tabbed Fred McNeill of USC, who became a fixture at the outside linebacker spot for many . I know, how can I rate Kirkland over Greene? Franchise Encyclopedia. James Harrison. Brooks is most known for his coverage ability in the Bucs cover-two scheme. 35, Lance Briggs* (Bears) (2003-Present) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. 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. Who knows how many he wouldve had if he played in the entire 16? Singletary was a leader, not only vocally, but by example. 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. More Team Info. Seau was the definition of consistency. He has speed, size, toughness, instincts, vision, patience, and football smarts. It seemed like he knew where the ball was going at all times. Playing 20 seasons in the NFL is amazing at any position. He should be in the Hall of Fame. 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 . If you take away his last three seasons, where he was slowing down, he averaged 12.4 sacks per season, which is just remarkable. 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. But, theres no doubt that hes been one of the top linebackers in the NFL, and still is today. It was tied for the best of the day with linebacker Owen Pappoe, of Auburn, and was the second-fastest time from an . He started all but one game in his last eight seasons, which is very impressive for a linebacker. 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Already in his career, Ware has forced 23 fumbles. 45, Shawne Merriman* (Chargers) (2005-Present) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. The Chicago Bears have the most all-time great linebackers. 12, Randy Gradishar (Broncos) (1974-1984) *Seven-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Three-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Check out the 1970 Minnesota Vikings Roster, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports and more on Pro-Football-Reference.com. Of course, prior to 1970, there was only one captain chosen; since 1970, we've had as many as four chosen in a single season. He knew how to make big plays. Brazile was drafted out of Jackson State and revolutionized linebacker play in the NFL. No. Nine All-Pros. They surrendered only 20 points in that game, and seven of them were off a blocked punt. Brooks wasnt just a pass coverage linebacker, but he also played the run well. Those would be accomplishments by themselves, let alone all together. 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. A tall order to say the least, and these 5 players did it better than anyone in the history of the NFL. 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. Lambert and Ham also won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. Randy Gradishar may be the single-most deserving player of a spot in Canton. He had an outstanding attitude and would do anything to get his team a win. 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. He had over 1,000 tackles, over 70 sacks, and over 30 forced fumbles in his career. 32, John Offerdahl (Dolphins) (1986-1993) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Urlacher was an all-around great linebacker who flew around the field with reckless abandon. Mike Kolen 1970-77. Jack Ham, Linebacker. Ray Lewis is the highest-ranked active player on this list, and the top middle linebacker on it. He would always be found around the ball, and around the play. Taylor changed the way football is played today. 39, Peter Boulware (Ravens) (1997-2005) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Opponents thought Kirkland would not be as adept in pass coverage as the fast Lloyd, but they quickly found out that Kirkland was just as fast and quick. Lewis wasnt as vocal as Cox, but his play was a little better, and lasted for a longer period of time. He led some of the greatest defenses in NFL history in both performance and spirit. 8. He had eight seasons with 10+ sacks. The line was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV) in six years.. He may have actually been crazy. This team was widely regarded as having one of the best defenses of all-time. The most obvious change from 1920 to today is the size of players, but there also have been many changes in the schemes . Nickerson wasnt just a one hit wonder though. After a very bad injury in 2008, Shawne Merriman hasnt been the same. 7. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports. Those are remarkable numbers, especially when he is still going strong. Ware has made four consecutive Pro Bowls and has had three consecutive All-Pro seasons. LT was the most intimidating player ever to put on an NFL uniform. He was also the fastest linebacker of the bunch and excelled in pass coverage. The next year, he followed it up with four more interceptions. O. J. Simpson and Lynn Swann were next with 22 and 21 votes, respectively. Cox was also a vocal leader of the teams he played for, directing his defenses to success. K.J. This brings us to the first night of March and a not-quite-full Purcell . Mike Singletary is one of three players on this list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. No. Hes also great against the run and is a turnover forcing monster. The leader of the Dome Patrol comes in at No. St. With rule changes being what they have been, The number one pick was obvious. 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. 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. Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie #47 gets a hold of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields #1 during the second half of a game against the Chicago Bears at Mercedes-Benz Stadium . Thats nearly 13 sacks per season. In 1976, Jackson had seven INTs. He was blue collar player who was a great leader on defense and could do everything well on a football field. Jessie Armstead was one of the most consistent linebackers on this list. He was very athletic, a great tackler, and he could cover. With time to spare in the NFL offseason, Ill take a look at the top 50 linebackers in the NFL in the modern era. 2011 Butkus Award winner for nation s best linebacker at Boston College. Floyd Reese, the general manager who assembled the roster for the Tennessee Titans' lone Super Bowl appearance, died Saturday. 10 Tom Jackson. 26, Cornelius Bennett (Bills/Falcons/Colts) (1987-2000) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. Jack Ham had the whole package as a linebacker. He was a tackle machine and a very big hitter. Ham had outstanding . 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. 47, Fredd Young (Seahawks/Colts) (1984-1990) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. He had ten seasons with 10+ sacks. I’m only going to be looking at players drafted in 1970 or later. Lambert won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 1970s playing in the Steel Curtain. He was just a great all-around player who could do it all. Although he only played three full seasons, he made five Pro Bowls. This team was widely regarded as having one of the best defenses of all time. No. Lamberts best season was in 1976, where he won the Defensive Player of the Year award. During his career Williams amassed 62.5 sacks, which is the second most in Bengals history.