The leader of the Dome Patrol comes in at No. He played for a bad team with not much of a surrounding cast, but still excelled. 25. Seau is one of the Chargers' all-time great players, and will go to Canton five years after he retires like he should. Over his career, Brooking has racked up 962 tackles and 12 INTs. by Ben Watanabe. 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. Paul Naumoff. When you see a list of greatest linebackers, Isiah Robertson very rarely even gets brought into the discussion. Lewis was the leader of the 2000 Super Bowl winning Ravens team. Hes going into his first healthy season again in three years. Earl Campbell called Williams the toughest linebacker he ever played against. No. A five-time pro bowler, Wilson was one of the best linebackers in the league during the early 2000s. Briggs has made five straight Pro Bowls for the Bears, and that streak still continues. Regardless, he definitely deserves the respect for what he accomplished on the field. Even now, you can tell what kind of person he is by his charity work with the REACH Foundation that he started. Ware is not just an outstanding pass rusher though. 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. Top 13 Cincinnati Reds Starting Pitchers of all time. No. The . No. Nickerson wasnt just a one hit wonder though. No. Since Donnie Shell finally cracked the Hall of Fame, I would say the . Dennis Onkotz 1967 - 1969. He ran a 4.6 40 yard dash, which is outstanding for a linebacker, especially at that time period. Steve Kiner (1966-69): Tennessee fans didn't have to wait long after Emanuel left to find the next superstar linebacker. 23, Isiah Robertson (Rams/Bills) (1971-1982) *Six-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Three-time 2nd Team All-Pro. could hit like a freight train, but it was his finesse and high football IQ that helped him revolutionize the linebacker position. Gradishar was the silent assassin of the team. But he proved them wrong and was a key piece on the Broncos Super Bowl winning team. 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. Paup was a complete linebacker, who was especially great at rushing the passer. 43, Keith Brooking* (Falcons/Cowboys) (1998-Present) *Five-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. James Farrior* (Jets/Steelers): Two-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro, one-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Boulware gets overlooked a lot playing because of playing with Ray Lewis, but he was a key component in that dominating Ravens defense of the early 2000s. His 1989 rookie season was one of the best the NFL has ever seen. 10, Junior Seau (Chargers/Dolphins/Patriots) (1990-2009) *Twelve-time Pro Bowler *Six-time All-Pro 1st Team *Three-time All-Pro 2nd Team. Jul 07, 2014 at 11:02 PM. 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 did everything. I have combined outside and inside linebackers on the list and factored in the players ability to stop the run, drop into coverage and leadership. Pat Swilling. Over his career, he totaled 1,271 tackles, 12 INTs, and 19 forced fumbles. Jack Ham, Linebacker. 19, Harry Carson (Giants) (1976-1988) *Nine-time Pro Bowler *Three-time 2nd Team All-Pro. The entire enterprise of Notre Dame basketball, gone strange. 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. 41, Mo Lewis (Jets) (1991-2003) *Three-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. His best days were with the Bears and Redskins, but he had an impact everywhere he went. Defensive MVP in 2002. Robert Brazile- Tums all time neutralizer. Armstead didnt particularly stand out at anywhere, but he wasnt a weak link anywhere either. 33, Al Wilson (Broncos) (1999-2006) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Top 30 Linebackers in the NFL since 1970! Robert Brazile. He racked up a staggering 1,181 tackles, and 1,131 of them in his first nine seasons. Briggs does a lot of pass coverage with the Bears, and has had 53 passes deflected already in his career. 10. Junior Seau finished his career with 1,524 tackles, the highest total on this list. Joey Porter. 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1985, '88) Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1989. He was a hard worker, good tackler, and had great hands. He finished his career with 1,106 tackles and 627 assisted tackles as well. Porter will try to continue his success in Arizona and continue to climb up this list. He led the Eagles in tackles in his time with the team. Gambling Problem? In 1984 and 1985, Tippett put up two of the best back to back seasons recording 18.5 and 16.5 sacks in them. The thing about Derrick Thomas that is the most remarkable was how nice of a person he was off the field. Lawrence Taylor of course, is regarded as the best 3-4 linebacker ever, . Use Isiah Robertsons name in a talk of most underrated players of all time, and youll impress your fellow football fans. Randy Gradishar Joins The Speer Wealth Team. The defense was ranked right up there along with the 1985 Bears, and Steelers teams of the 1970s. Seau was the definition of consistency. Peppers' 159.5 career sacks rank fourth on the all-time list. Linebacker U Penn State Tradition Jack Ham as a Steeler. Mills racked up 1,142 tackles in his career. Brooks is most known for his coverage ability in the Bucs cover-two scheme. He could do it all. Porter is mostly known as a sack master. When Indiana travels to San Antonio, it will MLB Rule Changes | Can F1 Compete With NASCAR | Froggy Talkin Sports #MLB #indianahoosiers #nascar, Indiana Basketball Postgame W/Steve Risley: Indiana vs Iowa Recap and more, Must be 21+. Still, its an amazing number. 28b, Sam Mills (Saints/Panthers) (1986-1997) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. Any coach would be lucky to have a player like Karl Mecklenburg on their roster. Jason Gildon (Steelers/Jaguars): - Three-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro. I personally think football before 1970 and after 1970 can be seen as two completely different games, in terms of its evolution. He was very solid in coverage, good against the run, and had no real weaknesses. No. Please click on "Comments" and make sure to vote in the poll. Eddie Johnson. In only five seasons, Wares already totaled up 64.5 sacks, including 20 in 2008. That truly shows what kind of person he was off the field. I think thats largely due to the NFL not keeping sacks and tackles numbers during his career. No. He was also the fastest linebacker of the bunch and excelled in pass coverage. A tall order to say the least, and these 5 players did it better than anyone in the history of the NFL. I think thats largely due to the NFL not keeping sacks and tackles numbers during his career. McAdams was a two-time All-American . A shot of Jameson for Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey. Hardy Nickerson makes it this high on the list mainly because of one ridiculous season he had. 34, Julian Peterson* (49ers/Seahawks/Lions) (2000-Present) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. 9-time All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler. Andy Russell 7x Pro Bowl, 4x All-Pro, 2x Super Bowl Champion Linebacker '63, 1966-1976 Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images. He would always be found around the ball, and around the play. He did it in 2000 and again in 2003. No. He was just a great all-around player who could do it all. These were the players who were great players, but not quite good enough to be placed inside the top 50. He was also the fastest linebacker of the bunch and excelled in pass coverage. credit : - yahoo. HELLO, PANDORA. Demarcus Ware has only played five seasons in the NFL, but already hes one of the best of this era. Kirkland had great speed and agility for a big man. 50, Bryan Cox (Dolphins/Bears/Jets/Patriots/Saints) (1991-2003). He was unstoppable in goal-line situations especially. He was also a good pass rusher, and a good coverage man as well. Merriman still has the potential to be a great player again. Thats an outstanding number. Thats right, seven. In 2008, Suggs even had two INTs, both of which he returned for touchdowns. 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. Dennis Onkotz was a two time first team All American on the great Penn State teams of 1968 and 1969. Other Links > Football > Player Rankings by Position > Top Ranked Linebackers . T&Cs apply. John Offerdahl may have had the shortest NFL career on this list, but he made the most of it. Jack Ham might be the best coverage linebacker of all time. There was a story of someone meeting Thomas at the Pro Bowl for no longer than 10 minutes. Over the past 50 years, the Steelers have tallied 36 winning seasons . Lambert wasnt just great on the inside, he was an outstanding coverage linebacker. Joey Porter may be the most vocal linebacker on this list. He also had at least 99 tackles in seven years of his 12-year career, which is outstanding. No. Any coach would be lucky to have a player like Karl Mecklenburg on their roster. . Collect, curate and comment on your files. All while being tasked with avoiding blocks and keeping tabs on the opposing quarterback. He totaled 28 INTs in his career while he also racked up 1,045 tackles. Although he only played three full seasons, he made five Pro Bowls. The next year, he followed it up with four more interceptions. 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. Mike Singletary was the leader of the most dominating defense the NFL has ever seenthe 1985 Bears. I think hell climb up this list further in the near future. Thomas did everything you asked out of a linebacker. (Pro Football Weekly 1975 Defensive Player of the Year, 1970s All-Decade Team, 1994 75th anniversary team), and also the team success (4 Super Bowls). Most people know Tom Jackson as the commentator working with Chris Berman. So while there were outstanding linebackers in previous years, like Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke, they will not be on this list. He did it in 2000 and again in 2003. His 32 career INTs lead the way for linebackers. He also finished his career with 17 INTs. O. J. Simpson and Lynn Swann were next with 22 and 21 votes, respectively. Named to NFL's All-Decade Team for 1970s and 1980s. NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019). Featuring some of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time, the best Bills LBs include Sam Rogers, Keith Ellison, Shane Conlan, and John Holecek. No. Robertson was one of the NFLs most athletic linebackers. He could do it all. 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. Official list of the NFL's best players in the 1970s, National Football League 1970s All-Decade Team, National Football League 1960s All-Decade Team, https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/04/06/tom-brady-is-first-qb-to-make-two-all-decade-teams/, National Football League All-Decade Teams, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Football_League_1970s_All-Decade_Team&oldid=1132426489, National Football League records and achievements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 20:52. 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. Banks was a player that any coach would want on their team. He also finished his career with 17 INTs. Thats an amazing number as well. and 2000s. 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. Mills, along with Swilling, was another member of that Dome Patrol defense. His best season was his first year with the Bills where he had 17.5 sacks, 70 tackles, two INTs, and three forced fumbles. 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 . In only 11 seasons, Thomas had 126.5 sacks, and an NFL record 41 forced fumbles. He was always good enough for Pro Bowls, but was never an All-Pro Player. Gradishar was the silent assassin of the team. Selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 2nd round . But, if you didnt know, Jackson was once an outstanding linebacker for the Denver Broncos Orange Crush defense. 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. Beason has only been in the league for three years now. Well have to see how he does, but he could either climb up or fall off this list based on his performance in 2010. Lance Briggs may be overshadowed by Brian Urlacher, but dont forget how great of a player Briggs has been for the Bears. I’m only going to be looking at players drafted in 1970 or later. [3] No. Ware has made four consecutive Pro Bowls and has had three consecutive All-Pro seasons. 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. A two-time All-American and a three-year starter for the Vols, Kiner . Randy Gradishar played along with Tom Jackson in the Denver Broncos Orange Crush defense. Mike Singletary had the whole package. No. He had five INTs in a season twice in his career. Lewis wasnt as vocal as Cox, but his play was a little better, and lasted for a longer period of time. He played in 10 playoff games and had two INTs and three fumble recoveries in them. Ranking Explanation . Call it foreshadowing, but you will see some of his teammates higher up on this list. Leslie ONeal was a sack machine in his career. He led some of the greatest defenses in NFL history in both performance and spirit. Blair was outstanding in coverage, along with being a great tackler. Overlooked because he played alongside Lawrence Taylor, Carson did most of the dirty work in that linebacking core. Neal Olkewicz. Gildon was most known for his pass rushing ability, picking up 54 sacks in a 5 year span. Eddie Johnson arrived in Cleveland at exactly the right time. 26, Cornelius Bennett (Bills/Falcons/Colts) (1987-2000) *Five-time Pro Bowler *One-time 1st Team All-Pro. 7. 49, Vaughn Johnson (Saints/Eagles) (1986-1994) *Four-time Pro Bowler *One-time 2nd Team All-Pro. For a four-year span with Seattle, Young was arguably the best Seahawks linebacker of all-time. LT finished his career with 142 sacks, averaging nearly 11 sacks per season. 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.
★★★★★ 4.5/5
★★★★★ 4.9/5
★★★★★ 4.8/5