This list explores these reasons by looking at the three greatest middle linebackers of all time. Wilber Marshall was one of the greatest pass coverage linebackers of the modern era. Tippett had his most dominant season in 1985, when he led the Patriots to their first AFC title and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Lewis recorded 2,059 career tackles, 41.5 sacks, 31 interceptions and forced 17 fumbles. In addition, Lewis was a two time Defensive Player of the Year, seven time First Team All-Pro and a 13 time Pro Bowler. 10-time Pro Bowler Robinson's name has been somewhat lost to history because he played next to the great Ray Nitschke, on Nitschke's left side. He was 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash. ", High school: Miami Northwestern High School (Miami, Florida), Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (2021), three-time NFL All-Pro (2013, 2016, 2020), Pro Bowl (2015), NFL All-Rookie Team (2012). There's a lot of reasons to love the way Dave Robinson played football mainly because he was a winner. He was one of the most feared players in the sport in his prime. Joyner was unbelievably productive in different aspects of the game, with over 1,000 career tackles and 52 career sacks, and he was a standout on the great Philly defenses of the late 1980s and early 1990s alongside Reggie White under head coach Buddy Ryan. He was 74 years old. Before Bill George came along, the way the linebacker position was taught kept football in the stone ages every snap, they hit the center or guard right away. George was known for his ability to play the defensive line as well as dropping back disrupting the passing lanes of opposing quarterbacks. Play in a Super Bowl. Since debates about who is the best linebacker in Bears history are fun, frequent and never-ending, we . Here is every player who has ever held the position of New Orleans Saints starting linebacker. During his playing days he helped lead the Chiefs to win Super Bowl IV 23-7 over the Minnesota Vikings in a game that many gave the Chiefs zero chance of winning. Kevin Greene. An important part of the Buffalo defense, the LB position includes middle or inside linebackers and outside (strong side or weakside) linebackers. His NFL career was punctuated by big hits and big wins, including three consecutive Super Bowl wins with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers in the early 1990s. Howley fixed that one minor blip in his resume when he helped lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl victory in 1970. 2 Time Super Bowl Champion (VII, VIII) American Football League All Time Team 9.) The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. 2-time first-team All-Pro Here are five of the top undrafted free-agent signings since the draft ended: Ivan Pace Jr., LB, Minnesota Vikings Linebacker was a key position of need for the Vikings but they didn't use any . Super Bowl X champion He led the University of Minnesota to a national title in 1960, then won two AFL championships and a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. During that time Kendricks has broken up 40 passes as a linebacker which is tops in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers follow the script: The Steelers take Joey Porter Jr. to open up Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Willie Lanier played in an era of football best defined by his hitting style which mainly consisted of him trying to put the crown of his helmet through your sternum. The Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams middle linebacker, Bill George is the one single man that is known for creating the middle linebacker position. Butkus punished ball carriers and crushed spirits. High school: Vocational High School (Chicago), Career highlights: Eight-time Pro Bowl (1965-72), eight-time All-Pro (1965-72), two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1969, 1970), NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, Pro Football Hall of Fame (1983). It's hard to claim that anyone other than the great Lawrence Taylor is the best linebacker ever. Spikes is one of just seven linebackers in NFL history to register over 200 career starts, and he never had less than 70 tackles in 15 NFL seasons. Great middle linebackers are the captains of the defense. Super Bowl XIV championThe foreman of the Steel Curtain defense, Lambert expanded the job description of the middle backer dropping into pass coverage as smooth as a safety while remaining the sledgehammer enforcer of an old-school middle man. 2003 Defensive Player of the Year Arguably USCs most notable No. His style of play is strikingly similar to Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, who preceded him by a generation in the Windy City. 1-time Pro Bowler Born: Dec. 27, 1959 (Birmingham, Alabama), High school: Barringer High School (Newark, New Jersey), NFL career: 11 seasons (1982-88, 1990-93), Career highlights: NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1985), four-time All-Pro (1985-88), five-time Pro Bowl (1984-88), NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, Pro Football Hall of Fame (2008). Zach Thomas, Miami Dolphins (1996-2007), Dallas Cowboys (08) His production continued in the NFL where he was a two time Pro Bowler and two time Super Bowl Champion with the Miami Dolphins while earning the Dolphins team MVP award in three different seasons.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'fanrankings_com-box-4','ezslot_5',125,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-fanrankings_com-box-4-0'); The Chicago Bears middle linebacker is just one of many great middle linebackers that have played in the NFL and for the team. Featuring some of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time, the best Bills LBs include Sam Rogers, Keith Ellison, Shane Conlan, and John Holecek. That includes Super Bowl wins in 2000 and 2012, with the latter coming in Lewis' final game. He finished his career with over 2,000 tackles (2,039), which is second on the NFL's all-time list, and set the NFL record for linebackers with 215 consecutive starts. Something else inside of Lambert, best defined by the toothless, screaming pictures of him during games when he took out his dentures, made him the toughest. He's also the greatest defensive player of all time. Mike Singletary was the best of the bunch. Here's a crazy thing about James Farrior. Bills draft Dorian Williams: Does Tulane product give Buffalo what it Bednarik, who the Philadelphia Eagles selected with the first overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft, helped build the Eagles into a defensive power house. Paup was a complete linebacker, who was especially great at rushing the passer. Who are the 3 Greatest Middle Linebackers of All Time? - Sportskeeda Williams was the seventh-best linebacker by Brugler and was not on his Top 100. 7-time first-team All-Pro Ray Lewis For starters, Lewis has the most combined tackles in NFL history (2,059). However, we're here to give this the good old college try, so let's dive in! High school: Farmington High School (Farmington, West Virginia), Teams: New York Giants (1956-63), Washington Football Team (1964-67, 1969), Career highlights: NFL champion (1956), six-time All-Pro (1957-61, 1963), five-time Pro Bowl (1958-61, 1964), NFL 1950s All-Decade Team, Pro Football Hall of Fame (1982). Inducted into the Hall of Fame as recently as 2016, Greene's career was arguably underrated. 2000 Defensive Rookie of the Year 5-time Pro Bowler15. His talent has already made him a rich, rich man. That was the first of five consecutive seasons with at least 120 tackles. 1985 Defensive Player of the Year Sadly, Mecklenburg's post-football life has been defined by his battle with brain injuries sustained playing football, and he's part of several concussion-related lawsuits against the NFL. Isaiah Simmons' 5th-year option declined by Arizona Cardinals, per report In one of the greatest single rounds for any team in NFL draft history, the Rams used their two 1971 first-round picks on Robertson and NFL Hall of Fame defensive lineman Jack Youngblood. The Best San Francisco 49ers Linebackers of All Time - Ranker If Dolphins fans felt like they were having flashbacks when Zach Thomas came along to play middle linebacker in the mid-1990s, it's because it wasn't the first time they'd seen an undersized, dominant player leading their defense. FP - TopX: Greatest Middle Linebacker of All Time There were a lot of strong defensive players that played next to Mike Singletary with the Bears. owley missed the rest of 1959 and all of 1960 before attempting a comeback in 1961 with the Cowboys, where he became a six-time Pro Bowler and the only player to win Super Bowl Most Valuable Player honors while playing on the losing team. With the third-most sacks in NFL history, there's no question Kevin Greene belongs among the best linebackers of all-time. 8-time Pro Bowler How would you rank the greatest Middle Linebackers in history? Mack, who holds the NCAA records for forced fumbles and tackles for loss, became the first player in NFL history to make All-Pro at two different positions in 2015 when he was a first-team defensive end and outside linebacker. Sori-Marin is more of a traditional two-down middle linebacker with good size 6-2, 236 pounds for the position. For an optimal experience please rotate your device to portrait mode, After being considered by most teams too small, the Boston Patriots selected Nick Buoniconti with the teams 13. round selection. Chuck Bednarik Chuck Bednarik wasn't just one of the best Eagles linebackers he was THE BEST linebacker and one of the best players of all time. They often are the quarterbacks of the defense, and many of them possess physical talents few have ever seen on a football field. The 1990 Pro Football Hall of Famer was so elite throughout his career that he was a member of four of the most prestigious all-time teams in NFL history. If the Professional Football Hall of Fame and its esteemed members and voters would like to actually live up to its name, then those parties should think of a way to add Sam Mills to their brethren. Super Bowl XXVII champion April 19, 2023 5 PM PT. 45:47. 54 out there, you knew the team at least had a chance to win because of him. Bobby Wagner has been one of the best linebackers in the NFL for almost a decade at this point, winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013. Karlos Dansby was tall for an NFL inside linebacker at 6-foot-4, and he made plays all over the field. Ranking the 10 best linebackers in Raiders history Podcast Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans AFC West. The race for the best linebacker in NFL history can be narrowed down to five people: the aforementioned Butkus, Lewis, and Singletary, along with Jack Lambert and Willie Lanier. In 11 dominant NFL seasons, Dave Wilcox only missed one game due to injury and confounded opposing offenses with his ability to elude blocks at the most basic level. Others: Darien Butler, Amari Burney, Kana'i Mauga , Drake Thomas. But assistant coach Vince Lombardi tracked him down at the airport and convinced him to come back, and defensive coordinator Tom Landry made the decision to move him to middle linebacker. Drew Sanders, Arkansas. With the combination of speed and power, he is one of the greatest linebackers to ever play in NFL history. The most famous member of the No Name Defense, Buoniconti is alleged to be the ringleader of the 1972 Dolphins annual champagne toast when the last undefeated team loses each season.10.
