10 Greatest linebackers of all time

[bearmick]

Going back beyond 30 years, I can't say who was better than who because I wasn't around to witness their careers, but I'm also in the group the prefers Urlacher to Singletary as an overall player, even if his resume isn't as impressive on paper. In his athletic prime, his speed and range were incredible, and I've still never seen an athlete at the MLB position who could attack the run sideline to sideline to that level and still cover deep center field like a third safety in the Tampa 2 scheme. Special player.

 

[sevvy]

Omelet once chastised and berated another poster for suggesting that George Halas played football for the Chicago Bears.

 

[FirstTimer]

Going back beyond 30 years, I can't say who was better than who because I wasn't around to witness their careers, but I'm also in the group the prefers Urlacher to Singletary as an overall player, even if his resume isn't as impressive on paper. In his athletic prime, his speed and range were incredible, and I've still never seen an athlete at the MLB position who could attack the run sideline to sideline to that level and still cover deep center field like a third safety in the Tampa 2 scheme. Special player.

You would have loved Lanier.

 

[Omeletpants]

I would say that I have seen every one of theose LBs play a minimum of 25 games so here is my opinions on their rankings:

-LT was a DE
-Jack Lambert was overated. Played with many HOF players on that pittsburgh defense and he was protected. He is closer to 12-15 best
-Chris Hansburger of the Redskins deserves top 10
Urlcher was better than Singletary
-Willie Lanier is incredibly underated. Guy was a monster and should be 4-5
-Butkus did more with less talent around him than anyone. He rushed the passer and played deep in coverage all at what seemed to be the same time. He was Moby Dick in a goldfish bowl

 

[Omeletpants]

Early front runner for worst football post of 2015

Well, then you are an idiot. I had the same argument with Michael Wilbon

 

[DMelt36]

The greatest myth about. Lawrence Taylor is that he was some pass rushing demon from hell. Taylor took advantage of an era where linebackers were still being single blocked by backs and TEs. So Taylor took advantage of beating under sized players rather than having to constantly beat the left tackle.

Then why did Bill Walsh make such a big deal about getting a LT that had the athleticism to block Taylor one-on-one?

Don't know if any of you read "The Blind Side" but aside from the story about Michael Oher, the author also put together a fascinating evolution of the LT position in the NFL, which has led to those guys becoming some of the highest paid players in the league. Essentially, in the mid/late 80s, Bill Walsh had this West Coast offense that worked real well except for when he played the Giants, because he simply could not find a lineman capable of blocking Taylor without help.

Typing that straight from memory so it may be a tad off but the overall point was that Lawrence Taylor's dominance is the reason that LTs became so important in the NFL in the mid/late 80s and are so high paid now.

 

[DMelt36]

Going back beyond 30 years, I can't say who was better than who because I wasn't around to witness their careers, but I'm also in the group the prefers Urlacher to Singletary as an overall player, even if his resume isn't as impressive on paper. In his athletic prime, his speed and range were incredible, and I've still never seen an athlete at the MLB position who could attack the run sideline to sideline to that level and still cover deep center field like a third safety in the Tampa 2 scheme. Special player.

The thing I miss the most about watching Urlacher is whenever teams would run stretch plays against the Bears. Usually right around the time that the running back would make his cut up the field, Urlacher would be there to drive him backwards because he was fast enough to race from the middle of the field to the numbers and beat the back to the hole.

Good times, man. Good times.

 

[FirstTimer]

Well, then you are an idiot. I had the same argument with Michael Wilbon

Cripple fight.

 

[DJMoore_is_fat]

Butkus is #1. Followed by Singletary, Urlacher, and Jon Bostic.

If posted this I'd be banned.

 

[TL1961]

Singletary seems high to me at 6.

I agree.

But I dismissed the whole list when i didn't see Shea.

 

[RisWell]

Urlacher changed the position. Ray Lewis is the better LB but Lach was a one of a kind.

 

[Hbkrusso]

modern era ill take urlacher over any of them best cover lber who ever lived imho

outside todays pass happy league yea that list seems fair

 

[RisWell]

LOL

Size and speed was second to nobody. Lach ability to read a offense was great.
He probably was the best cover LB ever.

 

[FirstTimer]

Urlacher changed the position. Ray Lewis is the better LB but Lach was a one of a kind.

No he didn't. Urlacher was simply an evolution of guys like Butkus, Lanier, Nobis Lambert, etc.

 

[Notso]

Uhrlacher should be on this list, imho. I'm old enough to have seen all of these guys play, and as much as we love to romanticize the "heart" of the old guys, the truth is that if Butkus or Nitschke got on the field today, they'd leave in a body bag by halftime.

 

[Mongo_76]

what do you guys think about this list? thoughts ...??


http://wallstcheatsheet.com/sports/the-10-greatest-nfl-linebackers-of-all-time.html/?a=viewall

6. Mike Singletary
Mike Singletary and his unblinking stare were the face of the 46 Chicago Bears defense. In Buddy Ryan’s 46, the Bears overloaded the line of scrimmage in all out attack mode — so Singletary could roam free and take out the trash. As a 6-foot, 230-pound bowling ball of intensity, Singletary owned the box from tackle-to-tackle to blast ball carriers into the next week. Over the course of his 12-year career, Singletary earned 10 consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl alongside two AP Defensive Player of the Year awards.

With the 1985 Bears, Mike Singletary helped limit offenses to a miserly 12.4 points per game and steamroll opponents to a 15-1 record. In Super Bowl XX, Singletary reveled in his type of party, when he put in work to shut down the overmatched Patriots in a 46-10 blowout. The 1985 Chicago Bears, of course, are often referenced as the greatest defensive team of all time.


2.Dick Butkus
With his buzz cut, reliability, and proclivity to inflict pain, Dick Butkus (left) was a true Monster of the Midway. Butkus was the first in the line of Hall of Fame worthy Chicago middle linebackers, which has grown to include Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher. Throughout his career, Butkus stalked the line of scrimmage in his oversized No. 51 jersey and grotesque padding — to blow up ball carriers and strike fear in the hearts of the opposition.

Dick Butkus, however, was never part of a winning regime. Butkus never appeared in any Championship Game, during his nine-year career as a Chicago Bear. At linebacker for the Bears, Butkus could not rely upon a man-eating defensive line to clog up space so he could roam free and make plays. As the team’s lone playmaker, Dick Butkus was still able to answer the bell time and time again. Between 1965 and 1972, Butkus was sent off to the Pro Bowl after each season and was recognized as a first-team All-Pro on five separate occasions.

In 1973, Butkus fell victim to his own recklessness and the limitations of medical science of the day. Dick Butkus, felled by injuries, retired from the game of football as the greatest middle linebacker of all time — having mastered his position with a controlled rage

In general, I don't agree with it. Lawrence Taylor was considered the prototypical OLB.

And as with most of today's 3-4 OLB's he actually did most of his damage lining up On the Line not behind the Line (where the term "Line Backer" actually came from).

So, for the comparison being made here, he should be compared to pass-rushing LB's and DE's. Not actually inside LB's and 4-3 Wills and Sams.

 

[Mongo_76]

No he didn't. Urlacher was simply an evolution of guys like Butkus, Lanier, Nobis Lambert, etc.

Gotta disagree here.

Urlachers pass-defense combined with speed and size was an absolute game-changer to the Mike in a 4-3 single-gap cover 2 zone.

 

[FirstTimer]

Gotta disagree here.

Urlachers pass-defense combined with speed and size was an absolute game-changer to the Mike in a 4-3 single-gap cover 2 zone.

I don't see how. A guy like Lambert was doing it a quarter of a century earlier. Butkus/Nobis and Lanier were doing it a decade before Lambert.

 

[shoopster]

Shea?...

 

[FirstTimer]

In general, I don't agree with it. Lawrence Taylor was considered the prototypical OLB.

And as with most of today's 3-4 OLB's he actually did most of his damage lining up On the Line not behind the Line (where the term "Line Backer" actually came from).

So, for the comparison being made here, he should be compared to pass-rushing LB's and DE's. Not actually inside LB's and 4-3 Wills and Sams.

That really doesn't make sense. Framing that argument you could say ok LT was the best pass rushing LB ever, now let's compare him to the best Will ever, the best Sam ever. Make a list. That's basically what this does. It argues a beyond dominant primarily rush LB is "better" or more valuable than a dominate Will, Sam, or Mike. Using your methodology I could make the same list and draw the same conclusion.