Reese, GM of Titans' Super Bowl team, dies at 73 That suggestion from the newly appointed House . Ray Lewis is another one of the three players on the list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. Tippett was a big reason to why so many teams value pass rushing OLBs in todays game. Wilber Marshall had the whole package. It will be interesting to see how he can recover. Depending on the day, you might view Ham as the best player on the Steel Curtain defense or the 4th best, and it's . Steel Curtain - Wikipedia Paul Naumoff. Mike Kolen 1970-77. AP Sports SummaryBrief at 7:03 a.m. EST. LaVar Arrington. Ham had outstanding speed. No. The exhibit features the Fleet's classic collection set in five themed galleries representing the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Pat Swilling was an outstanding pass rusher in his career, totaling up 107 sacks in his career and 101.5 sacks in a 10 year period throwing out his rookie year and last season of his career. Lawrence Taylor: one of the greatest defensive players ever, Taylor was a pass-rushing force who revolutionized the outside linebacker position . Jack Lambert was the teammate of Jack Ham who took the inside linebacker duties. 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. Call it foreshadowing, but you will see some of his teammates higher up on this list. O. J. Simpson and Lynn Swann were next with 22 and 21 votes, respectively. The second member of the Dome Patrol comes off the board at No. Love him or hate him, Lewis has earned the title of greatest middle linebacker of all time. Bryce Paup was an outstanding pass rusher in the 1990s. 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. He has speed, size, toughness, instincts, vision, patience, and football smarts. 1, Lawrence Taylor (Giants) (1981-1993) *Ten-time Pro Bowler *Eight-time 1st Team All-Pro *Two-time 2nd Team All-Pro. 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Derrick Thomas was on pace to absolutely shatter NFL records before his tragic death in 2000. But perhaps more than the star players, the decade was dominated by dynasty teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, and . Punter Ray Guy was the leading vote-getter for the 1970s All-Decade Team, receiving 24 of a possible 25 votes. He was very solid in coverage, good against the run, and had no real weaknesses. 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+. By 1995, he was recognized as one of the top inside linebackers in the league and had a stellar performance in Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys at the end of the season. Who were the linebackers for the Steel Curtain defense? - Quora Chad Brown played a very long NFL career, especially for a linebacker. With rule changes being what they have been, I decided to rank the linebackers that have played since 1970. Derrick Thomas still holds the NFL record for most sacks in a single NFL game with seven, against the Seattle Seahawks in 1990. Patrick Willis has made the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro team every single year hes been in the NFL. Thomas was one of the most instinctive linebackers of all-time. Let me start out by saying that yes, I know that he was only a linebacker for half his career and DE the other half. A tall order to say the least, and these 5 players did it better than anyone in the history of the NFL. He just goes out every week and hustles. . The Raiders defeated the Eagles 27-10. He was selected late in the 12th Round, and nobody expected much out of him. Tippett finished his career with 100 sacks. Since Donnie Shell finally cracked the Hall of Fame, I would say the . 16, Robert Brazile (Oilers) (1975-1984) *Seven-time Pro Bowler *Two-time 1st Team All-Pro *Four-time 2nd Team All-Pro. White House Livid Over Republican's Attack on Biden's Dead Son In only 11 seasons, Thomas had 126.5 sacks, and an NFL record 41 forced fumbles. If you havnt guessed it by now, Lawrence LT Taylor is my top linebacker of the modern era. Jackson had 40 forced fumbles, just one short of the NFL record. Still, its an amazing number. Swilling was the best pass rusher of the Dome Patrol, but he also forced 36 fumbles to go along with all the sacks. 60 Greatest Linebackers in NFL History | Stadium Talk As also playing DE should tell you, he was very versatile and could play many different positions. Paup was a complete linebacker, who was especially great at rushing the passer. Kirkland had great speed and agility for a big man. He finished his career with 1,106 tackles and 627 assisted tackles as well. Ranking Explanation . Next were Defensive end Jack Youngblood and Joe Greene who each had 18 votes. Featuring some of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time, the best Bills LBs include Sam Rogers, Keith Ellison, Shane Conlan, and John Holecek. He had less than seven sacks in a season only once. All Rights Reserved. Robert Brazile- Tums all time neutralizer. Top 25 SEC LBs of all-time: 15-11. Thomas is also third all-time in safeties and fumble returns for touchdowns. Power Ranking the 5 Greatest Linebackers in Minnesota Vikings History Brazile might not get the credit because of the team he played for, but he was an outstanding player. Taylor is one of only two defensive players (DT Alan Page, 1971) in the history of the NFL to be named NFL MVP. 1953-65, Detroit Lions. But Mills did much more than that. Behind the Purple People Eaters of the 70s was one of the best safeties the league has ever seen. The . Ray Lewis is another one of the three players on the list to win Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career. Brooks was the leader of that defense, but his surrounding cast was just too good to rank him higher. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1974 and Defensive Player of the Year two years later. Please play responsibly. Brooking was the face of the Falcons defense for nearly a decade, and is a well-rounded player. Holdovers from the National Football League 1960s All-Decade Team were Bob Lilly, Dick Butkus, Merlin Olsen, Larry Wilson, and Jim Bakken, which made them the first players to make multiple All-Decade teams in NFL history. 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There is a reason the award given to the best linebacker in high school, college and the NFL each year is named after Butkus. 5.) 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. It may be a bit early to put Jon Beason on this list, but I think his play warrants the selection. Thats right, seven. Earl Campbell called Williams the toughest linebacker he ever played against. Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter has returned to the NFL . We started off with a rough one the wide receivers. For most other franchises, a resume like this would make Jack Ham the greatest linebacker in thier history by a wide margin. Lofa Tatupu* (Seahawks) : Three-time Pro Bowler, one-time 1st Team All-Pro. Gil Brandt's greatest NFL linebackers of all time - NFL.com Woodrow Lowe, Alabama (1972-75) Respected as college football's top linebacker in the early 1970s, Lowe was the first . Despite the bad taste he left when leaving the team, James Harrison belongs on the upper half of the top ten linebackers in Steelers history. Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week. thegruelingtruth.com is available in the following countries: The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. The player that gives Butkus the most competition in that category would be Mike Singletary. Johnson wasnt very flashy, but he was very solid all-around, which is why he sneaks onto the list. He was a very solid 3-4 ILB playing on one of the best LB Cores of all-time, the Dome Patrol. Well have to see how he does, but he could either climb up or fall off this list based on his performance in 2010. The Best Las Vegas Raiders Linebackers of All Time - Ranker List of All Buffalo Bills Linebackers, Ranked Best to Worst During the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, Lee posted the fastest 40-yard dash time among . Mike Singletary had the whole package.