January 2, 201313 yr Andre Tippett Dave Wilcox Derrick Thomas Dick Butkus Harry Carson Jack Ham Jack Lambert Junior Seau Kevin Greene Lawrence Taylor Mike Singletary Randy Gradishar Ray Lewis Ray Nitschke Ted Hendricks Willie Lanier Lewis is retiring at the end of the season, and that got me to thinking...how would you order your list of "The Greatest NFL Linebackers Of All Time". These are the guys I could come up with, so feel free to add/subtract whomever you'd like. I'm working on my own ranking. If you are going to use 1 LB from the Steel Curtain, then you have to go w/ Ham. Also, Derrick Brooks should be on there. Prototype Weakside LB.
January 2, 201313 yr Your thoughts on Jack Lambert? Beast- I could be convinced to include him in my top 5. I do not think he is better than LT or Butkus though.
January 3, 201313 yr Willie Lanier has to be higher on the list, probably top 7 or 8. An absolute beast, was huge for his time, and absolutely was a fierce tackler. A guy who played with Lanier, was Bobby Bell...look him up....he's got to be on the list too. He was LT before LT, except he played pass defense too....26 career picks. Jack Ham was also excellent...32 career picks, and was rarely out of position, and while never a big hitter, made nearly every tackle...should be in the top 5. LT, Butkus, Lewis, Lambert and Ham are my top 5. Seau, Lanier, Bell, Singletary, Carson, Nitschke, Sam Huff, are right there too. Also, what about Ricky Jackson....the best of a great Saints linebacker crew with Vaughn Johnson, Pat Swilling, and Sam Mills.
January 3, 201313 yr Author Lawrence Taylor Games Played - 184 Tackles - 1,088 (Avg 5.9 tackles per game) Sacks - 132.5 Ints - 9 Dick Butkus Games Played - 119 Tackles - 1,020 (Avg 8.6 tackles per game) Sacks - Not Recorded Ints - 22 Ray Lewis Games Played (to date) - 228 Tackles (to date) - 1,573 (Avg 6.9 tackles per game) Sacks (to date) - 41.5 Ints (to date) - 31 Mike Singletary Games Played - 179 Tackles - 1,488 (Avg 8.3 tackles per game) Sacks - 19 Ints - 7 Jack Lambert Games Played - 146 Tackles - 1,479 (Avg 10.1 tackles per game) Sacks - 8 Ints - 28 Looking at these stats, my order for these guys would be: 1) Jack Lambert 2) Dick Butkus 3) Mike Singletary 4) Lawrence Taylor 5) Ray Lewis
January 3, 201313 yr Lawrence Taylor changed the game. I think Butkus and LT are the top 2. There was guy named Bobby Bell that played in the 60's that redifined the LB position towards LTs prototype.
January 3, 201313 yr There was guy named Bobby Bell that played in the 60's that redifined the LB position towards LTs prototype. I've read very little about Bell and while he might have been similar, he wasn't on the same level as LT regarding rushing the passer. LT had 20 sacks in one season. Had any LB ever done that before? Has one done it since? I'd guess few have.
January 3, 201313 yr Author I've read very little about Bell and while he might have been similar, he wasn't on the same level as LT regarding rushing the passer. LT had 20 sacks in one season. Had any LB ever done that before? Has one done it since? I'd guess few have. Butkus is reported by Bears statisticians to have had 111 solo tackles and 18 sacks in the '67 season.
January 3, 201313 yr Author A guy who played with Lanier, was Bobby Bell...look him up....he's got to be on the list too. He was LT before LT, except he played pass defense too....26 career picks. There was guy named Bobby Bell that played in the 60's that redifined the LB position towards LTs prototype. Bell played his first two seasons as a defensive end, before he switched to linebacker. Bobby Bell Games Played - 168 Tackles - Apparently the Chiefs didn't keep stats for tackles prior to 2001??? :eyeonyou: Sacks - 40 Ints - 26
January 3, 201313 yr Looking at these stats, my order for these guys would be: 1) Jack Lambert 2) Dick Butkus 3) Mike Singletary 4) Lawrence Taylor 5) Ray Lewis He would have had a bunch more sacks, too, had they been tracking them in his day. That 10.1 tackles pg is just scary.
January 3, 201313 yr Author He would have had a bunch more sacks, too, had they been tracking them in his day. That 10.1 tackles pg is just scary. I know. That's absolutely incredible.
January 7, 201313 yr Sacks were not counted for a year or so of LT's career if I'm not mistaken. That is correct. They weren't kept until the 1982 season, if they were kept sooner the Bengals very own Coy Bacon would hold the single season NFL record for most sacks. Coy actually had 26 sacks in 1976, but that stat was not officially kept until 1982. What makes coy Bacon's sack total in 1976 so amazing is the fact that there were only 14 games a season back then. That is averaging alsmost 2 sacks a game for an entire season. Coy bacon's sack total for the 1976 season is still 4 sacks more than the "official record" held by Michael Strathan's 22 sacks.....in a 16 game season I might add. "Coy Bacon was born in Cadiz, Ky., Aug. 30, 1942. He was line coach for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1976, when head coach Paul Brown retired and named Bill “Tiger” Johnson as his successor. Tiger won 18 and lost 15, but resigned five games into the 1978 season after starting 0-5. He retired as the Bengals tight ends coach in 1990. Johnson, who played nine seasons in the NFL and coached another 50 years, called Bacon “the second best pass rusher I ever saw,” behind the Baltimore Colts star Gino Marchetti. Bacon’s NFL numbers are impressive. He racked up 130 quarterback sacks during a 14-year career that spanned from 1968 to 1981. His numbers were even more impressive because he played in an era that was run-oriented instead of today’s pass first, run second philosophy that creates more opportunities to record a sack. Coy played often on the inside at tackle where it is even more difficult. Bacon led the NFL with what was considered a record 26 quarterback sacks in 1976 and was the team’s Most Valuable Player." Edited January 7, 201313 yr by Hellbird
January 7, 201313 yr That is correct. They weren't kept until the 1982 season, if they were kept sooner the Bengals very own Coy Bacon would hold the single season NFL record for most sacks. Coy actually had 26 sacks in 1976, but that stat was not officially kept until 1982. What makes coy Bacon's sack total in 1976 so amazing is the fact that there were only 14 games a season back then. That is averaging alsmost 2 sacks a game for an entire season. Coy bacon's sack total for the 1976 season is still 4 sacks more than the "official record" held by Michael Strathan's 22 sacks.....in a 16 game season I might add. "Coy Bacon was born in Cadiz, Ky., Aug. 30, 1942. He was line coach for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1976, when head coach Paul Brown retired and named Bill “Tiger” Johnson as his successor. Tiger won 18 and lost 15, but resigned five games into the 1978 season after starting 0-5. He retired as the Bengals tight ends coach in 1990. Johnson, who played nine seasons in the NFL and coached another 50 years, called Bacon “the second best pass rusher I ever saw,” behind the Baltimore Colts star Gino Marchetti. Bacon’s NFL numbers are impressive. He racked up 130 quarterback sacks during a 14-year career that spanned from 1968 to 1981. His numbers were even more impressive because he played in an era that was run-oriented instead of today’s pass first, run second philosophy that creates more opportunities to record a sack. Coy played often on the inside at tackle where it is even more difficult. Bacon led the NFL with what was considered a record 26 quarterback sacks in 1976 and was the team’s Most Valuable Player." Strahan's record is actually 22.5 sacks in a season. And I think the 26 number you get depends on who you talk to. I just googled it and found an article where one stats guy says he only would have had 26 sacks if you counted half sacks as 1 sack, which isn't how it's done today. He said if you used today's method of counting sacks he would have had 21 1/2...still very impressive for 14 games.
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