NFL 101 Part #5 - Linebackers
By: Schwartz
Shifting gears, it’s time to talk about the heart of the defense, Linebackers. This is probably the most loaded position group of the defense, if not the entire team, so I hope you have as much fun reading this part as I did writing it.
Starters in Italics
Linebackers: Lawrence Taylor (OLB), Dick Butkus (MLB), Ray Lewis (MLB), Jack Ham (OLB), Chuck Bednarik, Bobby Bell, Derrick Brooks, Luke Kuechly, Mike Singletary, Jack Lambert, Ted Hendricks, Joe Schmidt
Additions: Kuechly, Singletary
Cuts: Willie Lanier, Junior Seau
Oh man, I really struggled with the linebackers. From making the final cuts, to deciding which four would be starters, there wasn’t a single easy decision in this entire position group. Well, except for one; Lawrence Taylor would be in the starting lineup. Besides being one of the few topics of conversation, along with lacrosse and the United States Navy, that can make Patriots coach Bill Belichick smile, LT spent over a decade on the gridiron racking up stunning accomplishments. He put together one of the most dominant seasons by a defender in league history in 1986, terrorizing offenses to the tune of 20.5 sacks, his most productive season in a 132.5-sack career. He garnered not only Defensive Player of the Year honors and his first Super Bowl ring, but pulled off the nearly impossible task of winning a league MVP as a defender, becoming just the second player- and possibly the last- to ever do so. Overall, Taylor garnered 8 first-team All-Pro selections, and two more DPOY awards to go along with the one he earned in ‘86. His dominance anchored the “Big Blue Wrecking Crew” defense of the late-1980s Giants, and he is considered by many to be the best defender, if not football player, to ever live. It should go without saying that he will occupy one of the outside linebacker spots in our starting lineup.
Lining up across the formation from him is Jack Ham, the other starting OLB. As poor as defensive stats are today, they were far worse during Ham’s NFL tenure, so the only truly impressive statistic we can look to from his legendary career are his 32 interceptions, impressive for a player whose role often kept him near the line of scrimmage. That role was one of the leaders of the legendary Steel Curtain defense, that helped the early Steelers to a stretch of dominance that included four Super Bowl wins. A big-play maestro with an innate feel for the game, Ham’s performances were awarded with 6 first-team and 2 second-team All-Pro selections to go along with a Defensive Player of the Year award. Still, his greatest legacy is that he’ll be remembered forever as perhaps the best player on one of the league’s all-time great units.
It’s a shame that Dick Butkus was only able to play nine professional seasons in Chicago. What he managed to do in such a short time, however, is truly staggering. One of the players who defined the vital position of middle linebacker, Butkus expertly commanded a dominant Bears defense, and he gained a reputation as perhaps the most brutal hitter in the history of the sport. Although his career was short, almost the entire span can be considered his prime, as he was wildly productive throughout; during those 9 seasons Butkus was named a first-team All-Pro 6 times, was on the second team twice, and pulled in two Defensive Player of the Year awards. One of the first true defensive superstars, who has inspired many linebackers throughout the years to wear the now-iconic #51 jersey, Butkus has a place in my lineup, and in anyone else’s who compiles such a list.
He is joined by one of the more contemporary selections on my list, the Ravens’ Ray Lewis. One of the most intense competitors, exuding almost a maniacal, unhinged persona at times- on the field and unfortunately, sometimes off- Lewis was nothing short of terrifying for every AFC offense not located in Baltimore. As the leader of the Ravens defense for 17 seasons and the centerpiece of two championship defenses, separated by over a decade, Lewis’s set of accolades is fairly unmatched in the modern era. He was chosen to play in 13 Pro Bowls, to be on 7 first-team and 3 second-team All-Pro teams, and was twice named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. A stud performer from September to February, Lewis owns a Super Bowl MVP, served as the heart and soul behind a second run, one of the most iconic postseason pushes ever, and he earned three regular season tackling titles. One of the most passionate players I’ve ever been lucky enough to watch, Ray Lewis thoroughly earned his spot among the legends of years past in the all-time starting lineup.
Today’s middle linebackers play an extremely technical game, engaging both opposing quarterbacks and offensive coaches in a never ending game of chess before and after the snap. Their efforts to slow down hyper-speed attacks in an increasingly offensive game went unnoticed by the selection team for the NFL 100 list, but not by me. One of two current stars whose greatness is nearly parallel had to be added, and they are Bobby Wagner and the recently (tragically perhaps?) retired Luke Kuechly. Luke, the former Panther, is another linebacker who didn’t enjoy the longest of careers, but over his eight seasons, he twice led the league in tackles, en route to 5 first-team and 2 second-team All-Pro nods. In fact, he only missed out on the postseason honor after a campaign where he missed 6 games; he was even once able to garner a first-team selection after playing in just 13 contests. He was the 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year, 2013 Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time Butkus Award winner as the league’s best linebacker, a distinction that many believed him to hold for far more of his career than just three seasons. He will be greatly missed in the NFL, but not on this list, as he edges out Wagner for the spot. This is for the simple reason that while both were in the league, and in their primes (so until a couple of months ago), you would have been hard pressed to find anyone who would rather have Wagner on their team than Kuechly, although the margin is razor-thin.
One of the few players who has challenged Kuechly’s dominance is the Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner, who is, behind Seau, the toughest linebacker for me to leave off this list. While the Legion of Boom receives much of the credit for Seattle’s defensive dominance during the early stages of the last decade, nothing on defense works without a functional front 7. Wagner led the Hawks’ linebackers admirably without the benefit of playing in a star-studded position group, like the secondary. In his 8 seasons so far, he has led the league in tackles twice, including last season, earned 4 first-team All-Pro selections, all within the past 5 seasons, and of course was the leader and arguably best defensive player on one of the most historic, dominant champion defenses in recent memory. The frequency with which he has been honored in recent years, paired with the departure of his main competition in Kuechly, suggest that the 29 year old mega-star is far from finished racking up accomplishments. Hopefully when the NFL does this exercise for its 125th anniversary, his resume will be too strong to overlook a second time.
My second addition to the linebacker group is a player who I’m shocked was left out, Mike Singletary. He grew up in Houston Texas and had a challenging childhood, during which two of his brothers tragically passed away, but the adversity made him a stronger person, as he developed into one of the best linebackers in league history. He was the middle linebacker for the 1985 Bears, serving as the leader of what many consider to be the best defense ever. Singletary pulled in no shortage of awards, mostly during a 9-year stretch when he earned a ridiculous 8 first-team All-Pro nods, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, three NFC Player of the Year selections, the 1990 NFL Man of the Year award, and of course, a Super Bowl ring in 1985. He was instrumental across the Bears’ title run, as he led shutouts in both NFC playoff games, laying monster hits and recovering three fumbles including a Super Bowl record two in the big game. Singletary is the ‘85 Bears’ only defensive representative on this list, which speaks volumes to the immense individual impact he had as the undisputed leader of the league’s most legendary unit of all time.
It truly does pain me to cut anyone out of the original roster at such a highly talented, historic position, even to make room for players as deserving as Kuechly and Singletary. The victims in this case were none other than Willie Lanier and - this decision really, really hurt - the late Junior Seau. These two players were wildly productive, and their efforts were honored as such - the two combined for a whopping 18 total All-Pro selections. Seau, a fan favorite during his tenures in New England, San Diego, and Miami, is one of the saddest stories in league history, taking his own life a few years after his retirement, most likely due to symptoms of the football-related head trauma that was found upon later analysis of his brain, as he was almost certainly a victim of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Still, his legacy lives on in the hearts of all football fans, even if he doesn’t find his way onto this list. Lanier carved out his own spot in history, helping his Chiefs to win Super Bowl IV and boost the legitimacy of the AFL that the Jets began to build by bringing home the title the year before. This helped to solidify the two-conference format that has been so successful to this day. However, neither player defined the position in their era the way the other legends on the list were able to, and for that reason, they missed out on inclusion by the narrowest of margins.
I would be remiss to not discuss some of the linebackers who came close to being a selection for this team but fell just short, as this position is uniquely deep and there are just too many players that need to be recognized. One of these players is DeMarcus Ware, one of the greatest sack artists in league history. Ware’s 138.5 sacks are good for 9th on the all-time list. He registered most of those QB takedowns during his tenure in Dallas, where he was named to four first-team All-Pro squads, and twice led all of football in sacks. His greatest accomplishment, perhaps, is contributing to the Broncos’ Orange Crush 2.0 defense, one of the best of the modern era, and winning Super Bowl 50.
I also took a hard look at his teammate Von Miller for a spot on this roster, as Miller was the best player on that entire dominant defense. In fact, his efforts throughout a playoff run in which he was nothing short of spectacular were rewarded with Super Bowl MVP honors. Although, if you ask him, he might relish the memory of terrorizing Tom Brady in the AFC title game a bit more than he does the MVP award. Miller recently cracked the 100-sack plateau and likely has more in the tank - it’ll be exciting to see how high on the list he can climb. Just this April, he further padded his trophy case by being named a unanimous, first-team selection for the NFL’s all-2010s team.
Another consistent performer who anchored a highly competitive, modern defense was Patrick Willis. He was named a first-team All-Pro five times, and twice led the whole NFL in tackles. Although his career sadly lasted just 8 years, he was a force the entire time, reaching the Pro Bowl every season except his last. Finally, Brian Urlacher was yet another Chicago Bears linebacker who I considered for this team. He helped the Bears to their most recent NFC title, and was a dominant force across a 12-year tenure that saw him named both Defensive Rookie of the Year and later Player of the Year, alongside four first-team All-Pro honors. This position is one of the most well-rounded across the entire roster, and there’s not possibly enough room to include or discuss all of the deserving players - but the 12 who made the cut are truly transcendent players and some of the best representatives the sport has ever had.
