The Linebackers!

There are two players most responsible for my love of football. One will be the right defensive end on my list. The other is none other than Patrick Swilling. I grew up loving the way Swilling came off the corner. He terrorized NFL quarterbacks as part of the Dome Patrol Defense. I wanted to be Swilling in every way. He had a swagger on the field. He played with his mouth piece dangling. I tried that but sadly they have rules against those things in lower levels. I was devastated when the Saints traded him away. I ended up being a Lions fan for a couple of years. I also like the fact the Swilling did well in business and was later elected to the Louisiana State Congress. He is by far my favorite linebacker of all time.





At middle backer I got Ray Lewis. There has never been a better team leader than Lewis. It was telling during the first season of Hard Knocks that Brian Billick said the team didn't need to go away to training camp because he had Lewis. He said no one was ever late to practices because no one wanted to face Ray Lewis. That tells you everything you need to know about his leadership abilities. It doesn't hurt that he also happens to be one of the fiercest competitors and hardest hitters the game has ever seen. Defensive MVP and Superbowl winner too.







I had several choices in mind for my third linebacker. I thought Rickey Jackson and that would have given me Saints book-ends. I thought Derrick Brooks but I like him more as an FSU do everything backer than the Tampa Cover 2 version. Then I thought about Kevin Greene. He was a monster for Pittsburgh and Carolina. But he is a a 3-4 outside backer and I'm running a 4-3. So I have settled on Wilber Marshall. He was a ferocious hitter and could do everything on the football field. He could cover, play the run and rush the passer. He was an integral part of the 85 bears vaunted defense. He also had one of the most ferocious hits in league history when he laid out Troy Aikman (see picture below).  Aikman's chin split wide open. He had to wear a special chinstrap the rest of his career. That play alone gets him on my list ahead of the others. Who's your all time favorite linebackers?