Did see Butkus play, but sorry, my favorite is Ray Nitschke. If you've ever seen him play against Dallas in the NFL championship games, Ice Bowl etc., not to mention two SBs, Nitschke's the man. Ray Lewis is a great MLB #2.
Nitschke didn't strut out of the runway screaming like an idiot and do a dance, Nitschke was there to run over or through ball carriers. Nitschke was "The Man". ITs to bad you younger guys didn't see him play.
Id also state Jack Lambert was as good as Nitschke. Lambert was fast and totally fearless at 215- 220 lbs. And Lambert also had the "steal curtain" playing in front of him which only made it better.
Trying to compare generations in the NFL is totally impossible.
natijim235 - 11 years ago
all these guys were very good - but butkus was the best...too bad many of you are to young to have seen him play!
Tarball - 11 years ago
While Ray Lewis should be with the best, he's certainly not in the category of Butkus. Lambert was a fierce, intimidating defender, but, he was surrounded by defensive All Pros. Let's not bypass LeeRoy Jordan . . . . . small, and unspectacular, he a was smart, rugged, hard nosed individual who ALWAYS made critical "big plays". As Bear Bryant stated, "If they stay within the white lines, LeeRoy will get 'em!"
wlayton - 11 years ago
can somebody give Sam Mills some love.. he was 5' 11" and was feared..he did it all...not best but, he is top 10..
wlayton - 11 years ago
Anybody who saw jack Lambert play MLB ( especially because of his size..he played under 220 lbs most of his career) knows he was the best MLB to ever play..he was feared, he tackled, he went back in coverage, he changed games..he made that defense the best of all time.. Lewis was great..Butkus was also great but he played in an era kinda like Wilt champerlain ( man playing with boys)...Singletary was IMO #2...for the dink that put LT on a list ..he isn't an option..he wasn't a MLB....for the young guys..go watch Willie Lanier in youtube..awesome !!..but for my all time team..lambert is the starter...Singletary is his backup..
Jeremy - 11 years ago
Rick Gordon - I disagree. I think even an average player in the modern era would be a legend if dropped into the league 30 years ago, and I think a lot of the legends of old would be average players today.
The concentration of talent and athletic freaks is just so so much higher now.
rick gordon - 11 years ago
I think time prevents us from giving some the credit they deserve. Butkus, Nitschke, and Lambert were much better than this poll is giving them cedit for and, frankly, Urlacher would have been considered mediocre in their day. A good example is Walter Payton. You never hear his name anymore when disucssing the best backs of all time. But go on the internet some time and find some of his highlights. He was unworldly! Nobody in the last two decades could ever come close to touching him. Including Emmit Smith.
JMac - 11 years ago
There are some things that do not merit debate. Best MLB of all time is one of them. Butkus is #1. The others are hoping to be #2. Butkus did not have the talent on his teams that any of the other contenders enjoyed. Lambert had so many other all-pros (Ham, Greene, Greenwood, the D-Backs) on his teams. Same for Ray Lewis, Nitschke, Lanier, Carson and Buoniconti -- great players on some of the greatest defenses of all time. The Bears were not champions in the time of Butkus through no fault of his own. The only modern player who has overcome those same hardships is London Fletcher, pound for pound one of the best at MLB in the last 30 years. Give Butkus his due and do not hold his acting career against him. I do not hold the felonious past of Ray Lewis against him, but he is no Dick Butkus.
djp - 11 years ago
Being a person of age to watch Dick Butkus and Ray Lewis's entier careers, here are my thoughts on the best middle linbacker. Ray is a huge talent that more importantly developed into a great person. However, Ray played behind 700lbs of defensive tackles and an overall superior defensive unit. Without Butkus the Bears would have been hard pressed to make a defensive stop. This is coming from a huge Ray Nitschke/Packer fan (however that defense was as well loaded with HOF's). Many of today's generation of NFL players are in still awe of Butkus' ability (and toughness). While I don't think you will get much disagreement that the current players skills are overall better, there are transcendent players (Butkus, Jim Brown, Nitschke, Lanier, Decon Jones, to name a few) that were as physical a specimen as players today and would be able to compete evenly with them.
Jack Lambert. It took Ray Lewis all his time in the NFL to win a SUPER BOWL! LAMBERT WON 4 WITH STEELERS .You can say all you want too that RAY LEWIS IS THE BEST. He can not match up with LAMBERT. The last year of Lewis look like his worst!
Matt Harris - 11 years ago
London Fletcher is quietly one of the best. Leads in tackles, forces big plays. The guy hasn't gotten the respect from the voters for the pro-bowler but no one tries harder on every play than he does.
Singletary should be on this list and getting the votes. Lewis is definitely one of the best ever, but he is behind Singletary and Butkus in my opinion.
What do I have to do to get some respect? I've been a warrior who has stayed on the field and matched Ray Lewis on paper. Maybe I can steal his fruity little dance?
TSM - 11 years ago
LT was awesome, but not a middle linebacker, he played on the outside.
John Dough Doe - 11 years ago
I'm not a Bears or Ravens fan, and I do agree that Lewis was one of the best, but to say that he was better than Butkus, a guy who basically changed the way people think about a MLB, is totally absurd. These were two different eras that we we're talking about here. Was Lewis the best in this era? Yeah, I'd say that. Was he the best EVER? Nope!
Jeremy - 11 years ago
I agree with Ray Lewis being the best of all time but, how is Lawrence Taylor not on this list?
mike - 11 years ago
Leaving out Mike Singletary is pure ignorance. He is top 5 all time.
Jim Butz - 11 years ago
I am total Ravens fan, and yes Lewis is best ever.... but Mike Singletary is not even an option? Odd. He was pretty good.
Did see Butkus play, but sorry, my favorite is Ray Nitschke. If you've ever seen him play against Dallas in the NFL championship games, Ice Bowl etc., not to mention two SBs, Nitschke's the man. Ray Lewis is a great MLB #2.
Nitschke didn't strut out of the runway screaming like an idiot and do a dance, Nitschke was there to run over or through ball carriers. Nitschke was "The Man". ITs to bad you younger guys didn't see him play.
Id also state Jack Lambert was as good as Nitschke. Lambert was fast and totally fearless at 215- 220 lbs. And Lambert also had the "steal curtain" playing in front of him which only made it better.
Trying to compare generations in the NFL is totally impossible.
all these guys were very good - but butkus was the best...too bad many of you are to young to have seen him play!
While Ray Lewis should be with the best, he's certainly not in the category of Butkus. Lambert was a fierce, intimidating defender, but, he was surrounded by defensive All Pros. Let's not bypass LeeRoy Jordan . . . . . small, and unspectacular, he a was smart, rugged, hard nosed individual who ALWAYS made critical "big plays". As Bear Bryant stated, "If they stay within the white lines, LeeRoy will get 'em!"
can somebody give Sam Mills some love.. he was 5' 11" and was feared..he did it all...not best but, he is top 10..
Anybody who saw jack Lambert play MLB ( especially because of his size..he played under 220 lbs most of his career) knows he was the best MLB to ever play..he was feared, he tackled, he went back in coverage, he changed games..he made that defense the best of all time.. Lewis was great..Butkus was also great but he played in an era kinda like Wilt champerlain ( man playing with boys)...Singletary was IMO #2...for the dink that put LT on a list ..he isn't an option..he wasn't a MLB....for the young guys..go watch Willie Lanier in youtube..awesome !!..but for my all time team..lambert is the starter...Singletary is his backup..
Rick Gordon - I disagree. I think even an average player in the modern era would be a legend if dropped into the league 30 years ago, and I think a lot of the legends of old would be average players today.
The concentration of talent and athletic freaks is just so so much higher now.
I think time prevents us from giving some the credit they deserve. Butkus, Nitschke, and Lambert were much better than this poll is giving them cedit for and, frankly, Urlacher would have been considered mediocre in their day. A good example is Walter Payton. You never hear his name anymore when disucssing the best backs of all time. But go on the internet some time and find some of his highlights. He was unworldly! Nobody in the last two decades could ever come close to touching him. Including Emmit Smith.
There are some things that do not merit debate. Best MLB of all time is one of them. Butkus is #1. The others are hoping to be #2. Butkus did not have the talent on his teams that any of the other contenders enjoyed. Lambert had so many other all-pros (Ham, Greene, Greenwood, the D-Backs) on his teams. Same for Ray Lewis, Nitschke, Lanier, Carson and Buoniconti -- great players on some of the greatest defenses of all time. The Bears were not champions in the time of Butkus through no fault of his own. The only modern player who has overcome those same hardships is London Fletcher, pound for pound one of the best at MLB in the last 30 years. Give Butkus his due and do not hold his acting career against him. I do not hold the felonious past of Ray Lewis against him, but he is no Dick Butkus.
Being a person of age to watch Dick Butkus and Ray Lewis's entier careers, here are my thoughts on the best middle linbacker. Ray is a huge talent that more importantly developed into a great person. However, Ray played behind 700lbs of defensive tackles and an overall superior defensive unit. Without Butkus the Bears would have been hard pressed to make a defensive stop. This is coming from a huge Ray Nitschke/Packer fan (however that defense was as well loaded with HOF's). Many of today's generation of NFL players are in still awe of Butkus' ability (and toughness). While I don't think you will get much disagreement that the current players skills are overall better, there are transcendent players (Butkus, Jim Brown, Nitschke, Lanier, Decon Jones, to name a few) that were as physical a specimen as players today and would be able to compete evenly with them.
Jack Lambert. It took Ray Lewis all his time in the NFL to win a SUPER BOWL! LAMBERT WON 4 WITH STEELERS .You can say all you want too that RAY LEWIS IS THE BEST. He can not match up with LAMBERT. The last year of Lewis look like his worst!
London Fletcher is quietly one of the best. Leads in tackles, forces big plays. The guy hasn't gotten the respect from the voters for the pro-bowler but no one tries harder on every play than he does.
Jack Lambert – Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-1984)
Career accomplishments:
- 9x Pro Bowler (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983)
- 7x All-Pro Selection (1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983)
Singletary should be on this list and getting the votes. Lewis is definitely one of the best ever, but he is behind Singletary and Butkus in my opinion.
LT not on here cuz of all the blow?
What do I have to do to get some respect? I've been a warrior who has stayed on the field and matched Ray Lewis on paper. Maybe I can steal his fruity little dance?
LT was awesome, but not a middle linebacker, he played on the outside.
I'm not a Bears or Ravens fan, and I do agree that Lewis was one of the best, but to say that he was better than Butkus, a guy who basically changed the way people think about a MLB, is totally absurd. These were two different eras that we we're talking about here. Was Lewis the best in this era? Yeah, I'd say that. Was he the best EVER? Nope!
I agree with Ray Lewis being the best of all time but, how is Lawrence Taylor not on this list?
Leaving out Mike Singletary is pure ignorance. He is top 5 all time.
I am total Ravens fan, and yes Lewis is best ever.... but Mike Singletary is not even an option? Odd. He was pretty good.