September 23, 201015 yr comment_82880 ...and let's not forget Butkus and Buffone. I can't recall a 3rd in the mix, but that was a while back. Excellent point, I would have to rate Butkus as my fav LB of all time..... Report
September 23, 201015 yr Author comment_82882 Agreed! Excellent point, I would have to rate Butkus as my fav LB of all time..... Report
September 24, 201015 yr comment_82893 Singletary, Wilson, Wilbur > Briggs, Urlacher, Pisa > Urlacher, Holdman, Colvin That is all. The thing with the first group, especially Singletary, is it was the D-lines job to keep blockers off those guys. The defense was geared for them to make plays. I can just imagine the outright gaudy stats Url would have if the Bears ran that same Defense. Instead Url is responsible for staying in his gap and taking on a lineman…or he's responsible for running back 15 yards away from the LOS in zone coverage or both...run up fake a blitz, then drop back 15 in zone coverage...then run back toward the LOS to make a stop. Hamptons job was keep that O-lineman with you so Samurai can just watch the play develop and then fly in and make the stop. It's the same reason Ray Lewis was all pro all those years. The big guys eat up the blockers and Lewis, makes the plays. Put Lewis as the MIKE in Lovie's defense and his numbers would drop significantly as would Singletarys. Report
September 24, 201015 yr comment_82895 The thing with the first group, especially Singletary, is it was the D-lines job to keep blockers off those guys. The defense was geared for them to make plays. I can just imagine the outright gaudy stats Url would have if the Bears ran that same Defense. Instead Url is responsible for staying in his gap and taking on a lineman…or he's responsible for running back 15 yards away from the LOS in zone coverage or both...run up fake a blitz, then drop back 15 in zone coverage...then run back toward the LOS to make a stop. Hamptons job was keep that O-lineman with you so Samurai can just watch the play develop and then fly in and make the stop. It's the same reason Ray Lewis was all pro all those years. The big guys eat up the blockers and Lewis, makes the plays. Put Lewis as the MIKE in Lovie's defense and his numbers would drop significantly as would Singletarys. I agree whole-heartedly, the defence was definitely a unit and worked together to make the sum of it's parts so devastating. I agree Url would have been a heck of a LB in that scheme....but I think any of that era LB's would have been great in this day and age too. Report
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