I think we need a linebacker

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(03-22-2018, 07:11 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Yeah most of these teams run a 3-4 though, and I'm talking about 4-3 LB's. Even then, the Seahawks were known for the secondary, Wilson and Lynch. The Pats for Brady and Gronk + Revis the one year. Ray Lewis was just a name in 2012. His play had slipped in a major way. I'll give you the Broncos, but again...3-4.

If you go back further than that, you're getting into a different era of football. 

Not as much as you might think.

Were they 4-3?
2016 Patriots: Yes
2015 Broncos: No
2014 Patriots: Yes
2013 Seahawks: Yes
2012 Ravens: No

3/5 of those examples were actually 4-3 teams.

Maybe I just appreciate good LBs, but I knew and appreciated Wagner when the Seahawks were in their prime. Guy is easily a top-3 LB in the NFL. He was indeed overlooked by some when they had the Legion of Boom or whatever, but he's been a Pro Bowler and All-Pro for each of the last four years. Heck, in 14 games he had 120 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 7 Pdef, 2 INT for that 2013 SB team. Plus 34 more tackles in the 3 postseason games.

Lewis was a bit of a name in 2012, but you can't deny how much he intellectually brought to that team on the field. 4-3 LB isn't just about running and tackling. It's also about making sure your guys are in the right spot, in the right defense, reading the offense and checking into the right protection for it. It's why Chris Crocker/Reggie Nelson had to do that job when the Bengals had Rey Maualuga. Gotta have that mental game, too.


Yeah, I didn't want to go really much further than what I did, because I agree it was a whole different era then. 250-260lb LBers running downhill and smashing into power RBs. No 265lb TEs running 4.5-4.6s, or read-option offenses.