This Team Needs a Stud Linebacker

[*SHRacerX*]

(11-20-2020, 02:55 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: We need a big-time linebacker.  A high level, versatile, play-making beast of LB.  They don't have to be the 2nd coming of Brian Urlacher or Ray Lewis, but they do need to be much better than what we've had.

How long has it been since we've had a linebacker that fits this description?  More importantly, how long as it been since we've had a well above average LB that we could count on from year to year?

You might want to throw out Burfict's name.  He definitely fit the desciption at times.  The problem with him is he only started 16 games once in his entire career.  His other year he saw the field in every game was his rookie year, where he hadn't quite reached his peak level.  After year 2, here are his games played totals for us: 5, 10, 11, 10, 7.

At times Burfict was elite, and a force.  At other times he was slow, and out of shape.  And most of the time we couldn't count on having him for a full season.

Before him, you have to go all the way back to 2005 to find Odell Thurman.  He has a fantastic rookie campaign with 105 tackles, 5 INT's, and 5 FF's.  Of course, we all know the problem here.  He only played one season.  Such a shame, because he could've and should've been someone we could count on year-in and year-out.

The one player that comes to mind, that I think fits my description, is Takeo Spikes, who played here from '98 to '02.  You have to go back almost 20 years to find an above average LB we've had that was a full-time starter over a stretch of years.

Guys, that's a big problem.

We need to find that guy again.  They don't have to be all-world, just a top 1/3 of the league guy that can make some big plays.

The guys we recently drafted could be decent.  I'm not writing them off or anything like that.  Although, I have way more faith in Logan Wilson to be a legitimate starter than Davis-Geather (dude looks so slow).  But I don't think either of these guys fit my description either.

I hope we either go out and pay a chunck of a change to legitimate FA, or we target a LB early in the 2nd or late in the first (we could trade up).  I know we have a lot of holes, but we continue to run out a garbage LB core year after year.  We need to do better here.

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but with regards to ADG, I remember seeing him at the Senior Bowl and thinking what a coverage ace the guy was.  There was some lingering questions at the draft about his knee, but it appears to be fine.  But, am I the only one who looks at him and thought:  "THAT is ADG???"  Dude looks as big as Carl Lawson!  I WANTED a speed 229 lb linebacker.  The game is changing and the days of the 260 lb middle backer that just stuffs the run are gone.  Has he put on too much weight?  Is this why he looks so slow?  He isn't fat, but there is no way that guy is 229 lbs.  

I just wonder if they ruined his key asset by trying so hard to bulk him up?