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NFL Top 100 Defensive Linemen and LBs


The Gipper

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This week, the NFL will  reveal those Defensive Linemen and the Linebackers that will make their All Time Top 100 players in  NFL History.

What I don't know, because I could not find it in the NFL.com website, is how many of each of these   they are going to put on the team. 

But, I say that they have to have  at least 10 of each.....and I think it would be very, very tough to limit it to that few. 

So, in subsequent posts on here, I will list whom I think should go on the list:  10 DL,  10 LBs.

Do your own if you wish.  

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Here is my guess on the DL :

Reggie White

Deacon Jones

Bob Lilley

Alan Page

Merlin Olsen

Mean Joe Greene

Howie Long

Gino Marchetti

Bruce Smith

Michael Strahan

(possible alternate:  Warren Sapp)

A couple that I have in the back of my mind that are active, who could be alternates:   Aaron Donald,   JJ Watt

Am I missing anyone?    If you would replace one of mine....say who you would drop off.

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One factor about my above choices for both DL and  LB.....except for  2-3 exceptions, all my choices were from the post-merger era. (1970)  But we saw that the selectors in the last round...the RBs,   went almost half and half pre and post merger.    I think these positions were harder to do....(with as I say exceptions like Bednarik,  Bill George, Marchetti)

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I have learned now what the breakdown will be on the numbers of each position that will be selected for the All Time 100 team:

Running backs:   12

Quarterbacks:   10

Wide Receivers:  10

Tight Ends:  5

 Offensive Tackles:  7

Offensive Guards:  7

Centers:   4

Defensive Ends:    7

Defensive Tackles:   7

Middle/Inside Linebackers:   6

Outside Linebackers:   7 

Cornerbacks:   7

Safeties:   6

Kickers:   2

Punters:   2

Returners:  2

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With this Change in the numbers,   here is my prediction for those who will be on the team along the DL;

Defensive Ends:  (7)  Deacon Jones, Howie Long, Bruce Smith, Michael Strahan,  Gino Marchetti....and  now add:   Len Ford**  and Leroy Selmon

 

Defensive tackles (7):   Bob Lilley,  Mean Joe Greene, Merlin Olsen, Alan Page, Reggie White.....plus add:  Warren Sapp and Art Donovan

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On 11/27/2019 at 7:15 PM, The Gipper said:

With this Change in the numbers,   here is my prediction for those who will be on the team along the DL;

Defensive Ends:  (7)  Deacon Jones, Howie Long, Bruce Smith, Michael Strahan,  Gino Marchetti....and  now add:   Len Ford**  and Leroy Selmon

 

Defensive tackles (7):   Bob Lilley,  Mean Joe Greene, Merlin Olsen, Alan Page, Reggie White.....plus add:  Warren Sapp and Art Donovan

The Results were released tonight:

On DEs  I got:  Deacon, Smith, Marchetti, and Selmon.....but the committee put on Doug Atkins, Bill Hewitt....and they put Reggie White at DE, not DT??

(no Long, Ford, Strahan)

On DTs I got:   Lilley,  Greene, Olsen,  Page.....and I got Reggie White, but they had him at DE.   They also included Randy White, John Randle, and Buck Buchanan

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On 11/27/2019 at 7:22 PM, The Gipper said:

And with this change,  here are the predictions for the LB position:

Middle LBs:  Ray Lewis, Chuck Bednarik, Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke,   Junior Seau,   Jack Lambert

OLBs:   Lawrence Taylor, Derrick Thomas, Derrick Brooks,  Ted Hendricks, Bobby Bell,  Chris Doleman

On MLBs I got:  Butkus, Lewis, Seau, and Lambert.   They included Joe Schmidt and Willie Lanier  (they left of Nitschke).  Also...they had Bednarik as an OLB where I had him at ILB

On OLB, I got:    Taylor,  Thomas, Brooks, Hendricks, Bell.    They put Jack Ham in instead of  Doleman...and I am OK with that. 

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22 minutes ago, Zombo said:

Reggie White was a DE, Gip, not sure why you had him at DT.

Zombo

He was one of those guys that played all up and down the line, inside and out.  He was built more like a DT with his girth...so I guess that is why I had him at DT.

Let's just call him a "Defensive Lineman".  JJ Watt has basically done the same thing. 

Plus, I am again noticing that they are  giving due to the "old timers"  with guys like Doug Atkins and Bill Hewitt being on the team, over more recent performers....like Strahan

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22 hours ago, The Gipper said:

He was one of those guys that played all up and down the line, inside and out.  He was built more like a DT with his girth...so I guess that is why I had him at DT.

Let's just call him a "Defensive Lineman".  JJ Watt has basically done the same thing. 

Plus, I am again noticing that they are  giving due to the "old timers"  with guys like Doug Atkins and Bill Hewitt being on the team, over more recent performers....like Strahan

Let's just call him a defensive end because that was his position and everyone in football recognizes that. He was 6'5 291. Watt, 6'5 288 is also a defensive end.

Listed as a defensive end by every source imaginable, including Pro Football Hall of Fame, NFL All-Decade 80's team, NFL All-Decade 90's team, PFR, NFL ... Everybody.

Zombo

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2 hours ago, ballpeen said:

Doug Atkins better be on the team.  That guy was a beast.

Sadly, he should have spent the majority of his career with the Browns, but Paul Brown at that point of his Browns tenure was busy getting rid of defensive HOF talent at a break-neck pace. 

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11 hours ago, Dutch Oven said:

Sadly, he should have spent the majority of his career with the Browns, but Paul Brown at that point of his Browns tenure was busy getting rid of defensive HOF talent at a break-neck pace. 

Sorry to say, Paul bucked that one up in a big way.

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