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All-Buckeye Pro Team - Linebackers

+11 HS
UniotoTank55's picture
July 24, 2017 at 5:08pm
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Ohio State is the true linebacker U, and a lot of buckeyes have had NFL careers that were quite productive. Finding players for this part of the team was not a challenge. Both the first and second team will feature two inside and two outside linebackers, given that is how all-pro teams are aligned by the AP and others, and there is great variety in whether NFL defenses run a 4-3 or 3-4.

Inside Linebacker

Middle linebacker is often called the “quarterback of the defense.” Maybe we as buckeye fans can extrapolate our pro successes there so we can say we’ve actually produced good NFL quarterbacks...

First Team

Randy Gradishar (1974-1983 Denver Broncos)

The NFL’s all-time leading tackler until 2012 (unofficially, but it is well backed by multiple sources including broncotalk.net and wikipedia that he claims an incredible 2,049 stops), a seven-time pro bowler, two-time first-team all-pro, leader of the famed Orange Crush defense, Broncos ring of fame member, and 1978 AP Defensive Player of the Year is not in the hall of fame. He definitely should be.

Gradishar’s superior athleticism, instincts, and ability to be one of the surest tacklers the game has ever seen had him dominating the NFL for a decade. But don’t take my word for it:

Had rare instincts, was faster than Lambert and very effective in short-yardage and goal-line situations. The fact he is not in the Hall of Fame is a shame and may be attributed to the fact he was a sure tackler but not a lights-out hitter or look-at-me type of player.

Joel Buschbaum, Pro Football Weekly Personnel Scout

His range separated him from others at his position. A sure and determined tackler, he was also an excellent pass defender. He had special qualities in terms of intelligence, preparation and athletic ability. His "play anticipation" was the best in football. He had a great ability to square his body into the ball carrier at the moment of impact; which made him an incredible performer on third or fourth and short.

NFL Films founder and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Ed Sabol

Not as nasty as Butkus, doesn't snarl like Lambert, but Gradishar makes all the plays. Hey, he can hit, too.

Zander Hollander, author of The Complete Handbook of Pro Football

Gradishar was named first-team all-time 3-4 defense by Pro Football Weekly... the other six players on that team are in the Hall of Fame. Gradishar came closest in 2003, when he was in the final ten for admission into that Canton class.

Other career stats found for Randy, outside the over 2,000 tackles, include 20 interceptions, 13 fumble recoveries, and four defensive touchdowns.

Chris Spielman (1988-1995 Detroit Lions, 1996-1997 Buffalo Bills)

I think a decent indication of how highly a player is viewed by their respective teams is having all 148 of their games played also be games started. Spielman was the centerpiece of Detroit defenses for eight years, and a key reason why they came the closest they ever have to a Super Bowl following the 1991 season (they lost in the NFC title game to the Redskins).

Spielman was Detroit’s leading tackler in all eight seasons he was there, in fact, culminating in a single-season team record of 195 in 1994 and a Lions career record of 1,138 takedowns, as part of his 1,363 total career stops.

Chris earned the nod for four pro bowls and made an appearance on the all-pro first team in 1991.

Second Team

Pepper Johnson (1986-1992 New York Giants, 1993-1995 Cleveland Browns, 1996 Detroit Lions, 1997-1998 New York Jets)

Johnson now makes three straight linebackers on this list with at least 1,000 career tackles, which is no small feat in the NFL. Pepper started off his career in a bit of a sleepwalk, with only one of his four seasons above 80 tackles, but broke out in 1990 when he recorded 115 stops, 3.5 sacks, and was named to the both the pro bowl and all-pro team for the Super Bowl winning New York Giants, the latter of his two rings with the team.

After heading to Cleveland for the 1993 season, Johnson only made 87 tackles with just one sack playing outside linebacker the first and only time for his career. Once he switched back to the inside he registered back-to-back seasons of at least 120 takedowns and combined for 4.5 sacks over the two years. He made his second pro bowl in 1994.

Johnson left the Browns after 1995 and retired after brief stints with the Lions and Jets.

A.J. Hawk (2006-2014 Green Bay Packers, 2015 Cincinnati Bengals, 2016 Atlanta Falcons)

In case you missed the news way earlier this year, Hawk’s NFL career came to a close after a retirement announcement in January. And you know what? He accomplished quite a bit in his time as a professional. Ten years as a starter, 159 games played, 950 tackles, 9 interceptions, and a Super Bowl ring with the Pack.

Hawk could play inside or outside, and determining which position he should be placed at for this team was difficult. Six of his seasons were at inside linebacker whilst he was in 3-4 defenses; his five years in a 4-3 he played outside.

Something I had never known about Hawk before writing this was that he was fined $10,000 by the NFL after flipping off the entirety of a Rams crowd.

Outside Linebacker

There may only be two pro bowlers for Ohio State at this position, but don’t let that fool you. A wealth of edge enforcers had highly productive NFL tenures after their time in Columbus.

First Team

Jim Houston (1960-1972 Cleveland Browns)

Houston was an all-american end at Ohio State, and upon his arrival in Cleveland he became the starting defensive end for the team. However, after his first three seasons with the Browns, the *ahem* controversial figure that was Art Modell decided to fire the legendary Paul Brown and hire Blanton Collier to coach the team instead. Collier came in and took immediate note of the athletic ability that Jim Houston possessed, and decided to move him back to outside linebacker.

It turned out to be a great change for Houston’s career.

Within two years Jim made his first of what would be four pro bowls, and showed to be a very capable defender of the pass intercepting a total of fourteen passes in his ten seasons following the position switch.

The Browns took full advantage of Houston’s athleticism in their 1964 NFL championship shutout upset of a Baltimore Colts team with five hall of famers on its offense. Houston was one of two players assigned to Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey, and was a main reason the legend was held to one catch for two yards that day.

Houston also owns the distinction of never having played for a team who was on the bad side of a .500 record. He ranks 28th on cleveland.com’s list of the 100 greatest Browns.

Stan White (1972-1979 Baltimore Colts, 1980-1982 Detroit Lions)

Did I say Jim Houston had an ability to defend the pass? Well Stan White makes him look like a revolving door. In fact, Don Shinnick (also of the Baltimore Colts) is the only linebacker in the entire history of the NFL with more career interceptions than Stan White’s 34. His 8 picks in 1975 still stand as the single season record for a linebacker.

White also recovered 15 career fumbles for a total number of takeaways placed at 49. That number has only been equalled by Jack Ham and Ray Lewis. He’s on the Baltimore Colts all-time team.

Second Team

Bob Brudzinski (1977-1980 Los Angeles Rams, 1981-1989 Miami Dolphins)

For never making the pro bowl, Bob Brudzinski had one heck of a career in Miami. After four seasons with the Rams in which he only started a majority of games once (1979, when he made 129 tackles for Los Angeles), the Dolphins acquired him and he was a central part of the “Killer-Bs” defense there in Miami that helped lead the team to two Super Bowl appearances in the early '80s. His impact loomed large enough that he was voted to the Dolphins all-time team in the early 2000s and voted one of the “Fifty greatest dolphins” by The Miami Herald, Phins.com, and others. His single most well-remembered game was a 20 tackle performance in an AFC title loss to the New England Patriots.

“Bru” finished his career with 23.5 sacks and 9 interceptions.

Mike Vrabel (1997-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2001-2008 New England Patriots, 2009-2010 Kansas City Chiefs)

Sticking with the theme of athleticism at this position, Vrabel had the athletic ability to do a laundry list of things in the pros. He recorded 57.0 sacks in his 140 starts, twice the number of any other Ohio State linebacker who played recently enough to have the stat recorded. He defensed the most passes too, 40 in total, picking off 11 throws. Of course, New England fans know him well for his catches on offense as well. Utilized as a tight end in their goal line package, he has ten career receptions... all for touchdowns. He also made two such catches in two separate New England Super Bowl wins.

Honorable Mentions

James Laurinaitas (2009-2015 St. Louis Rams, 2016 New Orleans Saints) - Inside Linebacker

Lil’ animal announced his retirement in April, finishing his career with only one season below 100 tackles. He is a former captain and the all-time leading tackler for the Rams (853 with the team). He also boasts 16.5 sacks and 34 passes defended with 10 interceptions for his career.

Na’il Diggs (2000-2005 Green Bay Packers, 2006-2009 Carolina Panthers, 2010 St. Louis Rams, 2011 San Diego Chargers) - Outside Linebacker

Diggs was a starter for ten seasons, playing for four different teams. With 170 games to his credit, he totals 676 tackles (539 solo) with 11.5 sacks, 5 interceptions, 31 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles, and 6 fumble recoveries.

Bill Jobko (1958-1962 Los Angeles Rams, 1963-1965 Minnesota Vikings, 1966 Atlanta Falcons) - Outside Linebacker

Jobko’s career was cut a bit short due to high blood pressure (still played 107 games), but he led the league in fumble recoveries in 1959 and was a captain for the first ever Atlanta Falcons professional football team.

Sources: pro-football-reference.com, NFL.com, wikipedia.org, cleveland.com, thephinsider.com, milehighreport.com, others.

tank's all-buckeye Pro team - defense (Thus far)
Position First team second team
defensive tackle Bill Willis, Dan Wilkinson Ryan Pickett, Johnathan Hankins
defensive end Jim Marshall, Will Smith Keith Ferguson, Alonzo Spellman
inside linebacker Randy Gradishar, Chris Spielman Pepper Johnson, A.J. Hawk
outside linebacker Jim Houston, Stan White Bob Brudzinski, Mike Vrabel

 

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