Big Ten's Best Linebackers: 2000s
They just showed the Big Ten's best linebackers of the 2000s on BTN, maybe not for the first time, so I'm sorry if you all knew this.
The Big Ten has had some great linebackers in the last decade, so it was a pretty good episode. The two things that irked me the most:
No M players. I didn't expect to see Obi Ezeh or John Thompson on there, but leaving David Harris off that list is a major error in my opinion.
Greg Jones is #3. Seriously. He's above Dan Connor, AJ Hawk, Sean Lee, Chad Greenway, etc. I was dumbfounded.
The thing that made me happy is that I think we have a good shot at having a handful of guys on that list for the teens.
The list, from memory:
Paul Puzluzny (sp)
James Laurinitis
Greg Jones(!?)
Dan Connor
AJ Hawk
Chad Greenway
J Leman
Sean Lee
Barrett Ruud (Nebraska, pre-Big Ten)
McGaricle ?? - some guy from Northwestern I had never heard of.
October 14th, 2011 at 3:34 PM ^
Harris and Foote both were better than J fuckin Leman
October 14th, 2011 at 3:39 PM ^
Retroactively claim woodley as a LB? If so, he would be top 3. Someone start a letter campaign.
October 14th, 2011 at 5:25 PM ^
He was on their DL list
October 14th, 2011 at 3:44 PM ^
That list is seriously laughable without David Harris.
October 14th, 2011 at 3:53 PM ^
David Harris not being on the list is ridiculous. you could make a case that Prescott Burgess and shawn crable were better than the last 3 on that list as well.
October 14th, 2011 at 4:07 PM ^
How the Patriots could let Crable and Burgess go is ridiculous. They've never had a consistent pass rush and their D has been putrid since Bruschi et al retired.... Would have been great to watch these 2 men on Sundays in a Bill B defense.
October 14th, 2011 at 5:01 PM ^
Burgess has just 30 tackles in 2 plus years with the Ravens and Crable last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions. So it's not like any other teams have put those guys to good use.
October 14th, 2011 at 10:33 PM ^
That rationale, that these 2 didn't make elsewhere so the Patriots were validated to cu them, doesn't hold up when you look at folks like James Harrison and Kurt Warner, guys who were cut from several teams and bagging groceries, but each now have a Super Bowl ring(s)... Also Danny Woodhead, cut from the Jets, Wes Welker, undrafted... "making it" in the NFL is a matter of matching the scheme, working hard and being lucky... I subscribe to the "The harder I work the Luckier I get" mentality of the old movie mogul Lew Wasserman, but I will be a Wolverine homer and hope Burgess, Crable and Donovan Warren all find homes with solid teams...
October 14th, 2011 at 3:58 PM ^
October 14th, 2011 at 4:03 PM ^
I will give the BTN a pass for not including Woodley, as they had him in their top 5 DL list. Leaving off Harris is crazy, he was arguably one of the top 5 if not top 10 LB of the last ten years. Hell, I would put Victor Hobson and Larry Foote above the last three on the list.
October 14th, 2011 at 6:17 PM ^
a program that has prided itself on defense (except '08, '09 & '10), been recognized by many others similarly, not have one representative in that list!?
October 14th, 2011 at 4:30 PM ^
Harris at his best was fantastic, but he only started for two years and only made all-conference the one time as a senior. Obviously his success in the pros shows he's a better player than a number of guys on the list, but just about all of them had more productive college careers.
October 14th, 2011 at 5:04 PM ^
Greg Jones shouldn't be so high and I think you switch Sean Lee and Dan Connor. DC was good, but I thought Lee was much more consistent. David Harris should be on there, but oh well. These lists don't mean a thing.
October 14th, 2011 at 5:04 PM ^
What about Victor Hobson?
October 14th, 2011 at 7:40 PM ^
defensive systems produce high tackle numbers for linebackers.
October 14th, 2011 at 8:24 PM ^
That list is completely erroneous if David freakin' Harris isn't on it!
October 15th, 2011 at 12:37 AM ^
paul posluszny