Poll} The Greatest Defensive Player In History ?...

[BallsOfFurry]

Defense is my favorite part of football, nothing like a good defense... This is a tough one, so many talented players to choose from...

1. Reggie White
2. Ray Lewis
3. Deion Sanders
4. Joe Greene
5. Mike Singletary

Of course Lawrence Taylor could easily be there also... he was a beast..

Both Lewis and Singletary would be my starting MLBs on an all time team. Lewis was the best ever in my opinion.

 

[Godstree]

My favorite poster: The earth is 2/3 covered with water, Deon covers the rest.

Randy White was the best IMO. That guy was something else.

If we are talking game changers, Charles Haley changed the SB trophy from SF to Dallas.

Reggie White is probably my favorite non Cowboy ever. That is when he was with GB. In philly he was just alright.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

As much as it pains me to say this, Champ Bailey is the greatest defensive player to play the game of football.

Wow, not even in the discussion IMO.

I had to think as it was between LT, Reggie White and Ray Lewis for me. But I went with LT because he was just a force who could change a game in an instant and he did it all the time. I'm a big fan of Derrick Thomas too but he wasn't no Lawrence Taylor.

 

[YankeeRebel]

I went with LT but if he played with out all the Cocaine and Steroids not sure he would still get my vote.

 

[BallsOfFurry]

Wow, not even in the discussion IMO.

I had to think as it was between LT, Reggie White and Ray Lewis for me. But I went with LT because he was just a force who could change a game in an instant and he did it all the time. I'm a big fan of Derrick Thomas too but he wasn't no Lawrence Taylor.

Champ was the best CB in the game for a decade, but I didn't consider him as a candidate for best ever.
Physically the man is a wonder kind though.

 

[Balljim55]

And who can forget the hit LT put on Thiesman

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Champ was the best CB in the game for a decade, but I didn't consider him as a candidate for best ever.
Physically the man is a wonder kind though.

I know how great he was, saw a lot of him in Washington. But he isn't even the best CB ever let alone best defensive player

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Both Lewis and Singletary would be my starting MLBs on an all time team. Lewis was the best ever in my opinion.

Agreed, Lewis is a monster, and Singletary gave 100 percent every snap on every down, he was amazing also, I agree with ya ...

 

[BallsOfFurry]

Agreed, Lewis is a monster, and Singletary gave 100 percent every snap on every down, he was amazing also, I agree with ya ...

Not much would get past both of those guys.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

Ill go with Bill Belichick

"Lawrence Taylor is the greatest football player ive ever been around"

 

[BallsOfFurry]

Ill go with Bill Belichick

"Lawrence Taylor is the greatest football player ive ever been around"

Belichick coached LT, it doesn't necessarily mean he thinks he's the best ever, just the best he was around.

 

[TP76]

Didn't really see much of Butkus growing up - just the tail end of his career when he was a mere shadow of his former self - so I had to vote for LT.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

Belichick coached LT, it doesn't necessarily mean he thinks he's the best ever, just the best he was around.

No, if youve seen the LT special on Showtime, he makes it pretty clear he was the greatest defensive player ever.....It was more than just a quote, he spends 20 minutes talking about LT

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

LT and the Evolution of the Left Tackle

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

The shark is nature's second-most perfectly evolved predator. Its perfectly hydrodynamic shape, incredible swimming power, astonishing hunting senses and yes—rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth—have put it at the apex of the ocean's food chain since 200 million years before the first dinosaur walked the earth.

Nature's most perfectly evolved predator is Lawrence Taylor.

The most electrifying, terrifying pass-rusher who ever lived, Taylor single-handedly changed the way the game is played. The power his body generated to propel his 6'3", 245-pound frame to terrifying speeds was transferred into the blindsides of opposing quarterbacks. Ribs, legs and offensive possessions were shattered by the force with which Taylor hit.

Taylor inspired a generation of big, fast blitzing linebackers—and in turn, a dramatic change in the way offenses protect quarterbacks. To keep this new breed of predators at bay, teams scouted and groomed bigger, more athletic left tackles. Thanks to Taylor and his ilk, an afterthought "big ugly" role became one of the highest-paid, highest-profile positions in football.

Taylor's entrance into the NFL was perfectly timed. The NFL's adoption of passer-friendly rules in 1976, 1977 and 1978 had ushered in a new era of pass-first offenses. Forward-thinking coaches like Bill Walsh and Don Coryell had begun building their offenses around a quarterback's newfound ability to completely control the game.

It was a football biome for which Taylor was well-adapted. His ability to devour quarterbacks immediately broke these new passer-centric NFL offenses. As a rookie in 1981, his 9.5 (unofficial) sacks earned him the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, Defensive Player of the Year honors and a spot on the Pro Bowl and All-Pro rosters. He would make those rosters each of his first 10 seasons in the NFL.

Taylor was the linchpin of a Giants defense that ultimately won two Super Bowls. In 1986, he was named NFL MVP—only the second defensive MVP since the award's inception in 1957. His dominance was unrivaled, then or since.

 

[BallsOfFurry]

No, if youve seen the LT special on Showtime, he makes it pretty clear he was the greatest defensive player ever.....It was more than just a quote, he spends 20 minutes talking about LT

The quote is clear, the greatest he's ever been around. He wasn't around White, Lewis, Deacon, etc.
Clearly he thinks LT was great, everybody does, but THE greatest is a whole other thing.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

The quote is clear, the greatest he's ever been around. He wasn't around White, Lewis, Deacon, etc.
Clearly he thinks LT was great, everybody does, but THE greatest is a whole other thing.

LT is in any conversation for greatest ever...........Doesnt mean I dis-agree that some of the other guys mentioned in this thread are also worthy

We are all prisoners of the moment in sports

Guys dont remember Butkus, so he cant be in the conversation

Guys dont remember Otto Graham, or enough about the era Montana played in, so Brady is the greatest

Nothing new, thats why its all really based on opinion, more than fact

 

[BallsOfFurry]

LT is in any conversation for greatest ever...........Doesnt mean I dis-agree that some of the other guys mentioned in this thread are also worthy

We are all prisoners of the moment in sports

Guys dont remember Butkus, so he cant be in the conversation

Guys dont remember Otto Graham, or enough about the era Montana played in, so Brady is the greatest

Nothing new, thats why its all really based on opinion, more than fact

Both were the elite of the elite.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Ill go with Bill Belichick

"Lawrence Taylor is the greatest football player ive ever been around"

Tecmo Super-Bowl agrees.... !

 

[Ricky Roma]

First Off I said Delusional to think Ham was better than Brooks.

First of all...thanks for the multiple posts concerning the opinions of John Clayton and Elliot Harrison. I mean....that proves....well...nothing. But it IS your criteria, so...

Best Outside Linebackers in NFL History | Page 13 of 15 | Fanopedia

The 10 Greatest NFL Linebackers of All Time

The NFL's Top 50 Linebackers of the Modern Era

Yah see? A bunch of lists off the internet all saying that Ham was better than Brooks.....not that I care about it much. The point still stands....you say 'delusional' to suggest Jack Ham was better than Derrick Brooks when Ham was aaaaaagain:

6 time first team All Pro (more than Brooks)
DPOY for 1975
All decade OLB of the 1970's
All time 75th anniversary team
First ballot HOF'er

You simply come off as a TB Bucky fanboi with any kind of 'delusional' comment.