Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below Ray Lewis is the best linebacker I have seen since Lawrence Taylor, but you can make a damed good case for Urlacher being the Defensive MVP this year. He makes LT-like plays every week. He's only in his second season and has a ways to go, but with his incredible speed and instincts he could be as good as any of them.
Brian Urlacher or Ray Lewis?
- Thread starter Thick dog
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bgdaddysmooth
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Urlacher. One word. Stud. The Bears rule!!!!
Longhorn85
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I'll say Urlacher since Lewis is basically a criminal
the nature boy
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lewis is slightly better than ulracher. I could care less about his criminal record. I watch those guys play for the athletes they are, not for their character.
Oh yeah, lavar arrington is 3rd.
Oh yeah, lavar arrington is 3rd.
Arrington kind of reminds me of Derrick Brooks, who is one of the best linebackers I've ever seen against the pass. They aren't quite as good at the point of attack as some of the good middle backers, but they are outstanding in space. They're are a lot of good young linebackers in the league right now. It is probably the strongest position in football in terms of quality players and stars.
Ta-Shunka Minintu
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Takeo Fuckin' Spikes!!!!!! You put him on The Ravens or Bears and he would dominate just as much as Urlacher or Lewis! Look at the Bengals Defense this year. Un-fuckin' believable. The Bengals D-Line and linebackers can play with any others in the NFL!! They just don't have any offense.
the nature boy
New member
Thick dog said:
True there are tons of great linebackers, and conversly the defensive ends aren't nearly as dominant as they were 5 or 10 years ago. Gotta love football, things always change.
As for arrington, yes he does remind me of brooks (who kicked ass in FSU BTW), and if you're old school he reminds me Wilbur Marshall. His motor never stops and he goes sideline to sideline, be doesnt get many sacks, but he does get INTS, and breaks up passes. And arrington is one of the most devistating tacklers in the game. So devistating that he'll probably shorten his career because he hurts himself too.
Wilber Marshall was an awesome playmaker for the Bears and SKins. Shit, I remember him coming out of UF. He didn't get anywhere near the amount of credit he deserved, mainly because he was overshadowed by guys like Singletary and Hampton in Chicago and Dexter Manley in Washignton. He made as many big plays as any of the great linebackers. I remember on more than one accasion him being the last person to jump on a pile of guys trying to recover a fumbel and him coming away with the ball...as for Brooks, my freshamn year at FSU in 93, he had scored more touchdowns as the opposing teams combined at the midway point of the season...
the nature boy
New member
Thick dog said:
Damn! Double DAMN!!!!
fistfullofsteel
Well-known member
Thick dog said:
I saw R. Lewis cry this weekend on the bench because he knew they weren't going to win the game. I have respect for him after that because it shows how much he cares and how much he wants to win. It reminded me of when L.T. dislocated his shoulder and they put a harness on him so he could finish the game. I remember seeing the pain on his face and his eyes were watery because of the pain, but L.T. cared that much about winning and gave it his all. It looks likes R. Lewis gives his all too on every play. He is a little showy but I think he does that to get himself up for the game and I don't care if a player does naked cartwheels on the field to get himself psyched up. I also think he is very much like Dick Butkis, because he gets down and dirty and pulls no punches.
As for Urlacher I have watched him play one or two games and he is very L.T. like too. He is all over the field. He covers a lot of ground. He hits like a mule too.
For straight up athlete....Urlacher is the better man. But the question is who is a better linebacker....and I would still have to say Lewis, but his days on the throne are short. When it is all said and done, and you compare who was a better player in their career I see more potential for Urlacher...if Da Bears give him the chance.
And for those that mentioned Wilbur Marshall. Now you are talkin. That takes me back to when I was a little kid. I remember when he came out of Fla. That 85 Bears Defense. Say what you want...I would take that defense over the Ravens Superbowl defense any day.
And for those that mentioned Wilbur Marshall. Now you are talkin. That takes me back to when I was a little kid. I remember when he came out of Fla. That 85 Bears Defense. Say what you want...I would take that defense over the Ravens Superbowl defense any day.
the nature boy
New member
Hannibal said:
Plus the bears came out with a video, the Ravens didn't.
Advantage: Bears
They are both great but the nod goes to Urlacher...or Seau. Ray Lewis loses it for me when he is always dancing around....I couldn't care less about a players dancing skills. I want to watch football, not Soul Train.
Urlacher all the way. He's a phenom and only in his second year. He's going to just get better while Lewis probably already peaked. Not too bad considering he was a safety in college. He'd probably be one of the top safeties in the league right now if they kept him there too. He'd be the most feared safety at any rate. A 6'3 250lb safety would take someone's head off on an open field tackle.
H
HighIntensity
Guest
LEWIS...
Who would you rather have leading your team on the field?
I'd have to say that Brian Urlacher has better leadership qualites than Ray Lewis.
Going by their stats from their first 2 years in the league, Urlacher is the more complete player. Although Ray Lewis was a tackling machine in his 2nd year. Urlacher still has to finish this season before his final numbers are in. You also have to keep in mind that the ROLB for the Bears, Warrick Holdman, is having an outstanding year and is taking out everything that comes his way, currently leading the team in tackles. Boulware on the other hand, is having a subpar season and Ray is picking up a lot of his slack which inflates his numbers.
I'd have to say that Brian Urlacher has better leadership qualites than Ray Lewis.
Going by their stats from their first 2 years in the league, Urlacher is the more complete player. Although Ray Lewis was a tackling machine in his 2nd year. Urlacher still has to finish this season before his final numbers are in. You also have to keep in mind that the ROLB for the Bears, Warrick Holdman, is having an outstanding year and is taking out everything that comes his way, currently leading the team in tackles. Boulware on the other hand, is having a subpar season and Ray is picking up a lot of his slack which inflates his numbers.
H
HighIntensity
Guest
LEWIS...and he's a hell of a leader
huntmaster
New member
---First of All---
Singletary was better than LT
Now that we got that out of the way, Urlacher is the better linebacker and overall football player.
Ray Lewis is good but he is no Urlacher.
I think trotter is better that Lewis.
Singletary was better than LT
Now that we got that out of the way, Urlacher is the better linebacker and overall football player.
Ray Lewis is good but he is no Urlacher.
I think trotter is better that Lewis.
huntmaster said:
Someone that respects the Samuri
While Singletary was inside...more pass coverage resposibilities. And LT was outside...rush the passer. LT even admitted in interviews that whenever he got confused on his assignment he would rush the passer. His athletic ability made up for some od his decision making. Mike was obviously the more complete player. And the best Linebacker that I have ever seen play in my opinion. They both were Leaders on the field....but if I had to pick one to lead my defense I would pick Mike Singletary everytime.
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fistfullofsteel
Well-known member
According to the sport analysts they say Dick Butkus is the greatest defense player ever and L.T. comes at a close second because he revolutioned his position and did things you weren't able to do at that position. They also said Butkus was the dirtest, meanest, most craziest psycho out on the field ever.
I saw some tapes of this guy and he was fast and he would hit guys so hard that a piece of their equipment would come flying out almost every time.
That's pretty damn wicked.
Going back to LT. Bill Parcels always fucked with LT's head and I think he made him a better player. One time he told another player that the linebacker on the opposing team was better than LT, and he knew he was going to go tell LT. So when LT found out, it drove him nuts. During a game he made this huge play and after the play he come over to the sidelines and walked past Bill and said, "Let me see that other guy make a play like that."
I saw some tapes of this guy and he was fast and he would hit guys so hard that a piece of their equipment would come flying out almost every time.
That's pretty damn wicked.Going back to LT. Bill Parcels always fucked with LT's head and I think he made him a better player. One time he told another player that the linebacker on the opposing team was better than LT, and he knew he was going to go tell LT. So when LT found out, it drove him nuts. During a game he made this huge play and after the play he come over to the sidelines and walked past Bill and said, "Let me see that other guy make a play like that."
the nature boy
New member
fistfullofsteel said:According to the sport analysts they say Dick Butkus is the greatest defense player ever and L.T. comes at a close second because he revolutioned his position and did things you weren't able to do at that position. They also said Butkus was the dirtest, meanest, most craziest psycho out on the field ever.
I saw some tapes of this guy and he was fast and he would hit guys so hard that a piece of their equipment would come flying out almost every time.
Going back to LT. Bill Parcels always fucked with LT's head and I think he made him a better player. One time he told another player that the linebacker on the opposing team was better than LT, and he knew he was going to go tell LT. So when LT found out, it drove him nuts. During a game he made this huge play and after the play he come over to the sidelines and walked past Bill and said, "Let me see that other guy make a play like that."
as a skins fan, and a football fan, I know personally the havoc LT unleased when he played. I loved to hate that guy. He destroyed Joe Thiesman (even though I didn't like him), and I saw that game. He laid out Joe Montana numerous times. He had that move when he came off the corner and would chop at the QB's arm, causing a fumble. And boy did he talk shit.
My favorite LT moment was some game against the Jets. He totally beat the left tackle and sacked the QB. As he got up he said to the left tackle:
"Son, ya'll got to do better than this."
They still show that all the time.
Apples and oranges comparing an OLB with a MLB. LT was awesome on the outside. He redefined the position with his pass rush and let's not forget how he revolutionized the strip technique. Samuri Mike was unbelievalbe at MLB. He had the stare from hell with his eyeballs bulging out of his head. He was better at coverage than Butkus. Butkus was a beast and the bigger hitter. Tough call between those 2. I'd have to lean towards Butkus as the better of the two though, slightly. Let's not overlook Jack Lambert. The guy played 50lbs heavier than he was. He's right up there with those two and arguably the best at that position.
the nature boy
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Latimer said:
don't forget singletary. the guy only weighed 220. He was a safety that played MLB.
BigPhysicsBastard
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urlacher covers more ground and is much quicker, but Lewis is better against the run....he can shed OL better. But Urlacher is in his second year, he's going to get stronger with each season.....he could be VERY frightening in a couple of years, like he isn't already!! I think Lewis's deal was that he intimidated the hell out of people......I don't think Eddie George was ever the same after Lewis knocked him stupid. I swear, when the Titans play the Ravens Eddie George becomes a 180lb blocking liability. The guy is 230lbs and almost COWERS when he sees a ravens linebacker coming into the backfield. When I was watching their last meeting, Jamie Sharper tossed Eddie George like he was a kid. Didn't even break stride on his way too McNair, and Eddie was planted and waiting for him......so there was no reason he should have been bitched like that, unless he really is a BITCH!! I lost all respect for Eddie during that game, he just QUIT!! I used to resent Ravens players talking shit about George and how he doesn't want none of them.....well, they're absolutely right, as much as I can't stand the Ravens.
Latimer said:
ABSOLUTELY!! Outside and Inside are two different games. Its like in baseball if you were to compare "infielders"....sure its relatively the same position...you are all on the clay...but that is where the similarity stops.
Good call to remember Lambert. I still have to go with Samuri as far as total package. I mean do you really believe that Butkus was a "smart" football player. He was a freak, a physical specimen, but not the #1 guy I would want leading my team on the field. Besides that...I never actually "saw" the other two play (live). That makes some difference.
However just a side note. I still can remember that video about the Road to the 85 Superbowl. They showed footage from the playoff game against Washington I think. The QB snapped the ball....got to about the 2nd step of his drop and you could already see 4 Bears in the screen. By the time they tackled him there were at least 6 of them in the backfield. Long Live the "46"...and bring back Buddy Ryan!!
Hannibal said:
Amen.
Cool quotes from or pertaining to Dick Butkus:
Butkus wasn't a Rhodes Scholar at Illinois. "If I was smart enough to be a doctor, I'd be a doctor," he told Sports Illustrated. "I ain't, so I'm a football player. They got me in PE."
"To play this game -- and I've always said this -- you have to have a Neanderthal gene. Butkus had two," says former Chicago Bears teammate Doug Buffone on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series.
"If I had a choice, I'd sooner go one-on-one with a grizzly bear," former Green Bay Packers running back MacArthur Lane said. "I prayed that I could get up every time Butkus hit me."
"If every college football team had a linebacker like Dick Butkus, all fullbacks would soon be three feet tall and sing soprano," wrote Dan Jenkins in a cover story for Sports Illustrated in October 1964. "Dick Butkus is a special kind of brute whose particular talent is mashing runners into curious shapes. . . . Butkus not only hits, he crushes and squeezes opponents with thick arms that also are extremely long. At any starting point on his build, he is big, well-proportioned, and getting bigger."
Bill George, who had played 13 years for the Bears and was the incumbent middle linebacker on his way to the Hall of Fame, didn't have any doubts. "The second I saw him on the field [at training camp] I knew my playing days were over," George said. "Nobody ever looked that good before or since."
huntmaster
New member
Just so no one missunderstands me-----I brought up singletary due to the constant jawing about LT and how great he was.
I stated that Singletary was better than LT---He was---At playing linebacker
By no means did I intend to imply that Singletary was better than Butkus.
Butkus is the King-----oh yeah and one more thing------
I will be in attendance for the final regular season game played at Soldier Field on 1/6!!!!!!
I stated that Singletary was better than LT---He was---At playing linebacker
By no means did I intend to imply that Singletary was better than Butkus.
Butkus is the King-----oh yeah and one more thing------
I will be in attendance for the final regular season game played at Soldier Field on 1/6!!!!!!
True, it is hard to compare OLB with MLB, and Singletary was the best MLB I saw, although I never saw Butkus, Lambert Nitschke and the older guys, except on tape, so I can't really compare them. Singletary was the most solid, consistant defensive palyer, whereas LT was more of a bigplay maker. That being said, I never saw a defensive player control a game and dictate how an offense playcalled more than LT. He dominated like no other. As far as Singletary and Ray Lewis, Lewis has to play at his current level for about 4-5 more years, and then you can make a good argument for him. At this stage of his career though, he makes more big plays than Singletary did...
fistfullofsteel
Well-known member
Thick dog said:
This is so true as far as I am concerned. I remember when I was a little kid and my father and I would go to games. I remember when the NY Giants needed to come up big and make a stop. I remember how we all started chanting LT, LT, LT. It was like a miracle, the guy would get a sack on a 3rd down play and I would look up at the big screen and would have to make sure it was him because I couldn't believe he did it and the NY Giants would wind up winning the game. He gave us NY Giants fans something to root for because we knew could count on him. Everytime he came up with a big play we still were mesmorized though.
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