04-02-2023, 07:34 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-04-2023, 07:05 PM by xenosthelegend. Edited 1 time in total.)
Welcome all to shrub’s list of top 10 linebackers of all time! I got this idea because I just retired my first player, Bender, and he had what I would consider a hall of fame worthy career. But is he really worthy? I didn’t want to wait 3 seasons or whatever to find out so I decided to compare him to the best LBs that the league has to offer. See how he stacks up, ya know. I tried to do this as objectively as possible while also not spending a crap load of time researching every stat. With that said, my top 10 will probably be controversial, but let’s be honest, that is part of the fun.
METHOD
For full transparency I will explain how I determined the best LBs. I made my list solely based on career stat rankings. I know there are several issues with this method. It doesn’t take into account things such as: exceptional season/game records, different eras of play (due to arch/sim changes), playoff appearances/championship wins, etc. Cool. I get it. Like I said I didn’t want to spend the time to go through every little stat (this has already taken long enough :kekw: ), nor am I smart enough to be able to calculate all that. So, to make it easy to get clear cut rankings, I used a roto scoring system in the following way:
To be eligible for the list, you have to be a linebacker who ranks in the top 10 in at least one defensive stat (I excluded blocked punts/kicks/extra points because that’s more special teams) or have been inducted into the HoF.
- I found 37 linebackers that meet this criteria.
1. I recorded these players’ stats for the nine defensive categories: Tackles, TFLs, Sacks, PDs, INTs, TDs, Safeties, FFs, and FRs.
2. The players were then ranked in each category and given points based on how they ranked. 37 points for first place, down to 1 point for last place.
3. I awarded double points to what I consider to be primary linebacker stats (Tackles, TFLs, Sacks, FFs, and FRs).
4. The total amount of points for each player received was then tallied and their final ranking based on that.
To show you how it works: if Linebacker A ranked 4th in PDs and 8th in sacks, they would receive 34 points for PDs and 60 points for Sacks for a total of 94 points. If linebacker B ranked 7th in PDs and 6th in sacks, they would receive 31 points for PDs and 64 for Sacks for a total of 95 points. Linebacker B would have a higher final rank. Too easy, right?
I understand that this is where some subjectivity comes in. I made the decision that the most important thing linebackers do comes down to 5 things: stop the ball carrier (Tackles), create negative plays (TFLs and Sacks), and create linebackery turnovers (FFs and FRs). So I gave these primary LB stats more weight. Basically, the primary linebacker stats accounted for about 70% of the ranking and the other stats about 30%. Very scientific, I know.
And without further ado, let’s get to it.
MADE THE LIST BUT NOT THE CUT
Before I start, I want to mention these players that were contenders. They were considered because the finished top 10 in a category and/or are in the HoF, but ultimately didn’t make the cut:
Boss Tweed S1 - S10 86 points, HoF
Ian Bavitz S1 - S8 142 points, HoF
Angus Winchester S1 - S12 159 points, HoF
Kurt Hendrix S1 - S11 172 points, HoF
Brian Mills S8 - S15 187 points, HoF
Raymond Vans S13 - S21 199 points, HoF
Mo Berry S13 - S23 200 points, HoF
Jaylon Lee S1 - S10 201 points, HoF
Johnathon Saint S1 - S10 212 points, HoF
Quenton Bode S15 - S27 216 points, HoF
Mason Brown S8-S17 216 points, HoF
Galf Wilf S20 - S29 223 points, HoF
Lawrence Bass S22 - S32 229 points
Alex Selich S11 - S23 233 points, HoF
Harrif Ernston S1 - S10 234 points, HoF
Julian O'Sullivan S2 - S13 249 points, HoF
Tyler Montain S23 - S35 252 points
Austin Roenick S6 - S17 255 points, HoF
Leonard Taylor S27 - S37 287 points
Gary Goodman S25 - S34 290 points
Rusty Rucker S25 - S33 291 points
Vincent Jones S27 - S37 294 points
Heinrich Kackpoo S23 - S34 300 points
AJ Lucas S27 - S36 311 points
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Let me give a special shout out to these players who didn’t quite cut it for the top 10 all-time but stood out from the others.
Akaki Akayre S37 - Current 136 points
While Akayre didn’t have anywhere near enough points to make the top 10, I have to bring attention to this young player. He’s only played 4 seasons in the ISFL and is already tied for the most safeties all-time for linebackers. He also has had double digit sacks in each of the last 3 seasons. Keep an eye out for this kid for a potential HoF run.
Ernest Lover S26 - S38 AND Derred de Ville S22 - S32 HoF 346 points
Both Lover and De Ville were linebackers that could do pretty much everything and do it well. Most of their stats hovered around the 10-15 rank on this list with the exception of De Ville having the most PDs of any linebacker ever. They were both very close to making the top 10 - only 8 points kept them from making it. Another list could very easily have either one of these playmakers in the top 10. But for the purposes of my list, we will consider both Lover and De Ville as the Best of the Rest!
TOP 10! TOP 10! TOP 10!
Douglas Quaid S21 - S33 354 points, HoF
To start off the list, at number 10 we have Douglas Quaid. He is the only player in the top 10 that played three or more seasons in the old sim. That might possibly explain why he excelled in stats not typically associated with the best LBs. At least I wouldn’t. Or maybe he played MLB. I’m not sure to be honest. What I am sure about is that Quaid was consistently at the point of attack. He was one of those players that was always around the ball and making things happen. His 142 PDs (ranked 2nd on the list, 3rd among linebackers all-time) and 1392 tackles (ranked 3rd on the list, 3rd overall) demonstrates his ball-hawking ability. He also had top 10 finishes, within my list, with 3 TDs (T4th) and 13 FRs (T9th). It’s worth mentioning that Quaid also made the Pro-Bowl four times, All-Pro team twice, and was a part of 3 Ultimus winning teams.
Juan Domine S25 - S33 356 points, HoF
When I originally made this list, I only included players who finished with a top 10 career record. I looked at the list and noticed something was off. Domine was nowhere to be found. Seeing that, I determined that players in the HoF deserve a shot too. So I went back, added them, and recalculated the points. And would you look at that! Domine shot up to the 9th spot. He is actually the only HoF player who made his way into the top 10 because of this change (he bumped Ernest Lover). While Domine may not have been the best at anything in particular, very good at pretty much everything. This is demonstrated by his 110 sacks (T10th here, 12th all-time), 16 INTs (T4th on the list), 2 safeties (T10th on the list, 39th overall), 3 TDs (T4th on the list), and 13 FRs (T9th here, 12th all-time). In addition, Domine won numerous awards: DPotY, LBotY, DPERotY, 4 Pro-Bowls, and 2 First Team All-Pro selections. If it wasn’t for his relatively short career - he is the only finalist to play less than 10 seasons - Domine would absolutely rank higher.
Xavier Walls S29 - S38 360 points
Coming in at number 8, we have Xavier Walls. This is possibly the most controversial pick, but the numbers don’t lie. Hear me out. During his short(ish) time in the league, Walls absolutely dominated. He was a linebacker’s linebacker. Just look at his best stats: 59 TFLs (9th on the list, 45th overall), 110 sacks (10th on the list, 12th all-time), 34 FFs (T4th here, T4th all-time), and 16 FRs (T4th on the list, T6th overall). And he got these stats while only playing 10 seasons in the ISFL, less time than anyone else in the top 10, save Juan Domine. If that doesn’t convince you how absolutely dominant Walls was during his time, here are some of his other accolades that didn’t even factor into his rank on my list: 3 FFs in one game (S31 W12, 1st all-time), 9 FFs in S35 (2nd all-time), a DRotY, DPotY, and LBotY award, 2 time Pro-Bowler, a First Team All-Pro selection, and 2 Ultimus championships. Gawd dang! The sim gods really did love this dude.
Guy Fields S25- S35 362 points
As his name implies, there wasn’t a spot on the field where offenses were safe from Guy Fields. With 111 PDs (ranked 9th on the list, 11th for LBs all-time) and 13 INTs (T10th here), he was clearly a linebacker who could suppress an opponent's pass game while in coverage. That is not to say he wouldn’t punish quarterbacks from time to time; his 3 safeties ranked him T6th on this list and 11th all-time. He just had a knack for being around the ball in critical moments, as evidenced by his 14 FRs (T6th on the list, 9th overall). Fields is the last of the linebackers to make the top 10 primarily through non-linebackery stats. He finished his career as a 2 time Ultimus champion, 1 time Pro-Bowler, and won 1 DPERotY award.
L'Gazzy Burfict S26 - S37 379 points
L’Gazzy Burfict was the type of linebacker that lived in opponents’ backfields. While he was good at mostly everything, Burfict was a beast when it came to negative plays as demonstrated by his 69 TFLs (6th on the list, 29th overall), 115 sacks (6th on the list, 7th overall), and 4 safeties (T1st on the list, T2nd overall). His 36 FFs (3rd on the list, 3rd all-time), 7 of which came in one season (S34, 9th all-time), clearly show that he would make ball carriers pay when he was left unblocked. In addition, Burfict was selected to the Pro Bowl once, Second Team All-Pro Team twice, and won an Ultimus championship once.
Sheriff Woody S30 - Current 382 points
Earlier I said that Walls was the linebacker’s linebacker. Well he better make way because there is a new sheriff in town. Woody ranks number 5 on this list and for good reason. He brought the stick often and hard. His 1,088 tackles weren’t nearly his best stat line; Woody finished his career with 61 TFLs (8th here, 41st overall), 130 sacks (4th on the list, 5th overall), 45 FFs (1st on the list, 1st all-time), and 13 FRs (T9th here, 12 all-time). Hol’ up. 45 forced fumbles?? Yeah he definitely brought the big stick all the time. It’s crazy to see that he only made the Pro-Bowl once and the All-Pro team twice (1 First Team, 1 Second Team) considering he forced 8 fumbles in a season twice (S34 and S38, 3rd all-time) and had at least 4 FFs in five other seasons. He also was a part of the S33 Ultimus winning Baltimore Hawks team, but I don’t like to talk about that as an OCO fan.
Bender Rodriguez S28 - S40 440 points
WHAT?? Bender isn’t ranked number one on my own list?! This is some bs and quite obviously shows you that this list is meaningless. Bender is clearly the best linebacker, probably the best player ever. Okay in all seriousness, let’s get to the analysis. The first thing that I notice is that there is a considerable jump in points here. While only 28 points separated Quaid (ranked 10) and Woody (ranked 5), the difference between Woody and Bender is 58 points. While Bender excelled in many of the stats considered, it was his tackling prowess that set him apart. Bender was a literal tackling machine as shown by his 1,464 tackles (1st on the list, 1st all-time) and 98 TFLs (1st on the list, 4th all-time). He also had strong finishes with 120 sacks (5th on the list, 6th all-time) 14 INTs (8th one the list), 4 TDs (T4th on the list), and 16 FRs (T4th on the list, T5th overall). You can see his career accomplishments here.
BamBam McMullet S26 - S38 442 points
McMullet edged out Bender by two points to secure the third rank. I actually had Bender barely ahead of McMullet in my initial ranking before I factored in hall of famers. With the added competition, McMullet gained the advantage. His high rank is due to the fact that he was among the best in almost every category. In fact, he was top 10 on this list in 8/9 statistical categories: 1,170 tackles (8th here, 9th overall), 85 TFLs (4th here, 9th overall), 144 sacks (3rd here, 3rd overall) 15 INTs ( T6th here), 3 safeties (T6th here, 11th overall), 5 TDs (T1st here, 31st overall), 32 FFs (7th here, 7th overall), and 13 FRs (T9th here, 12th overall). McMullet also won a lot of personal awards, including 5 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pro Team selections (2 First Team, 2 Second Team) and 1 DPERotY award.
Melvin Murder-Moose S25 - S36 461 points
After a tight race for 3rd place, we see another fairly significant jump of 19 points to give Melvin Murder-Moose the 2nd rank spot. Im’ a little bit nervous about not ranking a murdering moose number one on my list but I have to stay true to the numbers. That being said, I didn’t need a threat on my life to rank Murder-Moose as the second best linebacker of all time. His stats speak for itself: 1,250 tackles (6th on the list, 7th all-time), 152 sacks (T1st on the list, T1st all-time), 122 PDs (4th on the list, 5th for LBs), 3 safeties (T6th on the list, 11th all-time), 3 TDs (T4th on the list), 41 FFs (2nd on the list, 2nd all-time), and 17 FRs (T1st on the list, T2nd all-time). While Murder-Moose is the highest rated player on the list to not win an Ultimus, his personal awards make up for this. He is the only player on the list that was voted MOP and/or MVP. In addition, he won a DPotY, a DRotY, a DPERotY, and two LBotY awards. Not to mention he made the Pro Bowl five times and First Team All-Pro Team once. Murder-Moose is one of the most decorated linebackers when it comes down to individual awards. But wasn’t quite good enough to get him the top spot here…
Big Slammu S26 - S38 479 points
Coming in as the number one, best linebacker to ever play in the ISFL, we have Big Slammu! He was an absolute beast on the field, tracking down ball carriers with the scent of their blood, and viciously attacking them. Slammu had an absurd statistical output, which led to an 18 point lead over second place Murder-Moose. Slammu ranked in the top ten in eight out of nine categories, seven of which were top five: 1,286 tackles (4th here, 4th all-time), 86 TFLs (3rd here, 8th all-time), 152 sacks (T1st here, T1st all-time), 13 INTs (T10th here), 4 safeties (T1st here, T2nd all-time), 4 TDs (3rd here), 34 FFs (4th here, 4th all-time), and 17 FRs (T1st here, 2nd all-time). That’s all that I looked at to rank Slammu as the best. But if that is not enough for you, you should also note that his LBotY award, two DPoty awards, five Pro Bowls, two Second Team All-Pros, and three First Team All-Pros make Slammu the most decorated linebacker on the list. Oh, and he was a part of 5 Ultimus winning teams. What a crazy career!
CONCLUSION
There are a couple interesting findings from looking at this list:
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.
METHOD
For full transparency I will explain how I determined the best LBs. I made my list solely based on career stat rankings. I know there are several issues with this method. It doesn’t take into account things such as: exceptional season/game records, different eras of play (due to arch/sim changes), playoff appearances/championship wins, etc. Cool. I get it. Like I said I didn’t want to spend the time to go through every little stat (this has already taken long enough :kekw: ), nor am I smart enough to be able to calculate all that. So, to make it easy to get clear cut rankings, I used a roto scoring system in the following way:
To be eligible for the list, you have to be a linebacker who ranks in the top 10 in at least one defensive stat (I excluded blocked punts/kicks/extra points because that’s more special teams) or have been inducted into the HoF.
- I found 37 linebackers that meet this criteria.
1. I recorded these players’ stats for the nine defensive categories: Tackles, TFLs, Sacks, PDs, INTs, TDs, Safeties, FFs, and FRs.
2. The players were then ranked in each category and given points based on how they ranked. 37 points for first place, down to 1 point for last place.
3. I awarded double points to what I consider to be primary linebacker stats (Tackles, TFLs, Sacks, FFs, and FRs).
4. The total amount of points for each player received was then tallied and their final ranking based on that.
To show you how it works: if Linebacker A ranked 4th in PDs and 8th in sacks, they would receive 34 points for PDs and 60 points for Sacks for a total of 94 points. If linebacker B ranked 7th in PDs and 6th in sacks, they would receive 31 points for PDs and 64 for Sacks for a total of 95 points. Linebacker B would have a higher final rank. Too easy, right?
I understand that this is where some subjectivity comes in. I made the decision that the most important thing linebackers do comes down to 5 things: stop the ball carrier (Tackles), create negative plays (TFLs and Sacks), and create linebackery turnovers (FFs and FRs). So I gave these primary LB stats more weight. Basically, the primary linebacker stats accounted for about 70% of the ranking and the other stats about 30%. Very scientific, I know.
And without further ado, let’s get to it.
MADE THE LIST BUT NOT THE CUT
Before I start, I want to mention these players that were contenders. They were considered because the finished top 10 in a category and/or are in the HoF, but ultimately didn’t make the cut:
Boss Tweed S1 - S10 86 points, HoF
Ian Bavitz S1 - S8 142 points, HoF
Angus Winchester S1 - S12 159 points, HoF
Kurt Hendrix S1 - S11 172 points, HoF
Brian Mills S8 - S15 187 points, HoF
Raymond Vans S13 - S21 199 points, HoF
Mo Berry S13 - S23 200 points, HoF
Jaylon Lee S1 - S10 201 points, HoF
Johnathon Saint S1 - S10 212 points, HoF
Quenton Bode S15 - S27 216 points, HoF
Mason Brown S8-S17 216 points, HoF
Galf Wilf S20 - S29 223 points, HoF
Lawrence Bass S22 - S32 229 points
Alex Selich S11 - S23 233 points, HoF
Harrif Ernston S1 - S10 234 points, HoF
Julian O'Sullivan S2 - S13 249 points, HoF
Tyler Montain S23 - S35 252 points
Austin Roenick S6 - S17 255 points, HoF
Leonard Taylor S27 - S37 287 points
Gary Goodman S25 - S34 290 points
Rusty Rucker S25 - S33 291 points
Vincent Jones S27 - S37 294 points
Heinrich Kackpoo S23 - S34 300 points
AJ Lucas S27 - S36 311 points
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Let me give a special shout out to these players who didn’t quite cut it for the top 10 all-time but stood out from the others.
Akaki Akayre S37 - Current 136 points
While Akayre didn’t have anywhere near enough points to make the top 10, I have to bring attention to this young player. He’s only played 4 seasons in the ISFL and is already tied for the most safeties all-time for linebackers. He also has had double digit sacks in each of the last 3 seasons. Keep an eye out for this kid for a potential HoF run.
Ernest Lover S26 - S38 AND Derred de Ville S22 - S32 HoF 346 points
Both Lover and De Ville were linebackers that could do pretty much everything and do it well. Most of their stats hovered around the 10-15 rank on this list with the exception of De Ville having the most PDs of any linebacker ever. They were both very close to making the top 10 - only 8 points kept them from making it. Another list could very easily have either one of these playmakers in the top 10. But for the purposes of my list, we will consider both Lover and De Ville as the Best of the Rest!
TOP 10! TOP 10! TOP 10!
Douglas Quaid S21 - S33 354 points, HoF
To start off the list, at number 10 we have Douglas Quaid. He is the only player in the top 10 that played three or more seasons in the old sim. That might possibly explain why he excelled in stats not typically associated with the best LBs. At least I wouldn’t. Or maybe he played MLB. I’m not sure to be honest. What I am sure about is that Quaid was consistently at the point of attack. He was one of those players that was always around the ball and making things happen. His 142 PDs (ranked 2nd on the list, 3rd among linebackers all-time) and 1392 tackles (ranked 3rd on the list, 3rd overall) demonstrates his ball-hawking ability. He also had top 10 finishes, within my list, with 3 TDs (T4th) and 13 FRs (T9th). It’s worth mentioning that Quaid also made the Pro-Bowl four times, All-Pro team twice, and was a part of 3 Ultimus winning teams.
Juan Domine S25 - S33 356 points, HoF
When I originally made this list, I only included players who finished with a top 10 career record. I looked at the list and noticed something was off. Domine was nowhere to be found. Seeing that, I determined that players in the HoF deserve a shot too. So I went back, added them, and recalculated the points. And would you look at that! Domine shot up to the 9th spot. He is actually the only HoF player who made his way into the top 10 because of this change (he bumped Ernest Lover). While Domine may not have been the best at anything in particular, very good at pretty much everything. This is demonstrated by his 110 sacks (T10th here, 12th all-time), 16 INTs (T4th on the list), 2 safeties (T10th on the list, 39th overall), 3 TDs (T4th on the list), and 13 FRs (T9th here, 12th all-time). In addition, Domine won numerous awards: DPotY, LBotY, DPERotY, 4 Pro-Bowls, and 2 First Team All-Pro selections. If it wasn’t for his relatively short career - he is the only finalist to play less than 10 seasons - Domine would absolutely rank higher.
Xavier Walls S29 - S38 360 points
Coming in at number 8, we have Xavier Walls. This is possibly the most controversial pick, but the numbers don’t lie. Hear me out. During his short(ish) time in the league, Walls absolutely dominated. He was a linebacker’s linebacker. Just look at his best stats: 59 TFLs (9th on the list, 45th overall), 110 sacks (10th on the list, 12th all-time), 34 FFs (T4th here, T4th all-time), and 16 FRs (T4th on the list, T6th overall). And he got these stats while only playing 10 seasons in the ISFL, less time than anyone else in the top 10, save Juan Domine. If that doesn’t convince you how absolutely dominant Walls was during his time, here are some of his other accolades that didn’t even factor into his rank on my list: 3 FFs in one game (S31 W12, 1st all-time), 9 FFs in S35 (2nd all-time), a DRotY, DPotY, and LBotY award, 2 time Pro-Bowler, a First Team All-Pro selection, and 2 Ultimus championships. Gawd dang! The sim gods really did love this dude.
Guy Fields S25- S35 362 points
As his name implies, there wasn’t a spot on the field where offenses were safe from Guy Fields. With 111 PDs (ranked 9th on the list, 11th for LBs all-time) and 13 INTs (T10th here), he was clearly a linebacker who could suppress an opponent's pass game while in coverage. That is not to say he wouldn’t punish quarterbacks from time to time; his 3 safeties ranked him T6th on this list and 11th all-time. He just had a knack for being around the ball in critical moments, as evidenced by his 14 FRs (T6th on the list, 9th overall). Fields is the last of the linebackers to make the top 10 primarily through non-linebackery stats. He finished his career as a 2 time Ultimus champion, 1 time Pro-Bowler, and won 1 DPERotY award.
L'Gazzy Burfict S26 - S37 379 points
L’Gazzy Burfict was the type of linebacker that lived in opponents’ backfields. While he was good at mostly everything, Burfict was a beast when it came to negative plays as demonstrated by his 69 TFLs (6th on the list, 29th overall), 115 sacks (6th on the list, 7th overall), and 4 safeties (T1st on the list, T2nd overall). His 36 FFs (3rd on the list, 3rd all-time), 7 of which came in one season (S34, 9th all-time), clearly show that he would make ball carriers pay when he was left unblocked. In addition, Burfict was selected to the Pro Bowl once, Second Team All-Pro Team twice, and won an Ultimus championship once.
Sheriff Woody S30 - Current 382 points
Earlier I said that Walls was the linebacker’s linebacker. Well he better make way because there is a new sheriff in town. Woody ranks number 5 on this list and for good reason. He brought the stick often and hard. His 1,088 tackles weren’t nearly his best stat line; Woody finished his career with 61 TFLs (8th here, 41st overall), 130 sacks (4th on the list, 5th overall), 45 FFs (1st on the list, 1st all-time), and 13 FRs (T9th here, 12 all-time). Hol’ up. 45 forced fumbles?? Yeah he definitely brought the big stick all the time. It’s crazy to see that he only made the Pro-Bowl once and the All-Pro team twice (1 First Team, 1 Second Team) considering he forced 8 fumbles in a season twice (S34 and S38, 3rd all-time) and had at least 4 FFs in five other seasons. He also was a part of the S33 Ultimus winning Baltimore Hawks team, but I don’t like to talk about that as an OCO fan.
Bender Rodriguez S28 - S40 440 points
WHAT?? Bender isn’t ranked number one on my own list?! This is some bs and quite obviously shows you that this list is meaningless. Bender is clearly the best linebacker, probably the best player ever. Okay in all seriousness, let’s get to the analysis. The first thing that I notice is that there is a considerable jump in points here. While only 28 points separated Quaid (ranked 10) and Woody (ranked 5), the difference between Woody and Bender is 58 points. While Bender excelled in many of the stats considered, it was his tackling prowess that set him apart. Bender was a literal tackling machine as shown by his 1,464 tackles (1st on the list, 1st all-time) and 98 TFLs (1st on the list, 4th all-time). He also had strong finishes with 120 sacks (5th on the list, 6th all-time) 14 INTs (8th one the list), 4 TDs (T4th on the list), and 16 FRs (T4th on the list, T5th overall). You can see his career accomplishments here.
BamBam McMullet S26 - S38 442 points
McMullet edged out Bender by two points to secure the third rank. I actually had Bender barely ahead of McMullet in my initial ranking before I factored in hall of famers. With the added competition, McMullet gained the advantage. His high rank is due to the fact that he was among the best in almost every category. In fact, he was top 10 on this list in 8/9 statistical categories: 1,170 tackles (8th here, 9th overall), 85 TFLs (4th here, 9th overall), 144 sacks (3rd here, 3rd overall) 15 INTs ( T6th here), 3 safeties (T6th here, 11th overall), 5 TDs (T1st here, 31st overall), 32 FFs (7th here, 7th overall), and 13 FRs (T9th here, 12th overall). McMullet also won a lot of personal awards, including 5 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pro Team selections (2 First Team, 2 Second Team) and 1 DPERotY award.
Melvin Murder-Moose S25 - S36 461 points
After a tight race for 3rd place, we see another fairly significant jump of 19 points to give Melvin Murder-Moose the 2nd rank spot. Im’ a little bit nervous about not ranking a murdering moose number one on my list but I have to stay true to the numbers. That being said, I didn’t need a threat on my life to rank Murder-Moose as the second best linebacker of all time. His stats speak for itself: 1,250 tackles (6th on the list, 7th all-time), 152 sacks (T1st on the list, T1st all-time), 122 PDs (4th on the list, 5th for LBs), 3 safeties (T6th on the list, 11th all-time), 3 TDs (T4th on the list), 41 FFs (2nd on the list, 2nd all-time), and 17 FRs (T1st on the list, T2nd all-time). While Murder-Moose is the highest rated player on the list to not win an Ultimus, his personal awards make up for this. He is the only player on the list that was voted MOP and/or MVP. In addition, he won a DPotY, a DRotY, a DPERotY, and two LBotY awards. Not to mention he made the Pro Bowl five times and First Team All-Pro Team once. Murder-Moose is one of the most decorated linebackers when it comes down to individual awards. But wasn’t quite good enough to get him the top spot here…
Big Slammu S26 - S38 479 points
Coming in as the number one, best linebacker to ever play in the ISFL, we have Big Slammu! He was an absolute beast on the field, tracking down ball carriers with the scent of their blood, and viciously attacking them. Slammu had an absurd statistical output, which led to an 18 point lead over second place Murder-Moose. Slammu ranked in the top ten in eight out of nine categories, seven of which were top five: 1,286 tackles (4th here, 4th all-time), 86 TFLs (3rd here, 8th all-time), 152 sacks (T1st here, T1st all-time), 13 INTs (T10th here), 4 safeties (T1st here, T2nd all-time), 4 TDs (3rd here), 34 FFs (4th here, 4th all-time), and 17 FRs (T1st here, 2nd all-time). That’s all that I looked at to rank Slammu as the best. But if that is not enough for you, you should also note that his LBotY award, two DPoty awards, five Pro Bowls, two Second Team All-Pros, and three First Team All-Pros make Slammu the most decorated linebacker on the list. Oh, and he was a part of 5 Ultimus winning teams. What a crazy career!
CONCLUSION
There are a couple interesting findings from looking at this list:
- Every player in my top 10 played in the new sim. Only one of them played a significant amount in the old sim (Douglas Quaid). The rest played the vast majority of their careers in the new sim, with three of them being entirely in the new sim. So this may be more a list of the best linebackers of this era.
- The top 4 players separated themselves from the rest by a large margin. Even if the new sim favors linebackers, they should be locks for the Hof when they become eligible (totally an unbiased opinion).
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.
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