Ask fans this simple question. If there is one position the Chicago Bears have made their own in the NFL, what is it? Almost to a man, woman and child they’d say the same simple word: linebacker. No team in pro football has a deeper and more illustrious history that Bears linebackers do. It’s one that goes back all the way to the birth of the league in the 1920s through today.
The demands of the position may have changed over that time but the franchise always found a way to stay on the cutting edge. Whenever Chicago has had success in the realm of football, it’s often been because of the presence of a great linebacker. So it might be interesting to know what the top experts think about this legacy in comparison to the rest of the league.
Gil Brandt, a former longtime scout for the Dallas Cowboys and current analyst for NFL Network, created his list of the best linebackers of all-time. To the surprise of nobody he had Lawrence Taylor at #1 overall, but how did the Bears end up fairing?
Bears linebackers represented well with two in the top 10
9. Bill George
Chicago Bears, 1952-1966; Los Angeles Rams 1966
» One-time NFL champion
» Voted to eight Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro eight times
» Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame3. Dick Butkus
Chicago Bears, 1965-1973
» Voted to eight Pro Bowls, First Team All-Pro five times
» Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The entire list was made up of 45 names. For those curious Mike Singletary (16), George Connor (24), Brian Urlacher (27) and Joe Fortunato (33) were the other men to make it. No other team was able to top that total number of six. Only the Kansas City Chiefs matched having two in the top 10 with Bobby Bell and Derrick Thomas taking the honors.
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It’s fitting that George and Butkus are the men to reach the top. After all they were really the two men who put middle linebacker on a completely different level between the 1950s and 1960s. Before it has been a position all about stopping the run. With them it transformed into a versatile tool of destruction that wreaked havoc on every down. In a way it seems so fitting that the two men were connected. Butkus was the man who replaced George in 1965.
At first glance it appears the Bears might be adding to their already rich legacy. Leonard Floyd flashed a ton of potential as a rookie in 2017 with seven sacks. If his health holds out, there is a strong chance he could become the next great linebacker in Chicago.
