Being an outside linebacker in the 4-3 no longer has the same kind of glamour that it once had, and it never really had all that much. As an outside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme, you must be intelligent
Only guys with the best football intelligence can succeed here. This is due to the fact that outside linebackers are asked to do a lot for a defense.
They are usually the last guy keeping the play from turning into a huge gain. If a running back goes to the outside and beats the outside linebacker, it's at least a 15 yard gain because the corners have their backs turned and the safeties play that deep.
Same thing in the passing game. If a running back catches the ball in the flats, then beats the linebacker, even the biggest of running backs can turn that into an easy first down.
These are the guys who don't allow that to happen.
5. Thomas Davis (Carolina Panthers)
47 games started, 9.5 sacks, 1 INT, 8 forced fumbles, 268 tackles
Davis came into the league as a safety/linebacker hybrid. He played safety in college, but was built more like a linebacker at 6'1 and 235 pounds. The Panthers drafted him 14th overall, and stuck him in at linebacker.
After starting in only one game during his rookie season, he took over the starting spot in 2006 and has not relinquished it. In his three seasons as a starter, he's averaging about 80 tackles and around three sacks per season.
He's shown to be one of the more athletic linebackers in the league, and perhaps the best blitzer of all the 4-3 outside linebackers.
It's rare to find a guy who can come up to the line and play linebacker on most of the snaps, but could also go back 10 yards and play safety without missing a beat. His history as a safety also makes him one of the better linebackers in pass coverage.
4. Derrick Brooks (Free Agent, Previously with Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
221 games started, 13.5 sacks, 25 INTs, 24 forced fumbles, 7 TDs, 1,301, 11-time Pro Bowler and 5-time All-Pro
Even only a couple years ago, Brooks would have probably been an easy number one candidate for this list. However with no team and his best years behind him, he's no longer a viable option for "best in the league."
While he may not be the best in the league any longer, he certainly is still one of the best. I, for one, can not believe that he still has not found a team. This is a guy who has more Pro Bowl selections than some guys have in total years played.
He's a five-time All-Pro and was the league's defensive MVP in 2002, the year that the Bucs went to and won the Super Bowl.
While it's clear that he has slowed down, there is no reason why this guy won't be able to find a team for 2009. He's no longer a three-down player, but he is a great leader and teacher, which should be enough to see him latch on and show everyone that he's not done yet.
3. Julian Peterson (Detroit Lions)
119 games started, 46 sacks, 8 INTs, 16 forced fumbles, 1 TD, 495 tackles, 5-time Pro Bowler and 1-time All-Pro
If Thomas Davis is the best blitzing 4-3 outside linebacker in the league, it's because he took that title away from Julian Peterson.
You'll be hard-pressed to find a more athletic guy at the position, and a guy who rarely gets talked about.
Even playing on some sub-par teams in San Francisco and Seattle, he's managed a handful of Pro Bowl appearances and has even been named an All-Pro once in 2003.
He won't make a ton of tackles, but he will change the pace of a game when his team needs it. He's a good leader on the field and understands his job.
The Lions got themselves a fine player, and may have stolen something away from the Seahawks.
2. Keith Bulluck (Tennessee Titans)
114 games started, 18 sacks, 16 INTs, 15 forced fumbles, 5 TDs, 689 tackles, 1-time Pro Bowler and 1-time All-Pro
The fact that Keith Bulluck has only been invited to one Pro Bowl is nothing short of a crime.
The problem is that the people voting for the Pro Bowl only see the flashy stats, like sacks. Sacks, interceptions, and touchdowns are what earn Pro Bowl trips. Things like leadership, reliability, and intelligence cannot be measured, and therefore are not rewarded with things like Pro Bowls.
Bulluck has started 112 consecutive games, a streak that goes back to the '02 season.
He is the heart and soul of that Titans defense and without him it would look drastically different. He doesn't get nearly the respect he deserves, except from people who really understand and follow football.
Ask a casual fan about Keith Bulluck, and there won't be much of a response.
1. Lance Briggs (Chicago Bears)
91 games started, 6 sacks, 9 INTs, 8 forced fumbles, 4 TDs, 537 tackles, 4-time Pro Bowler and 1-time All-Pro
Briggs was a guy who broke out almost right away. He was a third-round pick without real high expectations, but he came out in only his second season and started all 16 games while racking up over 100 tackles.
Since then, Briggs earned All-Pro honors in 2005, along with a Pro Bowl selection, and has been to the Pro Bowl every year since then.
He's a guy who has a lot of range and a nose for the ball, made evident by his nine career interceptions. While that may not sound like a whole lot, it's a high number for an outside linebacker.
Some question whether or not he can play without Brian Urlacher next to him, but given his nice long extension he signed not too long ago, we probably won't know for at least a few years.
Until then, he'll remain the best outside linebacker in the league.
