Are Middle Linebackers Becoming Extinct?

by Dane Noble on Jun 30, 2009 3:09 PM CDT Comment 11 comments

Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith, left, talks to Brian Urlacher during NFL football training camp in Lake Forest, Ill., Wednesday, June 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

5 months ago: Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith, left, talks to Brian Urlacher during NFL football training camp in Lake Forest, Ill., Wednesday, June 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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As with most athletes, NFL players are constantly getting bigger, faster, and stronger. It is not uncommon to see 300+ pound linemen run a 40 yard dash in under 5 seconds. It's not uncommon to see kickers bench press as much as running backs. And, it's not uncommon to see hybrid defensive ends playing outside linebacker, and hybrid outside linebackers playing in the middle.

This article, written by John Lopez of Sports Illustrated, talks about the evolution of the linebacker position, and how we are seeing the position move from players like Brian Urlacher and Zach Thomas to more of the hybrid type players. He also mentions how the monetary value of the position has dropped off.

Once the premier position on the defensive side of the ball -- the proverbial quarterback of the defense -- middle linebackers now are more like the tight ends of the defense. Or at least that's how they're paid.

If you averaged the top-five salaries at every position on the field in 2008, the five highest-paid middle linebackers averaged $5.68 million. Only kickers ($2.24 million) and tight ends ($3.74 million) averaged less. Cornerbacks ($10 million), defensive tackles ($8.04 million) and defensive ends ($8.02 million) averaged significantly more among the five highest-paid players at their respective positions.

Are we seeing the end of the ferocious middle linebackers? Are we moving towards an NFL where nearly every player is 6'3", 235lbs, who can jump, catch, and run like a super-athlete?

One thing is for sure... as the players continue evolving, we will see more and more offensive and defensive scheme changes from every team in the NFL. Green Bay is going through exactly that right now.

Are the days numbered for players like Brian Urlacher?

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If the five highest-paid middle linebackers averaged $5.68 million, the Bears are hugely overpaying Urlacher.

So much for their reputation as cheapskates.

by BigGeorgeTX on Jun 30, 2009 3:31 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

it all depends on what you ask your MLB to do, the Bears need their MLB to do a lot, some 3/4 teams really value LB’s, and other 3/4 teams think they’re all interchangable, it depends on the scheme

by wiltfongjr on Jun 30, 2009 3:46 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The schemes dictate the specs for the players.

Right now, the spread offense is… well… spreading through the major conferences in college football. To combat the spread, defensive coaches are focusing more on coverage. Coverage = less bulk and more speed.

As these players enter the draft, the NFL finds a place for them on the field.

But, you’re not going to have much success stopping the run, of you don’t have any stout, physical LBs. Whether you play a 4-3 or a 3-4… doesn’t matter. You still have to stop the run, and your LBs are primarily the ones who are supposed to stop it.

"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)

Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.

by SackMan on Jun 30, 2009 4:06 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

As said above..it depends on the scheme…the Bears scheme just happens to be based around Urlacher’s position and how he plays, as he is basically the linchpin holding the secondary and the front line together..He’s either stopping the run or covering the pass on any given play..I think the reason the position is so low paid is because LBs like Urlacher or Zach Thomas or Singletary are very, very rare..there are a lot of mediocre ones out there..but only 2-3 “good” ones.

by Pretender85 on Jun 30, 2009 4:24 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

agreed

I think Great MLBs are rare, but not going extinct. You can build a 4-3 defense around guys like Patrick Willis and Jon Beason. Still it will be interesting to see how defensive schemes continue to evolve in the NFL.

by CardsDefense on Jun 30, 2009 4:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

for this exact reason am i so high(NPI) on the 3-3-5...

all the reasons mentioned in this article, and some of the replies, point in that direction…

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.

by windycity72 on Jul 1, 2009 1:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just using 2008 is an extremely small sample size to make such a brash assumption

Couldn’t it also be attributed to the fact that no marquee middle linebackers have been given huge contract extensions in the last year? The timing could just be that a few big name corners, DBs, and DE’s got big contract extensions immediately prior to last season?

"The Zen philosopher Basho once wrote: 'A flute with no holes is not a flute, And a doughnut with no hole is a Danish.' He was a funny guy."

by Ugh It Live! on Jun 30, 2009 4:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Think Nnamdi Asamougha (sp?) of Oakland

combined with DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen, Dwight Freeney, Nate Clements, Albert Haynesworth…

"The Zen philosopher Basho once wrote: 'A flute with no holes is not a flute, And a doughnut with no hole is a Danish.' He was a funny guy."

by Ugh It Live! on Jun 30, 2009 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

3-3-5 defense

That defense would get gashed by a physical back. Good against the past but horrible against the run. Its like one of you said earlier. There are not alot of great middle backers in the league. The ones they do have are getting paid or will be getting paid. Urlacher, Wilis, Beason, and the great one in Baltimore.

by BullsBears on Jul 1, 2009 2:08 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs