Green Bay Packers: Ranking the NFC North linebackers

There’s always been a certain aura about linebackers in the NFC North, including those who have played for the Green Bay Packers. It’s a division that features cold-weather teams known to play a hard-hitting, physical brand of football.

Going back to the 1960s, men like Ray Nitschke, Joe Schmidt and Dick Butkus set the tone by taking blockers head-on with the intent to obliterate ball carriers and send a message of intimidation to that day’s opposing squad.

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Things have changed since the halcyon days of the old Black and Blue division, as two of the four teams now play in enclosed facilities and the league in general has adopted a less savage and more wide-open style of play.

But while linebackers can’t quite get away with some of the brutal tactics of yesteryear, many of them remain the heart and soul of their respective defenses. You’ll often see them relay play calls from the sideline and line up their teammates.

And though they come in various shapes and sizes, several linebackers — especially the great ones — find a way to light a spark and energize the rest of the squad typically with a big hit that gets the blood pumping.

No one in the NFC North, or quite possibly the rest of the league for that matter, knows how to rally his guys and whip them up into a frenzy like Clay Matthews Jr.

The golden-maned stallion can turn into a crossbreed of the Terminator and the Incredible Hulk when he goes into “Claymaker” mode.

But beyond big hits and the common leadership traits that many linebackers share, another aspect that makes them such a vital component to any successful defensive unit is myriad ways they can be utilized.

Outside linebackers in a 3-4 scheme, for instance, have the ability to always keep their adversaries guessing until the ball is snapped given the liberty they have as far as dropping back into coverage, rushing the passer off the edge or stunting as inside rushers.

In addition, most of these hybrid defenders are big and strong enough to take on offensive tackles or tight ends one-on-one and seal the edge in the effort of keeping ball carriers inside while defending the ground game.

Strongside linebackers in a 4-3 are entrusted with many of the same responsibilities, including the coverage of tight ends.

4-3 weakside linebackers, on the other hand, are the smaller, quicker enforcers who are used as run-and-hit weapons that typically have tremendous range and can line up just about anywhere from play to play.

While the styles and individual characteristics may vary, linebackers are the glue at the second level of a defense that must have the ability to cover for any imbalances or deficiencies in front or behind them.

Because of the multiplicity of this position, it is downright impossible to imagine any defense being functional without a quality group of linebackers that offer varying levels of quickness, toughness, range, pass-rushing skills and instincts to read plays.

The NFC North has no shortage of linebackers that can create pressure. Disciples of the 3-4, such as the Bears and Packers, subscribe to the theory that no team could ever have enough hybrid rushers.

Conversely, the Lions and Vikings coaching staffs worship at the altar of the 4-3 alignment that asks its middle linebackers to play in space by dropping into coverage and play like safeties.

We all have are our preferences, but there’s no one way to properly deploy a linebacker corps.

The following ranking of units will primarily focus on each franchise’s personnel groupings and whether these teams have the right manpower in place to execute their plans of neutralizing the opposition.

So strap on some shoulder pads and lace up the cleats as we take a trip through the NFC North’s dark alley of crazed hit men.

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