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Creating the All-Time Rams Roster: Linebacker
http://theramswire.usatoday.com/2016/07/01/creating-the-all-time-rams-roster-linebacker/
By: Jake Ellenbogen | 17 minutes ago
In this new series, we will break down our All-Time Rams roster position-by-position. We last covered defensive tackles, and now it’s time to move on to the linebackers. We’ll have three starters and three backups for this position.
Related:
Creating the All-Time Rams Roster: Defensive tackle
Starter: Kevin Greene
Hard to imagine a guy going from making the Auburn football team as a walk on, then being drafted to the NFL and eventually becoming a Hall of Famer. Well, that’s Kevin Greene for you.
Finally enshrined in Canton, Greene was a force for the Los Angeles Rams. He received a Pro Bowl invite as well as an All-Pro honor. Over his eight years with the Rams, he tallied 375 tackles, 72.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries and two interceptions in his 77 starts.
Having Greene at linebacker with the defensive line we just created is sure to be an unstoppable bunch of sack artists.
Starter: Isiah Robertson
Isiah Robertson was a rare talent, and was drafted out of Southern University No. 10 overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1971 NFL draft.
He started off as Jack Pardee’s replacement, who is mentioned a bit later in this piece. What does that tell you? Robertson not only came in and replaced Pardee, but basically made people forget about the guy as well. The young Ram kicked off his career with a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and that was just the start.
In what seemed like a complete whirlwind, Robertson would go on to become a star in the NFL. He appeared in six Pro Bowls during his eight seasons with the Rams. He totaled 18 interceptions, two of which he took for touchdowns, 11 fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
Tackles, which are a huge stat for the linebacker position, unfortunately were not recorded yet. Robertson today is still one of the greatest linebackers in franchise history.
Starter: Les Richter
The University of California product was a dynamic talent coming into the league. So dynamic, that the Los Angeles Rams traded 11 players for his services to the Dallas Texans.
He spent his entire nine-year career with the Rams and was named an eight-time Pro Bowler, and was named first-team All-Pro twice and second-team All-Pro three times. While Richter recorded 16 interceptions and tallied 12 fumble recoveries, he unfortunately also fell victim to the lack of statistics kept back in the day.
Richter was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Backup: Maxie Baughan
The former Georgia Tech product spent only five years with the Los Angeles Rams, but in those five years he went to the Pro Bowl four times. He also received first-team All-Pro honors once and second-team All-Pro honors three times.
The former Rams defensive captain started 49 games, and had 11 interceptions, five fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. Some believe Baughan should be in the Hall of Fame, but he remains as just a college football Hall of Famer currently.
Backup: Tank Younger
Undrafted out of Grambling State, Tank Younger was a hybrid fullback and linebacker. He was part of the backfield that showcased Dan Towler and was also a presence on the defensive side of the ball.
During his nine years with the Los Angeles Rams, he was a four-time Pro Bowler, and was named first-team All-Pro once and second-team All-Pro twice. Younger accumulated 26 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and three interceptions during his time with the Rams.
Backup: Jack Reynolds
The Los Angeles Rams took Reynolds (aka Hacksaw) in the 1970 NFL draft out of Tennessee. He had previously sawed a vehicle in half out of frustration when Tennessee lost their unbeaten season, which is obviously where the nickname came from.
Hacksaw played 11 seasons with the Rams and went to two Pro Bowls, while being named second-team All-Pro twice along the way.
Honorable Mention
Jack Pardee
The Rams took Pardee in the second round of the 1957 NFL draft out of Texas A&M. He went on to lead a long 15-year career, in which 13 of those years were with the Rams.
He played in 169 games total with the team, bringing in 17 interceptions in which four went for touchdowns, 14 fumble recoveries including one for a touchdown and a forced fumble.
James Laurinaitis
Alas, the Rams all-time tackling leader gets a mention. You can see how he doesn’t quite make the all-time Rams roster, but there is no doubt Laurinaitis bled blue and gold. He may have taken some shots at the Rams lately. . . but we can blame Jeff Fisher for that.
The 2009 former second-round pick out of Ohio State started every single game for the Rams, and that is not to say he was healthy for all those 112 games either. It is widely known he played with a torn UCL in 2015, which ended up being his worst with the team.
Unfortunately, while we appreciate the contributions Laurinaitis made for the team, they had to free up cap space to try and sign their own free agents in 2016.
Roman Phifer
Yes, it’s sad to realize Phifer never won a Super Bowl with the Rams, as he left in free agency the season before the Rams won the big one. It is also sad that Phifer helped the Patriots win the Super Bowl against the Rams, and that he was paid the veteran minimum that year.
However, let’s talk about the positives. Phifer was a good player for the Rams. He played eight years between both Los Angeles and St. Louis. He had 591 tackles, 16.5 sacks, seven interceptions, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries with the Rams. He was also named a Pro Bowl alternate during that time and was probably snubbed from one or two as well.
London Fletcher
Another linebacker departure that makes Rams fans sad to think about. Fletcher was an undrafted free agent pickup by the St. Louis Rams out of John Carroll University.
He is best remembered by Rams fans as the team’s starting middle linebacker who played in two Super Bowls. Fletcher was considered undersized at 5-foot-10, but it didn’t matter as he made the most out of his opportunities. It’s still tough to swallow that the Rams let him walk after they had just let Phifer walk a few years before.
Fletcher only played four of his 16 seasons with the Rams, but that is still where he got his shot and is still loved by many Rams fans. He finished his time with the Rams with 272 tackles, 13 sacks, six interceptions, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
http://theramswire.usatoday.com/2016/07/01/creating-the-all-time-rams-roster-linebacker/
By: Jake Ellenbogen | 17 minutes ago
In this new series, we will break down our All-Time Rams roster position-by-position. We last covered defensive tackles, and now it’s time to move on to the linebackers. We’ll have three starters and three backups for this position.
Related:
Creating the All-Time Rams Roster: Defensive tackle
Starter: Kevin Greene
Hard to imagine a guy going from making the Auburn football team as a walk on, then being drafted to the NFL and eventually becoming a Hall of Famer. Well, that’s Kevin Greene for you.
Finally enshrined in Canton, Greene was a force for the Los Angeles Rams. He received a Pro Bowl invite as well as an All-Pro honor. Over his eight years with the Rams, he tallied 375 tackles, 72.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries and two interceptions in his 77 starts.
Having Greene at linebacker with the defensive line we just created is sure to be an unstoppable bunch of sack artists.
Starter: Isiah Robertson
Isiah Robertson was a rare talent, and was drafted out of Southern University No. 10 overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1971 NFL draft.
He started off as Jack Pardee’s replacement, who is mentioned a bit later in this piece. What does that tell you? Robertson not only came in and replaced Pardee, but basically made people forget about the guy as well. The young Ram kicked off his career with a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and that was just the start.
In what seemed like a complete whirlwind, Robertson would go on to become a star in the NFL. He appeared in six Pro Bowls during his eight seasons with the Rams. He totaled 18 interceptions, two of which he took for touchdowns, 11 fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
Tackles, which are a huge stat for the linebacker position, unfortunately were not recorded yet. Robertson today is still one of the greatest linebackers in franchise history.
Starter: Les Richter
The University of California product was a dynamic talent coming into the league. So dynamic, that the Los Angeles Rams traded 11 players for his services to the Dallas Texans.
He spent his entire nine-year career with the Rams and was named an eight-time Pro Bowler, and was named first-team All-Pro twice and second-team All-Pro three times. While Richter recorded 16 interceptions and tallied 12 fumble recoveries, he unfortunately also fell victim to the lack of statistics kept back in the day.
Richter was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Backup: Maxie Baughan
The former Georgia Tech product spent only five years with the Los Angeles Rams, but in those five years he went to the Pro Bowl four times. He also received first-team All-Pro honors once and second-team All-Pro honors three times.
The former Rams defensive captain started 49 games, and had 11 interceptions, five fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. Some believe Baughan should be in the Hall of Fame, but he remains as just a college football Hall of Famer currently.
Backup: Tank Younger
Undrafted out of Grambling State, Tank Younger was a hybrid fullback and linebacker. He was part of the backfield that showcased Dan Towler and was also a presence on the defensive side of the ball.
During his nine years with the Los Angeles Rams, he was a four-time Pro Bowler, and was named first-team All-Pro once and second-team All-Pro twice. Younger accumulated 26 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and three interceptions during his time with the Rams.
Backup: Jack Reynolds
The Los Angeles Rams took Reynolds (aka Hacksaw) in the 1970 NFL draft out of Tennessee. He had previously sawed a vehicle in half out of frustration when Tennessee lost their unbeaten season, which is obviously where the nickname came from.
Hacksaw played 11 seasons with the Rams and went to two Pro Bowls, while being named second-team All-Pro twice along the way.
Honorable Mention
Jack Pardee
The Rams took Pardee in the second round of the 1957 NFL draft out of Texas A&M. He went on to lead a long 15-year career, in which 13 of those years were with the Rams.
He played in 169 games total with the team, bringing in 17 interceptions in which four went for touchdowns, 14 fumble recoveries including one for a touchdown and a forced fumble.
James Laurinaitis
Alas, the Rams all-time tackling leader gets a mention. You can see how he doesn’t quite make the all-time Rams roster, but there is no doubt Laurinaitis bled blue and gold. He may have taken some shots at the Rams lately. . . but we can blame Jeff Fisher for that.
The 2009 former second-round pick out of Ohio State started every single game for the Rams, and that is not to say he was healthy for all those 112 games either. It is widely known he played with a torn UCL in 2015, which ended up being his worst with the team.
Unfortunately, while we appreciate the contributions Laurinaitis made for the team, they had to free up cap space to try and sign their own free agents in 2016.
Roman Phifer
Yes, it’s sad to realize Phifer never won a Super Bowl with the Rams, as he left in free agency the season before the Rams won the big one. It is also sad that Phifer helped the Patriots win the Super Bowl against the Rams, and that he was paid the veteran minimum that year.
However, let’s talk about the positives. Phifer was a good player for the Rams. He played eight years between both Los Angeles and St. Louis. He had 591 tackles, 16.5 sacks, seven interceptions, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries with the Rams. He was also named a Pro Bowl alternate during that time and was probably snubbed from one or two as well.
London Fletcher
Another linebacker departure that makes Rams fans sad to think about. Fletcher was an undrafted free agent pickup by the St. Louis Rams out of John Carroll University.
He is best remembered by Rams fans as the team’s starting middle linebacker who played in two Super Bowls. Fletcher was considered undersized at 5-foot-10, but it didn’t matter as he made the most out of his opportunities. It’s still tough to swallow that the Rams let him walk after they had just let Phifer walk a few years before.
Fletcher only played four of his 16 seasons with the Rams, but that is still where he got his shot and is still loved by many Rams fans. He finished his time with the Rams with 272 tackles, 13 sacks, six interceptions, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
