When Michael Jordan was winning NBA titles he was once asked who was the toughest defender he ever played against. Without thinking about it he said, "Lawrence Taylor!" The interviewer said, "Lawrence Taylor was a football player!" Michael said, "Yeah, and he played basketball the same way!" Michael Jordan and Lawrence Taylor played college ball at UNC.
@@leereeder2293 He was an amazing athlete! Growing up in Chicago, right during that mid-to-late 80s run for amazing Defenses in New York and Chicago, we always had arguments about who was really the best LB! Well, when no less of an authority than Dick Butkus, an NFL LEGEND at LB and a God in Chicago, when _that man_ says that the best he ever saw was LT, right then, there was no more argument. LT was that dude before that due was even a thing.
@@tlt3921 I Googled this & he actually had 25. It doesn't say if they were all solo so 3 are probably combined but he is credited for 25. At 1-13, he was the only one making them apparently.
My dad used to wrestle me as a kid and when he'd tackle me he'd say "Butkus hits him!". I didn't even know what the word "Butkus" meant at that time, but I knew the name. The man was in awe of Butkus his entire life.
Dick Butkus. Born and raised in Chicago. Only played 9 years but made 8 Pro-Bowls and was a 2 time Defensive Player of the Year. He is the Monster of the Midway.
Team bias maybe, but not recency, they were the 2 players i grew up watching highlight reels for. Maybe its good we dont all just hype up the same players though. Have fun being annoying to other people for no reason.@@Youknowwhoin2024
Gary Fencik #45, and Doug Plank #46 were huge hitters for the Bears in the 70's and 80's. Rushers trying to evade one often got blown up by the other. Great stuff.
As a fellow Chicagoan who is 56 now I wholeheartedly agree with you my friend I loved watching the Bears of the 70s and 80s after that it was all downhill
I could listen to LT all day. Him casually saying, "son, y'all gotta do better than this." while standing over the qb shaking his head is probably my favorite NFL one liner. 😂😂😂
As a Philly fan the Giants are arch, division rivals. We had to see him 2 times a year at least. I can't say it was fun to watch. But it was awesome. LT was and is legendary. Next time a woman says on her dating profile she wants to "Live life to the fullest" I'm going to reply "Like Lawrence Taylor?"
I liked his " let's go in there like a bunch of crazy dogs !" It reminds me of a fellow linebacker I played with. He would say at the start of the game, " let's get at 'em like a pack of rabid dogs !" I knew it was his original saying. It was about ten years before LT played in the NFL.
There were so many great tacklers, but the two greatest that I have ever seen was Dick Butkus and Jack Tatum. Unbelievable how they could reach peak acceleration at impact.
Isaac - Thank You!... I am so pleased that Steve Atwater was included on this list... I covered the Broncos back in the 1980's and all anyone ever wanted to talk about was John Elway (deserving undeniably) but there were 21 other Broncos out on the field with him and Steve was just as important to - Wade Phillips' & Greg Robinson's - Broncos defense as John was to Dan Reeves & Mike Shanahan's offense... A deserving Hall-of-Famer and a GREAT (and humble) person, Steve Atwater!
49ers trainer: Ronnie, we cant let you play with a broken pinky tip" Ronnie Lott: "if we cut it off, it's not broken anymore" Trainer : *"What?"* Ronnie: *"What?!"*
He's not talked about much any more, but Chuck Cecil was one of the hardest hitters I've ever seen. He even appeared on an SI cover that asked if he was too dangerous for the NFL.
My dad played with Singletary at Baylor and he said they used to keep 3 helmets on the bench with his number on them because he would usually break atleast 2 per half.
Playing football through high school it was a amazing how some guys could hit you like a ton of bricks. And the really hard hitters were not necessarily big. They tended to be fast and absolutely fearless.
This list got #1 right for sure. I have watched pro football for 66 years and Butkus was hands down # 1, no one even close. The most destructive defensive player to ever play the game. I watched every game he ever played. He played a game with cracked ribs and tackled guys the same as he did in these clips. If you have ever had cracked ribs, which I have had, you know how fierce this guy was to play in that kind of pain. He and Gayle Sayers packed Wrigley field when the Bears teams were not worth the price of admission. The two of them were, "you have to see them to believe them type players".
I grew up in the same neighborhood as Dick in the 50's and 60's. He was a legend from the time he went to CVS high school. His brothers owned a moving company and were also tough guys.
Yes he was!! No question. I would have loved to have seen how his game evolved. Very sad ending. I blame his sister for bringing those haters into home.
I was a kid during the 70's and I really feel like this was the best time in the history of the NFL. MEL BLOUNT was the biggest hitting DB I ever saw personally. He was a game changer.
Even though it was only one tackle, the beauty of Steve Largents tackle and fumble recovery on Mike Harden of Denver gets him a spot on this imo. As far as defensive backs go I like how Ronnie Lott described getting a big hit. "Actually, getting a big hit means you were a little late on your coverage."
Dat is true cuz u a never c Prime on here he say dat ball is mine. But Ronnie Lott could do Dat cuz Eric Wright was on other side as a rookie Ballin like Lester Hayes
Lawrence Taylor was better than we remember. He could be the best football player ever. Seriously, he was the only defensive player I've ever seen straight take over and win a game that his team was, 100 percent going to lose, after leaving in first half with an injury. It's incredible to say I know, but he is underrated.
David Fulcher and Terry Hoage were a couple of monsters, as well. The most recent heavy hitter that left quite an impression on me, is Parrish Cox. Dude was vicious.
Most people don't realize in many states a game warden has legal access to any property for any reason, doesn't need a warrant or cause, more power than about any other law enforcement dept you can think of.
My boy Lyle Alzado was a monster hitter too. He was a tad before my time, but I remember watching plenty of highlight videos on him. He was a pure monster.
Actually Earl wasn't ready for the hit and it was a big hit, yet he kept going after the initial impact. That is a testament to how tough Earl was and how big of a hitter Tatum was.
Earl was so big that his momentum carried him forward even when out on his feet. Two of the greats being great at what they were known for at the same time.
17:27 - 17:56 what that man said about Ray Lewis perfectly encapsulates Ray his whole career. Every player could just see it in his eyes, hear it from his voice and by the way he played that he was a beast. He had that mystique, that bad ass element
Jack Tatum is slam-dunk #1 on my list. It appears many in this comment section agree. I noticed someone here suggested Doug Plank as worth mentioning. Good call. I think he get's overlooked because I don't think his career was all that long and that he wasn't really above average in terms of overall talent. But he'd lay the wood on any receiver coming over the middle.
@@iceman4311 I'd say Tatum because Tatum was doing it in college and Lott began his career as a corner and didn't have the same opportunity to play run defense.
I was at the University of Arkansas when Steve Atwater was there and know him personally. He and Dan Hampton shutdown the triple option offense in the old Southwest Conference so thoroughly that teams like Texas and SMU never ran it again against them.
I've seen that Atwater hit on okoye a bunch of times. One thing these highlights always leave out - Okoye ran Atwater over the next time atwater tried to tackle him
Man, I loved this video! Lambert, Tatum and Butkus were my favorites. As a Lions fan, I'm too young to remember Night Train Lane. I remember the Super Bowl when Cliff Harris dissed Roy Gerela and Lambert threw him to the ground. I wasn't a Steelers fan but, man, it was fun to see Lambert wreak havoc on the Cowboys after that. I loved Roger Staubach but guys like Cliff Harris turned me into a Cowboy hater. I loved watching Jack Tatum absolutely destroy receivers. He was the ultimate Raider. Butkus was before my time but my Dad told me great stories, especially since they played the Lions so much.
Tatum is the only guy who hit another player so hard he indirectly cost his team a Super Bowl - No way that ball gets jarred 30 feet into the air into Franco's hands if it was some other guy hitting the receiver.
Not so fast, my friend. Keep in mind that one week after the Immaculate Reception the Steelers lost to the undefeated Miami Dolphins. The Raiders most likely would've fallen as well.
@@Jomitheelf Nice joke 😆 I believe he meant Jack Tatum former strong Safety of the Oakland Raiders 🏴☠️ in the early 1970s And I’m a Celtics fan and Jayson Tatum is my favorite player in today’s NBA
Two notable omissions: Kenny Easley (whom Ronnie Lott called the hardest hitting player he's ever seen) and one of the few players besides LT at that time who forced offenses to change their game plans, and Kam Chancellor, enforcer of the Legion of Boom, who was flagged frequently for legal hits because they were so violent the ref thought it should be illegal. RU-vid Chancellor vs Winston and watch a 225lb safety stand his ground and break a 310 pound pulling lineman in half (and still tackle the RB for a loss).
John Lynch might have laid a good hit on Barry, but Barry also put an all-time juke on him. Froze him in the hole, planted his foot and went on a dead sprint 80 yards to the end zone. Check the film I'm sure it's on RU-vid.
Tbh, using Barry and Faulk is a pretty bad example of 'hitting hard' resume. I mean they were great and hard to get ahold of, but it's not like they were going to run you over
Hadin Landeros that was what Barry was going to do to ANYbody. The fact that he was able to hit Barry Sanders on his own in the open field isn’t something to be glossed over.
Lawrence Taylor is one of only two defensive players in the history of the game to win the NFL MVP award. He was a freak of nature who had the size and strength to push through offensive lineman on his way to the quarterback and the speed to chase down running backs and catch them from behind. The man deserves to be at the top of any defensive list and is arguably the greatest player to ever play the game.
It's a trip cuz all of the best players from Reggie White RIP ta Jerry Rice n Joe Montana say L.T. is the all time best!! But u gotta go by Decades if u ask me cuz rules change n at 1 point dey ain't track INT or Sacks so u know
All of them are 100% badasses. Razorback Atwater#1 Seen every home games, 4 road games, 1 bowl game, 1 pro game, stayed at the same hotels of the college games, got to visit with him about 40 minutes 6× each time. Awesome to talk to him and watch.
Jack Tatum was the Grim Reaper. Everybody on here is in the Hall of Fame but Jack. I think it's a damn shame that this man died and never got into the Hall. I can't respect the HOF.
I know this list is old, but you have to add James Harrison to this list. The league basically took tackling out of the game after he knocked out two Browns players in a row.
Night Train's hits are probably the hardest and most reckless hits I've ever seen from a defensive back. I bet he absolutely terrified the receivers in the league that had to go against him
@Jim Watson his listed height and weight were 6'1" 194. He was a very big guy compared to the rest of the DBs in the league at the time but again I think he'd play safety in today's game more so because of his ball skills even though he was extremely physical
Sean Taylor was the hardest hitter in the NFL that I have ever seen on the Washington Redskins. Not only his hitting was unmatched but his athleticism as well.
Love ST26. The Miami Hurricane fans literally have a game named after him. That being said, unfortunately he wasn't in the league long enough to make this list. Had he had a full career, no question he would be.
You can only think of what might have been . Crushing loss for football and the Redskins . Skins #27 , Ken Houston ,was also a great hitter at that position .
I was watching that game against the Oilers in Earl Campbell as well as Jack Tatum were hurt from the contact from each other, that shows you how much power Earl Campbell had
As a Baltimore Colts season ticket holder I had the opportunity to see these guys play in real time.....back when the game was all about the hitting.....no intentional cheap shots....just good old fashioned street fights.....
Bravo to all on the list and as time passes, some will drop off and others added. To draft Butkus and Sayers in the 1965 draft, you’d think they’d be unstoppable. But a quarterback was also needed. So the all pro play of those 2 just wasn’t enough. They couldn’t have played harder, yet you need a team.
I was a kid in '72 or '73, and Dick Butkus came to my house to throw passes to me and my kid brother. True story. (Thinking now it was summer of 1971-- see my comment below).
@@craddock619 Players were much more accessible back then. He was making an appearance at a church festival just down the street from our home in a city adjacent to Chicago. My dad knew the fella delivering him and arranged for him to stop by our house for a bit. He was as nice as could be...There was an enormous trophy in the rear seat of the car. I now see that he won NFL Defensive POY in 1970, so I'm guessing it was the summer of 1971.
I had a similar experience with Butkus outside U of I's Memorial Stadium one afternoon. We kids (12, 13 yo) were playing on the lawn outside the stadium when he and another Illini stopped and watched us. We invited them to join, Butkus went to the other side. I was about 5'2 100 pounds and was our sides RB. I got through the line right into Butkus. He had that mean look on his face, lifted me up almost over his head... I knew I was going to die... then gently laid me on the grass and laughed. I've loved him ever since. That was in 10/63.
I think it's crazy how Jack Lambert is in this list. Not because I think he doesn't deserve to be, but he's downright skinny for his position, but is recognized a one of the hardest hitting middle linebackers of all time. That's pretty damn impressive.
that clip in the end where butkus stops the running back and holds on to him while his legs keep churning and hes going nowhere is very underrated. imagine the strength involved in being able to stop a human like that.
I saw Steve Atwater recently at a spine doctor’s office in Denver. My back is messed up and I get weekly cortisone shots. We chatted and talked about music in the waiting room for a few minutes. I was in a band that was a big deal in town many years ago. We even played at the 99’ Broncos ring party. What a cool dude he is. My favorite Bronco of all time. But I was too embarrassed to show him my tattoo on my calf of him leveling Christian Okoye.
Being a member of Steeler Nation, growing up in Western Pennsylvania,Jack Lambert was Purely Awesome,but let's not forget Donnie Shell,and Jack Ham the whole defense of the Steel Curtain.Those were the Best days of my hometown life,Go Steelers Go.
Another worthy entry to the list would be Sean Taylor. Had Sean had a 10-year or more career, he would have been the most feared tackler amongst safeties in the last 30 years
It is near impossible to include every single guy who was truly feared as a tackler. #31 Donnie Shell for the Pittsburgh Steelers is one that comes to mind. While I don't think he belongs in the top 10, I do believe he, along with quite a few others, deserved an honorable mention.
John Lynch might have laid a good hit on Barry, but Barry also put an all-time juke on him. Froze him in the hole, planted his foot and went on a dead sprint 80 yards to the end zone. Check the film I'm sure it's on RU-vid.
@@qaqa3180 one of the commentators during that game said during the slow-mo replay that "John Lynch's jockstrap is lying out there at the 20 yard line," and I'm pretty certain it still is there.
As a lifelong Eagles fan, I loves the mention at the end of Comcrete Charlie's big hit in Frank Gifford! I'm surprised Bill Romanowski didn't make the list.
I am a Green Bay Packers fan for life. Ray Nitschke not being on the list is an affront (probably could've been anywhere from 7-10), but there is only one #1, and that is Dick Butkus. I remember old games where my dad would tell me that it felt like Butkus was out to kill people on the field.
How do you leave Brian Dawkins off this list? His hit in the NFC Championship game against Atlanta was bone jarring. He was a ball hawk who laid the boom on anyone who came near him.
I'm a Cowboys fan and I have no idea why Dawkins isn't on here. Dude used to light us up, always wanted to have him here in Dallas. Definitely should be on the list.
I enjoyed seeing lambert protecting his teammate and laying it down. Thats how you set the tone thats how you earn respect and thats how you rally your team.
You are an absolute legend for uploading this. I tried to make a very patchy playlist of this but it was no where near complete. Hope you're all well and good. Edit - just wanted to take the time to say; Lynch's tackle on his brother in law knocked him out but he still held onto the ball. That's impressive.
Two things... He may not have a spot on the top ten, but he definitely deserves an honorable mention: Rickey Jackson, outside linebacker for the New Orleans Saints. The man had an accident with an 18 wheeler, had to have two emergency surgeries, yet only missed one game. He wouldn't have missed that one if head coach Jim Morra hadn't banned him from the locker room. Ask any quarterback, running back, or receiver during the 80's and early 90's if they remember Rickey. They will. They will grimace in remembered pain, but they will. All that being said, he deserves an honorable mention. The top ten list they made was fairly spot on. The second thing is about Dick Butkus. That man was NOT a man. He wasnt even a machine. He was evil personified once on the playing field. He honestly didn't believe he did his job if at least two people weren't carted off the field.
I was just wondering who #'s 2-9 would be. I was just a child when Butkus played, but between film clips and testimonials from former players, it was no surprise to me. Spent a lifetime watching Ray Lewis and Jack Lambert destroy Bengals players twice a year, every year.
As a Ram fan ever since they were the Cleveland Rams I’ve noticed a lot Of guys that could be on that list but I think they got the 10 on here that’s well deserves it...from Lynch to Butkus all deserves to be here and there are STILL others that could have been on the list....
One or 2 great hits does not make someone a "feared" tackler, al la Atwater and a few others. The 2 guys I saw that hit hard and made other players "flinch" were Butkus and Mike Curtis. Both seemed to like to hurt other players and they knew it. Tatum, Cliff Harris and Doug Plank should also be considered.
They didn't put any defensive linemen in the list because "they don't get up enough speed to hurt you that badly," I'm not saying they are right. I'm telling you what they said.
You're absolutely right to put Butkus at #1. He was the role model for a good many who came after him. Boy , he was scary even to a gal sitting in the stands!
I played high level football for 14 years up in Montreal lastly with the Junior Alouettes and McGill Redmen as both a running back and a DB when many of the players on this list were active. I was in awe of their aggressiveness and skill. It was the epitome of hard nosed old school football. Watching the hits now, I can't help but cringe at all the head to head shots that were legal back then. So many of the highlights herein would not exist on a compilation with today's rules.
Listening to the radio call by Frank, Sonny and Sam while driving to a buddy's place to watch Giants/Redskins on a Monday night, the announcers and the crowd go silent after Taylor sacks Theismann. Then the announcers watch the reply and are shocked almost to the point of being mute - hushed/grave sounding voices. I get to my buddy's place, rush in without knocking and find a disturbing silence. I ask "WTF happened?" Their response was "it's horrible, you just gotta see it." In my life it's only topped by the Krumrie injury.
I had a guy like this on my high school team name Richie. He couldn't bench much, couldn't run that fast, and was medium-sized. But when he hit you, every time, it was like a bus hit you. Not sure how.
Sean taylor was a beast on the defensive end. He's the only reason I'd watch the Redskins play. He definitely should've been on here As a tampa fan glad to see lynch on here.
Not only did I have him on the top 10, I had him in the top 5!!!! My top five were butkus, LT, Ray Lewis, and a tie between Ronnie Lott and Sean Taylor for numbers 4 and 5.
I seriously can't believe Sean Taylor wasn't even mentioned. I understand that this is all opinion, but come on to not mention Sean Taylor is a crime of disrespect