When the Minnesota Vikings entered the NFL in 1961 their fellow midwest teams and current division foes were loaded at middle linebacker. Some of these football players were among the best that ever played the position. And, middle linebacker was a fairly new position in 1961. As soon as the middle guard moved off of the defensive line in the the 1950s, we had the middle linebacker. When the Vikings entered the league the position was still in it's adolescence. The most accomplished teams seemed to have the new team surrounded. The Chicago Bears had Bill George and he would give way to Dick Butkus. The Detroit Lions had Joe Schmidt. The Green Bay Packers had Ray Nitschke. All four would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Some consider Butkus among the best football players to ever step on the field. Along with Sam Huff of the New York Giants, George, Butkus, Schmidt, and Nitschke set the parameters for the middle linebacker position. The new position had become the leader of the defense almost immediately. In order to catch up with the rest of the league the Minnesota Vikings had to find their defensive leader. Fortunately or unfortunately, the template for that position was all around them.
Some teams are known to always be strong at certain positions. The Vikings have had a nice run of receivers, until recently, throughout their history. They've always had good to great centers. Defensive tackle might be where they truly shine. Alan Page and John Randle are in the Hall of Fame. Kevin Williams could join them there. Keith Millard was one of the best football players in the game for a couple of seasons. If injuries hadn't derailed his career, he'd be in Canton in a heartbeat. The Chicago Bears run at middle linebacker has been among the greatest of any team at any position. Before Bill George, Bulldog Turner was one of the great football players at any position but his linebacker position wasn't thought of as today's middle linebacker position. So, we go from Turner to George to Butkus. There's three Hall of Famers. Then, the Bears take a couple of years off and finally bring in Mike Singletary. There's another Hall of Famer. Oh, then the Bears hit a real drought until they find Brian Urlacher. It shouldn't take much more than five years after his retirement that he joins Turner, George, Butkus, and Singletary in the Hall of Fame. While the Vikings don't come close to that kind of run at any position, they have actually had a bunch of nice middle linebackers. 1960s NFL football was a very violent brand of football. Especially compared to our cautious current days. Lonnie Warwick was a loaded missile in the middle of the Vikings defense. If not for all the brilliant middle linebackers all around him, Warwick might be better know today. Butkus overshadowed him throughout their careers. It's not hard to be overlooked when Butkus is just a little south of you. The presence of Nitschke and Schmidt didn't help much either. Warwick gave way to perhaps the most talented middle linebacker in Vikings history, Jeff Siemon. He had the Pro Bowls if not the name recognition. He might be best known to the more observant of Vikings fans as one of the few Vikings players that showed up for Super Bowl XI. There were very few tackles that he didn't make that day. Siemon was followed by Scott Studwell. Siemon might have been the most talented Vikings middle linebacker, Studwell was simply the best. It might be a stretch but Studwell might one day see Canton recognition. 9 Pro Bowls. 3 All-Pros. He's also an all time Viking. He played his last game in 1990 and he's still working for the Minnesota Vikings. He's been in the front office since he stepped off of the field. He's moved up through the personnel department to his current position as director of college scouting. Jack Del Rio, Ed McDaniel, and more recently E.J. Henderson have had good to great seasons in the middle of the Vikings defense. Now, for the first since, maybe, 1961 the Vikings have no one in the middle. If the Minnesota Vikings had to take the field today, middle linebacker is the one position that really has no one written in pencil, let alone ink.
With two first round picks today in the 2013 NFL Draft the Minnesota Vikings will likely use one on a middle linebacker. Manti Te'o? Arthur Brown? Kevin Minter? Maybe Kiko Alonso or A.J. Klein later on? Who knows? My guess is Te'o. My hope is that his name can run with the names of the great middle linebackers that the Vikings have had in the past and the incredible middle linebackers that they have faced.
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