NFC East Rankings: Inside/Middle Linebackers

This is the 5th of a series of articles ranking the NFC East teams position by position. Click here for the others.

This is the easiest position to rank for the Redskin fan. 3 of the 5 starting inside linebackers in the NFC East have recently started at the position for Washington. Jeremiah Trotter played in D.C for 2 years. After he was unceremoniously released Antonio Pierce took his job. Pierce took the money and ran all the way to New York and was replaced by current MLB Lemar Marshall. While the background info on each player is nice, it has to be taken with a grain of salt. Jeremiah Trotter is nearly as useless in Philadelphia as he was in Washington. One note: as usual, the Cowboys screw everything up by playing a 3-4 defense, so this will cover both of their inside linebackers, which isn’t ideal, but it’ll have to do.

On to the rankings:

1. Lemar Marshall, Washington

I’m sure that 99% of the Giant fans who read this and 50% of the Eagle fans who can actually read are pretty irritated by this. In fact, it’s a good bet that there are even some Redskins fans that are surprised by this ranking. But it’s time everyone recognizes, Lemar Marshall is really freaking good. HIs play against the run improved throughout the year and it was solidly above average by the end of the season. One aspect of the game where Marshall excels over Pierce is in making tackles for loss. Marshall has the ability to really stuff a runner, while Pierce usually makes his tackles beyond the line of scrimmage.

However the real strength to Marshall’s game is pass defense. There is no linebacker in the NFL who covers tight ends better than Marshall. He was an All-American cornerback in high school, played safety in college and it shows in his blanket coverage skills. Marshall has shutdown the better tight ends in the NFL; no one should know this better than Giants fans. Jeremy Shockey averaged 2.5 catches for 24 yards in the 2 games against Washington and 5 catches for 65 against the rest of the league. 2006 should be the year that the league finally catches on and Marshall gets noticed.

2. Antonio Pierce – NY Giants

This number two ranking shouldn’t be seen as a slap in the face for Pierce. He is a really good player as well. Pierce, like Marshall, is an all around linebacker who can play all three downs. He got way too much of the credit for the Giants turn around in 2005 than he deserved, but there aren’t many teams in the league who wouldn’t take Pierce on their team. You have to give credit to the Giants front office for signing Pierce when other sexier names were available. Pierce gave them a strong presence up the middle and should be a fixture in New York for years to come.

3. Jeremiah Trotter- Philadelphia

He’s not nearly as terrible as he showed in Washington, but he has slowed down and is extremely one dimensional. Trotter has to come off the field on passing downs as he’d struggling covering Ted Washington coming out of the backfield. His role in Philly is to be pointed at a hole and to stuff it up, which he does better than anyone in the league. His recent Pro Bowl appearances are baffling, but more proof that the Pro Bowl is more about press coverage than actual skill. If he has any sense, he’ll spend the rest of his career in Philly.

4. Bradie James(Shanle Scott)/Akin Ayodele, Dallas

Hey look, it’s more of that Super Bowl caliber roster we’ve been hearing so much about. Bradie James appeared to be coming on as 2005 came along, but he lined up with the 2nd team defense in spring mini-camp, so his status as a starter is in doubt. Akin Ayodele was a guy who picked a good year to come out as a free agent. He put up strong numbers in Jacksonville, although they didn’t seem to have much interest in bringing him back. Ayodele is considered to a good fit for the 3-4 defense, so he may impress this year. Until he proves it, the Cowboys are going to be stuck ranked in the basement at this position.