SideLion Report
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The Detroit Lions All-Time Defensive Team

By Tredell Suber

Mandatory Credit: Tom Pidgeon /Allsport
Mandatory Credit: Tom Pidgeon /Allsport /
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2 Oct 1994: Detroit Lions linebacker Chris Spielman runs on the field during game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers won the game 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport
2 Oct 1994: Detroit Lions linebacker Chris Spielman runs on the field during game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers won the game 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport /

Linebackers

Chris Spielman: DET 1988-1995

Lions Career Stats:

1,020 tackles, 12 forced fumbles,10.5 sacks, 4 interceptions
1x All-Pro (1991)
4x Pro Bowls (1989-1991, 1994)

Case for making the team: The Lions’ all-time leading tackler was a flat out machine when it came to mauling opposing ball carriers. In seven of his eight years in Honolulu blue and silver, he amassed triple digits in tackles.

Spielman was one of the most respected linebackers of his era and was a key contributor to the team’s success in the late eighties and early nineties.

DeAndre Levy: DET 2009-2016

Lions Career Stats:

454 tackles, 12 interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 safety

Case for making the team: Towards the end of his career, injuries definitely cut into Levy’s playing time/production. When healthy, he was a versatile backer whose intelligence was hard to match.

In 2013, he was a force to be reckoned with in coverage as he displayed an uncanny knack for coming down with the football. That year he tied for second in the league with six interceptions, as a middle linebacker! 

Joe Schmidt: DET 1953-1965 (player) 1967-1972 (head coach)

Lions Career Stats:

24 interceptions
8x All-Pro (1954-1959, 1961-1962)
10x Pro Bowls (1954-1963)
1950s All-Decade Team
2x NFL Champion (1953, 1957)
Pro Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1973)
43-34-7 head coaching record

Case for making the team: A trailblazer at the linebacking position, Joe Schmidt was well ahead of his time when it came to how he played. His trait as a field general proved that his value wasn’t measured only by his own play, but also by his ability to position his teammates for success.

Voted by his peers four times as team MVP, Joe Schmidt was also team captain for nearly a decade. He is one of the most decorated players in Detroit’s history and also has the distinction of being a former Lions player who also served as the team’s head coach.

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