Which legendary Motor City players from yesteryear made my All-Time Detroit Lions Defensive Team? Keep reading to find out!
Oftentimes, Detroit Lions fans have to escape to a fantasy world in order to keep from losing their sanity during a disappointing season!
Nowadays, fantasy football is virtually ubiquitous, but “fantasy” football can mean different things to different people.
For some people (myself included), creating a digital doppelgänger of themselves in the latest edition of the Madden NFL video game is an enjoyable variant of fantasy football.
Water cooler conversations with other fans that bring together players from different eras in theoretical “what if” scenarios is another fantasy aspect of football and that’s the area that I will be delving more into with this column.
The Lions have had 20 Pro Football Hall of Famers suit up for them in addition to fielding several other memorable players who have had meaningful impacts on the organization since the team’s inception in 1930.
From those players, I will be making my selections for Detroit’s all time starting defensive and offensive units, beginning this week with the side of the ball that wins championships, the defense.
I’ve made my selections based off of official stats that the players accrued as members of the Detroit Lions and overall team impact.
Remember that this is my own “fantasy” roster lineup and with so many greats to choose from, there are no right or wrong answers. Enjoy!
Defensive End
Robert Porcher: DET 1992-2003
Lions Career Stats:
429 tackles, 95.5 sacks, 1 interception
3x All-Pro (1997, 1999, 2001)
3x Pro Bowls (1997, 1999, 2001)
Case for making the team: The former first rounder out of South Carolina State terrorized league quarterbacks for his entire 12 year career. He is Detroit’s all-time leader in sacks and led the team in that category eight times during his tenure.
Porcher entrenched himself as one of the NFL’s best defensive ends from 1996-2001 notching an impressive 68 sacks during that span.
Al “Bubba” Baker: DET 1978-1982
Lions Career Stats:
8.5* sacks, 4 interceptions
1x All-Pro (1978)
3x Pro Bowls (1978-1980)
1978 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
*total only includes sacks from the 1982 season
Case for making the team: 8.5 official sacks may seem a little paltry by today’s standards, nonetheless, Baker served as one of the anchors of the Lions’ vaunted “Silver Rush” defensive front.
Considering that sacks didn’t become an official statistic until Baker’s final year in Detroit, his sack total with the team would sit at a more appropriate 75.5 if it included the first four years of his career.
The 23 sacks that Bubba totaled in his rookie year would have tied him with former Dallas Cowboys defensive end, Harvey Martin, for the single season record but since they happened prior to 1982 they aren’t counted.
Defensive Tackle
Doug English: DET 1975-1985
Lions Career Stats:
25 sacks, 4 safeties (NFL record)
1x All-Pro (1982)
4x Pro Bowls (1978, 1981-1983)
Case for making the team: A player who was both tenacious and opportunistic, English once scored two safeties in a single season and has four on his career tying an NFL record.
Doug English was the inside dynamo that helped power the much feared “Silver Rush” defense of the seventies and eighties. By totaling his unofficial sacks prior to 1982, his 59 are good enough for sixth most in team history.
Ndamukong Suh: DET 2010-2014
Lions Career Stats:
181 tackles, 36 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception, 1 safety
3x All-Pro (2010, 2013-2014)
4x Pro Bowls (2010, 2012-2014)
2010 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
Case for making the team: Now hear me out on this one. Suh’s free agency departure in 2015 was upsetting. His dirty hits, bone headed penalties, and numerous fines from the league office were maddening.
His time with the team caused me as much pain as it did joy, but I’d be hard pressed to find another defensive tackle in team history who was as capable of wreaking the type of havoc that Suh could.
He came in and from the very beginning had an immediate impact as a rookie by leading all defensive tackles in sacks in 2010.
When he was locked in, he was one of the top two best interior defensive lineman in the entire league.
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.
Cornerbacks
Lem Barney: DET 1967-1977
Lions Career Stats:
56 interceptions, 7 touchdowns
2x All-Pro (1968-1969)
7x Pro Bowls (1967-1969, 1972-1973, 1975-1976)
1967 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
Pro Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1992)
Case for making the team: On the field, Lem Barney was the epitome of what a shutdown corner is supposed to be. From the moment he debuted, big plays were never far away. As a rookie in 1967, he racked up 10 interceptions which tied the league lead. Also that year, Barney tallied three pick sixes. In his career, Barney was also multi-talented enough to be an exceptional kick returner and even served as punter!
Off the field, Barney struck up an instant friendship with the legendary Motown singer, Marvin Gaye and in 1971 sang backup vocals (along with Lions’ running back Mel Farr) on Gaye’s hit record, “What’s Going On.”
Dick LeBeau: DET 1959-1972
Lions Career Stats:
62 Interceptions, 3 touchdowns
3x Pro Bowls (1964-1966)
Pro Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2010)
Case for making the team: Dick Lebeau is a true football “lifer” with 14 seasons as a player and 29 seasons as a coach in the NFL. As the second of two hall of fame corners on this roster, his stats and accomplishments more than back up his selection. Lebeau’s 62 career interceptions make him the Lions’ all-time leader in that category.
I am a subscriber to the notion that a player’s greatest ability is availability and Lebeau displayed that trait exceptionally well throughout his Lions career. His ability to avoid injury allowed him to set the “iron man” mark for NFL cornerbacks with 171 consecutive games played, a record that still holds up today.
Safeties
Yale Lary: DET 1952-1964
Lions Career Stats:
50 interceptions, 3 touchdowns, 22,279 total punt yards, 44.3 yards per punt
3x All-Pro (1956, 1958, 1962)
9x Pro Bowls (1953-1962, 1964)
3x NFL Champion (1952, 1953, 1957)
1950s All-Decade Team
Pro Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1979)
Case for making the team: Yale Lary was such a good player that he was able to miss two full seasons of his career due to military service and come back without missing a beat!
A game changer on defense as a starting safety or on special teams by flipping field position as a punter, Lary was the type of player any coach/general manager would love on their team.
Glover Quin: DET 2013-current
Lions Career Stats:
273 tackles, 19 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles, 2 sacks, 2 touchdowns
1x Pro Bowl (2014)
Case for making the team: GQ’s football IQ is off the charts. He doesn’t get the Pro Bowl love that his contemporaries do, but the Lions definitely know his worth.
His game preparation is meticulous and he is also able to share that knowledge with his teammates. Under the tutelage of Glover Quin, Darius Slay truly lived up to his “Big Play” moniker by leading the league in interceptions, which culminated in a 2018 Pro Bowl nod. Quin’s guidance was a big help in getting Slay to the next level.
Specialists
Kicker- Jason Hanson: DET 1992-2012
Lions Career Stats:
327 games played
82.4 field goal percentage
98.8 extra point percentage
52 field goals from beyond 50 yards
2,150 points scored
2x Pro Bowls (1997, 1999)
Case for making the team: Hanson is the Lions’ all-time leading scorer with 2,150 points scored. The team was mocked after drafting him in the second round of the NFL Draft in 1992, but his career definitely made his high draft position a worthwhile risk.
Punter- Sam Martin: DET 2013-current
Lions Career Stats:
46.5 punt average
15,005 total punt yards
Case for making the team: In five seasons with the team, Martin has the four greatest statistical punting seasons in team history. Enough said.
Punt Returner- Jack Christiansen: DET 1951-1958
Lions Career Stats:
1,084 punt return yards
8 punt return touchdowns
1,329 kick return yards
22.5 yards per kick return
3,393 all purpose yards
6x All-Pro (1952-1957)
5x Pro Bowls (1953-1957)
3x NFL Champion (1952, 1953, 1957)
1950s All-Decade Team
Pro Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1970)
Case for making the team: Though Christiansen twice led the league in interceptions, he makes this team due to his prowess in the return game.
Christiansen’s eight career punt return touchdowns are still good to be in the top four statistically in NFL history.
Kick Returner- Mel Gray: DET 1989-1994
Lions Career Stats:
1,427 punt return yards
2 punt return touchdowns
5,478 kick return yards
5 kick return touchdowns
102 yard kickoff return
25.4 yards per kick return
7,040 all purpose yards
3x All-Pro (1990-1991, 1994)
3x Pro Bowls (1990-1991, 1994)
Case for making the team: Simply put, Mel Gray is one of the best return men in NFL history. The numbers don’t lie.
Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018 - Full first round
Conclusion
Going through the Lions’ history and piecing together my choices for the all-defensive team has been exciting and it was a labor of love. There are so many great players in this franchise’s history, picking the starters was truly a challenge.
Ultimately, from the trenches to the secondary, I truly feel like this defense would strike fear into the hearts of any offense that lined up across from them!
I am looking forward to switching over to the offensive side of the ball next week.