big thumper

if you exclude the linebackers of the 70's I think levon Kirkland was the best we have had. does anyone think that he was an anomaly or should we start looking at mlb like him again?

 

Anomaly, that guy was closing in on 300 pounds and would drop into coverage. He's one of my all-time favorites. I have thought Woodley was going to fill that role with size, speed and power.

 

Kirkland's size and speed combination was very unique. I hated it when he was cut in 2001 because he continued to play at a high level for several more years.

 

see I thought the same thing about Woodley. I wonder if we sign worilds if Woodley would consider the move. that is if we keep him at all

 

I've got a friend who knows Kirkland through some business dealings and says he's a heckuva nice guy. And my friend is a Bungle fan. Kirkland was definitely one of my favs.

 

Read a piece on him a couple months ago, he played 1 year each for the Seahawks and Eagles before retiring. He lost his wife to cancer last year and I believe he was coaching LBers at Florida A&M. Seemed like a down to earth guy in the article.

 

If Woodley could play ILB, he would have been there this past season. We needed help there so bad Troy was playing ILB.

 

I don't see the Steelers going in that direction in today's NFL the ILB has to be able to cover, they drafted a small speedy ILB Sean Spence. Most thumpers that play ILB will come off the field on 3rd downs.

 

I really liked watching Kirkland play but, I can't see his name without that Elton John song popping into my head.

 

My friend who knows Kirkland told me a pretty cool story about him. Kirkland's last game for the Eagles was when the Bucs beat them in the NFC Championship game the year they won the Super Bowl. The next season the Bucs and Eagles opened up the season and the Bucs had Warren Sapp lining up some at TE. Kirkland didn't care AT ALL for Warren Sapp and my friend asked him what he would have done had Sapp come across the middle to catch a pass. Kirkland didn't miss a beat and said "I'D KNOCK HIS HEAD OFF!". I'd pay to see that collision! Talk about an irresistible force meeting an immovable object!

 

true but make no mistake. Kirkland could cover very very well

 

You said it! I used to shake my head when I saw him drop into coverage on Wes Welker types.

 

He probably defended more passes down the middle 15 to 25 yards than any LB in the game today.

 

Come to think of it, they were probably scared of what would happen if they caught it!

 

Man I wish that happened. Kirkland would have destroyed him. No contest.

 

a lot of earthquake warning systems would have gone off, levon would have been standing there with slim all over him and there would have been a pair of lips lying on the field still flappin.