NFL Greatest Players

Jack Lambert: He was the toothless, snarling leader of Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain Defense. When Jack Lambert spoke, everybody listened -- or else.

He played the role of intimidating middle linebacker for 11 NFL seasons, six of them as the leading man for what many consider the greatest defensive unit ever assembled.

Jack the Ripper was taller (6-4) and lighter (220) than most middle linebackers of his era, but his Butkus-like intensity was front and center before every snap.

The toothless snarl gave him an almost ghoulish look, as did the eyes that rolled madly inside a dark helmet. An excited voice would bark out defensive signals, arms would pump wildly and legs would quiver uncontrollably in anticipation of the punishment he was about to deliver.

And deliver he did, with vicious consistency. What Lambert lacked in weight, he more than made up for with speed and quickness to the ball. He was like a ballcarrier-seeking missile and his height presented problems for quarterbacks throwing over the middle.

But what set Lambert apart from other middle linebackers was his ability to smother backs and tight ends in passing situations, a talent that produced 28 career interceptions.

Lambert might have played with a demonic fervor, but behind that facade was a soft-spoken, sensitive, intelligent leader who served as defensive captain from 1977 until his 1984 retirement.

He spent most of his career surrounded by greatness -- Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes up front, Jack Ham and Andy Russell on the outside, Mel Blount and Donnie Shell in the backfield -- and he came to symbolize the work ethic required of a team playing in blue-collar Pittsburgh.

It wasn't a coincidence that the Steelers won Super Bowls in four of Lambert's first six seasons and that he finished his career by playing in a then-record nine straight Pro Bowls.