Tedy Bruschi

At 35, Bruschi may have lost a step, but his courage and leadership are unquestioned and he still led the Patriots with 92 tackles in 2007. As a result of taking less snaps -- he came off the field often in third-down situations last season -- he's no longer a lock to rack up 100-plus tackles, but he can still help out as an IDP in deeper leagues.

Offseason rumors had Bruschi retiring, but if a stroke can't stop him, unfounded rumors certainly won't, either. Bruschi played the first three months of last season in a cast after breaking his left wrist and still managed to be close to the linebacker Top 25, mostly on tackling but also with 1.5 sacks and a pick. The year before, he missed time due to a minor stroke. The last time he was fully healthy, in 2004, Bruschi tackled like a demon but also turned in 3.5 sacks and three picks, good enough for a Top-10 finish. He had some follow-up surgery on that wrist this offseason to remove a pin, but otherwise enters this season healthy and energized for another championship drive— this season may be his last, after all. Bruschi has made a career out of turning solid physical talents into exceptional performance through smarts, focus, technique and perhaps the most superb drive of anyone on the field. He's made at least one sack in each of his 11 years in the league and only once made just one. That excellent motor also means he racks up the assists— he doesn't stop when he sees a teammate is there. He's 34, and while fully healthy for him doesn't mean what it once did, there are few more skilled players in the NFL.

Leave the sappiness at the door. Bruschi earned his spot on this list on the field, not through his comeback from a stroke suffered last offseason. He’s one of the most-skilled linebackers in the league with the bulk, block-slipping and textbook tackling technique to stop the run up the middle and in space. He’s also among the best linebackers at dropping back into coverage. What it all translates to in numbers is a base of solo tackles in the high 70s, not typical for someone worth recommending. Here’s where Bruschi is exceptional: he makes a sack every year. He’s done it for 10 consecutive seasons and in nine years he had two or more. Excluding last year’s nine-game season, he’d also run off four straight seasons with at least two picks. In two of those he scored two touchdowns each year. Bruschi is easily the best playmaker in linebackerdom. The lower tackle numbers mean there could be some empty games in between tilts with sacks and picks. He finished last year playing through a calf problem but attests that, unlike last year, he’s fully on the offseason schedule he’s established every other year.

One of the team's top playmakers on defense, the Patriots' defensive co-captain started all 16 games at inside linebacker for the team in 2004, as well as the team's three postseason contests. He finished the regular season ranked second on the team with 137 tackles, adding two sacks, three interceptions, 16 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.