Top Ten Defensive Players in Chicago Bears History

3. Bill George

When you hear about the great Middle linebackers in NFL history, you rarely hear people bring up Bill George. They should, not only because of his greatness, but because he was the first.

Because of George’s versatility to drop back in coverage and rush the offensive line in run coverage, the Bears were the first team to start using the very familiar four defensive linemen and three linebacker format- George was a pioneer in that regard and changed the game. George was a tough son of a gun that made opposing offenses know where he was at all times.

He helped usher in the modern era of football when he hung up the cleats his accolades included 8 Pro Bowls, 8 first-team All-Pros and he was a member of the 1950s all-decade team.