Years ago, any given defense's marquee players were positioned in the trenches.
Lots of sacks and highlight-reel dances gave rise to a passel of defensive-line nicknames: Baltimore's "Sack Pack," Detroit's "Silver Rush," Atlanta's Grits Blitz" and the Jets' "New York Sack Exchange," among others.
But as offenses become faster and more multi-faceted, it's the second level of the defense, the linebackers, that must be more fast, deep and versatile than ever.
Even with only one preseason game in the books, the Ravens have already looked to build on their strong linebacker tradition.
