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Curtain falls on Ravens defense Baltimore's 'D' was great, but the '70s Steelers still tops
Post-Super Bowl, I did a one-pager for the magazine in which I tried to put the Ravens' defense in some kind of perspective and compare it to some of the great units of the past. Since I didn't want to rent a U-Haul to bring my library down to Tampa, I had to do it on general impressions. Now, more than a week later, armed with my full battalion of charts and reference books, I've tried to come up with a more thorough breakdown. It can be frustrating work, especially when you're dealing with statistics. The encyclopedias and yearbooks are inconsistent. So are the press books. So, basically, I tried to avoid a heavy reliance on numbers and concentrate more on the individuals, as I remember them. I chose eight great defensive units of the past for my breakdown and comparison -- Detroit's in the 1950s, when the Lions won three NFL titles, stretching into the early '60s; the Lombardi Packers of '60 through '67, when Green Bay won five championships, including two Super Bowl victories; George Allen's L.A. Rams' Fearsome Foursome units of the '60s; Buffalo, the dominant defensive team of the early AFL; Minnesota's Purple People Eaters of the late '60s and '70s; the Cowboys' Doomsday Defense of the '60s and '70s; Pittsburgh's four-time Super Bowl champion Steel Curtain of '72 through '79; and the Chicago squad of the mid-'80s. I know I'm neglecting many fine defenses -- the Giants of different eras, the champion Colts, the early Paul Brown teams in Cleveland, Denver's Orange Crush -- but I have to draw the line somewhere. The teams I chose basically had continuity and the ability to put their stamp on the game for a number of years. Detroit LionsDefensive Hall of Famers: four. S Jack Christiansen, MLB Joe Schmidt, CB Dick "Night Train" Lane, S Yale Lary, with a fifth, CB Lem Barney appearing in 1967, as the run of great defenses was on the decline, and a sixth, T Alex Karras, an occasional finalist in the balloting. Defensive Pro Bowlers, 13, but I'm including a 16-year period, 1952-1967, and it was easier to make the Pro Bowl in those days because there were fewer teams. It's almost impossible to compare the Ravens with these units because the game was so different. The running attack dominated; the Lions didn't even fully go to a 4-3 until 1956, six years after the Giants introduced the alignment. Detroit preferred to stack its young middle backer, Schmidt, behind a massive 360-pound nose guard, Les Bingaman, who kept the blockers off him. Sound familiar? Schmidt adapted nicely to the 4-3, though, and put together seven more Pro Bowl seasons from '56-62. Schmidt ranked with Sam Huff and Ray Nitschke as the first of the game's great middle linebackers, the defensive glamour position of the era, slightly predating Dick Butkus, Tommy Nobis and Willie Lanier. Schmidt wasn't a bruiser, he was a precision player, a sure tackler with great instincts for the ball. Very similar to Ray Lewis in those skills, but without Lewis' blinding speed. The array of DBs that the Lions put on the field in those years, though, was truly astounding -- Chris' Crew, featuring Hall of Famers Christiansen and Lary at the safeties and Pro Bowler Jim David at the left corner, then Lane, Dick LeBeau and Barney, all All-Pros. I saw the Lions through very young eyes, and my vision was slightly blurred because I always seemed to be rooting for the teams they were facing -- the Browns' in the title games of the '50s, the 49ers in the '57 playoff, etc., but I remember being very impressed by Detroit's front four, featuring Pro Bowlers Karras and Darris McCord and later Roger Brown, and especially one nasty customer who never was selected but should have been, Gil "Wild Horse" Mains. Also impressive was Detroit's Pro Bowl right linebacker Wayne Walker, another sure tackler who fit in well with the system. On personnel, these teams could match up with anybody. You can't compare them with the Ravens, though, because of the difference in team speed and the types of offenses faced. Green Bay PackersDefensive Hall of Famers: five. E Willie Davis, T Henry Jordan, MLB Ray Nitschke, CB Herb Adderley, FS Willie Wood, with a sixth, OLB Dave Robinson, appearing on Seniors nominating ballots. Defensive Pro Bowlers, 11. Nitschke, a raging terror at MLB who would race sideline to sideline with more speed than people gave him credit for (he was a fullback at Illinois) was the emotional leader. Wood, a far-ranging safetyman, and Adderley, one of the great pure man-to-man corners, have appeared on some all-time NFL teams. Robinson arrived on the later Lombardi units, and he was one of the first great size (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) and speed outside backers. It was a great cast, built around a solid, ball-control offense (Lombardi's background was as an offensive coach), anchored by a fine line and another gifted cover-corner, Pro Bowler Bobby Jeter. I wouldn't even try man-to-man matchups with the Ravens, or even a unit-by-unit comparison, again because the eras were different, but I'll tell you one area in which the Packers have a great advantage: class. There was none of the swaggering, trash-talking crap that so demeaned this Baltimore team. The Packers played for a coach who expected them to conduct themselves as champions, and they never failed to. It doesn't seem to be much of a priority with Brian Billick. Los Angeles RamsDefensive Hall of Famers: two. Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones. Defensive Pro Bowlers, seven, covering the '60s. Everything was keyed to the great play of the front line, the Fearsome Foursome: from left to right, Jones, Olsen, John LoVetere -- later replaced by Rosey Grier, later replaced by Pro Bowler Roger Brown and, finally, Lamar Lundy. It was a well-integrated power unit with two Hall of Famers playing side by side and destroying one side of the line, the right tackle playing the run and the 6-7 Lundy coming up with the frequent big play. The outside backers, Maxie Baughan and Jack Pardee, were George Allen warhorses who put together a few Pro Bowl seasons between them. The middle backers, except for Les Richter in the early years, were basically journeymen, and there wasn't tremendous speed in the secondary. But when the front four was on a roll, this could be a punishing defense, very hard on quarterbacks and runners. I include it because those are the moments I remember, and because Olsen and Jones are on my all-time team. Some people feel that this outfit was overrated because it never won a title, never even played in a championship game. Maybe the critics are right. I don't care. It holds special memories for me. As a unit the Ravens were better, again because of the speed. Buffalo BillsDefensive Hall of Famers: zero, but DT Tom Sestak has been an occasional Seniors candidate. Defensive AFL All-Stars, 10, and I didn't include 1965 because the entire team has been credited with All-Star status that year. How did this happen? Well, that year the championship Bills played the AFL All-Stars in a one-year format that was later dropped. The success of the effort depends on how serious the Stars took the game. I don't know because I didn't see it, but the Bills led at the half, 13-6, before finally getting overrun by depth and stars such as Joe Namath and Lance Alworth 30-19. In a league geared toward wide-open offenses and passing frenzies -- a sales vehicle to compete with the buttoned-up NFL -- defense wasn't at much of a premium in the attempt to sign the superstars. But the Bills built an impressive unit that got them into three championships (they won two) from 1960-66. I covered the AFL in those days. The front four of Ron McDole, the vastly underrated Sestak, Jim Dunaway and Tippy Day could have competed with anybody. Butch Byrd was a terrific corner and George Saimes a gifted free safety. All three linebackers were AFL All-Stars at some point, including Mike Stratton, who made the thunderous hit on the Chargers' Keith Lincoln in the '64 title game. In two championships against Sid Gillman's explosive San Diego offense, the Bills held the Chargers to 135 and 119 yards passing and seven points, total. Compare them to the Ravens? I can't. I won't. You can't make me. Dallas CowboysDefensive Hall of Famers: three. T Bob Lilly, FS-CB Mel Renfro and T Randy White, with MLB Lee Roy Jordan and FS Cliff Harris appearing on ballots. Defensive Pro Bowlers, 11, stretching over a very long period. The true Doomsday Defense began in the mid-1960s, when the Cowboys appeared in their first of two straight NFL title losses to the Packers, and stretched through the early '70s, when Dallas won its first Super Bowl. When the Cowboys made everyone furious by labeling themselves America's Team, the Doomsday sobriquet was quietly dropped. It's tough to isolate one period of the 13-year run (1966-78) in which the Cowboys made 12 post-season trips, appearing in five Super Bowls (winning two) and two early NFL title games. I think their greatest teams were in the early '70s, when the young stars of the '60s reached full maturity and Tom Landry, who ran both offensive and defensive game-planning, put together a beautifully integrated, cohesive unit. Superstars? Where to begin? Eight Cowboys put together five or more Pro Bowl appearances apiece. The immensely gifted Lilly and run-stopper Jethro Pugh led a line that later plugged in White and pass-rush specialist Harvey Martin. Jordan should be in the Hall of Fame. Few middle linebackers ever have been as sound against the run. Chuck Howley ranked with the Steelers' Jack Ham as one of the great outside backers in coverage. Renfro and Cornell Green were DBs with 15 Pro Bowls between them, and safeties Harris and Charlie Waters put together nine entries. For five years, though, they were known as the team that couldn't win the big one. Then the Cowboys won it in '72. Then they won it again in '78. They didn't put up overwhelming numbers, but they were probably the smartest defense ever to take the field. They're still another team that I can't compare to the Ravens, but be patient, I'm getting there. Minnesota VikingsDefensive Hall of Famers: two. S Paul Krause, T Alan Page, with DE Carl Eller a frequent candidate. Defensive Pro Bowlers, nine, during the period of 1969-76, in which they appeared in four Super Bowls. When people mention the Purple People Eaters, they're talking about the line -- from left to right, Eller, Gary Larsen (later Doug Sutherland), Page and Jim Marshall. The linebackers and DBs didn't eat anybody, they watched the front four do it. Three members of the foursome put on a tremendously intense pass rush, while Larsen or Sutherland stayed at home. It was criticized as unsound against the ground attack by some, but the Vikings' linemen were such good athletes that they could pick up the run on the go. Until the Super Bowl. That's where the formula broke down. In their four losses, first to the Chiefs, then to the Dolphins, Steelers and Raiders, Minnesota's defense gave up an average of 215.5 yards rushing. Uh oh. The linebackers were sturdy workers through the years, the DBs basically undistinguished except for corner Bobby Bryant and Krause, the NFL's all-time leader in interceptions. But the longevity and durability of that line was truly amazing. During a six-year period, from '68 through '73, the same foursome took the field without missing a game. Eller, Page and Marshall played for 11 years with only two missed starts (both by Eller). Regular-season points were hard to come by against this unit. From '69 through '71, they gave up a record 133 points (for a 14-game season), then 143, then 139, and only 38 TDs in the three years, 10 by rushing. It's tough to figure why they always took the pipe in the Super Bowl, but there it was. I'd give the Ravens the edge because they elevated their game when the stakes were highest. Pittsburgh SteelersDefensive Hall of Famers: four. T Joe Greene, MLB Jack Lambert, OLB Jack Ham, CB Mel Blount, with E L.C. Greenwood and SS Donnie Shell getting occasional consideration. Defensive Pro Bowlers, 12, during their eight-year playoff/Super Bowl run of '72 through '78; 13 if you want to count LB Robin Cole, who started in '78 and made the Pro Bowl a few years later. This ranks as the greatest defensive team I've ever seen, and the one little patch of territory that I've singled out is in 1976, when the Browns' Turkey Jones body-slammed Terry Bradshaw in game No. 5 and put him out of action until the next-to-last contest. The defense was called on to hold the fort while rookie Mike Kruczek ran the show for most of the way. What it did was to run up nine straight wins, including five shutouts, with the enemy scoring a total of 28 points (two TDs and five field goals ... for you mathematicians out there, subtract a point for a missed conversion and it'll come out). Nine quarterbacks were faced during that span -- including six who made the Pro Bowl at some time during their career, two of them Hall of Famers -- and not one of them completed 50 percent of his passes against that Steelers defense. This is my performance chart for that unlucky bunch of QBs: 23-6 vs. Cincinnati: Ken Anderson, 13-for-31, two int., 129 yards. 27-0 at. New York Giants: Craig Morton, 11-26-1, 97 yards. 23-0 vs. San Diego: Dan Fouts, 10-28-1, 122 yards. 45-0 at Kansas City: Mike Livingston, 11-25-4, 198 yards. 14-3 vs. Miami: Bob Griese, 9-21-0, 144 yards. 32-16 vs. Houston: John Hadl, 9-20-2, 134 yards. 7-3 at Cincinnati: Anderson, 10-26-1, 145 yards. 42-0 vs. Tampa Bay: Steve Spurrier, 4-10-1, 58 yards; Terry Hanratty, 1-4-1, minus one yard. 21-0 at Houston: Dan Pastorini, 13-29-1, 95 yards. Eight defensive Steelers were chosen to the Pro Bowl that year, the same number as the year before. At one time Pittsburgh put a unit on the field in which 10 of the 11 players had Pro Bowl credentials. The only one who never made it was RT Fats Holmes, and he was one of the most feared players in the league. The front four was magnificent; the LBs featured two Hall of Famers -- the pair of Jacks, Lambert and Ham -- and the right backer, Andy Russell, an All-Pro. The secondary hung in a double zone and met the receivers with murderous tackles, as Baltimore does to a certain extent. I rate the 1974-76 Pittsburgh units as No. 1 of all time. Then there was a dropoff, although they still won two more Super Bowls. Defensive line compared to Baltimore's? Steelers are better. Ditto linebackers, although Lambert probably wasn't as good as Lewis in pure lock-on coverage, whereas he was very effective in the zone downfield. DBs? Again Pittsburgh. Team speed and cohesiveness? Well, that's where Baltimore excels, but I'll stick with my all-star cast, which was the fastest unit ever to play -- up to that time. Chicago BearsDefensive Hall of Famers: one. MLB Mike Singletary, with DT Dan Hampton a near miss this year and FS Gary Fencik an occasional nominee. Defensive Pro Bowlers, 10, from '84-88, when the Bears appeared in the postseason five times, winning one Super Bowl. To clarify -- I'm counting players who made it at some time in their career and who started on these teams, i.e. Fencik, who made it in '80 and '81 but was an integral part of the later clubs. Buddy Ryan's 46 defense attacked and punished, with the idea of unhinging the quarterback through relentless blitzing, plus throwing up a blanket front to smother the run. In 1986 the Bears gave up 187 points, a record for a 16-game season until Baltimore broke it this year. It was a ferocious plan -- "Neanderthal football," Bill Parcells called it -- but it was unsound in spots, too. For instance, it put tremendous pressure on the cornerbacks, and the Bears' corners through this period were only average. In 1984, the year they lost to the 49ers in the NFC Championship, the Bears allowed 15.5 yards per completion, third highest in the league. In their Super Bowl season the number was down to 13.3 -- better, but still ninth highest. But as the Ravens did this year, they reached an absolute frenzy in the postseason of '85, shutting out their first two opponents, the Giants and Rams, and crushing New England, 46-10, allowing an average of 111.3 yards per game for the trio. Compare them to the Ravens? D-Linemen Hampton, Steve McMichael and pass-rush specialist Richard Dent, better than anything the Ravens have. RT William Perry, worse. Linebacking trio of Singletary and Pro Bowlers Otis Wilson and Wilber Marshall, better than the Ravens' trio, although again, Singletary couldn't cover man-to-man as Lewis could, although Singletary was a fierce blitzer and valuable in occasional zone-coverage downfield. Raven corners were better; Bears safeties -- Fencik and Dave Duerson -- were better but not as fast as Rod Woodson and Kim Herring. Ravens were better on overall depth and team speed. The verdict -- a tie. Baltimore RavensWell, their achievement this year has been well documented. A team that played inspired football, raising its performance right up till the end. Held the enemy to under 200 yards in three out of the four postseason contests, one touchdown and an average of 4.8 points, with one TD coming on a kick return. Much credit to the defensive coaches, Marvin Lewis for his scheme, DL coach Rex Ryan, Buddy's son, for getting career years out of tackles Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams, who hadn't been doing much for a while. But so far it's a one-year thing, and who knows what free agency will do to this unit? The old timers kept it going for an era. Sports Illustrated senior writer Paul Zimmerman covers the NFL for the magazine and CNNSI.com. His "Inside Football" column and Mailbag appear weekly on CNNSI.com. To send a question to Dr. Z, click here. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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