NFL Defense Analysis: Steel Curtain Most Dominant

All the talk about the Legion of Boom got me wondering about how the Seahawks' vaunted D compares with other Ds in other eras. The stats are all from the NFL official website. The most dominant defenses have been; Rams (73-77), Steelers (73-77), Da Bears (83-87), Bucs (2001-05), Ravens (1999-2002) and Seahawks. Taking 5 year averages is a bit arbitrary but we can look at individual years within this range. The Purple People Eaters of the 70s don't make the list because within the span of the Vikes' fruitless SB appearance they only led a defensive category in one year. All of the selected tenacious Ds have at least two. I think that the most meaningful stats are both the absolute and relative ppgs (points per game) but ypg, sacks, interceptions and fumbles are all relevant. It is first worth noting that both ppgs and ypgs have increased over time. Avg ypg in 1970 were 270; in 2016 345 and ppg from 19 to 22, with a fair amount of yearly variation for each. The 75 Rams hold the season record (14 games) for lowest ppg and for lowest ppg relative to the league average. For yardage it's the Steelers by a huge difference. The Rams also have the lowest five year ppg avg. Incredibly, though, the Rams did not win a SB in its D heyday whereas the Steel Curtain racked up 2 wins. As much as I was hoping that Da Bears would come out on top, the Steelers seem to edge out the Rams for the crown. However, Da Bears do clearly lead in Sacks, which made them so much fun to watch. As far as I can see, no official stats are kept on yards lost due to sacks. The Seahawks D really does not stack up against the others. The Legion of Boom may be, arguably, the best secondary but the total D is not that impressive in historical context.

RAMS
1973	12.71	211	45	20	1	3	68%	77%	21	0
1974	12.9	243	44	24	2	0	74%	88%	29	0
1975	9.6	237.3	43	22	2	1	48%	80%	26	1
1976	13.6	261.1	45	32	3	1	71%	86%	29	0
1977	10.4	255.4	36	25	1	0	61%	89%	32	0
	11.85	241.55	42.6	24.6	1.8	1	65%	83%	26.25	0.25

STEELERS
1973	15	210	33	37	3	1	80%	76%	36	1
1974	13.5	189	52	25	2	1	77%	68%	33	1
1975	11.6	162	43	27	2	0	58%	55%	34	1
1976	9.9	138	41	22	0	1	52%	46%	40	0
1977	17.4	243	32	31	0	0	101%	85%	28	0
	12.50	174.75	40.2	28.4	1.4	0.6	72%	66%	34.33333333	1

BUCs	PPG	YPG	SACKS	INT	TDs	Safety	PPG %avg	YPG%avg	Fumbles	TDs
2001	17.5	280	42	28	0	0	90%	90%	20	0
2002	12.25	252.8	43	31	4	1	58%	79%	24	1
2003	16.5	264	36	20	3	1	81%	85%	23	0
2004	19	304	45	16	1	0	91%	95%	32	0
2005	17.1	274	36	17	3	1	86%	89%	16	1
	16.47	274.96	40.4	22.4	2.2	0.6	80%	87%	24.75	0.25

RAVENS	PPG	YPG	SACKS	INT	TDs	Safety	PPG %avg	YPG%avg	Fumbles	TDs
1999	17.3	277	49	21	4	1	85%	88%	24	0
2000	10.3	165	35	23	0	1	51%	53%	26	0
2001	16.6	265	45	16	1	0	85%	85%	31	1
2002	22.1	354	33	25	2	0	105%	110%	34	1
2003	17.6	281	47	24	0	0	86%	90%	37	0
	16.78	268.40	41.8	21.8	1.4	0.4	81%	84%	30.4	0.4

SEAHAWKS	PPG	YPG	SACKS	INT	TDs	Safety	PPG %avg	YPG%avg	Fumbles	TDs
2012	15.3	306	36	18	2	0	68%	90%	16	1
2013	14.4	274	42	28	3	2	62%	79%	29	1
2014	15.9	267	37	13	1	1	72%	78%	27	0
2015	17.3	292	37	14	0	0	78%	85%	17	3
2016	18.2	319	42	11	0	1	82%	93%	22	1
	16.22	291.6	38.8	18.25	1.2	0.75	70%	83%	22.25	1.25

BEARS	PPG	YPG	SACKS	INT	TDs	Safety	PPG %avg	YPG%avg	Fumbles
1983	18.8	321	51	21	2	0	86%	96%	25	1
1984	15.5	241	72	21	1	1	73%	73%	31	0
1985	12.4	258	64	34	4	3	58%	79%	24	1	SB
1986	11.7	258	62	31	1	2	57%	80%	36	1
1987	18.8	281	70	13	0	2	87%	86%	33	0
		15.44	271.8	63.8	24	1.6	1.6	72%	83%	29.8	0.6

Era-weighted goalscoring

The above chart shows average goals per game in the English First Division and Premier League between 1929 and 2015. In the 1960s the long run average fell from over 3.3 goals per game to 2.7 which has persisted for almost 50 years. The only factor that can really explain this is the rise of more defensive tactics. Until the 1960s formations were based on "WM" - the M representing two fullbacks and a centre-half with two wing halfs playing upfield and the "W" two wingers and a centre-forward supported by two inside forwards. The first of the now hegemonic numerical formations was 424 with one of the wing-halfs withdrawn to the back line. The Italians pioneered the "sweeper" - one of the back 4 plating slightly behind the other 3. English football has always preferred either the twin centre-half model or a defensive wing half. All of the subsequent permutations that the talking heads go on about ad nauseam have made very little difference, it seems, compared to simple move of 4 defenders instead of 3. I don't have any good answers for the decline from 1939 to 1950 and subsequent rise; food for thought. Among the many observations that may be made from this one that occurs to me is a re-evalaution of Alan Shearer. The all-time record for 1st Division/EPL goals in a season is Dixie Dean's 60; this would be 38 in the modern era. Shearer scored 34 in 93/4, part of a three-season run of 31, 34 and 31. (Andy Cole is the only other player to have scored 34). His career total of 283 EPL goals would have been 370 in Dean's era.

President Zaphod/Cubs Win
I used to have an idea that G-D sometimes contracts out the script for certain decades to writers. Ronald Reagan, for example, seemed more like a Kurt Vonnegut creation than a real person. In the same spirit, I hypothesize that Douglas Adams, before he passed, was asked to script the current epoch. At one point in the Hitchhiker's Guide saga Zaphod Beeblebrox is put in the Total Perspective Vortex, a device that shows every being how small they are in relation to the universe. Zaphod emerges with an even larger ego. We will see how DTT emerges from the White House Total Perspective Vortex. And if he grows any more heads and arms.
On more usual subjects, I've turned around on Rooney. I now applaud his surpassing Charlton in goals for England and United. Among today's players he stands out as an anachronism. He wears his heart on his sleeve and leaves nothing on the pitch. He has definitely gone back as a player, though. For a forward, that slight loss of pace is a killer. As I've said before, we're in an era, roughly since the mid 90s, in which it's easier to score. If Charlton played in this era he would have scored far more goals.
As a Cubs fan of more than 40 years' standing, I'm still not quite able to take in the achievements of the 2016 team. I'd grown comfortable with the Cubs as lovable losers. My lifetime record of Cubs games at Wrigley is even worse than the Cubs' record over that span. (I've the scorecards to prove it.) The win was so wonderful, I half-think it's a dream. The 7th game couldn't have been scripted better.  (I am also a little sad for  Cleveland; I'll be pulling for them from now on.)  I had to go to fairly extraordinary measures to see the Cubs this year, since the planned game in June was superseded by family events. Got to see them beat the Giants, 4-3 in a thriller. Going forward, I'm a bit fearful that more of the World had got to see the wonders of Wrigley and will want to go there, making tickets even more difficult to get. Having said that, everyone should go to Wrigley at least once.