Best NFL defense ever: Steelers 1976 unit wins tie-breakers

By Dave Hersh  |   Friday, August 21, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

Pittsburgh Steelers
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Let’s add a little-recognized stat that reflects on a defense’s component nature, how many of its individual players attained Hall of Fame status…not a true “team” stat that carries very much weight except for how post-career analysis allows history to also have a clearer input as to how good someone was in comparison to others. Yes, it’s somewhat trivial to cumulatively add HOF members from each defense, but if we’re looking for tie-breakers, maybe this has marginal merit.

1973 Rams – 2 HOF members (Olsen, Yungblood)
1976 Steelers – 4 HOF members (Greene, Hamm, Blount, Lambert)
1977 Falcons – 0 HOF members
1985 Bears – 2 HOF members (Singletary, Hampton)
1991 Eagles – 1 HOF member (White)
2000 Ravens – 1 HOF member (Woodson)
2008 Steelers – 0 HOF members

Obviously, the 2000 Ravens and 2008 Steelers have not reached the point where their defensive players have ended their careers, so inclusion into the HOF precludes both being measured this way. Ray Lewis seems like a lock, and Siragusa a strong maybe, while James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are still defining what could be HOF careers.

As a tie-breaker, this may settle a few things, but it will definitely add fuel to many-a-fire… just more fodder for your heads…
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