Defense Wins Championships?

[ColtRider]

 

In this day and age with all the prolific offenses of superstar QBs & WRs & the ilk, it begs the question. Does it or doesn't it?

[Solon]

Top defense has made the SB the last 3 years. It does.

[bradgt04]

Yea,. I have to agree with that old adage.  38 (out of 45) Super Bowls have been won by a top 10 defense and 22 have been won by a top three defense.

[BOTT]

It helps.....a lot.

[Smonroe]

3 minutes ago, BOTT said:

It helps.....a lot.

 

Yes, but there's not going to be another 85 Bears.  The rules won't allow it.

 

With a top offense, a top 16 D could be good enough.

[Defjamz26]

It's more about balance IMO. You can't just come in with your top scoring offense and just light a team up in the Super Bowl. It's not going to work, just ask Manning (Against the Saints and Seahawks).

[chad72]

6 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

It's more about balance IMO. You can't just come in with your top scoring offense and just light a team up in the Super Bowl. It's not going to work, just ask Manning (Against the Saints and Seahawks).

 

Like a former defensive player on the Giants said, the defense keeps the game close, the QB's job is to finish it. In other words, you need the D to keep the game close because relying on the QB to continually make plays in the playoffs is not going to happen vs elite Ds. However, when the QB gets the chance to close it, he needs to do so.

[will426]

Defensive and offensive lines win championships to me  a solid oline defeats defense as long as you have time to exploit them 

[chad72]

2 hours ago, Solon said:

Top defense has made the SB the last 3 years. It does.

 

Here is the kicker. No matter how refs officiate during the regular season calling PIs and illegal contact, those calls seem to go down during the divisional round, conference championship games and the SB, for whatever reason. They let them play more, regardless of what the current rules are, IMO.  To me, this is a big factor why Peyton's offenses were at the receiving end in the playoffs, this is the one year he is truly benefiting from it because of his defense.

 

So, having an aggressive D that puts the onus on the refs has paid off consistently. Ravens pushing the envelope in 2012, Seahawks pushing the envelope in 2013, Patriots pushing the envelope in 2014, and now the Broncos are getting away with contact too. 

 

2012 - Ravens were top 3 in defensive holding

 

2013 - Seahawks were top in defensive pass interference

 

2014 - Patriots were top 2 in defensive holding

 

2015 - So far, Broncos are top 3 in defensive holding

[LJpalmbeacher2]

A Top Notch HC comes in handy too.

[BOTT]

33 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

 

Yes, but there's not going to be another 85 Bears.  The rules won't allow it.

 

With a top offense, a top 16 D could be good enough.

Maybe.  But I don't think it's coincidence that all the final four teams had top 10 defenses. 

 

Let's be honest, the Broncos offense is fairly putrid and they still made it to the SB.  I realize a well balanced team generally wins, but a defense can take you a long way.

[weslo1812]

1 hour ago, will426 said:

Defensive and offensive lines win championships to me  a solid oline defeats defense as long as you have time to exploit them 

And a solid Defensive line can defeat a offense just the same. Look at what Denver did to NE.  This one goes both ways.

[2006Coltsbestever]

I think Balance wins Championships. As long as you have a Good QB, you can get away with having just a Good Defense, not a Great one and still win it all.

[21isSuperman]

I'm a firm believer that defense wins championships.

[Tsarquise]

5 hours ago, LJpalmbeacher said:

A Top Notch HC comes in handy too.

Do we have one of those?

[LockeDown]

Execution, momentum, confidence, injuries, turnovers and halftime adjustments are the deciding factors, imo.  If a team is dominant then they will win, but in today's NFL, there aren't really any dynasties, so it comes down to the aforementioned factors.

[ColtRider]

 

Defense, in all it's forms, is the one constant that has surpassed & captured any other variance in the world of team sport. Obviously, it's no different in the NFL. It works, produces, proves, and wins more than any offensive surge on the same plain most of the time. There are exceptions, but they are few & far between. As pointed out earlier by another poster the records & ranks point directly to this, whether it's football, baseball, basketball, et.al. The aspect of counting on one specific intangible will rest with defense when it comes to winning most games in any given team sport.

 

IMHO.

[will426]

16 hours ago, weslo1812 said:

And a solid Defensive line can defeat a offense just the same. Look at what Denver did to NE.  This one goes both ways.

I said Line pats had no line all season  good line matches up great with good dline  in terms of being even 

[weslo1812]

52 minutes ago, will426 said:

I said Line pats had no line all season  good line matches up great with good dline  in terms of being even 

But what's to guarentee that if the Pats had a good or even offensive line to the Broncos D line that it would have put that Patriots on top or that the offense will win? It can go either way, it all comes down to who executes and makes plays, whether thats the D for one team or the offense of the other. Each side has the opportunity to make the play or plays to win, the question is who does.

[colts8718]

Still waiting for Pagano's MONSTER D

[ColtRider]

2 hours ago, colts8718 said:

Still waiting for Pagano's MONSTER D

 

So am I. It doesn't have to a monster. Just a very formidable one to go along with Luck & Co. A Top 5 defense will take the Colts to a SB win, and maybe more.

[Smonroe]

20 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I think Balance wins Championships. As long as you have a Good QB, you can get away with having just a Good Defense, not a Great one and still win it all.

 

Great QB, decent D.  I think Baltimore and TB were top 10 D, and the Titans weren't far behind.

 

Just goes to show that great defense alone doesn't necessarily even get you to the playoffs.

[Malakai432]

Great teams as a whole win Super Bowls for the most part.

[shakedownstreet]

bribing the refs wins championships

[2006Coltsbestever]

3 hours ago, shakedownstreet said:

bribing the refs wins championships

Post of the day  Only if you are Pittsburgh or New England so I fixed it for you.

[OffensivelyPC]

After the past nearly 20 years, I find it hard to believe that a Colts fan would be asking this question at all.

[2006Coltsbestever]

Just now, OffensivelyPC said:

After the past nearly 20 years, I find it hard to believe that a Colts fan would be asking this question at all.

Yeah I know considering we had a powerful Offense the whole time Peyton was here and only really had 2 Great Defenses being 2005 and 2007 and only got 1 SB win. 2007 would've been interesting had Freeney not been injured.

[OffensivelyPC]

6 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Yeah I know considering we had a powerful Offense the whole time Peyton was here and only really had 2 Great Defenses being 2005 and 2007 and only got 1 SB win. 2007 would've been interesting had Freeney not been injured.

Exactly. It was only when we had top 10 defenses (10 because i know thats right, but i think one or both were top 5) we went to the SB.

[BOTT]

5 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

Great QB, decent D.  I think Baltimore and TB were top 10 D, and the Titans weren't far behind.

 

Just goes to show that great defense alone doesn't necessarily even get you to the playoffs.

Ravens playing a back up QB, and the Bucs and Titans with rookie QB's.

 

nobody is saying simply having a good D is the answer, but give me a top QB and a top defense and watch out.  I wouldn't spend my much of my resources on "skill players".

[LJpalmbeacher2]

22 hours ago, Tsarquise said:

Do we have one of those?

 

 

No.

[Dark Superman]

Defenses and Offensive lines win championships. The Colts have neither.

[Dark Superman]

I can't even recall the last time a teams offense won them a ring. Maybe the 99' Rams.

[ColtRider]

3 hours ago, OffensivelyPC said:

After the past nearly 20 years, I find it hard to believe that a Colts fan would be asking this question at all.

 

It's not the question per say. It's more of reiterating to that question that gets lost among high-flying offensive geared organizations from time to time. A wake up call every now & then is a good thing. Don't you think?  

[CR91]

no a great defense wins championships. a good defense needs a balance offense

[SteelDragon]

If there was an easy formula for building a Superbowl team everyone would be doing it. 

You've got to have balance and competency in all three phases. You've got to be well-coached, healthy, and somewhat lucky (favorable matchups,  balls bounce your way,  referees call a fair game, field conditions/weather etc). Winning a Superbowl is incredibly difficult. 

The 'Defense wins championships' slogan is just a catch phrase and a deepity that does not always ring true, but having a dominant defense does increase the probability of hoisting a Lombardi

[BOTT]

1 hour ago, SupermanLuck12 said:

I can't even recall the last time a teams offense won them a ring. Maybe the 99' Rams.

Patriots last year 

[Hoosiernsavga]

On January 30, 2016 at 2:27 PM, will426 said:

Defensive and offensive lines win championships to me  a solid oline defeats defense as long as you have time to exploit them 

So in other words we are in BIG trouble!!! lol

[Hoosiernsavga]

28 minutes ago, BOTT said:

Patriots last year 

The defense won the SB game against Seattle last year. And the Pats were a top 10 defense overall at years end. 

[OffensivelyPC]

1 hour ago, ColtRider said:

 

It's not the question per say. It's more of reiterating to that question that gets lost among high-flying offensive geared organizations from time to time. A wake up call every now & then is a good thing. Don't you think?  

I suppose. I mean the wake up call if ya ask me, is every time we don't make it to the big game. We should have better luck this next year.

[BOTT]

8 hours ago, Hoosiernsavga said:

The defense won the SB game against Seattle last year. And the Pats were a top 10 defense overall at years end. 

Really?  I remember tom Brady putting on a show and then Seattle marched right down the field and had a brain fart near the goaline.