The 12th Man Speaks Out: A Seahawk Fan’s perspective of the Greatest Defense EVER!
After their dominant performance in Super Bowl 48, the question has been posed as to whether or not the Seattle Seahawks defense is the best the NFL has ever witnessed? Despite the talking heads acknowledging that this new era of football has experienced substantial rule changes to cater to offenses, the majority verdict seems to lean towards the ’85 Chicago Bears as the #1 defense and Seattle coming in 2nd.
The NFL of the ’80’s (and before) was quite different from the NFL today. First and foremost, as the talking heads recognize, the rule changes put in place by the NFL today serve only one purpose: to allow offenses to put more points on the board. It cannot be disputed that defenses of the ’80’s were nothing less than gladiators. I’m sure everyone would agree that the NFL of today is “soft” compared to that of the ’80’s. Defenses in this new era of NFL football have been required to change their style of play year after year.
Second, the NFL of today is a showcase of amazing talent! Not to say that the ’80’s lacked talent, but the skill level and talent range of players today clearly surpasses that of the ’80’s.
Indeed, ’80’s offenses were built around pocket passing quarterbacks – most of which were not very mobile (with the exception of Joe Montana who dons four Super Bowl rings). In this new era of NFL football, defenses are required to contain quarterbacks prone to take off at any time.
If we are to measure this Seattle Defense in terms of being challenged by a pocket passing quarterback, then we need not look any further than Super Bowl 48. The Seahawks D stood across from the “Regular Season Record King”: Peyton Manning – Who led the NFL’s #1 offensive unit this year. The Bears walloped a New England Patriots team 46-10, but do you even know who Tony Eason is?
Much has been made of the ’85 Bears because they goose egged their opponents in the playoffs. In this new era of football, it is unlikely to see even the worst team held to 0 points on Sunday. Again, this is due to the league catering to offenses. However, even with all of the above in mind, the Seattle D held that other Manning: Eli (The Two time Super Bowl Champion/MVP), to how many points…….ZERO.
It obviously should not be forgotten that those ’80’s defenses played together for YEARS. They were not subjected to the free agency melee we see today. One that lures players to jump ship for more money.
If you have watched the same post game interviews that I have, it is evident that this Seahawks team is not at all surprised by their success. In fact, it looks like these guys play for one another – like a close knit family! If this Seattle team proves to possess that LOYALTY of the ’80’s – as only a Seahawk knows: the sky’s the limit! And in 2015, we could experience a SEA-Peat of Super Bowl 48. These guys are for real, just like our fan base!!!!
Signed THE 12th MAN!!!!
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