When college football coach Bear Bryant uttered the old adage "offence sells tickets but defence wins championships", few realised it would become the all-encompassing sporting mantra it is today.
The axiom is intuitively solid; a strong defence prevents the opposition from scoring large amounts of points which therefore increases a defensive team’s chances of winning. Historically, the phrase held true. Following the NFL-AFL merger, the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s saw all-time great defensive units rise in the form of the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers as they all surged to championship glory.
The Dolphins teams of 1972 and 1973 - led by legendary head coach Don Shula - ranked first on defence in both seasons, while the Steelers finished first or second in 1974, 1975 and 1978 as their dynasty flourished. Walter Payton may be the face of the iconic Bears team of 1985, but it was their defence, dubbed ‘the Monsters of the Midway’, that truly earned the team its place in history.
