Freakonomics: Does Defense Win Championships?
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Angry Ram
Captain RAmerica Original Rammer
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Yes it does. Even though the media becomes horny teenagers over passing records and point records, it doesn't matter if you can't stop the other team.
Saints, Packers, Lions have crappy defenses, while the 49ers/Giants had great defenses that could stop them (unlike the Lions vs. Saints, who if they had 3 more better players on D could've been in the SB)
Oh and the Giants brutalized the Falcons' O.
Even the Rams only SB win was b/c of a defender who stopped the guy from scoring.
Saints, Packers, Lions have crappy defenses, while the 49ers/Giants had great defenses that could stop them (unlike the Lions vs. Saints, who if they had 3 more better players on D could've been in the SB)
Oh and the Giants brutalized the Falcons' O.
Even the Rams only SB win was b/c of a defender who stopped the guy from scoring.
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It's pretty hard to put just a ranking on the defense without taking into account the offense. So a team could have a very good defense but if their O is a fast striking type offense, they might be on the field a bit too much and look like they are not as good as they are. Also, if a team is constantly going 3 and out, the defense will almost inevitably look bad. If an offense scores a lot of points, the defense will probably look like a bad passing defense and a really good rush defense - etc....
I still think defenses win championships no matter how they are ranked. It is the defense that is able to take away key components of an offense or make the other team play differently than they normally would that usually wins - especially when it gets to the big games. Sometimes an offense is just too good but.....
It is also part of the reason that I think our Rams would have been pretty decent if the offense could have done ANYTHING to help them out. But where did our defense rank? Does anyone really think they were THAT bad?
I still think defenses win championships no matter how they are ranked. It is the defense that is able to take away key components of an offense or make the other team play differently than they normally would that usually wins - especially when it gets to the big games. Sometimes an offense is just too good but.....
It is also part of the reason that I think our Rams would have been pretty decent if the offense could have done ANYTHING to help them out. But where did our defense rank? Does anyone really think they were THAT bad?
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Maybe it's already been posted in this thread... I'm too lazy to check,,, but
It's already been decided - The team that wins the Bowl tomorrow will have the worst defense of any SB Winner in history.
It's already been decided - The team that wins the Bowl tomorrow will have the worst defense of any SB Winner in history.
Selassie I said:
Though the game still has to be played to determine if defense wins this championship. :ww:
Angry Ram said:
Was it Freeney that made it back from injury in time for the playoffs? Or was it someone else? I remember they got someone back that turned it all around for the playoffs.
Ram Quixote
Knight Errant
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Ram Quixote
Knight Errant
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Ram Quixote said:
"all by itself." WTH? What kind of a response is that?
Without that safety how do the last few minutes of the game play out? A defense that can score points is frequently the difference in the game. Same for STs too.
bluecoconuts
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squeaky wheel said:
If the Patriots TE wasn't hurt, and the receivers weren't drop happy, there's a good chance that game looks a lot different.
Defense is key, I agree. But you need an offense at least capable of scoring when they need.
bluecoconuts said:
Yet the Giants offense without the two points from their defense could well have lost 20-19. My point being the 2 points gained on defense were crucial....the offense couldn't score enough to render those two points superfluous.
JdashSTL
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Isnt it easier to just say good TEAMS win championships instead of picking one aspect of the game? The Pats offense was all about attacking the middle of the field, inside the numbers. They had no outside threat. The Giants could attack the middle with their TEs and Cruz. Pats doubled Cruz a lot and that opened things up for Nicks and Manningham on the outside. You look at other recent offenses that won and they were similar. Packers had all of their weapons, Steelers had Holmes, Hines Ward, and Heath Miller. Saints had all of their weapons.
Yes we have seen good defenses score points in the SB but you definitely need a good passing attack that the defense respects. Also, the Giants STs played a HUGE role in that safety in the 1st Qtr. You need all aspects of your team working for you. The 49ers and Ravens didnt get here mainly because of STs problems. Both had good defenses, but the offenses were inconsistent.
Yes we have seen good defenses score points in the SB but you definitely need a good passing attack that the defense respects. Also, the Giants STs played a HUGE role in that safety in the 1st Qtr. You need all aspects of your team working for you. The 49ers and Ravens didnt get here mainly because of STs problems. Both had good defenses, but the offenses were inconsistent.