More Offensive Line Rankings: 32-22 | 10-1. Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson were all among the nation's top-100 recruits (and all but Jackson was ranked in the top nine). Feb. 28Kennesaw State hired veteran assistant Chris Klenakis as its new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Tuesday. He replaces former offensive coordinator Grant Chesnut, who had been in the position since the program's founding before taking the same . But the "Monsters of the Midway" moniker didn't allude to a particular unit during that point in time. The name stuck thanks in part to a student publicity aide who posed the players atop four horses, in full uniform. The Dome Patrol never won a playoff game, but they certainly gave New Orleans a measure of respect when it came to football. Entering the 1977 season, the Falcons had had only two winning seasons in their 11 year history. Simpson to a mere 49 rushing yards in the divisional round. . Online Marketing For Your Business Defenses cowered in fear when the Detroit Red Wings' Production Line came to town. Sports Nicknames: 20,000 Professionals Worldwide by Terry W. 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The correct answer is actually Jake Scott, the Dolphins safety who won the honor in Super Bowl VII. It perfectly summed up the dominance of Buddy Ryan's bunch, but similar to the 1940s, no specific unit officially claimed the nickname, even though it is largely attributed to the '85 Bears defense. at (NFL Films)FULL VIDEO: https://t.co/5OqpYmn5AjJET X: https://t.co/pqEImVyzzA pic.twitter.com/ujeR3vSvTm. Inspired from his mentor Deion "Prime Time" Sanders. Joining with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and others, Johnson guided Los Angeles to five titles in nine seasons. Washington's powerful offensive line paved the way to three titles and four Super Bowl appearances. Relying on physical defense, Bill Laimbeer, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman and the rest of the Bad Boys pushed, shoved, elbowed and beat their opponents. Football Offensive Positions. Given due to his ability to make big plays. "Juice" Simpson. As for Red Hogs, I guess this gets a mention because some believe. The two star acquisitions combined with long-time Celtic Paul Pierce to spark the largest one-year improvement in NBA history, finishing the 2007-08 season 66-16, 42 games better than the prior season's Celtics. They also know that the quarterback is the captain of the unit, the one who gets most of the credit for success and most of the blame for failure. The unit was at its apex during the 1974 playoffs. Doomsday linebacker Chuck Howley holds the unique distinction of being the only Super Bowl losing player to be named its MVP. The Lakers also solidified their connection to Hollywood during this time, as home games became must-see events. A sham marriage and alleged theft threatened to break him again", "Joe Namath - Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site", "CNNSI.com Pro Football Ex-Olympic star, Cowboy Bob Hayes dies Friday September 20, 2002 02:32 AM", "How Houston Oilers legend Bum Phillips really got his name", "Falcons miss RB Michael "The Burner" Turner in the red zone", "Butch & Sundance The Miami Dolphins' Jim Kiick And Larry Csonka Have Gone Separate Ways Since They Ambled Into Miami 21 Years Ago On Their Way To Forging One Of The Greatest Football Teams Ever", "Captain Checkdown Has A Sidekick In Spiller", "Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach & original Captain Comeback sees same genius in Eli Manning", "Elroy 'Crazy Legs' Hirsch dies at age 80", "Danny Dimes! The 1976 Steelers were even better, allowing only 138 points in 14 games. Few gave the Giants much of a chance against the Bills no-huddle, quick strike offense. License Plate Guy: Nickname . Also self-refers as "Esteban Ochocinco". A reference to mobster. While the entire unit has been hailed the Steel Curtain, the nickname -- the greatest for a unit in league annals -- was created initially for Pittsburgh's dominant defensive front. They are not the official franchise nicknames of the National Football League (NFL). Not many nicknames capture the essence of an era and a city much like this one. He's your most short-tempered friend . Left tackle Jordan Mailata is the technically the worst offensive lineman on the team (blown blocks, per SIS) and yet he's still the fourth highest graded (88.8) zone run scheme blocker in the. What we do know is that in November of 1981, Gastineau, Lyons, Klecko, and Salaam were invited to ring the ceremonial opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. All great NFL defenses strike fear into the hearts of their offensive counterparts. All three were French Canadians from Quebec, and they teamed to lead the Sabres to the 1975 finals, where they lost to the Flyers in six games. An alliterative play on his last name and his speed; White, who led the league in rushing in his short three-year NFL career, was dismayed to find the nickname stuck with him well into his legal career (eventually ending up a Supreme Court Justice). The great Doomsday Defense of the Dallas Cowboys likely possess the most menacing name on this list. In 1940, Chicago beat Washington 73-0 in the championship game, the biggest margin of victory in league history. Originally known as the Fab Five, the group opted for an adjective change after Jalen Rose of the famous Michigan basketball Fab Five complained. The win capped an 18-1 season that remains the tale of legends. offensive line unit nicknames. During that season, the line combined for an unofficial total of 66 sacks (which didn't become an official NFL statistic until the following season). The phrase "Big Baller B" was originally popularized in 2016 by the, Given to him by the 49ers locker room, suggesting he's "got some cojones to him.". Regarding their nickname, it is difficult to determine if it came from art imitating life ,or life imitating art. The Bills, having led the NFL in points, were favored by seven points in the game. #7. identifiedasbeingdisrespectful Jun 11, 2016 @ 9:56am. Sacramento had one of the NBA's top second units from 1999 to 2003, and the group played a role in one of the best runs in franchise history. Borne mostly from a still-legendary 1991 recruiting class and led by a center a year older, the O-line from the perfect 12-0 season can be overlooked amid 1994's abundance of offensive riches. No one personified the hard-hitting Flyers of the 1970s more than Dave "The Hammer" Schultz. Led by Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, Otis Wilson, Steve McMichael, Dave Duerson, Gary Fencik and William "Refrigerator" Perry, the unit allowed 10 total points during its three playoff wins, with seven of those points coming in garbage time late in Super Bowl XX, a game Chicago won 46-10. The Rams defensive line is credited with being one of the first to use stunts and shifts to confuse opposing offenses. The group helped carry Knute Rockne's team to a 10-0 record and national championship. The Colts were our top-ranked offensive line last season, and they didn't disappoint. This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 21:15. First Cowboy to be drafted and in the hall of fame, To his homeland as well as to the difficulty he posed to defenses. Coolness of the nickname; How memorable was the unit; How well the nickname/unit fit together; Without further ado, let's get started. His high school teammates referred to him as "young buck" as he was a freshman on the varsity team. The unit also had historical cultural significance, as the quartet was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Stanford's answer to USC's Wild Bunch was the name of a motorcycle gang in Montana: the Thunderchickens. At 69 and 290lb, Lipscomb, a professional wrestler during the offseason, was one of the largest players in professional football during the 1950s. Given both because of his ability to break long runs and because it rhymes with his last name. This year, they're returning four of five starters. Gregory Kronz, a ninth grader from the Steel City, came up with the iconic nickname. The 1980 Cleveland Browns' heart-stopping season included 12 games decided by a touchdown or less. From 1984 to 1986, the Bears had the number one ranked defense in football. This group was exceptionally durable last season, with all five of them logging north of 1,1100 snaps worth of . Some said the Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s played dirty. Nicknames for entire teams, or whole offensive or defensive units. One of the few teams returning all five offensive line starters (and all 22 starters, for that matter), Tampa Bay will look to run it back for back-to-back titles with the ageless wonder at quarterback and a ferocious o-line unit. Neither the free agents nor the many draft picks helped the Vikings form a good offensive line. The Orange Crush's high point was the 1977 season. Please read his brilliant analysis. The '77 Falcons offense was horridly bad. The Four Horsemen. AMA", "How did Big Dick Nick (Foles) get his provocative nickname? From 1972 to 1979, the Steel Curtain never finished below seventh in total defense. Our win rate metics stack the best run-blocking, run-stopping, pass-protecting and pass-rushing players and teams in the game for the 2022 season. While there's optimism in the interior of the line which should remain solid with Cody Whitehair,. A year later they nearly returned the Jets to the Super Bowl, but came up short in the AFC Championship game. The Broncos of the 70s sported Popsicle orange uniforms. Fittingly, the MVP of Miami's first Super Bowl win was a defensive player: safety Jack Scott, whose two interceptions helped the Dolphins secure the franchise's first Super Bowl win. The website also ranks Dallas' O-line as the best in the league through Week 16. The offensively minded 49ers and Joe Montana were held in check as the Giants eked out in a defensive struggle, 15-13. After building a 17-10 halftime lead the Killer B's welted late in the game and the Dolphins lost 27-17. If you recall, Buelow won the first-unit left guard role to begin the 2021 season, drew five game-opening assignments, got beat a bunch of times and watched as Ulumoo Ale and then Troy Fautanu . Unfortunately, the somewhat confusing origins of the nickname dropped it a few pegs on this list. Maybe the Red Sox weren't smart enough to know any better. The undefeated 1972 Dolphins had Bob Griese at quarterback, Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris at running back and Paul Warfield at receiver. Along with those brief spurts of success, Fitzpatrick is also notorious for going on cold streaks and drastrically underperfoming in games for multiple weeks. ", His initials. Such was life when playing against the greatest defensive line of all time. Nicknames for individual players, coaches and personnel. The nickname came from the Saints home field, the Louisiana Super Dome. His tendency to blitz despite being a safety. The brains of the operation was Joe Klecko, who earned Pro Bowl selections at four different positions. After becoming a valuable part of the offensive line rotation in 2019, the LSU product appeared in 14 games with three starts. This might be the coolest nickname in NFL history. With running back Derrick Henry leading the . Their run blocking will literally maul you, pulverizing you into dust. Here's a listing of the often colorful nicknames of the 50 states. "Kansas Comet" was stuck on him by the Director of Sports Information at the University of Kansas. Detroit defeated Michael Jordan's Bulls on the way to NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. Combined, Page, Eller and Marshall tallied an astounding 412.5 sacks during their careers. Send suggestions to siwriters@simail.com, 2023 ABG-SI LLC. A journeyman quarterback whose NFL career was quite brief, Corcoran earned a reputation for pomposity in high school when, coming onto the field in a clean uniform after a rainstorm, he drew a cheer of "hail to the King!" Suggs claims that the reason he plays so toughly and aggressively is because he went to BallSoHard University; however, he did admit in an interview during the. Led by their defense and quarterback Fran Tarkenton, the Vikings played in four of the first 11 Super Bowls. It also continued to popularize the NFL while showcasing the personalities of the players who dominated the sport. Minnesota . Behind the Hogs, "The Diesel" ran for a playoff record 610 yards in four playoff games. In a pair of blockbuster deals, general manager Danny Ainge assembled an elite trio to lead the 2007-08 Boston Celtics. Olsen is flanked in Canton by Jones, who tallied 173.5 sacks during his legendary career. What causes infertility and how the IVF works? The Giants, despite the loss of starting quarterback Phil Simms, raced to a 10-0 start and finished 13-3. It held O.J. A self-assigned nickname given during the December 18th, 2022 game between Lawrence's. Once Magic Johnson arrived in 1979, the Lakers' high-scoring, fast-breaking ways took off. Also referred to as 'Kamtrack' and 'Kam Chancellor the Touchdown Canceller'. 13 of those sacks have come in two games (Week 1 and 4). 2. Whether the name came from that or was in the minds of others before, we shall never know. It was popular enough that he legally changed his name to Tommy after his playing career ended. True or not, the name "Doomsday" evokes a sense of fear and dread in most. Sometimes tight ends will be referred to as offensive linemen, if they line up tight to the line of scrimmage. The Trades Union. Here's what we found: 1. A pitcher's worst nightmare: the first six batters in the 1927 Yankees' lineup -- Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri. When the unit was formed it did not have a regimental number. Offensive line coach Cincinnati (1981-1982) Offensive line coach Kansas (1983-1985) Offensive line coach Pittsburgh (1986) Offensive coordinator & offensive line coach Dallas. The punt returner had a scattershot running style akin to a, For his ability to defeat tight coverage, even double coverage, and make big plays. When the "Great Eight" started together, the team had a .784 winning percentage. Houston seemed to have one goal: to finish a fast break with a high-flying, thundering dunk. . Top-Rated offensive line Nicknames offensive lines Offensive lineman O line Creative offensive lineup offensive linesman Crimson Kohler big offensive lines playoffensive line groffensive line offensive linehan popoffensive line offensive lined runoffensive line offensive liners payoffensive line joffensive line woodroffensive line Back when he was famous only for his football skills, O.J. A subset of the Wild Bunch, the Smurfs were a group of diminutive wide receivers for the Redskins in the 1980s. When a state has multiple nicknames, the official or most common state nickname is listed first. crimecon 2022 speakers. Their awe-inspiring jams earned the squad a nickname that combined college Greek life with the slam dunk. But the defense, with virtually unknown players, was also crucial to their championship run. Easley rightfully earned his nickname as The Enforcer for this style of play on the field. Bednarik worked as a concrete salesman during the NFL's offseason and was known for his hard hits and persistent endurance. Color of uniform. Because of his physical tackling, and apparent resemblance to the cartoon character. Hell On Wheels. An all-around great athlete, he earned recognition for his abilities including 5 Pro Bowl selections, 5 total All-Pro selections, AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1981, AFC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1983, NFL 1980s All-Decade Team honors, is in the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite only playing for seven seasons. Regardless of the exact makeup, the Killer Bs intimidated opposing pitchers with Craig Biggio's knack for getting on base and roping doubles while Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman bombed homers. It's the offseason, and while you're probably itching to read yet another Aaron Rodgers story, we invite you to check out our ranking our the top unit nicknames in NFL history. Heyward had an unusually large head, which he often used as a battering ram. Jones wants to drop nickname", "George "Papa Bear" Halas honored with 'Hometown Hall of Fame', "argonauts.ca - Michael "Pinball" Clemons", "Michael Irvin: 2007 Hall of Fame enshrinement speech", "Yes, Poop Johnson is a real player in the CFL", "The Jets Cabinet: Who Fits Into The Room? Merlin Olson and Deacon Jones led the Los Angeles Rams defense line in the 1960s and early 1970s. A part-time job he once held delivering ice in his hometown of, His choice of footwear at a time when most players wore black cleats. Although the exact makeup up the Houston Astros' Killer Bs changed over time, the nickname first appeared in 1996. Faulk, acquired via a trade with the Colts during the '99 offseason, became the second player in league history to record 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in the same season. Led by Klecko's 21.5 sacks, the Jets led the NFL with 66 sacks in 1981. The unit has been mostly bad in pass protection, allowing a league-high 20 sacks, which is five fewer than the team gave up in all of 2020. Denver's defense put up impressive performances over the Steelers and Raiders -- offenses that featured a combined 12 future Hall of Famers -- in the playoffs before holding their own against the Cowboys' prolific offense in Super Bowl XII. Well known for calling his own plays at the line of scrimmage and hurry-up offense. They are remembered through the decades and recalled with fondness at their clever title, memorable players, and menacing presence. After shutting out their first two playoff opponents, the Bears famously embarrassed the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. 16: Deion played his way into 'Prime Time', "Heartwarming Children's Book Based on Saints' Marques Colston", "Then & Now: William "The Refrigerator" Perry", "NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg changes Manhattan to Revis Island", "Upon Further Review: Coach Reid's Monday Recap", "The Sheriff: Record-setting Peyton Manning breeds hope, faith, and confidence", Shipwreck Kelly Dies; Football Star in 30's, "Trent Williams' Silverback nickname makes John Thompson uncomfortable", "Has 'Smash and Dash' become 'Smash and Grab'? But . By John . Lamonica tended to throw, or "bomb", the ball deep during unnecessary situations. On the football field, the defense of the Denver Broncos consumed quarterbacks and provided hope to a city long in the ranks of losing. If excellence in defensive football is measured by preventing your opponent from scoring as many points as your team in a given game, then the 1972 Dolphins defense was the best ever. In its regular season finale, the Wild Bunch intercepted UCLA quarterback Dennis Dummit five times and knocked him to the ground at least 12 more in a 14-12 win. The Bears defense was led by head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. Nickname given to him for his sweet tooth. The name is a takeoff of the Redskins' "Hogs" offensive line. Hlfdan the Generous and the Stingy with Food: This contradictory nickname . Businessman. Due to both his unusually athletic physique and habit of pretending to rip open his jersey to reveal a "S" underneath when scoring a rushing touchdown. New York went 110-44 on the season and swept the Pirates in the World Series. The. Coached by the stoic Bud Grant, the defenses of the Minnesota Vikings dominated football in the late 1960s and 1970s. declared Doomsday the greatest defensive unit of all time, Jerry Jones believes Cowboys can keep Zeke and Pollard, NFL combine measurements for DBs: Full list of results, Jerry Jones believes Prescott can progress like Brady, NFL combine 2023 results tracker: Top performances, NFL combine 2023: Winners and losers from DB workouts, Report: Pollard to get franchise tag if deal isn't done, Washington offensive line, 1980s/early '90s. - Matt Urben, Falcons Wire Bagwell, Biggio, Bell and Berry beget Bagwell, Biggio, Bell and Berkman, who beget Bagwell, Biggio, Berkman and, for a season, Beltran. They played a key role in the strong rushing attack featuring John Riggins that helped the Redskins win three Super Bowls (and reach another) between 1983 and 1992. Their strength, which is likened to that of a. The biggest problem Pro Football Focus has with the Raiders is at center with Andre James, who is a complete unknown.