The Sports Monitor

Best defense of all time? There talking about those Seahawks from last night. They were impressive, but I'd pass on them. I'd take the 1974 Steelers, 1975 Steelers or 1976 Steelers over them. Give me the 1985 Bears too. In fact, I'd take those '76 Steelers over them all. That team gave up 9.9 points per game and pitched five shutouts. They would have capped a three-peat in Super Bowls had Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, a pair of 1,000-yard backs, not missed the AFC championship game against the Raiders.

There's been plenty of talk about the Seahawks' defense entering Super Bowl Week. In all the raving about their D, I haven't heard much talk about their light schedule. Of course the defense should have impressive numbers if they don't face teams with much of an offense. How did they stack up? You be the judge: Team, record, points scored rank Panthers, 12-4, 18th 49ers, 12-4, 11th Jaguars, 4-12, 32nd Texans, 2-14, 31st Colts, 11-5,14th (Loss) Titans, 7-9, 19th Cardinals, 10-6, 16th Rams, 7-9, 21st Bucs, 4-12, 30th Falcons, 4-12, 20th Vikings, 5-10-1, 14th Saints, 11-5, 10th 49ers, 12-4, 11th (Loss) Giants, 7-9, 28th Cardinals, 10-6, 16th (Loss) Rams, 7-9, 21st The Seahawks faced 11 teams ranked in the bottom half of NFL scoring, including the three worst scoring offenses in the NFL.  The highest offense, the Saints, ranked 10th. I generally take a top defense over a top offense in big games, but this Seahawks' defense isn't elite. ...

The Pittsburgh Steelers' fall from the top of the AFC North didn't last very long. Sunday's win over the Seattle Seahawks proved just how fickle life in the NFL can be. A week after the Steelers were left for dead after getting beat up by the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh has new life. The Steelers took out their frustrations on the Seahawks, shutting them out 24-0. The Ravens, on the other hand, the new favorite in the division, lost to the Tennessee Titans 26-13. That's quite a turnaround in seven short days. But that's how things work in the NFL these days. One day, you can be the best player or team ever. The next, you're washed up. I thought after the Week 1 loss to the Ravens that the Steelers weren't that bad and Baltimore wasn't as good as one might think. The Steelers simply caught the wrong team at the wrong time. The Seahawks, however, aren't a very good team, so it was good to see the defense have its way. As we enter ...