Dollbaby Melissa asked:
One was defense. One was offense. BOTH DOMINATED their respective side of the ball “Consistantly” like no other units. Which unit was MORE CONSISTANTLY DOMINANT on their side of the ball?
One thing is for sure. They each have an argument that they are the greatest of all time at what they did!
Thank you Penn State! Yes the entire defense is what I meant. I was using the “nickname” of the line to get people’s attention. But you are very correct!
Clifford
One was defense. One was offense. BOTH DOMINATED their respective side of the ball “Consistantly” like no other units. Which unit was MORE CONSISTANTLY DOMINANT on their side of the ball?
One thing is for sure. They each have an argument that they are the greatest of all time at what they did!
Thank you Penn State! Yes the entire defense is what I meant. I was using the “nickname” of the line to get people’s attention. But you are very correct!
Clifford
Steel Curtain defense. I am not sold that the 49ers offense was better than the 49ers defense.
49ers West Coast offense..it was the most innovative thing in all of football during that time. No one really knew how to stop it…when you look at the Steel Curtain defenses…they weren’t doing anything that necessarily changed the game of football the way the 49ers did. The Steelers were just very very good at what they did.
The “Steel Curtain” only referred to the 4 down linemen, not the entire defense. Common misconception, don’t worry about it.
But anyway, the Steelers defense throughout the 70s was by far the best defense of all time. Many many times in playoff games we held teams to a field goal. Many times it was just a shutout. With characters like “Mean” Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, and Jack Ham it was unmatched. It was simply amazing, many times the opposing team would get the ball and not even convert for a 1st down. Far superior to any 11 man sie of the ball ever.
i think the steel curtian
What most people do not take into account when making these comparisons is the difference in the type of athletes participating. The Steelers of the 70’s played during a time when offenses pounded the ball on the ground wearing down a defense before airing it out. The 49ers innovated the air attack. The biggest most glaring difference is the quality of athlete. In the 70’s athletes still smoked, ate bad food, stayed out all night drinking, and in general not taking care of their bodies. The 49ers of the 80’s were just as strong, but faster and had more endurance at all positions, not just the skill positions. The 49er offense used a lot of substitutions to keep players fresh. The Steelers were not that deep. The 49ers would probably win the game simply because the Steelers would be exhausted, because they were not the same caliber of athlete and the team was not as deep as the 49ers. Defensively, I think that the 49ers match up much better against the Steeler offense. Bradshaw had a strong arm, but was not that great. No one considers Franco Harris to be a “great” back. Other than Swann and Stallworth there were no real Pro-Bowl type players on offense. However, there is truth to the addage that offesnse sells tickets and defense wins games.
As to which team was more dominant…look at their records:
1970 5-9
1971 6-8
1972 11-3
1973 10-4
1974 10-3-1
1975 12-2
1976 10-4
1977 9-5
1978 14-2
1979 12-4
Total 99-44-1
% 0.4444444444(not including the tie)
1980 6-10
1981 13-3
1982 3-6 (strike year)
1983 10-6
1984 15-1
1985 10-6
1986 10-5-1
1987 13-2
1988 10-6
1989 14-2
Total 104-47-1
% 0.4519230769(not including the tie)
Based on winning percentage…the 49ers were more consistently dominant.
The Steelers D, for sure!!!!
I ‘d say the Steelers.
The Steelers Defense. The best comparision to the 49ers Offense in the 70’s was the Cowboys and we all know what happened to the Cowboys when the Steelers played them in the SB. They were close games but the steelers defense always came out and made plays when they needed too.
ESPN did a series of shows about the 4 teams that are considered dynasties and they had broken down everything from the caliber of Athelete, types of offenses and Defenses, and all around time periods they were in. It was Packers of the 60’s, Steelers of the 70’s, 49ers of the 80’s, and Cowboys of the 90’s. When it came down to the last two teams, it was the 49ers vs. the Steelers, it was a close game but the front 4 of the steelers just came up with to many plays against Montana and the steelers won the game. ESPN did a great job working it all together…
So all you NE Patriot Fans out there dont feel left out, ESPN did this about 10 years ago, Patriots werent even a contender at that time for any kind of Dynasty.
85 Bears D and The Greatest Show On Turf. Fouts with Chuck Muncie and Wes Chandler were pretty tough too.
Steelers Big D
Steelers defense in the 1970’s was the best defense in history. Of course there was the front four Steel Curtain guys and they had two HOF linebackers (Jack Ham and Jack Lambert) as well as one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever live (Mel Blount). Those guys would destroy the 49ers “West Coast” Offense easily.
Well, the steelers had the best draft class ever, so its no doubt the steelers!