All Dolphins

The 1972 Dolphins Defense's Place in History

The Miami Dolphins produced the only perfect season in NFL history thanks in large part to its No-Name Defense, but where does that defense rank among the all-time best?

Alain Poupart

Neil Leifer-Sports Illustrated

In the same week when the architect of the "No-Name Defense" was announced as a nominee for a lifetime achievement award, his unit was included among CBSSports.com's top 5 Super Bowl-winning defenses of all time.

RELATED: Bill Arnsparger nominated for lifetime achievement award

The 1972 Dolphins, however, did not come in at the top in CBS' rankings, instead finishing at number 3.

The defense ranked as the best ever for a Super Bowl champion was that of the 1985 Chicago Bears, though the Dolphins certainly made that unit look ordinary in that glorious Monday night game at the Orange Bowl that ended with a 38-24 Miami victory.

At number 2 was the defense of the 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers, and the rest of the top five included the 2000 Baltimore Ravens and the 1966 Green Bay Packers.

The rankings were based on the following criteria: points allowed, shutouts recorded, the talent on each unit, and the level of competition they faced from opposing offenses, particularly in the postseason. 

The 1972 Dolphins recorded three shutouts, including one of the Baltimore Colts to complete their 14-0 regular season, and they never allowed more than 24 points. The allowed 14, 17 and 7 points in the playoffs, though they would have pitched a shutout in the Super Bowl if not for Garo's gaffe.

The 1985 Bears, by comparison, allowed 24 points three different times in the regular season but were dominant on defense in the postseason, shutting out both the Giants and Rams before their 46-10 against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Bears also gave up less than 200 yards in each of their three playoff wins.

The 1975 Steelers had one shutout in the regular season and held their playoff opponents to 10, 10 and 17 points.

This was part of the write-up on the 1972 Dolphins defense: "The Dolphins' 'No Name' defense played like a bunch of no names in Super Bowl VI, when the Cowboys ran roughshod over them, 24-3. Miami, specifically its defense, used the humbling experience as motivation in 1972. En route to a perfect season, the Dolphins' defense, led by Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti, defensive tackle Manny Fernandez, defensive end Bill Stanfill, and safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott, recorded two shutouts while allowing just 12.2 points per game during the regular season."

What perhaps hurts the Dolphins is the quality of the opposition, considering only one of their regular season opponents finished with a winning record, and that was the 8-6 Kansas City Chiefs.

It also didn't help in the rankings that the 1972 Dolphins defense produced only one Hall of Famer, though there was plenty of talent on that group.

Truth is, the No. 3 ranking is about right for that 1972 Dolphins defense, though from this vantage point it should be the 2000 Ravens ahead of it and not the '75 Steelers.

Truth is, the 1973 Dolphins defense probably was just as good as the 1972 version, if not better. The Dolphins had two shutouts in 1973, but allowed 668 total yards in their three playoff victories compared to 721 in 1972. They also allowed 33 points in 1973, compared to 38 in 1972.

And Anderson was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1973, the same year Stanfill had 18.5 sacks (though sacks were not an official stat at that time).

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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