Offense wins games, but defense wins championships. That’s a saying that we have all heard over the years. It seems to be most commonly referenced in football, but it would make sense in other sports as well. If you have an elite defense that slows down the other team, you have a great shot at winning it all. It works in the real world, but does this same thing hold true in our sim? We’ll take a look at the most recent season in both the NSFL and DSFL and work our way back until it feels like the numbers don’t fit my narrative. Let’s begin.
Our Ultimus and Ultimini winners in season 20 were the Austin Copperheads and Minnesota Grey Ducks respectively. By all accounts, both teams had great offenses. Austin was a top 3 offense and Minnesota looked to comfortably be number 1. Clearly their offense helped them win games, but where did their defense rank? First let me say that it can always be debated as to which stats hold more value than others. It depends what you value more. I would probably say that Austin was the most aggressive defense last season, getting the third most sacks, most TFLs, tied for first in FF/FR, tied for most pass deflections and upper half in interceptions too. The only team that I think could maybe claim having a better defense would be Orange County. Admittedly, they produced less in quite a few categories like TFLs, FF/FR and sacks. They lead the league in interceptions, second in safeties with 2 (side note: how the hell did Colorado have 3?!) and a staggering for defensive touchdowns. They had a league-best yardage against overall, giving up the fewest rushing yards and second fewest passing yards, while holding teams to 21.4 (about 1 point more than Austin gave up). Alright so this isn’t off to the start I was hoping for. No matter how you slice it, Austin was most likely the number 1 defense and won a championship. Let’s see what season 20 of the DSFL looked like.
As stated before, Minnesota had a beastly offense and won the championship at home in comfortable fashion. But did they have the best defense last season? Well their defense was certainly sound. They were top 2 in points against, total yards and rush yards. They were a little softer against the pass than others though, coming in at 4. Looking at TFLs, FF/FR, sacks, interceptions and the rest of the lot, Minnesota looks very much like middle of the pack for most of these. They did tie for first in interceptions with 16 which is interesting. They gave up quite a few pass yards but were opportunistic to say the least. It’s also worth mentioning that they probably lead for most games, so teams had to throw on them to catch up. All that being said, the Grey Ducks were not the best defense last season. Myrtle Beach had a swarming defense and stifled opposing offenses most games. Outside of the Ultimini, they only gave up 20 or more points on two occasions (both of those ended in loses). If I remember correctly, they set a record of points surrendered in a season by a decent margin. They were tied with Minnesota with 16 interceptions and also had the most pass deflections. Their secondary was elite no doubt, easily the strength of their defense. The front seven (or six if in nickel I suppose. I feel like that term is becoming outdated today) was able to get a fair amount of pressure posting 46 sacks (tied for second) but had the least amount of TFLs. As a team, they also didn’t quite generate as many FF/FRs as other teams (4th). Either way, I feel comfortable declaring the Buccaneers as the best defense last season by a decent margin.
Best defense wins the championship record: 1-1
I’ll probably write less the further back we go. Looking at season 19, our champions were the Orange County Otters and Minnesota Grey Ducks. Looking first at the Otters, they certainly had a damn good offense and defense. They finished first in points allowed and gave up the least total yards (1st in pass and 2nd in rush defense). I think the only other defense that could be considered for the top spot would be New Orleans. They were upper middle packs regarding points and yards allowed (roughly 4 or 5 on average) but forced a ton of turnovers and pressure everywhere else. NOLA beat the Otters in TFLs, FF/FRs, sacks, interceptions, pass deflections, safeties and tied for touchdowns. The Second Line smashed everyone by a huge margin in turnovers forced as they had a combined 25 forced fumbles and fumble recovered and a close second in interceptions with 16. If you add you sacks, FF/FRs and interceptions, New Orleans had a whopping 86 total that season, the next closest teams come in at 64. I’m will to say that they probably earned the title of best defense in season 19 (take that Otters, you may have won back-to-back-to-back championships, but I didn’t crown you the best defense that seasons). As for Minnesota in season 19, they finished among the best in points and yards given up, but they were not even close in other metrics. Tijuana probably gets the nod here for the best overall defense. They forced a ton of TFLs, FF/FRs, sacks and interceptions. Myrtle Beach also posted some big numbers here as well. Minnesota probably come in around 3 for best defense this season. It looks like we can say that the best defenses did not win in season 19.
Best defense wins the championship record: 1-3
Season 18 is when I first entered the league, so my knowledge starts to dwindle looking earlier than this. Our champions were the Orange County Otters and Portland Cues Pythons. Taking a look at the numbers, It really appears that Orange County was most likely the best defense that season. They rank among the best in pretty much every category and their offense wasn’t as strong as other seasons, suggesting their defense played a huge role in their championship. In the DSFL, Portland looks like they were a good defense but not the best. Tijuana beats them in pretty much every category.
Best defense wins the championship record: 2-4
Season 17 and back is where I don’t personally know league history very well. The champions of that season were Orange County (see a theme?) and Tijuana. After taking a look at the numbers, the Otters did not look like the top defense that season. I could see that title going to any one of Yellowknife, Arizona or Baltimore. Either way, it wasn’t Orange County. On the DSFL side of things, it was a much closer race. Portland was first across the board for points and yards allowed. They are pretty equal in most metrics accept TFLs, where they were way far off from league average that season. They did have 4 defensive touchdowns though and forced more turnovers than the Luchadores. The Marshals also posted quite solid number defensively, matching or beating Tijuana for quite a few stats. It’s close overall, but I think it’s fair to say Tijuana was not the overall #1 defense in season 17.
Best defense wins the championship record: 2-6
That is the last season I will go back. I really don’t have any knowledge at this point back and I’m worried my clear narrative and picking and choosing stats will run dry sooner or later. Seasons 16 saw the Arizona Outlaws win the Ultimus and the Tijuana Luchadores win the Ultimini. Arizona was a 7-6 team that seems to have pulled off some big upsets to win it all. Looking at the numbers, that did pretty well overall but would not have been considered the team with the best defense that season. As for the DSFL, it looks like another season where it was a two-horse race between Tijuana and Portland. Like before, Portland was 1st across the board in points and yards allowed. Tijuana came in averaging around 3rd. As for other metrics, Tijuana came in with significantly more TFLs and FF/FRs. They also had more sacks and 3 safeties to Portland’s 0. Portland did have more interceptions and pass deflections though. I think I would actually lean towards Tijuana in this case. They were way more aggressive and opportunistic. Portland’s numbers are solid but having 21 less TFLs really is a big nock against them being they definite #1 defense.
Best defense wins the championship record: 3-7
Out of our last 10 champions, the team with the “best” defense wound up only winning a championship 3 out of 10 times. Now that number could certainly be quite farfetched. There are one or two examples where it could certainly be debated. A 4-6 or even 5-5 record is justifiable no doubt. Even if it turns out that 5-5 is way more accurate, that still doesn’t seem justifiable enough to say defense wins championships. “Defense wins championships… half the time” certainly doesn’t have the same ring to it. I will be curious to see how things shape up this season. Will one team stand out as the defensive juggernaut and win a championship?
Our Ultimus and Ultimini winners in season 20 were the Austin Copperheads and Minnesota Grey Ducks respectively. By all accounts, both teams had great offenses. Austin was a top 3 offense and Minnesota looked to comfortably be number 1. Clearly their offense helped them win games, but where did their defense rank? First let me say that it can always be debated as to which stats hold more value than others. It depends what you value more. I would probably say that Austin was the most aggressive defense last season, getting the third most sacks, most TFLs, tied for first in FF/FR, tied for most pass deflections and upper half in interceptions too. The only team that I think could maybe claim having a better defense would be Orange County. Admittedly, they produced less in quite a few categories like TFLs, FF/FR and sacks. They lead the league in interceptions, second in safeties with 2 (side note: how the hell did Colorado have 3?!) and a staggering for defensive touchdowns. They had a league-best yardage against overall, giving up the fewest rushing yards and second fewest passing yards, while holding teams to 21.4 (about 1 point more than Austin gave up). Alright so this isn’t off to the start I was hoping for. No matter how you slice it, Austin was most likely the number 1 defense and won a championship. Let’s see what season 20 of the DSFL looked like.
As stated before, Minnesota had a beastly offense and won the championship at home in comfortable fashion. But did they have the best defense last season? Well their defense was certainly sound. They were top 2 in points against, total yards and rush yards. They were a little softer against the pass than others though, coming in at 4. Looking at TFLs, FF/FR, sacks, interceptions and the rest of the lot, Minnesota looks very much like middle of the pack for most of these. They did tie for first in interceptions with 16 which is interesting. They gave up quite a few pass yards but were opportunistic to say the least. It’s also worth mentioning that they probably lead for most games, so teams had to throw on them to catch up. All that being said, the Grey Ducks were not the best defense last season. Myrtle Beach had a swarming defense and stifled opposing offenses most games. Outside of the Ultimini, they only gave up 20 or more points on two occasions (both of those ended in loses). If I remember correctly, they set a record of points surrendered in a season by a decent margin. They were tied with Minnesota with 16 interceptions and also had the most pass deflections. Their secondary was elite no doubt, easily the strength of their defense. The front seven (or six if in nickel I suppose. I feel like that term is becoming outdated today) was able to get a fair amount of pressure posting 46 sacks (tied for second) but had the least amount of TFLs. As a team, they also didn’t quite generate as many FF/FRs as other teams (4th). Either way, I feel comfortable declaring the Buccaneers as the best defense last season by a decent margin.
Best defense wins the championship record: 1-1
I’ll probably write less the further back we go. Looking at season 19, our champions were the Orange County Otters and Minnesota Grey Ducks. Looking first at the Otters, they certainly had a damn good offense and defense. They finished first in points allowed and gave up the least total yards (1st in pass and 2nd in rush defense). I think the only other defense that could be considered for the top spot would be New Orleans. They were upper middle packs regarding points and yards allowed (roughly 4 or 5 on average) but forced a ton of turnovers and pressure everywhere else. NOLA beat the Otters in TFLs, FF/FRs, sacks, interceptions, pass deflections, safeties and tied for touchdowns. The Second Line smashed everyone by a huge margin in turnovers forced as they had a combined 25 forced fumbles and fumble recovered and a close second in interceptions with 16. If you add you sacks, FF/FRs and interceptions, New Orleans had a whopping 86 total that season, the next closest teams come in at 64. I’m will to say that they probably earned the title of best defense in season 19 (take that Otters, you may have won back-to-back-to-back championships, but I didn’t crown you the best defense that seasons). As for Minnesota in season 19, they finished among the best in points and yards given up, but they were not even close in other metrics. Tijuana probably gets the nod here for the best overall defense. They forced a ton of TFLs, FF/FRs, sacks and interceptions. Myrtle Beach also posted some big numbers here as well. Minnesota probably come in around 3 for best defense this season. It looks like we can say that the best defenses did not win in season 19.
Best defense wins the championship record: 1-3
Season 18 is when I first entered the league, so my knowledge starts to dwindle looking earlier than this. Our champions were the Orange County Otters and Portland Cues Pythons. Taking a look at the numbers, It really appears that Orange County was most likely the best defense that season. They rank among the best in pretty much every category and their offense wasn’t as strong as other seasons, suggesting their defense played a huge role in their championship. In the DSFL, Portland looks like they were a good defense but not the best. Tijuana beats them in pretty much every category.
Best defense wins the championship record: 2-4
Season 17 and back is where I don’t personally know league history very well. The champions of that season were Orange County (see a theme?) and Tijuana. After taking a look at the numbers, the Otters did not look like the top defense that season. I could see that title going to any one of Yellowknife, Arizona or Baltimore. Either way, it wasn’t Orange County. On the DSFL side of things, it was a much closer race. Portland was first across the board for points and yards allowed. They are pretty equal in most metrics accept TFLs, where they were way far off from league average that season. They did have 4 defensive touchdowns though and forced more turnovers than the Luchadores. The Marshals also posted quite solid number defensively, matching or beating Tijuana for quite a few stats. It’s close overall, but I think it’s fair to say Tijuana was not the overall #1 defense in season 17.
Best defense wins the championship record: 2-6
That is the last season I will go back. I really don’t have any knowledge at this point back and I’m worried my clear narrative and picking and choosing stats will run dry sooner or later. Seasons 16 saw the Arizona Outlaws win the Ultimus and the Tijuana Luchadores win the Ultimini. Arizona was a 7-6 team that seems to have pulled off some big upsets to win it all. Looking at the numbers, that did pretty well overall but would not have been considered the team with the best defense that season. As for the DSFL, it looks like another season where it was a two-horse race between Tijuana and Portland. Like before, Portland was 1st across the board in points and yards allowed. Tijuana came in averaging around 3rd. As for other metrics, Tijuana came in with significantly more TFLs and FF/FRs. They also had more sacks and 3 safeties to Portland’s 0. Portland did have more interceptions and pass deflections though. I think I would actually lean towards Tijuana in this case. They were way more aggressive and opportunistic. Portland’s numbers are solid but having 21 less TFLs really is a big nock against them being they definite #1 defense.
Best defense wins the championship record: 3-7
Out of our last 10 champions, the team with the “best” defense wound up only winning a championship 3 out of 10 times. Now that number could certainly be quite farfetched. There are one or two examples where it could certainly be debated. A 4-6 or even 5-5 record is justifiable no doubt. Even if it turns out that 5-5 is way more accurate, that still doesn’t seem justifiable enough to say defense wins championships. “Defense wins championships… half the time” certainly doesn’t have the same ring to it. I will be curious to see how things shape up this season. Will one team stand out as the defensive juggernaut and win a championship?