As a defensive coordinator in the NFL for 27 seasons, Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick LeBeau has coached some great defenses in his time, especially in his 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
None comes close to the 2008 defense for LeBeau, though.
Appearing on the “All Things Covered” podcast with former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden, LeBeau spoke glowingly about the 2008 defense, which helped Pittsburgh win Super Bowl XLIII and put together one of the most dominant seasons in NFL history.
That 2008 unit led the NFL in fewest points allowed, total yards allowed, passing yards allowed and was second in rushing yards permitted, leading the Steelers to a Super Bowl win over the Arizona Cardinals that season. Safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Harrison earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods that season, while Harrison won the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award, thanks to his franchise-record 16.0 sacks.
“But statistically speaking, man, ain’t nobody going to touch that 2008 defense. They just can’t,” LeBeau said to McFadden, according to video via the podcast’s YouTube page. “And I tell you what, I’ve often asked myself why did that particular group? Listen, you can go down through the statistical categories; few points allowed. That’s the number one stat. That’s the only stat they pay off on who won the game. Well, we were first there, but the totally yards rate on that, we won that. Rushing yards, we were number one in that. Passing yards, we were number one in that. Pass completion [percentage] allowed, we were number one in that.
“Yards gained against the defense on first down, that’s a critical stat. As you know, you get gotta get that offense out of their comfort zone. We were number one in that. Third down success of getting off the field, we were number one in that. I mean, you can go red zone defense, you tell me that we were number one.”
Though it didn’t have a ton of headliners outside of Polamalu and Harrison, that 2008 unit was simply fantastic top to bottom in LeBeau’s scheme. Ends Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel and nose tackle Casey Hampton did a great job shutting down the run, while LaMarr Woodley was the perfect bookend for Harrison. Inside, Larry Foote and James Farrior roamed all over the field, while cornerbacks Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend shut down the opponent’s passing game, and safety Ryan Clark was the perfect piece to play next to Polamalu.
That Steelers defense allowed a league-low 3.9 yards per snap and 13.9 points per game. Additionally, the Steelers held opponents to the lowest third-down conversion rate (31.4) in the NFL and finished second in sacks (51). To close the season, Harrison’s pick-six in Super Bowl XLIII was a key moment in the Steelers edging the Arizona Cardinals.
In his many years coaching in the NFL on the defensive side of the football, not to mention playing 14 seasons with the Detroit Lions, LeBeau never saw anything like what the 2008 Steelers defense did statistically. Even to this day, it remains eye-opening even 15 years later.
“I said, ‘Man, I did it for 30 years’, and I said, ‘I never looked at any kind of numbers like this.’ We were number one in everything. And I thought to myself, ‘well, someday I’m gonna write a book about that bunch of guys. Why were they so good?'” LeBeau added, according to video via the All Things Covered podcast YouTube page. “And I tell you why I think it was. You could all tackle and you all wanted to tackle, and defense is still always going to be finding the guy with the ball and getting his butt on the ground. And every one of you guys would. It was like kicking a beehive, man. When that ball was snapped, you was after that ball and you did not miss tackles. We also led another key statistic and big plays allowed for six straight years. And that was a just a, what an honor and a blessing really to get a coach you guys.”
The Steelers, throughout their 90 years of history in the NFL, have had a number of great defenses, including the famous Steel Curtain defenses from the 1970s that led to four Super Bowls in the decade. But as LeBeau points out, none come close to the 2008 defense overall.
Two years ago, that 2008 defense was ranked No. 6 overall in the history of the NFL by Bleacher Report. That felt pretty low when compared to the 2000 Ravens even, but there is no doubt at all that the 2008 Steelers defense, with the star power it had and the dependable role players top to bottom on the depth chart, was as good as any defense ever was — or will be — in the NFL.
