Football analysts and color commentators love to leave their blueprint in the sport. It’s always been that way and that’s not likely to change any time soon, as they continue to make up great NFL nicknames for the teams that dominate – or not – the league.
We’ve seen countless great NFL nicknames throughout the history of football. Either because of their meaning, because of how smart the pun is, or just because it perfectly sums up the way that teamplays,those kinds of things aren’t that easy to come up with.
And, even though many of them could make our list, there are a handful of puns that just deserve to be on a tier of their own. Today, we’re reviewing the 15 best NFL nicknames of all time.
15.The Boogeymen
The Boogeyman is scary as hell, and there has never been a team that scares the most out of their rivals than the New England Patriots. Their linebacker’s corpse for the 2019 season was called this way because of the presence of Kyle Van Noy, Dont’a Hightower, and Jamie Collins.
14.The Bruise Brothers
The San Diego Chargers are one of the franchises that have never won a Super Bowl, but the Bruise Brothers aren’t the ones to blame for it. Their defensive units from the ’60s and ’70s were called that way because, well, that’s pretty self-explanatory.
13.The Dream Team
The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles were supposed to dominate the game right out of the gate after the additions of Jason Babin, Evan Mathis, Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Vince Young. Young claimed they were like Team USA’s basketball Dream Team but won a combined 12 games over two seasons.
12.Legion of Boom
Even though Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch deserve a lot of credit for the Seattle Seahawks‘ success in the mid-10’s, the Legion of Boom was the main reason why they dominated that much. Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, and Brandon Browner were simply the scariest secondary defense in football.
11.The Greatest Show on Turf
The 1999-2001 Los Angeles Rams had the most entertaining and explosive offense in the world, thus taking away that nickname from the 1992 Houston Oilers. They made it to the Super Bowl despite losing their starting quarterback Trent Green, thanks to Kurt Warner’s and Mike Jones’ heroic performances. They’re one of the best NFL teams of all time.
10.The Killer B’s
The 2016 Pittsburgh Steelers were known as the Killer B’s because of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and Chris Boswell. Despite their star-studded offense, they failed to get past the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
9.Mile-High NO-Fly Zone
Even though Peyton Manning stole most of the headlines, it was their Mile-High No-Fly Zone defense thatled the Denver Broncos to a Super Bowl win in 2015. Aqib Talib, Von Miller, and Chris Harris Jr and Denver’s 4-3 defense dominated the league from start to finish in almost every major category.
8.Steel Curtain
Back in the day, the Pittsburgh Steelers had the league’s top-tier rushing attack and defense, especially the latter. That’s what granted them the nickname ‘Steel Curtain’as the team went on to win 4 Super Bowls in the ’70s. They also won 8 division titles throughout the decade.
7.The Triplets
Emmit Smith, Troy Aikman, and Michael Irvinput together one of the most unstoppable offenses in football history. Together, those three stars led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl rings in the ’90s, thus earning the Triples nickname.
6.Blitzburgh
Yet again, the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ reckless defense makes our list, this time with ‘Blitzburgh’. As you may tell by that nicnkametheir defense from the mid-’90s was full of head-hunters that didn’t hesitate to put their bodies on the line to sack the rival quarterback. They wanted to hurt you and more often than not, they succeeded.
5.Big Blue Wrecking Crew
Younger fans may not believe it but there was a time in the ’80s when the New York Giants had the most physical and suffocating defense in the world. They were just merciless, bruisers that thrived hurting their rivals. The Big Blue Wrecking Crew wasn’t just a nickname, it was a lifestyle.
4.America’s Team
The Dallas Cowboys have always been a polarizing team. Some love them, some hate them, there’s just no in-between. Even so, they’re by far the most popular team in the nation. Their fanbase isn’t exactly welcome all around the country but there’s no denying that they’re, in fact, America’s team.
3.No-Name Defense
The Miami Dolphins were one of the best teams of the ’70s. In fact, they became the only team in NFL history to go undefeated in one season in 1972. Most of this was thanks to Don Shula’s outstanding work, as they really didn’t have any huge stars in their defense. Opposing coach Tom Landry said he couldn’t even remember the names of their defenders.
2.Sons of Anarchy
Last decade, the New York Jets had a defensive line featuring Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Damon Harrison. In case you didn’t notice, all of their names end in SON, and Sons of Anarchy was a very popular tv show during that season.
1. Sack Pack
The Baltimore Colts had one of the toughest, most aggressive defenses in the ’70s. Joe Ehrmann, Fred Cook, Mike Barnes, and John Dutton had back-to-back seasons of 50+ sacks and one of 47 sacks, so this NFL nicknameis pretty self-explanatory as well.