Analysis. History. Perspective.

Sports Then and Now



25 Most Famous NFL Group Nicknames 10

Posted on July 02, 2011 by A.J. Foss

Will the "Silver Crush" become the NFL's next great nickname?

With incoming rookie defensive tackle Nick Fairley joining fellow defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz decided to give his defensive line a nickname.

After interacting with his followers on Twitter, Schwartz chose the nickname “Silver Crush”.

Whether this nickname will stick or become well-known to NFL fans, will depend on how successful the line is and if the Lions begin to win, but the quest for Detroit’s defensive line to have a nickname to inspire me to look back at other memorable NFL group nicknames.

After weeks of research, I have come up with the 25 Most Famous NFL Group Nicknames.

These are nicknames to describe a certain group of players (ex. The Washington Redskins receivers) or a specific season (the 1980 Cleveland Browns).

Plus, the nickname cannot be derogatory such as the “Ain’ts”.

With that in mind, here are the 25 Most Famous NFL Group Nicknames.

25. Sack Pack (Baltimore Colts)
While it featured no Hall-of-Famers, this front four helped lead the Baltimore Colts to a renaissance in the mid-1970s.

Mike Barnes, Fred Cook, John Dutton, and Jon Ehrmann combined for 162 quarterback sacks in three seasons as the Colts won the AFC East in 1975, 76, and 77.

24. Crunch Bunch (New York Giants)

In 1981, rookie Lawrence Taylor joined veteran linebackers Harry Carson, Brian Kelley, and Brad Van Pelt to form the “Crunch Bunch” and helped the Giants to their first playoff berth in 18 years.

The group stayed together for two more seasons until Kelley and Van Pelt both retired. Read the rest of this entry →

  • Vintage Athlete of the Month

    • Rusty Staub: A Man For All Ages
      April 8, 2024 | 1:26 pm
      Rusty Staub

      The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is a former major league baseball player who came into the game as a teenager and stayed until he was in his 40s. In between, Rusty Staub put up a solid career that was primarily spent on expansion or rebuilding teams.

      Originally signed by the Colt .45s at age 17, he made his major league debut as a 19-year old rookie and became only the second player in the modern era to play in more than 150 games as a teenager.

      Though he hit only .224 splitting time between first base and rightfield, Staub did start building a foundation that would turn him into an All-Star by 1967 when he finished fifth in the league with a .333 batting average.

      Read more »

    • RSSArchive for Vintage Athlete of the Month »
  • Follow Us Online

  • Current Poll

    Who Will Win the 2024 World Series?

    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...
  • Post Categories



↑ Top