The Dome Patrol was the
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
corps of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
's
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Under head coach
Jim Mora, it formed the second level of
defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
Steve Sidwell
Steven James Sidwell (born 14 December 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Sidwell was a product of the Arsenal academy, and after winning two FA Youth Cups, he had constructive loan spells at Bren ...
's
3–4 defense
In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers. It is a called a "base defense" because it is the default defensive alignment used on "base downs" (1st and 2nd downs). ...
, considered to be among the most formidable 3–4 defenses in NFL history.
As a unit, all four players were on the Saints roster for seven seasons, from 1986 to 1992, and the players combined for 18
Pro Bowls
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
while with the team. All four linebackers were invited to the
Pro Bowl for 1992, the only time four linebackers from one team have made a Pro Bowl together.
History
Rickey Jackson
Rickey Anderson Jackson (born March 20, 1958) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints (1981–1993) and the San Francisco 49ers (1994–1995). He led the team's Dome Pa ...
was drafted by the Saints in the second round of the
1981 NFL draft
The 1981 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1981, at the New York She ...
.
[ He was the first member of the unit; he played five seasons and was invited to three Pro Bowls before the Dome Patrol was formed.][ The team did not have a winning record in any of those seasons.] In 1985, the Saints defense gave up over 25 points per game, which was seventh worst in the league. In 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, the Saints selected outside linebacker Pat Swilling
Patrick Travis Swilling (born October 25, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, and the Oakland Raiders. He had ...
in the third round of the draft and acquired middle linebackers Vaughan Johnson
Vaughan Monroe Johnson (March 24, 1962 – December 12, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles. He also was a member of t ...
and Sam Mills
Samuel Davis Mills Jr. (June 3, 1959 – April 18, 2005) was an American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. He also played for three seasons for ...
from the recently folded United States Football League
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
(USFL).[ Also arriving from the USFL was head coach Jim Mora.] The defense improved to seventh best in points allowed per game in 1986, allowing an average of 17.9 points. In 1987, the team finished with a 12–3 record, posting the first winning record in franchise history as well as its first playoff appearance. The Saints ranked fourth in points allowed per game in 1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
and went 10–6, but missed the playoffs after finishing third in a strong NFC West
The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinal ...
division.
The team made the playoffs three straight seasons from 1990 to 1992. Three members of the Dome Patrol were named to the Pro Bowl in 1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
, and Swilling was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year
The Defensive Player of the Year Award is given by the Associated Press (AP) to the most outstanding defensive player in the National Football League (NFL) at the end of every season. It has been awarded since 1971. The winner is decided by votes ...
after leading the league with 17 sacks and forcing six fumbles. The Saints defense surrendered the fewest points of any defense in the league that season and forced the most turnovers. In week three of the season, the Saints defense held the Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
to 120 yards and six first downs, and recorded five sacks in a 24–7 win. "The Dome Patrol really rolled today," said Swilling after the game. "Sam Mills, Rickey Jackson, Vaughan Johnson and me. We got it on, didn't we?" The 1991 season also saw the Saints win their first division title, as they finished first in the NFC West.[
All four members were invited to the Pro Bowl for 1992. This remains the only time in NFL history that four linebackers from the same team have made a Pro Bowl together.][ Again the defense surrendered the fewest points in the league, and were second in yards given up. Swilling was the first to leave the Saints after the 1992 season, in a trade to the ]Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, followed by Jackson and Johnson in 1993 and Mills in 1994.[ Overall, the Dome Patrol combined for 18 Pro Bowls and made four playoff appearances.][
]
Dome Patrol members
Legacy
The Dome Patrol is frequently cited as one of the greatest defensive groups of all time, and was rated by NFL Network
NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League (NFL) and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and NFL ...
as the number one linebacker corps in NFL history. In 2012, all four members of the Dome Patrol were unanimously selected for the Saints 45th Anniversary Team. In 2010, Jackson became the first Saints player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...
. Sam Mills later signed with the Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
, with whom he earned a Pro Bowl trip and two All-Pro selections, and later was an assistant coach with the team.[ Mills died in 2005 after two years of battling ]intestinal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...
. His jersey number 51 is currently the only jersey retired by the Panthers, and he is the only former player in the team's Hall of Honor. In 2022, Mills was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Swilling played six more seasons in the NFL after leaving the Saints, and made a Pro Bowl trip with the Lions in 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
. All four players are in the Saints Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame is located in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame & Northwest Louisiana History Museum – Natchitoches in a new facility in the downtown historic district in Natchitoches, Louisiana. After years of planning and con ...
. Jackson and Mills are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Swilling and Mills are also members of the College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
.
See also
Similarly dominant NFL 3–4 defenses and linebacker corps:
* Big Blue Wrecking Crew
The Big Blue Wrecking Crew was the defense for the New York Giants during the 1980s that won two Super Bowl Championships and three NFC East Titles, the first in Super Bowl XXI in 1986 and the other in Super Bowl XXV in 1990. A 3-4 defense, it ...
* Crunch Bunch
The Crunch Bunch were the group of New York Giants football team's defensive linebackers in 1981, 1982 and 1983, one of the NFL's best group of linebackers.Associated PressNFL.com, February 18, 2009, Van Pelt, member of Giants' famed 'Crunch Bunc ...
* Monsters of the Midway
The Monsters of the Midway is most widely known as the nickname for the National Football League's Chicago Bears—particularly the dominant teams of 1940 and 1941. The name was revived when the 1985 Chicago Bears proved to be similarly dominant, ...
* Orange Crush Defense
The Orange Crush Defense was the 3–4 defense of the Denver Broncos during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The National Football League (NFL) team adopted the 3–4 defense during the 1976 season, and the nickname "Orange Crush" for the team's ...
Notes
References
{{New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
Nicknamed groups of American football players