|
>i did mean to say that they weren't _statistically_ the best >that year, i.e. they didn't lead the league in fewest points >allowed by a huge margin like the other 4 teams mostly did. > >they were obviously a great defense, particularly the front 4. >they're not in the class with those other 4. they didn't >dominate their season the way those teams did, even taking the >offensive woes into account. > >the 2000 ravens allowed 26 fewer points than the #2 team. the >1990 giants, 28 fewer. the 02 bucs? 45. > They also had the best return man in the game at the time in Jermaine Lewis, Priest Holmes, Jamal Lewis, Shannon Sharpe & Jonathan Ogden to go along with a DLTG QB for the stretch when they really were heating up (they got scorched a couple times early when Banks was tossing out funballs).
>4 teams allowed fewer points than the eagles in '91. one of >which, new orleans, was ranked 2nd against both the run and >the pass. > >that can't just be dismissed entirely, dude. not when >comparing the best of the best, which necessarily involves >splitting the teeniest of hairs.
Dude, it really can.
Points allowed include in pro-football reference includes POINTS GIVEN UP BY THE OFFENSE.
The Eagles offense gave up FIVE INTS RETURNED FOR TDS, that's 35 points right there.
If I went back to check safeties, kickoff/punt TDs (I know there was at least one of these that I remember by Kelvin Martin in the last Cowboy game was basically a season back-breaker, so now we're at 42 points off their 'points allowed' total) and the amount of times this team couldn't get across the other team's 50 while at times turning it over to start the Eagle D in their own red-zone......it would become far more dramatic.
Did the Saints give up 7+ TDs off Bobby Hebert funballs or Ironhead fumbles?
Doubt it.
If we really did the numbers, there's probably a way to show that this Eagle defense actually was more of a point producer than its offense for much of if not the whole season.
So if you wanna go back and wade through all that, you can see that the adjusted 'points allowed' would not be remotely close to any other team given the opportunities, before we even start talking about how demoralizing it is to be on the field all day.
Or you can just trust me as someone who actually saw both these teams play, every Sunday, while living in the city they were in when I tell you that as great as the Ravens were they were not better than the Eagles at any level of the D outside of that Ray/Woodson area.
They were not better at the corners, the other safety, the other backers, either defensive end (and this was far more of a blowout than Ray Ray versus Seth) and then you have arguments with their two tackles Goose/Adams versus Jerome Brown with the Pitts/Golic rotation.
|