Best NFL defenses of all time?

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by CMIZ5290

Everyone talks about the 1985 Bears, the 2000 Ravens, etc...Does anyone remember how fantastic the 1977 Atlanta Falcons defense was? Their stats suggest that they were the best. Look at some of these stats...They only gave up 128 points for the season (about 8 per game!), only 1,380 pass yards for the season (less than 100 per game!), they only gave up 12 touch downs for the season! As remarkable as they were, believe it or not, the team finished 7-7!

I forget the year but the Philly Eagles defense in the mid 80s coached by buddy ryan... there was a year or two they were number 1 against the pass and the run and their offense was bad so the defense was on the field a lot... Golic/White/Simmons maybe Jerome Brown as still alive on the line...seth joyner. eric allen etc.....they crushed warren moon when Moon was set to break Marino's yardage record at the time..

also killed like 3 redskin qbs in one game and put them in body bags.. and brian mitchell had to be the qb

[Rookiemonster]

Stats don't make the defense . You to give it the eye test .

[Peter_Spaeth]

Has to be the mid 70s Steel Curtain.

[cardsfan73]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Has to be the mid 70s Steel Curtain.

+1

[Mikehealer]

The Buddy Ryan coached Eagles, come on, they never won a playoff game.
I can't imagine anyone seriously considering them the best defense ever.
They never led the league in scoring defense, which is the point of defenses, keeping the other team from scoring.

The '91 team didn't even make the playoffs and Ryan was already fired by then.

The mid to late '80's Bears and Steel Curtain were much better defenses.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Mikehealer

The Buddy Ryan coached Eagles, come on, they never won a playoff game.
I can't imagine anyone seriously considering them the best defense ever.
They never led the league in scoring defense, which is the point of defenses, keeping the other team from scoring.

The '91 team didn't even make the playoffs and Ryan was already fired by then.

The mid to late '80's Bears and Steel Curtain were much better defenses.

It wasnt the defense fault for the Eagles and their offense was so bad, you are going to give up points when the other team starts on your 10 yard line because of a fumble....super bowls dont matter...we are talking best defense not best team.....

you wont find a worse offense on any of those other teams cited with the best defense....brad goebel 0 tds and 6 ints? Easy to lead the league in less points allowed when your team has 8 minute offensive td drives like the steelers did.....if you play 200 more snaps on defense then the next defense you are going to give up more points

The fact that rich kotite was their coach shows how good their defense was actually...buddy ryan imprint..plus their division was very good the eagles were 10-6 and didnt make the playoffs and
Brad Goebel, Pat Ryan and Jeff Kemp were their QBs for most of the games that year.....they started 5 QBs and won 10 games...

"In 1991, the Eagles played in the toughest division in football. The 1985 Bears played in a putrid division. Despite that, the '91 Eagles allowed 35 fewer yards per game than did the '85 Bears.

In fact, the 1991 Eagles put up the second-best numbers against the run and the pass in the history of the NFL. That the same defense could achieve both in the same year is inconceivable; the Bears were third against the pass in 1985 alone.

The 1991 Eagles led the league in fewest yards allowed against the rush, the pass, and overall. The squad led the league in sacks, forced fumbles, and takeaways. Half the defense made the 1991 Pro Bowl"

http://www.nfl.com/videos/philadelph...Eagles-defense.


I can imagine why someone would consider that years team defense one of the best ever..

[Mikehealer]

If you really believe they were a better defense than the Steelers and Bears because they gave up 35 yards less, then so be it.

I still can't believe anyone would seriously consider the '91 Eagles one of the best defenses ever.

[CMIZ5290]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

I forget the year but the Philly Eagles defense in the mid 80s coached by buddy ryan... there was a year or two they were number 1 against the pass and the run and their offense was bad so the defense was on the field a lot... Golic/White/Simmons maybe Jerome Brown as still alive on the line...seth joyner. eric allen etc.....they crushed warren moon when Moon was set to break Marino's yardage record at the time..

also killed like 3 redskin qbs in one game and put them in body bags.. and brian mitchell had to be the qb

Mike Golic, really???? He sucked....Watching Mike and Mike???

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by CMIZ5290

Mike Golic, really???? He sucked....Watching Mike and Mike???

Mike was a reserve...he would of started on most teams actually on the Eagles he was a reserve ..Reggie White probably passed the eye test......3 members on the D-Line were in the Pro Bowl

i thinking of the 1991 team actually as I looked up the best year of the late 1980s run to early 1990s.......20 Tds allowed all year the 85 bears gave up 22 TDs..gave up 3549 yards... 85 Bears gave up 4135 plus the eagles offense was much worse than the bears offense and were on the field longer..


Statistics site Football Outsiders ranks the 1991 Eagles as the greatest defensive team in their ranking's history.[1] Says Football Outsiders, "The 1991 Eagles completely lap the field in terms of defensive DVOA. Only the 2002 Bucs had a better pass defense, and only the 2000 Ravens had a better run defense, and the Eagles were much more balanced than either of those teams.

"It's crazy to imagine how few points the Eagles might have given up if they were playing with a halfway-decent offense instead of losing Randall Cunningham to a torn ACL in the first game of the season. The Eagles were stuck depending on an over-the-hill Jim McMahon for 11 starts, plus Jeff Kemp for two and Brad Goebel for two. McMahon actually wasn't half bad ... but the other two quarterbacks were awful, especially Goebel who had no touchdowns with six interceptions. And the running game was dreadful, with 3.1 yards per carry as a team.