NYCRavensFlock Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 Was it the 3rd best defense in the history of our franchise? Part of me wants to say yes, part of me wants to say no, part of me doesn't fully understand my own question. Which part does our forum agree with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Reed Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 (edited) Just off memory, I'd rank our top 5 defenses: 2000 2006 2023 2008 2018 I'm sure there's some advanced stats out there that can more appropriately rank them, and maybe a 2001, 2010, 2011 or 2003 sneaks in there over one of those 5, but this is how I feel about them going in blind Edited May 30 by Ray Reed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngusMcFife Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 I'd definitely go 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, and 2011 as better defenses. 2023 was maybe be the defense that was best coached, or got the most out of the talent on the team. Feels like we didn't have a great pass rusher but could manufacture pressure. We didn't have great CBs but we could get by with intelligently designed coverage rotations. It was probably the best defense since the Ray Lewis era. But I don't feel that the top-end talent is comparable to years with Ray, Reed, Suggs, Ngata as defensive leaders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondbull424 Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 I’d rank last year as similar to 2006 and really that defense in part got this squad to the championship game so it was more successful than any but the 2000 and 2011 defenses. I think it lacked the big proven names, but it also didn’t have a glaring weakness. For example 2006 had Samari Rolle as an exploitable, but solid #2 corner and Corey Ivy was absolute booty juice as a nickel. The safety spots had Reed and a good Landry (IIRC). Lewis wasn’t as elite, but still a beast. Whereas 2023 has a weird thing where on paper certain guys are “elite” but weren’t and then some guys that were no names were playing at a high level. Guys like Humphrey and Williams were elite names, but were just above average at best while no names like Stephens and Stone were heavy contributors. Pass rush was deep. Deep DL rotation. Great LB play. I can’t think of a unit that was weak. Corner is the closest, but the no name guys stepped up tremendously. So I’d put it as 2b to 2006’s 2a because of the overall consistency of the unit from top to bottom and how well they played together, which is the purpose of the unit. They could turn the ball over, keep you from scoring, and close out in clutch moments. We didn’t have the 2023 unit getting picked apart for their prevent defenses. That wasn’t a thing. So really, I’d be hard pressed to say it was the 2nd best unit in Ravens history, personally. I’d go into battle with that defense more often than most others if given the choice. We’ll see if 2024 offers a combination between the names, the extra “feeling” of dominance, but just adds maybe superior run defense to the equation, which is really the only flaw I can bring. You can couldn’t take that defense back to 2003 and have them thrive in the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFlaccoSeagulls Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 On 5/30/2024 at 11:41 AM, AngusMcFife said: I'd definitely go 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, and 2011 as better defenses. 2023 was maybe be the defense that was best coached, or got the most out of the talent on the team. Feels like we didn't have a great pass rusher but could manufacture pressure. We didn't have great CBs but we could get by with intelligently designed coverage rotations. It was probably the best defense since the Ray Lewis era. But I don't feel that the top-end talent is comparable to years with Ray, Reed, Suggs, Ngata as defensive leaders. No shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackywabbit Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 This is a tough question. In terms of talent I don't think this was anywhere near 2008 or 2011 defenses, let alone the 2006, 2000 benchmarks. But the results/stats are up there. Last year there was also a league-wide trend towards defenses. All the broader trends went sharply to the defense from prior years. The meta changes seemed to make good defense easier last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngusMcFife Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 22 hours ago, AFlaccoSeagulls said: No shot. Both the 2011 and 2023 Ravens defense were no. 1 in DVOA, but 2011 was overall a great year for offense in the NFL, while 2023 was a great year for defense. Both springboarded the DCs (Pagano, MacDonald) to HC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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