this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2023
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I mean I know I’ll sound like a homer but they didn’t always hold. They played within the rules. The NFL DID change and tighten those rules right after, by the way. But the LOB were still amazing then too.
To say a defense with Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright, Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Chris Clemons, Red Bryant, Brandon, Brandon Browner etc won that game because they held is silly. It was an unbelievably, insanely stacked defense. The only defensive starter who wasn’t pro bowl caliber at the very least was SB MVP Malcolm Smith.
Damn, I forgot just how stacked that defense was. Everyone talks about the secondary, but all three levels were about as good as I've ever seen.
Well you better shield your eyes, because I feel the same way about the 2017 Jags defense.
Campbell, Jackson, Ngakoue, and Fowler on the line. Smith, Jack, and Pos at linebacker. Ramsey, Bouye, Church, and Gipson in the secondary. Pro-Bowlers and All-Pros at every level.
I did some football tourism that year and saw a Seahawks game in Seattle as a neutral fan. That defense was unbelievable. I didn't mean to imply that they only won because they fouled all day. They certainly had the talent on defense to execute. But you're not going to hold up with slow cornerbacks against pick plays unless you move to a zone, which Manning would eat up. So they played man and held. It worked great.