Thread: Comparing our ’15 & ’18 Ds

Originally Posted by Hawgdriver

There is a possibility that this defense is another all timer, but it all depends on Chubb and Ray...and, of course, injuries---knock knock.

Assuming Chubb and Ray play as advertised, it is Roby who has to be the man. We do need a better third corner.

Originally Posted by faninaz

how many current dcs are his equal? Not any.

fify

Originally Posted by Hawgdriver

There is a possibility that this defense is another all timer, but it all depends on Chubb and Ray...and, of course, injuries---knock knock.

Who's there?

Originally Posted by Buff

Who's there?

Joe Woods.

Joe's Wood?

Remember Joe Mays? Loved that effing dude.

Originally Posted by Buff

Who's there?

The chick from Trav's photojournalistic artwork.

This defense could put up number close to 2015 but defense will not be as good. Only reason I say that is because our offense should be better and keep other offenses off the field more. But the thing about 2015 was the huge number of sacks because we excelled at 1st and 2nd down a left a lot Of 3rd and longs. But we were stacked on depth chart which we are much younger now.

It has never happened in NFL history that one of the all-time great defenses repeated as SB champions.

The '86 Bears one year after their SB win still had a roster full of Hall of Fame and All-Pros like Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, Wilbur Marshall, William "the Refrigerator" Perry and one of the all-time great RBs in Walter Peyton.

They got eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs by the Redskins. Didn't even win a playoff game. That defense was better statistically than the Broncos 2015. But, they lost Buddy Ryan their DC, and it was just never the same.

The same thing happened to the 2001 Ravens and the 2003 Bucs too. Neither ever got back to the SB.

The Broncos lost key defenders immediately, like Malik Jackson, but key was losing Peyton. Manning held that team accountable. The entire team, not just the offense. As long as he was around all the players played at a higher level because Peyton did.

It's hard to leave the facility early when you see Peyton still there and working. When he was gone the leadership vacuum never was filled.

I think even if you took a time capsule and put the exact same defensive players from 2015 on the field this year it would never turn out exactly the same. Remember all the insane lucky bounces they got? The fumble in KC when Jamaal Charles was about 2" off the ground as regulation was about to expire? About 1 split second and he would have been down and the Chiefs would have gone to overtime.

The whole year was like that. All the bounces seemed to go their way like the game in Cleveland when Peyton threw a pick in overtime that gave the Browns possession on the Denver 40. Game over - except the defense managed to push them back out of FG range. The Browns had to punt and Denver came back to win.

Or the fact that the Patriots inexplicably dropped late season games - forcing the AFC Championship to happen in Denver rather than in NE where they would inevitably have won. Some years all the breaks just go your way but such lightning never strikes twice in the same place.