Defense of the Decade 2000-2009

After listening to several Ravens fans make claims about their team boasting the "Defense of the Decade", I decided to fact check their assertions. I researched team defensive statistics for the Steelers and Ravens for the past 10 seasons. The results surprised even me. I also wrote an article on bleacherreport.com about my findings. See the link below for the article:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/430995-quick-pick-defense-of-the-decade-ra...

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• NFL
• Pittsburgh
• Steelers
• Baltimore
• Ravens
• defense

[Anonymouse2112]

The steelers have been more consistent in statistical categories but this isn't baseball and no one cares about stats that much. On another note nothing the steelers have put on the field in the last 40+ years compares to the ravens 2000 defense. I don't mind the steelers as a team but I mind the fans that make them look bad by talking just as much trash as the ravens fans they supposedly hate. Also they're a bandwagon team that many people follow just because they win which isn't real fandom.

[chuckhowe]

@Anonymouse2112 40 years is taking it a bit far... The Steelers had a very nasty defense for the better part of the 70's... perhaps the best defense they had was the 76' team, but they fell short of the Super Bowl. Also, the 2008 Steelers defense was pretty damn good. I'm not saying they were better than the 2000 Ravens, because I'll get a million people jumping my ass... but they weren't terribly far behind.

And for the record, I don't hate any team's fans. I like to stir the pot....

[chuckhowe]

@Anonymouse2112 and piss off homers and Steelers' haters. Sometimes I may piss people off that I didn't intend to piss off, but there is always collateral damage. This entire video was in response to a Ravens homer/Steelers hater that was talking trash on another video of mine. I did the research and made this video just to piss that guy off... and he hasn't dared comment on this video because he knows I caught him in some fabricated "facts". Before you think I'm too nerdy....

[chuckhowe]

@chuckhowe it took about 3 or 4 hours from start to finish on a day that I was very bored.

As far as bandwagon fans. You're being slightly unfair. Anytime a team wins, it picks up bandwagon fans. I hate Steelers bandwagon fans just as much as I hate haters and homers. I'm not saying that you have to be from Pittsburgh like me to be a real Steelers fan (even some natives of the Burgh are bandwagon-ish, the Steelers might be their favorite team, but they're a lot less vocal during bad seasons)

[chuckhowe]

@chuckhowe but if you weren't a Steelers fan prior to 2005, chances are you aren't a true fan. There are probably some exceptions (like young children), but they're few and far between.

[highlyevolved420]

ravens are better right now asshole, and that all that matters, so fuck you.

[chuckhowe]

@highlyevolved420 Well, it's hard to judge which defense is better after only one game... They both only allowed 9 points. But, Matt Ryan is a better QB than Mark Sanchez. Both the Jets and Falcons have high powered running games. But, the Jets have Shonn Green in the backfield this season, not Thomas Jones. With Roethlisberger on suspension, the Ravens certainly have a superior offense.

But why am I talking facts to you? you don't care about facts, only talking trash.

[dbjkatz]

This guy needs a shave, a bath, and some Prozac :P

[Budd631]

Bucs? No mention at all? They were dominant from 2000ish to 2007...they have to be close.

[lordvoldemort578]

@chuckhowe You sound like my best friend.

[psx2514]

When people say "defense of the decade" I think they are referring to a team of a specific year (e.g. 2000 Ravens, 2002 Buccaneers, etc.)

[jordan5221]

Stats dont mean shit! In 2000 the Titans had the no.1 overall defense but no1 ever said the Titans D was better then the Ravens!!!!

[44obama44ireland]

You could also compare the number of Pro Bowlers. The Ravens had McCrary, Boulware, Ray Lewis, Rod Woodson, Sam Adams, McAlister, Reed, Suggs, Thomas, and Scott. That's 10 players. Pittsburgh sent Gildon, Bell, Porter, Hampton, Farrior, Aaron Smith, Polamalu, and Harrison. That's 8 players. Also, put into account that the Ravens have 2, if not more, future Hall of Famers on their defense, while the Steelers have one in Polamalu.

[bwhite3024]

As a Ravens fan I agree. What screwed the Ravens was the 02 season in which the Ravens defense was pretty horrible ranked 22nd I believe. WHat the Ravens did have this decade was arguably the Greatest single season defense ever. The 08 Steelers were great but not one of the greatest all time. Either way its a two team race for this title

[ravensfan32927]

@chuckhowe as a Ravens fan i must say that your right. I honestly think the reason we won that award is because our 2000 team set records that no one has broke yet and we followed it up with solid defenses every year after that. Maybe if the Steelers broke some defensive records like we did you guys would have won that match up, but of course you guys didn't so that reward belongs to us now.

[Anonymouse2112]

@chuckhowe Fair enough for me. It is nice to see an educated steelers fan for once though rather than the typical one spouting off how ray lewis is a murderer and the ravens suck regardless of their performance (which is odd considering the 2 teams similarities in personnel and philosophy). The fact of the matter is that the ravens and the steelers have some of the most devoted fans but also we have some of the most obnoxious (uneducated) ones in football which leads to alot of animosity.