We Look Like We Did In 2000 (Especially Defense)

[display name]

People have been comparing this team to that of the 2000s. And the teams are very similar, especially on defense. Both have depth at linebacker (Brad Jackson, OJ. Brigance, Cornell Brown, Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, and Jamie Sharper in 2000 and Ray Lewis, Jarrett Johnson, Terrell Suggs, Jameel McClain, and Dannell Ellerbe now in 2011) and on the defensive line, specifically the beef in the middle (Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa in 2000 and Haloti Ngata and Terrence Cody now) with great, underrated DEs (Rob Burnett and Michael McCrary then and Corey Redding and Jarrett Johnson now, also with Suggs). Both teams also have a star veteran safety (Rod Woodson in 2000 and Ed Reed now) with great depth at safety as well (Corey Harris, Kim Herring then, Tom Zibicowski, Haruki Nakumura, Bernard Pollard now). Billy Cundiff is almost as good as Matt Stover was during his prime and both teams have solid punters (Sam Koch now, and whoever #5 was in 2000, I forget).

Actualy, any changes are really for the better. Jermaine Lewis was really our only solid returner in 2000 and now we have Lardarious Webb, David Reed, Ed Reed, Tom Zibicowski, and Chris Carr. QB Joe Flacco is five times better than Dilfer ever was and we have more diversity at RB (in 2000, we just had three guys almost identical, Jamal Lewis, Priest Holmes, and Sam Gash in 2000) and now we have Ray Rice (can make defenders miss, catch passes) and then our ground and pound RBs in Anthony Allen and Ricky Williams. Plus our receivers are better now. I think that we have even more depth than in 2000 and have at least as good a chance to make the Super Bowl as in 2006.
Thoughts?

[Twistidfunk]

I know people like to make the comparison but I said no.

While we are very good this season I don't know if we can make that kind of comparison 4 games in especially with the mulligan against the Titans

[Gtown Purple]

The ravens need to show consistency before I'll compare them. I will say though that the offense has much more potential. I think it's safe to say that our 2000 offense was pretty predictable.

[slayback0317]

Lets see if we can win the superbowl then we will compare!

[Militant X 1]

[quote name='Twistidfunk' timestamp='1317905066' post='817314']
I know [b]people like to make the comparison but I said no[/b].

While we are very good this season I don't know if we can make that kind of comparison 4 games in especially with the mulligan against the Titans
[/quote]

agreed!

[quote name='Gtown Purple' timestamp='1317906076' post='817323']
[b]The ravens need to show consistency before I'll compare them[/b]. I will say though that the offense has much more potential. I think it's safe to say that our 2000 offense was pretty predictable.
[/quote]

agreed!

[quote name='slayback0317' timestamp='1317908497' post='817349']
[b]Lets see if we can win the superbowl then we will compare![/b]
[/quote]

jackpot!!!!!

~Mili

[Bltravens]

Our Linebackers arent as athletic as they were in 2000. You're honestly not going to see a LB unit that big, fast, athletic, and smart as the 2000 one for likely a loooong time. That and our secondary sucks compared to the one we had in 2000. CMac, Starks, Harris> Webb, Williams, Smith, Carr.

[Brock86]

I honestly don't see the comparison, the defense isn't as good as 2000(NOT MANY EVER WILL BE AGAIN), and the offense is better than 2000, so it kinda balances out.

I'd say till this team has a few more games they're slightly worse than that team, but have great potential when they're clicking!

[Thepurplehaze]

Offense is better now, although Dilfer was fairly consistent in the playoffs (something Joe is working on)
Our 2000 defense was absolutely unstoppable though, something I can't say about our current team (think Hasselback)
At every position on Defense we were better, except maybe Reed> Woodson, but even that's arguable.

[Jamal]

Uhhh, no. I wouldn't even rank it above 2006.

We beat up on a terrible looking offense thus far in Pittsburgh, got destroyed by[color=#000000]Hasslebeck and Britt, beat up on what might be the worst team in the league, and destroyed Sanchez.[/color]

[color=#000000]Lets compare this defense to the one in 2006.[/color]
[color=#000000]. [/color]
[b][color=#000000]Secondary: [/color][/b]
[color=#000000]Pretty good, but other than Reed, who do you really trust against elite WR's? Williams and Webb are promising, but need to show more before I fully believe in them. Zibby and Pollard are solid, but they aren't as good as the 2006 Landry. Not to mention Ed Reed in his prime, and C-Mac, and Rolle locking things down. [/color]
[b][color=#000000]Conclusion:[/color][/b]
[color=#000000]​2006>2011[/color]

[b][color=#000000]ILB:[/color][/b]
[color=#000000]Ray Lewis is still one of the best ILB's in the game, but I really don't like anyone else in the group. These guys are really no match for a younger Ray Lewis and Bart Scott. [/color]
[b][color=#000000]Conclusion:[/color][/b]
[color=#000000]2006>2011[/color]

[b][color=#000000]OLB:[/color][/b]
[color=#000000]Suggs is on pace to have his best year yet, and JJ is a solid player, even though he doesn't offer much in the pass-rush department. Kruger hasn't really seen the field much, so I can't really give a fair evaluation on him. Kindle has been active in 1 game, and that was strictly special teams. 2006 on the other hand, we had the best OLB duo in the NFL with Suggs and Thomas. These guys were just nightmares for o-lines to defend. [/color]
[b][color=#000000]Conclusion:[/color][/b]
[color=#000000]2006>2011 [/color]

[color=#000000][b]D-Line:[/b] [/color]
[color=#000000]I'm a big fan of our deep d-line this year. Ngata is going to challenge for defensive MVP, Cody is developing in to a pretty good NT, and Redding is solid. McPhee is a spark plug, and has looked pretty good thus far. But once again, I'm not sure how you could like this d-line over the one we had in 2006. Even though Ngata was a rookie, he dominated. Gregg was still in his prime, and Pryce had his last dominant year. [/color]
[b][color=#000000]Conclusion:[/color][/b]
[color=#000000]2006>2011 [/color]

[allballs]

[quote name='Twistidfunk' timestamp='1317905066' post='817314']
I know people like to make the comparison but I said no.

While we are very good this season I don't know if we can make that kind of comparison 4 games in especially with the mulligan against the Titans
[/quote]
i like the comparison. that year we were 5-1. a great start until banks fell apart. you know the rest. back then, we had few games that we gave up a lot of points (run a check) but we had a few shutouts too. our D seems revitalized. im more excited when were on defense. i cant wait for ed to get a pick, or ray to make a hard hit, or ngata to blow it up. and mcclain is coming strong. suggs just a beast, kindle ant even warmed up yet, cody in the middle. OMG. and johnson, #28, and carr. our dbs gettin there. people ddnt like when is said webb is a shutdown corner. ok. keep laughing. time will tell. i bet they saw the jets game. he looks real good in #21. hmmm, the pick 6 reminded me of this other former raven who wore 37... he can also return punts, like that #37 used too.... if joe slacko does not turn the ball over on fumbled snaps and hit-strips, nobody will beat us. everytime weve lost, slacko had a turnover or multiple turnovers. trend, yes. we will finish the season 15-1, and then on to 18-1, winning the superbowl in the home of the team who used to be our home team...you heard it hear first. i had us goin 19-0, but u saw what slacco did in nashville.

[allballs]

[quote name='Brock86' timestamp='1317915739' post='817419']
I honestly don't see the comparison, the defense isn't as good as 2000(NOT MANY EVER WILL BE AGAIN), and the offense is better than 2000, so it kinda balances out.

I'd say till this team has a few more games they're slightly worse than that team, but have great potential when they're clicking!
[/quote]
say what u want. but do your research too, then say what you mean. we giving up fewest points, can't nobody run on us, are we leading the league in takeaways? wow our defense can score. now on offense, still problems at qb like it or not, as in 2000. offense line good, j. lewis ran for well over 1000 yards back then. shannon sharp (hof) woodson (hof) ogden etc, etc. very similar. we have more hof on this team potentially: ray, ed, suggs, basically locks. im tired of cam cameron, we need cam newton. but cameron plays tick me off. howcome on 3rd and short we always throw it 20 yards???

[PWNEDbyDEANO]

[quote name='allballs' timestamp='1317922142' post='817504']
i like the comparison. that year we were 5-1. a great start until banks fell apart. you know the rest. back then, we had few games that we gave up a lot of points (run a check) but we had a few shutouts too. our D seems revitalized. im more excited when were on defense. i cant wait for ed to get a pick, or ray to make a hard hit, or ngata to blow it up. and mcclain is coming strong. suggs just a beast, kindle ant even warmed up yet, cody in the middle. OMG. and johnson, #28, and carr. our dbs gettin there. people ddnt like when is said webb is a shutdown corner. ok. keep laughing. time will tell. i bet they saw the jets game. he looks real good in #21. hmmm, the pick 6 reminded me of this other former raven who wore 37... he can also return punts, like that #37 used too.... if joe slacko does not turn the ball over on fumbled snaps and hit-strips, nobody will beat us. everytime weve lost, slacko had a turnover or multiple turnovers. trend, yes. we will finish the season 15-1, and then on to 18-1, winning the superbowl in the home of the team who used to be our home team...you heard it hear first. i had us goin 19-0, but u saw what slacco did in nashville.
[/quote]

There's a lot of hate in there for [b]Fl[/b]acco man, too much if you ask me. Turnovers do kill teams and it's a trend that holds true for all 32 NFL teams but to imply Flacco is a turnover machine or something is unfair. Look around the league and you will see that Flacco turns the ball over less than many others.

[Benchilada]

Yeah really the major difference is that team won a Super Bowl. I actually think I'd take this year's team in a head-to-head matchup. I don't remember being excited this early into 2000 either, but that might just be me. It seems like I was watching an unbalanced team with a strong defense until it became a historic defense good enough to beat anybody.

[Brock86]

[quote name='allballs' timestamp='1317922648' post='817510']
say what u want. but do your research too, then say what you mean. we giving up fewest points, can't nobody run on us, are we leading the league in takeaways? wow our defense can score. now on offense, still problems at qb like it or not, as in 2000. offense line good, j. lewis ran for well over 1000 yards back then. shannon sharp (hof) woodson (hof) ogden etc, etc. very similar. we have more hof on this team potentially: ray, ed, suggs, basically locks. im tired of cam cameron, we need cam newton. but cameron plays tick me off. howcome on 3rd and short we always throw it 20 yards???
[/quote]
I understand this, but so far we've played a Steelers team who granted our defense played fantastic against it was very impressive I'll give them that, a Titans team which was a major letdown and they just didn't seem to showup for the game, a Rams offense which can't keep their QB upright with 18 sacks so far in 2011(27th in passing, 23rd in rushing), and a Jets offense with a young QB yet to produce in Mark Sanchez(16th in passing) and a lack of running game(30th).
Its way too early to compare this defense to the 2000 defense one of the best ever, we do this every year as Ravens fans lets just sit back relax and enjoy a great defense and compare during the offseason![img]http://content.boards.baltimoreravens.com//public/style_emoticons/default/football.gif[/img]

[allballs]

[quote name='Brock86' timestamp='1317924496' post='817529']
I understand this, but so far we've played a Steelers team who granted our defense played fantastic against it was very impressive I'll give them that, a Titans team which was a major letdown and they just didn't seem to showup for the game, a Rams offense which can't keep their QB upright with 18 sacks so far in 2011(27th in passing, 23rd in rushing), and a Jets offense with a young QB yet to produce in Mark Sanchez(16th in passing) and a lack of running game(30th).
Its way too early to compare this defense to the 2000 defense one of the best ever, we do this every year as Ravens fans lets just sit back relax and enjoy a great defense and compare during the offseason![img]http://content.boards.baltimoreravens.com//public/style_emoticons/default/football.gif[/img]
[/quote]
good info...thats why i had us going 16-0, then finishing 19-0... i'll take 18-1. our schedule is poo. we can sweep div, 6-0. nfc west, 4-0, though the niners are makin noise. afc south, lost to titans, but we own houston, jack is wack, and no #18, so, 3-1 there. we own san diego. and we own the jets. no matter who, our D keeps us in any game. we can cover, we get at the qb, we stop the run. #39, stl, 23 yards. the $50 million chris johnson, 53 yards. in 2000, we only surrendered 60 yards/gm, the nfl record. of course, we cant say now because the season isnt over, but the trends are starting to form, and the talent is there. comparing now just builds the excitement, our D is going to be there, its our QB and play calling that i have to be concerned about.

[Gordo52]

The 2000 defense was arguably the greatest ever. Its only week 4, slow down now nelly

[beasy2487]

[quote name='allballs' timestamp='1317922648' post='817510']
say what u want. but do your research too, then say what you mean. we giving up fewest points, can't nobody run on us, are we leading the league in takeaways? wow our defense can score. now on offense, still problems at qb like it or not, as in 2000. offense line good, j. lewis ran for well over 1000 yards back then. shannon sharp (hof) woodson (hof) ogden etc, etc. very similar. we have more hof on this team potentially: ray, ed, suggs, basically locks. im tired of cam cameron, we need [b]cam newton[/b]. but cameron plays tick me off. howcome on 3rd and short we always throw it 20 yards???
[/quote]

Would you like for us to have the kind of season it takes to draft a Cam Newton? [img]http://content.boards.baltimoreravens.com//public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Twistidfunk]

We shut out the Texans and San Diego or hold them to 10 points then we can probably start making stronger comparisons. And I hope we do!

[SecretAgentMan]

If the offense becomes cosistent then yes.

[K-Dog]

four games in now and then we are better yes.

If I recall we got off to a VERY slow start that year. Even at that our offense now is better than it ever was then. Our defense,,,,,,, not there yet, but we sure did look good against the Jets.

[Crabcakes&Football]

Our defense looks like it did well... before old man Mattison became our coordinator, yeah I said it.

[The Raven]

I think we're very, very close to that 2000 squad. I'm not a homer. I'm not a moron. But I think, [b]as a team[/b], we are as good or [i]possibly[/i] better than that team. Obviously, no defense will ever compare to the 2000 defense. But this defense is a very good defense, and our offense is better than that offense. I'll reserve my final judgement for February 5th, but I think we [i]can[/i] be a better team than that team. We got potential, but potential is defined by what you haven't done yet. So get it done boys!

[stopsizzle55]

stop comparing our defense to the 2000 defense. we've played four games. that team had a stud at every position and the front 4 was ridiculous. combine that with ray in his prime, even without ed that defense was way better. but this offense is way better than the 2000 offense. i really dont think either units are very close (present d being worse and present o being better). we had 4 shutouts that year and we dont have 1 this year. we have played two very young qb's who honestly aren't very good yet and the steelers with a horrible o line. and that d played a 4-3 while this one is 3-4

[rlh445]

Where is the 'too early to tell' option?

[J-man]

Start this thread when we win the Super Bowl. ....

[JO_75]

I like Webb but I wouldn't say that he is better than Jermaine Lewis, he was a special kind of talent as a player as a Kick Returner.

I like our defense but it's way too early, but let's be honest... no defense we put together would ever match the 2000 Defense, that was a special team.

[Tank 92]

I think this Team has the [b][i]potential [/i][/b]to be best Team, as a whole, in Ravens history.

It would be next to impossible for the present D to compare favorably to the 2K D. The game has changed, not only in offensive approach to games, but the rules and officiating are now drastically tilted to the O. Our offense is now much more talented in that there are multiple weapons, multiple choices to mix up the game plan. We are a balanced squad.

That said, I think the competition throughout the league is much tougher than in the past, making it more of a challenge to go all the way. But, with a little good fortune, this Team could be playing games deep into the post season and challenge the accomplishments of the 2K squad.

[edreedfromtheu]

[size=5][b]I really hope we never have to find out if this year's defense can win 6(or maybe it was 5) straight games without the offense scoring any touchdowns, like the 2000 season's defense did.[/b][/size]

[Romo Ravens]

[quote name='edreedfromtheu' timestamp='1318039822' post='818502']
[size=5][b]I really hope we never have to find out if this year's defense can win 6(or maybe it was 5) straight games without the offense scoring any touchdowns, like the 2000 season's defense did.[/b][/size]
[/quote]

[b][size=1]Me too.[/size][/b]

[BeastMode]

this is a dumb question. Have we won a superbowl this year no... are we 4 games into the season yes... its way to early to ask a question like this