And not one of the best secondaries in Bama lore??? hell, it had 3 First Team All Americans for 2011, has one secondary ever had 3 All Americans in the same year before that? CB Dre Kirkpatrick - 1st Round #17 overall 2012 Draft, 2011 All-American S Mark Barron - 1st Round #7 overall #1 safety taken in 2012 Draft, 2× All-American, 3× First-team All- SEC S Robert Lester - 2011 Second Team All American, 2012 Second Team All-SEC, projected as the #1 SS of the seniors for the 2013 Draft by NFL Draft Scout CB DeQuan Menzie - 2011 All-American Nickleback Dee Milliner - 2012 All-American, 2012 First Team All-SEC...projected as the #1 CB of the seniors for the 2013 NFL Draft by NFL Draft Scout That 2011 Bama secondary was absolutely ridiculous
As for that 2006 LSU D, it featured two 2006 All Americans: -Glenn Dorsey... #3 on team in tackles, #2 in TFL...1st Round #5 overall 2008 Draft, 2x All American, 2x First Team All SEC, 2007 Nagurski Award Winner, 2007 Lombardi Award Winner, 2007 Outland Trophy Winner, 2007 Lott Award Winner -LaRon Landry...#1 on team in tackles... 1st Round #6 overall 2007 Draft...2003 Freshman All- SEC and First-Team Freshman All-American, 2x 2nd Team All SEC (2003-2004), 2x 1st Team All SEC (2005-2006) it also featured: Tyson Jackson...#1 on team in sacks, TFL, and QB hurries...1st Round pick #3 overall 2008 Draft, 2x 2nd Team All SEC Ricky Jean-Francois....#4 on team in sacks and TFL... 2006 First-Team Freshman All-American, 2006 Freshman All-SEC, 7th Round pick Chase Pittman...#2 on team in sacks and #3 in TFL, 7th Round pick Darry Beckwith...#2 on team in tackles....2x 2nd Team All SEC Ali Highsmith...#4 on team in tackles...2006 2nd Team All SEC, 2007 1st Team All SEC, 2007 2nd Team All American Chevis Jackson....#1 on team in passes broken up and passes defended, #6 on team in tackles...2007 1st Team All SEC, 3rd Round pick Craig Steltz....#1 on team in INT, #7 on team in tackles, 2007 All American, 2007 1st Team All SEC, 4th Round pick Jacob Cutrera...#8 on team in tackles....2006 3rd Team All American
The 2011 Bama team may have been the best defense ever in college football. From player to player to player, just weren't any holes to attack. Technique and tackling was off the charts. In 92 it was a 4-3 defense and they didn't employ the sophisticated blitzes of the Saban era. Didn't need to with John Copeland and Eric Curry as the Bookends of a great 4 man pass rush. If there are any doubts in the secondary, it has to be the 92 Bama team. With George Teague and Antonio Langham at the corners, Sam Shade and Chris Donelly. These four starters would account for almost 30 years of service in the NFL. Tommy Johnson and Willie Gaston rounded out the secondary. Just a talented bunch. No one got 300 yards passing on them, including the great Miami and a very underrated Florida team that was coming on at the end of the season. As good as they were, hard to put any group ahead of the 92 secondary.
Sport Alabama didn't face Oregon or WVU as did LSU in 2011. Your team did have a great D no doubt and so did LSU, but if you use only stats to determine you should also look at who the stats were compiled against. LSU faced 2 of the most prolific offenses in the nation last year and more than contained them. Which offense did Alabama face that compared? Don't say Arky because we faced them as well. Be proud of what they accomplished but try to recognize the difference between LSU & Alabama's defenses last year was only one of style not substance.
Tusk, the 1992 defense was a 3-4. It wasn't the same scheme, but it was not a 4-3. Copeland and Curry on the ends, Gregory and Brown handled the NT. Hall - Rogers - Oden - London were the linebackers.
That's primarily because I wasn't discussing the Bengal Tigers defense. It was more about which Alabama defense was better in Alabama history. But it does make me wonder why the 2011 edition of the Tigers, seldom gets measured by the great defenses of the Cholly Mac era. Stats are relevant to a point, but don't ask them to tell the whole story. We live in an age where people struggle to believe what they see. When you see great, you shouldn't have to check the stats, just to make sure.
That's because of the "what have you done for me lately" nature of life and sport. The lasting image of the great 2011 LSU D is being out-greated (I know, I know, that's not a real word) by the 2011 Bama D. Either D could carry a mediocre offense to a title, and both basically did. LSU's being SEC and Bama won a game later in the year in NO.
