Quote:Strongly disagree here.

 

If we're both being honest, there is only one guy from this year's defense that definitively starts on that 2007 defense:  Telvin Smith, and that would only be if Daryl Smith played Sam.  We'll be generous since both Stroud missed a lot of time that year and Marks missed a bunch of time this year and call that a push, but we both know Stroud was the better player between the two.   Henderson would start over Miller.  Paul Spicer of 2007 would start over any DE currently on the Jaguars roster.  Heck, even rotational guy Rob Meier is better than his contemporary equivalent, Ryan Davis, because Ryan Davis doesn't get any PT this year.  Poz was a better run defender than Mike Peterson, but Peterson was much better against the pass.  We currently have no CB as good as Rashean Mathis was in 2007.  I'll call Brian Williams and Aaron Colvin a push at this stage.  Sammy Knight was more consistent than Cyprien, and Reggie Nelson his rookie year was a better athlete than Sergio Brown and a better player overall.

 

This defense is on pace for more sacks than that 2007 squad in part because they blitz more.  Though neither defense can be described as blitz heavy, this defense blitzes more than that 2007 team.  But not because this defense was in any way more talented than that 2007 group.

 

You ignored the 2008 team. The 2008 defense was also better, 21st in PPG. 
And the 2008 Jags defense did not face the pathetic mess of opponents that this year's team has.

 
In 2008 Stroud was gone. Knight was gone and Reggie Nelson was content to live off his rookie year, so I'd rate the safeties as equal if not better this year. Let's call the LBs equal. Henderson had an off year, no better than Miller, although their roles are different.
 Meier was the other DT and a major disappointment when put in a starter role. I'd rate Odrick at least as good as Spicer, and Hayward no better than Clemons (Branch is better than Harvey). Mathis was still a good CB but two years removed from his Pro Bowl season and missed four games, Williams = Colvin and Florence = Gratz (with McCray better than any of them, but that just shows how clueless Gus is).

 

Pretty much the same skill level, with a lot worse results this year against the weakest offenses the jags will ever see.

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