According to the
ratings system devised over at the P-F-R blog, the 1984 Browns rank first among
all teams since 1970 in the inequality of their
offense and defense, among teams with better defenses than offenses. In
other words, no team since the merger had a better defense compared to their
offense -- or, more accurately, a worse offense compared to their defense -- than the '84
Browns.
Of all the possible
things to blog about, why did this catch my eye? It because of the potential
parallels between that team and today's:
- The '84 Browns were
quarterbacked by a former mid-round draft pick, Paul McDonald, who displayed
flashes of ability but a propensity to alternately eat the ball and miss
receivers disturbingly often. He was eventually succeeded by a first-round
blue-chipper of local origins.
- That team had a very
iffy receiving corps, with the exception of a premiere tight
end.
- The offensive line
figured to be a strength, with several established veterans, but for one reason
or another, neither the rushing attack nor the pass blocking was up to
par.
- The team ran a 3-4
defense whose greatest strength was the linebacking corps.
- A young, aggressive
secondary started to emerge and show tremendous
promise.
- Of course, that team
got off to a tragically slow 1-8 start, and the head coach was replaced mid-season
by the defensive coordinator.
I'm certainly hoping
that this analogy won't go that far. That Jamal Lewis has more in the tank than
Mike Pruitt did. That Braylon Edwards can exceed the receiving totals of the top
two, and maybe three or four, of the '84 WRs. And that the QBs, however that
plays out, won't get sacked 55 times.
Perhaps 1985 will
prove to be the better point of comparison (though I hoped for that before,
to no avail). The rookie gunslinger took over midseason. The rushing attack
combined power and agility. A new O-line (only the center was a returning
starter from the previous year) took shape. And they beat all three division
opponents at home, sneaking into the playoffs for the first of a memorable
five-year run.