I've been a Cowboys fan since 1965. You are WAY ahead of yourself in even attempting to compare some of the Dallas defenses of the past to the 2006 model. To judge this year's defense, you have to compare it to last year's. We had two players who tied for the sack lead with 8 last year. They had 37 total sacks and 15 ints. as a unit & created 11 fumbles. They gave up 300.9 yds. & 19.2 pts. per game.
The '92 Dallas squad had 44 sacks and 17 ints. They gave up 245.8 yds. & 15.2 pts. per game. Rated the #1 Defense in the NFL that year. They also helped beat the Buffalo Bills 52-17 in SB XXVII. The score would have been a record setting 59-17, had Leon "No Brain, All Brawn" Lett would have waited until AFTER he scored before celebrating. This defense also created a SB record 9 turnovers in the game. So, just going by stats alone, you can see that the 2006 Dallas defense has quite a task to be better than this class.
The '77 Dallas defense, known to some as "Doomsday II", also helped their team to a SB win. This unit, with a line of Harvey Martin, Randy White, Larry Cole, and Ed "Too Tall" Jones, had a league high 53 sacks for losses of 429 yds. and 10 ints.! They would have had more ints., but the other team's QB was usually prone & dealing w/a concussion. They also gave up a paltry 229.5 yds. & 15.1 pts. per game. This group of uglies, also holding the rank of #1 defense in the league, made former Cowboy QB Craig Morton's life hell as they sacked him & his backup, Norris Weese, 4 times. What was worse, is that the pressure also resulted in 4 ints. & 4 fumbles-all recovered by the Cowboys.
Again, this 2006 group has its hands full if it wants to measure up to this group of greats!
Finally, while the Cowboys of 1969 were beaten in the season finale, 14-38, to the Cleveland Browns, their defense was the original "Doomsday". The line of Larry Cole, Jethrow Pugh, Bob Lilly, and George Andrie was a force to be reckoned with-along with its LBs of Lee Roy Jordan, Chuck Howley, and Dave Edwards. This front seven put pressure to the opposition to the tune of 55 sacks-still a Cowboy's record, and all in only 12 games. This constant pressure on the enemy's QB gave CB Cornell Green & FS Mel Renfro freedom to roam. They ended up grabbing 18 ints. This defense gave up 264.8 yds. & 15.9 pts. per game.
In the final analysis, I would have to say that the Defense of 1977, "Doomsday II", was the best all around defense the Cowboys have ever had. They had 53 sacks, (only two off the record), gave up the least amount of yds. & pts. of any Dallas team in history.
Well, Crazy, there ya go. All this year's team has to do is beat the stats of the '77 team, and dominate the SB, and they are in. Something tells me that's a lot easier said than done.
