Baltimore Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb proclaimed that the Ravens' secondary was the best in the NFL earlier this offseason. Recently working out alongside a few of his defensive backfield mates at the Ravens' facility, Webb didn't backpedal from that statement.
"I meant what I said," Webb told BaltimoreRavens.com. "I really do believe we have those guys with Jimmy (Smith) and Cary (Williams) on the outside and me on the inside. With those guys, it's really hard to believe we're not the best. I see their skills every day. With Bernard (Pollard) and Ed Reed in the back, show me another group who is better."
The numbers tend to support Webb's assessment of the secondary, as well. Though the Ravensonly ranked fourth in passing yards allowed per game, and were third in passing yards allowed per play, the 2011 Ravens had the NFL's No. 1-ranked pass defense in Football Outsiders' DVOA metric, which adjusts for opponent.
One secondary that could push the Ravens' claim as the NFL's best defensive backfield is the Seattle Seahawks'.
The Seahawks had three players in the 2011 Pro Bowl -- cornerback Brandon Browner and safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor -- and had their fourth projected starter, 2011 fifth-round pick Richard Sherman, played the whole season, he might have been the cornerback representing the team in Hawaii. Between cornerbacks Marcus Trufant, Roy Lewis, Walter Thurmond and Byron Maxwell, and backup safety Winston Guy, the Seahawks could have more depth in the secondary than the Ravens, especially after Baltimore lost Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura in free agency.
