SonnyCID
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You basically gave the answer as to why I don't consider the Falcons in this particular discussion. You agree that they don't belong with the 70's Steelers as an era....why not? The Steelers had the actual talent year after year, repeatedly showing how truly great they were. The 1977 Falcons are just that. One year, and basically irrelevant before and after.
As I said, football is unique in that teams play certain divisions rotating yearly. All the stars lined up for them in 1977, but couldn't come close to repeating that defensive success simply because they weren't that good in the first place. The term 'one year wonder' comes to mind. That's what makes the 70's Steelers or the 80's Bears stand out.
But we dont just talk about eras. Usually when discussing top units we aknowledge the year: 2000 Ravens, 99 Rams, 85 Bears... One year wonder or not, that one year holds its own against other great yearly units. The schedule doesnt doesnt just flukely give teams record setting years. And like I pointed out before, that 77 Falcons schedule was not much worse than the 76 Steelers.