Recently through ESPN Insider, Football Outsiders named their Top 30 defenses of the past 30 years. The 1991 New Orleans Saints, anchored by their esteemed Dome Patrol, came in at 16th-best on the list.
The article, which requires Insider access to view, used DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) to rank the units. In short, it measures every aspect of the defense down to the nitty gritty details. You can check out the exact process here.
-22.7 percent
This was the finest year for the Dome Patrol, New Orleans' linebacker corps that combined pass-rushers Rickey Jackson and Pat Swilling with USFL refugees Vaughan Johnson and Sam Mills.