Former Pro Bowl wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson knows what an elite defense can do to some of the best players in football.
He was a part of the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers unit that not only made history in Super Bowl XLVII, but was one of the best over the course of the league's 100-year run.
But as Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has pushed his 2024 title team into the conversation as being among the best teams in NFL history, Johnson has something to say about those remarks.
On the latest episode of FOX Sports' "Speak," Johnson made it clear that while Barkley enjoyed a spectacular season this year (setting an NFL record for rushing yards in a season including the playoffs), that would not have happened if he played his 2002 squad.
"Lord please. Don't tell me about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," Johnson said. "I love him as a running back (but) ...
"I get it, I understand you feel good about your team, but when you start breaking it down historically, they're not there yet."
It's true that the 2002 Bucs were one of the greatest defenses in league history. They had Hall-of-Fame players at every level of the unit including Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, and John Lynch.
But we say Johnson is seriously underestimating how good the Eagles were in 2024. And how his Bucs defensive pals were good but not great in one key category. While Tampa's defense was still elite against the run in 2002, they were fifth in the league in total.
That's still excellent, but certainly not the match to stop what the Eagles do.
Also, Philadelphia's offensive line now is just as historical as Tampa's defense was that year.
There's also a case to make that while the Buccaneers' run in 2002 was historic, they did not find long-term success for as long as many would have wanted. The Eagles have had a dominant rushing group for the last decade.
Johnson may not want to hear it, but we predict there will be just as many Hall-of-Famers from Philadelphia's offense line (including Barkley) as there was in Tampa that year.
And there's a very good chance that they might have been another team who would be stomped by the 2024 Eagles in the fantasy concept having the two squads face off.