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Brandon Mebane: San Diego Chargers defense more talented than Seattle Seahawks

The Chargers' new nose tackle made quite a claim.

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Mebane's comments on Monday caught reporters (and frankly everyone else) off guard on Monday. His assertion is certainly not one that many people would consider let alone make. Mebane played in the middle of the line for the Seattle Seahawks for nine years, including those recent years under Pete Carroll in which they were some of the best defenses ever assembled.

"It's unreal. I was telling guys, there's more talent on this defense than in Seattle. If you look at the draft, you've got four first-round draft picks. You've got five second-round draft picks, all total on defense. In Seattle, we only had two first rounders and one second rounder. Everybody else was pretty much down in the draft or undrafted."

Now, it's one thing to note that the Chargers have spent more high draft picks on their defense than the Seahawks have. And one could argue that their draft pedigree suggests high potential. To claim that the Chargers' defense is more talented than Seattle's, though, is a bit tougher to swallow. Nobody is going to confuse Brandon Flowers, Dwight Lowery, Jahleel Addae, and Jason Verrett for the Legion of Boom (though Verrett himself is very much on that level).

The front seven is, perhaps, more comparable with Corey Liuget, Joey Bosa, and Denzel Perryman. But even still, the Chargers lack the pass rushers of Seattle's great defenses. Maybe Brandon Mebane sees something nobody else does. Maybe he's just trying to motivate his teammates. Either way, he has made quite a statement.