Aaron Schobel or Greg Townsend? The NFL Stat Breakdown

This is as close as it gets. Aaron Schobel and Greg Townsend split the statistical categories evenly — 2 apiece — making this one of the most genuinely contested DE comparisons in NFL history. When the numbers are this balanced, the debate comes down to which statistics matter most to you.

Aaron Schobel's Tackles of 483 compared to Greg Townsend's 52 represents a 828.8% advantage — dramatically better than their counterpart in this critical category. Greg Townsend falls 82.7% below the career average of 300 in this category while Aaron Schobel exceeds it. It is the single most decisive number in this comparison and the clearest statistical argument for Aaron Schobel's edge.

The most competitive category in this matchup is Sacks, where Aaron Schobel posts 78 against Greg Townsend's 109.5 — a gap of just 40.4%. Greg Townsend can point to this as evidence that the overall comparison is closer than the final 2-2 tally suggests. In any debate, Sacks is the statistical ammunition for the Greg Townsend side.

Defensive impact in the NFL is notoriously difficult to quantify. Sacks and tackles capture individual production, but disruption, coverage grades and run-stopping ability paint the complete picture of defensive excellence.

With categories split evenly, this comparison ultimately comes down to which statistics matter most to you. Aaron Schobel claims the tiebreaker through Tackles advantage — a 828.8% edge — but reasonable people can, and do, argue both sides of this NFL debate.