I agree. While I agree that the LOB is the best Hawks defense ever, the gap between it and Tom Catlin's 1984 defense is not that big. The 1984 defense was led by its front 3 and back 4. It had 42 sacks in 14 games (2013 LOB had 44 in 16 games) with the front 3 collecting 34 (Jeff Bryant 14, Jacob Green 13, Joe Nash 7). In 14 games it forced 47 fumbles and recovered 25 (2013 LOB 25-8 in 16 games), had 38 interceptions (2013 LOB had 28), and returned 7 for touchdowns. They returned 4 interceptions for touchdowns in one game (against the Chiefs) and set the NFL record for most interception return yards in a single game with 325. Kenny Easley was named the 1984 defensive player of the year. Had Curt Warner not torn his ACL in the season opener that year I truly believe the 1984 Hawks could have made it to the Super Bowl.
Again, the LOB did it better for longer, but the 1984 defense is significantly underrated and was a blast to watch.