I feel like the Byzantines are a better defensive civilization than the Teutons

Many players including Spirit of the Law have lauded the Teutons as the civ with the best defenses but that title should go to Byzantines. Here's why.

*Byzantines have a better trash unit lineup than the Teutons. Trash units compliment defenses by countering enemy offensive units.
*Byzantines enjoy more durable buildings due to their civilization bonus. Meanwhile Teutons miss out on Architecture.
*Crenellations gives Teutons nice castles, but its too situational to offset the disadvantages of Teuton towers vs Byzantine towers. Not to mention, this technology only comes in the Imperial Age.
*The Teuton civ bonus only applies when towers are garrisoned, which is not always the case. Having fully upgraded attack on towers is less situational. Speaking of which...
*Teutons lack Bracer, which gives their towers less range and lower attack without a garrison.

Teutons have the advantage of Treadmill Crane, which makes their villagers construct defenses at a faster pace, and makes them better at tower rushing on paper. But from a pure defensive POV, a Byzantine tower will have 27.3% more health than Teutons which beats out the +20% build speed from Treadmill.

I get the feeling that the reasoning behind choosing Teutons for their defenses is that newer players prefer a more defensive playstyle, and Teutons are a great civilization for beginners. They have most technologies and military units that newer players prefer and an economy bonus that suits newer players. But Byzantines are also a beginner friendly civilization and would pander more to beginners' strategic approach.