Re: IS NEW ENGLAND THE VERY BEST NFL TEAM IN HISTORY?
This Pats team will definitely go down as history's best if they win the Super Bowl and don't lose more than one game along the way. A late season loss will be forgiven as long as they cruise in the playoffs. If they go unbeaten, few analysts will even argue the situation.
I'm not saying it's necessarily correct, but that's how history will judge it.
History doesn't always get things right. For example, I'm always amused at the posts that slight the '72 Dolphins. Frankly, it's the height of ignorance. A great litmus test for football knowledge is your opinion of that Dolphin team. Downplay them and you flunk. Congratulations.
That team was probably the smartest and most resourceful team in NFL history. Not merely my opinion. Will McDonough shared it, among others. They went unbeaten with a 38 year old reserve QB playing 11 straight games, a guy who was claimed off waivers for $100 months before the season. That should tell you something about the caliber of the team overall.
Miami defeated 5 eventual Hall of Fame QBs in '72, an unprecedented feat. They were Dawson, Tarkenton, Namath, Unitas and Bradshaw. A year later the great '73 Dolphin team -- with Griese healthy all year -- that went 15-2 defeated Ken Anderson, Kenny Stabler and Fran Tarkenton in the playoffs. The margins in those games were 18, 17 and 17. Frankly, it's the height of simpleton ignorance to dismiss that team but many fans do it simply to spite the oldtimers who celebrate the last unbeaten to lose.
I could go on and on regarding personnel, etc. But let's tackle the schedule absurdity. Miami played many teams at peak form. They opened the '72 season at Kansas City, a 4 point underdog in an instant revenge game for the Chiefs after the famous '71 Christmas Day playoff double OT loss. Virtually every handicapper and media analyst was picking the Chiefs in the rematch, some by wide margin. When Miami won 20-10 (and it was 20-3 until a meaningless TD on literally the last play of the game) those same analysts were saying it was probably the most impressive regular season performance the league had seen in years.
A few weeks later Miami was +3.5 at Minnesota, who had Tarkenton back after reacquiring him from the Giants. That was a brutally physical game that Miami easily could/should have lost. Yepremian kept hopes alive with a 50+ yard FG outdoors in Metropolitan Stadium, then Griese led a long drive to hit Mandich with the winner with less than 2 minutes remaining, 16-14.
The next game Griese broke his ankle against the Chargers. Miami dominated that game but a week later was a misleading 24-23 final at home vs. Buffalo. It's laughable that game is listed as a nailbiter by the critics. Miami led 24-16 and was running out the clock when a blown OL assignment led to a Bills DT stealing an attempted handoff and running for a stunning late TD in the final seconds. It was before the 2 point conversion so the score was not threatening.
I'm just trying to provide some perspective for younger fans who look at posts like the one earlier in this thread and may take that garbage as gospel.
The Dolphins also had a 65-10 run against the Steeler teams in a 3 game span from '71 to '73 when Griese was at QB. It's hysterical when some fans insist Miami couldn't play with those later '70s Steeler teams. Miami's great OL negated Pittsburgh's biggest strength, the dominant defensive front and how it intimidated other teams. Griese was sick in the '71 game and literally left the hospital to suit up at halftime. Miami trailed 21-3 minus Griese but he led the comeback win, 24-21. A year later in the AFC title game Griese again missed the first half but returned for his first action in months in the second half, coming from 10-7 down to win 21-17 at Pitsburgh, a week after the Immaculate Reception win. In '73 Miami hosted Pittsburgh on Monday night and led 30-3 at halftime with Griese healthy. Pittsburgh rallied to make the final a respectable 30-26.
But I always get a kick out of fans who assert Miami couldn't match up with those Steeler teams when we have 3 immediately preceding examples to the contrary. Granted the Steelers improved via acquisitions in '74 and beyond but the basics of the matchups wouldn't change. Miami's great OL and super smart defense led by the safeties Anderson and Scott would always give Bradshaw fits.
The WFL cash robbed the team of Csonka, Kiick and Warfield in their prime. That would be the equivalent of taking away Franco, Bleier and Swann. Heck, we saw a version of that in the '76 AFC title game when Oakland throttled Pittsburgh minus Franco and Bleier, 24-7.
Miami's place in history is still considerable via 17-0 but it would have been fascinating to see the team continue with the same personnel minus WFL influence. It was a lame duck team in '74 and played that way. Still, it nearly defeated Oakland on the road in the playoffs. And keep in mind when you watch Stabler's desperate pass to Clarence Davis that 3 of Miami's 4 starting defensive backs are not on the field during that play. Miami had injuries beforehand and lost players in the game. That's why you see backups like Henry Stuckey and Charley Babb in the game when Miami's mini dynasty ended.
This Pats team will definitely go down as history's best if they win the Super Bowl and don't lose more than one game along the way. A late season loss will be forgiven as long as they cruise in the playoffs. If they go unbeaten, few analysts will even argue the situation.
I'm not saying it's necessarily correct, but that's how history will judge it.
History doesn't always get things right. For example, I'm always amused at the posts that slight the '72 Dolphins. Frankly, it's the height of ignorance. A great litmus test for football knowledge is your opinion of that Dolphin team. Downplay them and you flunk. Congratulations.
That team was probably the smartest and most resourceful team in NFL history. Not merely my opinion. Will McDonough shared it, among others. They went unbeaten with a 38 year old reserve QB playing 11 straight games, a guy who was claimed off waivers for $100 months before the season. That should tell you something about the caliber of the team overall.
Miami defeated 5 eventual Hall of Fame QBs in '72, an unprecedented feat. They were Dawson, Tarkenton, Namath, Unitas and Bradshaw. A year later the great '73 Dolphin team -- with Griese healthy all year -- that went 15-2 defeated Ken Anderson, Kenny Stabler and Fran Tarkenton in the playoffs. The margins in those games were 18, 17 and 17. Frankly, it's the height of simpleton ignorance to dismiss that team but many fans do it simply to spite the oldtimers who celebrate the last unbeaten to lose.
I could go on and on regarding personnel, etc. But let's tackle the schedule absurdity. Miami played many teams at peak form. They opened the '72 season at Kansas City, a 4 point underdog in an instant revenge game for the Chiefs after the famous '71 Christmas Day playoff double OT loss. Virtually every handicapper and media analyst was picking the Chiefs in the rematch, some by wide margin. When Miami won 20-10 (and it was 20-3 until a meaningless TD on literally the last play of the game) those same analysts were saying it was probably the most impressive regular season performance the league had seen in years.
A few weeks later Miami was +3.5 at Minnesota, who had Tarkenton back after reacquiring him from the Giants. That was a brutally physical game that Miami easily could/should have lost. Yepremian kept hopes alive with a 50+ yard FG outdoors in Metropolitan Stadium, then Griese led a long drive to hit Mandich with the winner with less than 2 minutes remaining, 16-14.
The next game Griese broke his ankle against the Chargers. Miami dominated that game but a week later was a misleading 24-23 final at home vs. Buffalo. It's laughable that game is listed as a nailbiter by the critics. Miami led 24-16 and was running out the clock when a blown OL assignment led to a Bills DT stealing an attempted handoff and running for a stunning late TD in the final seconds. It was before the 2 point conversion so the score was not threatening.
I'm just trying to provide some perspective for younger fans who look at posts like the one earlier in this thread and may take that garbage as gospel.
The Dolphins also had a 65-10 run against the Steeler teams in a 3 game span from '71 to '73 when Griese was at QB. It's hysterical when some fans insist Miami couldn't play with those later '70s Steeler teams. Miami's great OL negated Pittsburgh's biggest strength, the dominant defensive front and how it intimidated other teams. Griese was sick in the '71 game and literally left the hospital to suit up at halftime. Miami trailed 21-3 minus Griese but he led the comeback win, 24-21. A year later in the AFC title game Griese again missed the first half but returned for his first action in months in the second half, coming from 10-7 down to win 21-17 at Pitsburgh, a week after the Immaculate Reception win. In '73 Miami hosted Pittsburgh on Monday night and led 30-3 at halftime with Griese healthy. Pittsburgh rallied to make the final a respectable 30-26.
But I always get a kick out of fans who assert Miami couldn't match up with those Steeler teams when we have 3 immediately preceding examples to the contrary. Granted the Steelers improved via acquisitions in '74 and beyond but the basics of the matchups wouldn't change. Miami's great OL and super smart defense led by the safeties Anderson and Scott would always give Bradshaw fits.
The WFL cash robbed the team of Csonka, Kiick and Warfield in their prime. That would be the equivalent of taking away Franco, Bleier and Swann. Heck, we saw a version of that in the '76 AFC title game when Oakland throttled Pittsburgh minus Franco and Bleier, 24-7.
Miami's place in history is still considerable via 17-0 but it would have been fascinating to see the team continue with the same personnel minus WFL influence. It was a lame duck team in '74 and played that way. Still, it nearly defeated Oakland on the road in the playoffs. And keep in mind when you watch Stabler's desperate pass to Clarence Davis that 3 of Miami's 4 starting defensive backs are not on the field during that play. Miami had injuries beforehand and lost players in the game. That's why you see backups like Henry Stuckey and Charley Babb in the game when Miami's mini dynasty ended.
New England Patriots on brink of something special, back to back dynasties! 
