Much has been said already comparing the 72 Dolphins to this year's Patriot team. Something to do with both of them going undefeated. Maybe you've heard about it. It was in all the papers.
Everyone pretty much agrees that the 72 Fins would have no chance against the 07 Pats. It's the Steve Austin theory...bigger, stronger, faster, etc. For that matter, most of the experts say that no team from the past could hang with today's Patriots. Except for the 85 Bears. There are a few football people who give the 85 Bears a good chance to win this fanasty game, or at least come close.
The 85 Bears came very close to running the table. They only lost one regular season game all year. On one magical Monday night in Miami they were denied the chance at perfection. Don Shula showed the other NFL coaches how to deal with that vaunted Bears defense, and outscore the Bears average offense. Of course the other NFL coaches did not have Dan Marino at their disposal. Marino's gunslinger persona, ultra confidence, and the quickest release ever known in the NFL carried the day against the unbeatable Bears. Remember that this was the 80s. The NFL's golden age of quarterbacks, and not one of those other great QBs had anything for the Bears.
Thus I advance to you that the only team with a puncher's chance to knock out the 07 Patriots would be the 85 Dolphins. The Pats defense would not contain Marino throwing to the Marks Brothers and Nat Moore. It would certainly be a shootout with Tom Brady going against Miami's Killer B Defense. This was the defense that coined the term 'bend but don't break.' Final score...Miami 48 New England 45.
Members of the 1985 Bears have said that the reason they lost that game to the Dolphins was because they were starting to get cocky about how good they were and figured they'd just beat them easily like they'd been doing to their opponents all season. They weren't accustomed to the heat either, because they'd been hanging around inside the hotel since arriving in Miami. That game was a good wake-up call, because it reminded them that they weren't invincible and needed to be prepared every week.
I'll give them credit though; that 1985 Dolphins team was a good one. They made it to the AFC Championship Game and were upset by the Patriots, a year after losing the Super Bowl to the 49ers. Would they beat the 2007 Patriots? They'd probably put up a good fight, but the things that worked against the Bears probably wouldn't apply to the Patriots.
Those of us that were around and OLD ENOUGH to appreciate the 85 Bears find them to be superior to the 07 Patriots for one reason: Character/Characters.
No one accused the 85 Bears of cheating;
the 85 Bears had plenty of characters. Time remembers the absolute mayhem surrounding the team...McMahon's mooning, the lovable Refrigerator Perry, Walter Peyton, the worlds worst rap video, and a defense that would clothes line their kids in a father-son game! Good times.
The 07 Patriots have...a baby-dady, er, Brady-daddy. There's no excitement there, unless you're a Pats fan. It's hard to love a cold machine.
I watched the Jan 86 Super Bowl in a hot tub in Beaver Creek, CO. I still remember the terrible ,new show the network put on after the game.
Every era in the NFL has it's best team... I like the fact that it has been broken into "The Team of the Decade". I remember the team of the 80's that took that Bears team to the woodshed in the NFC championship game held in Soldier Field while playing in a freezing fog. The Bears fans were all primed for the kill as this "finesse" team from the west coast cruised in to get their comeuppance. When the game ended it was 28-3 with the San Francisco 49ers winning in a grind it out Chicago style game... That was in 1984 and that 49er team is considered by many to be the marker when judging great teams. They went on to dismember the Marino led Dolphins in the 1985 Super Bowl, which, incidentally was the only Super Bowl appearance Dan Marino ever made...
ian....thanks for commenting. Good points. One thing I've noticed is that great teams come up with excuses when beat by lesser teams. They can't accept the fact that on that one night (only) they were the lesser team.
Dwindy....good stuff here. Those 49er teams don't get the love that some of the other greats do. That is strange because they are probably closer to today's Pats based on player and coaching styles. Not a lot of HOFers, just everyone doing their job.
Ok, you made me do this.
1) you get another hit on your site.
2) this tune makes me think of the Revenge of the Nerds tune at the talent competition.
3) That's a fine backside on that avatar.
husker....I guess that song will be in my head all week now. Many thanks.
I was on you tube last night and ran across the funniest #### I've seen in weeks. Check out pro wrestling manager, Jim Cornette, going off at a Dairy Queen drive through window. Classic.
Started blogging New Years 2008. As you can tell, I never took any writing classes, creative or otherwise. If I ever win a Pulitzer, or any other award, I won't forget all of you little people that made it possible.____ _____________ _____________
I recently started another, non-sports, blog. Please check it out at fullclipbyog. blogspot.com_ _____________ _________
Likes: Live NFL games, night racing at Bristol, Salma Hayek, Lex and Terry, ATHF, Jay and Silent Bob, beer at Joe Riley Park, strippers, Jaxon de Ville (best mascot in sports, if you haven't seen him live don't argue), fast cars, faster women, fastest bartenders. _____________ _____________ _____________ __________
Don't Likes: Dane Cook (WTF), Dan Patrick, Howard Stern, N.E. Pats, hairy women, stopping beer sales at the start of the third quarter, strip clubs, idiots who say 'it is what it is', makeup calls by the refs or umps. _____________ _____________ _____________ __________
Quote: 'I am funnier than Dat Phan.'
