Sure Miami matched up well against the Bear's defense, but It is one thing to beat that Bear's team without McMahon in the Orange Bowl, but it is another thing beating a healthy Bear's team in a neutral site.
Best Dolphin Teams that Didn't Reach the Super Bowl
- Thread starter SF Dolphin Fan
- Start date
Sure Miami matched up well against the Bear's defense, but It is one thing to beat that Bear's team without McMahon in the Orange Bowl, but it is another thing beating a healthy Bear's team in a neutral site.
1974 would have been our 4th straight super bowl appearance.
1985 would have been a rematch of the Bears game in which we destroyed the undefeated Bears in Miami and kept them from going undefeated. The Orange Bowl was literally rocking during that game. Pretty sure you could hear the crowd in Hialeah...lol.
Bills kicked the Dolphins butt all through the early 90's. I really think we could have beat the Cowboys in 1992. I think 1993 was the Leon Lett game in which we beat them with Chris DeBurg or Scott Mitchell at QB in Dallas.
Who's Chris DeBurg? The singer, lol. Steve DeBerg was our QB in that Thanksgiving game. What a second half of the season collapse that team had, huh? Biggest season choke job ever!
- Joined
- May 27, 2005
- Messages
- 24,393
- Reaction score
- 32,710
I agree. Miami might have been able to beat Chicago in a re-match, but I don't feel overly confident that they would have. Having a healthy McMahon would have been big for them.
Also, the Bears would have brought all their energy in that game and Miami would have had to match it. At the Orange Bowl, in the regular season game, Chicago couldn't even come close to matching the Dolphins energy.
Would have loved to see the game as Miami most certainly would have given Chicago more than New England could. That game was a classic mismatch.
"Don't pay the ferryman - until he gets you to the other side..,"!!!
No one was beating Dallas in '92. They are close to unbeatable as you can get. '93 they were beatable and Buffalo had them reeling unitl Thurman Thomas uncharacteristically fumbled for a 6 points the other way and then the wheels came off. Yeah w Marino we beat them in the '93 SB.
am I the only one who thinks Jim MacMahon sucked donkey dick? He wasn't good and their WRs stunk too. No pass game. Was all D and Walter Payton. Willie Gault? Please.
lol...Steve Deberg. We did tank after starting 9-2 I think. But we used 4 QBs that year...Marino (who tore his Achilles that year), Steve DeBerg, Scott Mitchell and I think Bernie Kosar played for us that year too.
He wasn't your typical QB but he was fearless and the city and players loved him. McMahon and Chicago were an ideal match. He would've had a nice career if not for all the injuries from him playing absolutely balls out on every play.
Kosar was with Dallas in `93. Mitchell went down against Philly and Doug Pederson finished that game.. Shula broke the all time wins record that game.
- Joined
- May 27, 2005
- Messages
- 24,393
- Reaction score
- 32,710
Over the course of his career, I agree with you. He was an up and down player, who always seemed to be injured. But, in 1985 McMahon had a really good year for the Bears. He was a big part of their success that season.
That's not to say Miami couldn't have won in a rematch, but they would have had to play a lot better (obviously) than they did against a not very good New England team in the AFC Championship. I think that was Miami's first loss in an AFC Championship game.
That title game was painful. Done in by the rain and mud as our slow LBs couldn't meet Tony Collins or Craig James as they repeatedly gashed us on the edges.
- Joined
- May 27, 2005
- Messages
- 24,393
- Reaction score
- 32,710
What's interesting is that Miami had a huge window from 1982-86. You could make a good argument that the team could have been in three or four super bowls during that time frame.
Marino's first year could have resulted in a super bowl re-match with Washington. That would have been three trips in a row with SF following in 1984. The next year, Miami reached the AFC Championship game as the favorite.
Some really good Dolphin teams in the early 80's.
That window shut quickly in '86! We go from 12-4 to 8-8 with a defense that couldn't stop a high school team. Dropped from 12th in defense to 26th.
Indeed. Age caught up w the D and poor drafting on D did the rest. But SF Dolphin Fan is right. The '83 and '85 teams could have been in the big one. I think the '83 team wins that rematch w Washington. Didn't we blow them out week 1 of '84? Even our '81 team at 11-4-1 was very good. Good run from '81-'85