1972 Fins 2nd best team ever??

[BLB13]

I wouldn't concern myself with what the Bills fans have to say. They are still upset at the fact that we beat them 20 consecutive times from 1970 to 1979.
The Dolphins have a huge lead on the all time series between the two teams.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

how wonderfully simplistic. What's better beating the Patriots 15 out of 16 times or beating the Westchester High School fighting Quakers 16 times straight? Strength of schedule means alot, the '72 fins had one of the easiest schedules in NFL history. I'm not saying that the '72 fins weren't a great team. But the 17-0 record isn't nearly as impressive to me considering who they were playing. Heck they only beat the Bills (who sucked most of the 70's) by one point. If I remember right Buffalo missed a FG late in the game, we decided to make that a trend in the early 90's as well. Chicago won 18 games that year, in the playoffs they were virtually untouchable.

I should point out that I'm playing a bit of the devil's advocate here. I've been known to defend the '72 fins when they are questioned. But since everyone's a fin fan here I'll go for the '85 Bears to make life interesting. BTW I think the '85 Bears would have beaten the fins, better size and speed in the 80's .

I don't mind the argument but get your facts straight. The Miami/Buffalo game in the Orange Bowl in '72 was the phoniest 1 point victory of alltime. Buffalo did not miss a game winning or go-ahead FG. Far from it. I attended that game, along with every home game in the glory era. The Dolphins were running out the clock with an 8 point lead when one of the most inexplicable plays of that era occured. Miami's dominant OL got lazy and a Buffalo lineman intercepted a handoff or picked up a quick fumble with just seconds remaining. He either ran it in or down to the goal line where Buffalo scored, as time expired or a few seconds remaining. The game was not in jeopardy.

As per strength of schedule, the backfitters are typically ignorant. Any handicapper or legit historian understands the strengths of the teams change dramatically from when you played them to what it looks like at the end of the season or 30+ years later. Prior to '72, Miami was considered to have drawn a brutal schedule. There were even complaints among Dolphin faithful. We were sent to Kansas City for an immediate opening day rematch of the Christmas Day double OT classic. On top of that, the Chiefs were inaugurating a new stadium. Kansas City was favored by about 4 points and virtually every media pundit was picking the Chiefs due to the revenge angle. Miami destroyed them, never allowing a TD until the final play of the game. A few weeks later we were shipped to Minnesota, again the underdog by more than a FG against a Viking team that was welcoming back Fran Tarkenton after he spent several years in New York. That was a brutally physical game, the most difficult of the year, and one we would have lost without a semi-miracle comeback in the final quarter including a 50+ yard FG by Garo that kept us alive.

Obviously the AFC title game at Pittsburgh is the most unusual and unfair playoff chore any great team has had to overcome before reaching the Super Bowl. And consider this: Miami defeated 5 Hall of Fame QBs in 1972; Tarkenton, Namath, Dawson, Bradshaw and Unitas.

 

[Megatron]

I was watching Fox Sports with the list show run by Summer Sanders....they had the 1972 Dolphins listed as the 2ND best team ever,,,and had the 1985 Chicago Bears listed as the best team ever....what the hell??? Don't they
remember who beat the Bears in the 1985 season...than Fat Jim Belushi had
the nerve to say his 85 Bears was the best of all time. What crap. :yell: :fire:

Okey, God versus Ditka? Ditka.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

yea it's a re-run
we've all seen it, total crap! what do you excpect from a FOX affiliate

That's the best analysis on this forum in several weeks. Whenever a brutally incompetent media pundit disappears from other networks and I've wondered what happened to them, it always turns out they were hired by FOX News.

 

[ether79]

That's the best analysis on this forum in several weeks. Whenever a brutally incompetent media pundit disappears from other networks and I've wondered what happened to them, it always turns out they were hired by FOX News.

 

[BlueFin]

how wonderfully simplistic. What's better beating the Patriots 15 out of 16 times or beating the Westchester High School fighting Quakers 16 times straight? Strength of schedule means alot, the '72 fins had one of the easiest schedules in NFL history. I'm not saying that the '72 fins weren't a great team. But the 17-0 record isn't nearly as impressive to me considering who they were playing. Heck they only beat the Bills (who sucked most of the 70's) by one point. If I remember right Buffalo missed a FG late in the game, we decided to make that a trend in the early 90's as well. Chicago won 18 games that year, in the playoffs they were virtually untouchable.

I should point out that I'm playing a bit of the devil's advocate here. I've been known to defend the '72 fins when they are questioned. But since everyone's a fin fan here I'll go for the '85 Bears to make life interesting. BTW I think the '85 Bears would have beaten the fins, better size and speed in the 80's .

The Bears were a steroid team, 1972 Dolphins were not so comparing size is irrelevent.

I've seen NFL lineman go from 310 to 185 once they get out of the game and get off the Roids.

 

[BlueFin]

That's the best analysis on this forum in several weeks. Whenever a brutally incompetent media pundit disappears from other networks and I've wondered what happened to them, it always turns out they were hired by FOX News.

Some people are so obsessed with their political agenda they have to take every attempt they can to squeeze in a jab huh?

No one here has to guess where your coming from, why don't you give it a rest or take it to the political forum?

 

[byroan]

It's too bad that an undefeated season was tainted by such an easy schedule.

Who did we play in the playoffs? How about the Super Bowl? Those weren't easy opponents. How about the fact that we played on the road in the playoffs despite having the best record in the NFL?

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Well, the 1972 Dolphins repeated as champs the following year. The 1985 Bears were good for a few years, but never reached that level again. I do think those are the best two teams that I have seen, then maybe the Steelers and 49ers. Next might be Jimmy Johnson's Cowboys.

 

[Phineas64]

Keep this in mind - we wouldn't even be having this discussion had the Fins beaten the Pats in the AFC playoffs, 'cause then they would have beaten the Bear twice that year!

 

[volk]

how wonderfully simplistic. What's better beating the Patriots 15 out of 16 times or beating the Westchester High School fighting Quakers 16 times straight? Strength of schedule means alot, the '72 fins had one of the easiest schedules in NFL history. I'm not saying that the '72 fins weren't a great team. But the 17-0 record isn't nearly as impressive to me considering who they were playing. Heck they only beat the Bills (who sucked most of the 70's) by one point. If I remember right Buffalo missed a FG late in the game, we decided to make that a trend in the early 90's as well. Chicago won 18 games that year, in the playoffs they were virtually untouchable.

I should point out that I'm playing a bit of the devil's advocate here. I've been known to defend the '72 fins when they are questioned. But since everyone's a fin fan here I'll go for the '85 Bears to make life interesting. BTW I think the '85 Bears would have beaten the fins, better size and speed in the 80's .

Your argument looks nice on paper with the full benefit of hindsight, but it doesn't stand up against the actual game of football itself. The simple fact is that any team has a chance to beat any other. Looking at the "toughness" of the schedule is a mistake. The winning percentage of each Dolphins opponent was directly effected by losing to the unbeatable 'Fins. Baltimore, Buffalo, New England, and the Jets all lost twice to the Dolphins...making a serious impact on their win-loss percentages. Arguing the strength of schedule is foolish...can anyone say the 2004 World Champion Patriots vs. the lowly Dolphins...the single biggest upset in NFL history!

The fact is that the '72 Dolphins outplayed and beat their competition soundly every single game. The 85 Bears dominated others, but when they encountered Miami, they were dominated handily by Marino. The 2004 Pats soundly defeated their opponents until they met the lowly Dolphins.

The point is, the mental toughness, perfect game planning, and execution of the Miami Dolphins of 1972 has never been matched, firmly planting them as the best team of all time.