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Historical Miami: 1973 Team Holds This "unique" Record

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Talk radio was discussing what football stat best represents a team's overall dominance. Seems to be a near consensus for those "stat" people that it's passer rating for versus passer rating against. The largest margin would show how much teams are dominating.

Well, that sent me looking a little bit and low and behold the 1973 Dolphins allowed the lowest qb rating against out of all super bowl teams at 39.9, according to Pro Football Reference.

As an aside, I figured that record would belong to a team in the 1960's or 1970's before the rule changes. But, it's interesting to note.
 
Just to clarify, I'm talking about the 1973 season where Miami went 12-2 enroute to a super bowl win over Minnesota.
 
Larry Csonka has often said that he felt like the 1973 team was better than the 1972 team. But undefeated really has no peers.
That team did seem more dominant to me as well. The offense was crisper with Bob Griese healthy for the full year. I don't know if it's still a record or not, but that team scored an opening touchdown in each postseason game.
 
It was consensus opinion for a while that 1973 was the superior team. I remember when I was new to Las Vegas I met a very well known New York handicapper and writer named Dan Gordon. He took particular interest that I was from Miami and had attended the Dolphins games in that era. Gordon insisted that the 1973 Dolphins were the best team of all time to that point, and rattled off some stats to back it up.

The pass defense numbers may have been part of it. I wasn't fully up to date on the most relevant stats at that point. I think I've mentioned that an issue of Inside Sports magazine in August 1987 with an article by Dick Vermeil is what enlightened me to certain stats, like yards per pass attempt and also the value of rushing attempts and not rushing yards. Vermeil came across as such a cut above in that article I remember thinking it was a shame his coaching career ended so soon and at a young age. Then, of course, he had a revived career many years later with the Rams and earned the status he deserved.

The Dolphins had to drop that 1973 spotlight into the '80s and especially when the Bears challenged unbeaten. It became obvious that a concrete reference point line unbeaten was easier to defend and champion than a vague subjective judgment toward best ever.

And it is absolutely the correct move. The unbeaten team needed to overcome situational down spots. The 1973 team could not do that. We didn't understand the inexplicable flat loss at Baltimore late in the season. It was the worst effort in years, dating back to midseason 1970. Not until I started charting situational results in the late '80s did I understand that Colts game. Miami was in a Fury of Anti-Revenge situation hosting Pittsburgh on Monday Night a week earlier. It was a rematch of the 1972 AFC Championship Game and the ****y talented Steelers had mouthed off all offseason and during the year about that game. Miami was in such an energized frenzy to smack them in the mouth again it equated to a 30-3 lead at halftime. That single half of football was the high water mark in Dolphins franchise history, IMO. We have never played that well -- before or since -- against a team of that caliber.

However, the Fury of Anti-Revenge is a first half betting angle of mine, and that olden game demonstrated why. The Dolphins were on fumes in the second half and barely held on, 30-26. That was the famous intentional safety game, when Cosell, Gifford and Meredith in the booth had no idea it was going to happen. Then Seiple boomed the free kick and the defense shuttered Pittsburgh quickly to save the game.

Six days later and on the road, Miami had nothing. Baltimore trampled all over us, 14-3. That game led to plenty of concern in the season finale against the Lions, and also entering the playoffs.

Griese had an inexplicably weak season in 1973. I remember sensing it at the time. Not many big plays all year. He wasn't being sacked and the interceptions were low but simply not much was happening downfield.

Once I finally looked it up 15+ years later the numbers confirmed as much. Griese averaged on 6.5 YPA, which was easily his lowest full season number after Shula took over in 1970. Second lowest was 7.0 in 1979 at age 34. He was 8.2 in 1970, then 7.9 in 1971, broken ankle early in 1972, 6.5 in 1973, then 7.8 in 1974 and 8.9 in 1975.

I am more than reluctant to assign 1973 as better, given that anemic passing attack. The yards per completion of 12.0 look more like a modern number with all the safe underneath throws than a free wheeling big play '70s number.

Of course, Griese only had to pass 31 times in the 3 playoff games combined. Gad I loved that team and the style of play. I wish football had never changed. My dream every week was not one drop back to pass, let alone an actual pass itself.
 
It was consensus opinion for a while that 1973 was the superior team. I remember when I was new to Las Vegas I met a very well known New York handicapper and writer named Dan Gordon. He took particular interest that I was from Miami and had attended the Dolphins games in that era. Gordon insisted that the 1973 Dolphins were the best team of all time to that point, and rattled off some stats to back it up.

The pass defense numbers may have been part of it. I wasn't fully up to date on the most relevant stats at that point. I think I've mentioned that an issue of Inside Sports magazine in August 1987 with an article by Dick Vermeil is what enlightened me to certain stats, like yards per pass attempt and also the value of rushing attempts and not rushing yards. Vermeil came across as such a cut above in that article I remember thinking it was a shame his coaching career ended so soon and at a young age. Then, of course, he had a revived career many years later with the Rams and earned the status he deserved.

The Dolphins had to drop that 1973 spotlight into the '80s and especially when the Bears challenged unbeaten. It became obvious that a concrete reference point line unbeaten was easier to defend and champion than a vague subjective judgment toward best ever.

And it is absolutely the correct move. The unbeaten team needed to overcome situational down spots. The 1973 team could not do that. We didn't understand the inexplicable flat loss at Baltimore late in the season. It was the worst effort in years, dating back to midseason 1970. Not until I started charting situational results in the late '80s did I understand that Colts game. Miami was in a Fury of Anti-Revenge situation hosting Pittsburgh on Monday Night a week earlier. It was a rematch of the 1972 AFC Championship Game and the ****y talented Steelers had mouthed off all offseason and during the year about that game. Miami was in such an energized frenzy to smack them in the mouth again it equated to a 30-3 lead at halftime. That single half of football was the high water mark in Dolphins franchise history, IMO. We have never played that well -- before or since -- against a team of that caliber.

However, the Fury of Anti-Revenge is a first half betting angle of mine, and that olden game demonstrated why. The Dolphins were on fumes in the second half and barely held on, 30-26. That was the famous intentional safety game, when Cosell, Gifford and Meredith in the booth had no idea it was going to happen. Then Seiple boomed the free kick and the defense shuttered Pittsburgh quickly to save the game.

Six days later and on the road, Miami had nothing. Baltimore trampled all over us, 14-3. That game led to plenty of concern in the season finale against the Lions, and also entering the playoffs.

Griese had an inexplicably weak season in 1973. I remember sensing it at the time. Not many big plays all year. He wasn't being sacked and the interceptions were low but simply not much was happening downfield.

Once I finally looked it up 15+ years later the numbers confirmed as much. Griese averaged on 6.5 YPA, which was easily his lowest full season number after Shula took over in 1970. Second lowest was 7.0 in 1979 at age 34. He was 8.2 in 1970, then 7.9 in 1971, broken ankle early in 1972, 6.5 in 1973, then 7.8 in 1974 and 8.9 in 1975.

I am more than reluctant to assign 1973 as better, given that anemic passing attack. The yards per completion of 12.0 look more like a modern number with all the safe underneath throws than a free wheeling big play '70s number.

Of course, Griese only had to pass 31 times in the 3 playoff games combined. Gad I loved that team and the style of play. I wish football had never changed. My dream every week was not one drop back to pass, let alone an actual pass itself.
That was also the game where Dick Anderson had four interceptions. Amazing first half. The 85 Bears game was up there as well.
 
That '73 team flat out dominated Minnesota in SB VIII. Our O line just manhandled the 'Purple People Eaters' to the point where Alan Page was eventually ejected. I'll never forget watching that game, I was 7. Been one hell of a dry spell
 
Talk radio was discussing what football stat best represents a team's overall dominance. Seems to be a near consensus for those "stat" people that it's passer rating for versus passer rating against. The largest margin would show how much teams are dominating.

Well, that sent me looking a little bit and low and behold the 1973 Dolphins allowed the lowest qb rating against out of all super bowl teams at 39.9, according to Pro Football Reference.

As an aside, I figured that record would belong to a team in the 1960's or 1970's before the rule changes. But, it's interesting to note.

Something a lot of people never consider when discussing the great defenses in NFL history...the “no name defense” allowed 1 offensive touchdown in back to back Superbowls... a grand total of 7 points in two Superbowls.
 
That happened in 75, the 74 season ended with the “sea of hands” vs Raiders.

LOL. Yea, you're right. Hard to remember that far back but I DO REMEMBER the absolute BS that we had to play on the road in Oakland despite the better record etc. And that dirty snake getting a lucky TD pass with like no time left... It was awful. And if had been in Miami (where it 100% should have been) it wouldn't have been close!

True Story!
 
LOL. Yea, you're right. Hard to remember that far back but I DO REMEMBER the absolute BS that we had to play on the road in Oakland despite the better record etc. And that dirty snake getting a lucky TD pass with like no time left... It was awful. And if had been in Miami (where it 100% should have been) it wouldn't have been close!

True Story!

Yes...and in the undefeated season the undefeated Dolphins had to travel to Pittsburgh to play Bradshaw and the steel curtain in the AFC championship game...despite having the obvious better record... weird rules concerning home field advantage then... but a testament to the greatness of the only unbeaten team in NFL history!
 
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