NFL's Official Greatest Team of All Time: 1972 Miami Dolphins | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

NFL's Official Greatest Team of All Time: 1972 Miami Dolphins

I've always felt the 1972 Miami Dolphins haven't gotten the respect or notoriety from the modern day media. Dallas, San Francisco and New England have gotten much more coverage over the last 30 years. This is the 1st time and rightfully so, that The 1972 UNDEFEATED, Miami Dolphins have been nationally recognized as the greatest team ever. They've earned the bragging rights. But up until NFLN recognized them, no one outside of its fan base seemed to care. Congratulations!!!
 
Now they need to vote for some of the defensive members into the Hall of Fame. Bill Stanfill should be an easy choice and so should Jake Scott and Dick Anderson.
 
People can say "oh, they didn't blow teams away" and "look at their schedule" and "they couldn't beat any modern team". All true, but it's also true that they beat everyone on their schedule. That's it. The discussion begins and ends there. No one else, including the "18 Wins and 1 Giant Loss" 2007 Patriots, can lay claim to that. And yes, the record probably won't be broke, and if it is, then so be it. No one will ever forget who did it first.
Just wish Garo would have been able actually kick the FG. Would have been nice to go 17-0, winning 17-0!
 
OK, I'll be the one to say it:

This isn't even OUR best team ever, so not sure if they're the NFL's best ever either? And it's not just me saying it. Nick Buoniconti always said that the '73 team was better than the '72 team. It had two losses and also two victories over the Colts and Raiders that year so they kind of avenged those. They weren't 17-0 but 15-2 and the playoff results were so one-sided it wasn't funny. What they did to the Raiders and Vikings those last two games was comical and almost criminal as they took with impunity. Was that game in super bowl VIII a record-breaker for time played? It sure seemed like it as the Vikings couldn't get the ball back. Seemed like a very fast game. Great OL, DL, rushing attack and some vintage Griese sprinkled in. A lesser record but a better overall team by the end. Place the '72 team in the post season vs the '73 team and the latter probably wins with their overall extra experience. The 1973 team had it all on display at the end......and was probably our best ever.

it’s called getting it done. They did, and they stand alone. Perfect is perfect and everything else is not. Either respect and enjoy the feat or not, but it stands alone at the pinnacle.
 
it’s called getting it done. They did, and they stand alone. Perfect is perfect and everything else is not. Either respect and enjoy the feat or not, but it stands alone at the pinnacle.
Pointless comment. By this rationale, no team that ever won a super bowl that went say, 18-1 could ever play with the big, bad 17-0 Dolphins. I'm sure most here feel that way because it makes them feel better and God knows there's been nothing to celebrate here since about 1984 but that doesn't make them correct.

In 1973....
Miami 34-Cincinnati 16
Miami 27-Oakland 10
Miami 24-Minnesota 7

That "got it done" and by all accounts BY THE PLAYERS WHO, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY DID IT, at a highest skill level possible due to the talent AND experience being at their most optimal. NEVER judge teams entirely on record alone. Otherwise, you end up with 13-0 Brigham Young being your division 1 national champion....because they "won 'em all".

If you have a problem with that, take it up with our ex-players who, again, are actually the ones who performed the task and have made this proclamation. Largely it gets overlooked by too many people with their own agendas who only focus on the goose egg at the end of the record and wish to write their story focusing only on that.
 
Pointless comment. By this rationale, no team that ever won a super bowl that went say, 18-1 could ever play with the big, bad 17-0 Dolphins. I'm sure most here feel that way because it makes them feel better and God knows there's been nothing to celebrate here since about 1984 but that doesn't make them correct.

In 1973....
Miami 34-Cincinnati 16
Miami 27-Oakland 10
Miami 24-Minnesota 7

That "got it done" and by all accounts BY THE PLAYERS WHO, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY DID IT, at a highest skill level possible due to the talent AND experience being at their most optimal. NEVER judge teams entirely on record alone. Otherwise, you end up with 13-0 Brigham Young being your division 1 national champion....because they "won 'em all".

If you have a problem with that, take it up with our ex-players who, again, are actually the ones who performed the task and have made this proclamation. Largely it gets overlooked by too many people with their own agendas who only focus on the goose egg at the end of the record and wish to write their story focusing only on that.
I don’t think it’s correct to look at it that way. ‘71-‘73 the team went to the SB 3 times in a row. There was no fluke anywhere. ‘73 the team was more polished and confident than in ‘72 but in ‘72 they did have to win 10 games or so without Griese and go on the road in the winter to play at Pitt. In context none of these great NE teams seem to be able to win the title game on the road. For me it was one big season ‘70-74 w perfection being the real deal. Had it not come smack in the middle of 5 years of dominance I could understand people’s POV who minimize what the team did. But since it didn’t, I can’t. A blowout back then was 24-7 like you point out. Who knows if Griese didn’t break his leg the ‘72 teams may have won their games by wider margins. They did lead the league in offense and defense no 1 which I don’t believe has ever been done besides that one time. That era was the highlight of our franchise.
 
I will always despise the WFL for destroying the Dolphins' dynasty. Who knows how many championships they would've won.
Not sure about this. Injuries to key defensive players (Buoniconti, Anderson, Scott all saw their Dolphin careers effectively end) were just as devastating in the 1974-76 time frame. The wheels were coming off already in '74, Kiick was all but done anyway and we came perilously close to losing a game by the score of 3-2 WITH Csonka and Warfield and a healthy Griese. Let that sink in.

I think the stabler pass was far more damaging to the heart and soul of this franchise than people give it credit for.
 
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