Posted on 12/29/2007 4:37:22 PM PST by fkabuckeyesrule
When it comes to defining greatness, at least in comparing teams from different eras, there are only two absolutes:
1. It can’t be done.
2. Of course it can be done, stupid. Just ask any former player.
“Well, you know what I’m going to say,” said Mike Singletary, the former linebacker for the 1985 Chicago Bears. “Of course I’m biased. But I think we would’ve done pretty well against New England.”
The Patriots are 15-0. Barring a sudden show of sympathy from Bill Belichick or a career day from Eli Manning, they figure to complete an undefeated regular season today against the New York Giants. Three more wins in the postseason, and Boston sports fans, reserved sort that they are, will start screaming something about old pansies like Ray Nitschke.
But New England’s greatest accomplishment isn’t necessarily this team. It’s this era. San Francisco and Dallas manipulated the salary cap with inflated bonuses, but they paid for it years later. The Patriots are the first NFL team to excel at football’s version of “Moneyball.” In 2001, they signed 20 mid-level free agents, giving modest bonuses or none at all. They’ve let free agents walk. It has been the blueprint for three titles — and counting.
They have the best coach (Belichick), the best architect (Scott Pioli), the best quarterback (Tom Brady). Then Oakland gift-wrapped Randy Moss for a fourth-round pick. So not fair.
But then, fortunately for the Pats, they don’t have to play the ‘85 Bears. So sayeth Singletary.
“We would’ve pressured the quarterback and stopped the run, and really made Brady do some things,” he said. “You can’t let Brady dictate things. We would’ve taken him out of his comfort zone.
“They would’ve had trouble with our defensive line. Those guys took it as a challenge every week: We’ll get the quarterback. They would’ve had a lot of problems with [Dan] Hampton.”
We’ll have to assume. It’s all on paper.
With that in mind, here’s one guy’s top five, knowing it can’t possibly please everybody, particularly fans from Washington, Dallas or Pittsburgh, one of whom I’m married to. But she’ll always have Franco.
1. 1989 49ers (17-2): Imagine. San Francisco’s best team came after Bill Walsh’s retirement. George Seifert let Mike Holmgren run the offense. Good choice. Joe Montana’s backup was a future Hall of Famer, Steve Young. Jerry Rice is in the best-player-ever argument. The fullback (Tom Rathman) had 76 catches. The defense nobody talked about included Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley and some cocky kid, Bill Romanowski. The two losses came by five points. The postseason was their own little scorched earth: 41-13 (Vikings), 30-3 (Rams), 55-10 (Broncos). I surrender.
2. 1985 Bears (18-1): They recorded the “Super Bowl Shuffle.” I guess the studio was booked in September. The Bears won their first 12 games (the last three by 104-3). They had the MVP (Walter Payton) and the defensive player of the year (Singletary). The front four: Hampton, Steve McMichael, Richard Dent and a Fridge. In the Super Bowl (46-10), New England QB Tony Eason looked like a Shih Tzu staring at a Winnebago.
3. 2007 Patriots (15-0, so far): They won their first eight games by 24, 24, 31, 21, 17, 21, 21 and 45. But they’ve looked dangerously close to mortal in the second half (wins over the Colts, Eagles and Ravens came by a total of 10 points). Their defense really isn’t that good, but in the salary cap era, you pay the price somewhere. And when Brady is the quarterback and Donte’ Stallworth is the No. 3 receiver, behind Moss and Wes Welker, does it matter that the defense is average?
4. 1972 Dolphins (17-0): The team gets knocked for playing a soft schedule (only two regular-season opponents had winning records). But Miami won eight of 14 games by at least two touchdowns, including 52-0 over the Patriots. It also played most of the year without starting QB Bob Griese. His replacement, Earl Morrall, 38, was acquired from the Giants for $100. The Fins were so unappreciated even that season that they went into the Super Bowl 16-0 … as underdogs. But they beat the Redskins 14-7, and as Larry Csonka said, “Perfection ends a lot of arguments.”
5. 1962 Packers (14-1): Going old school. This team had 11 future Hall of Famers, including coach Vince Lombardi. It outscored teams 415-148 (the first three games: 100-7). Bart Starr, Jim Taylor, Max McGee on offense. Nitschke, Willie Wood, Herb Adderly on defense. The Pack won the title game over the Giants in New York, where the 20-degree reading didn’t factor in the 35-mph winds.
Admit it: You want to run through a wall right now, don’t you?
I can’t speak to the ‘62 Packers that was a little before I started watching football. But I do remember the ‘72 Dolphins and of course the ‘85 Bears. I might give the nod to the ‘72 Dolphins since they had a more reliale and consistent QB.
Here we go again with the obligatory comparisons. If the Patriots win the Super Bowl then no doubt they’re the greatest NFL team of all time. Hopefully, Indy will take them out before they win though.
But today’s players are much bigger and faster than teams back then. A lot of guys on those earlier teams wouldn’t have even made modern-day rosters because they would be considered too small.
The 1985 Bears were the best team I've ever seen. They were solid offensively, with a great offensive line, better-than-average receivers, a good quarterback (McMahon), and a Hall of Fame running back (Payton). And their defensive unit had 7-8 players who were Pro Bowl caliber players, including at least four (Mike Singletary, Wilbur Marshall, Steve McMichael, and Richard Dent) who were not only legitimate Hall of Fame candidates but were among the top 10 of all time at their respective positions.
New England, for example, is 15-0 even though they can't stop the run if their lives depended on it and they have no running game themselves to speak of.
I would have to say that the Patriots season is clearly more impressive. They have won AT Dallas and AT Indianapolis plus also beating Pittsburgh at home. Granted they have a pretty weak division.
At half-time, one of the announcers made a comment that the first half was, "Men against boys." I thought that summed up the game nicely.
I might agree with you on the ‘84 49’ers. I geuss they figure 55 points in the super bowl is pretty hard to top.
If they did play would the '72 Dolphins be allowed to play under '72 rules. A DB could pretty much mug a WR as long as the pass was not in the air.
BTW Did you hear that Urban Meyer said he's gonna use a 2QB system next year.
I would agree about the 84 49ers was at least as good as 89. I also think the 1978 Steelers team belongs in the top five (and I’m a lifelong Dallas fan) and possibly the 1986 Packers team.
At any rate, it would a farce to include any team in the last 7-10 years among the best of all time. The salary cap has turned the entire NFL into a joke -- filled with "playoff caliber" teams that range from mediocre to downright BAD. There's no way in hell a team with a quarterback like Trent Dilfer ever would have won a Super Bowl back in the pre-cap days. Or a team with a quarterback like Magic Johnson, or Brad Johnson, or whoever the hell that guy was on the Bucs a few years ago.
I love Mike Singletary!!!
The ‘85 Bears would clobber today’s NE. That defense was the greatest ever in the game.
If it was not for Gary Anderson’s first missed field goal of the season the 98’ Vikings might have been the best.
Because I’m a known homer, I’ll say that the ‘76 Raiders would have beaten them all. :) Of course in my mind the ‘90 Raiders were a Greek tragedy—which was also the first year I started following the Silver and Black.
That was quite possibly one of the greatest upsets of all-time.
Even Ditka would disagree with you about the first part. You absolutely couldn't run on them, but this years Patriots team wouldn't bother...just like they didn't bother against the Bears and the Vikings last year. ...and the Bears didn't have enough good pass defenders to not get cut to pieces.
The 80's era 49ers though...they'd have challenged the Pats on both sides.
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