And Then There Were Two

The 1972 Miami Dolphins aren’t the greatest team in NFL history.

Before you get upset, noting that no team has gone undefeated in the NFL since Don Shula’s well-oiled machine, I readily admit that they are the NFL’s most memorable team in history. Even if you weren’t around to witness the Dolphins, you know their players: Griese, Czonka, Morris, Buoniconi, & Kuechenberg.

Those players don’t stand above names like Montana, Aikman, and Elway, but they are comparable and their team is more memorable because they were part of an amazing accomplishment that has yet to be matched.

Many teams in recent memory have flirted with going an entire NFL season undefeated in recent years. The 2007 New England Patriots ran off 18 straight wins before falling to Eli Manning and the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

Both the Saints and Colts have had impressive victories this season. They’ve both won shootouts (Washington this past week for New Orleans, New England in week ten), and had impressive grinder style victories (New Orleans over the Jets 24-10 and Indy over the 49ers 18-14).

Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is all but clinched for both teams, meaning the only thing left to play for (pride withstanding) will be a shot at undefeated glory.

The New Orleans Saints & Indianapolis Colts, however, simply don’t have the defense to be able to hold up unblemished marks all season. Both teams possess great quarterbacks who lead precise offenses in Brees and Manning, but at some point offenses fail. It’s at that point, where great defenses pick up the slack. The Saints, for all their offensive firepower, give up a ton of points. The Colts defense, on the other hand, has made tremendous strides but has yet to be tested in a do-or-die scenario.

This year will be memorable because of Indianapolis & New Orleans, but ultimately they won’t find themselves on the same sports pedestal as the 1972 Dolphins. The nature of today’s NFL is of parity, and thus not undefeated seasons.

All isn’t lost, Manning or Brees have both had MVP caliber seasons. Chances are that one of the two signal callers will be holding onto the Lombardi trophy and talking about Disney World on a cool night in February. And that’ll be just fine with Don Shula, who will sip on champagne one more year and treasure professional football’s most memorable team.