JohnTurney wrote: ↑Fri Jun 20, 2025 9:24 am
Citizen wrote: ↑Fri Jun 20, 2025 6:30 am
Haven't a number of players who were on both teams said that the '73 squad was better than the 17-0 group? Maybe that's anecdotal, but the '73 team had a notably tougher schedule and dominated its post-season opponents in a way the '72 team didn't.
I think I'd vote 1973. Obviosuly 72 moesuccessful in meeting goal of not losing .. but pass rush better in 73, Griese more efficient ... close call but 73 for me.
For the longest time I opined that '73 was stronger than '72. But I have changed that as of late. You two, however, may be planting seeds to inspire me to flip it back. More dominant and a stronger schedule, yes, which is why I went with '73 in the first place.
And that playoff run of theirs...very
dominant wins, both on the scoreboard and on the stat sheet (just
look), over three Hall of Fame HCs!
That Bengals team (they or '75) ought to be considered Paul Brown's best with Cincy. 27 first downs to 11, and 400 total yards to 194; not to mention Miami turning the ball over three times to Cincy doing so just once...
sick!
There has been talk of the '73 Raiders not being that spectacular compared to Madden's other great teams. In that old regular season Power Rankings thread I started on this very season years ago, I had the Raiders ranked quite low. But I really should place them in better esteem. Two winning teams were in their division. They clobbered one of them penultimate week (with Stram still onboard, mind you), and simply won the finale play-in that they
had to win against Denver! "Just WIN, Baby", and WIN they did! Beat a great (despite still needing that '74 Draft) Steeler team convincingly thus getting to the AFCCG. Yes, '73 was still a solid Madden squad. And they were #3 overall in offense and #2 in defense! Miami was #3 in defense and only...
#9 in offense! As for Y/A, Oakland finished at a staggering net +1.4! But Miami did top them at +1.
6!! I think those are the two best net-Y/As I've seen yet!
And 12-2 Minnesota that year, I think, was Bud Grant's best '70s squad.
And look what Miami did to all three of these great teams in the playoffs! So flipping back to '73 again over '72 in the future is not an impossibility. '73 losing at Raiders in Week #2 clearly no disgrace. Oakland a great team and that win-streak 'bubble' had to burst soon enough (like Steelers beating NE in '04). But there was a real bad game-and-a-half late that year (Steelers rallying hard in 2nd half/that weird loss at 2-10 Colts).
The 1972 Dolphins never had such a bad game-and-a-half stretch yet alone lose a single game! They won 'em ALL! 17-0
is 17-0, #1 in both O & D scoring AND yardage is just that; and, btw...
+1.3 Y/A (easy schedule or not)! The '72 Dolphins, to me, finally arrived as a dominant team in their very final game...SBVII itself, the most-lopsided 14-7 win you'll ever know!
Flip it back? We'll see. Maybe, maybe not; maybe simply TIE them (32-2 Back-to-Back, end-of-day and pretty, quite frankly, Historically awesome)! Don Shula's two greatest HC-ing years are - indeed - his two most successful ones...1972, and then, 1973!
CSKreager wrote: ↑Fri Jun 20, 2025 7:18 pm
Brian wolf wrote: ↑Fri Jun 20, 2025 6:27 pm
Another question ... could the Dolphins had gone undefeated with Bill Arnsparger coaching defense in 1984? In 1983 with the Dolphins, his defense was much better than the SB team which went 14-2. They won 12 games with Marino as a rookie in 1983, even beating the 49ers. Could they have beaten them in 1984 with Arnsparger? The 49ers might have struggled alot more ...
Heck in 83 they best SanFran AT CANDLESTICK when the 49ers had basically the same roster
A 16-0 vs 15-1 Super Bowl?? Wow! You know what that would have meant...combined-W/L-record-wise, it TOPS Bears/Redskins '42!
I'm sure most here could picture an '84 Dolphin defense with Arnsparger as better than it actually was IRL even if still a slight (or maybe more than slight) step down from '83 anyway. Sure-enough it would be enough to turn that first loss of the year, in OT at Jack Murphy, into a 'W' (along with Philly maybe not giving them as good a game they actually did the previous week). But you can't mess with the Raiders and that 'hold' they still had on them in that immediate time. I think the Raiders likely still win anyway thus hand Miami, in this hypo, their first loss.
The point-spread on an 18-0 Miami vs a 17-1 San Fran SBXIX? I'd have to imagine that the 'sexy' Dolphins, being undefeated and all and especially with all the Marino hype, would be installed as the favorite. Just by a little, I think. How about 2 or 2.5?
15-1 vs 15-1? Hmm. Tough to say. Maybe San Fran by just 1 or 1.5? Because they'd be...closer to
home (Stanford)? Or could, as CSK reminded us, Miami beating them
at Candlestick the year prior have any pull (I know, '84 a different story than '83)?
Either way, IMO, I think San Fran prevails over Arnsparger no matter what Miami's record would have been going into the Big Game. Yes, a closer game; likely a close game-period. I'm going to guess San Fran by 7 or, maybe, 10. A Joe Cool 2-minute-drill in the end would not be necessary. That San Fran D is still tough on Dan and that limited-dimensional offensive unit in such a hypo.
JMHO, could be wrong.
Bill Arnsparger still onboard in Miami in '84...hey, you never know.
PS - From one who really was into the Seahawks being in the playoffs and actually winning a couple games (Penn State National Champ, Curt Warner, their RB) - and rooting for them in LA for the AFCC (also rooting for them against the Raiders & Dolphins in '84 as well) - how did an '83 Miami team, who most here as well as myself really respect, allow it to happen? Maybe I'm wrong but it seems that many think they were better, or at least more-balanced, than both '82 AND '84!
Was it just another pre-'72/post-'73 Don Shula post-season underachievement?