We asked Sports Illustrated NFL writer Paul Zimmerman (aka Dr. Z) where the 1972
Dolphins rank among the top single-season teams of all
time. He gave us his six
favorites. Check 'em out and then vote for
yours.
1. THE 1962 GREEN BAY
PACKERS
Marvin E. Newman
It's hard to pick a favorite from Vince Lombardi's four
championship teams. In '66 and '67, when the Pack won the
first two Super Bowls, the great stars were starting to
show a bit of age. In 1962 they were young and vibrant and
on the rise. Bart
Starr, Paul Hornung, Jimmy Taylor, Forrest Gregg, Ray Nitschke,
Willie Davis, Herb Adderley, Willie Wood, Jim Ringo, Henry
Jordan -- 10 future Hall of Famers with the meat of their
careers still ahead of
them.
2. THE 1974 PITTSBURGH
STEELERS
It's difficult to say which of Chuck Noll's four Super
Bowl champions was the best, but the '74 team has been a
personal favorite because the nine Hall of Famers on
that outfit were all on the way up. Terry Bradshaw was just
reaching stardom while
Franco Harris was hitting his stride. Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann and Mike Webster were
rookie phenoms. Three other future Hall of Famers were
established on defense -- Jack Ham, Joe Greene and Mel
Blount -- but they were all young. Ten of the 11 defensive
starters were Pro Bowl players at
some time in their careers, and the 11th, Fats Holmes,
should have been. By Super Bowl time the '74 Steelers had
risen up in a frenzy, and the 119 yards they allowed
Minnesota remains the record
low.
3. THE 1950 CLEVELAND
BROWNS
The All-America Football Conference champs burst onto the
NFL scene. In their first
NFL game, the Browns put it to the defending champion Eagles,
35-10. They beat the Rams for the
title -- the first
of six straight appearances in the championship game. Otto
Graham throwing to Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli, Marion
Motley running the traps, Bill Willis and Lenny Ford on
defense, a terrific offensive line -- this team had it
all.
4. THE 1971 DALLAS
COWBOYS
The Doomsday Defense, anchored by one of football's
all-time greatest linemen, tackle Bob Lilly, and backed up by
two of the smartest and toughest linebackers ever to play
the game, Chuck Howley and Leroy Jordan. Mel Renfro, a Hall
of Famer and 10-time Pro
Bowl choice, overseeing things in the secondary. Offensive
stars? Where do you begin? Roger Staubach throwing to
Olympic sprinter Bob Hayes, with Duane Thomas and Calvin
Hill running the
ball.
5. THE 1972 MIAMI
DOLPHINS
No, they
weren't the only professional team to go unbeaten and win a
championship. The 1948 Cleveland Browns did it in the
All-America Conference. But the Dolphins were the only NFL
outfit to accomplish it, and they set a standard of
offensive precision that has seldom
been matched. In 13 of their 17 games, counting the
playoffs, they drove to a touchdown on their opening
possession. There were so many big names on offense -- Bob
Griese throwing to Paul Warfield; Jim Kiick, Larry Csonka
and Mercury Morris in the
backfield; Larry Little, Bob Kuechenberg and Jim Langer on the
line -- that the defense was called the No-Names. But the D
had its share of stars, such as middle linebacker Nick
Buoniconti and free safety Jake
Scott.
6. THE 1985 CHICAGO
BEARS
This is a tough call: Aside from Jim McMahon and Walter
Payton, the offense was greatly overshadowed by the defense
in terms of talent. The 15-1 Bears swept through the
postseason, shutting out the Giants and Rams and crushing
New England, 46-10, in
the Super Bowl. I have a feeling that by season's end, no
offense ever devised could have withstood the fury of that
46 Defense, with the extreme pressure it brought from all
angles. Tackle Dan Hampton and middle linebacker Mike
Singletary were the
superstars, but the whole unit was a bloodthirsty, fiercely
attacking bunch that allowed an average of 145 yards and
2.6 yards per play in three postseason
contests.
