With the realistic possibility of the New England Patriots going undefeated and winning another Super Bowl, the question might arise if they are the best NFL team ever. 16-0 in the regular season and 19-0 overall sure looks impressive, but many people might have other teams in mind.New England has home field locked up and the next two games are meaningless, except for the fact that it might be history in the making. Everyone knows Bill Belichick will play all of his starters until the games are way out of hand, and I mean way out of hand. Try a 35-40 point game until the head coach pulls Tom Brady or Randy Moss. So, with that said, the Patriots will probably go 16-0. They have the winless, I mean one-win Dolphins this week and the struggling New York Giants to close out their schedule. They will easily handle the Dolphins, while the Giants might pose a threat if they need the game to make the postseason. Whatever the situation ends up being for the Giants, the Patriots will still win and keep an unblemished record heading into January.
If New England runs the table and wins the title, are they the best team ever? If they aren't the best, they surely are in the top three. I'm too young to remember the 49er teams of the 80s, the Steeler teams of the 70s and the Packer teams of the 60s. Many people who have recollections of those legendary squads might tend to lean towards the teams of the past. The earliest I remember watching football is the 1991 season and this is by far the best team I have ever seen. Maybe the teams nowadays aren't as good as they were in the past. Maybe that's why the Patriots are cruising through this season. Take this New England team and put them into a time machine. Send them back to the 60s, 70s, or 80s and see how they fare against the rest of the league. I'm not an expert on the teams of the past, but I know that some of them were very good and some have been considered the best of all time.
ESPN used to have this show called Matchup of the Millenium. Using up to date technology, they would have teams from different decades face off against each other. Videos from certain games would be edited to make it look like the teams were actually playing against each other. I remember seeing the 49ers of the 80s play against the Steelers of the 70s. They should have a new episode come out featuring the 2007 Patriots.
As for being the best team ever, I could make an argument supporting the Patriots. On the other hand, I could also make an argument supporting the 85 Bears, who only lost one game that year against the Miami Dolphins. They had it all, including a Hall of Fame coach and a stifling defense, which the Patriots certainly do not have. The Packer of the early 60s do not get the recognition they deserve, because the Super Bowl didn't come into play until the later part of the decade. Any one of those teams could be on top of the list. How about one of the four Pittsburgh teams that won Super Bowls in the 1970s? Joe Montana might argue one of his San Francisco teams is the best. It will be up for debate if the Patriots accomplish their ultimate goal. Here's another question to ponder. If they lose one or two games to close out the regular season, but then go on to win the Super Bowl, could they still be considered one of, if not the best team ever to play in the National Football League?
Shawn Marosek
Shawn Marosek
1 comment:
Hard to call a team in the salary cap era the best ever. The Steelers had the Steel Curtain as their defense, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth among others. I think they are the best of all time. I do agree though, that should NE run the table there is no question they should be labeled a top 3 to 5 team. Many feel the 60s Packers, 70s Steelers, 80s 49ers, 85 Bears, and 90s Cowboys would have beaten the '72 Dolphins. But the Dolphins are in the discussion because they went 17-0. And rightly so. Should NE go 19-0 they'd be further up the list than the Fish in my opinion. Going to easily set a record for points in a season.
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