Usually I use this space pithily to opine about politics or some arcane aspect of life here at Dartmouth, but today, I would like to opine about something far more important that happened over the past weekend. Something shocking. Something thrilling and awe-inspiring. I am talking about... the NFL playoffs.
Over the past weekend, two bona fide gridiron giants went down. First, on Saturday night, the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots lost to the Denver Broncos 27-13. The next day, the Indianapolis Colts, the best team in the regular season in the NFL, lost 21-18. With those defeats, I could breathe a significant sigh of relief.
Why are these developments important? For those of you who do not follow football, move on to the next op-ed. For those of you who do, read on. The Colts' loss on Sunday marked an unexpected end to what had been a stellar regular season, one which saw the Colts start the season 13-0 and spark thoughts of the first undefeated season and only the second ever since the 1972 Miami Dolphins went 17-0. The Patriots' loss the day before marked the end of a rarity in the NFL: a genuine dynasty, complete with three rings and a photogenic golden boy in quarterback Tom Brady.
Now that both the Patriots' dynasty and the Colts' chance at establishing themselves as one of the greatest one-season wonders in NFL history are finished, I am elated. I was sick of the snap-judgment sports fan or reporter who automatically declares the most recent Super Bowl or NCAA or any other sport champion the "greatest champ ever," and any team that manages to string more than one championship together the "greatest dynasty ever." I had been preparing myself for the inevitable "greatest ever" onslaught if the Patriots won a fourth Super Bowl in five years, with three consecutively, or if the Colts capped a 14-2 season with a Lombardi trophy.
Had the Colts won the Super Bowl this February, they would not have been the greatest team ever. For my money, the greatest team ever, unquestionably, was the aforementioned 1972 Dolphins, who was the only team to go undefeated and untied through the season and the playoffs. Until that feat is equaled or surpassed, I do not see how anyone can honestly suggest a single season team performance that is better than the '72 Dolphins. Had the Colts won it all, I doubt they could honestly have been ranked ahead of the 1998 Broncos, the 1991 Redskins, the 1989 49ers, the 1985 Bears, or the 1976 Raiders. Now, they rank with the 1998 Vikings or 1999 Jaguars as one of the greatest could-have- beens, and frankly, I like it. As a Dolphins fan, I am tired of everyone constantly ranking teams that stumble upon glory above the only perfect team in NFL history.
Then there is the issue of the Patriots. With their dynasty fresh on the slab and ready for autopsy, I am sure many are willing to rank their accomplishments during the past four years as the greatest run any team achieved in the NFL. I strongly disagree. They did win three rings in four years, which has been done only once before when the Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowls XVII, XVIII, and XXX a decade ago. Moreover, other teams have won more than the Patriots did. The Steelers of the late 1970s won four championships in six years, which is more impressive numerically.
But the Patriot teams of the past four years were not as dominant or impressive as those Cowboys or Steelers dynasties of yore. The 2001 Patriots were one of the weakest champs ever, ranking 19th offensively and 24th defensively in the league, and winning only 11 games. Then there is the matter of the Super Bowl games themselves. The Patriots won each game by precisely three points, twice on last-second field goals by Adam Vinatieri. Compare that to the Cowboys of the early 1990s, whose closest Super Bowl win was 10 points and once blew out the Buffalo Bills 52-17. The Patriots' performance in their Super Bowl championships does not compare well with the Steelers of the 1970s or 49ers of the 1980s either. I know some claim that the Patriots' achievements are more impressive because of the era: namely, with salary caps, a faster, more complex game, and changing rosters, the fact that they were able to build a dynasty now trumps everything that has come before. I rank the Patriots behind the Cowboys of the 1990s, the 49ers of the 1980s, the Steelers of the 1970s, and the Packers of the 1960s, who won five championships in seven years, three of which were before the Super Bowl era. For the first time in years, I'm looking forward to enjoying a Super Bowl Sunday without any announcer or analyst using the phrase "greatest ever."
