Oliver Willis and the Poor Man are having a little tiff over whether the ’04-’05 Patriots are the best team ever, and they compare the Patriots to the following teams:
1. The 1985 Bears
2. 1972 Dolphins
3. 1962 Packers
4. 1991 Redskins
5. 1999 Rams
6. 1989 49ers
Notice anything missing- like, say, the Steelers of the 1970’s, who won 4 Super Bowls over a seven year period? Remember them- the team that defined DYNASTY? You have heard of the Steel Curtain, haven’t you?
What do these names have in common: Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel BLount, Mike Webster, and Franco Harris? Why, they are all members of the Hall of Fame. Throw in Coach Chuck Knoll, and then find any other team that has nine of its members enshrined.
Add to this that anyone who knows anything about the NFL will note that the best of those Steelers teams did not even go to the Superbowl. That isright- the best team the Steelers fielded was the 1976 Steelers, who had the greatest defense in the history of the NFL. Unless you know of another team that was 1-4, won their final 9 games, outscoring their opponents 234-28 with 5 shut-outs.
And that was with a rookie QB, two injured running backs, and after two extended seasons prior (having won the Superbowl those previous two season).
I am not going to denigrate the greatness of the Current incarnation of the Patriots, but any discussion of the ‘greatest teams ever’ that fails to mention the Steelers dynasty teams of the 1970’s just shouldn’t be taken seriously.