NY Times - Debating Patriots Degree of Dominance

[Atlanta Dan]

Interesting NY Times article on how the Pats are having a great season but the greatest team ever talk is a bit much for those who did not start following the NFL in 2001.


?What they?re doing is remarkable,? said Ron Wolf, a Packers general manager in the 1990s. ?But it?s also a different era, when you can?t tackle quarterbacks anymore and you can?t touch wide receivers. They could go undefeated for three years, and they wouldn?t be the greatest team in my mind.

?To me, those 1960s? Packers, the Paul Brown Browns, those Halas teams, those were incredible teams. Then you get to the 1970s? Steelers. There is a tendency today to make something greater than it really is.?...

John Madden, the former Raiders coach and an NBC commentator, said the Patriots had the best offense he had ever seen and that quarterback Tom Brady was playing better than anybody he had ever seen. Brady could break single-season records for completion percentage, touchdowns and quarterback rating.

But Madden hesitates to place the Patriots among the greatest teams ever because, he said, their defense does not compare to those of the Steelers of the 1970s and the 1985 Bears. ...

Wolf uses another accounting. Brady is one of only two Patriots ? Belichick is the other ? who is all but assured of election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Steelers? dynasty of the 1970s sent 10, including Coach Chuck Noll. That makes them, in Wolf?s view, a better team than the Patriots.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/sports/football/25patriots.html?ref=sports

[tony hipchest]

ditka named about 5 great teams he played/coached against in his career that were better.

im more inclined to believe the likes of shula and ditka over j. johnson, b. switzer, n. saban and their collective 8 years in the nfl.

"but the patriots did it in the era of free agency" they say, as if c. noll or s. walsh would never succeed if they only lost their scrub players in free agency and could plug in the corey dillons, a. thomas', and r. moss' at will :rolleyes:

[Steeler in Carolina]

The Pats have a great offense, but an injury to either Brady or Moss and that team is done.

[OX1947]

Different eras boys and girls. You must factor in current situations. The 70's Steelers would have never been 10 deep in hall of famers today. The Bears D was one of the best in 85 but their offense was ok. The media douche bags go with the wind like their flachalants. Whether it is the bone head brain of John Madden or the useless brain of Mike Ditka.

The Pats have 8 games left to be perfect. An eternity. 11-0m, a place that many teams have been and only one has succeeded in 87 yrs. Does it really matter who the best is ever right now? Shouldn't we wait for them to finish the damn season before making that assessment. Listening to a has been like Mercury Morris talking trash in some hole in FL isnt quality TV for me. And neither is listening to hacks like Ditka and Madden who were on teams who weren't even close to being best all time.

You wanna know what best of all time is? Best of all time is CONSISTENCY. Not one year in 85. Or one year in 76 when you win a title after the real champs had injury problems.