The members of the 鈥�72 Dolphins bristle at arguments that their perfect record really doesn鈥檛 make them the greatest team in NFL history. Some observers contend that they had an easy schedule or were just lucky. In 2007, the New England Patriots actually had a better 18-0 record heading into the Super Bowl but then lost to the New York Giants on a touchdown pass with 35 seconds left. And in 1985, one of the most dominant teams in recent memory, the Chicago Bears, won their first 12 games before that year鈥檚 Dolphins did the 鈥�72 contingent a favor by ruining a perfect season.
The 鈥�72 Dolphins had a special character that Mike Freeman summarizes this way:
鈥淭hey were steady, precise, and relentless. Many players, fans, and media don鈥檛 always respect or understand the power of constancy. The Dolphins applied steady pressure on both sides of the ball, and while this wasn鈥檛 sexy, it was extremely effective. They didn鈥檛 have flash. They didn鈥檛 have Lawrence Taylor or Jerry Rice or Ray Lewis or Jim Brown. They didn鈥檛 have the Steel Curtain or the Doomsday Defense. The Dolphins weren鈥檛 lightning or nuclear, but they were something just as good: they were perpetual. That鈥檚 what it takes to be perfect. Not flash but relentlessness.鈥�
