DOPe - Dolphins Or Patriots?
(e for electronic; we're online, aren't we? *lol*)
The 1972 Dolphins went 14-0 in the regular season
The 2007 Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season
Right now -
before the playoffs start
and regardless, thus, of the fact that
the Dolphins won the Super Bowl
after their perfect season
and the Patriots have yet to play
3 more games, in order to do the same
RIGHT NOW -
which one would be the better team?
Don Shula's Dolphins
or Bill Belichick's Patriots?
Consider this though,
as you weight out the options here:
the present-day Patriots
have established several records
on par with compiling a perfect record
- a league mark with 75 touchdowns
- most points scored overall, with 589 points
(previous mark was 556 set by 1998's Minnesota Vikings.)
- most wins in a season, obviously
- Tom Brady topped a personal record
- Randy Moss topped a personal record!
(Brady's 50th touchdown pass eclipsed the old mark
set by arch-rival Peyton Manning.
To do it while defeating Peyton's brother,
Eli, was just an added touch...!
Moss established a new mark for receivers,
catching his 23rd touchdown pass
to surpass Jerry Rice's mark of 22.
So "storybook finish" this was,
that the both of them connected again
to set these new marks while scoring
the winning points that clinched
the win and the perfect season
16-0, for the Patriots!)
And one could add that
the Patriots' stingy defense
is stingiest than any other in history
including the '72 Dolphins
(who were perfect when the
Boston Bruins ruled the NHL
and won a second Stanley Cup
in three years!
Hmm... I hope a perfect NFL team
is a sign that the B's win the Cup!
I won't hold my breath for that though...!
Boston Celtics win another title, yes
But the B's...?
Long shot...!)
ANYWAY...
DOLPHINS
OR
PATRIOTS
épa...!
VOTE - NOW!
VOTE - NOW!
posted by Luminous (\ô/) Luciano™ @ 11:49 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
AT THE HALF, PATRIOTS WERE ACTUALLY TRAILING...!
Brady, Moss Tie Single-season Records, Pats Set Scoring Mark
Dec 29, 10:06 PM (ET) Email this Story
By TOM CANAVAN
Box Score | Recap | Game Log
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -Eli Manning threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to rookie Kevin Boss with 13 seconds left in the half, taking a 21-16 lead Saturday night in the New York Giants' bid to end New England's run at perfection.
Manning also threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Jacobs and Domenik Hixon returned kickoff 74 yards for a touchdown as the Giants become only the second team to take a halftime lead over New England during this remarkable season.
Tom Brady and Randy Moss tied single-season records on a 4-yard touchdown pass, and the Patriots set a single-season scoring record in the nationally televised game that was being seen on three networks - NFL, CBS and NBC.
Brady's touchdown pass was his 49th of the season, tying the single-season mark set by Eli's brother, Peyton, in 2004.
The touchdown catch was Moss' 22nd of the season, tying the standard set by Jerry Rice in 1987.
Stephen Gostkowski added three field goals as the Patriots pushed their scoring total for the season to 567 points, breaking the mark of 556 set by Minnesota in 1998 when Moss was a rookie with the Vikings.
Still, it wasn't enough to prevent the Giants from joining the Indianapolis Colts as the only team to lead the Patriots at the half. New England came back to win that game 24-20 on Nov. 4.
The Giants twice rallied from deficits to take the lead, the last coming on an eight-play, 85 yard march on which Eli played like Peyton.
The younger Manning hit passes of 23 yards to Boss, 19 to Amani Toomer, 17 to Jacobs and he had an 11-yard run before eventually finding a wide-open Boss in the end zone.
The Brady to Moss touchdown pass gave New England a 10-7 lead on the opening play of the second quarter, but the Patriots were penalized for excessive celebration, a 15-yard markoff.
Hixon, who was returning kicks because Ahmad Bradshaw was out with a calf injury, fielded the ensuing kickoff and went 74 yards untouched for a 14-10 lead.
Gostkowski gave New England the lead back with field goals of 45 and 37 yards, the later coming with 1:59 left in the half.
The Giants become only the third team to score on the Patriots first when Manning hit Jacobs on a 7-yard pass out of the backfield on the opening series. The quick march was highlighted by a 52-yard bomb from Manning to Plaxico Burress on the second play from scrimmage.
The Patriots, who entered the game trying to become the first team to win all 16 regular-season games, got a 37-yard field goal from Gostkowski on their opening series as Brady moved them 54 yards in 12 plays.
New England, which trailed after the first quarter for only the fourth time this season, was at the Giants' 4-yard line when the quarter ended, and Brady and Moss got into the record book on the first play of the second quarter.
The regular-season finale drew a packed house at Giants Stadium. Although there were many New England fans wearing Brady and Randy Moss jerseys, they clearly were outnumbered by Giants' fans, who booed Bill Belichick and his team when they ran on the field.
The game was the Patriots' first at Giants Stadium since opening their march to perfection with the infamous "Spygate" contest against the New York Jets.
The 38-14 victory was marred when a Patriots' video assistant was caught taping the Jets' defensive coaches with a sideline camera. It cost Belichick and the team $750,000 in fines and a first-round draft pick.
Many experts felt the Giants should rest their starters. Win or less, they will face the Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla. in an NFC wild-card game next weekend.
The concerns proved valid when starting weakside linebacker Kawika Mitchell, last week's NFC defensive player of the week, backup safety Craig Dahl and center Shaun O'Hara sprained knees in the first half.
AFTER THE SMOKE CLEARED THOUGH -
THE STORYBOOK ENDING HAD TAKEN PLACE
AND THE HEROES HAD TOPPLED THE MEAN OL' GIANTS!
NO BEANSTALK ANYWHERE THOUGH...
(MAYBE IT WAS A BAD OMEN?)
New England Patriots Finish Off Perfect 16-0 Regular Season by Beating New York Giants 38-35
Dec 30, 1:10 AM (ET) Email this Story
By BARRY WILNER
Box Score | Recap | Game Log
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -Tom Brady was as giddy as the quarterback of an unbeaten and perhaps unbeatable team should be. Had Bill Belichick spotted him slapping the backs of his New England teammates, the dour coach might have scoffed.
After all, a perfect 16-0 regular season won't mean much if the Patriots don't win their next three games and another Super Bowl.
"We've been dealing with being undefeated all season," Brady said Saturday night after the thrilling 38-35 victory over the New York Giants in a game worthy of the NFL's championship showcase. "It was kind of a strange game. It really doesn't mean much to either team, but it means a lot."
New England became the first NFL team since the 1972 Dolphins to win every game on the schedule, and that one was only 14-0. This victory required a Brady-engineered comeback from a 12-point deficit and smashed the Patriots' league mark for consecutive victories.
"Going undefeated during the regular season is a remarkable achievement," 1972 Dolphins coach Don Shula said. "I know firsthand how difficult it is to win every game, and just as we did in 1972, the Patriots have done a great job concentrating on each week's opponent and not letting any other distractions interrupt that focus. If they go on to complete an undefeated season, I will be the first to congratulate Coach Belichick and the Patriot organization."
Validation of the Patriots' inexorable march through the season can only come by adding a Super Bowl championship. Do that, and there'll be no challenge to their spot at the top.
"Hats off to us," said record-setting receiver Randy Moss, who caught Brady's 65-yard bomb for the go-ahead score that set two major records. "I know a lot of people didn't think we were going to do it. A lot of people didn't want us to do it.
"In this game of football, it's hard to go 16-and-0. As a football player and a fan of the game, my hat's off to this organization."
In gaining their 19th straight win over two seasons, the Patriots went on top on Brady's 50th touchdown pass of the year and Moss' 23rd TD reception. It came with 11:06 remaining.
Brady beat Peyton Manning's mark of 49 touchdown passes and Moss broke Jerry Rice's record of 22 TD receptions. And the Patriots finished with an incredible 589 points for the season, another single-season record.
Once the victory was clinched, Belichick was barely more animated than usual. He shared hugs with players and assistant coaches on the sideline, but there was no thought of carrying him off on the Patriots' shoulders or dumping Gatorade all over him.
That will have to wait for three more wins - if they come.
"It's a great feeling," Belichick admitted. "Now is the time to take a day or two and appreciate what this team has done, but at the same time we have our biggest game of the year coming up. Pretty soon we need to turn the page and move on."
Who knows, the Patriots might even find the Giants on one of the next pages, especially if Eli Manning again resembles his vaunted older brother.
"We didn't win the game, but if you saw everybody in the locker room, everybody was excited," Manning said. "I never saw a locker room so upbeat after a loss because we played so well, did some good things and hung in there in a game where we didn't have to play. We wanted to. We wanted to come out and play well, and we did that."
The Giants (10-6), already guaranteed a playoff game against Tampa Bay next weekend and with little to play for except spoiling New England's perfect ride, led 28-16 in the third quarter. It was the Patriots' largest deficit all year as the Giants showed no fear and plenty of versatility, scoring the most points New England allowed in a game during this remarkable run.
Manning threw for four touchdowns and Domenik Hixon, in his first game as New York's primary kick returner, went 74 yards for a score 11 seconds after Brady and Moss tied their respective records.
Not to worry. These Patriots are unflappable, and they matched their comebacks in wins over Dallas, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Baltimore earlier in the season. A 73-yard drive ended with Laurence Maroney's 6-yard run to make it 28-23 with 4:00 to go in the third period.
Then came the most familiar of scenes: Brady dropping back, winding up and hitting a wide-open Moss in stride for a touchdown. The final go-ahead TD in their perfect year.
"What I'm most proud of is playing a playoff team on the road that was playing extremely hard," Brady said. "We found a way to come back and win. We did the same thing at Dallas. We did the same thing at Indy. We've been in some tough games.
"Everyone is going to enjoy this one. It happens once every 35 years."
Although many are eager to hail these Patriots as the NFL's all-time best, such acclaim won't come unless they win two playoff games and their fourth Super Bowl this decade. And for those who might deny such greatness considering the "Spygate" scandal, well, 19-0 would speak pretty loudly.
Certainly louder than any postgame celebrations at Giants Stadium, the same building where they were caught videotaping New York Jets assistant coaches in Week 1, a rules violation that cost Belichick and the franchise $750,000 in fines and a 2008 first-round draft choice. That made Belichick even more close-mouthed and dour than usual, and his team followed his lead - right to 16-0.
The Giants opened the game as if they were, well, the Patriots, driving 74 yards, sparked by a 52-yard completion on which Plaxico Burress outleapt Ellis Hobbs for Manning's jump-ball throw. Brandon Jacobs broke Tedy Bruschi's tackle to score on a 7-yard reception for a 7-0 lead.
Naturally, the Patriots, the highest-scoring team in NFL history, struck back. After Stephen Gostkowski's 37-yard field goal, New England went on top - and surpassed Minnesota's league mark of 556 points - on the record-tying 4-yard TD pass from Brady to Moss, who soared above rookie Aaron Ross for the score.
The 10-7 lead lasted all of 11 seconds. The usually staid Patriots gathered around Moss as he did a dance in the end zone, prompting a 15-yard excessive celebration penalty. Belichick argued the call with referee Mike Carey, perhaps sensing how costly it might be.
It was as Hixon sped 74 yards untouched to lift the Giants back in front.
"There is nothing but positives," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "I told the players in playing this game everything would be positives, there would be no negatives and that is how I feel.
"I don't know any better way to be prepared for the playoffs than to go against a team that was 15-0."
Gostkowski kicked two more field goals as the Patriots grabbed a 16-14 lead with 1:59 left in the half.
That's when Manning, coming off several rough games, was at his best, leading a quick 85-yard drive that included a rare scramble for 11 yards just before he found Kevin Boss in the middle of the end zone with 13 seconds remaining. The 21-16 deficit was only the second time New England has trailed at halftime this season; the other was to the older Manning and the Colts.
But with such a potent offense, the Patriots never are out of any game. Once they got the lead, they closed it out with another touchdown drive, Maroney scoring from the 5. Manning hit Burress again from 3 yards with 1:04 to go, but New England recovered the onside kick.
"We're down 10 or 11 (actually 12) in the third quarter, the crowd was into it, and we found a way to win," Brady said. "That's the way it's going to be down the stretch ... just hope we can continue to play this kind of football."
Notes: Brady finished 32-for-42 for 356 yards, while Manning was 22-for-32 for 251 yards and the only interception. ... The other teams to go unbeaten in a season were the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears; both lost in the NFL title game. ... New England also set a league mark with 75 touchdowns. ... The Giants lost center Shaun O'Hara, backup safety Craig Dahl and linebacker Kawika Mitchell, all with knee injuries, and cornerback Sam Madison with an abdominal strain.
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