The Greatest Teams: 1972 Miami Dolphins

It speaks wonders when a football team is the measure of excellence within the ever changing NFL. As the years go by, the last NFL team to lose a game ensures that the quest for one team to match the perfect season of the 1972 Miami Dolphins will have to wait another year. Yes, to this day, the Miami Dolphins remain the NFL's only perfect team; the only team to go the regular season without a loss and win a Super Bowl. As the 2007 Patriots can attest, going undefeated is no easy task (but we'll get to that later). Yet, this Dolphins team, albeit an abbreviated season by today's standards, managed to go all the way.

In Week 5, starting quarterback Bob Griese broke his ankle in a sack, resulting in the veteran (and former Baltimore Colts Super Bowl-winning quarterback) Earl Morrall to replace Griese for the rest of the season. The backfield consisted of an impeccable duo of 1,000 yard runners, Mercury Morris and fullback Larry Csonka, who became the first teammates to rush for 1,000 yards each. Receivers Howard Twilley, Paul Warfield, and tight end Marv Fleming helped secure the passing attack for whichever quarterback was starting. The offensive line was highlighted by right guard Larry Little, and All-Pro Pro Bowler.

The famed No-Name Defense of the 1972 Miami Dolphins featured just that: a bunch of players who performed as more of a unit rather than individual stars. The defensive line featured Pro-Bowler Bill Stanfill, a former 1st rounder from the 1969 Draft. The linebacking core consisted of Doug Swift (aptly named for his defensive mobility), Nick Buoiconti (a future Hall of Famer and multiple Pro Bowler), and Mike Kolen. The secondary was particularly impressive, which each player recording 3 picks during the season (safeties Jake Scott and Dick Anderson recorded a combined 8 interceptions and 7 fumble recoveries). On special teams, kicker Garo Yepremian and punter Larry Seiple performed admirably, whilst kick returner Mercury Morris managed to get a 23.9 yard average on kick returns.

With the famed Don Shula entering his 3rd year as Miami's head coach, the Dolphins were looking to continue their success in going to the playoffs. After playing what some consider a particularly "soft" regular season schedule, the Dolphins sneaked past the Cleveland Browns in the Divisional playoff, and managed to defeat a tough Steelers team in Pittsburgh for the AFC Conference Championship. The Dolphins then faced the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII, narrowly defeating the 'Skins 14-7. The Super Bowl win undoubtedly cemented the 1972 Dolphins as the greatest team in franchise history, and possibly the greatest team in NFL history (although the next team in our series could make a strong argument against that).