Letters to the Editor

• @Droogoy

  [Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
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  Hmmm...I'm not sure your relatives and I saw the same Superbowl. The 49ers dominance was TOTAL from beginning to end. Even if the Dolphins had had a decent running game there is no way in hell it would have got any leeway facing Keena Turner, Fred Dean and Company. And besides which, your family is essentially agreeing with me in that the 49ers were the superior team so I don't see what makes me an "idiot." Anyway...

  Back to the '72 Dolphins Vs. the '84 'Niners. Geez, where to start? Oh hell, I'll just use a list:

  1. Joe Montana, one of the five greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game, in his prime. Bob Griese, one of the better quarterbacks of the '70s, coming back from a bad injury. NO comparison. But lets pause for a moment and ponder this comparison vis-a-vis the simulation. You wrote that the simulators took EVERY statistic from both teams into account. You also wrote about the intangibles that stats can't tell you. And there you're dead right, though it ruins your argument. I don't know how good was the '72 Dolphins secondary. It might've been great. But do you REALLY believe Montana wouldn't have been able to read it like a book? The way he did all the time, with every team against which he played? His "field vision", picking up who was covered and who was open, was one of his greatest assets. And the 'Niners offensive line that year was one of the best in the league. He would have had all the time in the world. No, THIS intangible pretty much scrambles (no pun intended) all of the stats combined.

  2. Morris, Csonka and the other guy Vs. the 'Niners Defensive Line. Since in '72 the Dolphins had less of a passing game than the '84 Dolphins had a running game, all the other backs could relax and jam the line. That would have been the end of Miami's Mighty Three. They would have been lucky to get 50 yards a piece. And you're forgetting a certain Mr. Ronnie Lott, a hitter the speed and power of which NO player in the 70s had ever had to deal with (there's another little "intangible"). Last but not least, most of the D players for the 'Niners weighed upwards of 75 pounds more on average. They would have stuffed them. Then there's Keena Turner and Fred Dean (just admitted to the Hall of Fame), who would have stuffed Griese, over and over and over again. Forget about it.

  3. Bill Walsh was arguably the most brilliant coach in the history of the game. The only two possibly better were, of course, Lombardi and Madden. Don Shula isn't even in the same galaxy, not even back then. Walsh - and his many brilliant assistant coaches, like a certain Mike Holmgren - would have countered anything the '72 Dolphins might have tried. But then they wouldn't have had to, since the Dolphin offense consisted of a)hand off to Csonka b)hand off to Morris c)hand off to the other guy.

  4. Kicking goes to the Dolphins. Yapremian was like Ray Guy, one for the ages. Ray Wersching was just very competent.

  5. Back field. Dwight Hicks, Eric Wright and the aforementioned Ronnie Lott. No other words needed, that says it all. But again, with NO passing weapons whatsoever (especially compared to the '84 'Niners), all three of those gents would have spent most of their time making Griese, and Csonka and Co., completely miserable.

  Last but not least I never once mentioned you, Mr. Paranoia, only the "facts" in the simulation you mentioned. So please take a chill pill.

  Permalink Tuesday, February 5, 2008 04:24 PM