Another Fan Posted December 4, 2017 Posted December 4, 2017 I wasn't alive in the 70's but I can't imagine that decade was any worse than 15 plus years of this with New England now. Were those Dolphins teams as unlikeable?
Livinginthepast Posted December 4, 2017 Posted December 4, 2017 Oddly enough I was thinking this comparison the other day. I am too young to appreciate the total domination of the Fins in the 70s but I did start watching the NFL in 1979. They lost both games to the Fins that year to close out the miserable decade Back in the early 80s the commentators would talk ad nauseam about how the Fins always beat us, literally every time we played them. Schula is exactly like BB is with the Pats now. His record at the beginning of the 80s vs us was unbelievable. Even though we beat them in 1980, we still lost the majority of games until Kelly turned it around in the late 80s. The Pats domination to me is worse because it has taken place during a salary cap era with a single QB who never gets injured. They dominate us, get lucky when they absolutely need it and the Refs give them all the breaks. Its domination and humiliation at the same time.
D. L. Hot-Flamethrower Posted December 4, 2017 Posted December 4, 2017 21 minutes ago, Another Fan said: I wasn't alive in the 70's but I can't imagine that decade was any worse than 15 plus years of this with New England now. Were those Dolphins teams as unlikeable? I think this Pats are most unlikeable dynasty I've seen. The Dolphins made you feel like they just respected winning a game so much more than the entitled brats from NE. The Pats feel like the hedge fund guy being successful compared to the local small business owner.
Gray Beard Posted December 4, 2017 Posted December 4, 2017 Football before free agency was different. Players stayed with teams. Teams were built piece by piece. They didn't have a salary cap. The idea of a dynasty was different. The Dolphins were portrayed as likeable guys. Who knows if they really were. I think the drinking and partying was bigger back then. Then came the Steel Curtain, and they dominated for a few years in the early 70s. I remember that era pretty clearly.
oldmanfan Posted December 4, 2017 Posted December 4, 2017 Back then there were a few years in the 70's when I thought we should be able to beat them, like 73 and 74 with OJ. When we play the Patriots I never have thought we'd win for years now. Brady and Belichick are just phenomenal at what they do.
The Frankish Reich Posted December 4, 2017 Posted December 4, 2017 (edited) No, the 1970s Dolphins were not like the Patriots as far as being unlikable. There were similarities - Shula also wasn't a big media guy. They both had "no name" defenses. But Griese was no Brady; in fact, there was nothing obnoxious about him at all. Csonka was no Gronk. There wasn't anything brash about him. Those Dolphins teams had an attitude collectively, but other than Mercury Morris (who really wasn't a celebrity back then) it wasn't an in your face thing. And of course, that Dolphins "dynasty" lasted a much shorter time if we include non-playoff (or even non-winning) seasons as breaks in the dynasty. Even thought the Dolphins in the 1970s were in our division too, I never hated them like I've hated the Patriots over the last decade or so. They became easier to hate in the 1980s, but it still wasn't the same thing. The whole "squish the fish" stuff had more of a (sort of) friendly rivalry feel to it than the current Pats thing. Edited December 4, 2017 by The Frankish Reich
Iron Maiden Posted December 4, 2017 Posted December 4, 2017 7 minutes ago, The Frankish Reich said: No, the 1970s Dolphins were not like the Patriots as far as being unlikable. There were similarities - Shula also wasn't a big media guy. They both had "no name" defenses. But Griese was no Brady; in fact, there was nothing obnoxious about him at all. Csonka was no Gronk. There wasn't anything brash about him. Those Dolphins teams had an attitude collectively, but other than Mercury Morris (who really wasn't a celebrity back then) it wasn't an in your face thing. And of course, that Dolphins "dynasty" lasted a much shorter time. Even thought the Dolphins in the 1970s were in our division too, I never hated them like I've hated the Patriots over the last decade or so. I still hate the Dolphins from those days...but you're right.....you can't compare the 2...NE's run dwarfs the Dolphin's.....apple and oranges...
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