WOW...Reiss rips SHULA in mailbag

[DaBruinz]

I've looked at the '72 Dolphins and the teams they faced ... As Reiss points out, they played only 2 teams that were better than .500

As for their so called tough players, they are a joke. None of them would even make the current Pats teams as even backups as they would not get selected or drafted in the first place.

Even Parcells in his interview stated that the 72 Dolphins would be killed by Brady and co in a match up as their defense would not be able to stop anything.

Face it, most of these guys are pretty senile and instead of being gracious, they all come across as bitter, cantakerous old men who are extremely jealous of the Pats. Don't even get me started on Mercury Morris, the cocaine addict who's now on ESPN shooting off his mouth...

What was the last ridiculous comment he made .. yes, I seem to recall.. he wanted to wear his tuxedo and welcome the Pats like his new "bride"... Is he an idiot or what ?

Mercury Morris went on a tirade about Parcells saying that. It was hilarious to see him practically foaming at the mouth. What was pathetic is that he was damn near abusive to the woman doing the interview with him as if SHE was the one who said it, not Parcells. The funny thing is that Morris was acting like Parcells had never been a part of the game. While I think Parcells is a POS for what he did to the Pats, I also respect what he did with the Giants. He's got a better perspective on this than Morris does.

 

[reflexblue]

I don't get the problem that people are having with this. Shula is absolutely correct. The '72 Dolphins aren't the only team to have an unbeaten regular season, that's been done 4 times now. They are, however, the only team to have an unbeaten regular season and then go undefeated in the playoffs. Unless New England wins the Super Bowl this year, Shula's '72 team will remain the only team to have an undefeated season. New England's 16-0 is historic, because a 16-0 regular season had never been done before. Without the Lombardi, though, this Patriots team still won't be on that same level as the '72 Dolphins.

I'm just throwing this out there To put it another way how many times has the SB been won 41, how many times has a team gone 16-0 in the regular season ONCE. Its a much more difficult achievement to 16-0 than it is to win the SB. In 10 or 15 years if you asked the average fan who won SB 42? they probably would have to think about it if it wasn't the Pats.( perfect season) But from now on how teams will be measured will be the 16-0 season.

 

[MetalBleachers]

When the Patriots complete the 19-0 campaign I guarantee these gigs will be cut in half. Then where will they get all the money for their Geritol, assisted living and prostate exams!

That's what's really sad about all this. Going 17-0 was, for many Dolphins, the greatest accomplishment of their lives. No wonder so many of them are acting small and petty: what else can they feel proud of?

 

[Deus Irae]

You don't see the ridiculousness of Shula and/or Morris running down a camerman every week DURING a Patriots game to get their mugs on TV to proclaim how great the 1972 Dolphins were and how "I'd be the first one to call them to congratulate IF they go all the way"?????????

#1: They have GONE OUT OF THEIR WAY to squeeze their mugs onto TV during this PATRIOTS season of accomplishments.

#2: It would be the right thing to do if Shula calmed down and decided to take a little vacation from holding press conferences for the next 5 weeks. He's already said his fill. At this point, he is desperately trying to share the spotlight - - it's pathetic.

#3: I'd put good money that Shula, Morris, etc. are not foremost on BB's, Brady's etc.'s list of "first people" they'll want to talk with after SB 42.

What makes him so sure they are so hungry for his "blessing"?????????

The hubris is incredible.

What hubris? They are rightfully proud of doing something that has only been done once in the entire history of the league. Are they supposed to all retreat into caves every season when a team gets to 10-0 and every media outlet in the nation calls for their opinion? Shula's got steakhouses all over the place, for example, and these appearances are a great chance to promote that. Why on earth should they shun the interviews?

Now, I'm not saying that Shula doesn't deserve to be called out for that asterisk crap, because he did deserve it and he was called out on it. That doesn't make him wrong about this separate issue, however.

 

[shmessy]

What hubris? They are rightfully proud of doing something that has only been done once in the entire history of the league. Are they supposed to all retreat into caves every season when a team gets to 10-0 and every media outlet in the nation calls for their opinion? Shula's got steakhouses all over the place, for example, and these appearances are a great chance to promote that. Why on earth should they shun the interviews?

Now, I'm not saying that Shula doesn't deserve to be called out for that asterisk crap, because he did deserve it and he was called out on it. That doesn't make him wrong about this separate issue, however.

They have every right to be proud of their achievement.

So did Roger Maris' family in 1998 when McGwire was surpassing 61.

So did Hank Aaaron. How did HE handle it with Barry Bonds' situation this year?

A bit differently than Shual and the '72 Fins, no?

Does he have to be on the telecast EVERY time the Patriots play? Think about it.

There's a difference between between proud and being in your face.

C'mon. They've been whoring this ad nauseum. If you feel they haven't, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it.

 

[fitch]

Deus -
While Shula is, technically, correct, he's is totally downplaying the Pats accomplishment and disregarding how much harder the accomplishment is. Also, Shula, a few years ago, said that 16-0 would never be accomplished and he cited some of the following reasons. (please note that some of these are my own)

1) The salary cap.
2) The free agency era
3) Team turnover because of the first two
4) So many more teams now than there were then (32 compared to 26)
5) The longer schedule (16 compared to 14)
6) The additional wild card round.
7) The changes in the scheduling (Miami no longer getting New England IN Miami late in the season all the time and other scheduling "anomalies")

I could think of a ton of other reason why this is so difficult:

8) The fact that the game is much more complex today as opposed to 35 years ago....compare playbooks
9) The massive amount of media (Internet, sports radio, Cable) - more pressure
10) The money that is involved - sports are much more important to more people today then 35 years ago
11) Think of the number of prime time games that are played (especially by the Pats this year)....how many 8 pm starts did the '72 Dolphins have?
12) The travel on teams today is much greater because there are more teams spread around the country (this certainly did not play a role with the '07 Pats...but it is a factor.

I am sure there are more reasons.

 

[Deus Irae]

They have every right to be proud of their achievement.

So did Roger Maris' family in 1998 when McGwire was surpassing 61.

So did Hank Aaaron. How did HE handle it with Barry Bonds' situation this year?

A bit differently than Shual and the '72 Fins, no?

Does he have to be on the telecast EVERY time the Patriots play? Think about it.

There's a difference between between proud and being in your face.

C'mon. They've been whoring this ad nauseum. If you feel they haven't, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it.

I just don't believe the vitriol is warranted. In the old days, you had to get up to change the channel. Today, you just click a remote. If you've been overwhelmed by Shula interviews, just <click> and he's gone.

As for Maris, just because you brought it up, hindsight shows that we'd all have been better off if his family had raised a stink about things, don't you think? The steroids nonsense would have been dealt with a decade ago and the record books wouldn't be tarnished the way they are now.

 

[ALP]

I don't get the problem that people are having with this. Shula is absolutely correct. The '72 Dolphins aren't the only team to have an unbeaten regular season, that's been done 4 times now. They are, however, the only team to have an unbeaten regular season and then go undefeated in the playoffs. Unless New England wins the Super Bowl this year, Shula's '72 team will remain the only team to have an undefeated season. New England's 16-0 is historic, because a 16-0 regular season had never been done before. Without the Lombardi, though, this Patriots team still won't be on that same level as the '72 Dolphins.

sure...or u can say that when the pats go 17-0, winning only ONE playoff game, they would have matched the 72 fins

 

[shmessy]

I just don't believe the vitriol is warranted. In the old days, you had to get up to change the channel. Today, you just click a remote. If you've been overwhelmed by Shula interviews, just <click> and he's gone.

As for Maris, just because you brought it up, hindsight shows that we'd all have been better off if his family had raised a stink about things, don't you think? The steroids nonsense would have been dealt with a decade ago and the record books wouldn't be tarnished the way they are now.

#1) A little hard to do when he is in the frickin' booth during a Patriots game, no?

#2) It wasn't for Maris' family to do, was it? THAT is the job of the media. Just like in this situation. If Shula has a great case, there will be plenty of media to do it for him. If he doesn't, he will be a lone voice. His and Morris' etc. are becoming lonelier and lonelier. If other people make your case for you, it has more weight.

 

[Water Boy]

I don't get the problem that people are having with this. Shula is absolutely correct. The '72 Dolphins aren't the only team to have an unbeaten regular season, that's been done 4 times now. They are, however, the only team to have an unbeaten regular season and then go undefeated in the playoffs. Unless New England wins the Super Bowl this year, Shula's '72 team will remain the only team to have an undefeated season. New England's 16-0 is historic, because a 16-0 regular season had never been done before. Without the Lombardi, though, this Patriots team still won't be on that same level as the '72 Dolphins.

I believe everyone in the Patriots locker room would agree.

 

[Patradomous]

My response to the mountain reference would be the 72 Dolphins are on top Mt.McKinley.the Pats would be on top Mt Everest.

 

[Deus Irae]

#1) A little hard to do when he is in the frickin' booth during a Patriots game, no?

Most remotes have a mute button, too.

#2) It wasn't for Maris' family to do, was it? THAT is the job of the media. Just like in this situation. If Shula has a great case, there will be plenty of media to do it for him. If he doesn't, he will be a lone voice. His and Morris' etc. are becoming lonelier and lonelier. If other people make your case for you, it has more weight.

That wasn't the point. By making that asinine asterisk comment, Shula actually helped to settle that issue in the Patriots favor when the uproar caused him to back down. Had the Maris family railed against the suspicious lurch in power numbers, perhaps that scandal could have been deal with much earlier and before so much damage was done. Also, anyone who trusts the media to do their job is an idiot and deserves the railroading they will eventually get. And a fan of this Patriots team and this coach should know that quite well by now.

 

[National Sports Advisors]

The walls are closing in on the 72 Dolphins and it's only a matter of weeks before these guys fade on off into the sunset, which they should have done a LONG time ago. Fact is, they will not be a story anymore if the Pats cap off a 19-0 season. Nobody is going to be calling these guys and asking them to come on TV for interviews the next time a team flirts with an undefeated season if the Pats do it this year. The best part of it all is that a Pats undefeated season will take away a lot of the luster and mystique of the Miami Dolphins franchise as a whole.

 

[psychoPat]

....
it would seem to me that they would have a whole lot more to gain in terms of respect, endorsements and media time if they took this attitude:
we are rooting for the patriots to join us on the top of the mountain,
if for no other reason than to remind people how hard it is to do what we did.
we'll be honest with you, we're competitors and so there's always going to be a part of us that wants to remain alone up here,
but, all in all, we wish the patriots well in pulling off an undefeated season through the playoffs
and joining us on the mountaintop. The champagne's on us. Go Pats!

....

Will you become my PR handler
when i need one?

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Will you become my PR handler
when i need one?

hah hah. thanks. it just seems common sense to me. you catch more flies with sugar than vinegar.

 

[FrontSeven]

Trying to downplay another team's achievements in order to vault your own team's achievements seems to be the stick up everybody's ass.

So who said all these things, archived here?

"He had to do it in a dome", "He has happy feet", "He had Harrison and Wayne", "He's got a fat forehead", "I hate everything about him", "He whines after a pick", "He can't play under pressure", "He doesn't have three rings", "He's overrated", "His father sucked", "He's a hick with no class like Brady".

 

[shmessy]

Trying to downplay another team's achievements in order to vault your own team's achievements seems to be the stick up everybody's ass.

So who said all these things, archived here?

"He had to do it in a dome", "He has happy feet", "He had Harrison and Wayne", "He's got a fat forehead", "I hate everything about him", "He whines after a pick", "He can't play under pressure", "He doesn't have three rings", "He's overrated", "His father sucked", "He's a hick with no class like Brady".

No one who is a professional player/coach, that's who.

Fans will be fans. Always have always will.

Lemme know when you have BB, Brady, etc. saying those things on TV during a Colts game and you'll have a good point.

 

[slam]

If the Pats close this thing out, I look forward to the day in the not so near future when a team gets off to a hot start and the talking heads ask each other to measure the team against the Dolphins and Pats. Someone is liable to say that this hot team looks better than the Dolphins but not as good as the Pats. And then Mercury Morris will cry.

 

[newton_tom_cat]

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this, but PROPS TO YOU MIKE REISS...

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2008/01/01/perfect_questions/?page=2



I love the last sentence.. Its the sentiment that MANY Pats fans have voiced.

i hate to tell you but shula is right. we havent had a perfect season like they did winning every regular and post - season game. not yet anyway. get with the program people. i spelled it all out in this previous post
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showpost.php?p=709652&postcount=1

 

[Pats Fanatic]

Would the Dolphins be so uppity if the team was the Lions or Rams. These two teams didn't like each other back then. The Pats and Fish have a long history with each other that may some effect in the manner they are acting.