In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolphins?

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Sort of a trivia question....

In 2012 The Patriots are going to try and accomplish something that no other team has done since the 1972 Dolphins.

And the answer is NOT an undefeated perfect season.

The 2012 season is going to be the 40th anniversary and 40 years since this feat was successful.....what is it?

 

[Arrington Planet]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

If my memory is correct, I think it's winning the Super Bowl the season after losing it... am I right?

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

If my memory is correct, I think it's winning the Super Bowl the season after losing it... am I right?

Kudos Arrington,you got it right,I guess I thought this was going to be a little tougher to answer.

With that being said.....it truly is almost impossible to accomplish and I ask those who can give me valid reasons why NE will halt this streak at 40 to give me hope,I would be happy to hear them.

I hate these long negative trends,but it shows you of just how hard it is to get back to the Super Bowl the next year and win it.

The scary thing is,is that in many of these early years there was no cap to worry about yet it was never done....in fact the last team to just get back to the Super Bowl the following season goes back to the mid 90s Bills IIAC

One thing we can all be assured of is if you go by past history then the Pats have quite a ridiculously hard task ahead of them.

 

[Delicate Genius]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

I thought the answer was 45 kilos of coke, which is what Mercury Morris did two days after Super Bowl VII.

 

[chicowalker]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

Kudos Arrington,you got it right,I guess I thought this was going to be a little tougher to answer.

With that being said.....it truly is almost impossible to accomplish and I ask those who can give me valid reasons why NE will halt this streak at 40 to give me hope,I would be happy to hear them.

I hate these long negative trends,but it shows you of just how hard it is to get back to the Super Bowl the next year and win it.

The scary thing is,is that in any of these early years there was no cap to worry about yet it was never done....in fact the last team to just get back to the Super Bowl the following season goes back to the mid 90s Bills IIAC

Isn't it uncommon because simply getting to the SB, let alone winning it, is pretty difficult? Only one team each year could possibly do this -- mathematically, it's unlikely.

The Pats were very good last year and easily could have won.

They should be very good again this year, and with a good draft could be signficantly improved.

They'll need to stay healthy and get some breaks, but they've got about as good a shot at winning as anybody. (and they are, of course, the only team that can duplicate the '72 Dolphins' feat this season )

 

[Avenger]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

Barring a serious injury to you know who I have no doubt we would have been back for the 08 season. Barring an injury this year I say we go back. The team has only improved.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

Isn't it uncommon because simply getting to the SB, let alone winning it, is pretty difficult? Only one team each year could possibly do this -- mathematically, it's unlikely.

The Pats were very good last year and easily could have won.

They should be very good again this year, and with a good draft could be signficantly improved.

They'll need to stay healthy and get some breaks, but they've got about as good a shot at winning as anybody. (and they are, of course, the only team that can duplicate the '72 Dolphins' feat this season )

Yeah,getting to the Super Bowl is extremely hard once,let alone two years in a row but when I look back at decades ago and when teams pretty much kept almost all of their roster intact because there was no cap involved like there is today,it's amazing no team ever got it done during those years.

 

[Sciz]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

I could handle an undefeated, Super Bowl-winning season like the 1972 Dolphins!

 

[supafly]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

I could handle an undefeated, Super Bowl-winning season like the 1972 Dolphins!

Pffffttt..

Call me when you're in the same neighborhood.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

Last year's team was very young especially on Defense. So the Defense should get better just from more experience, as will the Offense that is older, but much deeper and also already very good.

Plus the AFCE title should be easier, as the opposition has declined. Similarly, there are fewer great AFC teams to fight for the AFCC title.

 

[randomk1]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

The AFC is pretty weak. NE should be favorites for atleast a SB trip.

 

[Efstratios]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

I have all the confidence in the world that this team will make it back to the AFCCG this coming season. But advancing beyond that point? Well that depends on who we play and how much the D has improved.

 

[PATSNUTme]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

Sort of a trivia question....

In 2012 The Patriots are going to try and accomplish something that no other team has done since the 1972 Dolphins.

And the answer is NOT an undefeated perfect season.

The 2012 season is going to be the 40th anniversary and 40 years since this feat was successful.....what is it?

I was going to say " the beginning of becoming a bunch of self absorbed, hateful, old men". But I would have been wrong ( and right).

 

[jmt57]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

Off the top of my head I can think of a couple of possible reasons why this (Super Bowl loser returns to SB the following year) so seldom happens.

In recent years as noted previously there is the salary cap and free agency, the double-edged sword which makes it difficult for either the winner or loser to return. Since the winner usually has a better roster, they should be better equipped to handle some FA losses; therefore they should be more likely to pull a repeat appearance off.

Perhaps the biggest deterrent for either team is the length of the season. Players need time to recuperate; teams that make it to the SB have less time to do so than those that do not. Before the merger the championship game was held in December; now it's in February. Even when that '72 Dolphins team played the conference championship games were held in December. While strides have been made in therapy and rehab, today's players are so much bigger and stronger than in previous generations it inflicts more wear on a body from the hits players take. SB teams play 19 games; it used to be 17 ('72) or just 13 (pre merger).

Another factor is the way the competitive balance between the two conferences has ebbed and flowed over the years. From 1968-1980 the AFL/AFC went 10-2; it didn't matter who lost in the NFC, they generally weren't going to win the SB the following year. From 1984 to 1996 the NFC won every Super Bowl, so again it didn't matter who lost the SB; they weren't going to win it all the next year. I don't believe that to be a factor now, but I do believe it has a lot to do with why we haven't seen this (SB loser wins next season) over the course of the last 40 years; there were long stretches of time when one conference was noticeably better. That losing team was quite often not the second best team in the league; they were more likely no more than the third, fourth, or fifth best team in the league.


As for the chances of the Patriots winning it all in 2012, I would say it depends on whether you view the glass half full or half empty. On one hand there are so many teams with legitimate chances to win it all that the chances of the Pats winning the SB is relatively small - maybe 10%, if that - and that's before factoring in injuries, bad bounces, etc. On the other hand the same holds true for all the other SB contenders; it's not as if anyone else has more than that 10% or so chance of winning it all either.




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[SHOWTIME15]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

Last year's team was very young especially on Defense. So the Defense should get better just from more experience, as will the Offense that is older, but much deeper and also already very good.

Plus the AFCE title should be easier, as the opposition has declined. Similarly, there are fewer great AFC teams to fight for the AFCC title.

The patriots have improved the most out of all AFC teams, and will only get etter with two first round picks.

I see denver as a threat, especially if manning does what he is capable of. Baltimore wants revenge from last year but they are already old. Pittsburgh is old too. I dont see anyone else.

 

[jmt57]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

The patriots have improved the most out of all AFC teams, and will only get etter with two first round picks.

I see denver as a threat, especially if manning does what he is capable of. Baltimore wants revenge from last year but they are already old. Pittsburgh is old too. I dont see anyone else.

I don't consider Baltimore to be as old as many do. Really it is just three players: Ray Lewis (36), Ed Reed (33) and Matt Birk (35); almost everyone else is under 30. To me the losses of LB Jarret Johnson and DL Cory Redding in free agency are more significant, though they seem to have a history of being able to keep on plugging in new players on that D without skipping a beat.

I agree Pittsburgh is a question mark due to the age/losses on defense and the never-ending issues with their offensive line. However, they are a well-run organization and the prediction of their demise may be premature.

In my opinion Houston may be the biggest threat in the AFC. They were arguably the best team in the AFC last year until injuries finally caught up with them. People point to the losses of Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans, but Williams played in only five games last year and Ryan was a one-down player who was misfit for that scheme. Their three best players on offense missed a combined 18 games and they still made it to the division round of the playoffs with a third-string QB. Think how well they can do with a healthy Schaub, Johnson and Foster; on top of that the entire roster is under the age of 31.

Cincinnati is another team that could be very good. Their defense is very good and they too are young and athletic. I just don't know if Marvin Lewis is capable of putting together back-to-back winning seasons.

Denver as pointed out is a legitimate contender, with an all-time great QB added to a team that already has a sound defense and good running game.

Then there is almost always that one team that surprises everyone. Perhaps it will be the Chiefs, who played some very good defense (11 points per game) down the stretch once Romeo Crennel took over.



I think the AFC is much better than many make it out to be, and because of that I think the chances of returning to the Super Bowl will be more difficult than many believe it will be.




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[everlong]

Re: In 2012 Can the Patriots do something no other team has done since the 1972 Dolph

I don't think we can properly answer this question until after the draft and getting a look in the preseason at how it will all gel. Right now they have all the same issues as last year's team. We'll have to see how the receiving corps, the running game without Benny, the pass rush and the secondary all shake out.