Althouse: "Pop the champagne, '72 Dolphins. Go nuts."

December 18, 2011

"Pop the champagne, '72 Dolphins. Go nuts."

"The Packers' pursuit of perfection is officially over."

34 comments:

caplight45 said...: Oh, and three hours ago it was, "Ugh... football game...."

Cue Mercury Morris and his insufferable preening.; 12/18/11, 7:23 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Oh, and three hours ago it was, "Ugh... football game....""

Well, that's still the way we feel, but it's some consolation to know that your team won. I hope it means we'll sharpen up and crush the Bears and Lions.; 12/18/11, 7:26 PM
Petunia said...: That was just a pathetic performance by the Packers. Better to lose now than in the playoffs, obviously, but if they play like that again, they'll get blown out.

Lost a couple of O-linemen too. Ugh.; 12/18/11, 7:26 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: Can't believe they lost to the Chefs of all teams.; 12/18/11, 7:30 PM
HT said...: The pack went not with a bang, but a whimper. And apparently a really bad call against them. But as a Washington fan, I'm used to really bad calls.

I'm putting my opinion on Tebow on hold. New England dominated Denver. Tebow had 1.5 quarters of good play.

I still think it's too chaotic, they way he plays, he's not fitting in, and that can be trouble.

Something will have to change. The teams he's beaten are not super duper. NE apparently still is.

To be fair, he is still really young. But how can you suddenly develop a good throwing arm? There's just no question that that will have to be part of his future.; 12/18/11, 7:30 PM
kjbe said...: I had a sense, this week, that they'd overlook this game. All you can do is shake it off and work on that pass protection - and with the injuries that'll be a huge challenge.; 12/18/11, 7:37 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: I'm screwed. Aaron Rodgers is my fantasy football quarterback. Now that the Packers are 'defeated', but have home field wrapped up, they're not going to play Rodgers much until the playoffs. Next week I'm in the damn championship game for my league. Eff.; 12/18/11, 7:39 PM
edutcher said...: The Navajo believe that, if a woman weaves a perfect blanket, she'll die.

Apply the same to the Pack and take comfort they'll be around for the playoffs.

Joe Schmoe said...

Can't believe they lost to the Chefs of all teams.

Great googly moogly, as the man said.; 12/18/11, 7:50 PM
HT said...: Have the Packers wrapped up home field advantage? Thought SF had to lose first.; 12/18/11, 7:54 PM
David said...: Best team in NFL is . . ...........................

Saints!; 12/18/11, 7:58 PM
Defenseman Emeritus said...: Cue Mercury Morris and his insufferable preening.

Mercury Morris knows the Patriots went 18-0 (besting the 1972 Dolphins' 17-0) before losing in the Super Bowl after Asante Samuel let a game-clinching interception slip through his hands and David Tyree made the luckiest "catch" (trapping the ball against his helmet) in football history...he never played another NFL game.

18-0 > 17-0. I refuse to argue about it. BTW, I started to type in "Mercury Morris D" to get info on the Dolphins' '72 season and the second item on Google's autosuggest was "Mercury Morris douchebag." The people have spoken.; 12/18/11, 8:00 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: David said:
Best team in NFL is . . ...........................

Saints!

For this week, anyways.

Drew Brees is now my fave for MVP over Rodgers.; 12/18/11, 8:15 PM
kjbe said...: I think I'm still not really used to not being undefeated. Monday morning will be kind of strange.; 12/18/11, 8:16 PM
Anonymous said...: Mercury Morris was pretty supportive of the Pack - I think because they have been relatively humble and focused on "one game at a time".

Here's hoping we're 18-1 this season.
(although other than our punter having a super terrific day, the rest of the team is making me nervous about the playoffs); 12/18/11, 8:22 PM
bagoh20 said...: 18-1 < perfect

17-0 = perfect; 12/18/11, 8:22 PM
Anonymous said...: "Jermichael" is ebonic for "he who drops football passes"; 12/18/11, 8:24 PM
Tom from Virginia said...: The Patriot fan in me is pleased they are still the only regular season 16-0 team.; 12/18/11, 8:26 PM
MadisonMan said...: All the zeros are gone. Pack loses, Colts win.; 12/18/11, 8:27 PM
Defenseman Emeritus said...: bagoh20: not only is 18-0 > 17-0,
but the Pats won 21 in a row spanning the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

21-0 >>> 17-0. Mercury Morris can suck it.; 12/18/11, 8:36 PM
Kev said...: (the other kev)

Aren't all the '72 Dolphins dead by now? No? Damn. Sorry, I hate to wish ill on people I've never met, but damn those are some insufferable pricks.; 12/18/11, 8:44 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: HT, you may be right about homefield. I assumed the Pack had it wrapped up 'cuz I didn't think any other NFC team could hit 13 wins. But maybe SF could if they win out. I hope so. That would mean the Packers have a meaningful game worth playing for next week.; 12/18/11, 8:56 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: Defenseman Emeritus (love the name BTW), fellow Pats fan, but I have to disagree with you. 16-0 means nothing to me w/o the Lombardi Trophy. A nice feat, but you play to win the Super Bowl.

I'm proud the Pats went for it all. I hate those pussy teams (read: Colts) who say 'it's too much pressure' and then lose a game on purpose.

I was pulling for the Pack to do it this year.; 12/18/11, 9:10 PM
Icepick said...: The 1972 Dolphins had a chip on their shoulder going into the 1972 season. They had been the best team the year before, but screwed around and lost the Super Bowl at the end of the season. They decided that they would come back the next year and make their point by winning all their games.

They did so. I believe they remain the only team in NFL history to finish the season first in both overall offense AND overall defense. To put the cherry on top they came back and won the Super Bowl following the next season too.

For those accomplishments the Dolphins were - largely forgotten. Despite their perfect record, their rare accomplishment of being the best offense AND defense in the league, winning two straight NFL championships and playing for three straight, they were overshadowed even by teams (the Dallas Cowboys) that had no where near the resume they had.

So, they kept a chip on their shoulder - a small one. Many of them continued to live in Miami after their playing days were done, so they kept in touch. Some of them started (quietly) celebrating each year when every team in the NFL had suffered a loss. It was at least as much so they could get together and remember their singular accomplishments (note the plural) as a team.

Eventually some reporter picked up on it, and all of a sudden they're the world's worst people. Forget the really bad guys in the world (the Kims and Assads and such), they're considered worse people than Evil Little Bill (besides cheating in the NFL, he's also been a true putz in his personal life), Ray Lewis (who at the very least aided and abetted murder after the fact), Michael Vick (organized illegal gambling, dog fighting, general sadisitic behavior), and a host of other scoundrels that populate the NFL.

All for popping some bubbly once a year to remember that they have accomplishments to their names that no one else does. How I love the unreasoning hatred of fans of other, lesser teams!; 12/18/11, 9:22 PM
Petunia said...: If the 49ers lose tomorrow, the Packers have home field through the playoffs.

Otherwise, I think the 49ers have to win all three remaining games, and the Packers have to lose their last two, for the 49ers to have home field throughout the playoffs.

So the Packers just have to win one of the last two. I think.; 12/18/11, 10:12 PM
mccullough said...: Rodgers hurt his MVP chances with the loss. I'd put Brees and Rodgers as tied right now. Other than that, the Packers should be fine.; 12/18/11, 10:13 PM
Browndog said...: Patriots rule the modern era.

Such a lovely (nick)name-

GO BLUE.; 12/18/11, 10:22 PM
Patrick said...: It sucks that they lost, and that they cannot have the perfect season. That said, I'm glad that the Packers can consider a one loss season a "disappointment."; 12/18/11, 10:28 PM
Eli Blake said...: The Colts could afford to win a game to silence the people who claimed they were losing on purpose. Everyone else in the league has two wins or more, so the Colts are still in position to draft Andrew Luck.

But you can't tell me that a team two years removed from the Super Bowl is that bad, even if Peyton "trade bait" Manning is out for the year.; 12/19/11, 5:07 AM
Phil 314 said...: Pats looked good, and that's tough to say as a Broncos fan. But hey, we thought we were only going to get 4 wins this year.

Packers looked bad. Lineman's tib/fib fracture looked worse.; 12/19/11, 7:15 AM
Curious George said...: "mccullough said...
Other than that, the Packers should be fine."

Hardly fine. Could be major issues with the O-Line now. Sherrod out with a broken leg. Bulaga hurt the same knee that kept him out two games earler in the year, return status unknown. Clifton still has back and hamstring problems, return status unknown.; 12/19/11, 8:08 AM
ndspinelli said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 12/19/11, 8:24 AM
mishu said...: Hah! I was a big fan of the '72 Dolphins back then. After reading all the whiny bitching from Pats fans, I still am. bagoh20's right 18-0 (or 21-0 for that matter) ain't shit without the Lombardi trophy. Pats fans can bite me.; 12/19/11, 8:27 AM
X said...: They had been the best team the year before, but screwed around and lost the Super Bowl at the end of the season.

Dallas edged them 24-3.; 12/19/11, 12:06 PM
Jose_K said...: I lived in Coral Gable between 72-73.It was great.When you are 7 yo a Flipper´s team and invictus call your attention; 12/19/11, 7:00 PM