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NFL's top dynasties
NFL's top dynasties
Steelers of the 1970s are No. 1, Pats not far behind
Posted: Monday February 7, 2005 5:54PM; Updated: Tuesday February 8, 2005 8:56AM
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Pittsburgh Steelers
Lynn Swann led the Steelers past the Cowboys in Super Bowl X.
Heinz Kluetmeier/SI
Patriots 24, Eagles 21
Special from the top down
By Peter King
Credit Bill Belichick and the Pats' coaching staff for building a team with a unique hunger for success.
Patriots make their mark
By Don Banks
This year's Super Bowl proves the Pats are among history's best teams.
• Snap Judgments: Belichick to HOF
Eagles disappointment
By John Donovan
Eagles will soon look back with regret at all their blown opportunities.
• Closer Look: Screens kill Eagles
Broadcast Blog
By Richard Deitsch
Owner-cam and Sir Paul McCartney overload: A minute-by-minute account of FOX's Super Bowl broadcast.
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Complete SI.com Super Bowl Coverage
Mike McAllister, SI.com
1. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1974-79
Four Super Bowl titles in six years was their net worth. But here's another way to look at it -- had it not been for the Steelers, the Cowboys or the Raiders of that era might have ended up among the top-five NFL dynasties. Ten Steelers, including coach Chuck Noll, eventually ended up in the Hall of Fame. "The Steelers had the best grouping of players in the history of the game," ex-49ers coach Bill Walsh said recently. "No question about it."
2. Green Bay Packers, 1961-67
Five NFL titles in seven years, including the first two Super Bowls. A larger-than-life coach in Vince Lombardi (and a larger-than-life win in the Ice Bowl, Lombardi's last game as the Packers coach at Lambeau). Twelve Hall of Famers. No wonder the Packers only lost 20 games in that seven-year span.
3. Dallas Cowboys 1992-95
Three Super Bowl wins in four years -- and yet the Cowboys will always play the what-if game. What if Jimmy Johnson had remained as coach? And what if Jerry Jones had kept his roster intact instead of seeing it raided by free agency? "I don't believe our team was anywhere near finished doing what we could have done," said QB Troy Aikman.
4. San Francisco 49ers, 1981-89
Two Super Bowl wins for Joe Montana. Then two more throwing to Jerry Rice. Montana's the only three-time Super Bowl MVP; Rice will go down as the league's greatest receiver. The 49ers, of course, were more than just those two. And don't forget the NFL's greatest backup QB, new Hall of Famer Steve Young, who led the 49ers to another Super Bowl in the mid-'90s after Montana's departure.
5. New England Patriots, 2001-04
Unlike the first four teams, the Pats are not a team that relies on stars. Just seven position players since '01 have made the Pro Bowl (compared to the '90s Cowboys with 17 Pro Bowl performers). Instead, it's the coaching of Bill Belichick and his staff that sets the Pats apart. But the dynasty talk can wait for later. "Not now, not for me," Belichick said.
6. Cleveland Browns 1946-55
In a 10-year span, Paul Brown's club won seven titles in the AAFC and the NFL. In '50, when the Browns joined the NFL, their first game was against the defending-champion Eagles. Final score? Browns 35, Eagles 10. Enough said.
7. Miami Dolphins, 1971-73
Three straight Super Bowl appearances, with wins in '72 and '73. Their title success takes a backseat to the undefeated '72 season, the NFL's only perfect mark (17-0). That clinking of champagne glasses each fall comes from Miami when the last undefeated team is finally knocked off. They've downed plenty of bubbly since '72.
8. Chicago Bears 1940-43
George Halas' team won three championships and reached the title game in the other year. The Bears' domination is epitomized in their '40 title win when they routed the Washington Redskins 73-0. That made the 37-9 title victory over the New York Giants the next year pale in comparison.
9. Dallas Cowboys 1970-78
In a nine-season span, Tom Landry's Cowboys played in five Super Bowls and won two. Jim O'Brien's field goal denied them in '70, and the Steelers' dynasty cost the Cowboys two other wins. The more impressive number came in playoff appearances -- 18 straight from '66-83.
10. Buffalo Bills, 1990-93
Can you build a dynasty without actually winning a title? If so, say hello to Marv Levy's Bills. No other team has played in four straight Super Bowls. If victories are required, may we suggest the '64-66 Bills, who reached the AFL title game all three years, winning twice.
Best NFL teams of ALL TIME
Greatest NFL teams of all time
Page 2 staff
Football season is nearly upon us, so Page 2 thought it would be a good time to stir up the debate about which team is the greatest of all time.
William Perry
William "The Refrigerator" Perry shuffles into the end zone in Super Bowl XX.
We've compiled our list below, but we want to hear what you think. Check out our list, then see how our readers ranked their choices for the greatest NFL team of all time. And be sure to vote in the poll to crown the greatest NFL team in history.
1. 1985 Bears
It was, undeniably, cocky for the Bears to record the "Super Bowl Shuffle" video before the playoffs even started, but, to paraphrase an old saying, it ain't cocky if you can back it up.
The 1985 Bears were QBed by the punky, and effective, Jim McMahon. The running attack? Sweetness and, at times, the Fridge. Defense? Impenetrable. The Bears finished the regular season with a 15-1 record, scoring 456 points while allowing only 198.
And they blew through the playoffs, shutting out the Giants 21-0 and then the Rams 24-0 for the NFC title. After the Bears demolished the Pats 46-10 in the Super Bowl, Patriots guard Ron Wooten said, "Before the end, it kind of felt like we were the team that the Globetrotters play all the time."
2. 1972 Dolphins
The Dolphins want recognition as the greatest team of all time simply because they went through the regular season and the playoffs undefeated, ending up with a 17-0 record. We don't deny this is a great accomplishment -- a singular one, in fact. But this is, ultimately, a thin argument.
Consider, for example, that the Dolphins played one of the easiest schedules in modern NFL history -- the opposition had a combined winning percentage under .400. Unlike the 1985 Bears, the Dolphins didn't stroll through the playoffs. They beat the Steelers in the AFC title game by only four points, 21-17, and were underdogs going into the Super Bowl against the Redskins, who they defeated 14-7. Undefeated underdogs? That means you're not beaten, but you are beatable. We salute the greatness of head coach Don Shula, QB Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris, Jim Kiick, Garo Yepremian, et al. But the Bears would have beaten them in a head-to-head matchup.
Paul Hornung
Paul Hornung helped power Green Bay's potent offense.
3. 1962 Packers
What a team: Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Max McGee and Boyd Dowler, a great offensive line, the power sweep, and a defense that held opponents to less than 11 points per game.
The preseason foreshadowed what would come -- the Pack got through the six-game exhibition schedule without a loss. Then they got going for real, winning their first four regular season games by the lopsided combined total of 109-14. The Packers added six more wins before losing their 11th game to the Lions. That's 16 straight. In their Nov. 11 contest against Philly, they racked up 628 yards on offense, while holding the Eagles to only 54. That's humiliation.
In the NFL championship game against the Giants, linebacker Ray Nitschke almost single-handedly shut down Y.A. Tittle's offense, and Green Bay triumphed 16-7.
Mark Rypien
Mark Rypien threw for 292 yards and 2 TDs to earn MVP honors in Super Bowl XXVI.
4. 1991 Redskins
As ESPN contributor Eddie Epstein has noted, you can look at two stats to get a pretty good idea of just how great a team is: yards gained per pass attempt, and yards allowed per pass attempt. The 1991 'Skins topped the NFL in each category, with Mark Rypien averaging 8.5 yards per attempt, while his colleagues on Washington's defense allowed only 6 yards per attempt.
Rypien's targets? Art Monk, who caught 71 passes for 1,049 yards, and Gary Clark, who averaged almost 20 yards per catch, gaining 1,340 yards on 70 receptions. Washington was also good on the ground, with Earnest Byner and Ricky Ervins combining for 1,708 yards.
The 'Skins outscored their opponents 485-224, and they had a tough schedule. After going 14-2, they romped through the NFC playoffs, beating the Falcons 24-7 and demolishing the Lions 41-10 on their way to the Super Bowl. In the Big Game, the 'Skins beat the cursed early-1990s Bills 37-24.
5. 1999 Rams
Was there anything more exciting during the 1999 season than watching the Rams' grocery-clerk led offense? The Rams scored 526 points during their 13-3 regular season, an average of almost 33 points per game. Kurt Warner threw 41 TD passes on his way to a 109.2 QB rating, and Marshall Faulk ran for 1,381 yards (an average of 5.5 yards per carry) and caught 87 passes for another thousand yards?
Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner led a Rams offesne that averaged nearly 33 points a game in 1999.
The defense wasn't too shabby, either, allowing only 15 points per game, fourth in the NFL. In the playoffs, the Rams proved they could win high-scoring ballgames (they beat the Vikings 49-37 in the divisional playoff), low-scoring ballgames (they beat the Bucs 11-6 for the NFC title), and a rare the-hell-with-the-dip Super Bowl over the Titans 23-16.
6. 1989 49ers
Joe Montana completed more than 70 percent of his passes and threw for an average of 9½ yards for every attempted pass. That's partially because he had two great targets: wide receiver Jerry Rice, who snagged 82 passes for 1,483 yards, and wide receiver John Taylor, who caught 60 passes for 1,077 yards.
The Niners were also effective on the ground (Roger Craig rushed for 1,000-plus yards), and their pass defense was one of the best in the league. Just how good was this team? Before they faced the Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV, Terry Bradshaw made his famous prediction: "There is no way the 49ers can lose. It could be 55-3 by halftime." He wasn't far off the mark. The 49ers led by 27-3 at the half, and went on to win 55-10.
7. 1979 Steelers
It's hard to decide which was the best of the four Steelers teams that won Super Bowls in the 1970s, but we'll take the '79 edition, when Pittsburgh's offense was most potent and the defense was still going strong.
The Steelers were the NFL's best offensive team in 1979: Terry Bradshaw threw for 3,724 yards and 26 TDs, Franco Harris averaged 4.4 yards per carry on his way to 1,186 yards on the ground, and Rocky Bleier and Sidney Thornton combined for 1,019 yards. And Lynn Swann and John Stallworth were formidable threats at WR. The Steelers went 12-4 during the regular season and beat the Rams 31-19 in the Super Bowl.
8. 1994 49ers
In 1994, Steve Young answered the critics who said he couldn't quite fill the shoes of Joe Montana. That season, Young led what may have been the greatest offense in NFL history, completing 70.3 percent of his passes for 3,969 yards and 35 TDs.
His main target, was, of course, Jerry Rice, who caught 112 passes for a league-leading 1,499 yards and 13 TDs, Ricky Watters caught 66 passes coming out of the backfield and TE Brent Jones caught 49 passes and scored nine TDs. The 49ers finished the regular season with a 13-3 record. In three playoff games, the 49ers scored 131 points -- an average of 43.7 a game, and romped to a 49-26 Super Bowl win over the Chargers. Oh, and the defense wasn't too shabby either -- it was ranked sixth in the NFL in 1994.
9. 1996 Packers
Green Bay had it all in 1996 -- the best offense and the best defense in the NFL. Brett Favre, who was named NFL MVP in 1996, completed almost 60 percent of his passes for 3,899 yards and 39 TDs. And he was ably backed up by Jim McMahon, who completed 75 percent of his four passes.
After their 13-3 regular season, the Pack didn't have too much trouble on the way to their Super Bowl victory over the Patriots in New Orleans -- Green Bay scored 100 points in three playoff games and their average margin of victory was 17-plus points.
10. 1971 Cowboys
The 1971 Cowboys boasted a fast, multifaceted offense that scored 40-plus points five times during the 14-game regular season.
With Roger Staubach (who racked up a 104.8 QB rating) sharing duties with Craig Morton for part of the season, the 'Boys could come at defenses from all angles. Duane Thomas gained almost 800 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Walt Garrison caught 40 passes coming out of the backfield. Calvin Hill played only eight games, but gained 468 yards on the ground. And wide receiver Bob Hayes averaged an incredible 26.9 yards per reception.
In the playoffs, the defense took over, holding the 49ers to a single field goal in the NFC championship game and the Dolphins to one field goal in the Super Bowl.
Also receiving votes:
# 1955 Browns
# 1974 Steelers
# 1973 Dolphins
See I even made sure to show your boys being top teams!! LOL. I can't wait for the regular season to start. You truly can't tell much about how good a team is until you're seeing all of the blitzes and stunts the opposing D co-ordinators are going to throw at your team. This NEVER happens in preseason as to not give away change in plays and such so SOME teams can't get them down on tape...muahahaha.
Hey guys, speaking of yesteryear, I found a great youtube of THE ENTIRE superbowl 13 in Miami ( Steelers vs Cowboys).. When you are bored, watch the entire broadcast here ( I watched it all last week)-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Ckc8OHbgU (that's part one, you can see the rest of the parts to the right there)
Now THAT is some nice stuff.. Jack Lambert was a beast. Same for Randy White for the cowboys. A VERY physical game... Quite a few legends in that Super Bowl .. The whole broadcast is there, right from the national anthem at the beginning, to the halftime show, all the way through to the end..
Just great to watch many decades later.. Look at those commercials and the music being played.. Funny stuff. That Steeler team of the mid to late 70's was really good ( I'm sure Blk'nGld will thank me for this).
PS- they also have all of Super bowl 10 there on youtube ( Steelers and Cowboys again, and again from Miami.. just search for "Super Bowl X") :thumbsup(22):
. The NY Jets kicked our asses without him (not in the early September humidity mind you), but that guy makes Miami a different team.
