It’s Tough to Buck These Broncos

The Miami Dolphins, who finished 17-0 in 1972, were obviously the NFL’s best team that year, but they were hardly the best of all time. And, scrolling back, perhaps you’ll agree that the ’72 Dolphins would have been clobbered by any team that could play football as well as the Denver Broncos are playing this year.

As the Broncos bid for 14-0 at New York today and possibly 15-0 next weekend at Miami, know this: In pro football, 1972 wasn’t a very good year.

For one thing, the NFC was then in a down cycle. The Minnesota Vikings, for example, were in the midst of losing their four Super Bowls. And in Washington, George Allen’s Redskins were playing with over-the-hill overachievers and a resurrected quarterback, Billy Kilmer, a converted halfback.

At the Super Bowls ending the seasons of ’72 and ‘73, the Dolphins beat the Redskins one year and the Vikings the next in the top games of a dull, running-play era. The Vikings collapsed in Super Bowl VIII as, that day, Miami’s Bob Griese threw seven passes.

The ’72 Dolphins, compared to the ’98 Broncos, were ordinary on offense except for wide receiver Paul Warfield. At quarterback, Griese was no John Elway. At fullback, Larry Csonka was no Terrell Davis. Though the no-name defense was superb, the Davis-Elway threat would have been too much.

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Rewarding failure: Pass interference is getting renewed attention this month in the uproar over officiating. And a big part of the problem can be stated as a question: Are defensive backs “just playing football,” as some say, when they nudge or bump downfield receivers?

The answer? No. A defensive back who interferes, even slightly, with a downfield receiver has typically been beaten in the race for the ball. Or he fears that he’s going to be beaten. Thus, to disrupt things anyhow, he makes an illegal move or two.

On such a play, when pass interference is not called, it’s a reward to the defensive back for being out-played. And, plainly, the NFL shouldn’t be in the business of rewarding failure.

What’s needed here, possibly, is better understanding of what it takes to disrupt a well-executed pass play today. To begin with, throwing an NFL pass accurately under a heavy rush is one of the toughest assignments in team sports. Accordingly, slight but illegal contact downfield by a cornerback who is “just playing football” can ruin a perfect play.

If the ball is thrown 15 yards or more, the passer can expect to be hit. And, if it isn’t a late hit, that’s part of the game. Downfield, if it isn’t an early hit, hitting the receiver is also part of the game. After all, a ball in the air is as much the defender’s as the receiver’s. But late hits on the passer and early hits on the receiver--of any kind--should be punished.

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Tough parlay: One playoff possibility this winter is that Minnesota, the NFC’s best team at the moment, will have to defeat Green Bay and San Francisco in successive games. Would the Vikings be up to that?

With all hands, they could do it easily, you’d say. When the Vikings combine their awesome passing threat with Robert Smith’s running threat, they have more offense than either the 49ers or Packers can handle.

Smith, however, is hurt again, continuing a long tradition. And of quarterback Randall Cunningham’s three best receivers--Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Randy Moss--only Moss has so far escaped injury.

No NFL passing combination this year is as effective as Cunningham to Moss. But if that’s all the Vikings have left, if Smith, Reed and Carter are all playing on one leg, if they’re playing at all, it’s less than even money that they could win a Green Bay-San Francisco parlay.

After all, the Packers and 49ers are experienced, established playoff winners.

If you are a Minnesota fan, pray for Atlanta.