After a conversation last week on Mike and Mike, and following the ten-year anniversary of the best day in the history of the Denver Broncos, I’m inspired to write about the best teams in the NFL.

It’s funny (and a bit unclear to me) how I became a fan of the Broncos, never having been west of the Mississippi, let alone to Denver. It was Christmas, probably 1977 or 1978, and my brother and I each got a bunch of NFL stuff from my Grandpa Jack. I remember a robe, pajamas, a banner, and pencils, but I think there was even more stuff. All Broncos stuff for me. (As much as I’d love to have some of that stuff today, my brother’s stuff would be even more valuable today; it was all Baltimore Colts stuff). Why I got Broncos stuff for Christmas that year remains a mystery to me to that day. The only reason I guess at the year was because the Broncos went to the Super Bowl in January 1978.

Anyway, there was a discussion last week on Mike and Mike about what was the best single-season team in NFL history. The discussion centered around this year’s New England team, and the only undefeated regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and the first team to win more than 15 regular season games. The question is where this team would be rated if it turns out they don’t win the Super Bowl next weekend (I have predicted that they won’t). It’s pretty much a consensus that the 2007-8 Patriots will be the best single-season team ever if they do win, but what if they lose?

I can’t really comment on the 1972 Dolphins, since I would have only been one year old when they won the Super Bowl. The knock against them is that they played a bunch of bad teams that year, on their way to being undefeated. The rebuttal to that is that it’s not their fault, that you play the teams in front of you. That’s obviously true. It’s not like collegiate sports where your AD can try to pad your record by playing Little Falls Community College and Recreational Center. But no one is suggesting that the fact that the Dolphins played poor opponents mars their perfect season. No one is saying that it should be ‘asterisked.’ However, what I will say is that it should be a factor in determining if they were the best single-season team in history. I certainly believe it does. I have no problem with a one or two loss team being considered higher than the zero loss Dolphins, if the one or two loss teams played against stronger opponents.

And so I will, but first I will go over some of the other candidates. Being very young, I do not remember much about the Pittsburgh Steelers teams of the 70s, but they were dominant year after year. I can’t really recommend them, but I’m sure one of those years should be in the discussion. They went 12-2 in 1975, and 14-2 in 1978. It’s probably that year, 1978, that would be considered. But, since I don’t remember those years in particular, I won’t nominate them.

In the 80s, we saw not only dominance, but some truly special seasons by several teams. Certainly the Joe Montana years in San Francisco need some mention. The first team that I remember as being dominant was the 1984 team. That was the first team to win 15 games in a season. I’ll also mention the 1988 season, where they finished a mere 10-6, but stormed through the playoffs before beating Cincinnati in the Super Bowl. It’s amazing to think that Steve Young was riding the bench, but he was still backing up Joe at the time. There were certainly some other special seasons by teams that made it into my list.

In the 90s, the feared team was the Dallas Cowboys. The best season they had was the 13-3 1992 campaign, ending in a Super Bowl rout of the Bills. I think a 13-3 season is pretty dominant, but I don’t really remember that season as one of the greatest I saw. The Packers were also a dominant team in the 90s, going 13-3 in 1996, and that season I do remember.

It’s also worth mentioning the 1997 Denver Broncos, going 13-0 before losing two of their last three regular season games. I remember, and gloried in, the hype that my team might go undefeated. But even at 14-2, they didn’t finish the season with the best record, with the Minnesota Vikings, behind rookie Randy Moss, going 15-1.

The next year was the first year of the “Greatest Show on Turf,” as the 1999 Rams started their mini-run. That was the year that Trent Green went down, and Dick Vermeil cried about it. The quarterback that came off the bench was Kurt Warner. In the 2001 season they were also dominant. The guys discussing this topic thought they were overrated, but as I recall, there wasn’t anything overrated about them. They dominated, at least ‘on turf.’ They went 14-2, and every game was a track meet, much like the 1998 Vikings. I believe they belong in the discussion.

So, how would I rank the best single seasons in the NFL? Well, I’ll start with the aforementioned 1998 Minnesota Vikings. I remember watching them run up and down the field, knowing that, at any time, Cunningham would hit Moss with a long bomb, or Chris Carter would take a 10 yard pass and go another 70. Any team can score at any time, of course, but you just had the feeling watching that team that they could score when they wanted to.

My next candidate would have to be the 1984 San Francisco 49ers. They also went 15-1, a first. What I remember from that team was Roger Craig running around everyone, and Ronnie Lott smashing the mouth of, well, anyone who dared go up against him. I particularly remember that Super Bowl, where Dan Marino and his two Marks, who we all thought were destined to win a lot of these championships, being no match for the 49ers. When a team like that beats a team like that, it’s special.

And I will put the 2001 Rams on my list. We forget how good that defense was, with that offense. Bruce and Holt were always open, way down the field, and Warner would put it right on them. It was fun to watch, and everywhere you turned there was talk on ‘How do you beat the Rams?,’ the same sort of discussion you hear now about the Patriots.

The number two team on my list is the 2007 Patriots, if they lose the Super Bowl, which I expect. I know they went undefeated in the regular season, but I think a one-loss team belongs above them. Part of that is, I’m sure, the historical nature of the ‘85 Bears, and, as I remember, other than that one loss to Miami, you just never thought the Bears were going to lose. There were a couple of games last season where the Patriots looked real vulnerable, against the Eagles and Ravens, two mediocre teams. And don’t forget that they had just one offensive touchdown (and that on the ground) against the hapless Jets. With the Bears, as I recall (which might be hazy, I’ll admit), you just never saw that. The Bears’ one loss was an aberration.

If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, then they belong at the top of the list. To me, one loss in the regular season can be overshadowed by one loss in the Super Bowl. If the Patriots finish the season without a loss, though, they’re the best single-season team in the history of the league, or, at least, the history of the league as I remember. Not only would a team never have won so many games in one season, but they beat some great teams on their way, including the Giants twice, the Colts, the Chargers twice, and the Cowboys. You won’t be able to say that the Patriots didn’t play anyone to go undefeated. But, if the Giants beat them on 3 February, I can’t consider them the best.