I thought I write about what constitutes my Super Bowl (fiesta) meal. This Super Bowl tradition seems to be as big in America as Memorial Day and the 4th of July. I'm especially stoked cause I have my two boys with me today and their pretty excited. Along with them, one brought a friend and one brings his girlfriend. More, I have my girfriend and her boy with his girlfriend over. It has started early with cooking around 1:30 MT. We're having shrimp with cocktail, pork ribs, beef ribs, chicken wings (both spicy and mild) and a special chip sauce. Plenty of soda and a few beers to top things off....

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Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later... that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a role called 'Being a Father' so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life.

<!--/gc-->Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

A perfect season is any sports season, including the playoff portion of a season, in which a team remains undefeated and untied.  Some try to include just winning a consecutive number of games as better than what the Dolphins winning numbers did.  I do not.

The one team that seems to be thrown in this quest for being better than the Dolphins is, of course, the nasty New England Patriots.  I get numbingly tired of theirs fans, expecially those in the sports media, that tout the Patrots as better if they win more consective games while they overlap seasons.  Ridiculous.  That's why it's called a season... there's a beginning and an end.

Some teams perfected during a season: 1934/1942 Chicago Bears, 1948 Cleveland Browns, and the 1937 Los Angeles Bulldogs.  None had playoff or championship wins, only because they didn't have that back then.  I only mention the football teams, as I am sure there are other sports teams that have perfected their seasons.

The longest winning streak in one season is held by the New England Patriots with an NFL-record 18-game regular season winning streak after a 16-0 regular season in 2007.  They lost the Super Bowl though (LOL), to finish 18-1(LOL).

Ref: http://www.72dolphins.com/

During the 1972 season, Dolphins linebacker Nick Buoniconti teammates joked about a perfect season.  "Which game are we going to lose?" they asked.  "Nobody goes undefeated." 

A few have come close.  The Bears in 1934, went 13-0 during the regular season, only to lose 30-13 in the Championship Game to the Giants.  Eight years later, the Bears won all 11 regular season games but fell to the Redskins in the title game.  Four other teams in NFL history were unbeaten, but not untied. 

Miami had reached the Super Bowl in the previous season, but had been outclassed by Dallas 24-3.  Even though the Dolphins had many stars on their offense with Bob Griese at QB, Paul Warfield at WR, and a trio of RB's that included Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris, the defense was named the "No-Name Defense", due to the lack of the same.

Additionally, Griese had been lost during week five for the remainder of the season.  That left matters up to 38 year old backup, Earl Morrall, to take charge. 

During the AFC Championship game, they rallied to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-17.  Even so, they entered the Super Bowl as underdogs against the Washington Redskins.  "That was the final straw," Csonka said.

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Larry Little

Height: 6-1   Weight: 265   Age: 64

Born: 11/2/1945 Groveland, GA

College: Bethune-Cookman

Experience: 14 Seasons

(Chargers 1967 – 1968… Dolphins 1969 – 1980)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1993

A few days ago I started a short post called Alpha-Bits.  I don’t know where this is really going or if I will even do anything more.  But for now here’s another short story of another Miami Dolphins player, who also, was not originally drafted by them, but was a major contributor to the most winning and “Perfect” team. 

I dedicate this “Bit” to Uncle Finster, who may not only remember this famed guard, but because he is the first on the Phinsider to bring up a guard as an option in the draft with Mike Iupati of Idaho.

What I remember most of Larry was seeing him in “sweep type” plays.  He just seemed unbelievable leading the way as a pulling guard for each of Miami’s famed backs.  He was only 265 pounds, imagine that.  With guards now 50, 60, 70 even 100 pounds heavier now, but then, corners were tinier and linebackers were around 200… lol.

With that, I leave you with the following…

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With all the hoopla surrounding the wide receiver position, I thought this was an interesting tidbit.  I am not a fan of drafting receivers in the top 20 picks of the first round.  I would place this position as the most volatile in terms of make or fail in the NFL.

Given the “attitude” of this particular receiver, I’m reminded of an earlier fan post about what Patrick Turner thought the NFL would be.   I quote, “The NFL,” Turner told him, “it’s fun, but it’s all work”.  Sounds like this third rounder hasn’t realized responsibility yet, and then we have this report come out on the ballyhooed Dez Bryant.

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Paul Warfield

Height: 6-0   Weight: 188   Age: 67

Born: 11/28/1942 in Warren, OH

College: Ohio State

Experience: 13 Seasons

Hall of Fame Induction: 1983

With all the talk of wide-receivers or number one receivers, I got a blast-from-the-past.  I remember too, mentioning Paul Warfield in a comment and our esteemed blogger, Little Nicky, said he never had a chance to see him in his playing days.  So I got to thinking about bringing up some tidbits on some of the Dolphin players, especially some of the great ones who have contributed greatly to the game, but more importantly, to the greatest team ever……… The Miami Dolphins.

Also recently, some names from the past, present and future have been thrown around, like: Irving Fryar, Mark Duper, Mark Clayton, Dez Bryant, Brandon Marshall, Anquan Boldin, Vincent, and Austin…… but I kept thinking of this guy.  Give me someone like this guy, who caught just about anything and everything, who defined the Post Pattern into the Warfield Pattern, who put action to the words… “Poetry in Motion.”

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So much depends on what happens in free agency and in the picks just before the Dolphins at #12.

If a linebacker is picked up thru free agency, doesn't that affect the decision at #12?

What if Dez or McClain are picked ahead of the Dolphins’ #12?

We have nothing to gage what will happen in free agency, other than when it is actual news and negotiations have begun.  So let’s look at what the picks might be from number one through number twelve courtesy of many, many, many, many, many, many, many mock drafts out there.

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They are somewhat of a dying breed, an extinct species that are often overlooked when it comes to occupying the position of wide receiver in today's NFL.  There was a comment made in one of the front page posts that got me thinking.  So I decided to take a look at what has been and what is currently the situation in the NFL when it comes to “other” than black receivers.

Now before anyone gets their nose bent outta shape, I want to make it perfectly clear that this IS NOT about racism.  I have had a belly full of experience in that department.  Nor am I trying to stir controversy, hate or discontent.  Please… if that’s gonna be your take in the comments, I ask with all the respect I can give, refrain from doing so.

Please look at it from a study point of view and you may find it interesting.

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