Imperfection Denied!: Dolphins Fall Short of '76 Bucs

They blew it. The Miami Dolphins blew it.

The 2007 Dolphins had a chance to make history. They were attempting to become only the second modern NFL team to complete an imperfect season.

The Fins put forth the least amount of effort possible on Sunday—but thanks to the currently-even-more inept Baltimore Ravens, they just couldn’t pull it off.

Now we’re stuck listening for another year to the insufferable 1976 Buccaneers, the only team to finish an imperfect season since the NFL-AFL merger.

“We were holding our breath, because this Dolphins team was pretty bad,” said John McKay, the ecstatic coach of that “special” Bucs team. “We were openly rooting for the Dolphins to win. I know that shows a lack of sportsmanship, but who cares?”

The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers get together every season and crack open a bottle of champagne the day the last imperfect team finally pulls off a miracle.

This season was extra special, proving once and for all that the second most untouchable record in the NFL is likely to never be matched.

“If this Dolphins team can win one game, ANYONE can win one game!,” exclaimed former Buc defensive end Pat Toomay. “I mean, anyone except us.”

The Bucs have had scares before. The 1990 Patriots were awful. The 1991 Colts might have been even worse.

In 2001, the Carolina Panthers broke one of the Bucs' records by losing 15 straight games in the same season. But the Panthers won their first game, so the pressure was off.

2007 has already seen the fall of Dan Marino’s passing records, the MLB home run record, and the mark for most World Series wins by a manager without a loss to start a career.

With others sure to drop soon—the '72 Miami Dolphins perfect season, Peyton Manning’s TD record, the mark for most points in an NFL season—it only seems right to pay homage to a team whose record hasn’t been beaten.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in honoring the immortal and imperfect 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. May their record live on forever.

Or at least until next season, when the Dolphins challenge it again.


I’m SeanMC
http://bostonsportsrants.blogspot.com/