Grantland's Oral History of "The Super Bowl Shuffle"

Yes. Do you follow football? For my frame of reference, which begins in 1978, the Bears are one of only two teams that at their best simply scared the opposition and couldn't be beaten. The other was the 2000 Ravens. The 1985 Bears were a better team. They certainly had the best single-season defense of all time. Those 64 sacks and consecutive playoff shutouts weren't an accident. As far as best team, for a single season, whom would you say was better than the '85 Bears. If you say the '72 Dolphins, all your posts should be deleted and your profile burned.

 

Get the popcorn a poppin'.

 

The 1985 Bears are on the short list, that much is beyond dispute and I have certainly heard the opinion enough that they were indeed the best. But YGB I am confused about the 2000 Ravens in your post. You're referring only to defense, yes?

The 1989 49ers are the best team of all time, though.

 

The '85 Bears may not be the best single-season team. But they're one of the few in the conversation, a conversation I wouldn't mind having. But we need some options to have that conversation. Let's hear 'em.

 

1972 Dolphins

 

At its best, the 2000 Ravens were a legitimately scary team. Yes, that was primarily defense, but by the time the playoffs rolled around, that team was unbeatable.

Are the '89 Niners even the best Niners team?

 

The '91 Eagles is a worse answer than the '72 Dolphins. Much worse.

 

Some would say '84. Personally, I'll take Joe Montana in his best season ever and Jerry Rice at his physical peak. That team won its three playoff games by a combined score of 126-26.

 

They gave up 26 points? Sievelike!

 

McMahon may not remember much about it at this point.

 

I do follow football, and I used to follow it much more closely.
Your assertion that the '85 are '... the Bears are one of only two teams that at their best simply scared the opposition and couldn't be beaten' is not measurable evidence to back an assertion that they are the best team of all time. And the second part of the statement is false. They were beaten by Miami.

They do not hold the single-season defensive records for yards allowed, points allwed or points allowed per game.

They are always in the covnersation for 'best' of all time, and many people assert that they were.
I'm asking for measurable data that indicates they were' the best' as opposed to 'one of the best.'

 

If you average out historical rankings for defense, offense and special teams, I think it's a solid bet that the '84 and '89 San Francisco teams might finish ahead.