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Fans romanticize streaks of sports records. They won’t forget where they saw them perform, who they were with, and the feelings they felt toward them.
Whether it was Joe DiMaggio’s record of 56 consecutive MLB games, Brett Favre’s NFL record of 297 consecutive starts, or Cal Ripken Jr. ‘s 2,632 consecutive games played in Major League Baseball, those records kept fans on the edge of their seats, as one more intentional march, Another indiscriminate blow or a severe case of food poisoning may have ruined any of them. The sequences, even more so than the statistical records of the race, are more impressive because the margin of error is so small.
The sequences don’t allow you to enjoy an attack or spend a “week off”. The sequences require maximum concentration at the highest level. And the streaks are regularly so supernatural that it’s missing them like a dispatch in the night. .
But this sequence? I’m even sure interested men know that. It’s time to talk about one of the most unflinching sports sequences that, at most, everyone discovers a little.
When you hear other people talk about the most important offensive lines in the history of the National Football League, hear about the Lombardi Packers in the 1960s, the Raiders in the 1970s, the “Power Company” Bills of the 1970s, the “Hogs. “in Washington in the 1980s, “The Great Wall of Dallas” under the Cowboys dynasty in the 1990s and even Mike Shanahan’s Super Bowl-winning Broncos in the late 1990s. These offensive lines are considered the best, and rightly so.
But it’s the organization of underrated linemen who have set a streak that will likely never be broken.
The NFL officially began tracking “sacks” as a statistic in 1982. You can watch videos of previous games to count sacks and get unofficial numbers, but valid sacks are counted in 1982. As a former offensive lineman, I can say that. We care about two numbers: yards on the ground and bags allowed.
When our ball carrier travels the hundred meters, it is as if we are running the ball ourselves. When our quarterback finishes the game in a blank jersey, we feel like we’re dressed in a blank jersey as well. We’re proud of the good fortune of others because we know they contributed to it, even if SportsCenter or the newspapers don’t say so.
The Miami Dolphins are basically known for 3 things:
While those 3 topics deserve each and every credit they get for their accomplishments, I proposed adding a fourth:
From 1982 to 1990, nine seasons, the Miami Dolphins ranked first in the NFL for the fewest sacks allowed per year. It’s not a typo.
Even more impressive: the only other team to lead the league in this category for up to 3 consecutive seasons, the Indianapolis Colts, from 2004 to 2006.
“We kind of kept the pace,” said Hall of Fame midfielder Dwight Stephenson, who was the backbone of the line for six of those seasons (1982-87). “If we went into a game, we never knew what it was like to have six or seven sacks or anything like that. It would have been a nightmare.
That time they weren’t a very race-focused team either, so the excuse of “of course they didn’t allow a lot of bags” was gone. In that nine-year span, only the Chargers (4,842) have attempted more passes than the Dolphins (4,818).
Another mind-boggling statistic comes from the NFL’s all-time sack leader, Bruce Smith.
He entered the league in 1985 and faced the Dolphins in 11 regular-season games in that record nine-year streak. In those games, Smith has 2. 5 sacks, or 0. 23 sacks per game. Another NFL team, Smith played 77 games and racked up 74 sacks, which was 0. 96 per game.
That doesn’t take anything away from Smith, who Stephenson said was a guy the Dolphins never took lightly.
“Bruce is one of the guys you were looking for to find out where he was,” Stephenson said. “As an offensive lineman, if you didn’t have the necessary skill (and) you weren’t tied down, you’d probably turn to Bruce Smith to make sure he’s under control. “
Stephenson cited Joe Klecko, Mark Gastineau and Andre Tippett as Smith as some of the toughest conflicting parties the Dolphins faced in that era.
“You had to be aware of your staff and the other people you’re playing with,” he said. “I don’t go into games where we weren’t one bit prepared for what the other team was doing, and if we were, we’d make an adjustment. “
Not surprisingly, the Dolphins hold the NFL record for fewest sacks allowed in a season with seven, set in 1988. The Patriots were second in the league that year, allowing 23 sacks.
Here’s a match-by-game breakdown from this season:
Game 1 a. Chicago: 1 bag allowed
Game 2 at Buffalo: 1 catch allowed
Game vs. Green Bay: 1 bag allowed
Indianapolis Game: Sacks Allowed
Games five to 16: 0 bags allowed
That’s 0 sacks in the last 12 games of an NFL season and a total of 3 in 15 games. Surprisingly, the 1988 Dolphins did not place an offensive lineman on either Pro Bowl or AP All-Pro teams, though several players earned playoff accolades spanning:
Dwight Stephenson, C: 5x AP All-Pro (4x First Team), 5x Pro Bowler.
Ed Newman, OG: 3x AP All-Pro (1x First Team), 3x Pro Bowler and “the most selfless offensive lineman of all time” according to Stephenson.
Bob Kuechenberg, OG: 2x Pro Bowler.
Roy Foster, OG: 2x Pro Bowler.
Richmond Webb, Overtime: 1x Pro Bowler.
Don Shula, head coach: 89-55 in that span with five playoff appearances and two Super Bowl appearances.
John Sandusky, OL Coach: Line Coach for Seasons.
Dan Marino, QB: MVP (1984), AP Offensive Player of the Year (1984), 4x AP All-Pro (3x First Team), 5x Pro Bowler
The coaches and the quarterback are included because it’s really a team effort to accomplish this sequence. Coaches want to devise correct game plans and schemes, and quarterbacks want to perceive protections and linemen.
Stephenson praised Marino and his wisdom about what was going on when it came to protections, especially when the defense brought in more running backs than guards.
“I knew I had to get rid of the ball. Marino is very smart at that,” Stephenson said. I knew where the loose guy had come from. “
In the nine years, only one lineman, Stephenson, was ultimately elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and none played more than six consecutive seasons. The Dolphins were continually adapting to new players, with Richmond Webb, a member of the NFL All-Decade Team in the 1990s and a highly decorated player, arriving on the scene in the last consecutive season.
Stephenson used the word “If one of us has a problem, the total line has a problem,” which not only perfectly describes the offensive line’s position, but also puts the magnitude of that series in an even greater attitude when you know how many players are moving. portions that the team uses over such a long period of time.
So why aren’t any of those Miami Dolphins offensive lines one of the most productive of all time in the NFL?
Because they never won a Super Bowl? Because they only had one lineman in the Hall of Fame?Why have Marino and Shula eclipsed an already eclipsed position?Or because at the time, pass coverage wasn’t thought to be as complex or important as it is today?
Whatever the reason, Stephenson would like his teammates to be recognized.
“Having this kind of popularity is important. I didn’t know the Miami Dolphins had been doing it for nine years,” he said of the string of sacks allowed, “but I knew we did it while I was there and it continued. “after. . . It’s a great achievement. I think it shows that we had a smart coach. John Sandusky was a wonderful offensive line coach and we had some wonderful guys that we played with.
In the future, the following will never again be overlooked:
Andy Phillips, a flex Pop Warner star who played on the offensive line at Central Michigan University before joining the Green Bay Packers in 2015. Andy has a hobby for the NFL, the history of the game, and the other people who made it. It’s the biggest league in the world. He will share this hobby with regular articles in ProFootballHOF. com.