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Daniel Wong

The 1972 Miami Dolphins didn’t just have a great season

They accomplished something that 50+ years later, with all the rule changes favoring offenses, salary caps creating parity, and hundreds of teams trying since, STILL hasn’t been matched by anyone. 17-0. Perfect season. The only one in NFL history. But here’s what makes it even crazier - they did it WITHOUT their starting quarterback for most of the season. Bob Griese got injured in Week 5, and backup Earl Morrall had to step in and basically run the table. When people talk about next-level depth and coaching, this is the gold standard. Every single season since 1972, when a team starts getting hot and goes 8-0, 10-0, 12-0, the conversation immediately turns to “Can they go undefeated like the '72 Dolphins?” The Patriots came closest in 2007 going 16-0 in the regular season, but lost the Super Bowl. The Dolphins went 14-0 AND won the championship. Those surviving members of the '72 team still pop champagne every year when the last undefeated team finally loses. That’s how exclusive this club is - it literally has zero new members after five decades. Some records are meant to be broken. This one? This one might actually be impossible in the modern NFL. #NFL #MiamiDolphins

The 1972 Miami Dolphins didn’t just have a great season
Derrick Gilbert

What If: The 49ers Fail to Score at the End of the 2011 Divisional Round

This is the “what if” that haunts every Saints fan who understands football history. If Malcolm Jenkins makes that tackle on Vernon Davis with 35 seconds left, we’re not just talking about one more playoff win. We’re talking about a completely different legacy for Drew Brees and the Saints organization. That 2011 Saints team was absolutely unstoppable on offense. Brees threw for over 5,400 yards with a 71% completion percentage, Jimmy Graham was in his prime, and we had the best offensive line in football. We scored over 40 points in our last five games of the season, including playoffs. This wasn’t just a good team, this was a historic offensive juggernaut. Here’s what kills me about this scenario. If we beat the 49ers, we’re hosting the Giants in the NFC Championship game. The same Giants team we absolutely demolished 49-24 earlier that season in the Dome. Eli Manning and that offense couldn’t keep up with us at home, and there’s no reason to think the second time would be different. That means we’re getting Drew Brees versus Tom Brady in Super Bowl 46, which should have been one of the greatest quarterback duels in NFL history. The Patriots had the second-best offense that year, but we had the best. Their defense wasn’t significantly better than the Giants defense that couldn’t stop us all season long. Instead of watching Eli Manning beat Brady again, we could have been watching Brees finally get his second ring and cement his legacy as one of the absolute greatest quarterbacks ever. One missed tackle changed everything. #NFL #NFLWhatIf

What If: The 49ers Fail to Score at the End of the 2011 Divisional Round
Michael Thompson

The 1991 Monday Night Football disaster that defined Jets misery

The Jets Monday Night Football loss to the Bears in 1991 might be the most Jets way to lose a football game ever invented. We had a 13-3 lead in the fourth quarter against Chicago, and somehow found every possible way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Holding a seven-point lead with less than two minutes left, Blair Thomas fumbled the ball away on our own end like he was trying to gift wrap it for Chicago. The Bears tied it up and forced overtime, because of course they did. Then came the moment that still makes me sick. We actually drove down the field in overtime for what should have been an easy game-winning field goal. Dan Dierdorf on ABC said the words that haunt every Jets fan: “He better make this one.” Pat Leahy promptly shanked a 28-yard chip shot that my grandmother could have made. #NFL #NFLPain #NewYorkJets

The 1991 Monday Night Football disaster that defined Jets misery
Stephen Roberts

Cowboys docking Diggs $500K for skipping workouts - fair or petty?

The Cowboys are actually following through on a contract clause that most teams never enforce. They’re taking $500,000 from Trevon Diggs’ $9 million salary because he didn’t hit the required 84% workout attendance this offseason. Here’s where it gets interesting though. Diggs is recovering from knee surgery and chose to do his rehab away from the team facility instead of with Cowboys medical staff. He hasn’t said why, but there’s clearly some tension there. Jerry Jones even hinted that Diggs “needed to work better in rehab” without getting specific. Do you think the Cowboys are being petty over $500K when their star player is just trying to get healthy, or is this about setting a precedent that even high-paid players have to follow team rules? #Cowboys #NFL #TrevonDiggs

Cowboys docking Diggs $500K for skipping workouts - fair or petty?
John Ware MD

Mike Williams shocks NFL with sudden retirement - what really happened?

This one caught everyone off guard. Mike Williams just announced his retirement at 30 years old, and apparently even the Chargers front office was completely blindsided by the news. What makes this so crazy is the timing. Williams just reunited with the Chargers in March after spending last season bouncing between the Jets and Steelers. Everyone thought this was going to be a feel-good comeback story with him and Herbert reconnecting, but now it’s over before it even started. The injury situation seems to be the real story here. Williams has been working “off to the side” all offseason dealing with some undisclosed injury, and the team had him on the PUP list heading into camp. Reading between the lines, this probably wasn’t just a minor issue if it’s forcing a guy to walk away from the game at 30. What do you think is behind this mystery injury that forced him to retire so suddenly? CTE concerns, career-ending physical damage, or something else? #Chargers #MikeWilliams #NFL

Mike Williams shocks NFL with sudden retirement - what really happened?
Stephen Roberts

Cowboys coach’s tattoos are going viral - is this the new NFL?

Brian Schottenheimer might be the most tatted-up head coach in Cowboys history, and honestly, it’s pretty refreshing to see. The new Dallas coach has five meaningful tattoos on his left arm. What makes this story so cool is how it all started. His 17-year-old son Sutton wanted a tattoo, so instead of just saying no like most dads, Schottenheimer decided they’d get inked together as a bonding experience. They drove 90 minutes to Kentucky because Tennessee’s laws were too strict, had to hunt down cash for the tattoo parlor, and both got “Jireh” (meaning “the Lord will provide” in Hebrew) as their first pieces. Now Schottenheimer has “faith family football” in cursive, his family’s birthdates in a license plate design, “grit” on his hand, and three nails representing his Christian faith. Each one tells part of his story as a coach who’s grinded through nine different NFL teams to finally get his shot as a head coach. We’ve gone from coaches in suits and ties to guys like Schottenheimer who aren’t afraid to show their personal side. Is this the future of NFL coaching - more authentic, relatable leaders who connect with players on a human level? #Cowboys #NFL #Coaching

Cowboys coach’s tattoos are going viral - is this the new NFL?
SteelerNation

T.J. Watt signs record $123M deal - highest-paid defender ever

The Steelers just made T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history again with a massive 3-year, $123 million extension averaging $41 million per year. That’s $108 million fully guaranteed at signing. I’m honestly surprised they went this big on the deal. T.J. is absolutely elite and has been the most dominant pass rusher in the league over the past five years with 73.5 sacks. The guy won Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and has led the league in sacks three times. But paying a 31-year-old edge rusher $41 million per year feels like a serious gamble, especially after how he struggled in that five-game losing streak to end last season with only two sacks. The timing is really interesting here. The Steelers just went all-in this offseason by trading for Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Ramsey, and DK Metcalf. They’re clearly in win-now mode, so they probably couldn’t afford to lose their defensive cornerstone. What’s your take - smart move to secure a generational talent or too much money for an aging edge rusher heading into his 30s? #Steelers #TJWatt #NFL

T.J. Watt signs record $123M deal - highest-paid defender ever