Tom Brady
David Butler II/US Presswire
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were almost perfect in 2007.
Best Ever?
His résumé is the envy of almost every current NFL QB. But where does Patriots QB Tom Brady rank among the all-time greats? We sought out NFL quarterback experts for answers. Mike Sando

• Garber: The rise of Brady | Wojciechowski: Explaining Belichick
• Zoom Gallery: Check out the record-breaking Patriots

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1972 DOLPHINS-2007 PATRIOTS ZOOM GALLERIES

Gallery

Dolphins vs. Patriots | New England's season
Compare the teams and relive the Patriots' season in pictures. The '72 Dolphins had six future Hall of Fame players (Nick Buoniconti, Bob Griese, Larry Little, Paul Warfield, Larry Csonka, Jim Langer) and a Hall of Fame coach (Don Shula). QB Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick appear to be HOF locks from the Patriots.

DOLPHINS-PATRIOTS COMPARISONS

Category '72 Dolphins '07 Patriots
Opponents' record 70-108-4 120-136
Record vs. winning teams 2-0 7-0
Points scored/allowed 385/171 589/274
Passing yards/TDs 2,235/17 4,731/50
Rushing yards/TDs 2,960/26 1,849/17
Offensive ranking 1 1
Defensive ranking 1 4
Patriots stats are for 16 regular-season games

THE PERFECT SEASONS

With their Week 17 win over the Giants, the Patriots became the first team since the '72 Dolphins to go undefeated in the regular season. A breakdown of their perfect seasons:

1972 Dolphins Game 2007 Patriots
Dolphins 20, Chiefs 10 1 Patriots 38, Jets 14
Dolphins 34, Oilers 13 2 Patriots 38, Chargers 14
Dolphins 16, Vikings 14 3 Patriots 38, Bills 7
Dolphins 27, Jets 17 4 Patriots 34, Bengals 13
Dolphins 24, Chargers 10 5 Patriots 34, Browns 17
More …

THE ROSTERS

Pos. 1972 Dolphins* Pos. 2007 Patriots**
Offense
QB Bob Griese QB Tom Brady
RB Larry Csonka RB Laurence Maroney
RB Jim Kiick
Defense
DT Bob Heinz NT Vince Wilfork
DT Manny Fernandez DE Ty Warren
DE Bill Stanfill DE Richard Seymour
*-Super Bowl VII lineup **-Team depth chart
More …

HEADLINES

Featured Comment

Any true fan of the game has to feel just a bit disappointed having missed out on a chance to witness history.


booyahcanada

New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14