Bill Burt

I realize this is going to appear self-serving, the fact that the team I cover, three-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, quite possibly the "best team in the world," is kaput.

But I'm going to say it anyway:

The NFL, while competitive unlike any other year, top to bottom, stinks.

Here we are, nearing the second week in January, and the San Diego Chargers (8-8) and Arizona Cardinals (9-7) are not only still playing but still are viable candidates to play another week or two or even four.

That is not right.

What about the worst-to-first Miami Dolphins? A great story with Bill Parcells retooling another franchise almost instantaneously? Absolutely. Are they a playoff team, never mind an 11-5 team? Hardly.

Even your Patriots, with probably their worst pass defense since the Ed Rust bunch in 1992, while playing their best at the end, had nothing close to a "championship defense."

Remember when great teams won the Super Bowl? And I'm not referring solely to the dynasties in Dallas, New England, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Washington.

I'm talking about the 1995 Green Bay Packers that was No. 1 in offense and defense. I'm talking about the 1985 Chicago Bears that lost only one Monday Night Football game before making mish-mash of everybody, including our Patriots, 46-10. The 1986 Giants, the 1998 Broncos, the 1976 Raiders and the 1999 Rams are among some of the other great champions of the last three decades.

Heck, remember when great teams lost the Super Bowl?

The 2007 Patriots, 2001 Rams and 1990 and 1991 Bills quickly come to mind.

The point is: Where have all the great teams gone?

Are the 2008 Steelers or Tennessee Titans great? Maybe their defenses border on great ... maybe ... but I would have to say unequivocally "No."

And what about the Giants, which appeared to have mastered the craft of mental toughness a year after their "miracle" win over the Patriots? They are tough. They can run and they can hit. But are they great? Maybe, with three straight wins, they are.

I believe I am in the minority here. I don't like these quick-fixes. I like team-building. I like good, long-term, values-based management. I like the "long haul." I like investing passion on a regular basis rather than picking and choosing when to show it. I like taking luck out of the equation as much as possible.

I like teams going 5-11, and then 8-8, and then 10-6 and then 15-1, eventually winning the Super Bowl with many of the same guys who were there at 5-11.

I also like dynasties. I like rooting against them (see late 1990s Yankees and early 1990s Cowboys) almost as much as I like rooting for them (see 1980s Celtics and 1970s Bruins).

Three of the top 10 watched programs on TV (percentage of households), of all-time, were Super Bowls. All three of those Super Bowls had a juggernaut (San Francisco in January of 1982, Washington in January of 1983 and Chicago in January of 1986) going against decent AFC teams.

The top nine prime time TV programs since 2000 are all Super Bowls, with the Patriots-Giants last February, which was expected to be a blowout, pulling the most viewers at 97.5 million.

The point is that America loves (and hates) dynasties, and great teams, too.

Who is going to win the Super Bowl on Feb. 1 in Tampa?

I'll be darned if I know. Even more, I wonder if I'll care.

E-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com

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