OK, that’s a big exaggeration. But tell me you wouldn’t love to see it go down. The New York Daily News’ Gary Myers on the pot roast, pizza, burgers and lasagna-scarfing sexual dynamo Don Shula, delivering a definite diss to a man whose persecution complex needs no further encouragement.
Don Shula, the coach of the only perfect season in NFL history, believes the Patriots have a legitimate shot at running the table and joining his ’72 Dolphins in going undefeated in the regular season and playoffs. But if they can pull it off, Shula insists the NFL needs to place an asterisk next to the Patriots in the record books because Bill Belichick got caught cheating in the Spygate scandal.
“The Spygate thing has diminished what they’ve accomplished. You would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They’ve got it,” Shula told the Daily News yesterday. “Belichick was fined $500,000, the team was fined $250,00 and they lost a first-round draft choice. That tells you the seriousness or significance of what they found.
“I guess you got the same thing as putting an asterisk by Barry Bonds’ home run record. I guess it will be noted that the Patriots were fined and a No.1 draft choice was taken away during that year of accomplishment. The sad thing is Tom Brady looks so good, it doesn’t look like he needs any help.”
Told that he might get support in his desire to have an asterisk placed next to New England’s potential perfect season, Shula, the
winningest coach in NFL history, said, “I don’t know how people can’t agree with that.”
Except a) if the Pats do run the table, it’ll be during the one season in which Belichick wasn’t making video nasties, and b) how can we be certain other teams haven’t employed similar tactics at one time or another, including Shula’s floundering Fish?
“Shula is naturally protective of the Dolphins’ accomplishment and certainly wants that ’72 team to stand alone.”