Manny Fernandez turned off his television set early Tuesday morning and was filled with disgust. He wasn’t feeling so great later in the day, either.
“They’ve got the horseshoe where it needs to be, unbelievable,” Fernandez said. “Right now, they’re looking pretty good for it.”
The “they” Fernandez, a defensive tackle on the 1972 Miami Dolphins, was referring to were the New England Patriots, who improved to 12-0 with a stirring, controversial, come-from-behind victory Monday night at Baltimore. The triumph moved New England one step closer to the “it” — a perfect, unblemished season, something that has occurred once in the NFL’s modern era. It was by Fernandez and his teammates 35 years ago, and they are rooting for the Patriots to lose to keep their place in history.
An ill-timed timeout by the Ravens in the final two minutes started the ball rolling for the Patriots, who got the decisive points in their 27-24 win on a fingertip catch by Jabar Gaffney with 44 seconds left. In between, there were enough oddities — and one yellow hankie — to have Fernandez boiling.
“That was the most chicken-expletive holding call I’ve ever seen,” Fernandez said of a fourth-down penalty call against Baltimore defensive back Jamaine Winborne that kept New England’s winning drive alive. “It was a micro-call that shouldn’t have been made in a game that big.
“But the Patriots have the luck. The Ravens complete a Hail Mary that falls 2 yards short; it could have been 2 yards in the end zone. They call a timeout right when they stuff (Tom) Brady on fourth down. The Patriots are stuffed again the next play, but they get a break when they get a penalty. How many times is having a penalty called on you catching a break? And the touchdown catch? If you’re rooting for Baltimore, as I was, you have to think that wasn’t a legit catch.”
If you’re thinking Fernandez sounds a tad bitter at the prospect of seeing his team’s record matched by New England, it should be pointed out that most of his comments were given with at least a grain of salt.
Indeed, moments later, he’s laughing, clearly reveling in another NFL team making a serious run at matching the 1972 Dolphins.
“Make no mistake, the Patriots are good, really good,” Fernandez said. “If they pull it off, you’ve gotta love ’em because that is one tough feat. So if they do it, I would absolutely applaud it.”
With their victory, the Patriots became the fourth team since those Dolphins to begin a season 12-0, joining the 1985 Bears, the 1998 Broncos and the 2005 Indianapolis Colts. Of their four remaining games, this week’s contest may be the toughest for New England, against Pittsburgh (9-3). After that, the Patriots host the New York Jets and Miami, then finish the regular season at the New York Giants.
Mirror image
Two years ago, former University of Colorado star and College Football Hall of Famer Dick Anderson thought the Colts had what it took to go undefeated. Now he feels the Patriots have an even better chance.
“I look at them and say they’re the first team in 35 years that makes very few mental errors, if any,” Anderson said. “They’re very similar to us that way. They just go about their business and get it done.”
Anderson said on Monday night the Patriots’ businesslike attitude was epitomized by someone who has rarely been credited for his professionalism, wide receiver Randy Moss.
“It was really the hotheads on Baltimore that cost them the game; we didn’t have that,” Anderson said. “And as much as the Ravens were banging around Randy Moss, he never took the bait. Throughout the game he was all business.”
Anderson said he isn’t necessarily a fan of Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s, but recognizes his acumen. By the same token, he’ll acknowledge the greatness of any team that goes undefeated, though it would be hard to accept.
“I don’t know how many people realize that it was never done before, and we know that it’s never been done since,” he said. “The record is an 88-year-old record, and the fact is that we are getting older and we’re proud that we have something no one else has.
“We’ll still have a record of being undefeated. It’s just that if they do it, there’ll be two of us. If it happens, you’d have to congratulate them because it’s a heck of a season, but sure, I can say I’d sure like to be the only one with it. I don’t think any competitive person is going to sit there and welcome someone to come in and beat their record.”
Agony over present Dolphins
Speaking of rolling over, the ’72 Dolphins, many of whom still live in South Florida, are being assaulted on both sides. While the Patriots are trying to match their mark they can only watch helplessly as the current Dolphins attempt to win one game.
“I try to be a good fan,” Anderson said. “But it’s agonizing. They don’t have one player from the 2001, ’02, ’03 or ’04 drafts on the team. They’ve had general manager changes and coaching changes, there’s been a different quarterback every year. There hadn’t been a guy since Dan Marino who you thought could take them to the promised land.”
When the Chicago Bears won the NFC last season, the days before the championship were filled with references to the team’s only other Super Bowl representative, the 1985 squad that was filled with Hall of Fame players and other characters who would have been charter members of the Rascals Hall of Fame.
For over two decades that team’s hulking frame cast a shadow over the city of big shoulders; this year, with each Patriots win and every loss by the Dolphins, there has been a renewed focus on the striking duality: the proud old team hoping to maintain its singular place in pro football history versus the team hoping upon hope to avoid ignominy.
And while it’s easy to link the present with the past these days, “They’ve managed to do this this year without being in our shadow,” Fernandez said. “Believe me, we’ve had no bearing on this. They’ve been pretty bad right out of the gate.”
Certainly the odds would indicate that this season, the champagne toast the members of the ’72 team have every year where there are no undefeated teams left, may be changed somewhat. The players may be celebrating a Dolphins victory rather than cheering the loss of the NFL’s last undefeated team.
“They still have a long way to go,” Fernandez said of the Patriots. “And it’s pretty rare air up there, but if they can make it through seven more games, they certainly will have earned it.”
Patriots’ road to 16-0
Staff writer Anthony Cotton looks at New England’s remaining schedule:
Sunday
Pittsburgh (9-3) at Foxborough, Mass.
Steelers ended Patriots’ 21-game win streak in 2004.
Dec. 16
New York Jets (3-9) at Foxborough
In “Spygate” rematch, Bill Belichick may try for 70 points.
Dec. 23
Miami (0-12) at Foxborough
If the Patriots stay perfect and keep Miami winless, it’s agony for 1972 Dolphins.
Dec. 29
New York Giants (8-4) at East Rutherford, N.J.
History aside, this game may actually mean more for the Giants.
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
