Not really.
1998 9-7
1999 8-8
2000 5-11
2001 first two games 0-2
BB was quoted as saying after the 2001 superbowl, "I won the superbowl with this team?" Even he was surprised they won. 2001 team was not a great collection of players and and the win over the Rams was the 3rd biggest upset in superbowl history. With only Jets over Colts and Giants over NE being bigger examples of a weaker team beating a stonger team on "any given Sunday"
I have a lot of respect for Shula, but if there is one knock on him it is that Marino doesn't have a ring. If you have a QB of the quailty of Brady, Manning, Marino, Rodgers etc for 11 years a coach should be able to assemble the team into allignment at least once with the rest of the team to win the big one.
Now I was born in 1986. So I'm fuzzy on details on how it was assembled, but if Shula was one of those coaches that handled everything, then shame on him for having one of the best quarterbacks of all time and failing to give him anything to work with/help him out. Otherwise, you can't compare the talent..it's not fair.
After the Mark's Brothers left, Marino WAS the Dolphins, he NEVER had anything close to a good defense. Brady/Belichick did. Pats had names like: Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison, Ty Law, Asante Samuel, Willie McGinnest. Name some Dolphins defensive players of the 80's and 90's off the top of your head..
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