Top dynasty of my lifetime

In my opinion there is one dynasty to which modern NFL teams should hold themselves up to as the model of true success. That is the 1980's-1990's San Francisco 49ers. Sure, the 1990's version wasn't really much of a dynasty as far as winning championships but those teams were exceptional year in and year out. Anyone around my age or older knows undoubtedly how nasty those 49ers teams were each year. They were on Fox every Sunday at 4:00 as the national game. Even people a bit younger than me at least caught the tail end of the Young/Rice era.

Here is the 49ers record each year from 1981 to 1998 along with their playoff success.

1981: 13-3, NFC West Champs - Super Bowl Champions
1982: 3-6, Strike shortened pubey season (the only one of this time frame)
1983: 10-6, NFC West Champs - Lost NFC Championship
1984: 15-1, NFC West Champs - Super Bowl Champions
1985: 10-6, Wild Card Loss
1986: 10-5-1, NFC West Champs - Lost Divisional Playoffs
1987: 13-2, NFC West Champs - Lost Divisional Playoffs
1988: 10-6, NFC West Champs - Super Bowl Champions
1989: 14-2, NFC West Champs - Super Bowl Champions
1990: 14-2, NFC West Champs - Lost NFC Championship
1991: 10-6, Missed Playoffs
1992: 14-2, NFC West Champs - Lost NFC Championship
1993: 10-6, NFC West Champs - Lost NFC Championship
1994: 13-3, NFC West Champs - Super Bowl Champions
1995: 11-5, NFC West Champs - Lost Divisional Round
1996: 12-4, Lost Divisional Round
1997: 13-3, NFC West Champs - Lost NFC Championship
1998: 12-4, Lost Divisional Round

Total Record: 207 - 72- 1
Playoff Record: 22-11

NFC West Titles: 13
NFC Championship Appearances: 10
Super Bowl Appearances: 5
Super Bowl Titles: 5

All Pro Seasons: 37
Pro Bowl Player Seasons: 109

That run was pretty damn sick. The main component to that run being so successful was definitely having Joe Montana from 1981 to 1990 and then Steve Young from 1991 to 1998. It'd pretty much be like Brady or Manning being followed by another top 10 all time QB.

The 49ers run was filled with tons of great moments and plays. In 1981 you have The Catch. Up to this point in their existence the 49ers pretty much blew. They however finished 13-3 and were trailing the Cowboys 27-21 in the NFC Championship game. As you can see in that clip the drive was outstanding. Then on the touchdown play you have Montana getting harassed by 14 Cowboys and Clark making a disgusting catch in the back of the end zone on really a broken play (or at least broken off pass route). This play pretty much catapulted them into an unprecedented 18 year run.

The 49ers also completely outlasted their rivals in this time frame. It all started in 1981 with Dallas. Now the Cowboys would come back to be a HUGE (and dominant) rival of the 49ers from 1992 to 1995 but it took the Cowboys 11 years (from 1981 to 1992) to get back on top. It included a 1-15 1989 season and the infamous Herschel Walker trade (idiot Vikings).

The Giants were huge rivals of the 49ers from 1985 through 1990, beating them in the playoffs in 1985, 1986, and 1990. After 1990 though the Giants fell off the map while the 49ers rolled on. At the latter end of their run the Packers were the next thorn in their balls. The Packers beat the 49ers in the playoffs in 1995, 1996, and 1997. If not for The Catch II then it would have been in 1998 as well. Nonetheless from 1981 to 1991 the Packers scurried around and until the Favre days were finally able to be competitive again.

Speaking of The Catch II this was just another notch in the playoff success of an all time franchise. The 49ers announcer makes a great call on this play compared to the catatonic Pat Summerall (althought Madden giggles in delight). Another great call, and one of my favorites, was Steve Young's crazy touchdown run in a 1987 game vs. the Vikings. This run turned out to be a game winner. All announcers should be that fired up.

The whole Steve Young/Joe Montana QB battle from 1987 through 1992 is a *bit* before my recollection, but man, so insane. First off these two guys are first ballot hall of famers and both probably top 10 all time talents. You have to wonder how much better Young's numbers would have been had he got the chance to play full time in 1987 AND 1988 AND 1989 AND 1990!! Could you imagine in today's game having a backup QB of that caliber stand on the sidelines for FOUR years!? It's nuts, there is no way it'd happen! However Young did get a fair amount of action since Joe Montana, and this was his one major downfall, was so injury prone.

A number of teams have won back to back Super Bowls: Green Bay I & II, Miami VII & VIII, Pittsburgh IX & X then XIII & XIV, San Francisco XXIII & XXIV, Dallas XXVII & XXVIII, Denver XXXII & XXXIII, and New England XXXVIII & XXXIX but San Francisco really had a good shot at winning four in a row. There are years when you can say 'well if the cards fell right this team could have won' but with the 49ers I kind of look back at 1987 and 1990 like, damn, those were some HUGE missed opportunities (here's the call "There will be no three-peat)!!!

Before talking about that - quick side tangent - the Cowboys of the 1990's were the other team that did have a chance at three (or four) straight as well but missed out in 1994 by falling to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

In 1987 the 49ers were a league best 13-2. Jerry Rice had busted onto the scene, Roger Craig was establishing himself as a top NFL back, Charles Haley joined the show as a dominant pass rusher, Montana & Ronnie Lott were in their primes, and you had Bill Walsh playing chess while all other coaches played checkers. The 49ers matched up in the Divisional Round against the 8-7 Minnesota Vikings. It really was just one of the bigger bed-shitting/upsets you'll ever see. Vikings receiver Anthony Carter had over 200 yards that game and carried the Vikings with acrobatic catch after acrobatic catch.

In 1990 the 49ers were looking to become the first team to win three straight super bowls after winning it all in 1988 and 1989. They finished a league best 14-2 this year and were just an utter powerhouse. They hosted the Giants in the NFC Championship game clinging to a 13-12 lead with about 3 mins left to play. Trying to run out the clock, Roger Craig was stripped by Lawrence Taylor. The Giants went 30 yards or so on the ensuing drive and Matt Bahr squeaked his 5th field goal in as time expired. Now the 1990 Bills were no gimme but I'm pretty sure that Craig fumble cost them a third title.

All this 49ers talk and we haven't even talked about the FIVE Super Bowl titles. Unless the 49ers opponents were in Bengal Stripes, the game was a complete rout. They beat record setting Marino in Super Bowl XIX 38-16, DESTROYED the Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV, and beat down the Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX. Thanks in large part to the 49ers (and a few other NFC teams) almost every Super Bowl of the 1980's to mid 1990's totally sucked. I'm not sure if it was inferior opponents or the 49ers were just this good but when people compare the 2001-2007 Patriots teams to these 49ers teams it's so hard to give the nod to the Pats just in that there wasn't this amazing dominance. Yes the 2007 Patriots destroyed people, but we all remember how that ended (just puked in my mouth).

The two Super Bowl titles against the Bengals provided one of the greatest goal line stands in Super Bowl XVI and one of the greatest finishing drives in Super Bowl XXIII.

You can list out Super Bowl stats and records and it's just completely dominated by the 49ers:

Super Bowl Resume: An unblemished 5-0

Super Bowl MVP's: Joe Montana - 3 (all time record)

Super Bowl Touchdown Passes: Joe Montana - 11 (all time record, 0 Int's by the way)

Super Bowl Receptions: Jerry Rice 33 (all time record)

Super Bowl Receiving Yards: Jerry Rice 589 (all time record)

Super Bowl Touchdowns: Jerry Rice 8 (all time record)

Most Points: 55 in Super Bowl XXIV

Biggest Margin of Victory: 45 in Super Bowl XXIV

Single game performances are littered with 49ers too:

TD Passes: Steve Young 6 in XXIX, Joe Montana 5 in XXIV (#1 and #2 all time)

Receiving Yards: Jerry Rice 215 yards (all time record)

Receiving Touchdowns: Jerry Rice 3 in Super Bowl XXIV and XXIX (all time record)

The Colts, Patriots, and I suppose Steelers have all had a pretty nice run in the 2000's. They would all need to keep this going for another 8 to 10 years to match the 49ers run. A lot of it I suppose is the luck of landing a great QB but I would definitely bet against either of these teams matching that success.

All in all it was an insane TWO decades for the 49ers. If you had told the 15 year old me that San Francisco would be a staggering/shitty team from 2003 to the present I never would have believed it. If I picked up the standings any given week of my childhood I would see SF atop the NFC West with the Rams, Saints, and Falcons all but eliminated by week 12. I guess it should make all of us Patriots fans quit being so nitpicky about our team and just ENJOY THE RUN. In 2021 we could be the ones watching the Alex Smith, Shaun Hill, JT O'Sullivan, Ken Dorsey, or Trent Dilfer of the Patriots stink up the joint each week.

Oh and this run by Garrison Hearst vs the Jets in overtime in 1998 was one of the sickest plays, stiff arms, and hustle of down field blockers that I've ever seen. Plus I friggin hated the Jets like no other at this time. I couldn't figure out a way to incorporate this into the blog but here it is anyway.