We had only five healthy defensive starters in the Oakland game. We were going with a lot of second-year backups. Doug Swift had a broken arm, Jake Scott and Dick Anderson had bad knees. I played the game with a completely separated shoulder and shredded cartilage in my left knee. Bill Stanfill played with two neck harnesses.
Today there are more games.
Staying healthy for 16 games plus playoffs, there's a little luck involved. Michael Jordan was able to carry the Chicago Bulls to threepeat heights, but he was the best player in the game's history, and he was one of only 10 men on the floor. In football, it is harder to dominate with 22 on the field. History tell us that championship teams suffer from inertia. While their collective resolve tends to wane with time, another team, gaining resilience in defeat, will eventually end the reign.