Uh oh, somebody woke up Mercury Morris.
It's a semi-annual rite of passage: An NFL team flirts with a perfect season and the media reaches out to Morris, running back and self-appointed mouth piece for the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Morris was famously dismissive of the 2007 New England Patriots, a team he disliked for their presumptuous ways (or something to that effect). But things are different with the Packers, who Morris said deserve an officially-endorsed '72 Dolphins Champagne Toast™ if they run the slate and go 19-0.
"If they do it, I will toast them," Morris said, according to FoxSportsFlorida.com.
"I like (the Packers). If they get to 10-0, which they probably will, I'm going to send Aaron Rodgers one of my CDs," he went on. "I have nothing but good things to say about the Packers. If they (end up) in our neighborhood, they're a credit to the sport. They don't have a bunch of guys out there who view themselves as entertainers."
Talk about dangling a carrot. Not only can Aa-Rod move one step closer to football immortality with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneersthis weekend, he also has chance to become the owner of a rap song written and performed by a 64-year-old man!
Being the only team to achieve a perfect season has turned into a lucrative second career for members of the '72 Fins. CNBC sports business whiz Darren Rovel reported that members of that fabled team make between $25,000 and $150,000 per year through signings and appearances. Hall of Fame coach Don Shula can pull down a cool half million per.
Suddenly, all those champagne toasts don't seem so self-obsessed and ridiculous.