There was no large gathering of old Miami Dolphins and no mass champagne celebration when the New England Patriots fell short of perfection and lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

There was merriment, however, as members of the 1972 Dolphins rejoiced in remaining the only NFL team with a perfect season.

"Everyone in their own way celebrated," said Jim Kiick, a former Dolphins halfback who lives in the Miami area. "We're not bitter old men, we're not celebrating the Patriots loss, we're celebrating our accomplishment."

The 1972 Miami Dolphins finished the regular season with a 14-0 record, then won three in the postseason to go 17-0 as Super Bowl VII champions. New England went 16-0 and won two playoff games before losing Sunday to the Giants, 17-14.

"This shows that it's even more difficult than people realize," Kiick said. "It's been 35 years since someone did that and no one did it prior to us."

Kiick watched the game at a restaurant and bar owned by a friend who is a Giants fan. He said he wanted to be surrounded by Giants fans but wishes he had watched the game elsewhere.

"Now I wish I would have gone to be with a bunch of New England Patriots fans, who had been gloating, just to see their sad faces. They kept saying they would overcome our record and be the best team ever; it almost came to a point of being obnoxious -- especially [coach] Bill Belichick, who is not a gracious winner or loser. It would have been nice seeing these Patriots fans eat crow."

Kiick and former Miami Pro Bowl guard Bob Kuechenberg claimed yesterday the '72 Dolphins often are wrongly described as bitter old men because they celebrate each year when the final unbeaten team loses. They said they no longer gather and have champagne toasts, but they certainly were thrilled with the Giants win Sunday. They said it became even more shrill this season because of what they termed arrogant displays by fans of the Patriots.

"It was almost like a personal thing," Kiick said. "There are a lot of great football teams out there -- the '85 Bears, the '78 Steelers, San Francisco can argue they're best -- but for some reason, they consider us bitter old men because we sipped a bottle of champagne when they'd lose. It was more a vendetta."

"Truly," Kuechenberg said, "when they got to 15-0 and then 16-0, in the back of my mind I said it would be the perfect, perfect, perfect ending to go 18-0 and get to the Super Bowl and choke. That's exactly what happened.

"Now they have to live with it for the rest of their lives, the 18-0 team that lost the Super Bowl."

At least one old Miami Dolphins defensive tackle did not greet the Patriots defeat so joyously as did many of his former teammates.

"We're the only undefeated team in football history," Manny Fernandez said. "It's nice to be the only one, it really is.

"But I really thought the Patriots were going to join us on the pedestal this year. I feel bad for them, I know how bad they feel. Our '71 season was a fairy tale. We came out of nowhere, and went to the Super Bowl and got crushed and humbled by the Cowboys. I know how bad and empty it felt. I'm sure these Patriots are feeling every bit of that."

Fernandez also had a word of advice for Terry Bradshaw, the Steelers' Hall of Fame quarterback who said during the Fox pregame telecast Sunday that he wishes the '72 Dolphins would shut up already.

"Tell Terry to lighten up," Fernandez said. "He had a chance and didn't do it."

The Steelers lost to those Dolphins at Three Rivers Stadium in the 1972 AFC championship game, 21-17.

"If they prevailed, they never would have had to put up with us," Fernandez said, laughing. "Tell him to go blame himself."

Kiick and some teammates were part of a Reebok commercial featuring the '72 Dolphins, who were gathered in "Perfectville -- Population 1, Established 1972."

Two endings were shot. In one, the Dolphins are at a barbecue, talking about perfection when a moving van pulls up announcing the New England Patriots on it. Old Dolphins running back Mercury Morris walks up, hands them a pie and says, "Welcome to the neighborhood."

That one will never be shown, at least not this year. The one showing now has a courier delivering a package to the Dolphins with a Giants logo on it. Opened, it offers congratulations to the only undefeated team and signed by Eli Manning.

"People wanted to canonize the Patriots as the best team ever," Kiick said. "You certainly can't say that now. You have to win them all to say you're the best ever and they fell short."