MIAMI – Don Shula knows what it takes to achieve a perfect season, and he says the New England Patriots have a chance to do it.

On the other hand, Shula says, the winless Miami Dolphins have a shot at an upset Sunday at New England.

The Hall of Fame coach has a vested interest for two reasons. He led the Dolphins for 26 years and still roots for them, and his 1972-73 teams won 18 consecutive games, an NFL record the Patriots hope to break Sunday.

Four other teams share the record, but only Shula’s 1972 Dolphins went 17-0. The Patriots need 16 more wins in a row for the second perfect season in league history, which would be 19-0.

“They’ve got a real shot at it,” Shula said Tuesday. “They’ve got to win a lot of games to do it, and tough teams down the road. But they certainly are a legitimate threat to do it. They’re a team that’s solid in every way, from ownership to coaching to the players.”

That’s in contrast to the 2004 Dolphins, off to their worst start since their expansion season in 1966 with four consecutive losses. It’s a level of failure foreign to Shula, who holds the NFL record with 328 coaching victories. He never endured an 0-4 start in 33 years as a coach, and 16 times he had four losses or less the entire season.

“Obviously the Dolphins are 0-4 and not happy about that,” he said. “They haven’t been able to put together any drives offensively. If they can get something together offensively, with the great defense they play, they’ve got a chance to win some games this year, and they’ve got a chance against New England.”

Shula said there’s no question the Patriots are the NFL’s best team. He said their defense reminds him of the 1972 Dolphins, and coach Bill Belichick reminds him of Don Shula.

“The way he teaches and coaches, I believe there are a lot of similarities,” Shula said. “I give him credit for not letting all the outside influences interfere with his preparation.”

Patriots release Mayer

FOXBORO, Mass. – The New England Patriots released second-year safety Shawn Mayer.

Mayer, 25, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State in May 2003, played in 15 games last season, mostly on special teams, and made 23 tackles. He had four special teams tackles in three games this season. He was released in last season’s final preseason roster cut, but was signed to the practice squad the next day. He moved between the practice squad and the active roster last season.

AP-ES-10-05-04 2011EDT