Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

The Patriots missed the playoffs the year Tom Brady was hurt (2008) despite an 11-5 record. They also missed out in 1980 with a 10-6 record, as they faltered down the stretch when QB Steve Grogan couldn't play with a damaged knee. The 1976 Cincinnati Bengals finished at 10-4 but lost out on the tie-...

Archie Manning (Minnesota 1983-84)
Chester Marcol (Houston 1980)
Roy Gerela (San Diego 1979)
John Hadl (Houston 1976-77)

WR Randy "The Rabbit" Vataha...cut by the Rams in preseason of 1971 and then teamed with his Stanford teammate Jim Plunkett and later Steve Grogan from 1971-1976 in New England, finished his career in Green Bay in 1977. Was so small he actually had a part time job as one of the 7 Dwarfs at...

It's been over 30 years but I seem to recall Cosell and company talking about how rolling Marino out of the pocket helped to neutralize the Bears' 46 Defense. With their considerable pass rush kept in check the quick Miami receivers were able to use their speed on the Bears DBs giving them a big adv...

Perhaps the fact that S & S played in the era where DBs could put a beat down on receivers should be a factor. Swann was famously knocked out of the 1975 AFC Champ game against the Raiders and there were doubts he would even play in SB X, but that kind of worked out for him! Stallworth had those...

The two games mentioned were certainly two of his best. But off the top of my head Griese led the GW drive in the final 2 minutes on the road in Minnesota in Week #3 of the 1972 undefeated season. He went 17 of 23 for 199 yards and a TD in a Monday Nite match up against Namath and the Jets on 10/7/7...

Yes, it was done by a few teams and it gradually caught on. In one of his books Gary Yepremian details how the Dolphins starting using the nets in the late 1970s to keep him from kicking the ball into the pool in back of the end zone where the Dolphins' mascot Flipper resided. He kept trying to kick...

1976 AFC Divisional Playoff-New England at Oakland. Ahead 21-17 with under 5 minutes to play the Pats face a 3rd and 6 at the Oakland 32 (should have been 3rd and 1 but for an offside penalty). Grogan rolls out and throws a pass that hits TE Russ Francis between the 8 and 1 on his white jersey. Unfo...

Last game of the 1974 NFL season...December 14, a Monday Night Football game played on a Saturday. The Raiders used Darryl Lamonica (did not attempt a pass), Ken Stabler, George Blanda (who threw a TD pass), and Larry Lawrence. I watched the game again the other day and curiously Cosell and co. make...

As far as I know this was the last game where one team used 4 QBs in one game, and all legitimate quarterbacks, no formations where a WR takes the snap like in the wildcat.

Hint: The game was played in "prime time"!!