Safest Records

[JuggernautJ]

How about the 1952 Texans being the last NFL Franchise to go out of business?
Anyone foreseeing that happening again in the near future?

[Throwin_Samoan]

At this point, given the changes in how the game is played I think that Night Train's 14 Int's in 1952 might be the safest record on the books, ironically given that there are 33% more games every season now.

Why is that irony?

[Throwin_Samoan]

Another record who amazes me are the 554 passing yards in a game by Norm Van Brocklin in 1951. In this era, no one has come close to it, unlike the 7-TD passes in a game record.

You mean except for the 10 guys who have thrown for over 500 yards in a game since 2011? Including two this year?

Van Brocklin did that against a bunch of guys called the New York Yanks, in the first game of a 1-9-2 season.

[Gary Najman]

Another record who amazes me are the 554 passing yards in a game by Norm Van Brocklin in 1951. In this era, no one has come close to it, unlike the 7-TD passes in a game record.

You mean except for the 10 guys who have thrown for over 500 yards in a game since 2011? Including two this year?

Van Brocklin did that against a bunch of guys called the New York Yanks, in the first game of a 1-9-2 season.

Thats the reason why it amazed me: in this high passing stats era no one can break that record. It will be difficult to break if the quarterback's team has a big lead, but if it was a game like the 52-49 Saints-Giants game of last year (and it goes to overyime) it would have a chance.

[jeckle_and_heckle]

No team, in my lifetime, will ever give up less than 10 points per game over a three season stretch like the 1969-71 Vikings.

It's amazing they didn't win a championship playing defense like that.

[BD Sullivan]

Another record who amazes me are the 554 passing yards in a game by Norm Van Brocklin in 1951. In this era, no one has come close to it, unlike the 7-TD passes in a game record.

You mean except for the 10 guys who have thrown for over 500 yards in a game since 2011? Including two this year?

Van Brocklin did that against a bunch of guys called the New York Yanks, in the first game of a 1-9-2 season.

My ancient 1977 NFL Encyclopedic History book pointed out that the Yanks franchise seems to be the team that are part of many records: the 1944 Boston Yanks had 36 rushing first down all season; the '46 team didn't attempt any FG's; the '49 team (now the Bulldogs) allowed 65 points to the Cardinals; George Taliaferro returned eight kickoffs in a 51-7 loss in 1950 and punted 14 times in a game the following year--might have been the Van Brocklin game.

[BD Sullivan]

No team, in my lifetime, will ever give up less than 10 points per game over a three season stretch like the 1969-71 Vikings.

It's amazing they didn't win a championship playing defense like that.

A competent quarterback during the last two years would likely have done the trick.

[jeckle_and_heckle]

Longest Punt - 98 yards by Steve O'Neal, New York Jets vs. Denver Broncos, September 21, 1969
(Willie Mosconi would have a tough time beating that. Ah, but it was the year of Woodstock, sweet perfume was in the air.)

[Evan]

Just wondering if Tony Dorsett's 99-yard rush could be broken on a technicality, based on this hypothetical:

The Vikings have the ball on their own 1-yard-line. Matt Asiata takes a handoff, and plows forward to the 2-yard-line, but as he is being tackled, he recklessly but ingeniously laterals the ball backward to Cordarrelle Patterson, standing two yards deep in the end zone. Patterson makes the most of lots of players standing around thinking the play was over, and proceeds to run 102 yards with the lateral for a Vikings TD.

I believe Asiata would get credited with one rush for one yard, but would Patterson get credited with:

A. 99 yards rushing (from the original line of scrimmage)
B. 98 yards rushing (from the point where Asiata advanced the ball, but not where Patterson received it)
C. 102 rushing yards (from the point where Patterson received the lateral)

-- all without an actual statistical rushing attempt.

The quirk in here is that Patterson would receive the lateral behind the line of scrimmage, so I wonder how the play would be scored. I know in 1976 John Stallworth was credited with 47 rushing yards and a rushing TD with no rushing attempt when he received a downfield lateral from Franco Harris against Oakland, but Patterson's case would be different since he would receive the lateral behind the line of scrimmage.

If Patterson got the 102 rushing yards, I suppose he would get the record for most rushing yards on a play, but Dorsett's record of most rushing yards on an attempt would be safe -- or would Patterson be the new holder of the longest rush record and erase Dorsett's name from the record book?

I'm sure the Forum can give a definitive answer here, and thus rule if Dorsett's 99-yard TD is truly unbreakable!

[jeckle_and_heckle]

Just wondering if Tony Dorsett's 99-yard rush could be broken on a technicality, based on this hypothetical:

The Vikings have the ball on their own 1-yard-line. Matt Asiata takes a handoff, and plows forward to the 2-yard-line, but as he is being tackled, he recklessly but ingeniously laterals the ball backward to Cordarrelle Patterson, standing two yards deep in the end zone. Patterson makes the most of lots of players standing around thinking the play was over, and proceeds to run 102 yards with the lateral for a Vikings TD.

I believe Asiata would get credited with one rush for one yard, but would Patterson get credited with:

A. 99 yards rushing (from the original line of scrimmage)
B. 98 yards rushing (from the point where Asiata advanced the ball, but not where Patterson received it)
C. 102 rushing yards (from the point where Patterson received the lateral)

-- all without an actual statistical rushing attempt.

The quirk in here is that Patterson would receive the lateral behind the line of scrimmage, so I wonder how the play would be scored. I know in 1976 John Stallworth was credited with 47 rushing yards and a rushing TD with no rushing attempt when he received a downfield lateral from Franco Harris against Oakland, but Patterson's case would be different since he would receive the lateral behind the line of scrimmage.

If Patterson got the 102 rushing yards, I suppose he would get the record for most rushing yards on a play, but Dorsett's record of most rushing yards on an attempt would be safe -- or would Patterson be the new holder of the longest rush record and erase Dorsett's name from the record book?

I'm sure the Forum can give a definitive answer here, and thus rule if Dorsett's 99-yard TD is truly unbreakable!

Cordarrelle Patterson already shares the record for the "longest play" with Antonio Cromartie: 109 yards
Antonio Cromartie on November 4, 2007 (return of a missed field goal),
Cordarrelle Patterson on October 27, 2013 (kickoff return)
Your hypothetical bit of fantasy would NOT be a "run from scrimmage."