1997 NFL season discussion

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74_75_78_79_
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1997 NFL season discussion

Post by 74_75_78_79_ »

Many things to say about this campaign...

This, of course, was the only NFL season, thus far, that begin in August (31st). It was the day following Lady Di's passing.

FOUR new HC's in the NFC West alone! Dick Vermeii, making his return after 15 years away from the league, was at helm for the Rams. Ditka back after five years, now with the Saints. Dan Reeves' first year in Atlanta, and Steve Mariucci taking over for Seifert in San Fran.

The Oilers' first year in the state of Tennessee.

Buccaneers and Broncos change their uniforms to vast improvements for each, a la '81 Bengals.

Steelers dropped the block lettering which I so wish they never did (even the recent retro jerseys depicting such are a bit off with me)!

Barry Sanders' last All-Pro as well as last season playing in the playoffs. Yes, Bobby Ross hopping onboard Detroit.

In the AFC East, it was Bill Parcells' first year with the Jets, catapulting them just like that to an 8-game improvement from the year before (1-15 to 9-7)!! The Super Bowl team from the year before that Tuna left? Now HC'd by Pete Carroll. Jimmy Johnson's first playoff berth with Miami and Marv Levy's final season as Bill's HC which would be 'Year One' after Jim Kelly thus, sadly, a losing 6-10 campaign.

Bill Cowher would lead the Steelers to yet another division title/1st-Rd bye/AFCCG-appearance thus their sixth-straight playoff year. It'd be his last time in the post-season until 2001.

Dallas, on the other hand (who blasted the 'Burgh at Three Rivers on opening day, 37-7), would suffer their first losing season since 1990.

Jim Fassel, taking over for Dan Reeves, had himself a nice Giants debut! He improved last year's 6-10 finish to a 10-5-1 division title. It was Tiki - and Ronde's - rookie year.

And, of course...(back to the 'vast' improvement due to the Broncos' new uniforms)...
An AFC TEAM, finally, won a Super Bowl after thirteen straight years of otherwise ("This one's...for John")!


Further thoughts/commentary?
CSKreager
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Re: 1997 NFL season discussion

Post by CSKreager »

Things I remember from 1997:

The end of the AFC/NBC era

The hilariously awful Raiders defense betraying a statistically solid offense

Indianapolis winning only 3 games, but all of them against teams that finished above .500

New Orleans’ whopping 55 turnovers

The Seahawks’ horrendous special teams
SeahawkFever
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Re: 1997 NFL season discussion

Post by SeahawkFever »

CSKreager wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2024 6:39 pm The Seahawks’ horrendous special teams
If I’m not mistaken this was one of the .500 or so years under Dennis Erickson.

If they had average special teams could they have made the playoffs this year?
7DnBrnc53
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Re: 1997 NFL season discussion

Post by 7DnBrnc53 »

Buccaneers and Broncos change their uniforms to vast improvements for each, a la '81 Bengals.
I like Tampa's, but not Denver's. I think the logo change only happened because Bowlen was thinking about moving the Broncos from Denver (that's when they were trying to get the new stadium built. He wanted to get rid of the D logo). The unis that they have today should have gotten rid of the 1997 logo (I don't like the new unis, either).
The end of the AFC/NBC era
Unfortunately. It's too bad that FOX ever got into the NFL. NFC on CBS and AFC on NBC forever.
Bill Cowher would lead the Steelers to yet another division title/1st-Rd bye/AFCCG-appearance thus their sixth-straight playoff year. It'd be his last time in the post-season until 2001.
That team vastly overachieved. Should have went 7-9. Kordell played above his head. He really never was the answer at QB.
philadelphia97
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Re: 1997 NFL season discussion

Post by philadelphia97 »

After going eight years without a tie, we were treated (tortured?) to two ties in consecutive weeks: Eagles-Ravens in Week 12 and Giants-Redskins in Week 13.
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Crazy Packers Fan
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Re: 1997 NFL season discussion

Post by Crazy Packers Fan »

Super Bowl XXXII was the final game without a score bug continuously on screen. Although there may have been one or two without one due to weather problems (I'm thinking 2013). NBC never came around to the score bug until they got the NFL back in 2006.

The NFC Central sent four teams to the playoffs for the second time in four seasons. Tampa won the all-Central battle with Detroit, while Minnesota recovered an onside kick to ruin the Giants' magical season. The Packers then knocked out Tampa in what I refer to as the "Huck-and-Buck Game," because John Madden spent much of the second half talking about the "Huck-and-Buck" pose.

If Brett Favre gets 36 or so more yards on that final drive, we have our first overtime Super Bowl (there was no chance of risking the game on a 2-pointer in those days). Steve Atwater nearly killed two people on the next-to-last play of the game, and I wonder if that affected the final play.

I've always thought that John Elway's performance in this Super Bowl was very overrated. All anyone remembers is the helicopter play, which may not have been as important as legend has made it out to be. Elway was carried to the championship by Terrell Davis and the Denver defense. (That being said, Elway fully deserved all the glory when he went back-to-back.)

Also, I still hate the Broncos'/Bucs' new uniforms. But they coincided with the teams turning around their fortunes, so they stuck. That's also why you'll never see the Patriots go back to Pat Patriot full-time. I get the feeling the Commanders may keep their atrocious "Steelers" uniforms after what happened today.
sheajets
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Re: 1997 NFL season discussion

Post by sheajets »

Jets missing the playoffs that year crushed me. From 1-15 to 9-7...still not good enough. They were still not immune to Same Ol Jets moments even with Tuna there. They were 8-5 and hosting the 1-12 Colts at home. Do they win? Of course not.

The Bucs new uniforms were more befitting the 90s and certainly more fearsome and "cooler" color wise than they had been...but it was just too much of a radical identity shift. They seemed like an entirely new franchise, starting 5-0 and wearing those uniforms. Suppose that was the point

Denver if they were gonna win a Super Bowl I wanted to see them win in their classic uni's...felt that look was a downgrade. Don't think there was any need for such a radical identity shift and to me they looked drab with a weird swoosh running down the sides of the uniform

Vikings I remember absolutely shocking the Giants in the playoffs at Giants Stadium...New York blowing a 9 pt lead late in the 4th. Giants managed to go 10-5-1 with one of the NFL's best defenses but a passing attack (Kanell and Dave Brown) that threw for just 2,500 yards. In fact you had a lot of very anemic team passing seasons that year. Tampa Bay had Dilfer start every game and throw for just 2,500, the Oilers threw for just 2,500, Saints for 2,500. The Bills, Chiefs, and Panthers were all around 2,800.

No NFL quarterback threw for over 4,000 yards that season. One reached 30 or more touchdowns (Favre(
conace21
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Re: 1997 NFL season discussion

Post by conace21 »

SeahawkFever wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2024 7:49 pm
CSKreager wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2024 6:39 pm The Seahawks’ horrendous special teams
If I’m not mistaken this was one of the .500 or so years under Dennis Erickson.

If they had average special teams could they have made the playoffs this year?
Yes, there were two particularly brutal losses in back to back weeks.

Against New Orleans, the anemic Saints offense scored 17 points in regulation thanks to:

- A touchdown on a 33 yard drive after newly signed punter Kyle Richardson dropped the snap.

- A touchdown on a 45 yard drive after the Saints had a 29 yard punt return.

- A field goal after a Richardson punt was blocked and recovered at the 5 yard line.

And Todd Peterson missed two field goals, with Richardson as the new holder. (He had only missed two field goals in the first 10 games.)

The following week, Seattle took on Kansas City,

-KC was lined up to punt from the Seattle 36 yard line. Louis Aguiar instead threw a high arcing pass.that was meant to resemble a pass. Gunner Kevin Lockett jumped up and pulled the ball in over the punt returner at the 1 yard line. Kansas City scored a touchdown on the next play.

-Richardson suffered a concussion while trying to make a tackle on a punt return at the end of the half. Regular punter Rick Tuten had been sidelined with a groin injury, but he was active just to hold for kicks. Tuten came in to attempt a punt in the second half, but he aggravated his injury, and just couldn't kick. The punt landed out of bounds for a 6 yard loss. Instead of being pinned deep, Kansas City took over ar their 46, and drove 54 yards for their second touchdown.

-Richardson returned and had a punt blocked out of bounds for a safety, the final points in a 19-14 Chiefs win.
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: 1997 NFL season discussion

Post by 74_75_78_79_ »

sheajets wrote: Mon Nov 04, 2024 12:43 pm Jets missing the playoffs that year crushed me. From 1-15 to 9-7...still not good enough. They were still not immune to Same Ol Jets moments even with Tuna there. They were 8-5 and hosting the 1-12 Colts at home. Do they win? Of course not.

The Bucs new uniforms were more befitting the 90s and certainly more fearsome and "cooler" color wise than they had been...but it was just too much of a radical identity shift. They seemed like an entirely new franchise, starting 5-0 and wearing those uniforms. Suppose that was the point

Denver if they were gonna win a Super Bowl I wanted to see them win in their classic uni's...felt that look was a downgrade. Don't think there was any need for such a radical identity shift and to me they looked drab with a weird swoosh running down the sides of the uniform

Vikings I remember absolutely shocking the Giants in the playoffs at Giants Stadium...New York blowing a 9 pt lead late in the 4th. Giants managed to go 10-5-1 with one of the NFL's best defenses but a passing attack (Kanell and Dave Brown) that threw for just 2,500 yards. In fact you had a lot of very anemic team passing seasons that year. Tampa Bay had Dilfer start every game and throw for just 2,500, the Oilers threw for just 2,500, Saints for 2,500. The Bills, Chiefs, and Panthers were all around 2,800.

No NFL quarterback threw for over 4,000 yards that season. One reached 30 or more touchdowns (Favre(
conace21 wrote: Mon Nov 04, 2024 10:13 pm
SeahawkFever wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2024 7:49 pm
CSKreager wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2024 6:39 pm The Seahawks’ horrendous special teams
If I’m not mistaken this was one of the .500 or so years under Dennis Erickson.

If they had average special teams could they have made the playoffs this year?
Yes, there were two particularly brutal losses in back to back weeks.

Against New Orleans, the anemic Saints offense scored 17 points in regulation thanks to:

- A touchdown on a 33 yard drive after newly signed punter Kyle Richardson dropped the snap.

- A touchdown on a 45 yard drive after the Saints had a 29 yard punt return.

- A field goal after a Richardson punt was blocked and recovered at the 5 yard line.

And Todd Peterson missed two field goals, with Richardson as the new holder. (He had only missed two field goals in the first 10 games.)

The following week, Seattle took on Kansas City,

-KC was lined up to punt from the Seattle 36 yard line. Louis Aguiar instead threw a high arcing pass.that was meant to resemble a pass. Gunner Kevin Lockett jumped up and pulled the ball in over the punt returner at the 1 yard line. Kansas City scored a touchdown on the next play.

-Richardson suffered a concussion while trying to make a tackle on a punt return at the end of the half. Regular punter Rick Tuten had been sidelined with a groin injury, but he was active just to hold for kicks. Tuten came in to attempt a punt in the second half, but he aggravated his injury, and just couldn't kick. The punt landed out of bounds for a 6 yard loss. Instead of being pinned deep, Kansas City took over ar their 46, and drove 54 yards for their second touchdown.

-Richardson returned and had a punt blocked out of bounds for a safety, the final points in a 19-14 Chiefs win.
Following Troy Aikman's 1PM EST time-slot tour de force at Three Rivers on opening day, his SBXXX counterpart, Neil O, had his very own TDF performance in the late game at Seattle - 18 for 25 with a sick 5 TD to zero INT ratio! Jets 41, Seahawks 3! Despite still finishing with that 9-7 record/8-game-improvement, that's the very best it would ever be in '97 (they'd drop their next two).
7DnBrnc53
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Re: 1997 NFL season discussion

Post by 7DnBrnc53 »

Barry Sanders' last All-Pro as well as last season playing in the playoffs. Yes, Bobby Ross hopping onboard Detroit.
I have heard things about Sanders being unsatisfied with Ross, and how he was a reason he didn't come back. If so, 1997 was the beginning of the end for a legend.
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