Professional Football Researchers Association Forum
PFRA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the history of professional football. Formed in 1979, PFRA members include many of the game's foremost historians and writers.
Mark wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 7:10 pm
According to Wikipedia the Tuck Rule was only started in 1999 and was used against the Patriots earlier in the year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuck_Rule_Game
The Vinny T call his arm was moving forward.
The Billy Joe Hobert one fit the definition where he was actually bringing the ball back into his body -all in one motion- and got hit, fumbled. It was an absurd call, common sense wise, but fit what the "tuck rule" was.
Those weren't comparable to/didn't happen the same as the Brady pump fake, hit, fumble.
Would not a pump fake qualify as "any intentional forward movement of his arm" and even if not how would the official determine whether something was a pump fake or a change of mind? I never like rules that involve mind reading.
I think what annoys me about the conversation here though is this is a researchers forum and yet everyone is talking about "years of watching football before that game" without even taking two minutes to look up how long the rule was around. Two minutes may not lead to the best conclusions but is still better than nothing.
Speaking of which... Well, not necessarily mind reading but an official having to determine what WOULD have happened instead of what actually happened.... The whole receiver would have landed in bounds if he wasn't pushed so we'll call it a catch. I always hated that rule and was glad it was changed. If a defensive player is able to push the receiver out of bounds before he gets two feet in, that's a great play. Just as good as a tackle.
I miss how cool uniforms looked in the early 90s, probably the last years carrying over from the 50s ... once Reebok, then Nike took over, jersies started looking worse and worse. Maybe players liked them better but I miss the old school looks. I was happy when Parcells changed the Jets jersies back to the championship era.
The last several years of John Madden being forcefed to the audience.
The “Boom boom boom wham wham wham zoom zoom zoom and that’s how you score a touchdown” era of Madden.
I guess it’s more sad than dumb, but any accomplished individual who insists or is encouraged to stick around well beyond their prime is always dumb/sad to me.
Raptorfan wrote: ↑Thu Oct 02, 2025 2:15 pm
I guess it’s more sad than dumb, but any accomplished individual who insists or is encouraged to stick around well beyond their prime is always dumb/sad to me.
I had an immediate flashback of Paul Revere and the Raiders performing in some mall parking lot.
And for the young-uns on this board, no, it wasn't Paul Revere and the Oakland Raiders.
Posters in this thread looking for past examples of tuck rule style calls, there was a big one in the late season 1992 Cowboys vs Redskins game I believe Aikman lost a ball that cost Dallas that game and there was some controversy that it should have been ruled an incomplete pass instead. That Redskins defense was still great in 92, Wilber Marshall was legit they pretty much shut that Cowboys offense down in the second half of that and won that game with Rypien playing terrible/no offense.
Last edited by ShinobiMusashi on Thu Oct 02, 2025 8:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Brian wolf wrote: ↑Wed May 22, 2024 3:20 pm
The Oilers changing their name to the Titans. I get Bud Adams trying to create a new image and identity for the fans in Nashville and TN, but ...
a) You don't get rid of a name with a history, including the first two AFL champions and
b) You damn sure don't adapt another AFL team name from a team that went bankrupt in it's first three years.
And yes, there actually is oil in TN ...
Bud did not want to change the name, the state of Tennessee did. A big part of the deal for him to move the team was to change the name and the officials he was negotiating with were unhappy that he got cold feet and kept the name when they started playing in Memphis in 97. Fans kind of rejected it too. Honestly living in Houston those years 94, 95, 96 I feel like the city of Houston was over that stuff too. It was a dated 70's and 80's thing by 95 and had reached a certain aura of losing energy similar to the Bucs and early 90's Pats after The Comeback. I remember seeing Oilers gear everywhere all the time those years 90-91-92-93, then just rarely ever seeing anybody wearing it by 95, even in Houston those years after Moon left it really felt like the Oilers barely existed. But the state of Tennessee did not want the Oilers either. Even after they moved to Nashville in 98 that stadium was empty for Oilers games.
Brian wolf wrote: ↑Wed May 22, 2024 3:20 pm
The Oilers changing their name to the Titans. I get Bud Adams trying to create a new image and identity for the fans in Nashville and TN, but ...
a) You don't get rid of a name with a history, including the first two AFL champions and
b) You damn sure don't adapt another AFL team name from a team that went bankrupt in it's first three years.
And yes, there actually is oil in TN ...
Bud did not want to change the name, the state of Tennessee did. A big part of the deal for him to move the team was to change the name and the officials he was negotiating with were unhappy that he got cold feet and kept the name when they started playing in Memphis in 97. Fans kind of rejected it too. Honestly living in Houston those years 94, 95, 96 I feel like the city of Houston was over that stuff too. It was a dated 70's and 80's thing by 95 and had reached a certain aura of losing energy similar to the Bucs and early 90's Pats after The Comeback. I remember seeing Oilers gear everywhere all the time those years 90-91-92-93, then just rarely ever seeing anybody wearing it by 95, even in Houston those years after Moon left it really felt like the Oilers barely existed. But the state of Tennessee did not want the Oilers either. Even after they moved to Nashville in 98 that stadium was empty for Oilers games.
I disagree ... yes, the Liberty Bowl in Memphis was mostly empty in 1997, but the crowds at Vanderbilt Stadium were full and loud in 1998. Maybe not all the time, but they were when I went to the games or saw them on television. The stadium didnt have a large capacity but could sometimes get louder than other stadiums that were bigger.