Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

74_75_78_79_ wrote: Didn't even think of the Colts/Pats (Washington) MNF game and am not aware at all of a Browns/Jets OT game (ought to research that).

The Browns hosted the Jets in Week 15, while both were still in the wild card hunt. The wind chill was zero at the mistake by the lake, and the Browns took a 27-10 lead into the fourth quarter before the Jets put 24 unanswered points on the board to take a 34-27 lead with just over a minute to play. Brian Sipe got hot, working the Browns down the field before hitting Calvin Hill at the goal line with 14 seconds left to tie the game at 34 and send it into OT. Cleveland won the OT coin toss, and Greg Pruitt returned the kickoff to midfield, three runs of five, 13 and 26 yards put the ball inside the five, and Don Cockroft booted a FG to win the game. The Jets were eliminated from the playoffs with the loss, and victories by Miami and Houston in Week 15 eliminated the Browns and put the Dolphins and Oilers in the playoffs. Matt Robinson fired three TD's and four picks for the Jets while Greg Pruitt rushed for 138 yards.

74_75_78_79_ wrote:The Denver/Sea game you mention, Rupert, can only serve as further reminder of that intense division race that year in the AFC West. Yes, that was a game Seattle had to win to win division yet alone make playoffs, period.

If Seattle had beat Denver in Week 9, and the rest of the season had played out the same way, Seattle would have won the AFC West. It would have been the most shocking division championship in NFL history to that point as Denver and Oakland had won the last two AFC titles and met the previous season for the AFC Championship. I think Miami going from 1-15 to winning the AFC East in 2008, and dethroning the Patriots who went 16-0 during the 2007 regular season, is easily the most surprising division champ.

I am working on my book where (among other things) I am doing extensive write-ups on each of the four most interesting games of each season, for 1978 I chose both the Jets Browns game and the Denver Seattle game along with the Super Bowl and the Dolphins Oilers Monday Night game to write about. I am closing in on completing it although I had to take a break for a couple months as I am moving next month, but I should have the manuscript finished over the summer.

BernardB wrote: Also have a note in my Neft Ency that Rupert likes the high scoring NYG/GB game in week1. A feast of good games.

The Giants Packers game was one of the flukiest, most bizarre games in NFL history, only comparable I think to the 1984 Giants Rams regular season game. The Giants-Packers game began with Ken Houston taking the opening kickoff and going coast to coast to give the Pack their only lead of the day. Later in the game, Dave Hampton was deep in his territory and fumbled the ball into the end zone, with New York recovering it for a TD, and on the ensuing kickoff, Hampton muffed the kickoff and the Giants recovered it in the end zone for another TD. Also, Packers coach Dan Devine, in his NFL coaching debut, was standing on the sidelines when former Packer Bob Hyland (who was playing for the Giants) ran into him on the sideline and Devine was carted off with a broken leg. Fran Tarkenton threw four TD's as the Giants won 42-40, and Dave Hampton helped keep himself from being cut after the game as he caught a TD pass and broke off a couple nice kickoff returns.

Rupert Patrick wrote:

BernardB wrote: Also have a note in my Neft Ency that Rupert likes the high scoring NYG/GB game in week1. A feast of good games.

The Giants Packers game was one of the flukiest, most bizarre games in NFL history, only comparable I think to the 1984 Giants Rams regular season game.

Rupert, would also be interested in hearing your thoughts about Rams-Giants 1984.

Veeshik_ya wrote:

Rupert Patrick wrote:

BernardB wrote: Also have a note in my Neft Ency that Rupert likes the high scoring NYG/GB game in week1. A feast of good games.

The Giants Packers game was one of the flukiest, most bizarre games in NFL history, only comparable I think to the 1984 Giants Rams regular season game.

Rupert, would also be interested in hearing your thoughts about Rams-Giants 1984.

Three safeties recorded by the Rams in the third period, New York missing both extra point attempts, the Rams letting the opening kickoff roll into the end zone with Phil McConkey falling on it for a Giants TD. Oh, did I forget the goalpost that got caught in the net put up for extra points and field goals and it was pulled down, which delayed the game for ten minutes while the grounds crew fixed the fallen goal post.

Upon a little further research on the '78 Hawks, a nice little gem came up that I forgot all about (knew of before; surprised no one has mentioned yet in regards to that very NFL season) - Tarkenton VS Zorn at the Kingdome! Almost a 'passing-of-baton', of sorts, considering their scrambling styles and all. Seems like a 'game of the year' candidate as well. Top 10 'most exciting' (one year) teams countdown on NFL Network included '78 Eagles, basically, on the strength of 'Miracle' and simply the fact that it was their first winning season in ages, but not only would I imagine the '88 Eagles (through Cunningham) being much more 'exciting', but maybe the '78 Seahawks (through Zorn) being a much better candidate for that list as well? A forgotten team, and only because they didn't make the playoffs if however barely. A better expansion feat than '95 Jax or Car considering neither Hawks nor Bucs were as catered-to by the league.

9-7 and sweeping the Raiders...a pretty nice '83 precursor as well.

Rupert Patrick wrote:
Three safeties recorded by the Rams in the third period, New York missing both extra point attempts, the Rams letting the opening kickoff roll into the end zone with Phil McConkey falling on it for a Giants TD. Oh, did I forget the goalpost that got caught in the net put up for extra points and field goals and it was pulled down, which delayed the game for ten minutes while the grounds crew fixed the fallen goal post.

Yeah, pretty bizarre stuff.

Then again, no more bizarre than the Rams handing off to Duane Crutchfield on the goal line instead of Dickerson in their playoff game later that year. Needless to say, the Giants stuffed him and won the game.

I'd pick 1978 as the "best" of the decade, but my favorite by far will alwys be 1975 because that was the first year I really paid attention to the NFL and followed it daily (in the newspapers). I still pop in the 1975 NFL FILMS year-in-review along with the SB X film at least twice a year.

Rupert Patrick wrote:

BernardB wrote: Also have a note in my Neft Ency that Rupert likes the high scoring NYG/GB game in week1. A feast of good games.

The Giants Packers game was one of the flukiest, most bizarre games in NFL history, only comparable I think to the 1984 Giants Rams regular season game. The Giants-Packers game began with Ken Houston taking the opening kickoff and going coast to coast to give the Pack their only lead of the day. Later in the game, Dave Hampton was deep in his territory and fumbled the ball into the end zone, with New York recovering it for a TD, and on the ensuing kickoff, Hampton muffed the kickoff and the Giants recovered it in the end zone for another TD. Also, Packers coach Dan Devine, in his NFL coaching debut, was standing on the sidelines when former Packer Bob Hyland (who was playing for the Giants) ran into him on the sideline and Devine was carted off with a broken leg. Fran Tarkenton threw four TD's as the Giants won 42-40, and Dave Hampton helped keep himself from being cut after the game as he caught a TD pass and broke off a couple nice kickoff returns.

Ken Ellis. He was a marque player for the Packers in the early '70s and was there in '72, when I discovered the NFL and the Packers, which started this whole thing for me

Great thread idea, great responses.

We had a "favorite season" thread back in 2011 that was not limited to the 1970s, but since my favorite season happened to be in that era, I'll re-post my comments here:

For me, it was 1976, and here are some of the storylines that made it memorable for me:

The Build-Up
• The spirited, festive summer that seemed to have competition and celebration in the air with the Bicentennial, the Olympics (with Bruce Jenner and Sugar Ray Leonard), the Carter/Ford campaign, the undefeated Indiana hoops team, the phenomenon of Mark Fidrych, and the classic Celtics/Suns Finals game.
• The importance of pre-season football magazines, then in its heyday with titles like Prolog, Pro Football Illustrated, Street & Smith’s Pro Football, Football Digest, Pro Quarterback, Football Forecast, Petersen’s Pro Football, Pros Football, Pro Football Weekly. They would all come out at about the same time and just light up the magazine rack at the local stationary store. Once you got one in your hands, football season had begun.
• The anticipation of the return from the WFL of Csonka, Kiick, Warfield, Hill with new teams.
• The Steelers gunning for their third straight title with all their key pieces intact.
• The intrigue of the rumored trade of OJ to Los Angeles.
• The free agency signings (a very odd concept at the time) of John Riggins, Jean Fugett, John Gilliam, Ed Marinaro, Ahmad Rashad and others.
• The promise of Hank Stram saving New Orleans with his new rookie Thunder and Lightning backfield of Muncie and Galbreath.
• The Giants shutting out the Steelers 17-0 in pre-season and setting New York alight with optimism.
• The pre-season return of Duane Thomas to the Cowboys.

The Season
• The blazing hot start of the season of Roger Staubach (five games, five wins, 83 of 113, 73.5%, 1,198 yards, 7 TD, 2 Int – 120.7 rating).
• San Diego’s 3-0 start after starting 0-11 the year before.
• The odd start (a 6-1 record with more points allowed than scored) and hot finish of the Raiders.
• The 6-1 start with just 63 points allowed of San Francisco.
• The emergence of exciting rookies, second- and third-year players like Walter Payton, Steve Grogan, Delvin Williams, Sammy White, Mike Haynes, Monte Jackson, Dave Casper, Roger Carr, Don Calhoun, Rick Upchurch, Cleveland Elam, Jim Zorn and Steve Largent.
• The exciting debut of the Seahawks (with the scrambling of Zorn) and the punchline that became the Buccaneers.
• The Cowboys’ addition of a red stripe down the middle of their helmet for the Bicentennial, beginning a feeling that led to them being coronated as America’s Team several years later.
• The kick-blocking mystery and mastery of the Vikings.
• The remarkable stats – Stabler’s 27 TD passes, James Harris’s 436-yard passing day, OJ’s record 273-yard Thanksgiving, Grogan’s 12 rushing TDs plus a fumble recovery TD, the 61 sacks of San Francisco’s Gold Rush.
• The OJ-Payton duel for the rushing title after OJ’s holdout and slow start.
• The exciting long bombs to Roger Carr (25.9 average, 11 TDs) and Cliff Branch (24.2 average, 12 TDs).
• Dave Casper’s 10 catches in the first half against New England.
• The record twelve 1,000-yard rushers.
• The importance of Howard Cosell’s Halftime Highlights; Brent, Phyllis, Irv and Jimmy on The NFL Today; and Saturday’s NFL Films shows Pro Football Playback and NFL Game of the Week. They were all “can’t miss TV” as they gave us our only video glimpses into the league at large.
• The drama of the Steelers’ comeback from a 1-4 start behind their rookie backup QB, surreal defense and awesome running game.
• The establishment of the Colts as no fluke from 1975 and a young team on the rise.
• The turnarounds from 1975: Patriots from 3-11 to 11-3, and the Browns from 3-11 to 9-5.
• The unthinkable decline of the Dolphins to a losing season.
• The sad end to the Namath era in New York.
• The terrific performances in their heyday of classic 70s powerhouses Oakland, Pittsburgh, Cincy, Baltimore, Dallas, St. Louis, Washington, Minnesota and Los Angeles.
• The dramatic withering of the Giants after a pre-season that generated huge optimism.
• The tie-breaking knot of Cincy, Pittsburgh and Cleveland all entering the final week with 9-4 records.

The Memorable Games:
o The Raiders opening day comeback against the champion Steelers
o The Seahawks nearly stunning the Cardinals in their first game ever
o The incredible start of the Patriots - beating Miami, Pittsburgh and Oakland.
o The brutal hitting of the Vikings-Rams tie
o The Bengals-Colts duel between Anderson and Jones
o The Colts-Cowboys high-powered clash
o The controversial inadvertent whistle that might have cost the Bears a win over the Raiders
o The Niners mauling the Rams on MNF
o The Expansion Bowl between Seattle and Tampa Bay
o The Falcons stunning the powerhouse Cowboys, and also losing to the expansion Seahawks
o The Cardinals-Redskins Monday Night mud bowl with Eddie Brown’s punt return TD
o The Raiders beating the Bengals when the thinking was they would roll over to sink the Steelers
o The Steelers road win in the snow at Cincy to keep their playoff hopes alive
o The Redskins securing a playoff spot with a win at Dallas in the final week

The Playoffs
• The classic Raiders-Patriots game with controversy abounding (Atkinson breaking Francis’s nose, the Sugar Bear roughing the passing call).
• The Steelers erupting on the Colts with 526 yards of offense and Bradshaw going 14 of 18.
• The Rams upsetting Dallas with a dramatic 4th-down stop of Billy Joe Dupree a foot short of a first down.
• The Vikings blocking the Rams kicks and Super Bowl dreams.
• The Raiders knocking off the short-handed Steelers.
• The Super Bowl would not be called a great game under just about any parameters. But it was an appropriate long-awaited crowning moment for the Raiders, and did have a fair share of dramatic moments, they just didn’t add up to a dramatic game.

What a terrific recap, Evan.