Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

One quote I'll never forget from an NFL Films Team video: "The best thing that can be said about the 1976 New York Jets season is that it's over."

CSKreager wrote: ↑Thu Feb 12, 2026 8:34 pm

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Sun Feb 01, 2026 2:04 pm The Raiders ones feel self made and extra propaganda-ey, always different from the others from any particular season, extra ego.

Ironically there is no Raider yearbook for 1984, AKA a year after winning the SB (which you think would SCREAM self made)

Wow I did not know that. I seen one where it claimed Al Davis was responsible for all the team's success in the 70's as if he were the head coach, like he installed the defense and passing system.

SeahawkFever wrote: ↑Thu Feb 12, 2026 8:53 pm One quote I'll never forget from an NFL Films Team video: "The best thing that can be said about the 1976 New York Jets season is that it's over."

Damn. That one and the 84 Colts one are on my to watch list now.

CSKreager wrote: ↑Thu Feb 12, 2026 8:35 pm

Citizen wrote: ↑Mon Feb 02, 2026 10:36 am In a perverse way, some of my favorite ones are those where they go to ridiculous lengths portray something positive about bad teams.

The 1976 Bucs may have been the peak of “find positives” in this team’s year

I'm so fascinated by all the Bucs ones for some reason, I'd say those are my favorite ones to watch even though that is not my team. There is just something about them.

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Thu Feb 12, 2026 9:51 pm

CSKreager wrote: ↑Thu Feb 12, 2026 8:34 pm

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Sun Feb 01, 2026 2:04 pm The Raiders ones feel self made and extra propaganda-ey, always different from the others from any particular season, extra ego.

Ironically there is no Raider yearbook for 1984, AKA a year after winning the SB (which you think would SCREAM self made)

Wow I did not know that. I seen one where it claimed Al Davis was responsible for all the team's success in the 70's as if he were the head coach, like he installed the defense and passing system.

You should expect to hear John Facenda eulogize Davis and his ¨Comminment fo Excelence¨ and his ¨greatest franchise in all sports since 1963¨at least three times per yearbook

It was funny watching alot of the late 60s, early 70s yearbooks that would have the same musical cues, same sound effects, and crowd noises from different games or stadiums. You would hear players voices but it might be from another team or recorded soundbite ... "He's in there" ... "Watch the pass!" ... "That should do it" ... phrases where you never knew which player actually said it? It was rumored that Steve Sabol himself would would yell out exclamations and stuff to be captured for sound on various films.

I am a fan of Tom Matte, but every time you heard him on Colts highlights he would would grumbling or yelling for film crews on the sidelines to leave the players alone. I cant remember if it was Matte or Bernie Parrish or which player that complained that once the NFL signed the huge CBS deal in 1963 that the networks and NFL Films would be as intrusive towards the players and coaches starting in 1964, more than ever, and many players were unhappy about it, feeling team sanctity on the benches and sidelines were gone forever.

Yes, I think it was all hands on deck in the early days of NFL Films. You can hear Steve Sabol's distinctive voice as "random guy on the sidelines" in a few of their films.

One esoteric note about team yearbooks: The older ones almost always used music from outside houses such as DeWolfe and KPM, while for some reason, the weekly highlight shows of the same era (e.g. This Week in Pro Football) almost always used music commissioned by NFL Films (Sam Spence, Bill Loose, etc.).

Maybe there's a limit to how much those outside themes could be used, although that would go against the principle of “buy-out” library music (one fee = use it as much as you want). Just a quirk from those films that I've noticed.