Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Of course there wasn't a bad team but it's fun to compare who had the more impressive season. I honestly think the 90 Giants would be a top 3, that was just a meaner tougher league that season than what the NFL evolved into through that decade. The 1999 Rams by the end of the decade by comparison had it pretty soft compared to what that Giants team had to get through to win their title in 1990. I don't know how that would even be debateable when you start a comparison of the rules, the physicality of the league, what the salary cap and free agency did to the strength of teams across the league, the talent that was in the league in a given season, the rules of the game etc, etc. I think the 91 Redskins had the most impressive season all things considered, but I honestly would take the 1990 Giants over them in a head to head matchup. I'd probably take the 1990 Giants over all other Super Bowl teams in the 90's in a head to head matchup. That team was tough as it gets, had to beat the best Buffalo team of the decade, ended the 49ers 3peat with Montana, had to fight off 4 tough games against Washington and Philly in their division, beat one of Marino's toughest Dolphins teams, yeah that team was legit and I'd even say they had a better season long performance than the 96 Packers for sure. Something about being able to be the last team standing in the 1990 NFL season just seems a lot tougher than being the last team standing in the 1996 NFL season. Had there been 2 expansion teams built in 1989 I don't see them making it to the 1990 conference title games that year.

Been watching a lot of 1996 games on Youtube and noticed some cool things.

The Packers vs Cowboys game had a lot of tension and fights. Dallas had the game won and called a timeout and kicked a field goal so their kicker could tie a record and it pissed Green Bay off for them running up the score. I honestly don't think Dallas wanted any part of a rematch with Green Bay that would have been ugly for them in Lambeau in the NFCCG with them wanting payback for that. That crowd would have been hostlile. I think that game would have went REALLY bad for Dallas had they got past Carolina. Basically would have been the ass whooping that was years in the making.

Watched a Vikings game with an interview during the game with one of the owners about Lou Holtz coming in to take Dennis Green job as head coach. Apparently some of the minority owners of the team leaked that they were talking to him and it was a real possibility at some point during this season. The owner in the interview shot it down and said Green had 2 years left on his contract and was there to stay.

I didn't realize how much excitement and fan support the Oilers were able to get going after the hot start. They drew over 50,000 fans for the Steelers and 49ers games once they got going, and watching the games those were mostly all Oilers fans. I LOVED all the hype for the Steelers game there was a great interview with Terry Bradshaw on the Fox pregame show about what that rivalry meant and how hard it was for his Steelers going into the Astrodome and how this was possibly the last time we were going to see that. And there was a lot of talk about how heated the rivalry had gotten again in this season with the first game in Pittsburgh having so many fights. This was a great game to watch in that context of it being the last real game in that series. Houston takes it and Jeff Fisher sent the players out to take a lap after the game to thank the fans. There was a lot of talk about how many fans showed up to support the Oilers and how even though they were set to move to Nashville in 1998 they were still going to play in Houston for one more season in 1997. Also a lot of buzz about how good and young the team was.

Another big crowd showed up for the next week against the 49ers. Houston's defense knocks Steve Young out in one of the first plays of the game with brutal helmet to helmet hit that sent him to the ICU. Surprisingly no flag. And then Houston proceeds to get beat by San Fran's 3rd string QB Jeff Brohm. I think where they lost the crowd was Fisher sticking with Chris Chandler at QB and keeping Mcnair on the bench even after Chandler was hobbled with some injuries and not playing well. But when the team was off to the great start they got off to in 1996 the fans did start showing up and supporting them and there was a feeling like they were going to be back in 1997.

Also I feel like more needs to be looked into about how hard and fast the Falcons and Lions fell off from 1995 to 1996?

Jeff Brohm appears to have single handedly killed the Oilers. They had the 49ers beat in 4th quarter of that game until he hit TO for the game winner to take it 10-9. For Houston to hold on and win that game to get to 6-2 would have been interesting to think about what that could have changed. Maybe that win inspires them to go on and keep winning, maybe we get the Oilers in the playoffs in 96 and kept them in Houston in 1997 for one more season. Maybe more people show up to the protest that took place and there is a bigger push for Houston to keep the Oilers name/records etc. like what happened in Cleveland.

But Mcnair gets to start the next week in Seattle in place of the injured Chandler. The Oilers lose it in the end on a blocked FG returned for a touchdown. Chandler goes back in the next week in a win over a really bad Saints team. Then they return to the Astrodome to play the Marino/Jimmy Johnson Dolphins. The game draws close to 50,000 so not a sell out but still better crowd than most games in the Astrodome that year. Chandler loses the game with a pick six to Zach Thomas that costs them. I think the team was truly dead to Houston at that point. They drop to 6-5 with the loss. The very next week at home against Carolina only 20,000 fans show up. I want to assume that was the point where they made the call to leave Houston a year earlier after finishing the season, with that decision being made I could see the players on this team phoning it in for the rest of the year. Chandler has a terrible game and Carolina destroys them 31-6 in a silent Astrodome. That drops them to 6-6

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2026 8:55 am Of course there wasn't a bad team but it's fun to compare who had the more impressive season. I honestly think the 90 Giants would be a top 3, that was just a meaner tougher league that season than what the NFL evolved into through that decade. The 1999 Rams by the end of the decade by comparison had it pretty soft compared to what that Giants team had to get through to win their title in 1990. I don't know how that would even be debateable when you start a comparison of the rules, the physicality of the league, what the salary cap and free agency did to the strength of teams across the league, the talent that was in the league in a given season, the rules of the game etc, etc. I think the 91 Redskins had the most impressive season all things considered, but I honestly would take the 1990 Giants over them in a head to head matchup. I'd probably take the 1990 Giants over all other Super Bowl teams in the 90's in a head to head matchup. That team was tough as it gets, had to beat the best Buffalo team of the decade, ended the 49ers 3peat with Montana, had to fight off 4 tough games against Washington and Philly in their division, beat one of Marino's toughest Dolphins teams, yeah that team was legit and I'd even say they had a better season long performance than the 96 Packers for sure. Something about being able to be the last team standing in the 1990 NFL season just seems a lot tougher than being the last team standing in the 1996 NFL season. Had there been 2 expansion teams built in 1989 I don't see them making it to the 1990 conference title games that year.

'90 G-men #1 team of the '90s? Not my pick but will never argue. Only a slight disagreement (equivalent to me not bothering to argue over '85 Bears or '72 Dolphins being best-ever). As I already posted elsewhere here, my 'Holy Trinity' of that decade is '92/'93 Cowboys & '94 Forty Niners. But just slightly below are both the '91 Redskins and those very '90 Giants who get enough underrated gruff so's it is!

Great point about the rugged black-and-blue gauntlet they had to get through! Remember...they DID start 10-0! Had the Eagles swept them yet again in 1990 but they still end up hosting up the Vince anyway as they did, no it would not have been...'tainted', but at least splitting with them (beating them that opening Sunday night at the Meadowlands) served as a nice toothpick umbrella to place on top of it.

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2026 9:11 am Been watching a lot of 1996 games on Youtube and noticed some cool things.

The Packers vs Cowboys game had a lot of tension and fights. Dallas had the game won and called a timeout and kicked a field goal so their kicker could tie a record and it pissed Green Bay off for them running up the score. I honestly don't think Dallas wanted any part of a rematch with Green Bay that would have been ugly for them in Lambeau in the NFCCG with them wanting payback for that. That crowd would have been hostlile. I think that game would have went REALLY bad for Dallas had they got past Carolina. Basically would have been the ass whooping that was years in the making.

Watched a Vikings game with an interview during the game with one of the owners about Lou Holtz coming in to take Dennis Green job as head coach. Apparently some of the minority owners of the team leaked that they were talking to him and it was a real possibility at some point during this season. The owner in the interview shot it down and said Green had 2 years left on his contract and was there to stay.

I didn't realize how much excitement and fan support the Oilers were able to get going after the hot start. They drew over 50,000 fans for the Steelers and 49ers games once they got going, and watching the games those were mostly all Oilers fans. I LOVED all the hype for the Steelers game there was a great interview with Terry Bradshaw on the Fox pregame show about what that rivalry meant and how hard it was for his Steelers going into the Astrodome and how this was possibly the last time we were going to see that. And there was a lot of talk about how heated the rivalry had gotten again in this season with the first game in Pittsburgh having so many fights. This was a great game to watch in that context of it being the last real game in that series. Houston takes it and Jeff Fisher sent the players out to take a lap after the game to thank the fans. There was a lot of talk about how many fans showed up to support the Oilers and how even though they were set to move to Nashville in 1998 they were still going to play in Houston for one more season in 1997. Also a lot of buzz about how good and young the team was.

Another big crowd showed up for the next week against the 49ers. Houston's defense knocks Steve Young out in one of the first plays of the game with brutal helmet to helmet hit that sent him to the ICU. Surprisingly no flag. And then Houston proceeds to get beat by San Fran's 3rd string QB Jeff Brohm. I think where they lost the crowd was Fisher sticking with Chris Chandler at QB and keeping Mcnair on the bench even after Chandler was hobbled with some injuries and not playing well. But when the team was off to the great start they got off to in 1996 the fans did start showing up and supporting them and there was a feeling like they were going to be back in 1997.

Nice point about GB possibly beating Dallas decisively! I don't remember any fighting in that MNF game between GB & Dallas. I just vaguely remember watching at least some of it and knowing that Big D won yet again! Just, maybe, that would have caused the Pack to win lopsided instead. They did just that to them, at Lambeau, the following regular season; but that was a Cowboys team that was already 6-5 going in, this blowout beginning that 0-5 finish!

I'll lean on that hypo-NFCCG match being competitive, but after reading your suggestion, I'm open for a possible convincer. Cowboys really weren't what they were all through that regular season. Maybe IRL they were now 'spent' after clubbing the Vikings and the 'house money' finally ran out in Charlotte. They DO get past the Panthers, maybe (maybe not) they REALLY hit the skids (law-of-averages, Packers finally due against them) at Lambaeu the following week and, indeed, get blown out.


Lou Holtz replacing Dennis Green?? I definitely do not remember that! What a way to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of "New York Je-ets go rolling along" with such rumors being afloat (Karras singing that on MNF still KILLS me)!

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2026 9:16 am Also I feel like more needs to be looked into about how hard and fast the Falcons and Lions fell off from 1995 to 1996?

Don't know what Detroit's issue was in '96! Barry Sanders and Herman Moore were both All-Pros! Can't imagine it was that harsh 1st-Rd exit in Philly the year before that actually deflated them!

Atlanta? Easy! They didn't know how to follow up one winning season with another until the Mike Smith era which was another 10+ years away!

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2026 9:35 am Jeff Brohm appears to have single handedly killed the Oilers. They had the 49ers beat in 4th quarter of that game until he hit TO for the game winner to take it 10-9. For Houston to hold on and win that game to get to 6-2 would have been interesting to think about what that could have changed. Maybe that win inspires them to go on and keep winning, maybe we get the Oilers in the playoffs in 96 and kept them in Houston in 1997 for one more season. Maybe more people show up to the protest that took place and there is a bigger push for Houston to keep the Oilers name/records etc. like what happened in Cleveland.

But Mcnair gets to start the next week in Seattle in place of the injured Chandler. The Oilers lose it in the end on a blocked FG returned for a touchdown. Chandler goes back in the next week in a win over a really bad Saints team. Then they return to the Astrodome to play the Marino/Jimmy Johnson Dolphins. The game draws close to 50,000 so not a sell out but still better crowd than most games in the Astrodome that year. Chandler loses the game with a pick six to Zach Thomas that costs them. I think the team was truly dead to Houston at that point. They drop to 6-5 with the loss. The very next week at home against Carolina only 20,000 fans show up. I want to assume that was the point where they made the call to leave Houston a year earlier after finishing the season, with that decision being made I could see the players on this team phoning it in for the rest of the year. Chandler has a terrible game and Carolina destroys them 31-6 in a silent Astrodome. That drops them to 6-6

Nice reminder of the Oilers' good start in '96! Steelers at Oilers, a sensible way to say one final 'goodbye' to their rivalry before the move! Yes, Houston could have easily started 9-2. But, sadly, a win-is-a-win/loss-is-a-loss and an actual playoff berth, at very best, would have only kept them in Houston for just one more year - this no matter how possibly good they would have been in '97 as well.

Yes to an expansion team in Nashville (call them the Tennessee Titans as well), yes with an added franchise in 2002 (from some other city), but I really wish the Houston OIlers would have stayed put - especially considering that Houston ended up getting a team again anyway and that they still exist despite relative lack-of-success all this time!

And, OF COURSE, (once again) no realignment in 2002! Keeping the AFC Central that BIG 6-team division crammed with old, and new, rivalries: Steelers, Browns, Bengals, Jaguars, Ravens, and...(not Tennessee Titans, but)...the Houston OIlers - who we all would actually see in a Super Bowl, against the Rams, in 1999!


Saban1 should write that book on the 1967 Cleveland Browns! And you, Shinob, should write a book on this, here, 1996 NFL season!

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2026 8:55 am Of course there wasn't a bad team but it's fun to compare who had the more impressive season. I honestly think the 90 Giants would be a top 3, that was just a meaner tougher league that season than what the NFL evolved into through that decade. The 1999 Rams by the end of the decade by comparison had it pretty soft compared to what that Giants team had to get through to win their title in 1990. I don't know how that would even be debateable when you start a comparison of the rules, the physicality of the league, what the salary cap and free agency did to the strength of teams across the league, the talent that was in the league in a given season, the rules of the game etc, etc. I think the 91 Redskins had the most impressive season all things considered, but I honestly would take the 1990 Giants over them in a head to head matchup. I'd probably take the 1990 Giants over all other Super Bowl teams in the 90's in a head to head matchup. That team was tough as it gets, had to beat the best Buffalo team of the decade, ended the 49ers 3peat with Montana, had to fight off 4 tough games against Washington and Philly in their division, beat one of Marino's toughest Dolphins teams, yeah that team was legit and I'd even say they had a better season long performance than the 96 Packers for sure. Something about being able to be the last team standing in the 1990 NFL season just seems a lot tougher than being the last team standing in the 1996 NFL season. Had there been 2 expansion teams built in 1989 I don't see them making it to the 1990 conference title games that year.

Too 3? Yeah right. I have them dead last for the entire decade.

1990 was one of the most watered down seasons of all time. How else do you explain a 49ers team that couldn’t run and a Giants team that couldn’t pass somehow being the epicenter of the football universe? That MNF game was basically a glorified punt bowl

They didn’t have it THAT tough- NY’s 10-0 start was basically built on an easy schedule and their 4 “tough games” are wildly overrated- Washington couldn’t win outside of RFK and Philly was a paper tiger

The league may have had more physicality, but it lacked real talent especially on offense. It basically was a lousy year of football in general

Sorry, but this is idiotic.

Packers LBs rate a C-plus? By what standard? And “isn’t enough for a championship team”? THEY WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP! What kind of nonsense thinking is this?

Same for the alleged lack of running game. How does that matter when, in the final balance, they convincingly ran the table in 1996? Who cares whether they had a dominant running game when their passing game was so productive? It’s not how you got there, but that you got there.

Also, the Packers running game improved as the season went along anyway. By the end, Dorsey Levens was very solid.

I forgot to point something out: The guy that rated the 96 Pack LB's a C+ (and who considers the 1996 Pack as one of the worst SB winners ever) is more knowledgeable about the NFL than anyone I have ever met.

Here is an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSHn4z6M1U0

Look through the comments, and look at what someone named plntntvzn said (he has an NFL logo next to his name) on this and other videos that Comrade Dobler posted (here is an example):

That saying ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join’ em,’ it was almost as though that was modified to ‘if you can’t stop him or contain him, then acquire him.’ Wendell Tyler scored atleast one TD against the 49ers in four consecutive games against them and in three of those four games, it was a TD catch. A RB being a receiving threat would obviously get the attention of the 49ers in the 1983 off-season.Wendell Tyler was an instinctive, cutback runner with excellent speed. He ran low to the ground and was hard to knock off balance. @3:43, it helped that Eagles #56 Jerry Robinson (a natural outside LB) was placed (misplaced) at inside LB in 1983 because of the retirement of Frank LeMaster, so Robinson was out of his element. Also helping @3:38-41 was 49er LG#68 John Ayers with his low center of gravity and heavy legs who could always block well on-the-move, despite this after 1983 off-season knee surgery. Also blocking @2:38 was 49er rookie 223-pound RB Roger Craig taking care of 275-pound Eagle DE#68 Dennis Harrison. Still, both new 49er RBs,Tyler and Craig fumbled seven and six times during this season respectively, and each fumbled once in this game, and each fumble was quite costly. @3:57-4:13, 49er DE#74 Fred Dean lined up everywhere in 1983. Dean had great quickness off the ball, speed, and surprising strength for a 235-pounder to not only make plays against the run but as 1983 49ers yearbook narration put it,"with his NFC-high 17 1/2 sacks, Dean got maximum results, in a minimum amount of playing time." @4:08-13, the Eagle that Dean was going up against was a quite formidable pass-blocker in LT#75 Stan Walters. But what should be noted on that sack was the inside heat from 49er DT#65 Lawrence Pillers, a tough, physical who loved to mix it up, though he never mixed in any moves, strictly a bull-rusher, taking on another formidable Eagle pass-blocker in Center #50 Guy Morris.But @4:19-23, whenever Pillers got a breather on the sidelines, there were no other inside pass-rushers the 49ers had (not until 1984 when Michael Carter was drafted and Gary 'Big Hands' Johnson were acquired). @4:19-23, 49er DT#67 Pete Kugler was a run-defender and not a pass-rusher. Eagle RG#63 Ron Baker doesn't even have to help out Morris with pass-blocking of Kugler and Eagle TD pass is the result. But @4:29-33, long 49er TD pass results after the Eagle pass-rush failed on their stunt attempt and who failed was eagle DE#98 Greg Brown. Now the Greg Brown success story should be noted in that from 1981-'86, the undrafted ex-construction worker Greg Brown accomplished alot in being among the NFL's sack leaders during that span, earning him a hefty contract from owner Leonard Tose right before Tose sold out.

This guy probably should have been a scout.

Caught a really good game tonight from '96, the Packers going into the Metrodome to play the Vikings. Both teams were 3-0, the Vikings take Green Bay down to give them their first defeat of the season. Green Bay led 21-17 going into the 4th quarter where the Vikings pulled away to win it 30-21. Moon had some great throws in this game and the Vikings sacked Favre 7 times. I didn't realize the Vikings got off to a 4-0 start. To me they feel like a team like the Lions and Falcons where they just fell off from 95(even though they missed the playoffs in 95 to me that team felt like a better team than the team that made the playoffs in 96, I know that sounds crazy).

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2026 4:51 am Caught a really good game tonight from '96, the Packers going into the Metrodome to play the Vikings. Both teams were 3-0, the Vikings take Green Bay down to give them their first defeat of the season. Green Bay led 21-17 going into the 4th quarter where the Vikings pulled away to win it 30-21. Moon had some great throws in this game and the Vikings sacked Favre 7 times. I didn't realize the Vikings got off to a 4-0 start. To me they feel like a team like the Lions and Falcons where they just fell off from 95(even though they missed the playoffs in 95 to me that team felt like a better team than the team that made the playoffs in 96, I know that sounds crazy).

The difference was that 1996 had a less crowded WC scrum (their only competition was a collapsing Washington) while 1995 they had to deal with CHI, ATL, DET, PHI, and to a lesser extent STL/TB

The 96 Vikings collapse may very well be an underrated one, I never really heard it mentioned but they started 4-0 and were 5-1 at one point with wins over Green Bay and Carolina, then finished 4-6 to barely make the wild card spot at 9-7 where they got hammered vs Dallas in the first round. I think this Vikings team was lucky to have even made the playoffs and perhaps falls into the category of a team that didn't belong in them.