What was your favorite season, and why?
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 10:24 am
evan
Posted 08 April 2011 - 01:16 PM
What was your favorite season, and why? Was it something about the style of play, the teams, the stars, the rookies, the games, the era, the controversies that all came together to become a journey that you just love reading about, watching highlights of, and talking about? I suspect we all have one season that is most near and dear to our heart, let’s hear about it!
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 sensational 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 and surreal defense.
• 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
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.
So that’s my favorite year, how about yours?
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26554
Like others, I suspect, any season in which my team won or at least played for a championship ranks at the top. I do have some others that I find particularly interesting, though, like the 1980 season, even though I wasn't really around for it. Here's what I've posted before about it on the board -
"There was a big power vacuum that year. The Steelers dynasty of the 70's, as it would turn out, was over. True, the team regrouped to make it into the postseason from 1982-84 after two straight non-playoff seasons and did so with a (gradually declining) number of familiar faces. However, others, like Mean Joe, Hollywood Bags, Rocky and Wags had retired by '82, so it wasn't really the same. The league was also still a year away from the beginning of the 49ers dynasty. The result - things were WIDE open.
The Browns and Falcons, who declined pretty quickly following this season, let great opportunities slip through their grasps. The Oilers, Bum Phillips promised, were going to "kick the son of a bitch in!" in 1980. They brought in three ex-Raiders with Super Bowl rings-Stabler, Tatum and, halfway through the '80 season, Casper-to help them do it. Instead, they regressed somewhat, losing in the first round of the AFC playoffs to, ironically, the Raiders, and Phillips was(unwisely, as it turned out) dismissed by Bud Adams after the season. Dan Pastorini, the qb the Oilers traded to the Raiders to get Stabler, broke his leg in the fifth game of the season.
The Raiders were forced to turn to a former #1 overall pick who was now a journeyman bench warmer. All he did was lead the franchise to its' second Super Bowl win. The Eagles, like the Oilers, had been a playoff team the previous two seasons. Unlike the Oilers, they were able to breakthrough and win their conference in 1980. Not only that, they got to defeat the team that had been above them in the division/conference in the penultimate game of their season. Unfortunately for them, it seems that they didn't have much left in the emotional tank after they slayed the dragon. Of course, it didn't help that their head coach had them ultra-tight going into that SB.
Then there's the Chargers. I understand why NFL Films decided to do the "Missing Rings" on the '81 team, since they had the more dramatic postseason, but I think this season was the biggest missed opportunity of the "Air Coryell" era.
Have I mentioned that I love "Saviors, Saints and Sinners"?"
Some great individual performances that season, too - Earl Campbell, Lester Hayes, Jim Plunkett, Brian Sipe, Dan Fouts, Steve Bartkowski, Ron Jaworski, John Jefferson, Kellen Winslow, Walter Payton, Billy Sims, Gary Johnson, Nolan Cromwell, etc. Fittingly, many of those were turned in by players who wouldn't reach those heights again during their careers.
Also, it seemed like there was a high number of "fantastic finishes" that season - the Kramer-to-Rashad hail mary game, the Bartkowski-to-Jackson 54 yard TD that gave the Falcons a last-minute win over the Rams and put them in the driver's seat in the NFC West, that wild finish between the Bears and Packers on opening day, the Bears/Lions Thanksgiving Day game that ended with the 95-yd kickoff return in OT, the comebacks by the "Kardiac Kids" and that incredible second half comeback by the 49ers against the Saints in week 14, which many see as the start of the Walsh/Montana dynasty.
This carried over into the postseason, specifically the divisional round, which featured "The Duel in Dixie", "Red Right 88" and the Chargers coming back from a 14-0 deficit to beat the Bills 20-14 on a 50-yard TD pass from Fouts to Ron Smith with just over two minutes left.
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Rupert Patrick
Posted 08 April 2011 - 03:58 PM
I think 1978 is one of the most interesting seasons in Pro Football history. It was the end of the line for greats like Tarkenton, and new stars like Earl Campbell burst on the scene. Also, the first year of the 16 game schedule. Lots of memorable games, the two most memorable regular season games were probably the Holy Roller game and the Joe Pisarcik fumble game, another classic was the Oilers Dolphins Monday Night game. Great teams in their prime like the Steelers and Cowboys, who met in a great Super Bowl. There were teams on the rise like the Eagles and Oilers, and one year wonders like the Packers. Third-year Seattle came within a OT loss to Denver of winning the AFC West, which would have been one of the most surprising Division winners in NFL history as they almost beat out the two previous AFC Champions, who played in the AFC Championship game the previous season.
Another of the most interesting seasons to me is the 1986 season, which probably had more memorable games than any other season I can think of, including:
-The Drive game for the AFC Title
-Browns Jets Divisional game that went to double OT
-Jets Dolphins 51-45 in week 3 which was the biggest passing shootout in NFL history.
-Denver Washington game which was decided by a missed extra point.
-The Packers Lions 44-40 Thanksgiving game.
-New Orleans Miami game where the Saints put on a great comeback but came up just short.
-Giants-Denver regular season game was outstanding, much better than the Super Bowl.
-The Giants Vikings game where Simms converted on the 4th and 22 play to win the game.
-The Dallas Giants season opener on Monday Night.
-The Seahawks Patriots game was another classic.
-Seattle, who was streaky, but at their best was as good as anybody in 1986, upset the Giants.
-The Redskins upset of the Bears in Chicago in the playoffs.
-The Rams upsetting the Bears on Monday Night.
-The Minnesota Washington game, which was in my opinion one of the ten greatest regular season games I have ever seen.
-The KC Pittsburgh week 16 game, which the Chiefs had to win to get into the playoffs, in which they did not score an offensive touchdown but their special teams came thru with three TD's to win the game.
I would be interested in hearing of other seasons with as many classic games, but I can't think of another one offhand.
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Teo
Posted 08 April 2011 - 06:22 PM
I agree with you, and I was thinking of even other memorable games from 1986:
- The two Cleveland-Pittsburgh games, both were NFL Films Games of the Week and both times the Browns won,: the first it was their first victory ever in Three Rivers Stadium, 27-24, and the second time the Browns won in OT 37-31 with a Webster Slauighter TD catch.
-The Cleveland-Minnesota game, where Vikings backup QB Wade Wilson came to punt for the injured Greg Coleman, and the Browns blocked it and scored a TD. They won that game at the Metrodome 23-20.
-Atlanta 37-35 last second win at Dallas in the 3rd week of the season.
-The Raiders win at Dallas 17-13, which was one of the last heroics in Jim Plunkett's career and a sign that the Cowboys were declining, there were 6-3 before that game (Danny White wea injured the week before at the Giants) and finished the season 7-9.
-The Patriots-Dolphins game on the final Monday Night of the season. The Pats won at the Orange Bowl 34-27 with a Stanley Morgan long TD catch, and won 1st place of the AFC East over the Jets. I still believe that Morgan should have been unanimous 1st team All-Pro that season instead of Al Toon.
-The Redskins-Giants regular season game on Monday Night, because it was played at the same town and hour as the 7th game of the World Series between the Red Sox and the Mets. I watched the football game, much to the disagreement of my father (I was 15 at the time).
-The Bills-Jets at the Meadowlands, because of the famous call by referee Ben Dreith "he was giving him the business down there" when Marty Lyons punched Jim Kelly on the ground.
Speaking of referees it is worth noting that veteran referee Fred Silva had heart surgery during the season, and the league brought back Chuck Heberling to replace him, who had retired after 1985. Heberling earned the AFC Championship game, "The Drive" game, and it is still talked in officials circles as one of the best officiated games ever.
I agree with the Vikings-Redskins as one of the best regular season games ever. IIRC there was no NFL Primetime on ESPN and no Sunday Night Football yet, and as the game finished late (and it was the only late game on CBS that day, and it had regional showing), there weren't highlights of it on Sportscenter. Fortunally, it was shown as the NFL Game of the Week. Vikings QB Tommy Kramer threw 3 TD passes of more than 65 yards (he had a great season, maybe he was the best quarterback that year in the NFL), and Redskins kicker Max Zendejas missed three extra points. Fortunatelly, he didn't had to kick it after the winning TD in OT.
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Rupert Patrick
Posted 08 April 2011 - 07:46 PM
It's funny, the subject matter of this thread, because I had written the following recap of the 1986 Redskins Vikings game for my forthcoming book a couple days ago. By the way, the most interesting game of the year I chose was the week 3 Jets Dolphins game.
Runner-up: Minnesota at Washington, Week 10, November 2, 1986
The 1986 season has always been one of my three or four favorite seasons in Pro Football history. The main reason for this is that there were so many memorable games, including the Denver Cleveland AFC Championship, the Cleveland Jets double OT playoff game, the Denver Washington game that was decided by a missed extra point, the Saints Dolphins game when New Orleans put on a terrific comeback but came up short, the Packers Lions Thanksgiving shootout, the Giants Broncos regular season game, the Giants Vikings game, the Seahawks Patriots game and the Giants Dallas season opener. I would be hard pressed to find another season with so many memorable games. It was hard to pick a runner-up for this season, but I went with this game that was won by the Redskins 44 to 38 on a Jay Schroeder TD pass in OT to Gary Clark. Schroeder and Tommy Kramer combined for over 800 yards thru the air.
The Vikings went three-and-out on the opening drive, averting a near disaster when Darrell Green almost picked off a Kramer pass deep in Viking territory. Schroeder passes to Don Warren and Clint Didier, along with George Rogers runs, put the Skins on the Vikings 2, with Rogers taking it in the rest of the way to give Washington an early lead. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Kramer was scrambling and the ball was stripped, with Neal Olkewicz recovering at the Vikings 34. A pass to Gary Clark put the ball into the red zone, but the Vikings defense stiffened and Washington got a FG for a 10-0 lead. Kramer connected with Steve Jordan on a 48-yard pass play to put the ball just inside the Washington 30; four plays later, Ted Brown took it over from the one to cut the Redskins lead to three. Schroeder decided to air it out on first down and pass interference was called on the Vikings for a 44-yard gain, but they were unable to move it any further and Max Zendejas was just short on a 51-yard FG try. It only took the Vikings one play to take the lead as Kramer hit Leo Lewis with a 41-yard heave and Lewis took it the other 26 yards for the go-ahead score. The teams traded punts to end the first quarter with Minnesota leading 14-10. After another exchange of punts to start the second period, Schroeder hit Clark with a 25-yard pass, but were unable to move the chains any further and punted back to Minnesota.
Starting at their own 14, a couple Kramer passes to Darrin Nelson moved it out to the Viking 40. It was then that disaster struck, Kramer went back into the shotgun and the snap was a little high and bounced off his hand and over his head. Dexter Manley picked up the loose ball and ran into the end zone. The conversion was blocked, which left the Redskins with a two-point lead. Another exchange of punts occurred, and midway thru the quarter, the Vikings took over on their own 14. Kramer got hot, hitting Steve Jordan with passes of 12, 13, and 19 yards, to get them to the Washington 20, but the drive petered out, and Chuck Nelson nailed a 39-yard FG to give Minnesota a one-point lead with just over a minute left in the half. Washington went three-and-out, and with seconds left, Kramer fell on the ball to end the half as the Vikings held onto a 17-16 lead.
Washington got the ball and got a first down but no more and punted it away. Four plays later, Kramer aired it out to Jordan, who caught it on the Washington 45 and raced down the right sideline the rest of the way for a 68-yard TD pass. Washington got the ball back and got into FG range when Schroeder threw a bomb to Monk, who made a diving catch for a 39-yard gain. Three incomplete passes later, Zendejas kicked a 42-yard FG to cut the Vikings lead to five. Minnesota punted it back to Washington, and a long Schroeder scramble moved the Redskins to midfield. On a fourth-and-two at the Minnesota 40, Washington gambled and went for it, and it paid off handsomely as Rogers ran it right up the middle for a TD and a Redskin lead with less than two minutes to go in the third. The lead lasted three plays, as Kramer went deep to Lewis again, and Lewis took it to the house for a 76-yard TD pass to make it 31-26 after three quarters.
Washington was unable to respond and punted. Kramer was hitting on all cylinders, hitting Alfred Anderson for 14 and Jordan for 19. A pair of pass interference penalties against the Redskins, the second in the end zone, put the ball on the Washington one, where Kramer threw to Darrin Nelson for the TD and a 38-26 lead. Schroeder put the Redskins back into the game with a quick three-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a diving Monk on the other end of a 34-yard TD pass. Zendejas hooked the extra point to put the Redskins six points behind midway thru the quarter. The teams traded punts until Washington took over at the Minnesota 46 with two minutes to go, and Schroeder hit Clint Didier with a 44-yard pass to put the ball on the two. Rogers took it into the end zone to tie the game at 38, but the Vikings blocked another extra point try to keep their hopes alive. With 45 seconds in regulation, Kramer was intercepted by Todd Bowles at the Minnesota 45. Two plays later, with the Redskins trying to get into FG range, Schroeder was picked by Rufus Bess to send the game to OT.
Washington won the OT coin toss, and short passes to Didier and Monk moved the ball into Minnesota territory. Kelvin Bryant ran the ball down to the Viking 38, and Schroeder hit Clark on the left side with a short pass, and Clark took it down the sideline for the winning score. Fortunately for Washington, Zendejas did not have to try another extra point.
In just about any other season, this would have been the most interesting game of the year. This was one of the three or four finest games of the 1980’s.
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#11 BD Sullivan
Posted 08 April 2011 - 07:59 PM
Teo, on 08 April 2011 - 07:22 PM, said: The Redskins-Giants regular season game on Monday Night, because it was played at the same town and hour as the 7th game of the World Series between the Red Sox and the Mets. I watched the football game, much to the disagreement of my father (I was 15 at the time).
If I recall correctly, the final score was announced right before the Redskins caught a pass, which brought the odd sound of a huge cheer after an opponent reception. Not surprisingly, this game got the lowest rating ever (to that time) for a MNF game.
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#12 Rupert Patrick
Posted 08 April 2011 - 08:24 PM
BD Sullivan, on 08 April 2011 - 09:59 PM, said: If I recall correctly, the final score was announced right before the Redskins caught a pass, which brought the odd sound of a huge cheer after an opponent reception. Not surprisingly, this game got the lowest rating ever (to that time) for a MNF game.
I believe it was the lowest rated Monday Night game ever broadcast on ABC. I've never seen this game, because like just about everybody else I was watching the seventh game of the World Series.
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#13 Ben
Posted 08 April 2011 - 10:46 PM
I don't know if I have just one maybe a 1a and a 1b.
1a - 1984. This was the first season I started to really pay attention to the NFL, and I'm sure it had a lot to do with it, but there was ton of memorable events that season:
The records broken - Payton and Dickerson broke the career and season rushing records, Marino threw for over 5,000 yards and 48 TDs, Joiner and Monk broke the career and season receiving records and the 49ers became the first 15-1 team. It seemed like a new record was being set every week. The 49ers-Dolphins SB matchup was so great that I didn't mind that the actual game wasn't close.
This was also the season I became set as a Giants fan, especially after watching the defense stifle Dickerson in the playoffs.
1b - 1998. Memorable for the Broncos (especially Terrell Davis) and the Vikings (especially Randy Moss). If those two teams had met in the SB it would have been the most clear-cut 1-2 matchup since '84. I still wish it happened, if for nothing else than Eugene Robinson's sake (worst SB pregame screw-up of all time, although I admit I made as many jokes about it as everybody else did.)
Memorable Games:
49ers 36, Jets 30. A great game by Glenn Foley, of all people, capped with Garrison Hearst's 96-yard TD in overtime.
Chiefs 28, Raiders 8. Derrick Thomas 6 sacks and a safety.
Vikings 37, Packers 24. Moss's breakout game.
Vikings 46, Cowboys 36. Moss: 3 catches, 163 yards, 3 touchdowns.
Cincinnati 25, Pittsburgh 20. O'Donnell to Pickens catches the Steelers by surprise for the win.
Jets 32, Seahawks 31. The game that brought back instant replay for good.
Patriots 25, Bills 21. After the controversial pass interference call leads to Bledsoe to Coates FTW, Buffalo refuses to take the field for the PAT and Pete Carroll waves Adam Vinatieri in for the 2-point conversion.
Giants 20, Broncos 16. A thoroughly mediocre Giants team breaks Denver's winning streak. The Giant's wouldn't let the Bronco do anything most of the game but almost blew it before Amani Toomer just barely gets both feet in bounds for the game-winner.
Jake "The Snake" Plummer and the Cardiac Cardinals.
49ers 30, Packers 27. A blown call on a Jerry Rice fumble leads to the redemption, and everything else, of Terrell Owens. If that's called a fumble, the Packers win, and Owens never makes the toughest and best catch of his career and erases the memory of all the passes he dropped in that game.
Falcons 30, Vikings 27. He only missed once.
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#14 Rupert Patrick
Posted 09 April 2011 - 06:21 AM
1984 certainly was a historic season in the records broken, and it is surprising in retrospect that Marino and Dickerson's single season passing and rushing records have stood for 27 years. There have been close calls over the years, and I think if Barry Sanders had not retired so young that he might have been the one to break the single season rushing record as he came close in 1997. I think if Terrell Davis had not been injured he probably would have made another serious run at the record. For Drew Brees it came down to the final pass on the final play of the final game of the season, if his guy had caught it he would have broken the record, but it was picked off.
1998 had one memorable game you missed, the Pittsburgh Detroit Thanksgiving game with the bungled OT coin toss, and led to changes in the coin toss procedure. One of the interesting stories of 1998 was in the Cards being in my opinion the weakest playoff team in NFL history except for the 1982 debacle. In 2010 we had Seattle, who won the NFC West with a 7-9 record. Despite the 9-7 record, I think the Seahawks were better than the Cards. It is interesting to note that both teams pulled upsets in the Wild Card round.
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#15 Shipley
Posted 15 April 2011 - 05:19 PM
1969 has to rank right up there for many reasons, including (in no particular order):
The Chiefs' Super Bowl win validating that the Jets' win in the previous one was no fluke, and probably in retrospect reflecting that the Chiefs were a more talented team. Their amazing goal line stand against the Jets in the playoff game where Willie Lanier is crying as he exhorts his teammates paving the way for a win over the Raiders in the AFL championship.
The Vikings emerging as a power after breaking into the playoffs for the first time in 1968. Joe Kapp tying the NFL record with seven TD passes in a route over the Colts. Two epic snow games in their season, including a Thanksgiving day win over the Lions highlighted by an incredible defensive TD where either Eller or Marshall lateraled over his shoulder to a teammate to complete a fumble return touchdown, and of course the classic playoff win over the Rams where they came back from a 17-7 halftime deficit.
Vince Lombardi returning to the sidelines and leading the Redskins to their first winning season since 1955.
Calvin Hill's great rookie season.
The Browns crushing the heavily favored Cowboys 38-14 in the NFL playoffs, only to in turn get crushed 27-7 by the Vikings in the NFL championship.
The decline of the Colts, perhaps hangover from the loss to the Jets in the previous season's Super Bowl.
The last season of all things pre-merger (e.g. the Playoff Bowl; the Capital, Century, Coastal and Central divisions; Browns, Colts and Steelers in the NFL, etc.).
Danny Abramowicz and Harold Jackson coming out of nowhere to become elite receivers. Abramowicz winning the receiving title by catching eight passes in the final game of the season after starting the day tied with Roy Jefferson and Charlie Taylor.
Gale Sayers coming back from his knee injury to win the league rushing title, despite playing for a Bears team that along with the Steelers went 1-13. Joe Greene's solid rookie season giving solace that year to the otherwise lowly Steelers.
The Lions finishing 9-4-1 under the leadership of Joe Schmidt and appearing to be a team on the rise thanks to young talent like Lem Barney, Charlie Sanders, Mel Farr, Earl McCullough and Nick Eddy.
Greg Cook looking like a future superstar winning rookie of the year, without anyone knowing the shoulder injury he sustained would mean the end of his career.
My barely holding together, heavily taped and much dog-eared copy of Pro Football 1970 by Jack Zanger was invaluable in putting together this post!
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#16 Gabe
Posted 15 April 2011 - 06:07 PM
1969 was also my favorite year. It was my first year following pro football, and I remember Mom, who was a Joe Namath fan, plopping me in front of the TV to watch with her the Jets-Bills ("He looks like a girl," I remember telling her).
We lived in New Orleans at the time, and after the Saints won 5 of their last 8 games, we all were sure that the Super Bowl was only a year away. Each Monday morning throughout the season, I would save the sports page of the Times-Picayune until by the end of the season, there was a huge pile of newspapers in my bedroom, which I would have saved but once the season ended, Dad made me throw away.
In retrospect, 1969 was a year of transition, and much was to change. It was the last year before the AFL/NFL merger. There were only two stadium fields with artificial turf; in 1970 there were 7 and 1971, 11. With that change alone, football would never quite look the same.
This was also the Joe Namath Jets' last year as a serious Super Bowl contender. Vince Lombardi's last year coaching. In 1970, perennial losers such as the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers would become Super Bowl contenders. 1969 in many ways seems like the last season before the changing of the guard.
Week after week, I would look at the standings, and wonder whether the Rams would ever lose - and would the Bears ever win? I would try to figure out how the Browns could clobber Dallas 42-10 one week, and be destroyed the following week 51-3 by Minnesota. A blood and guts player like Joe Kapp was a truly colorful character and was incredible to watch as he ran over linemen and hurdled linebackers en route to touchdowns. The Marshall to Page lateral mentioned above was also a great memory.
The season saw great individual performances by Sonny Jurgensen, Roman Gabriel, Calvin Hill, Lance Alworth, Floyd Little, and Dick Butkus, among others. It was a great way to be introduced to pro football, and while I have greatly enjoyed all the seasons since then, 1969 still stands out as the favorite.
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#17 Todd Pence
Posted 17 April 2011 - 08:15 PM
My favorite season of all time has to be 1979. It might not be the best season ever played, but it was the first full season I remember actively following as a young fan, and as such it will always be that one magic year to me.
Certainly 1979 had its merits. There were classic games being played every week. And lots of intriguing stories, such as the rise of the Cinderella Tampa Bay Bucs, the coming out of Don Coryell's San Diego Chargers, who rewrote much of the record book in the passing categories this year, and the Los Angeles Rams finally earning a berth in the Super Bowl after being one of the decade's winningest teams.
The playoffs that year certainly held their own, with memorable games such as the Oilers upset of the high-flying Chargers, despite missing their two most vital offensive players (QB Dan Pastorini and RB Earl Campbell). And the Rams stunning upset of the Cowboys fueled by two improbable TDs - a hail mary at the end of the first half and a 50-yard bomb in the closing minutes.
The Super Bowl was one of the best - with the undermanned Rams giving the Steelers all they could handle before finally falling in the fourth quarter.
I think 1979 will always be my favorite year. One amusing thing I remember from that year was that the 49ers were one of the worst teams in the league and would take it on the chin every week. I began to feel really sorry for this team and would tune in to the postgame show every week in the vain hope that the poor 49ers had finally managed to win a game. Little did I know that within a very short few years, the Niners wouldn't need anyone feeling sorry for them.
Posted 08 April 2011 - 01:16 PM
What was your favorite season, and why? Was it something about the style of play, the teams, the stars, the rookies, the games, the era, the controversies that all came together to become a journey that you just love reading about, watching highlights of, and talking about? I suspect we all have one season that is most near and dear to our heart, let’s hear about it!
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 sensational 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 and surreal defense.
• 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
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.
So that’s my favorite year, how about yours?
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26554
Like others, I suspect, any season in which my team won or at least played for a championship ranks at the top. I do have some others that I find particularly interesting, though, like the 1980 season, even though I wasn't really around for it. Here's what I've posted before about it on the board -
"There was a big power vacuum that year. The Steelers dynasty of the 70's, as it would turn out, was over. True, the team regrouped to make it into the postseason from 1982-84 after two straight non-playoff seasons and did so with a (gradually declining) number of familiar faces. However, others, like Mean Joe, Hollywood Bags, Rocky and Wags had retired by '82, so it wasn't really the same. The league was also still a year away from the beginning of the 49ers dynasty. The result - things were WIDE open.
The Browns and Falcons, who declined pretty quickly following this season, let great opportunities slip through their grasps. The Oilers, Bum Phillips promised, were going to "kick the son of a bitch in!" in 1980. They brought in three ex-Raiders with Super Bowl rings-Stabler, Tatum and, halfway through the '80 season, Casper-to help them do it. Instead, they regressed somewhat, losing in the first round of the AFC playoffs to, ironically, the Raiders, and Phillips was(unwisely, as it turned out) dismissed by Bud Adams after the season. Dan Pastorini, the qb the Oilers traded to the Raiders to get Stabler, broke his leg in the fifth game of the season.
The Raiders were forced to turn to a former #1 overall pick who was now a journeyman bench warmer. All he did was lead the franchise to its' second Super Bowl win. The Eagles, like the Oilers, had been a playoff team the previous two seasons. Unlike the Oilers, they were able to breakthrough and win their conference in 1980. Not only that, they got to defeat the team that had been above them in the division/conference in the penultimate game of their season. Unfortunately for them, it seems that they didn't have much left in the emotional tank after they slayed the dragon. Of course, it didn't help that their head coach had them ultra-tight going into that SB.
Then there's the Chargers. I understand why NFL Films decided to do the "Missing Rings" on the '81 team, since they had the more dramatic postseason, but I think this season was the biggest missed opportunity of the "Air Coryell" era.
Have I mentioned that I love "Saviors, Saints and Sinners"?"
Some great individual performances that season, too - Earl Campbell, Lester Hayes, Jim Plunkett, Brian Sipe, Dan Fouts, Steve Bartkowski, Ron Jaworski, John Jefferson, Kellen Winslow, Walter Payton, Billy Sims, Gary Johnson, Nolan Cromwell, etc. Fittingly, many of those were turned in by players who wouldn't reach those heights again during their careers.
Also, it seemed like there was a high number of "fantastic finishes" that season - the Kramer-to-Rashad hail mary game, the Bartkowski-to-Jackson 54 yard TD that gave the Falcons a last-minute win over the Rams and put them in the driver's seat in the NFC West, that wild finish between the Bears and Packers on opening day, the Bears/Lions Thanksgiving Day game that ended with the 95-yd kickoff return in OT, the comebacks by the "Kardiac Kids" and that incredible second half comeback by the 49ers against the Saints in week 14, which many see as the start of the Walsh/Montana dynasty.
This carried over into the postseason, specifically the divisional round, which featured "The Duel in Dixie", "Red Right 88" and the Chargers coming back from a 14-0 deficit to beat the Bills 20-14 on a 50-yard TD pass from Fouts to Ron Smith with just over two minutes left.
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Rupert Patrick
Posted 08 April 2011 - 03:58 PM
I think 1978 is one of the most interesting seasons in Pro Football history. It was the end of the line for greats like Tarkenton, and new stars like Earl Campbell burst on the scene. Also, the first year of the 16 game schedule. Lots of memorable games, the two most memorable regular season games were probably the Holy Roller game and the Joe Pisarcik fumble game, another classic was the Oilers Dolphins Monday Night game. Great teams in their prime like the Steelers and Cowboys, who met in a great Super Bowl. There were teams on the rise like the Eagles and Oilers, and one year wonders like the Packers. Third-year Seattle came within a OT loss to Denver of winning the AFC West, which would have been one of the most surprising Division winners in NFL history as they almost beat out the two previous AFC Champions, who played in the AFC Championship game the previous season.
Another of the most interesting seasons to me is the 1986 season, which probably had more memorable games than any other season I can think of, including:
-The Drive game for the AFC Title
-Browns Jets Divisional game that went to double OT
-Jets Dolphins 51-45 in week 3 which was the biggest passing shootout in NFL history.
-Denver Washington game which was decided by a missed extra point.
-The Packers Lions 44-40 Thanksgiving game.
-New Orleans Miami game where the Saints put on a great comeback but came up just short.
-Giants-Denver regular season game was outstanding, much better than the Super Bowl.
-The Giants Vikings game where Simms converted on the 4th and 22 play to win the game.
-The Dallas Giants season opener on Monday Night.
-The Seahawks Patriots game was another classic.
-Seattle, who was streaky, but at their best was as good as anybody in 1986, upset the Giants.
-The Redskins upset of the Bears in Chicago in the playoffs.
-The Rams upsetting the Bears on Monday Night.
-The Minnesota Washington game, which was in my opinion one of the ten greatest regular season games I have ever seen.
-The KC Pittsburgh week 16 game, which the Chiefs had to win to get into the playoffs, in which they did not score an offensive touchdown but their special teams came thru with three TD's to win the game.
I would be interested in hearing of other seasons with as many classic games, but I can't think of another one offhand.
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Teo
Posted 08 April 2011 - 06:22 PM
I agree with you, and I was thinking of even other memorable games from 1986:
- The two Cleveland-Pittsburgh games, both were NFL Films Games of the Week and both times the Browns won,: the first it was their first victory ever in Three Rivers Stadium, 27-24, and the second time the Browns won in OT 37-31 with a Webster Slauighter TD catch.
-The Cleveland-Minnesota game, where Vikings backup QB Wade Wilson came to punt for the injured Greg Coleman, and the Browns blocked it and scored a TD. They won that game at the Metrodome 23-20.
-Atlanta 37-35 last second win at Dallas in the 3rd week of the season.
-The Raiders win at Dallas 17-13, which was one of the last heroics in Jim Plunkett's career and a sign that the Cowboys were declining, there were 6-3 before that game (Danny White wea injured the week before at the Giants) and finished the season 7-9.
-The Patriots-Dolphins game on the final Monday Night of the season. The Pats won at the Orange Bowl 34-27 with a Stanley Morgan long TD catch, and won 1st place of the AFC East over the Jets. I still believe that Morgan should have been unanimous 1st team All-Pro that season instead of Al Toon.
-The Redskins-Giants regular season game on Monday Night, because it was played at the same town and hour as the 7th game of the World Series between the Red Sox and the Mets. I watched the football game, much to the disagreement of my father (I was 15 at the time).
-The Bills-Jets at the Meadowlands, because of the famous call by referee Ben Dreith "he was giving him the business down there" when Marty Lyons punched Jim Kelly on the ground.
Speaking of referees it is worth noting that veteran referee Fred Silva had heart surgery during the season, and the league brought back Chuck Heberling to replace him, who had retired after 1985. Heberling earned the AFC Championship game, "The Drive" game, and it is still talked in officials circles as one of the best officiated games ever.
I agree with the Vikings-Redskins as one of the best regular season games ever. IIRC there was no NFL Primetime on ESPN and no Sunday Night Football yet, and as the game finished late (and it was the only late game on CBS that day, and it had regional showing), there weren't highlights of it on Sportscenter. Fortunally, it was shown as the NFL Game of the Week. Vikings QB Tommy Kramer threw 3 TD passes of more than 65 yards (he had a great season, maybe he was the best quarterback that year in the NFL), and Redskins kicker Max Zendejas missed three extra points. Fortunatelly, he didn't had to kick it after the winning TD in OT.
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Rupert Patrick
Posted 08 April 2011 - 07:46 PM
It's funny, the subject matter of this thread, because I had written the following recap of the 1986 Redskins Vikings game for my forthcoming book a couple days ago. By the way, the most interesting game of the year I chose was the week 3 Jets Dolphins game.
Runner-up: Minnesota at Washington, Week 10, November 2, 1986
The 1986 season has always been one of my three or four favorite seasons in Pro Football history. The main reason for this is that there were so many memorable games, including the Denver Cleveland AFC Championship, the Cleveland Jets double OT playoff game, the Denver Washington game that was decided by a missed extra point, the Saints Dolphins game when New Orleans put on a terrific comeback but came up short, the Packers Lions Thanksgiving shootout, the Giants Broncos regular season game, the Giants Vikings game, the Seahawks Patriots game and the Giants Dallas season opener. I would be hard pressed to find another season with so many memorable games. It was hard to pick a runner-up for this season, but I went with this game that was won by the Redskins 44 to 38 on a Jay Schroeder TD pass in OT to Gary Clark. Schroeder and Tommy Kramer combined for over 800 yards thru the air.
The Vikings went three-and-out on the opening drive, averting a near disaster when Darrell Green almost picked off a Kramer pass deep in Viking territory. Schroeder passes to Don Warren and Clint Didier, along with George Rogers runs, put the Skins on the Vikings 2, with Rogers taking it in the rest of the way to give Washington an early lead. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Kramer was scrambling and the ball was stripped, with Neal Olkewicz recovering at the Vikings 34. A pass to Gary Clark put the ball into the red zone, but the Vikings defense stiffened and Washington got a FG for a 10-0 lead. Kramer connected with Steve Jordan on a 48-yard pass play to put the ball just inside the Washington 30; four plays later, Ted Brown took it over from the one to cut the Redskins lead to three. Schroeder decided to air it out on first down and pass interference was called on the Vikings for a 44-yard gain, but they were unable to move it any further and Max Zendejas was just short on a 51-yard FG try. It only took the Vikings one play to take the lead as Kramer hit Leo Lewis with a 41-yard heave and Lewis took it the other 26 yards for the go-ahead score. The teams traded punts to end the first quarter with Minnesota leading 14-10. After another exchange of punts to start the second period, Schroeder hit Clark with a 25-yard pass, but were unable to move the chains any further and punted back to Minnesota.
Starting at their own 14, a couple Kramer passes to Darrin Nelson moved it out to the Viking 40. It was then that disaster struck, Kramer went back into the shotgun and the snap was a little high and bounced off his hand and over his head. Dexter Manley picked up the loose ball and ran into the end zone. The conversion was blocked, which left the Redskins with a two-point lead. Another exchange of punts occurred, and midway thru the quarter, the Vikings took over on their own 14. Kramer got hot, hitting Steve Jordan with passes of 12, 13, and 19 yards, to get them to the Washington 20, but the drive petered out, and Chuck Nelson nailed a 39-yard FG to give Minnesota a one-point lead with just over a minute left in the half. Washington went three-and-out, and with seconds left, Kramer fell on the ball to end the half as the Vikings held onto a 17-16 lead.
Washington got the ball and got a first down but no more and punted it away. Four plays later, Kramer aired it out to Jordan, who caught it on the Washington 45 and raced down the right sideline the rest of the way for a 68-yard TD pass. Washington got the ball back and got into FG range when Schroeder threw a bomb to Monk, who made a diving catch for a 39-yard gain. Three incomplete passes later, Zendejas kicked a 42-yard FG to cut the Vikings lead to five. Minnesota punted it back to Washington, and a long Schroeder scramble moved the Redskins to midfield. On a fourth-and-two at the Minnesota 40, Washington gambled and went for it, and it paid off handsomely as Rogers ran it right up the middle for a TD and a Redskin lead with less than two minutes to go in the third. The lead lasted three plays, as Kramer went deep to Lewis again, and Lewis took it to the house for a 76-yard TD pass to make it 31-26 after three quarters.
Washington was unable to respond and punted. Kramer was hitting on all cylinders, hitting Alfred Anderson for 14 and Jordan for 19. A pair of pass interference penalties against the Redskins, the second in the end zone, put the ball on the Washington one, where Kramer threw to Darrin Nelson for the TD and a 38-26 lead. Schroeder put the Redskins back into the game with a quick three-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a diving Monk on the other end of a 34-yard TD pass. Zendejas hooked the extra point to put the Redskins six points behind midway thru the quarter. The teams traded punts until Washington took over at the Minnesota 46 with two minutes to go, and Schroeder hit Clint Didier with a 44-yard pass to put the ball on the two. Rogers took it into the end zone to tie the game at 38, but the Vikings blocked another extra point try to keep their hopes alive. With 45 seconds in regulation, Kramer was intercepted by Todd Bowles at the Minnesota 45. Two plays later, with the Redskins trying to get into FG range, Schroeder was picked by Rufus Bess to send the game to OT.
Washington won the OT coin toss, and short passes to Didier and Monk moved the ball into Minnesota territory. Kelvin Bryant ran the ball down to the Viking 38, and Schroeder hit Clark on the left side with a short pass, and Clark took it down the sideline for the winning score. Fortunately for Washington, Zendejas did not have to try another extra point.
In just about any other season, this would have been the most interesting game of the year. This was one of the three or four finest games of the 1980’s.
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#11 BD Sullivan
Posted 08 April 2011 - 07:59 PM
Teo, on 08 April 2011 - 07:22 PM, said: The Redskins-Giants regular season game on Monday Night, because it was played at the same town and hour as the 7th game of the World Series between the Red Sox and the Mets. I watched the football game, much to the disagreement of my father (I was 15 at the time).
If I recall correctly, the final score was announced right before the Redskins caught a pass, which brought the odd sound of a huge cheer after an opponent reception. Not surprisingly, this game got the lowest rating ever (to that time) for a MNF game.
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#12 Rupert Patrick
Posted 08 April 2011 - 08:24 PM
BD Sullivan, on 08 April 2011 - 09:59 PM, said: If I recall correctly, the final score was announced right before the Redskins caught a pass, which brought the odd sound of a huge cheer after an opponent reception. Not surprisingly, this game got the lowest rating ever (to that time) for a MNF game.
I believe it was the lowest rated Monday Night game ever broadcast on ABC. I've never seen this game, because like just about everybody else I was watching the seventh game of the World Series.
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#13 Ben
Posted 08 April 2011 - 10:46 PM
I don't know if I have just one maybe a 1a and a 1b.
1a - 1984. This was the first season I started to really pay attention to the NFL, and I'm sure it had a lot to do with it, but there was ton of memorable events that season:
The records broken - Payton and Dickerson broke the career and season rushing records, Marino threw for over 5,000 yards and 48 TDs, Joiner and Monk broke the career and season receiving records and the 49ers became the first 15-1 team. It seemed like a new record was being set every week. The 49ers-Dolphins SB matchup was so great that I didn't mind that the actual game wasn't close.
This was also the season I became set as a Giants fan, especially after watching the defense stifle Dickerson in the playoffs.
1b - 1998. Memorable for the Broncos (especially Terrell Davis) and the Vikings (especially Randy Moss). If those two teams had met in the SB it would have been the most clear-cut 1-2 matchup since '84. I still wish it happened, if for nothing else than Eugene Robinson's sake (worst SB pregame screw-up of all time, although I admit I made as many jokes about it as everybody else did.)
Memorable Games:
49ers 36, Jets 30. A great game by Glenn Foley, of all people, capped with Garrison Hearst's 96-yard TD in overtime.
Chiefs 28, Raiders 8. Derrick Thomas 6 sacks and a safety.
Vikings 37, Packers 24. Moss's breakout game.
Vikings 46, Cowboys 36. Moss: 3 catches, 163 yards, 3 touchdowns.
Cincinnati 25, Pittsburgh 20. O'Donnell to Pickens catches the Steelers by surprise for the win.
Jets 32, Seahawks 31. The game that brought back instant replay for good.
Patriots 25, Bills 21. After the controversial pass interference call leads to Bledsoe to Coates FTW, Buffalo refuses to take the field for the PAT and Pete Carroll waves Adam Vinatieri in for the 2-point conversion.
Giants 20, Broncos 16. A thoroughly mediocre Giants team breaks Denver's winning streak. The Giant's wouldn't let the Bronco do anything most of the game but almost blew it before Amani Toomer just barely gets both feet in bounds for the game-winner.
Jake "The Snake" Plummer and the Cardiac Cardinals.
49ers 30, Packers 27. A blown call on a Jerry Rice fumble leads to the redemption, and everything else, of Terrell Owens. If that's called a fumble, the Packers win, and Owens never makes the toughest and best catch of his career and erases the memory of all the passes he dropped in that game.
Falcons 30, Vikings 27. He only missed once.
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#14 Rupert Patrick
Posted 09 April 2011 - 06:21 AM
1984 certainly was a historic season in the records broken, and it is surprising in retrospect that Marino and Dickerson's single season passing and rushing records have stood for 27 years. There have been close calls over the years, and I think if Barry Sanders had not retired so young that he might have been the one to break the single season rushing record as he came close in 1997. I think if Terrell Davis had not been injured he probably would have made another serious run at the record. For Drew Brees it came down to the final pass on the final play of the final game of the season, if his guy had caught it he would have broken the record, but it was picked off.
1998 had one memorable game you missed, the Pittsburgh Detroit Thanksgiving game with the bungled OT coin toss, and led to changes in the coin toss procedure. One of the interesting stories of 1998 was in the Cards being in my opinion the weakest playoff team in NFL history except for the 1982 debacle. In 2010 we had Seattle, who won the NFC West with a 7-9 record. Despite the 9-7 record, I think the Seahawks were better than the Cards. It is interesting to note that both teams pulled upsets in the Wild Card round.
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#15 Shipley
Posted 15 April 2011 - 05:19 PM
1969 has to rank right up there for many reasons, including (in no particular order):
The Chiefs' Super Bowl win validating that the Jets' win in the previous one was no fluke, and probably in retrospect reflecting that the Chiefs were a more talented team. Their amazing goal line stand against the Jets in the playoff game where Willie Lanier is crying as he exhorts his teammates paving the way for a win over the Raiders in the AFL championship.
The Vikings emerging as a power after breaking into the playoffs for the first time in 1968. Joe Kapp tying the NFL record with seven TD passes in a route over the Colts. Two epic snow games in their season, including a Thanksgiving day win over the Lions highlighted by an incredible defensive TD where either Eller or Marshall lateraled over his shoulder to a teammate to complete a fumble return touchdown, and of course the classic playoff win over the Rams where they came back from a 17-7 halftime deficit.
Vince Lombardi returning to the sidelines and leading the Redskins to their first winning season since 1955.
Calvin Hill's great rookie season.
The Browns crushing the heavily favored Cowboys 38-14 in the NFL playoffs, only to in turn get crushed 27-7 by the Vikings in the NFL championship.
The decline of the Colts, perhaps hangover from the loss to the Jets in the previous season's Super Bowl.
The last season of all things pre-merger (e.g. the Playoff Bowl; the Capital, Century, Coastal and Central divisions; Browns, Colts and Steelers in the NFL, etc.).
Danny Abramowicz and Harold Jackson coming out of nowhere to become elite receivers. Abramowicz winning the receiving title by catching eight passes in the final game of the season after starting the day tied with Roy Jefferson and Charlie Taylor.
Gale Sayers coming back from his knee injury to win the league rushing title, despite playing for a Bears team that along with the Steelers went 1-13. Joe Greene's solid rookie season giving solace that year to the otherwise lowly Steelers.
The Lions finishing 9-4-1 under the leadership of Joe Schmidt and appearing to be a team on the rise thanks to young talent like Lem Barney, Charlie Sanders, Mel Farr, Earl McCullough and Nick Eddy.
Greg Cook looking like a future superstar winning rookie of the year, without anyone knowing the shoulder injury he sustained would mean the end of his career.
My barely holding together, heavily taped and much dog-eared copy of Pro Football 1970 by Jack Zanger was invaluable in putting together this post!
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#16 Gabe
Posted 15 April 2011 - 06:07 PM
1969 was also my favorite year. It was my first year following pro football, and I remember Mom, who was a Joe Namath fan, plopping me in front of the TV to watch with her the Jets-Bills ("He looks like a girl," I remember telling her).
We lived in New Orleans at the time, and after the Saints won 5 of their last 8 games, we all were sure that the Super Bowl was only a year away. Each Monday morning throughout the season, I would save the sports page of the Times-Picayune until by the end of the season, there was a huge pile of newspapers in my bedroom, which I would have saved but once the season ended, Dad made me throw away.
In retrospect, 1969 was a year of transition, and much was to change. It was the last year before the AFL/NFL merger. There were only two stadium fields with artificial turf; in 1970 there were 7 and 1971, 11. With that change alone, football would never quite look the same.
This was also the Joe Namath Jets' last year as a serious Super Bowl contender. Vince Lombardi's last year coaching. In 1970, perennial losers such as the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers would become Super Bowl contenders. 1969 in many ways seems like the last season before the changing of the guard.
Week after week, I would look at the standings, and wonder whether the Rams would ever lose - and would the Bears ever win? I would try to figure out how the Browns could clobber Dallas 42-10 one week, and be destroyed the following week 51-3 by Minnesota. A blood and guts player like Joe Kapp was a truly colorful character and was incredible to watch as he ran over linemen and hurdled linebackers en route to touchdowns. The Marshall to Page lateral mentioned above was also a great memory.
The season saw great individual performances by Sonny Jurgensen, Roman Gabriel, Calvin Hill, Lance Alworth, Floyd Little, and Dick Butkus, among others. It was a great way to be introduced to pro football, and while I have greatly enjoyed all the seasons since then, 1969 still stands out as the favorite.
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#17 Todd Pence
Posted 17 April 2011 - 08:15 PM
My favorite season of all time has to be 1979. It might not be the best season ever played, but it was the first full season I remember actively following as a young fan, and as such it will always be that one magic year to me.
Certainly 1979 had its merits. There were classic games being played every week. And lots of intriguing stories, such as the rise of the Cinderella Tampa Bay Bucs, the coming out of Don Coryell's San Diego Chargers, who rewrote much of the record book in the passing categories this year, and the Los Angeles Rams finally earning a berth in the Super Bowl after being one of the decade's winningest teams.
The playoffs that year certainly held their own, with memorable games such as the Oilers upset of the high-flying Chargers, despite missing their two most vital offensive players (QB Dan Pastorini and RB Earl Campbell). And the Rams stunning upset of the Cowboys fueled by two improbable TDs - a hail mary at the end of the first half and a 50-yard bomb in the closing minutes.
The Super Bowl was one of the best - with the undermanned Rams giving the Steelers all they could handle before finally falling in the fourth quarter.
I think 1979 will always be my favorite year. One amusing thing I remember from that year was that the 49ers were one of the worst teams in the league and would take it on the chin every week. I began to feel really sorry for this team and would tune in to the postgame show every week in the vain hope that the poor 49ers had finally managed to win a game. Little did I know that within a very short few years, the Niners wouldn't need anyone feeling sorry for them.
