'77 Niners after 0-5 start
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74_75_78_79_
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'77 Niners after 0-5 start
It was Eddie's first year as owner and WHAT an intro to the league! Opener at Pittsburgh with the expected result. Niners would lose four more straight from there then suddenly win 5 of their next 6 before losing their final three to end things at 5-9. Was that 6 game stretch simply a product of a weak schedule (Rams only good team they played and got beat) or were they playoff-caliber from Week 6 forward being they gave Rams a good game as well as also giving the Vikes & Dallas a run for their money in both Weeks 12 & 13 respectively? They were up on Minn 24-7 in the 3rd Q before allowing them to rally back and put up 35 on Dallas MNF the following week in a 7-point loss with Plunkett outplaying Roger.
Re: '77 Niners after 0-5 start
That SF-Minn game was the one that would keep Washington out of the playoffs. If SF holds on, it is Chi@Dal and Was@LA the day after Christmas, and I really think that we see a Was@Dal NFC Title Game for the second time in the 70's.74_75_78_79_ wrote:It was Eddie's first year as owner and WHAT an intro to the league! Opener at Pittsburgh with the expected result. Niners would lose four more straight from there then suddenly win 5 of their next 6 before losing their final three to end things at 5-9. Was that 6 game stretch simply a product of a weak schedule (Rams only good team they played and got beat) or were they playoff-caliber from Week 6 forward being they gave Rams a good game as well as also giving the Vikes & Dallas a run for their money in both Weeks 12 & 13 respectively? They were up on Minn 24-7 in the 3rd Q before allowing them to rally back and put up 35 on Dallas MNF the following week in a 7-point loss with Plunkett outplaying Roger.
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SixtiesFan
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Re: '77 Niners after 0-5 start
After Monte Clark left due to Joe Thomas arrival, the best Thomas could get as new head coach was Ken Meyer, Chuck Knox's offensive coach at Los Angeles.
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BD Sullivan
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Re: '77 Niners after 0-5 start
I'd mostly go with the schedule theory, though Meyer let Plunkett take over play calling in the first win (against a 3-2 Detroit team). However, they next won against the pathetic Bucs, beat the punchless Falcons 10-3, then beat the 2-6 Saints 10-7 in OT. Two weeks later, they again beat the Saints again by three. None of the wins outside of Detroit were terribly impressive.
In the Atlanta win, they got a field goal after the Falcons fumbled a kickoff deep in their own territory. That kickoff came after the only touchdown of the game, which had to be torture to watch: Paul Hofer had returned the second half kickoff 41 yards to the Niner 47, which was followed by a 14-play drive.
The Niners also benefited from the fact the Steve Bartkowski was starting his first game in 13 months.
Of their final four losses, three were to playoff teams (Rams, Vikes, Cowboys), while they lost the season finale to GB, 16-14. The difference in the game was Willie Buchanon, who had a pick-six against Plunkett and another pick that set up a FG.
In the Atlanta win, they got a field goal after the Falcons fumbled a kickoff deep in their own territory. That kickoff came after the only touchdown of the game, which had to be torture to watch: Paul Hofer had returned the second half kickoff 41 yards to the Niner 47, which was followed by a 14-play drive.
The Niners also benefited from the fact the Steve Bartkowski was starting his first game in 13 months.Of their final four losses, three were to playoff teams (Rams, Vikes, Cowboys), while they lost the season finale to GB, 16-14. The difference in the game was Willie Buchanon, who had a pick-six against Plunkett and another pick that set up a FG.