74_75_78_79_ wrote:While we're on the subject of the very early-'80s in lieu of recent threads, why not start this very thread that asks all of you who you think is best between these two? Pretty similar teams. Both finishing 12-4, both gritty meat-and-potatoes-like, both apparently 'uptight' before their respective SB matchups....
Amongst the 'precursors' of Cincy's surprise success in '81 (sweeping the Burgh in '80, also burying them Week #7 the previous year as well as beating 9-6 Browns in that very year's finale; not sure if that knocked them out of '79 playoffs or not), could their 37-13 shellacking of Philly in '79 serve as indicator?
The Eagles of that era made the playoffs four years in a row, although only in 1980 did they win any postseason games. Even in their first playoff game in '80, they were floundering until coming back against the Vikings.
With the Bengals, they were something of a one-year wonder, since they got blasted by the Jets in the first playoff game during the expanded '82 postseason, then really weren't heard again from until '88. In '79, that blowout of Pittsburgh was the start of three strong games in a row--they lost to the Browns by a point before that blowout of Philly. However, other than that, they really weren't that impressive--losing seven games by double digits. In that '79 season finale, the win over the Browns officially knocked them out, but Cleveland needed a boatload of things to occur to get in the playoffs anyway. The Bengals no doubt had Paul Brown giving them a pre-game pep talk, since he always loved sticking it to Modell.
Brown's animosity undoubtedly extended to his selection of Forrest Gregg (a coach Modell had fired) as HC in 1980. That year, the two Steeler wins preceded a five-game losing streak, and the turning point obviously took place in the final month. They won three straight and then jumped out to a 10-0 lead against a Browns team that needed a win to get in the playoffs. Cleveland won 27-24, but they kicked a FG with two minutes left and the Bengals got down to the Browns 15 as time ran out. I'm assuming Gregg reinforced that strong finish in training camp, and career years from Ken Anderson and Pete Johnson, coupled with the addition of Collinsworth laid a pretty good foundation for that big year.