Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

First off, I'd like to say how much I enjoy Ed Gruver's writings. Every year we get a new book about the Ice Bowl, and IMO Gruver's no-frills book on the 1967 NFL Championship Game remains the definitive work on that subject. His AFL history book was also top notch.

Anyway, two things that weren't really mentioned in the article that I find interesting about those Oilers teams are:

1) Pete Beathard was truly terrible. He was like a poor man's version of David Woodley, but at least Woodley would have the occasional 'break out' game. Beathard was consistently underwhelming. You might be able to find a QB worse than Beathard who started in the postseason (Joe Webb?), but Beathard was the regular starter for a team that made the playoffs twice in three years. He is the worst, IMO.

2) The ease in which the Raiders offense dominated those talented Oiler defenses in the two playoff games has been overlooked. In the 1967 game, FB Hewritt Dixon runs for 144 yards (3rd highest total in his career) and backup HB Pete Banaszak chips in with 116 yards (2nd highest total in his career) for a 40-7 romp. In the 1969 game, it was the Oiler pass defense that was shredded in a game that was 49-0 early in the 3rd period with a 56-7 final. No Warren Wells, yet Lamonica able to throw 6 TDs in a little over a half. Typical Al Davis offense, getting his RBs open deep...Hubbard with a 33 yard reception, Todd with a 40 yard reception, Charlie Smith with 4 catches for 103 yards.

The ease in which the Raiders offense dominated those talented Oiler defenses in the two playoff games has been overlooked. In the 1967 game, FB Hewritt Dixon runs for 144 yards (3rd highest total in his career) and backup HB Pete Banaszak chips in with 116 yards (2nd highest total in his career) for a 40-7 romp. In the 1969 game, it was the Oiler pass defense that was shredded in a game that was 49-0 early in the 3rd period with a 56-7 final. No Warren Wells, yet Lamonica able to throw 6 TDs in a little over a half. Typical Al Davis offense, getting his RBs open deep...Hubbard with a 33 yard reception, Todd with a 40 yard reception, Charlie Smith with 4 catches for 103 yards.

That's why the playoff format was flawed. The AFL should have taken the two best non-division winners for Wild Cards, not the second-place teams. SD or KC@Oak would have been a much, much better first-round game (depending on how they did it).

At least the ’67 Oilers spilt with winners, KC & SD; each victory being in the second meeting. Now ’69 another story...no victory over an above-500 team whatsoever, and while finishing at 500.

Question I have about ’67 - why did Houston only play Jets just once (to a 28-28 tie) while playing everyone else in their division twice while playing everyone else, but Oakland, twice in the other division? Why have divisions?

I recall reading at the time that AFL partisans breathed the proverbial sigh of relief when the Oilers didn't make Super Bowl II. They were afraid the 1967 Oilers would lose the Super Bowl by 50 plus points.

74_75_78_79_ wrote:At least the ’67 Oilers spilt with winners, KC & SD; each victory being in the second meeting. Now ’69 another story...no victory over an above-500 team whatsoever, and while finishing at 500.

Question I have about ’67 - why did Houston only play Jets just once (to a 28-28 tie) while playing everyone else in their division twice while playing everyone else, but Oakland, twice in the other division? Why have divisions?

The '67 Oilers schedule had to do with adding the Dolphins and the odd number of teams.

Two divisions in the conference. West had 6 in-division games, so 8 outside the division. 4 x 8 = 32.

East had 8 in-division games, so 6 outside the conference. 5 x 6 = 30.

32 <> 30.

One of the East in-division games was "cancelled" in both 1966 and 1967 to make the games add up. Those teams both played seven games outside the division. 3 x 6 + 2 x 7 = 18 + 14 = 32.

In 1966 a Boston vs. Miami game was not played. In 1967 it was Houston vs. New York.

I would have kept Miami as one of the teams skipped in 1967, since they were an expansion team anyway. It would have made more sense than what the NFL wound up doing for its extra interconference game from 1970-77, making Denver be the AFC team the first four years. There was no real reason to do that.

The alternative would have been to force two of the AFL West teams to play each other three times. I think selling a second home game against the same team probably would have been a hard sell. Plus, restricting the flow of teams doesn't make a lot of sense when you are adding teams. There was really only one solution to that schedule problem, and the AFL took it.

The Jets were probably better than the Oilers in '67, but they blew it by losing 3 straight late in the season. Worst was a 33-24 home loss to a 2-10 Denver team that only had 146 yards of total offense.

Four Namath interceptions in the second quarter all led to Broncos score. The Broncos got another TD on a Floyd Little punt return and led 26-0 at the half. Namath rallied in the second half, but a fumbled punt led the Broncos to another score. Namath finished the game with 35 consecutive pass attempts, 60 on the game.