Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Both years in which strikes had severe impact on the game. In 1982, half the regular season was wiped out, and the teams were only able to complete a nine-game regular season followed by an expanded playoff format.

In 1987, only one week of games was lost - but the NFL immediately afterwards resumed play with scabs, many taken off the streets. Although 15 of the 16 scheduled games were completed, many felt that the season was tarnished by essentially having imposters play out 20% per cent of the regular season.

Which season was damaged more by the strike? Although I guess the Washington Redskins and their fans ultimately found no cause to complain in either case.

Depends what you mean by "damaging". In theory, less games lost is better so 1982 was worse. Even if you don't count the replacement games 1987 had more games and thus had more of a real season and also had a 'normal' post-season, compared to 1982.

Side note: Always like the 'trivia' of the first regular season NFL game I ever went to was Dolphins@Seahawks in 1987 and when I tell people that I ask them to name the starting QB's for that game.

Both were pretty dismal. I'm frankly surprised that nobody thought to hire scabs in 1982. Fifty-seven days in the heart of the season was a long time for fans to be without NFL football.

Did anyone else think that having them occur during strike seasons took a little of the shine off of Washington's first two Super Bowl wins?

I don’t think it takes any shine off because you can only play the hand you’re dealt but it is strange that the same team won both seasons’ championships.

In '82, the NFL would have gone ahead with scab games if enough players had broken ranks, but only a handful from each team did that. Interestingly, Dick Vermeil said he would refuse to coach them, saying the players had the right to strike. He retired after the season, so that might have been the first indication that he was burnt out and just didn't care if such a stance cost him his job.

On the other end, Pats head coach Ron Meyer said he'd be glad to coach them. Five years later, he did for the Colts and after starting 0-2, he won his first two scab games, which gave the team some momentum--boosted later by the addition of Eric Dickerson.

Both are the all-time bottom-two NFL seasons with '82, of course, being quite worse simply because more games were missed along with that eye-sore of a playoff-format. Mainly, it's based on my opinion that '82 very likely would have gone down as an exceptional, special season; maybe the best of the '80s. In the AFC, recent contenders like Cincy, Chargers, Jets would return to the post-season mixed with a final 'nod', of sorts, to the '70s albeit that very MNF opening match as well as it being the first time in 8 years that all three '70s AFC powerhouses, Mia/Pit/Raiders would make the playoffs (and would do so each of the following two as well). And in the NFC, Dallas still looked like...Dallas but with the obvious change-of-guard (bowing to Washington) factor. The many, many great matchups that we didn't get to see along with some career-seasons it seemed that certain players were en-route to.

Yes, '82 was worse, but those scab games gives '87 quite a claim. I get the whole bring the scabs in to entice the players to return but what about the fans? It really was a bad idea for everyone wants to disregard those games yet they still counted for '87. Those three weeks did have an effect on the standings. If you don't count those games, Dolphins & Colts are at 7-5 atop their division but Colts division record outside the scabs was 3-3 as opposed to Dolphins at 2-5 so seems they still get division. It looks like Miami's tied with both Houston and Seattle at 7-5. Who'd get the two WCs if not counting scab games, I'm not so sure. Yes, Hawks beat Dolphins in that very game Reaser mentioned/attended, but that was a scab game. Oilers played neither of them.

In the NFC, the Eagles are 7-5 but makes no difference; Vikings get final WC at 8-4. As for top-WC? It'd have to still be the Saints. Yes, both they and SF, who split each other, be tied at 10-2 in such event, but outside scabs SF would have the 4-1 division record to Saints' 3-1.

Though not as many as '82, many games were missed out that very season as well. Whether it's scab games that you wish would have not been scab games, or whether it's the very original Wk #3 matchups that were outright cancelled - Broncos@Browns MNF being the main one coming to mind! As for notable individual "could have been" seasons that were all in vain due to just 12 games? None come to mind without looking up the stats, but I'm sure there were some.

Reaser wrote:Depends what you mean by "damaging". In theory, less games lost is better so 1982 was worse. Even if you don't count the replacement games 1987 had more games and thus had more of a real season and also had a 'normal' post-season, compared to 1982.

Side note: Always like the 'trivia' of the first regular season NFL game I ever went to was Dolphins@Seahawks in 1987 and when I tell people that I ask them to name the starting QB's for that game.

Bruce Mathison and Kyle Mackey. I did that without googling.

One of my favorite pieces of football trivia surrounds the 1987 replacement players - Jim Zorn, the first star player for the expansion Seattle Seahawks in 1976, ended his career as a replacement QB in 1987 for the other expansion team from 1976, the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Todd Pence wrote:

Reaser wrote:Depends what you mean by "damaging". In theory, less games lost is better so 1982 was worse. Even if you don't count the replacement games 1987 had more games and thus had more of a real season and also had a 'normal' post-season, compared to 1982.

Side note: Always like the 'trivia' of the first regular season NFL game I ever went to was Dolphins@Seahawks in 1987 and when I tell people that I ask them to name the starting QB's for that game.

Bruce Mathison and Kyle Mackey. I did that without googling.

And the backups were Charles Glaze (also a DB) and Scott Stankavage...also without Googling.

Never heard of Mathison nor Mackey. The two '87 scab QBs who I was mostly ever aware of, are Sean Payton and Rick Neuheisel but I did know that neither one ever played for those teams. Sean was just a backup for da Bears in those games but Rick was a starter in each of the three thus helping to 'pump'-up SD's record to 4-1 (en route to 8-1) in time for when the regulars returned.

I just educated myself on Marion Hugh Knight's football career...(enjoy)...

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=su ... &FORM=VIRE

Video was obviously made by a fan of his, but by an honest fan. Didn't try overly pumping him up into something he wasn't. Even if you're not a fan of he off the field/studio, just simply going by this (simply just by this) you can't judge. Most of us would simply love to have any such football bragging right! He went up against Steve "I Got You Babe (dih-dih, dih-dih, dih-dih, dih-dih…)" BONO for Heaven's Sake! Being a Steeler-fan, I totally forgot Bono played for us! Knight played for John Robinson, the very HC who coached at a certain big-time university not too far from Compton as he was growing up! And I didn't know Nolan Cromwell was still playing for the Rams in '87 yet alone having crossed the picket line!

As for his SBXIV adversary...John Stallworth didn't cross the line yet in that middle-of-three scab games between Steelers at Rams (Suge's first NFL action). #82 would, however, along with other starters return for the following week even though, in this video, it's stated that although many of the regulars returned that Thursday, the NFL wouldn't allow them to play again until Week #6.

Erik Kramer a Falcon before his moment ('91) with Detroit, I see. Seeing that (very last of Suge) Rams at Falcons game makes me real glad that Rams are back to their '70s unis as well as playing in that last SB with them on (wish they would have WON too) but really wishing Atl would go back to their former attire as well! Home or away unis - albeit 'Duel of Dixie' time, albeit Deion's rookie year - were real awesome!

That '87 Rams squad...(no point in starting a new thread on them; I'll just write it here)...yes, all 28 teams had to play through that weird strike, but can't help but to think that it effected them perhaps more than the others. Just simply a chain-reaction of sorts. After all, they did make the playoffs the last 4-consecutive years leading up; and again in the back-to-back years afterward. Pretty weird. They basically handed Oilers on the road, and then at home to the Vikes, those games to open things up at 0-2. Then came the strike and they get clobbered hard in that scab match at NO. Maybe Saints, obviously being real good (and at home to boot) beat them anyway, but that couldn't have helped them now at 0-3. Then they beat Steelers at home but then fall flat at Falcons. Now they're 1-4 and quite a toughie to dig out of. Then they lose convincers to cream-of-crop competition. First at Cleveland and then at home to SF and then at home again in the second outing vs NO; all by a combined 92-41!

1-7!! Done, perhaps! But yet Rams muster an impressive 5-game surge! First at repsectable Stallings-led Cards, then at...Redskins on MNF!! Then, albeit weak competition, a combined 105-19 triple-triumph vs TB/@Det/Atl!! NOW they're 6-7, and still within REACH! And then...a home-loss to...Dallas?? A team that certainly was worse than their record indicated whether official record or whether you deduct the scab games! Heck, Dallas lost at home to Atlanta two weeks earlier!!

On the recent (paraphrasing) 'great coaches worst big game loss'-thread, I opined that John Robinson's worst was not necessarily losing at SF in the '89 NFCC, but losing BIG, 3-30! Well I take that back. I'd say it's THAT very game at home to Dallas! After all, at that point in season, EVERY game was a must ('big' game) and yet they fell real flat hence eliminated themselves. Pretty weird! Even if you consider those scab games - according to the video above, you'll see that Rams were amongst the top teams who had the most regulars still playing for them (11 to 1st-place, Dallas, at 15)!

Had Rams simply been the team they were each of the four years prior, and also the two years after; they would have made the playoffs! Of course not technically but realistically (NFL-realistically) Paul Brown has the record of most-consecutive first years as a HC making the post-season at TEN ('46-thru-'55)! But if '87 would have been full/normal, maybe (maybe-not, but still maybe), John Robinson would have the realistic #2 bragging right (7-straight) over my man Bill Cowher (6) to this day! Maybe.