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This kind of thing happened several times from the years 1978-95.7DnBrnc53 wrote:That is also why Minnesota and Denver played two years in a row (1990 and 91). In 1990, it was the AFC West's turn to play the NFC Central (teams that finished 1-4 in those divisions in 89). In 91, Denver and Minnesota played because they finished in last in 90.
I don't know. Of course we'll never know for sure how things would've been in an event of a full uninterrupted 16-gamer, but looking at each of those three teams in each respective division, there's at least two of them that makes me wonder what team in their division would have actually finished beneath them instead?Teo wrote:I vividly remember that in the strike-shortened 1982 season the 5th place teams were the Colts, the Broncos, the Eagles and the Bears. Except for the Colts (who were the NFL worst team that season) I bet that the other three would have not finished in last place in a normal 16-week schedule.
When the Eagles came back, Vermeil was already burnt out. I recall an article after that season where he just broke down in tears after arriving in his car to the practice facility because he couldn't get motivated to go in and gameplan.74_75_78_79_ wrote:I think the coolest '78-thru-'94 fifth-place scheduling consequence, indeed, was in 1981! Three of the four 5th-placers from the year prior were actual playoff-contenders! Sadly, Seattle was the 'odd-man-out' in this case. But they definitely played a big part in the 'suspense' of the Jets getting in or not! Yes, you know how the Jets were with them all that time until '85. Hawks, of course, swept them in '81.
In the NFC, the other NYC team got swept as well - to the Packers! That also added to the suspense for Perkins' bunch in LT's rookie season! We had ourselves a Jets/Giants game that season, with Jets winning "on the road". On the final Sunday, after G-men took full-advantage of Cowboys' playoff-position already being fully set-in-stone the day before, the Packers at Shea HAD to win a third and final game vs a NYC team to make the playoffs but failed to do so. This nice side-story(s) certainly, with me, helps make '81 complete my 'Mt Rushmore' of 16-game seasons ('78, '79, & '80 being the others; yes, the four coincidently consecutive) if not 'Mt Rushmore' all-time (no matter what amount-of-games-per-season) PERIOD!
I don't know. Of course we'll never know for sure how things would've been in an event of a full uninterrupted 16-gamer, but looking at each of those three teams in each respective division, there's at least two of them that makes me wonder what team in their division would have actually finished beneath them instead?Teo wrote:I vividly remember that in the strike-shortened 1982 season the 5th place teams were the Colts, the Broncos, the Eagles and the Bears. Except for the Colts (who were the NFL worst team that season) I bet that the other three would have not finished in last place in a normal 16-week schedule.
Eagles? Yes, a bunch of close losses. Theoretically they could have gone 8-1 if the winds blew just right. But how about the G-men? They didn't exactly get blown away by the competition either. They finished 4-5, scoring more total points and allowing less than the 5-4 Cardinals (also, NYG was +4 pt-diff while StL was...minus-35). Yes, Cards did beat them in their one meeting and G-men did lose twice to Wash as well; but they did sweep Eagles. In Vermeil's final season in Philly, my guess is an entire season of close losses unfortunately would have been the case, thus picking up where they left off end of '81. Eagles were heading downward as the Cards had two full winning seasons ahead of them! And look who Ray Perkins had in his arsenal in '82...Parcells at DC, Belichick coaching LBs, Erhardt at OC, a Lombardi-assistant coaching OL, special teams coached by...Romeo Crennel! Even if finishing at, say, a respectable 7-9 had '82 went full, the Eagles most-likely finish last in the NFC East anyway IMO.
I remember seeing the emotional retirement press conference on the news in 6th grade! My Dad, who certainly wasn't an Eagles-fan, always spoke highly of him as a coach which even furthered my admiration of him as well! I remember he almost coming back with the Chiefs in the mid-'80s and almost coming back in the early-'90s (forgot with who). Maybe my memory is wrong, but I think he wanted even more money per-year than Jimmy Johnson at the time. Then he came back in '97 in a much further away era! First two seasons with Rams, not even a HINT of what could have come in '99! At least we got to see him coach against Ditka & Reeves FWIW. And then...like a knife through butter, despite Trent Green's out-for-the-season injury in the pre-season, WINS himself that Lombardi after all!!BD Sullivan wrote:When the Eagles came back, Vermeil was already burnt out. I recall an article after that season where he just broke down in tears after arriving in his car to the practice facility because he couldn't get motivated to go in and gameplan.74_75_78_79_ wrote:I think the coolest '78-thru-'94 fifth-place scheduling consequence, indeed, was in 1981! Three of the four 5th-placers from the year prior were actual playoff-contenders! Sadly, Seattle was the 'odd-man-out' in this case. But they definitely played a big part in the 'suspense' of the Jets getting in or not! Yes, you know how the Jets were with them all that time until '85. Hawks, of course, swept them in '81.
In the NFC, the other NYC team got swept as well - to the Packers! That also added to the suspense for Perkins' bunch in LT's rookie season! We had ourselves a Jets/Giants game that season, with Jets winning "on the road". On the final Sunday, after G-men took full-advantage of Cowboys' playoff-position already being fully set-in-stone the day before, the Packers at Shea HAD to win a third and final game vs a NYC team to make the playoffs but failed to do so. This nice side-story(s) certainly, with me, helps make '81 complete my 'Mt Rushmore' of 16-game seasons ('78, '79, & '80 being the others; yes, the four coincidently consecutive) if not 'Mt Rushmore' all-time (no matter what amount-of-games-per-season) PERIOD!
I don't know. Of course we'll never know for sure how things would've been in an event of a full uninterrupted 16-gamer, but looking at each of those three teams in each respective division, there's at least two of them that makes me wonder what team in their division would have actually finished beneath them instead?Teo wrote:I vividly remember that in the strike-shortened 1982 season the 5th place teams were the Colts, the Broncos, the Eagles and the Bears. Except for the Colts (who were the NFL worst team that season) I bet that the other three would have not finished in last place in a normal 16-week schedule.
Eagles? Yes, a bunch of close losses. Theoretically they could have gone 8-1 if the winds blew just right. But how about the G-men? They didn't exactly get blown away by the competition either. They finished 4-5, scoring more total points and allowing less than the 5-4 Cardinals (also, NYG was +4 pt-diff while StL was...minus-35). Yes, Cards did beat them in their one meeting and G-men did lose twice to Wash as well; but they did sweep Eagles. In Vermeil's final season in Philly, my guess is an entire season of close losses unfortunately would have been the case, thus picking up where they left off end of '81. Eagles were heading downward as the Cards had two full winning seasons ahead of them! And look who Ray Perkins had in his arsenal in '82...Parcells at DC, Belichick coaching LBs, Erhardt at OC, a Lombardi-assistant coaching OL, special teams coached by...Romeo Crennel! Even if finishing at, say, a respectable 7-9 had '82 went full, the Eagles most-likely finish last in the NFC East anyway IMO.