Rank all '60s League Champions, #1-to-#20
Posted: Sat May 07, 2022 6:12 pm
My apologies if this was already a topic I posted in the past. I looked up previous posts of mine, placed "champ" in the search engine. Many pages of posts came up, but none of this kind. And I think I'd remember if I did. So I'll post this, here, thread.
We all know who each of them are, but just for extra-convenience, here are the League Champions of each year to see/shuffle-up...
1960 - Eagles (NFL), Oilers (AFL)
1961 - Packers (NFL), Oilers (AFL)
1962 - Packers (NFL), Texans (AFL)
1963 - Bears (NFL), Chargers (AFL)
1964 - Browns (NFL), Bills (AFL)
1965 - Packers (NFL), Bills (AFL)
1966 - Packers (NFL), Chiefs (AFL)
1967 - Packers (NFL), Raiders (AFL)
1968 - Colts (NFL), Jets (AFL)
1969 - Vikings (NFL), Chiefs (AFL)
Here is my list...
1) '62 Packers
2) '66 Packers
3) '63 Bears
4 - tie) '61 Packers, '65 Packers
6) '67 Packers
7) '69 Chiefs
8) '68 Jets
9) '68 Colts
10) '69 Vikings
11) '67 Raiders
12) '66 Chiefs
13a) '64 Browns
13b) '64 Bills
15) '63 Chargers
16) '65 Bills
17) '60 Eagles
18) '61 Oilers
19) '62 Texans
20) '60 Oilers
Learn something new everyday! I didn't know that Wally actually took over for Houston in '61 after fives games (1-3-1 thus far), and then went 10-0! And that was that (Ivy hopping onboard for '62)! Wally and Shula ('72) sort-of (sort-of) have something in common! And looking at those final scores in that 9-game-stretch in '61...a bit '94 Forty Niners-esque, I'd say! Would have loved to have ranked them higher, but it only being 'Year 2' of the new AFL, can you really blame me? And Blanda (despite, yes, another 22 INTs) was a Beast! But, again, sadly 'stuck' in 'Year 2' of the AFL. Only God knows just how great those '61 Oilers were in historic-comparison to others. I used to think that, maybe, '62 was better despite losing the AFLCG (and in OT, mind you, to Hank - yep! no shame) if only due to the league getting even better, but unless some of you here can correct me - I think not after all. '61 seems to have more 'bite'!
And with so much insane respect I have for Concrete Charlie, I really can't place those Eagles any higher! They just simply reeked of "good-enough" to win their conference playing against a new, young team that was merely "good enough" to simply make the NFL Championship Game as well. Basically by default in that two 7-5s were tied at 2nd in the conference! And the Birds took advantage, and barely succeeded (at home) anyway! '49, to me, is the very best Eagles team ever! 2017...2nd-best!
Yes. no Hornung in '63, but Bears were so very, very, very strong! They were insanely strong (a rock)! Defensively, at the very least! In my mind (JMO), they do, indeed, beat Chargers as SF did Miami 21 years later! Nice enough chance Bears still win-it-all in '63 had Paul played all year long! Not just that, but I think the '64 Bills were better than - as well as more-balanced than - the '63 Chargers. Everyone talks of Bears/Chargers Super Bowl in '63. No. I think a Browns/Bills SB the following year is the far better attraction! It may have even gone into OT! I respect the Genius of Gillman so much, but those '63 Chargers not being able to beat the 10-4 Raiders even once, just feeding off the 7-wins-and-less teams, really doesn't do it for me on an historic level (maybe I'm wrong; maybe).
Me placing the Colts and Vikings beneath the very teams that actually bested them when it mattered most may get me the most gruff. Maybe they were upsets. But minor upsets IMO at best; and, perhaps, I may be in sheer minority. I understand what many here may say about they having a problem with '69 Chiefs even getting into the 'dance' in the first place. They didn't even win their division. 12-1-1 Raiders beat them twice in scoreboard-close games. And, yes, each contest involved KC scoring last thus making the game seem closer than it was. Well, the rules now changed (as MLB baseball did that very year) and the "better" team - the Raiders - should have simply thrept them (as both G-men and Bears should have to both Browns and Rams respectively in 1950). It's part of the game; everyone knowing the (perhaps, new) rules in-advance before the season begins (Dallas should have thrept NYG in '07, etc).
But should I have actually placed Jets above Chiefs? Reading an article recently about Buddy Ryan (unable to find it at the moment - otherwise I'd paste it), they actually compared the '68 Jets defense stats to the '85 Bears stats. And though you'd think they'd be the last two defenses to compare to one another, those stats were hauntingly similar! Even if Buddy may have not 'officially' been a DC at an earlier point in his career, damn, he still made a significant mark! Maybe Jets were better than Chiefs! Who knows for certain!
'62 Packers...So superior!! If not 'Mt Rushmore' All-Time', at the very, very least please make them MtRM prior to that very 'demarcation' (16-game season)/peak-of-disco year!!
We all know who each of them are, but just for extra-convenience, here are the League Champions of each year to see/shuffle-up...
1960 - Eagles (NFL), Oilers (AFL)
1961 - Packers (NFL), Oilers (AFL)
1962 - Packers (NFL), Texans (AFL)
1963 - Bears (NFL), Chargers (AFL)
1964 - Browns (NFL), Bills (AFL)
1965 - Packers (NFL), Bills (AFL)
1966 - Packers (NFL), Chiefs (AFL)
1967 - Packers (NFL), Raiders (AFL)
1968 - Colts (NFL), Jets (AFL)
1969 - Vikings (NFL), Chiefs (AFL)
Here is my list...
1) '62 Packers
2) '66 Packers
3) '63 Bears
4 - tie) '61 Packers, '65 Packers
6) '67 Packers
7) '69 Chiefs
8) '68 Jets
9) '68 Colts
10) '69 Vikings
11) '67 Raiders
12) '66 Chiefs
13a) '64 Browns
13b) '64 Bills
15) '63 Chargers
16) '65 Bills
17) '60 Eagles
18) '61 Oilers
19) '62 Texans
20) '60 Oilers
Learn something new everyday! I didn't know that Wally actually took over for Houston in '61 after fives games (1-3-1 thus far), and then went 10-0! And that was that (Ivy hopping onboard for '62)! Wally and Shula ('72) sort-of (sort-of) have something in common! And looking at those final scores in that 9-game-stretch in '61...a bit '94 Forty Niners-esque, I'd say! Would have loved to have ranked them higher, but it only being 'Year 2' of the new AFL, can you really blame me? And Blanda (despite, yes, another 22 INTs) was a Beast! But, again, sadly 'stuck' in 'Year 2' of the AFL. Only God knows just how great those '61 Oilers were in historic-comparison to others. I used to think that, maybe, '62 was better despite losing the AFLCG (and in OT, mind you, to Hank - yep! no shame) if only due to the league getting even better, but unless some of you here can correct me - I think not after all. '61 seems to have more 'bite'!
And with so much insane respect I have for Concrete Charlie, I really can't place those Eagles any higher! They just simply reeked of "good-enough" to win their conference playing against a new, young team that was merely "good enough" to simply make the NFL Championship Game as well. Basically by default in that two 7-5s were tied at 2nd in the conference! And the Birds took advantage, and barely succeeded (at home) anyway! '49, to me, is the very best Eagles team ever! 2017...2nd-best!
Yes. no Hornung in '63, but Bears were so very, very, very strong! They were insanely strong (a rock)! Defensively, at the very least! In my mind (JMO), they do, indeed, beat Chargers as SF did Miami 21 years later! Nice enough chance Bears still win-it-all in '63 had Paul played all year long! Not just that, but I think the '64 Bills were better than - as well as more-balanced than - the '63 Chargers. Everyone talks of Bears/Chargers Super Bowl in '63. No. I think a Browns/Bills SB the following year is the far better attraction! It may have even gone into OT! I respect the Genius of Gillman so much, but those '63 Chargers not being able to beat the 10-4 Raiders even once, just feeding off the 7-wins-and-less teams, really doesn't do it for me on an historic level (maybe I'm wrong; maybe).
Me placing the Colts and Vikings beneath the very teams that actually bested them when it mattered most may get me the most gruff. Maybe they were upsets. But minor upsets IMO at best; and, perhaps, I may be in sheer minority. I understand what many here may say about they having a problem with '69 Chiefs even getting into the 'dance' in the first place. They didn't even win their division. 12-1-1 Raiders beat them twice in scoreboard-close games. And, yes, each contest involved KC scoring last thus making the game seem closer than it was. Well, the rules now changed (as MLB baseball did that very year) and the "better" team - the Raiders - should have simply thrept them (as both G-men and Bears should have to both Browns and Rams respectively in 1950). It's part of the game; everyone knowing the (perhaps, new) rules in-advance before the season begins (Dallas should have thrept NYG in '07, etc).
But should I have actually placed Jets above Chiefs? Reading an article recently about Buddy Ryan (unable to find it at the moment - otherwise I'd paste it), they actually compared the '68 Jets defense stats to the '85 Bears stats. And though you'd think they'd be the last two defenses to compare to one another, those stats were hauntingly similar! Even if Buddy may have not 'officially' been a DC at an earlier point in his career, damn, he still made a significant mark! Maybe Jets were better than Chiefs! Who knows for certain!
'62 Packers...So superior!! If not 'Mt Rushmore' All-Time', at the very, very least please make them MtRM prior to that very 'demarcation' (16-game season)/peak-of-disco year!!