Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Here are the grim points.  Note Pittsburgh's missed chances and miscues.

THE FIRST HALF

1. After taking opening kickoff,  Steeler runner Theron Sapp fumbled the ball, the Giants recovered, and Don Chandler kicked a field goal.   THIS COST THE STEELERS  THREE POINTS.  Giants 3 Steelers 0

2. Gary Ballman returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards to the NY 31.  On third and four from the NY 24, Ed Brown overthrew Gary Ballman wide open at the goal.  Lou Micheals missed a field goal but Pittsburgh took the ball right back on a fumble.  Ballman sidestepped Giants halfback Dick Lynch, caught a perfect pass at the 10, and was cruising in for a touchdown.  For some reason, he elected to shift the ball to his left hand and fumbled at the two yard line. Erich Barnes recovered and ran 34 yards to the NY 34.  A few plays later, Y.A. Tittle fired a 41 yard touchdown passed to Del Schofner.  Giants 9 Pittsburgh 0.  THIS SERIES COST THE STEELERS SEVEN POINTS.

3. The Giants capped a drive with a touchdown pass from Tittle to Joe Morrison after the Steelers missed a field goal. Giants 16 Steelers 0.

4. The Steelers blitzed Y.A. Tittle at the Giants 20. He fumbled and Andy Russell picked up the ball and ran it in for an apparent touchdown.  The officials, however, ruled it was a forward pass.  The films after the game showed Tittle holding the ball at his side.  It was not even close to being a pass. THIS MISTAKE COST THE STEELERS  SEVEN POINTS.

5. Pittsburgh started driving the ball again.   On third and five from the Giants 20, Ed Brown threw the ball into the dirt with Gary Ballman wide open a yard deep into the end zone.  Lou Micheals kicked a 27 yard field goal on the last play of the first half and the half time score was NY 16 Pittsburgh 3.   THIS LAME PASS COST THE STEELERS FOUR POINTS.

A touchdown in #1, #2 and #5 and the Steelers would have led 21 to 16 at halftime.

THE SECOND HALF

On the Steelers first possession, John Henry Johnson ran 48 yards to the Giants 10. Brown hit Ballman with one of his few sharp passes and now the Steelers trailed 16 to 10.

The next series iced the game for NY.  Y. A. Tittle, under heavy pressure from his own 20, barely got the pass away to Frank Gifford.   Gifford made a great one one handed catch just before the ball hit the ground at the NY 47.   He looked like a shortstop squeezing a line drive.  There were doubts as to weather it was a catch or trap but the play stood.  Frank Gifford made another fine catch at the Steeler 22.  Joe Morrison caught second touchdown pass and the Giants were in front 23 to 10.  The Pittsburgh Steelers never recovered and would not be a good team for nine years.  Final New York 33 Pittsburgh 17.

Hall of Famer Troy Aikman paid the below listed compliment to the Philadelphia Eagles 1991 team.  No doubt he remembers the 24 to o loss that year to Philadelphia at Texas.  The Eagles sacked Aikman 11 times for 60 yards, intercepted three passes, and blocked one at the line of scrimmage.  Troy Aikman also caught one of his passes on a deflection for a minus six yards.  Imagine how good the Eagles defense would have been had Randall Cunningham not been injured. The defense would have had less playing time.  The other guys offense would have been far more limited in play calling.  

PHILADELPHIA CBS-KYW   What the 49ers are to the 80's, and the Patriots are to the 00's in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys were to the 90's.

The combination of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek on offense, along with a dominant offensive line and playmakers on defense, made for a Cowboys team that made it extra difficult to be an Eagles fan. Eagles fans can take solace in one thing though, the '91 Eagles defense was the best Aikman says he ever faced. Aikman answered the question on Twitter, Wednesday morning. Jan 30, 2013.

@TroyAikman: '91 Philadelphia Eagles (#1 v Run; #1 v Pass; #1 Overall) RT @ToddMalcolm23: Who was the toughest defense u ever played against?

Though Aikman was being complimentary, the memory still brings some pain to Eagles fans. The 1991 team didn't make the playoffs, as Randall Cunningham was injured in the first game of the season, when the Packers' Bryce Paup landed on his knee. Along with being ranked #1 in standard football stats, the 1991 Eagles are the best in advanced statistics as well. Football Outsiders rank the defense as the best they've ever analyzed.

I saw the 1963 Giant-Steeler game referenced above on TV. My impression was the Giants were going to win it one way or another.

Ed Brown had great pass protection all day long. Nobody got near him. As a result, the Steeler receivers were continually wide open. In addition to the 48 year run, JHJ got 62 more yards. The defense would have been much better had Brown been more on target. The game was winnable and the Steeler players punched and harassed Ed Brown after the game.

This would be Pittsburgh's last chance at anything until 1972.

Whats your take on the Senior Semifinalist List Leonard? Who do you like for the Finalist list and HOF? Are you happy with the players despite recency bias or support more players before the 1970s?

Ed Brown's performance was a Neil O'Donnell-SBXXX-precursor on some serious steroids!

But, just the same (and I know, rules were the rules back then), ties should have counted - WINS first and foremost - thus this shouldn't have been a play-in game in the first place for the 7-win team. I do feel that '63 was better than the 9-5 installment from the year before. Especially offensively. And they did play a tougher schedule! Had to play at both Green Bay and Chicago (tying the latter on the un-cancelled Sunday two days after 11/22), and impressive how they at least split all three of their games with their division's top dogs - NYG, Clev & StL! They did, however, tie both their games vs the last-place Eagles! Win BOTH those games, and they go into the finale at 9-3-1 instead (vs 10-3 G-men)...now that, with me, would have made for a truly legit Steelers play-in game.

The game might have been completely different if Ballman scores with Brown's pass from the ten yard line ... They would have led 7-3 instead of falling behind 16-0 against that defense.

In addition to Ballman's fumble, you have to add from the Giants 20, Ed Brown throwing the ball into the dirt with Ballman wide open the next to last play of the half. The Steelers settled for a FG and the score should have been 16 to 14 at halftime.