NBC Sports: NFL 1986-Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals: Opening

Source:NBC Sports– welcome to Cincinnati Riverfront Stadium. The house that Paul Brown built.

“In a week 14 matchup at Riverfront stadium, the Browns overcome the odds in a blowout beating the Bengals 34-3. This is the opening and first play from scrimmage. The announcers a Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy.”

Source:Nick Caby

Obviously the two best teams in the AFC Central in 1986, the 12-4 Cleveland Browns and 10-6 Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals also were obviously the best team to miss the AFC Playoffs in 86 with a 10-6 record. They beat the Browns in this game, they probably win the AFC Central, or at least get an AFC Wildcard.

But the Bengals under Sam Wyche, were the best underachievers in the entire NFL. They also had excellent personal both on offense and defense every year he was there in the 1980s and yet struggled to just have winning seasons under his leadership.

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NBC Sports: NFL 1986-Los Angeles Raiders @ Denver Broncos: Full Game

Source:NBC Sports– Denver Broncos QB John Elway.

“1986 WEEK 01 3 RAIDERS at BRONCOS”

From J Red Wine

Here’s an example of the Raiders despite winning two Super Bowls in the 1980s, of underachieving where they lost to a team they were clearly better than. The Raiders of the 1980s in Los Angeles, were loaded on both sides of the ball, except at QB, where you had an aging Jim Plunkett, and career 2nd and 3rd stringers, having to start a lot of games for the Raiders, like Marc Wilson, when they were simply not good enough to start a lot for the Raiders, or any other Super Bowl contender back then.

With all due respect to Dick Engberg and Merlin Olsen, who I thought worked great together for the NFL On NBC, as their lead announce team, you couldn’t do better than Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy, to call a big NFL game together. Except for Pat Summerall and John Madden, over at CBS Sports.

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ABC Sports: NFL 1978-Week 4-San Diego Chargers @ Green Bay Packers: MNF Highlights

Source:ABC Sports– The Packers and Charger from 1978

“Highlights of the 1978 Packers-Chargers Week 4 game as presented on Monday Night Football the next day.”

Source:Quirky Research

This might sound strange, but losing this week 4 game in a blowout to the Green Bay Packers, was actually a good thing for the San Diego Chargers, even though it dropped them to 0-4.

Pre-Don Coryell, the Chargers of the 1970s were even bad or worst . QB Dan Fouts first five seasons with the Chargers were not good, because the Chargers weren’t good. He didn’t have enough people around him on offense and their defenses weren’t good either.

The Chargers fire head coach Tommy Prothro after this game and hire the creator of Air Coryell. Not the father (of what I at least call the vertical spread offense) but certainly one of the architects and captains of it, where you’re always looking to throw the ball deep during every pass play. When you’re not throwing deep you’re working the rest of the field with multiple targets. And you balance your passing game with a power running game. To give the defense something else to think about.

The Chargers going from starting out 0-4 in 78 to finishing 9-7. Just barely missing the AFC Playoffs and putting them self in position to making the playoffs four-straight seasons from 1979-82, winning back-to-back AFC West titles in 1979-80 and making it to back-to-back AFC Final’s in 1980-81.

The success that the Chargers had in the late 1970s and early 80s, was success they had not had at all in the history of this franchise since the 1960s when they won the AFL Championship in the early 1960s.

The first eight years of the 1970s and the Chargers were one of the worst franchises in the AFC if not NFL. But just before  Don Coryell  and under Tommy Prothro, they started drafting very well on offense and defense and with the 1978 rule changes on offense that made it easier for the offensive lineman to block and allowing for them to extend their arms when blocking and limiting what defensive backs could do to receivers, the Chargers offense thrived in this period.

As far as the Green Bay Packers who won this game: Bart Starr doesn’t get very good reviews as the Packers head coach and probably deserves most of that. But it wasn’t like he didn’t have any success in Green Bay as their head coach. They did have a winning season in 1978 after getting off to a great start and just missed the NFC Playoffs with the upstart Philadelphia Eagles getting the last spot in the NFC.

Bart never had a complete football team in Green Bay that could allow for him to have real long-term success. He had QB Lynn Dickey who was a Pro Bowler (when he was healthy) and they had WR James Lofton and a few other WR’s, but he never had a strong running game and that great lead back like Jim Taylor that he had in the 1960s as the Packers QB. And their defenses for the most part weren’t very good under Starr either.

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ABC Sports: NFL 1971- Week 1MNF- New York Jets @ Kansas City Chiefs: Howard Cosell Intro

Source:ABC Sports– MNF play by play announcer Frank Gifford.

“This pre-season tilt featured the debut of Frank Gifford on Monday Night Football. The intro is consumed with news surrounding Joe Namath’s latest knee injury, suffered the week prior.”

Source:American Throwback

As entertaining and even intelligent as Howard Cosell was, (and I think he’s one of the best sports comedians and TV sports columnists ever) it’s his humor and fans point of view that made him as successful as he was. Not his insight and expertise about football, or whatever the sport her was talking about. If you watch those sports reporters shows from the 1980s and 90s, that’s Howard Cosell.

But with Frank Gifford and Don Meredith, you are talking about two of the best players during the era that played in and in Gifford’s case, a Hall of Fame player and announcer.

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ABC Sports: NFL 1983- Week 3 MNF- Miami Dolphins @ Los Angeles Raiders: Full Game

Source:ABC Sports– Oakland Raider fans who got stuck in the traffic in Los Angeles, and decided to stay and go to this Dolphins-Raiders game. That’s just a guess.

“Dan Marino makes his NFL debut for Miami on a Monday night in LA, as his Dolphins take on Marcus Allen and the Raiders in a battle of 2-0 teams.”

From Bart Simpson

I don’t want to give away who won this game and by how much. But going into this game at least, it looks like a helluva matchup, especially for ABC Sports on Monday Night Football.

The defending AFC champion Miami Dolphins, visiting the Los Angeles Raiders and playing them at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, playing a team that probably had the best team, at least as far as personal in the entire NFL in 1982, in the Raiders.

These two teams were big AFC rivals in the 1970s and played for the AFC Championship in 1973. The Dolphins, we’re looking to get back to the Super Bowl in 83 and win it. The Raiders obviously wanted to win another Super Bowl in 83 as well. So this was an excellent early 83 matchup, at least if you look at the two teams.

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NFL Films: NFL 1968-Super Bowl 3-Baltimore Colts vs New York Jets: Highlights

Source:NFL Films– QB Joe Namath leading the New York Jets, against the Baltimore Colts, during Super Bowl 3.

“Mejores jugadas del super tazón Numero 3 (1969)
Best Highlights of Super Bowl Number 3”

Source:Playstation Gamer

Unless Joe Namath is psychic (and the fact that the Jets beat the Colts during Super Bowl 3, I wouldn’t put it past him) of course he didn’t know that the Jets would win this game. But you have to respect a man who just doesn’t have the balls to make a prediction like that, but the balls to deliver on it as well.

Source:NFL Films– New York Jets QB Joe Namath walking off the field victorious, during Super Bowl 3.

Looking back at this game I still believe it is an upset, but not shocked that the New York Jets beat the Colts in this game. If I’m shocked by anything, is how they did beat them.

The Colts moved the ball up and down the field in the first half and didn’t score any points. They missed a short field goal and turned the ball over in the red zone. With a healthy Johnny Unitas who was the best QB in pro football back then (if not still today) he not only starts this game, but the Colts probably have 14-21 points in the first half alone.

I don’t believe the Jets had much respect for QB Earl Morral who made several key mistakes in this game and is why he was pulled in the 3rd quarters for Johnny U. The Jets did have a good team in 1968, but they weren’t very good before 68 and have been good, with a few exceptions, since.

This is the game that the 1968 Baltimore Colts should have gone down as one of the best teams in pro football history and didn’t get it done and they’re still paying the price for that. And if you don’t believe that, just ask the players from that team.

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Scott Scherer: ‘The Last Days of the Old Cleveland Browns’

Source:Scott Sherer– that famous 1987 AFC Championship Game between the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos, with Browns RB Earnest Byner’s fumble.

“With the recent start to the football season, Art Modell’s passing, and the recent showing of “Cleveland ’95” (NFL)

on the NFL Network, it seemed timely to put this video I made up for viewing. When I first heard the song “These Days”, the storyline of the Browns immediately came to mind.

“But its alright, yea its alright, say its alright…easy for you to say”

From Scott Sherer

Source:Cleveland Browns– welcome to Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

This looks more like the story of the 1990s Browns before they relocated to Baltimore and became the Ravens and the New Browns came into existence in 1999. To me this looks like the story of the Bill Belichick Browns which is a good story because it’s about a guy who was getting his first shot as a NFL head coach and something he deserved, but he inherited a bad football team in 1991.

Coach Belichick’s first season where the good days of the Browns of the 1980s were gone and they had become a team that you could expect to lose ten plus games every year. And Bill Belichick didn’t get off to a good start in Cleveland. And started with three straight losing seasons from 1991-93 where progress was slow, but where it finally paid off.

In 1994 the Browns becoming winners and a playoff team for the first time in five years. But financial problems in Cleveland with the Browns playing at a mammoth, aging, stadium in Cleveland Municipal Stadium and these issues were real and the Browns simply wouldn’t have been successful in Cleveland playing in that stadium.

You can also see this post at FreeState MD, on WordPress.

You can also see this post at FreeState MD, on Blogger.

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Jesse Shipp: Don Coryell- The Air Coryell Chargers

Source:Jesse Shipp– Air Coryell Don Coryell.

“A short video about Don Coryell from the “History Of The San Diego Chargers” DVD. RIP 1924-2010.”

From Jesse Shipp

I wouldn’t put the 1981 San Diego Chargers on the NFL Films list of teams that didn’t win Super Bowls, that would’ve and what they call Missing Rings. For the simple fact that they didn’t have a Super Bowl team, they had a Super Bowl passing game.

But so did the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders, Washington Redskins all teams that had Super Bowl passing games. But all teams that won Super Bowls in the 1980s because they had Super Bowl teams. They all had great running games as well as great defenses so they didn’t have to score 30-35 points a game and get into shootouts to win.

Great teams are able to put up a lot of points, when their defense has a bad game, or when they are blowing their opponents away that much it was, because they were blowing teams away because their defense is also playing well.

The Chargers at least of 1981 and look at their playoff games of 1982, 1980 and 1979 and when they became playoff contenders in 1978, they were a passing team without a great running game, at least at playoff time that struggled on defense in the playoffs as well.

So I would put the Chargers in the level of the Miami Dolphins of the early and mid-1980s. Great quarterback and receivers, but not much else that stands out as being part of a great team.

I would put the 1981 Chargers on a list of teams that what would’ve been if they had a good defense as well. And then maybe we are talking about the 1981 Chargers like we are talking about the 1999 St. Louis Rams. A team with basically the exact same offense, but with a great running game as well and also one of the best defenses in the NFL in 1999.

What Air-Coryell was, is basically what I call the Spread Vertical Offense: where basically everyone on offense except for of course the QB and offensive line, are receivers and targets in the passing game where you throw the ball to everyone all over the field.

With a spread offense the defense has to cover the whole field, but where there’s at least one deep option on every pass play sending at least one corner back to go downfield. And hopefully a safety as well leaving the rest field open to other players for the QB to get the ball too.

The problem with the Air-Coryell version of the SVO is that it was a warm dry weather offense. That once the weather goes bad, the Chargers running game wasn’t good enough to pick up the slack for the passing game struggling. When the defenses know that you have to run the ball. The 1981 AFC Final against the Cincinnati Bengals otherwise known as The Freezer Bowl, perfect example.

The reason why the Chargers lost the 1981 AFC Final to the Cincinnati Bengals in what’s known as the Freezer Bowl, horrible football weather is because the Bengals were a big running team that got their big pass plays off of play-action with QB Ken Anderson. That were better defensively and a tougher team than the Chargers and well-suited to win in bad weather.

The Chargers were too single-dimensional, too reliant on the passing game to win. With not enough of a running game and defense to pick up the slack when the passing game was off.

You can also see this post at FreeState MD, on Blogger.

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NBC Sports: NFL 1980-AFC Final-Oakland Raiders @ San Diego Chargers: Dick Enberg Intro

Source:NBC Sports– intro of the 1980 AFC Championship.

“Battle of the Bay. Chargers and Raiders. AFC Championship Game. The great Dick Enberg on the mic with the late great Merlin Olsen. Also notice the fan showing a poster with the N logo even though NBC already switched to a new logo (not bright)

I OWN NOTHING!! EVERYTHING BELONGS TO NBC/COMCAST/NFL AND ONLY THEM!!”

From Jean

Dick Enberg with a real good intro here. Not his best, but I believe he was one of the better announcers at the intro because of his voice, his passion for sports, perhaps especially football and he knew what he was talking about as well. So he brought a realness to his work.

As far as this game, I wish I could’ve found something more than just this intro, but this was all that was available at this time. But the Raiders-Chargers AFC Final was a classic matchup of a very good and talented, well-coached intelligent team in the Raiders. Against a very explosive offense especially in their passing game in the Chargers. Who also had a good running game, but never played enough defense to get actually get to a Super Bowl. And still have only been to one Super Bowl in their entire history.

You can also see this post at FreeState MD, on WordPress.

You can also see this post at FreeState MD, on Blogger.

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Johnny Unitas: ‘The Unitas Legacy’

Source:John Unitas– the leader of the Baltimore Colts.

“The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history which has earned him the recognition of being the greatest quarterback to ever play in the National Football League. An 18-year veteran of the NFL, Unitas played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville (1951-1954), passing for 3007 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Unitas began his pro career with the Baltimore Colts in 1958 and played there 17 years until joining the San Diego Chargers for his final season. His career passing figures include completing 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns. Among his many records is one that may stand forever, throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.

Unitas was selected as the top quarterback of all-time by the Pro Football Hall of Fame 36-member selection committee. In commemorating the NFL’s 25th, 50th and 75th anniversaries, he was honored as the GREATEST QUARTERBACK OF ALL TIME. Unitas was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

Proceeds from the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards help to support the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. The Foundation provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young scholar-athletes throughout Maryland and Kentucky.”

From Johnny Unitas

What makes John Unitas the greatest quarterback of all-time is that he was able to do things in an era where the rules benefited the defense that are considered amazing today, in an era where the rules benefit the offense like driving his team down the field in a couple of minutes to win the game perhaps with just one or two timeouts if any, pass after pass, completion after completion.

And the other thing being that Unitas called his own plays and had to make all the decisions as well. So he had both great physical skills with his arm and mobility, as well as vision. But also great mental and leadership skills in knowing what plays to call and when to call them.

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