Posts from the Pro Football in the 1970s podcast.
Prior to 1978, pro football was regarded as primarily a running game. The objective of the forward pass was still not as refined and as perfected as it would become in the years after 1978. In 1972, with the advent of the hash marks moving closer to the middle of the field, the largest number … Read more
During the 1974 NFL season, pro football fans in New York suffered. I mean they really suffered. Both the Jets and the Giants were having horrible seasons as they entered week nine. Both teams were being dealt with more than their fair share of problems, injuries, and ineptness. The Giants could claim only two wins … Read more
In 1972, the NFL got a chance to see a quarterback duel of a different nature, one the likes of which the league, at least after 1950, had not previously seen. The teams involved were the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions, two long-time division rivals from the old Black and Blue Division, otherwise known … Read more
The NFL is replete with numerous teams over the years who have had good starts to a season, and bad endings to the same season. But perhaps none of those “Best of Times, Worst of Times” seasons can compare to what the New England Patriots had to deal with in 1974. The Patriots of 1974 … Read more
Ask any pro football historian what George Allen’s greatest coaching year was, and he or she will undoubtedly say 1972 when his Washington Redskins won their first NFC Championship and a trip to Super Bowl VII. But I’m going to disagree with that opinion. I’m going to say that 1976 was Allen’s greatest coaching season. … Read more