Author Archives: The Chancellor of Football

SUPER BOWL XXV RUNNER UP 1990 BUFFALO BILLS

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As the 90’s dawned we had a few teams that had been playoff staples during the 80’s and a few new teams coming of age. In the Buffalo Bills you had a team come of age as blue chip talent had been stockpiled in recent years. In the pre-free agent era you had to build a team through the draft. Just like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys of the 1970’s, the Bills sought to construct a champion brick by brick.

sb xxv2Defensive End Bruce Smith and WR Andre Reed came aboard in 1985. Jim Kelly agreed to terms after the USFL dissolved in 1986. Linebackers Shane Conlan and Cornelius Bennett were added along with CB Nate Odomes joined ranks in ’87. Aggressive veteran SS  Leonard Smith came in with 2nd round RB Thurman Thomas in ’88 as the Bills made the playoffs for the 1st time in 7 years.

The ’88 season saw a 12-4 Bills team with the NFL’s #4 defense make it to the AFC Championship Game. Although they lost 21-10 to Cincinnati, they were definitely a team on the rise. Yet injuries and infighting nearly brought the team down in ’89 as they became known as the “Bickering Bills”. They only finished with a 9-7 record and lost 34-30 to Cleveland in an amazing divisional playoff game.

sb25gnts2However a light went on for the ultra conservative Bills offensively. In week 3 they fell behind big in Houston. Kelly brought the Bills back with a 5 TD performance, a 47-41 win. In his USFL days, Kelly ran a Run & Shoot with the Houston Gamblers and looked most comfortable playing this style with a No Huddle offense. They unveiled it late in the season and won the AFC East before falling to Cleveland.

Kelly threw for 405 yards and 4 TDs. Thomas had come of age in the playoff loss with a record 13 receptions for 150 yards and 2 TDs. It capped a breakout year that saw Thomas run for 1,244 yards and 6 TDs. In 1990, several vets were let go and Darryl Talley, Kelly, Smith, Reed, Thomas, Lofton, and Bennett would have to take on leadership roles for the departed DE Art Stills, NT Fred Smerlas, OT Joe Devlin, then RBs Robb Riddick and Larry Kinnebrew. Would their new “No Huddle” K-Gun keep scoring at will?? After a 13-3 record secured home field advantage:

Alas Scott Norwood’s field goal sailed wide right and the best team the AFC had in years fell 20-19. The only team to lose the NFL championship by 1 point. However the Bills were a young team in their prime and they would be back. They would go on to be one of the league’s most galvanized teams. The infighting of ’89 was in the distant past.

me-thurman-hof.jpgHead Coach Marv Levy, GM Bill Polian, QB Jim Kelly, RB Thurman Thomas, WR Andre Reed, WR James Lofton, and DE Bruce Smith all made the Pro Football Hall of Fame

chancellor.lofton (2)Epilogue: When a long sought after quarterback finally joined the Bills in 1986, starved fans chanted for Jim Kelly to take the lowly Bills to the Super Bowl.

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SUPER BOWL XXV CHAMPION 1990 NEW YORK GIANTS

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Super Bowl XXV: Giants 20 Bills 19…My Bills that is….sigh  OK here goes…be fair..not a fan…be fair…*gasp*  The Giants made it to Tampa on the heels of one of the greatest NFC Championships ever played in their 15-13 defeat of the two time champion San Francisco 49ers. The team the Giants were built to defeat.

What was beautiful was how the Giants and 49ers each steamrolled toward  the ’90 NFC title tilt like two tractor trailers headed for a head on collision. Each had won 2 playoff games against the other in head to head during the 1980’s. Yet the Giants had won the last two in 1985 and 1986.  The latter was a 49-3 destruction which took place in the ’86 divisional round. A game made famous when Joe Montana was knocked from the game with a severe concussion by Giant Jim Burt (from the[[_]]).

The Giants were built by the late GM George Young. Yet it was Bill Parcells and DC Bill Belichick who designed his defense to throw off the timing of the 49ers offense, mainly though disrupting the receivers by knocking them off their routes.

sb25gnts2Enter Mark Collins, who was drafted in 1986 from Cal State Fullerton. He was the best cornerback that covered Jerry Rice on a continual basis.  Bumping him at the line of scrimmage and getting a good re-route that makes the cover 2 defense go…funnel the receivers in to the linebackers and safeties.  This team had some big safeties in Myron Guyton and Greg Jackson….couple these guys with the aging yet effective Everson Walls and this was a solid secondary.

Did I forget the linebackers off this team? Linebacker and New York Giants just go hand in hand don’t they?  Pepper Johnson (5 rings), Gary Reasons, Carl Banks, and Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor were stout.  Stopped the run…rushed the passer and for one game against the 49ers in the NFC Championship in 1990 they flip flopped Lawrence and Carl Banks so that Taylor was rushing on Steve Wallace and had Leonard Marshall work against Bubba Paris…uh…we’ll get to that.  Then you had the front line in a 3-4 that was just beefy in Erik Howard (who replaced the departed Burt) Eric Dorsey, and future Hall of Famer Leonard Marshall.  Immovable on the point and still could collapse the pocket.

What’s funny is that the 49ers in the ’89 playoffs, were on their way to repeat as champions and they caught a huge break.  While they were beating Minnesota, the Giants were locked in a dogfight with the L.A. Rams and were tied at 13 in overtime.  First, the Giants were flagged on a very questionable pass interference by Sheldon White that moved the Rams into field goal range.

The next play Mark Collins breaks his ankle and the Rams rushed to the line of scrimmage and sent Flipper Anderson (Collins was covering) on a go route to end the game 19-13. The Giants would have stopped that 89 ‘Niner team.  Of course friends wouldn’t listen and everyone was talking 3 peat. I told everyone the Niners aren’t built to handle the Giants and each team came in on a mission steamrolling to 10-0 start to the season, the both of them.  Met on a Monday night each 10-1 and proceeded to beat the hell out of each other in a defensive struggle so good it was artistic.  The Niners won 7-3 but could they win the rubber match??

Yes Everson Walls got to celebrate a big win in Candlestick Park… this was only the 2nd road team to win the NFC Championship in 11 years dating back to 1980. OJ Anderson, from The [[_]], was a workhorse and won Super Bowl MVP honors.

I didn’t think they could bounce back from such a dogfight within one week yet they did and held down MY BILLS with a power running game and kept the ball for 40 minutes.  It’s still painful to think of the kick Norwood missed..and many folks say that the 86 Giants were better…but look at the two teams they had to beat to get this ring: The almost 3-peat 2 time Super Bowl champion 49ers and a juggernaut Buffalo Bills team that won the AFC Championship 51-3, were up 41-3 at the half and the starters were on the bench before the 4th quarter. San Fran played in the 2 Super Bowls previous and Buffalo would play in the next 3.

The '90 Giants just had their 25 year reunion.

The ’90 Giants just had their 25 year reunion. Great team… Great men

That is much stronger than defeating a wildcard 10-6 Redskin team in the ’86 NFC Title and Denver in XXI. In fact the ’90 run they had to beat 1 Hall of Fame Coach in Marv Levy and 9 Hall of Fame players on the 49ers and Bills. The 2 championships in ’86 had just Joe Gibbs and 3 Hall of Famers on the Redskins and Bronco squads.

I’d have to put this 90 team over the 86 team because of the strength of opponent to achieve both NFC and Super Bowl titles were stronger…that’s my take…what do you think??

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Lost NFL Etiquette: Player Curtain Calls

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As the NFL is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl this year it causes you to look back at the NFL of yore. Many items changed due to knee jerk reactions instead of thinking the entire item through. One lost art is the player introductions before the Super Bowl. That moment of anticipation as you looked into players eyes as they came out before the big game. The intensity, inner desire, fear, and all the emotions you wanted to feel coming from that player at the moment of truth. Much like the camera that zooms in on boxers staring each other down when the referee gives the instructions.

John Riggins curtain call after the '82 playoff win over Minnesota.

John Riggins curtain call after the ’82 playoff win over Minnesota.

Another lost art is the curtain call for a quarterback who has just become league champion or a player after a great performance. Let the player come off the field alone to the applause of the crowd. This one is on the coaches.

I salute John Harbaugh for giving Ray Lewis his curtain call, platooning him for the Ravens’ last offensive play in the 2012 Wild Card win over Indy. The PSI Net crowd went nuts when he trotted on the field and were even louder after the kneel down and Lewis broke into his signature dance. How much did that emotional moment have to do with the Ravens winning Super Bowl XLVII 4 weeks later??

One of the greatest moments in NFL history happened in a 1982 NFC playoff as the Washington Redskins were putting the finishing touches on a 21-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

This curtain call along with John Riggins subsequent bow and the frenzied reaction by the RFK crowd propelled them through Dallas to Super Bowl XVII. The “We want Dallas!! We want Dallas!!” chant went on for the better part of 15 minutes. You just heard Russ Grimm talk about the moment being ‘electric’ and “brings the hair up.” That emotion and confidence set the tone for the NFC Championship to come for a town and a team. The next day Dexter Manley told the media he hated Dallas and the madness didn’t stop until an argument broke out in the House of Representatives the following Friday.

When it comes to great performances, coaches need to be aware of the moment and set it up for a player to hear the fans appreciation at the end of a  great game. Every moment may not be as catalytic as these moments but these strengthen the bond between player, team, and fan. Today’s coaches shouldn’t lose sight of this.

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Chip Kelly Must Go!!

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When chronicling the NFL there is always a new genius coach coming in to revolutionize the game of football. The game of pro football has been around and this is the 96th year. Everything the game is down to it’s essence has been done already. The only approach you can bring to the game at this point are gimmicks. In this league gimmicks are exposed for not being complete systems. Enter Chip Kelly.

Chip Kelly is even losing the battle for race relations.

Chip Kelly is even losing the battle for race relations.

Remember all that talk of “The Ole’ Ball Coach” when the Washington Redskins hired Steve Spurrier back in 2000?? Then just as now The Chancellor knew these would be hires that would backfire. This is a league for grown men and a coach has to be able to relate and motivate his charges. Autocrats coming from the collegiate ranks can lord over their players on scholarship with the threat of revoking it if they get out of line.

With the dismissal of WR DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Macklin, and RB LeSean McCoy, Kelly gutted the playmakers from his offense. Accusations flew that Kelly had moved on from all the outspoken black players in his locker room. When CB Cary Williams spoke out about the team playing on ‘tired legs’ from being warn out, he became a casualty when he was released in March. Even two of his coaches abandoned ship and maybe not for greener pastures. CB Coach Todd Lyght, who is black, left for the same position at Vanderbilt University. That is not a top program and his alma mater is Notre Dame… yet I digress

nfl-iphone-wallpaper-2Before we get into that side of things, lets remember this is an offensive genius. He traded away starting QB Nick Foles for the often injured Sam Bradford and released Pro Bowl G Evan Mathis. Why is this being brought up?? Did you know the Eagles are 29th in total offense after 4 weeks?? Did you know the Eagles are 27th passing the football?? After signing last year’s NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray, did you know the Eagles are 29th  rushing the football?? By the way… they are 31st in yards per rush also with a paltry 3.1 yards per attempt.

This is what happens when you become so arrogant you believe your system will be successful no matter who you have playing it. While running the uptempo style on offense he has overexposed his defense. They have been on the field for 290 plays in 4 games, 80 against the Redskins last week. Washington drove over 90 yards to score the go ahead touchdown on an exhausted defense. The Eagle defense is on pace to be on the field for 1160 plays. Almost 200 more than the what the league average is. What was that Cary Williams said about playing on tired legs.  Then you draft often injured LB Kiko Alonso into this??

Then you have the ultimate gaffe in signing CB Byron Maxwell to a huge contract and asking him to play man. Everyone knows the Seattle Seahawks are basically a Cover 3 football team. Another misguided decision. So now you leave this guy out long enough to get exposed, bring in Alonso who has missed time already, and your defense is on pace to play 19 games worth of plays in a 16 game season. Hmmmm??

Which should be fired first?? Chip Kelly the coach or Chip Kelly the GM?? He’s been so unsuccessful Owner Jeffrey Lurie should fire him twice. One week fire him as GM and the next week as coach. Folks its that bad in Philadelphia. Kelly shouldn’t last the season. There will be another mutiny and Kelly will go to jettison the player only to realize he has none left. Darren Sproles is all he has as DeMarco Murray doesn’t fit his system. The team needs to rebuild from the ground up. May as well start with the genius coach.

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The Soul Of The Game: Willie Davis

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Hall of Fame President David Baker presenting Jim Taylor and Willie Davis new PFHofF rings.

Hall of Fame President David Baker presenting Jim Taylor and Willie Davis new PFHofF rings.

One of the truly great moments in recent years have been the Hall of Fame rings given to the new inductees. David Baker, who is the President of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has been presenting rings to those previously enshrined in tributes at early season games. Back in September Willie Davis along with Jim Taylor received new rings from the Hall of Fame.

However the television execs only allow us glimpses of these presentations instead of hearing Mr.Baker’s presentation or the players themselves. We’re truly missing the opportunity to share the history of the game to a new generation.

Willie Davis with his Hall of Fame presenter... the legendary late Grambling Head Coach Eddie Robinson.

Willie Davis with his Hall of Fame presenter… the legendary late Grambling Head Coach Eddie Robinson.

Hopefully some kid asked his Father, Uncle, or Grandfather who Willie Davis was. A youngster could learn how Davis was one of the best Defensive Ends in pro football history. A living legend dating back to the legendary Green Bay Packer teams of the 1960’s.

Although fellow Hall of Famers Ray Nitschke, Willie Wood, and Dave Robinson were on that team, it was Davis who made the biggest defensive plays during their dynasty. Remember the “million dollar fumble?” Well that is just one… take a look

Willie Davis was definitely A Soul of the Game defender who showed up in big games. An interesting aspect to Davis’ career was the fact he was the Defensive End to the strong side of the offense. He was only 240 lbs yet took on the double team of the Tackle and Tight End and had to play the run as well as the pass. Yet you saw he recorded sacks in the 1965 NFL Championship as well as Super Bowls I & II. Most of the time you think of light pass rushing ends they’re predominant weak side rushers. Not Mr. Davis.

Vince Lombardi stealing Davis from Paul Brown’s Cleveland team could have been the difference between the Packers ruling the 60’s instead of the Browns.

We may not have been able to hear from him during that Monday Night telecast but we could at least bring you his retirement speech from 1969.

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2015 Lessons Through Week 4: Buffalo Bills

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With only one of its teams taking the field on this continent in week 4, the Buffalo Bills had the perfect opportunity to continue their  defensive success. After a big 41-14 win over Miami, they welcomed the Giants with the league’s 21st ranked offense. Eli Manning and the Giants hadn’t sustained offensive continuity the first 3 weeks. However with 17 penalties committed, the Bills played undisciplined allowing the Giants to sustain drives in a 24-10 loss.

bills v giantsIn the NFL there are games where a team can just come out flat. The Bills and QB Tyrod Taylor fell prey to that yesterday. This is a young team that needs to learn to bring it all four quarters no matter the competition. Also what has happened to the defense?? Last year the Bills were the NFL’s 4th best unit yet currently ranked 22nd and giving up 23 points per game. Sure the figures are distorted thanks to the 40 points and 507 yards the Patriots put up in week 2. Yet what did the Giants score in Sunday’s tilt? Twenty four points so the Bills have to shore up their defense and CB Leodis McKelvin will be available in 3 weeks to help.

The upside is the Bills have yet to hit their stride offensively. LeSean McCoy hasn’t been healthy enough to play a full game at any point in this season. He missed Sunday’s game along with WR Sammy Watkins. Once established they can sneak Percy Harvin in the mix better where now defenses know to key on him when he’s in the game.

Bills v Giants

One issue of concern is the propensity of Tyrod Taylor to scramble back and then brake containment rather than climb the pocket. That added 10 yards increases the recovery time of the defense to react to his throws and minimizes his running effectiveness. When the rush is coming and he steps up in the pocket, he’s able to dash for a quick 5 to 7 yard gain if the play breaks down. He did so Sunday on a 32 yard TD scramble that was called back but that is where he can add to the structure of the offense. Buffalo just has some growing up to do.

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