Category Archives: Legends Of The Fall

Legend of The Fall: Walter Payton

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It has been 27 years since Walter Payton suited up for an NFL game. Before his passing in 1999 the question could be raised was he the greatest legend the game had known?? After his passing his legend is unmatched by any player of the last 60 years. “Sweetness” as a nickname is synonymous with those of “The Galloping Ghost” the “Steel Curtain” that will be shared with football fans forever.

The legendary

Payton

Although he is no longer the NFL’s leading rusher whenever you see a runner fighting for more yardage, you think of Payton. In The Chancellor of Football’s estimation during a majority of his career he was overshadowed by Tony Dorsett then Eric Dickerson since they were more flashy runners. It was grit and determination that made Payton special. Unlike other runners one man couldn’t bring him down nor could someone shoulder him down. Payton’s spirit was that of a great warrior and it took more than one man to stop him.

If you were to travel back to the 1980’s the standard bearer for runners was the great Jim Brown. He set the NFL’s all time rushing yardage mark with 12,312 yards when he retired in 1965. Only OJ Simpson came close to passing him finishing with 11,236 when he ran out of gas in 1979. Payton’s career long assault had him within reach as 1984 beckoned. Before he could eclipse Brown’s mark the comparisons started. Who was better?? Jim Brown or Walter Payton??

The video you just watched had been produced before Payton had become the all time leading rusher. They edited it before the second week of the 1986 season and re-aired it. He was about to score his 100th touchdown in the famous “Buddy Bowl”, where Buddy Ryan who had been the architect of the Chicago Bears championship defense the year before.  He returned as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Not only did Payton score his touchdown, he had his last true great game as he gouged the Eagles for 177 yards. It was his 75th 100 yard game. Much like Marvin Hagler in boxing, national media showcased Payton in the twilight of his career. Of course it was once he surpassed Jim Brown and his unbreakable all time rushing record was when he finally was afforded that status. That moment took place October 7, 1984.

At one time he had the greatest rushing performance in an NFL game with 275 yards and pushed the all time rushing record to 16,726 yards. Each of these have been broken but who embodied the spirit of the determined runner fighting a defense fighting to stop him?? Emmitt Smith and Corey Dillon come close but none matched his fury. Looking back on all these careers it was as though other runners were playing a role created for them by Payton. As thought they were all trying to impersonate him. Make no mistake about it he was The Chancellor of Football’s favorite player during his career.

The poignant moment that was etched in my mind wasn’t his sitting alone on the bench after his last game in the 1987 playoffs. It was his sitting on the bench by himself toward the end of the 1984 NFC Championship Game. Chicago was losing 23-0 to the San Francisco 49ers and it looked like this was the closest Payton would make it to the Super Bowl.

In an instant the flash entered my mind that his career would be over soon and he hadn’t been a champion. Then the great ’85 Bears stormed to the Super Bowl XX championship. He rushed for over 1,300 yards in 1986 then let it be known during 1987 it would be his last season. Sure he wasn’t the same runner as he split time with heir apparent Neil Anderson. It was at this time you had to reflect back on how great Walter had been over the years.

Friday would have been Walter Payton’s 60th birthday and he’s still missed by football fans everywhere. Yet we know the trials he faced toward the end of his life. Its better to focus on his play and the bright personality that we remembered him for.

Walter Payton soaring as he is in heaven above.

Walter Payton soaring as he is in heaven above.

Happy 60th birthday Walter Payton from a true fan that didn’t get a chance to meet you. Its fun to share vids for those who were younger that didn’t get to see you play or see the footage of your exploits. My gift to those fans in your honor started on your birthday. RIP Sweetness. Thanks for reading and please share the article. Epilogue: An extra video on Walter Payton’s 1984

 

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Payton reflecting on the bench after the ’87 playoff loss to Washington. His last game.

Legends Of The Fall: Bart Starr

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Why is it when great quarterbacks of the past comes up, few name Bart Starr?? Of course when talk of the 1960’s Green Bay Packers comes up, first we think of Vince Lombardi. Then we think of their signature play in the power sweep and their ferocious defense. Yet the glue that not only held everything together but made big play after big play in championship competition was quarterback Bart Starr.

 

The MVP of Super Bowl I and II and we never hear him among the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks is insane. The Packers were more than running to daylight as this video attests.

He carved up the Dallas Cowboys in the ’66 NFL Title Game with 4 TD passes which was 1 off the championship record of Sid Luckman in 1943. We wouldn’t see it equaled in a Super Bowl for another 13 years.

While Starr studied Johnny Unitas in his quest to become a better QB, Starr certainly mimicked Johnny U’s last minute 1958 NFL Title drive with his Ice Bowl drive in ’67. Starr mainly hit his backs Chuck Mercein and Donny Anderson to move the Packers before scoring the winning TD himself.

Yet once you think about it Starr’s drive in The Ice Bowl looks a lot like Joe Montana‘s to end Super Bowl XXIII when he kept throwing underneath to Roger Craig.

Bart Starr, at the time, was the only quarterback to take his team to 5 NFL championships. Amazingly it took another 49 years to get to Tom Brady winning his 5th in Super Bowl LI.

What’s interesting is we’re only talking about all time greats measuring up to Starr. He was one of the all time greats and needs to be remembered as one of the great quarterbacks in NFL history.

Would have loved to have met him.

RIP Bart Starr

starr

Legends of The Fall: Dan Marino

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When you ask someone what their definition of a great quarterback is, you invariably wind up with several answers. The one attribute in everyone’s criteria is that of a great passer. It can be argued that Dan Marino was the best pure passer in NFL history. Everyone mentions his quick release but forgets how fiery his delivery of the football was.

To define his quick release, for the football coaching impaired, is the time it took to complete his throwing motion. The easiest way to measure this back then were to slow film down to individual frames. The average QB release would take 15 frames where Marino was routinely between 8 & 9. So the ball was coming out half a second sooner.

Marino's legendary release.

Marino’s legendary release.

The direct results were more passes getting downfield and less sacks. If we look at his peak years of 1984-1986, Marino was only sacked 48 times while attempting 1,754 passes. The Dolphins led the league in fewest sacks all 3 seasons. Yet through that explosive delivery was the zip and hutzpah he put on the football. For he had one of the strongest arms in league history.

Unlike Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, who had league rules altered year after year to make them record breakers, Marino came in and shattered records through sheer ability. People talk of the great class of 1983 and most want to talk about John Elway first. Oh yeah?? Take a look at something:

  • Marino ’84-’86 – 1076 of 1754 for 13,967 yards & 122 TDs
  • Elway ’84-’86 – 821 of 1489 for 9,974 yards & 59 TDs

* To match Marino’s 122 TD total you would have to have Elway’s total from 1984 to the 13th week of the 1990 season! Almost 4 more years!

During this time both Marino and Elway had taken their teams to Super Bowl XIX and XXI respectively. Of these vids, if you only watch one, watch the 1986 vignette. Yet I digress… take a look at Marino’s record breaking fast pitch 1984:

Then you have 1985 where he led the Dolphins back to the AFC Championship Game. Had they won, we would have had a rematch between Marino and Chicago’s 46 defense in Super Bowl XX. Considering Miami gave the 18-1 Bears their only defeat, its something to think about.

Then you have perhaps his greatest season in 1986:

What made his 1986 season special is he was truly all they had and teams still couldn’t stop him. In 1984 he still had many teammates who had made it to Super Bowl XVII the year before he was drafted. The Killer Bs defense was there but aging. By 1986 most of those teammates were gone as a rebuliding phase had started. Still he went 378 of 623 for 4,746 yards and 44 touchdowns. The 44 was 8 more than the previous record and he was within 56 yards of Fouts’ other mark of 4,802.

Dan Marino bust

Also because it was the second time scaling those heights. He had set the record of 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns in his 1984 campaign. He shattered the old record of 36 touchdowns which had stood for 21 years. He did it in his first full season as a starter. Not his 7th or 8th when Manning and Brady finally topped his mark.

Or lets really bake your noodle for perspective: In 2004, Peyton Manning broke Marino’s record of 48 with 49TD tosses. If he destroyed Marino’s record to the degree Dan had in 1984, Manning would have needed to throw for 64 f’n touchdowns! Not just one more

Ultimately it was the fact that the game had passed by Don Shula as to why Marino didn’t make it back to the Super Bowl. The rest of his career the Dolphins failed to get a prime time receiver or runner. In 1995 they were the poster child for why the quick fix free agent route wasn’t the best place to build a team.

Yet when you look back at the promise of a young Dan Marino, the sky was the limit. He was definitely a legend of the fall.

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Legends of The Fall: Wes Chandler & John Jefferson

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During the glory years of Air Coryell, the receivers were John Jefferson, Charlie Joiner, and Tight End Kellen Winslow. Head Coach Don Coryell had taken full advantage of the rule changes in 1978 to produce the most prolific passing offense in league history. His San Diego Chargers were the evolutionary link between Sid Gillman’s high scoring AFL version of the Chargers and the offenses we know today.

Quarterback Dan Fouts was the trigger-man and was in the midst of building a Hall of Fame resume. In 1979 he broke Joe Namath’s single season passing record with 4,082 yards. Then shattered it with 4,715 yards the following year. So it was imperative that management keep top level receivers for Fouts to throw to. As a team they won the AFC West in ’79 and made it to the AFC Championship Game in 1980.

However going into 1981, several players desired new contracts and were holdouts. Upset with the inability to bring WR John Jefferson and DE Fred Dean to camp, each man was traded to teams thought to be NFC wastelands in San Francisco and Green Bay. Although they were the odds on favorite to make it to Super Bowl XVI before this, management pulled the trigger that could have brought down Air Coryell.

Yet they had an ace up their sleeve and traded for Wes Chandler a few weeks later. Whom they were sure could fill the shoes of former All Pro John Jefferson. You have to understand Jefferson was the most electrifying talent in the league. His circus catches and boundless enthusiasm was the lightning rod spirit of those Charger teams.

Asking Chandler to fill his shoes was not going to be easy. Yet week 6 of 1981, right before the trade deadline, the Chargers turned in their trade papers to Pete Rozelle’s office.

Yet first you need to understand the man he was going to replace. John Jefferson’s first 3 seasons with San Diego, they set the record and broke it for passing offense each season. His years from 1978-1980 were the most electric of any incoming receiver in NFL history. The acrobatic Jefferson produced highlight reel after highlight reel level catches. He amassed 199 rec. for 3,431 yards and 36 TDs as 1/3 of Air Coryell!! In this vignette about the ’80 Chargers you’ll get a better glimpse.

 

His battles with Lester Hayes that year were epic. Hayes was NFL Defensive Player of the year as he amassed 13 interceptions. Jefferson had 2-100 yard receiving games against him and 3TDs. Both were voted All Pro as he had a career best 1,340 yards on 82 receptions and 13 touchdowns.

In fact, the 1980 Chargers were the first team in history to have the standard set of receivers (2 wideouts and tight end) go over 1,000 yards in the same season. Against the Giants in week 7, they became the first standard set to all go over 100 receiving yards in the same game. Now they were going on without his services. How would the Chargers fare?

Well over in the NFC, another wideout from the 1978 draft was toiling away in New Orleans:

 

That 1982 season by Chandler ranks in The Chancellor of Football’s top five all time seasons by a receiver. He caught 49 passes for 1032 yards and 9 touchdowns in that strike shortened season. Just 8 games. Projected over a full season he would have had 98 receptions for 2064 yards and 18 TDs. At the time, 101 was the record for catches by Charley Hennigan back in the AFL in 1964. The TD record in a season was 17 held by Hall of Famer Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch from 1951. He would have become the first and only 2,000 yard receiver and come close to or broken the other two records.

jefferson inspired figurine

jefferson inspired figurine

John Jefferson went on to team with James Lofton and made the Packers a formidable passing team for several years. In fact he made his fourth and final Pro Bowl in 1982 when he and Lofton went as teammates. However his best days were left in the team he should have helped to a Super Bowl in San Diego. Contract disputes kept that team from it’s greatest triumph.

For their careers

  • John Jefferson 351 rec. 5,714 yds 47TDs
  • Wes Chandler 559 rec. 8,966 yds 56TDs

When you picture Air Coryell in your mind, these two and their acrobatic catches are the first you envision. They were the spectacular performers of the group where Hall of Fame voting went with the numbers and impact of Charlie Joiner, Dan Fouts, and Kellen Winslow.

Amazingly Head Coach Don Coryell also sits outside the Hall of Fame. Too much is made of a coach not winning a Super Bowl yet Joe Gibbs left his staff and won 3 in Washington. He deserves to be in as well.

The high flying Chargers of the early 1980s. Just as we remembered them.

The high flying Chargers of the early 1980s. Just as we remembered them.

Although Chandler and Jefferson didn’t have Hall of Fame numbers, these two shouldn’t be forgotten for their contributions were just as great. Definitely legends of the fall.

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Legends Of The Fall: Mike Quick

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When you talk about the greatest receivers in NFL history, the name undoubtedly at the top of the list is Jerry Rice. Yet when you think of being able to catch passes from back to back Hall of Famers, it made it easier to accomplish what he did. With sporadic quarterbacking what would Rice’s career resemble most?? That of Mike Quick the player who most reminds our CEO of Rice.

Some may scoff but you have to remember in the early 1980’s, the big numbers coming from receivers were all in the AFC. The great quarterback class of ’83, the Air Coryell Charger receivers, Marino and the Marks Bros., and Steve Largent up in Seattle.

From 1983 through 1986, no one was better than Quick who caught 263 passes for 4,647 yards and 42 touchdowns. He was Jerry Rice before Jerry Rice yet was stuck between the aging Ron Jaworski and the emergence of Randall Cunningham which cost him in the end. Think about it… In 1986 Quick had the 4th of his 5 straight Pro Bowl appearances. He totaled 60 receptions for 939 yards and 9 touchdowns. Not great totals until you realize the Eagles set an NFL record allowing 104 sacks.

His 1983 total of 1,409 yards receiving was the most since Hall of Famer Don Maynard in 1967. That was the year Joe Namath became the first quarterback in history to throw for 4,000 yards. Quick played on the 27th (2nd to last) ranked offense in the NFL in contrast. He played for defensive minded head coach Marion Campbell. What would the late Bill Walsh been able to accomplish drawing plays up for Quick??

Quick making a big play against the Redskins.

Quick making a big play against the Redskins.

In the end you can understand the dilemma that affects certain careers. The cupboard was bare as he played his first 7 years without a single fellow Pro Bowler on offense. By the time Randall Cunningham made the Pro Bowl in ’88, the Eagles had drafted his heir apparent in Cris Carter.

After injuries robbed Quick of his once lethal speed, he retired after the 1990 season. His 363 catches for 6,464 yards and 61 TDs falls short of Hall of Fame consideration. Yet in his prime, he was an electrifying performer who could score from anywhere.

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Legends Of The Fall: Tony Dorsett

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As the National Football League overtook baseball during the 1970’s, the Dallas Cowboys were arguably the most visible team. They appeared in Super Bowls and seemed like they were on Monday Night Football every other week. The star that shined on that Texas Stadium stage the brightest was easily Tony Dorsett.

dorsettFrom 1977-1988, Dorsett ran for 12,739 yards or 527 more than the legendary Jim Brown. At the time, Browns’s mark was the standard every good running back was judged by. However Dorsett was a different type of runner. No back in NFL history broke so many breath-taking big runs. He was quick to the hole and once he broke into the open, he was gone.

The mere mention of his name and everyone pictures his 99 yard record-breaking run against Minnesota. Yet The Chancellor of Football contends the 84 yard bomb he dropped on the Philadelphia Eagles his rookie year was his best. It’s the first touchdown of this clip where Herman Edwards described how difficult it was to catch him. How apropos since he was the Eagle #46 that trailed him on the play.

Amazingly, he never led the NFL in rushing or rushing touchdowns. Of his 8 -1,000 yard seasons, his best was 1,646 in 1981 when he led the Cowboys to their 2nd straight NFC championship appearance. In that season he only rushed for 4 touchdowns. A closer look career-wise,  he scored 72 during his 11 years with the Cowboys. Compare that to 58 by Emmitt Smith in the years 1994-1996. Smith was the battering ram for his team scoring many times from in close. Dorsett was the shot fired from the Cowboys long-range offensive rifle. You didn’t know when he’d explode into the secondary.

Never was this more evident than on Monday Night Football where TD had been the most prolific scorer in its first 20 years.

Ironically TD said in the first video that he was probably taken for granted during his career. Our CEO definitely doesn’t see it that way. He overshadowed the late Walter Payton up until he was about to become the NFL’s all time leading rusher. Playing for such a high-profile team in the Dallas Cowboys gave him great platforms from which to perform. All of those Cowboys playoff games and Super Bowls. Therefore raising his profile.

XII3

Dorsett scoring the opening TD in Super Bowl XII

From winning the Heisman Trophy at Pitt to becoming a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tony Dorsett was one of the best running backs in NFL history.

tdandthechancellor

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