ABC Sports: NFL 1984-Super Bowl 19-Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

I remember this game fairly well as a nine-year old who was already sports junky and loved football and football was probably already my favorite sport to watch. I remember looking forward to this game and then watching it. The two best teams in the NFL the Dolphins and 49ers, with the two best quarterbacks in Dan Marino and Joe Montana. And arguably the two best head coaches as well in Don Shula and Bill Walsh. Similar to 1983 with the Redskins and Oakland Raiders, this looked like a real Super Bowl matchup between two great teams. And if you’re familiar with football and this game, you also know that games aren’t played on paper and the game didn’t live up to the billing.

The difference in this Super Bowl, is that the 49ers were truly a great team. On both sides of the ball. They had the best defense in the league in the NFL in 1984. They had a great quarterback, with a lot of good receivers. Dwight Clark, Freddie Solomon, Earl Cooper and others. And a great running game as well. Their running game might have been better than their passing game. If you look at the fact that they had two Pro Bowl running backs in their backfield. In Wendell Tyler and Roger Craig. And that Roger Craig, who should be in the Hall of Fame was also a great receiver and perhaps the 49ers best receiver and a great blocker as well. The 84 49ers, you could make a case that they are the best team of all-time in the NFL.

The 1984 Dolphins, I believe were actually somewhat underrated. They weren’t a one man team with Dan Marino with a great coach in Don Shula. With no running game and no defense. They had a very good offensive line, which allowed Marino to throw the ball as much as he did and gave him the time to throw the ball as well as he did. They did have a running game at least in 84. With Woody Bennet and Tony Nathan. But losing Andra Franklin, who would’ve given them that one lead running back and a power running game was a big lost for them. And without Franklin, they didn’t have that one great running back that could put the team on his shoulders and lead them. And defensively, they gave up a lot of yards on the ground. But teams ran the ball a lot against the Dolphins in 84 to keep the Dolphins offense off the field. And the Dolphins were solid against the pass.

What I think the difference in this game is that the 49ers again were great on both sides of the ball. They ran and threw the ball very well. They had a very good strong and athletic offensive line. That pass and run blocked very well. They had a great QB obviously and also had a great defense. The best defense that the Dolphins saw during the 84 season, was against the 49ers. Who practically shut them down after the first quarter in this game. And then add that the Dolphins didn’t have a lot of speed on defense to matchup with all the 49ers receivers and had a hard time getting to Montana most of the game and the 49ers ran the ball so well in this game, meant the 49ers could move the ball up and down the field in this game. And as a result this game turned into a blowout

NBC Sports: NFL 1980- Super Bowl-Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

Super Bowl 15, was a very interesting matchup between two very good football teams. The 1980 Raiders, perhaps one of the most talented teams on both sides of the ball to ever play in the Super Bowl. The 1980 Eagles, were very good, perhaps not deep in great talent, but with a lot of good players. The 1980 Raiders, might be the best 11-5 team that has ever played. They were 2-3 at one point that season and at around 500 at the half point of the season. Jim Plunkett, wasn’t their starting quarterback going into the season. Dan Pastorini, was their quarterback going into the season and got off to a bad start, as did the Raiders. And was replaced by Plunkett and the Raiders started to put it together and almost won the AFC West.

The Eagles, were already good in 78 and 79, making the NFC Playoffs both seasons. And saw 1980 as their season to step up and make a run at the Super Bowl. Especially with the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams both slipping and the Minnesota Vikings no longer a Super Bowl contender. The Redskins, struggling in the NFC East and hadn’t made the playoffs since 1976. 1980, was seen as the year for the Eagles, if they got past the Cowboys and won the NFC East. Which was a big goal of there’s. Win the East so they don’t have to play in the NFC Wildcard and win the NFC Divisional to get to the NFC Final. And Head Coach Dick Vermeil, put together a very tough physical blue-collar team. That played great defense and ran the ball real well and could throw the ball to keep defenses balanced.

I think this was a matchup of two of the toughest teams to ever play in the Super Bowl. That had great coaching and character and didn’t expect anyone to give them anything and worked very hard for everything that they accomplished. And they met in the Super Bowl, but I think there were several differences in this game that all favored the Raiders. Not just Super Bowl experience, but experience winning the Super Bowl. Twelve Raiders, were on the 1976 Raiders Super Bowl team. The Raiders also had more weapons on offense and could kill you with the pass and run. And the Raiders defense could take away the Eagles strength which was their power running and make them throw more than they wanted to. And throw when they didn’t want to and you see these differences in this game.

NBC Sports: NFL 1978-Super Bowl-Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

If you look at the two teams in this game and their personal and the two coaching staffs, led by Tom Landry and Chuck Knoll respectfully and how great both teams were in 1978 and the fact that this game decided who would be the NFL franchise of the 1970s, the Cowboys or Steelers, this is the best Super Bowl at least of the first thirteen, of all-time. I still believe it is the best Super Bowl of all-time, especially if you look at the two teams involved and how they played in this game. The second Cowboys-Steelers Super Bowl and the second Super Bowl that they played against each other that went down to the last possession of the game. That is how close both teams were and how well they played against each other.

This Super Bowl was so good as far as how they game was played, it was almost like an all-star game. If you look at the talent of both clubs. Each team with a Hall of Fame head coach. Hall of Fame quarterbacks for both teams. The Steelers starting two Hall of Fame receivers in John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. The Cowboys with two Pro Bowl receivers in Drew Pearson and Tony Hill. Pearson, at least should be in the Hall of Fame. Two of the top three tailbacks in the league at the time and who are both in the Hall of Fame. Franco Harris, with the Steelers and Tony Dorsett with the Cowboys. And that is before I get to the Steel Curtain Defense of the Steelers and the Doomsday Defense of the Cowboys.

The Super Bowl, is supposed to be the game between the two best teams in the NFL. It is called the Super Bowl for a very good reason. It’s supposed to be a great game between two great teams. The first twelve Super Bowls were blowouts for the most part. The Cowboys won two of those blowouts. This wasn’t the first real Super Bowl. Super Bowl 10, again between the Cowboys and Steelers was also a real Super Bowl. Super Bowl 7 between the Dolphins and Redskins was also a good game. But Super Bowl’s 10 and 13, were exactly that. They were true Super Bowl’s and the only two of the first thirteen. And again, if you look at both teams and how they played in this game and it went down to the last possession of the game, this game is the best Super Bowl ever.

NBC Sports: NFL 1976-Super Bowl-Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

I can’t think of two head coaches that are more different from each other than Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs. But they did have one thing in common when it came to coaching in the NFL that served them both very well. And a big reason why they are both in the Hall of Fame. They both believed and focused with their coaching that the way you win NFL games is at the line of scrimmage. You win games by running the football well and stopping the other team’s run. You protect your quarterback and attack the other quarterback. You come up with a couple of takeaways and protect the football. If you do these things well, you’ll win a lot more than you lose. And if you look at the Giants and Redskins of the 1980s they were both very strong upfront on both sides of the ball with good quarterbacks.

I only mention this because that is how this Super Bowl was one. The Raiders didn’t just dominate the Vikings in this game. But they dominated them better than anyone else previously in the Super Bowl. They ran the ball down the Vikings throat in this game. Viking Pro Bowl and I believe Hall of Fame defensive end Jim Marshall, was completely shut out in this game. By Raiders offensive tackle Art Shell, arguably the best offensive tackle of all-time. If he isn’t, I sure as hell would like to know who is. The Vikings didn’t run the ball worth a damn in this game. Their Pro Bowl running back Chuck Forman got most of his yards receiving in this game. The Raiders, hit Vikings Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton the whole game. And the Vikings defense, spent most of their time trying to get close to Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler.

When you control the line of scrimmage, the whole world opens up to you. You can run whenever you want or need to. And because of that the defense is always concern about the run. They have to be, otherwise they’ll never get off the field. And because of this you can throw the ball whenever you want to and generally looking at man coverage. And when your receivers are Cliff Branch, Fred Biletnikoff and Dave Casper, man to man coverage all day for the defense is asking a lot. The Raiders simply went at the Vikings the whole game. The Vikings being a real quick, but undersized defense, can only stop that for so long until they start breaking. Especially when their offense is not producing and that is how this game was won.

ABC Sports: NFL 1985-Week 13-MNF-Chicago Bears @ Miami Dolphins: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

Forget about the records with the Bears being 12-0 and obviously the best all around team in the NFL in 1985. And the Dolphins being 7-5 at this point, I believe fighting for the AFC East Championship, or make it as an AFC wildcard. This was a great matchup and one of the best NFL Monday Night Football games of all-time. Even with Joe Namath and O.J. Simpson in the booth with the great Frank Gifford. Instead of Don Meredith and Keith Jackson, or Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf. Because of the style both teams played and what they were great at. And that the Dolphins might have been the only team in the NFL in 85 that had the personal and head coach to beat the Bears.

The only way you beat the Bears that season was to have a great big quarterback, with a strong accurate throwing arm, with a quick release. They had that with Dan Marino, obviously and perhaps the best NFL QB in the game at this point. But then you also needed multiple receivers who were quick and had great hands. The Dolphins had that with Mark Duper, Mark Clayton and Nat Moore. And then throw in Tony Nathan out of the backfield. And then you needed a great pass protecting offensive line. That was quick and not only being able to take care of their man, but get to blitzers as well. The Dolphins had that as well.

If this was the Super Bowl matchup in 85. The Bears would’ve won and perhaps had won going away. Not 46-10, which is how the beat the New England Patriots. But 35-17, 35-21, something like that. The Bears would’ve adjusted on defense and not of blitzed as much. And they would’ve had Jim McMahon at QB instead of Steve Fuller. But the Dolphins would’ve still moved the ball well enough to make a decent game out of it. Because they would’ve been able to spread the Bears out on defense and get rid of the ball quickly and utilize all of their receivers. And hit Tony Nathan for short gains after their big plays. Because the Bears secondary didn’t have a lot of speed. And the linebackers weren’t great cover defenders either.

CBS Sports: NFL 1985-Week 15-Chicago Bears @ New York Jets: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

A great week 15 matchup even though it was an inter-conference matchup between the Bears and Jets. The Bears were 15-1 in the 1985 regular season and the Jets were 11-5. The Jets, Los Angeles Raiders and perhaps the Cleveland Browns were the top three underachievers of the NFL in the 1980s, at least in the AFC. You could argue that even though the Bears won Super Bowl 20 and won an NFC Championship and played in three NFC Finals in the 1980s, they or the Raiders were the biggest underachievers of that decade.

Because as dominate as the Raiders were in 1985 they almost looked mediocre at least in comparison for the rest of that decade. The Raiders won two Supers Bowls in the 1980s. But continued to have great talent throughout that decade and yet were barely a playoff team after they won Super Bowl 18 in 84. But the Jets were just as good talent wise as the Raiders and Bears on both offense and defense from 81-82, until 86. And only played in one conference championship. When they lost to an inferior Miami Dolphins team in 1982. This was a great matchup on paper, but a battle of underachievers, in the Bears-Jets.

L.A. Raider: Video: NBC Sports: NFL 1976-Super Bowl 11-Minnesota Vikings vs. Oakland Raiders: Full Game

Not to give away too much of this game or anything (ha ha), but the Vikings lost Super Bowl 11 for the same reasons that they lost their three previous Super Bowls.  They were overmatched upfront on both sides of the ball and couldn't run or stop the run in any of these games.  When you can't do that, you put a hell of a lot of pressure on your passing game and pass defense because your opponents know when you are going to throw the ball and will be able to throw the ball successfully against you whenever they want, because you are so concerned about their running game.