GG Eden: Video: NBC Sports: NFL 1980-AFC Final-Oakland Raiders @ San Diego Chargers: Full Game

This post was originally posted at The New Democrat on WordPress

With all due respect to the Air Coryell Chargers, they weren’t a complete all around great football team. They had a great offensive minded head coach in Don Coryell. They had a Hall of Fame quarterback in Dan Fouts and a great passing game as a result. With great receivers, Kellen Winslow, Charlie Joyner, John Jefferson and perhaps a few others. And they had a pretty good running game with Chuck Muncie. This was a team in the late 1970s, through 1987, which was Dan Fouts last season, that scored a lot of points and gained a lot of yards. But gave up almost as many points and yards as they gained. Great teams don’t do that. If they have a great offense, they at least have a good defense to go with it. So they aren’t winning and losing a lot of shootouts. But winning a lot of blowouts. The San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s are a great example of that.

The 1980 Raiders, were a great team, at least in the second half of the season and through the playoffs, including the Super Bowl. Because they could score a lot of points and gain a lot of yards. Both passing and running, but their defense shut teams down. They shut good offenses down, like the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 15. And this first quarter is a great example of that. The Raiders scored 21 points, the Chargers scored a touchdown. But the difference being the Raiders were able to shut down the Chargers in that quarter, even though the Chargers did score a touchdown. And the Chargers, give up three touchdowns in that quarter.

The Raiders, simply matched up very well with the Chargers that season. The Chargers had the great passing game, but the Raiders had a great pass rush and great secondary. They were big and quick on defense and caused a lot problems for the Chargers offense. And the Raiders had a balanced offense and with the Chargers being prone to giving up a lot of yards both from the pass and run, meant the Raiders could move the ball and score and get the ball back. Which created separation on the scoreboard. Super Bowl teams, aren’t great on one side of the ball and weak on the other. Even if their strength is on one side of the ball, they’re good enough on the other side to complement their strengths. Which gives them a good team. That was the difference between the Raiders and Chargers 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 11- Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings: Full Game

Source:NFL - The Raiders, running over the Vikings. 

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.

Source:IMA Sportsphile- The Raiders Clarence Davis, with a canyon to run through 

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 1971- Baltimore Colts @ Minnesota Vikings: Full Game

Source:ABC Sports- Minnesota Vikings QB Gary Quazzo.

"The 1971 Monday Night Football Game between the Baltimore Colts and the Minnesota Vikings.

With thanks to the NFL and ABC Sports for the use of their film. We do not own the rights to any of this film. This film is being used for teaching and educational purposes only. No copyright infringement intended." 

From Classic Sports