NFL Films: 'A Little History of the Minnesota Vikings'

Source:Football Docs- Vikings WR Randy Moss.

"America's Game Missing Rings 1998 Minnesota Vikings"  

From Football Docs

Source:NFL Films- Minnesota Vikings kicker Gary Anderson: about to attempt the game winning FG, against the Atlanta Falcons, in the 1998 NFC Final. 

When you look at teams that should've won championships but didn't, I look at teams that were really the best at what they did in their league for that year. Teams that had everything on paper, the talent, the chemistry, the character, the coaching. Teams that stayed healthy and finally, but definitely not last, teams that lost their big game to a team they should've not only beat, but lost to a team they should've whipped, that's the 1998 Minnesota Vikings.

They had the best offense in the NFL in 1998, running basically (what I call) the Spread Vertical Offense the offense that Sid Gilman invented in the 1950s with Sid Gilman with the Los Angeles Rams, with Norm Van Brocklin, Leroy Hirsch and company. That Al Davis adopted in the 1960s with the Oakland Raiders, where you have at least wide receiver if not two WR running a post-route on every play. You push the safety's back to open up the rest of the field so you can also work passes to your slot-receivers, tight ends and even running backs. Basically forcing the defense to cover the whole field. It takes a great offensive line and quarterback to be successful in an offense like this.

You also need a great QB who can throw deep and accurately, but doesn't get too greedy and who works the rest of the field. You need a solid running game as well to keep defenses honest. But again we are talking about the 98 Vikings here right, they had all of that. 

In 98 QB Randall Cunningham showing the world how great a QB he could be and not just a great talent. The OL with offensive guard Steve Hutchinson, center Matt Birk, tackle Corey Stringer,all Pro Bowlers, all big strong and mobile. Pro Bowler Robert Smith at RB and all purpose RB, reminds me a little of Marcus Allen, had he not retired early would probably be in the Hall of Fame.

The 1998 Viking had really three deep threats who were all big and tall at WR that could all run. Randy Moss as a rookie Chris Carter the 2nd best WR of the 1990s behind only Jerry Rice and Jake Reed as your third WR. Moss and Reed running post-routes with Carter running the inside routes with a lot of room to run. The Vikings were a speed team playing in a dome stadium perhaps the loudest stadium in the league in the Metrodome.

The Vikings played on turf they had the perfect environment playing the two-gap cover-two defense with four pass rushers up front led by defensive tackle John Randle who'll be in the Hall of Fame. Keeping your safety's deep so even if you don't get the pass rush, you prevent the big play. 

The Vikings didn't have a great defense, but when you're scoring 35 points a game and you give up 20 your defense is good enough. But it wasn't good enough in the 1998 NFC Final to the Atlanta Falcons losing to a team that was 7-9 in 1997, they hadn't made the playoffs since 1995 and went 9-7 that year to make the playoffs. The 98 Vikings were a team that had the total package, kinda like a fast break basketball team that would get some early stops and run you out of the building on offense.

Super Bowl 33 played in January 1999 (with the famous Ally Landry Tostitos Commercial is really the only thing I remember about that game. The best team in the AFC in the Denver Broncos that were I believe 13-3 in 1998 coached by Mike Shanahan with QB John Elway, TE Shannon Sharpe, RB Terrell Davis and company. 

The Broncos played a jump start Atlanta Falcons team coached by Dan Reeves who was a big reason for their success and a lot of players that had career years and didn't do much before or after that. With QB Chris Chandler, WR Tony Martin, TE OJ Santiago and others. When it should've been the Vikings and Broncos in Miami playing one of the best Super Bowls ever. 

You can also see this post at The New Democrat, on Blogger.

NFL Network: Mike Ditka: A Football Life

Source:NFL Network- Iron Mike Ditka.

Source:The Daily Press 

“A Football Life is a documentary series developed by NFL Films and aired on NFL Network that documents the lives of select National Football League players, coaches, owners, and teams. Friends, teammates, family members and other players and coaches associated with the subjects are interviewed.”

From Online Documentaries 

To understand Mike Ditka you have to understand his upbringing growing up in a tough Western Pennsylvania town. From a blue-collar Polish-American family with a very tough and demanding father who really loved him. Who ends up going to college at Pittsburgh University another real tough iron blue-collar city and then gets drafted by the Chicago Bears. Similar town as Pittsburgh culturally, but with about ten times as many people.

So, Iron Mike for the most part has always been around where he came from and what he’s most comfortable with as a man. And then he ends up playing one of the toughest positions in the game tight end where you have to be tough and physical to be successful.

The Mike Ditka that people got to see as a football player is the Mike Ditka that a lot more people saw as head coach of the Chicago Bears. This get in your face tough ass didn’t take crap from anyone who simply wanted the best from his players.

Mike Ditka was the ultimate tough love head coach father figure that coached the Chicago Bears for eleven seasons (1982-92) and if you look at his record he was very successful one of the most winningest head coaches in the NFL in the 1980s.

You do your job and you give your best effort, Ditka is your best friend. But if you screw up and make mental mistakes or are lazy, Ditka is the last person you want to be around. Because he’ll tell you how bad you were, how dumb you were and how bad of a mistake you’ve made.And if you don’t do better in the future, you better look for another job.

Which was the message of Mike Ditka and you might not like his tactics, but that’s what Ditka was about. And I think something he learned from Tom Landry in Dallas, that if you want the best out of your players, you have to want it, you have to expect it and you better demand it. And your players must be aware of it as well.

Mike Ditka was a blue-collar Polish-American head coach coaching in a blue-collar city with a large Polish-American community.

Iron Mike fit Chicago as well as any head coach has ever fit any major pro sports city. And why he called his football team the 85 Bears the Grabowski’s, because his team were so blue-collar and represented that city so well. And it worked very well in the 1980s until it burned out in the early 1990s when the Bears let him go.

NFL Films: '1979 NFL Divisional Playoffs'

Source:NFL Films- Philadelphia Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil on the right, leading his Eagles into Tampa, to play the Buccaneers, in their NFC Divisional Playoff.

If you predicted going into the 1979 NFL season, that two of the NFC teams that would make it to the divisional round in the NFC, would be the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, you might have become a millionaire off that wager alone. Even with the high inflation and interest rates of 1979. If you predicted that the Buccaneers would win the NFC Central, going into the 1979 season, you would also be a millionaire. 

Cinderella team doesn't accurately explain the 1979 Tampa Buccaneers. Between 1976-78, they won't a total of 7 games in the NFL, out 44. Between 1976 and 78, they were 7-37. But they had good drafts in 1978 and 79, thanks to personal director Ron Wolfe and head John MacKay and slowly put together a very strong defense and running game. And with QB Doug Willams, they were never out of any NFL game. 

As far as the Los Angeles Rams-Dallas Cowboys divisional playoff: these are two of the 3 best franchises in the NFC in the 1970s. The Rams won 7 NFC West titles from 1973-79. The Cowboys won 5 NFC Championships, 2 Super Bowls, and 7 NFC East titles. Met in the NFC Playoffs 4 times from 1975 to 79, with the Cowboys winning 2/3 of those games going into the 1979 NFC Divisional Playoff at Texas Stadium. So this was supposed to be a great game. 

From Comrade Dobler

NFL Films: The Story of the 1988 San Francisco 49ers

Source:Alamy- the 49ers taking on the Washington Redskins, at Candlestick Park.

Source:The Daily Press

“San Francisco, California, USA. 21st Nov, 1988. San Francisco 49ers vs Washington Redskins at Candlestick Park Monday, November 21, 1988. 49ers beat Redskins 37-21…

From Alamy 

“The 1988 San Francisco 49ers”

Source:NFL Films- San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator George Seifert.

From Lafayette Coffey 

The 1988 San Francisco 49ers might be the most consistent inconsistent Super Bowl team of all-time. The 2012 Ravens might be close though, but the 88 49ers were a 10-6 team that on paper looked like they could’ve easily won 12 or 13 games. But 10-6 teams tend to be somewhat inconsistent and have great stretches followed by poor stretches. Otherwise they don’t lose six games and just barely win their division. But win their division going away, unless they play in a great division.

The reason why the 88 49ers struggled and had ups and downs, was their offense sputtered and were up and down. They had two starting quarterbacks that year, because Joe Montana was hurt in the season. So young but somewhat inexperienced Steve Young who would also go on to be a great Hall of Fame quarterback, was given the chance to be the 49ers starting QB. But Young was up and down as well and committed too many turnovers. The only consistent thing about the 88 49ers, was their defense which was usual in the 1980s was one of the best in the NFL.

The 1988 49ers are the perfect example of why their soft finesse label didn’t stick and was never accurate. They were about as strong and physical on defense as any team in the NFL in that decade and 1988 and Super Bowl 23 is a perfect example of that. They shut down the Cincinnati Bengals power ball control offense that moved the ball down the field and scored against everyone else in the league. And won several blowouts, but the 49ers stuffed Icky Woods, James Brooks and their running game and held them to 16 points.

The 49ers offense got hot late in the 88 regular season and that carried through the 1988 NFC Playoffs, but only RB Roger Craig and WR Jerry Rice and perhaps their offensive line was consistent during that regular season. But their defense was very good the whole season and dominated the 1988 NFC Playoffs against the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears and dominated the Super Bowl. Which is how a 10-6 inconsistent team can win the Super Bowl. You have something that carries you through the regular season, get hot late and carry it into the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.

CBS Sports: 'The Violent World of Sam Huff (1960)'

Source:Rick Allison- New York Giants football practice.

"One of the very first reality shows, CBS finds out what its really like to be an NFL linebacker! Visit to watch more sports videos and read more historical sports articles. Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Huff comes in at number 93 on NFL Films' The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players list produced in 2010. Subscribe to. On March 1st, 2013 Hall of Famers Chris Hanburger (ChrisHanburger.com) and Sam Huff got together the evening before a charity appearance and sat down for." 

From Rick Allison

Back in 1960 the National Football League was just starting to become popular, especially with the help of the 1958 NFL Championship between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants. Still the most important game in NFL history, where a lot of Americans for the first time were getting to see how great of a sport American football or gridiron was. And got to see great players like Colts QB, John Unitas, RB, Lenny More, WR Ray Berry, DE Gino Marchetti, Giants RB Frank Gifford, LB Sam Huff and many others. 

But by 1960 NFL was still fairly new in America as far as its popularity. Baseball was still king and college football was probably more popular than the NFL at this point. Part of this had to do with the fact that NFL franchises were still not drafting and signing African- American players. Leaving them short on talent, a big reason why the American Football League was so important, because they were interested in the best players possible. Not race or color but films like the Violent World of Sam Huff were also important.

What this film did especially produced and shown by CBS Sports to be broadcasted by CBS and narrated by the great CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, was to let Americans into the world of pro football and to show Americans exactly what football players have to go through to be as good and as successful as they were and show Americans why its the ultimate team sport that it is. And how much each player has to rely on their teammates and units to be as successful as possible. 

The Violent World was like a football camp for non-organized football players, for guys especially who didn't play college and pro football and perhaps didn't even play high school football. Perhaps we're just fans and junkies of the sport, like myself. Who wanted to see exactly what it was like for the players and teams that they watch every week for five months of the year and what they go through. 

Pro football was similar to what to what the MLS or NHL is today, but back in the 1950s and a certain extent the 1960s, something people were somewhat interested in, but didn't go out-of-their-war to follow.

The idea that CBS Sports would donate an entire film or documentary about what the National Football League was like and what it was like to be a pro football player, at least from the perspective of Sam Huff and the New York Gants, goes to show you the vision that, that sports division had and the potential that they saw in the NFL. A league other than for really four years in the 1990s they've been a big part of as far as coverage going back to the 1950s. 

CBS Sports had the best pre-game show in The NFL Today, the best game of the week covering the NFC in the 1970s and 1980s and the best announcer in Pat Summerall and best analyst in John Madden. These things obviously don't happen without the NFL becoming the sports and business giant that it became by the early 1970s. 

And The Violent World was one of the first looks and glimpses for a national audience of what the NFL was like and what real reality TV and not celebrity/tabloid TV looks like. And what good documentary television is. 

NFL Films: Missing Rings- 1969 Minnesota Vikings

Source:NFL Films- the 1969 Minnesota Vikings yearbook photo.

"I know that this video has already been posted on YouTube, but for those of you that have never seen it, here's a great documentary by NFL Films on the 1969 Minnesota Vikings season. I was only seven at the time, and professional football wasn't quite yet on my radar, but for hardcore Vikings fans, the finale of this season must have been a pretty hard pill to swallow. Anyway, I hope YouTube/NFL Films allows me to keep this video posted, so until then...

From Randy Fast 

NFL Network has a series called America's Game which originally was about the top 20 Super Bowl Champions of all-time and then became about the latest Super Bowl champion. And then they created a spinoff about the greatest teams to never win the Super Bowl or should've won the Super Bowl. Well, the 1969 Minnesota Vikings was part of their Missing Rings series, meaning they should've won the Super Bowl in 69 and beaten the Kansas City Chiefs at Tulane Stadium in January, 1970. 

My point about Bud Grant's Vikings is that he had very good, if not excellent teams. They always had one of the best defenses in the NFL and generally had very good offenses as well. But I think to be part of a Missing Ring series when it comes to the NFL Super Bowl, you had to have a team that should've won the Super Bowl that year. 

To be part of a Missing Rings series, you have to of had the best team in the NFL all year and you even lost the Super Bowl, or you didn't even get to the Super Bowl. Like the 1998 Vikings that probably had the best team in the NFL that year and I think were probably better than the Denver Broncos that year, but the Vikings got upset in the NFC Championship to the Atlanta Falcons who hadn't even been in the playoffs for 3 years, before beating the Vikings in the NFC Championship. 

But, the Vikings lost 4 Super Bowls from 1969-76 and lost to 4 better teams. You could argue that they could've beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 9, but their offense was overwhelmed by the Steelers defense and the Steelers moved the ball well enough and just scored enough points to beat the Vikings 16-6. And the Vikings were overwhelmed by the Chiefs in Super Bowl 4 and were never in the game. They were overwhelmed by the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 8 and were never in that game. The Oakland Raiders took the Vikings apart in Super Bowl 11 and beat them 33-14. 

I don't know how a team makes a Missing Rings series when they lost 4 Super Bowls in 8 years and had the 2nd best team in each of those games. The Vikings were very good in the 1970s and had one of the best defenses in the NFL during that decade and had good offensive teams as well, but they never had the best team in the NFL at any point during that decade. To me the 1970s Vikings are a better version of the 1980s Denver Broncos that lost 3 Super Bowls in 4 years and never came close to winning any of those games. 

NFL Films: NFL 1967- NFL Championship- Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers: Ice Bowl

 

Source:Pro Football Hall of Fame- the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers for the 1967 NFL Championship.

“Pro football fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin have always been recognized as a loyal and hearty bunch. But one wouldn’t have faulted even the most loyal “Packer Backer” if he’d decided not to attend the 1967 NFL Championship game between the Packers and Dallas Cowboys. Played at Lambeau Field on December 31, the temperature at game time registered a frigid 13 degrees below zero. Nonetheless, more than 50,000 parka-clad fans braved the elements that New Year’s Eve and watched in awe as the Packers claimed their third consecutive NFL title, with a 21-17 victory.

From the start, Green Bay fans felt their team had a distinct advantage over the warm-weather Cowboys, After all, the Packers lived and practiced in the cold Wisconsin climate. Green Bay’s early 14-0 lead probably convinced fans that they were right. However, the severe weather affected the Packers too. Dallas scored a touchdown and a field goal after two Packer fumbles and added a second touchdown in the fourth quarter. Suddenly, with 4:50 left in the game the Packers were behind, 17-14.

The Packers literally and figuratively “kept their cool.” Behind the leadership of future Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr, they marched down field. With sixteen seconds remaining and the temperature down to eighteen below zero, the Packers found themselves about two feet away from victory. Starr called time out. The field was like a sheet of ice. The two previous running plays had gone nowhere. With no time outs left, a running play seemed totally out of the question. A completed pass surely would win it. Even an incomplete pass would at least stop the clock so the Packers could set up a field goal to tie the game and send it into overtime. After consulting with Packers coach Vince Lombardi, Starr returned to the huddle.”

From the Pro Football Hall of Fame

“I think this is as close as you can get to the full game.”

Source:Virgil Moody- the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers for the 1967 NFL Championship.

From Virgil Moody

When I think of great football games, I don’t think of great shootouts, like the New York Jets beating the Miami Dolphins back in 1986, something like 52-49, the shootout of shootouts with quarterbacks Dan Marino and Ken O’Brien trading touchdown passes. Good game, entertaining game, of course, but not one of the best games of all-time.

No, a great game is generally not played by two teams that can’t stop each other, where the team that has the ball last, wins or can’t score against each other. And it’s generally a mistake rather than a great play that decides the game.

Great games are generally played between two great teams, where both teams have good or great offenses and defenses. And the team that wins, is the team that executes or prepares better and perhaps gets a few more breaks. Thats what the 1967 NFL Championship, better known as the Ice Bowl represents. Two very good teams on both sides of the ball, both playing a great game. I mean think about it, the 1967 NFL Championship played in Green Bay, Wisconsin, not Milwaukee, but Green Bay.

Take football and freezing weather away from Green Bay, nobody outside of the country has ever heard of Green Bay. Actually, take the Packers out of Green Bay, nobody outside of Green Bay has ever heard of Green Bay. But they have the Packers and they have Lambeau Field, the New York Yankees of the NFL and most famous and best stadium in the NFL. There’s nothing that better represents the NFL than the Packers and Lambeau Field, with all of its Hall of Famers and championships.

The Packers won the first two Super Bowls, so there was no better place to be, to play this game and weather was part of it. The ultimate of football weather, zero degrees at halftime, windchill probably -20, a skating rink for a football field. Playing a very good and up-incoming team, from the biggest city or 2nd biggest city in the South, the Dallas Cowboys.

What made the Ice Bowl great, we’re the great players who played in, the Hall of Famers and Pro Bowlers who played for both teams. QB Don Meredith, WR Bob Hayes, DT Bob Lilly for the Cowboys. QB Bart Starr, OT Forrest Gregg, OG Jerry Kramer, DE Willy Davis and others for the Packers. I mean these teams had to be this great, just to show up to play this game and represent why this is the best bad weather football game of all time. 

You can also see this post on WordPress.

You can also see this post at FRS FreeState, on WordPress.

You can also see this post at FRS FreeState, on Blogger.