Oct 16, 2022 15:57:17 GMT Neo Zeed said:

Riggins and Earl Campbell being Houston's strategy to beat the Steel Curtain

Shame on me for no selling the Oilers bruising backfield. They'd be a formidable foe for AFL defenses. Now I'm wishing you went even further and gave them the Tommie Frazier of the 70s (Bobby Douglass?) so they could run the old triple option lol.

Always get a kick out of you namedropping head coaches I grew watching like B. Ryan, Bugel, Glanville, Reeves, Parcells, Schottenheimer, etc. In my head the 70s is a completely different world than the 80s. In reality you're up to only 6-7 years before I started watching the NFL.  

Oct 16, 2022 16:05:34 GMT Neo Zeed said:

I love Baker being the Baltimore guy that is team NFL here. Do you think the city of Baltimore would have still supported the Colts in this alternate universe or would the switch to the AFL league everybody would have been like "Not my Colts not my league" haha

Funny thing is I've never been a rah rah NFL guy. NFL is no WWF! If anything the NFL predated WCW as my own personal Evil Empire in 94-95 (more on that in a minute) and I barely watch the stuff nowadays. No longer have any real rooting interest. Only watch about half the Ravens games most weeks and rarely watch a non-Ravens game until the playoffs (which I still got hyped for the past 3 years). I'm only "Team NFL" here because I think ya did them dirty. Have a tough time believing they'd go from the dominant force in football entertainment to out of business so quickly. Basically I just wanted a few more years of the Sunday Afternoon War.

Baltimore absolutely would have supported the Colts moving to the AFL because B-More is a football town first and foremost. Always has been. Storytime!

I grew up during that lost decade+ in between the Colts & Ravens when the Orioles were kings of the town because they were the only major team we had left. My dad and a few of his fellow dad friends used to swear up and down the Orioles always played second fiddle to the Colts even during the O's 60s & 70s heyday. My dad and his mates were more football guys than baseball guys so I just wrote it off as more nostalgia driven Colts homerism.

When the Ravens first arrived and stunk up the joint those first four years they were treated as more of a novelty (at least among people in my age group whose primary loyalty remained with the teams they had grown up rooting for) than the beloved hometown team. The Orioles were a legit World Series contender those first two years and were still in the midst of a long stretch of selling out Camden Yards every night for years. But Baltimore went back to being a football town the very second the Ravens got good in 2000, which did coincide with the O's 3rd straight (of 14) losing seasons. And it's been a football town ever since. Ravens are far and above the O's nowadays just as the Colts smoked them in popularity during my dad's generation. Most people around here only care about the Orioles when they're good but I think they'd be ride or die with the Ravens no matter what. 

Best example to "prove" Baltimore would support the Colts in the AFL is to look back at our CFL franchise in 94-95. This city embraced the CFL. We lead the league in attendance our first year w/ 37,000 in 1994 and finished 2nd in the league our second year (1995) with 30,000. Only 1,000 behind the league leader and that's even with half the games being played after it was heavily rumored we’d be stealing the NFL's Cleveland Browns who would start playing here the next year. So, yeah, if we supported the CFL with their 3 downs, 110 yard fields, and rouges, there is no way we wouldn't have supported the AFL as well. Colts/Jets would have been a huge rivalry here. The Ravens/Steelers of its day. 

Circling back to the CFL real quick before I go. Our team was supposed to be called the Baltimore CFL Colts. The fans wanted it. The owner wanted it. But the OG Evil Empire No Fun League was all "not so fast, peasants." So they sent their sniveling lawyers out to ensure we could not be called the Colts. God, how I hated Paul TagliaBOO and his goon squad. Anyway, that first year we didn't even have a proper name. It was just the Baltimore CFLers or CFL Team or something like that. But the best bit was the pubic address announcer would introduce the team as YOUR BALTIMORE CFL....and then pause so 37,000 people could scream COLTS! with all the strength they could muster. It was amazing. And the best part was those petty jerks over at the NFL couldn't sue us all. Second year we became the Stallions with a knockoff old school Colts logo and everybody just accepted it. I had a hat! 

I still get riled up about Baltimore's feud with the NFL and how we ultimately did the CFL dirty. Think Neo Zeed is gonna regret asking me that one simple question lol.

Baltimore was in an abusive relationship with the NFL. For 12 years the NFL screwed us over time and time again. They took our team. They took our history. They changed their own rules to prevent us from getting an expansion team. Then when we finally had enough and walked away from our tyrannical abuser into the embracing arms of our new Canadian lover those petty bastards continued to screw us over just because they could. The NFL was the worst. Wonder who's gonna win their stupid Super Bowl this year? Cowboys or 49ers? Ooh! Such drama! NOT! It's always the 49ers or Cowboys in that lousy rougeless league.

But of course Baltimore never really walked away. Not completely anyway. They were still all "notice me senpai!" Abuse me some more! So we went out and did to Cleveland EXACTLY WHAT INDIANAPOLIS DID TO US! Exactly what I spent like a decade hearing was THE WORST THING EVER! We stole their team. And to make matters worse we basically told the CFL "thanks, but no thanks. Your services are no longer required." Jim Speros got screwed, man. And all those NFL bootlicking Baltimorons can go kick rocks too.

Always wished the CFL had stayed. Oh I'm sure attendance would have dropped by half. And I'm sure it wouldn't have been economically viable in the long run. But I do think a diehard cult following would have remained and I would most certainly have been among their number...

At least until Saint John Elway (I know, I know) finally lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl win. Meaning in the end even I would have been a hypocritical sellout. Life sucks and then you die.

New avatar btw

Man that’s the good stuff 🤙

I can’t believe the NFL would care about the CFL naming their Baltimore team the Colts.

I remember some of this covered in the 30 For 30 The Band That Wouldnt Die super interesting to me, they pretty much did Baltimore the same way they would do Houston years later.

Oct 18, 2022 7:29:44 GMT Neo Zeed said:

1. I remember some of this covered in the 30 For 30 The Band That Wouldnt Die super interesting to me
2. they pretty much did Baltimore the same way they would do Houston years later.

1. Great episode. Will have to watch it again if I can find it online for free or can find my brother's old dvd set. 
2. Yeah real similar. They stole your team along with its name and history just like they did here. One thing I'll say in defense of Modell is at least he let Cleveland keep the Browns identity. 

Oct 18, 2022 22:32:33 GMT Baker said:

Oct 18, 2022 7:29:44 GMT Neo Zeed said:

1. I remember some of this covered in the 30 For 30 The Band That Wouldnt Die super interesting to me
2. they pretty much did Baltimore the same way they would do Houston years later.

1. Great episode. Will have to watch it again if I can find it online for free or can find my brother's old dvd set. 
2. Yeah real similar. They stole your team along with its name and history just like they did here. One thing I'll say in defense of Modell is at least he let Cleveland keep the Browns identity. 

I don’t think he had a choice I think the city of Cleveland got that and an expansion team through that lawsuit they won, which also led to Houston getting another team back since they needed a 32nd team(I don’t think they were planning on expanding beyond 30 yet)

AFL Offseason News

February 21st, 1980

Raiders trade Stabler, Casper, Tatum to Oilers for Pastorini and 3 draft picks

A massive trade rocks the AFL as the Houston Oilers have acquired 3 time Super Bowl MVP Ken "The Snake" Stabler as well as all pro tight end "The Ghost" Dave Casper and all pro defensive back Jack Tatum in exchange for Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini and the Oilers 2nd, 4th, and 5th round draft picks. The addition of Stabler, Casper, and Tatum joining 1979 AFL rushing leader Earl Campbell stacks the deck of what is already one of the most talented teams in the AFL going into the 1980 season. The Oilers fell short in each of the last 2 Super Bowls when they were defeated by their rival Pittsburgh Steelers in both games.


OJ Simpson officially retires, leads charter class of AFL Hall Of Fame enshrinees

The AFL's all time leading rusher and arguably the greatest player in the first 20 years of AFL history announced his retirement immediately following the 1979 season when "The Juice" called it a career after 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. OJ Simpson will be among an elite class of charter members to be enshrined in the new AFL Hall Of Fame this August as he joins Joe Namath, Lance Alworth, Jim Otto, Ron Mix, Billy Shaw, George Blanda, Bobby Bell, Nick Buoniconti, and Willie Brown. Simpson has already signed on as an analyst with CBS for the 1980 season and is such a revered personality in AFL lore that league officials have considered incorporating his likeness into the AFL logo permanently somehow.


Seahawks defensive back Cliff Harris announces retirement

Cliff Harris made his retirement official this past Sunday after spending the last two years with the Seattle Seahawks in the AFL. Harris played 8 years in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys where he won 2 NFL Championship titles with the team.


Buffalo Bills trade Ron Jaworski to Colts for 4th round pick

Ron Jaworski lost the battle for the starting job in Buffalo and sat the majority of the 1979 season on the bench behind Joe Ferguson. The Bills drafted Jaworski in the 1978 NFL Player Allocation Draft after Jaworski spent the first 4 seasons of his career playing for the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. The Bills traded Jaworski to the Colts for a 4th round draft pick. Baltimore suffered in each of the last 2 seasons after their star quarterback Burt Jones suffered injuries. Jaworski is expected to backup Jones for the Colts in 1980.


Raiders trade Randy Cross to Bengals for 3rd round pick

The Oakland Raiders moved center/guard Randy Cross to the Cincinnati Bengals for a 3rd round draft pick. Cross played his first 2 seasons playing for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL but found himself out of football after not making an AFL team following the death of the NFL in 1977. Cross played in the CFL in 1978 before signing with the Raiders as a free agent in 1979. Cross came in to start at right guard and played well after a mid-season injury on the Raiders front line.

1980 AFL Draft

The 1980 AFL Player Selection meeting would go down in history as the very first ever to be aired live in it's entirety on the groundbreaking new 24 hour sports cable network, ESPN. The buzz headed into the draft surrounded the Heisman Trophy winning running back Billy Sims out of Oklahoma. Sims ran for 1,762 yards on 231 carries(averaging 7.6 yards per carry) in 1978, a record setting performance that earned him the Heisman Trophy award for 1978. Sims was a runner up for the Heisman in 1979 with 248 attempts for 1,670 yards, averaging 6.7 yards per carry with 23 touchdowns. All eyes were on the AFL draft to see where Simms could go as this once in a generation talent could be a major difference maker for whichever team takes him.

One major ruling that came out of February's league meetings was that the AFL decided to give the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers additional draft picks to help the team recover from a shaky first 4 years in the league. Overall the Buccaneers have only won 3 games total in their first 4 seasons in the AFL since joining the league in 1976. The team went winless at 0-14 in their debut season before posting three consecutive 1-13 finishes from 1977 to 1979. As attendance began to drop for the team in 1979 it was decided by the league that the Bucs would get extra draft picks in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th rounds(their extra pick will be at the end of each round, since they already hold the #1 pick in each round because they finished with the worst record in the league last year).

Notable first round picks:






With the 1st overall pick in the 1980 AFL draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select...

SPOILER: Click to show

Billy Sims, Running Back(Oklahoma)

With the 3rd overall pick in the 1980 AFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select...

SPOILER: Click to show

Anthony Munoz, Offensive Lineman(USC)

With the 4th overall pick in the 1980 AFL draft the Kansas City Chiefs select...

SPOILER: Click to show

Art Monk, Wide Receiver(Syracuse)

With the 11th overall pick in the 1980 AFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks select...

SPOILER: Click to show

Jacob Green, Defensive End(Texas A&M)

Notable later round picks:

With their 2nd round pick in the 1980 AFL draft the Oakland Raiders select...

SPOILER: Click to show

Matt Millen, Linebacker(Penn State)

With their 2nd round pick in the 1980 AFL draft the Miami Dolphins select...

SPOILER: Click to show

Dwight Stephenson, Center(Alabama)

Other Notable Picks:

Cincinnati Bengals- Keena Turner, Linebacker(Purdue)
Miami Dolphins- Joe Cribbs, Running Back(Auburn)
Baltimore Colts- Steve Mcmichael, Defensive Lineman(Texas)


Undrafted Free Agent Signings:


Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Dave Krieg, Quarterback(Milton)
Kansas City Chiefs- Jeff Bostic, Center(Clemson)

1980 AFL Pre-Season Scouting Report

The high impact action of the American Football League returns to the field in 1980 with new stars and familiar faces of the #1 rated sports league in the United States. The cream of the crop, the best of the best, the premier world class American football players are here in the American Football League. Players that can't make the cut in the 15 team jungle that is the AFL usually go play in Canada in the CFL, which has seen a surge in quality on the field as a proving ground up north of the border.

Each AFL team will play a new expanded 16 game schedule in 1980 culminating in a new expanded playoff format. Starting in 1980 there will be a 3rd "Wild Card" team in the playoffs, the two 3rd place teams in each division will travel to take on the 2nd place teams in the all new Wild Card playoff round. The winners will then take on the 1st place teams in the Division title games, the final four of the AFL will square off for the right to play in Super Bowl XV, live on January 25th 1981 from the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans!

Pittsburgh Steelers:
Stadium: Three Rivers Stadium
Head Coach: Chuck Noll
Notable Assistant Coaches: Tom Moore(wide receivers)
1979 Record: 12-2(Super Bowl XIV Champions)

Impact Players:
QB- #12 Terry Bradshaw
HB- #32 Franco Harris
WR- #88 Lynn Swann
WR- #82 John Stallworth
C- #52 Mike Webster
G- #69 Conrad Dobler
DT- #75 Joe Greene
OLB- #59 Jack Ham
ILB- #58 Jack Lambert
CB- #47 Mel Blount
K- #3 Mark Mosely

The Pittsburgh Steelers put the defining stamp on their dynasty and claim as "Team Of The 70's" when they defeated the Houston Oilers in Pasadena to win Super Bowl XIV in one of the most watched television shows of any form in US history. The win was the Steelers second consecutive AFL Championship, their 5th major league pro title in 8 years(they won the NFL Championship in 1972, 1974, and 1975 before switching leagues to the AFL in 1976). The Steelers elite players all return to play under Chuck Noll in 1980 as Pittsburgh will be on a quests for a 3rd consecutive AFL Championship. 

Houston Oilers:
Stadium: Houston Astrodome
Head Coach: Bum Phillips
Notable Assistant Coaches: Joe Bugel(offensive line), Wade Phillips(defensive line)
1979 Record: 8-6

Impact Players:
QB- #12 Ken Stabler
QB- #1 Warren Moon
HB- #34 Earl Campbell
FB- #44 John Riggins
TE- #87 Dave Casper
WR- #00 Kenny Burrough
WR/KR- #84 Billy "White Shoes" Johnson
T- #72 Leon Gray
DT- #78 Curley Culp
DE- #65 Elvin Bethea
OLB- #52 Robert Brazile
CB- #28 Ken Houston
FS/SS- #32 Jack Tatum
FS/SS- #22 Roger Wehrli

Bum Phillips Oilers made a move to break through in 1980 when they traded for Ken Stabler, Dave Casper, and Jack Tatum from the Oakland Raiders. Stabler, Casper, and Tatum were a part of the Raiders dynasty that won 3 straight AFL Championships from 1974 to 1976, the last of which was won by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XI. Stabler and Casper will join reigning AFL rushing champ Earl Campbell on offense while Tatum will play in a dream defensive backfield along with Roger Wehrli and Ken Houston. The Oilers "Luv Ya Blue" phenomenon captured the hearts of the city of Houston in 1978 and 1979 and carried the team to back to back Super Bowl appearances. After losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pasadena in Super Bowl XIV the Oilers head coach Bum Phillips promised the Houston fans that the Oilers would finally kick the door in and capture the AFL title in 1980. Many experts and prognosticators across the country agree that Houston has stacked the deck and could be the only thing standing between Pittsburgh and a Threepeat. 

San Diego Chargers:
Stadium: Jack Murphy Stadium
Head Coach: Don Coryell
Notable Assistant Coaches: Joe Gibbs(offensive coordinator), Ernie Zampese(wide receivers), Jim Hanifan(offensive line)
1979 Record: 12-2

Impact Players:
QB- #14 Dan Fouts
HB- #33 Tony Dorsett
WR- #89 Wes Chandler
WR- #83 John Jefferson
WR- #18 Charlie Joiner
TE- #80 Kellen Winslow
DE- #71 Fred Dean
FS- #41 Charlie Waters

The San Diego Chargers exploded as one of the fastest and most out of sight offensive teams in AFL history in 1979 as head coach Don Coryell's "Air Coryell" strategy put major points on the board. Quarterback Dan Fouts broke Joe Namath's single season record for passing yards and earned AFL MVP honors for 1979 as he led the Chargers to a 1st place finish with a 12-2 record. San Diego would suffer one of the biggest upset losses in AFL history at home in the playoffs when the Oilers ran them over with John Riggins while the offense and special teams turned the ball over 4 times in a crushing 18-7 loss. The Chargers will return in 1980 looking for revenge with the best quarterback the AFL has ever seen and 5 unstoppable weapons ready to light up the league. 

New England Patriots:
Stadium: Shaefer Stadium
Head Coach: Dick Vermiel
Notable Assistant Coaches: Marion Campbell(defensive coordinator)
1979 Record: 11-3

Impact Players:
QB- #16 Vince Ferragamo
QB- #11 Phil Simms
HB- #45 Chuck Foreman
FB- #39 Sam Cunningham
WR- #28 Ahmad Rashad
WR- #86 Stanley Morgan
G- #73 John Hannah
ILB- #57 Steve Nelson
ILB- #53 Harry Carson
CB- #40 Mike Haynes

Head Coach Dick Vermiel kept the Patriots winning ways going in his debut season as a head coach in the AFL in 1979 as the Patriots finished with an 11-3 record and returned to the playoffs. New England suffered their 4th consecutive first round playoff loss when they were dominated on the road in the water logged turf of Three Rivers Stadium by the eventual Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Dick Vermiel proved that the Patriots are still one of the best teams in the AFL under his leadership in 1979, his sophomore season will see the pressure put on him to break this team through to the Super Bowl. The quarterback controversy through training camp has seen second year quarterback Phil Simms take a back seat to veteran Vince Ferragamo, who came in and won 9 games as a starter in 1979. Vermiel said in a recent press conference that Simms is the future of this team and his time is coming but right now Ferragamo is the starter for 1980. 

Miami Dolphins:
Stadium: The Orange Bowl
Head Coach: Don Shula
Notable Assistant Coaches: Bill Arnsparger(defensive coordinator)
1979 Record: 7-7

Impact Players:
QB- #12 Bob Griese
QB- #17 Doug Williams
HB- #20 Joe Cribbs(R)
G- #66 Larry Little
C- #57 Dwight Stephenson(R)
T- #78 Jackie Slater
T- #67 Bob Kuechenberg
DT- #54 Randy White
OLB- #58 Kim Bokamper

Don Shula's rebuilding of the Miami Dolphins continued with the drafting of running back Joe Cribbs and center Dwight Stephenson in the 1980 draft while veterans Bob Griese and Randy White bring the experience to give Miami the winning edge. Miami looked really good at times in 1979 and backup quarterback Doug Williams shined in 3 consecutive winning performances after Griese went down with injuries. The Dolphins balance of youth and experience and arguably the greatest head coach in AFL history will surely make them a legit threat in 1980.

Seattle Seahawks:
Stadium: The Kingdome
Head Coach: Jack Patera
Notable Assistant Coaches: N/A
1978 Record: 8-6

Impact Players:
QB- #10 Jim Zorn
HB- #36 William Andrews
T- #73 Ron Yary
WR- #80 Steve Largent
WR- #81 James Lofton
DE- #77 Lee Roy Selmon
DE- #79 Jacob Green(R)

The Seahawks finished with an impressive 8-6 record in 1979 but missed the playoffs. Seattle lost a major key player on defense when defensive back Cliff Harris announced his retirement in the offseason. Seattle still has the best defensive player in the league in Lee Roy Selmon, the 1979 AFL Defensive Player of the Year. Running back William Andrews ran for over 1,000 rushing yards in his rookie season in 1979, the Seahawks will rely on Andrews to carry the running game in his sophomore season. An improved running game and the best wide receiver in all of the AFL will keep Seattle competitive in 1980.

Denver Broncos:
Stadium: Mile High Stadium
Head Coach: Red Miller
Notable Assistant Coaches: Joe Collier(defensive coordinator), Dan Reeves(offensive coordinator)
1979 Record: 7-7

Impact Players:
QB- #8 Archie Manning
HB- #24 Otis Armstrong
FB- #44 Ricky Bell
DE- #77 AJ Duhe
OLB- #57 Tom Jackson
ILB- #53 Randy Gradishar
CB- #20 Louis Wright

Archie Manning continued to play as one of the elite quarterbacks in the AFL in 1979, leading the Broncos to a 7-7 record while the aging Orange Crush defense struggled with injuries. The Broncos hired new offensive coordinator Dan Reeves in the offseason. The Orange Crush defense looks to return to prime form that won the Super Bowl XII three seasons ago when they take the field in 1980.

Cleveland Browns:
Stadium: Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Head Coach: Sam Rutigliano
Notable Assistant Coaches: Dick Macpherson, Marty Schottenhiemer(defensive coordinator)
1979 Record: 7-7

Impact Players:
QB- #17 Brian Sipe
HB- #32 Otis Anderson
WR- #80 Harold Carmichael
TE- #82 Ozzie Newsome
T- #75 Dan Dierdorf
DE- #77 Lyle Alzado
OLB- #57 Clay Mathews

The Browns were on the cusp of a playoff appearance in 1979 with until a late season collapse seen them finish with a 7-7 record. Brian Sipe lit up the AFL in 1979 and will be one of the quarterbacks to watch in 1980. Cleveland's defense could see improvement under new defensive coordinator Marty Schottenhiemer. 

Oakland Raiders:
Stadium: Oakland Alameda County Coliseum
Head Coach: Tom Flores
Notable Assistant Coaches: N/A
1979 Record: 6-8

Impact Players:
QB- #7 Dan Pastorini
QB- #16 Jim Plunkett
WR- #21 Cliff Branch
G- #63 Gene Upshaw
T- #78 Art Shell
DE- #72 John Matuszak
OLB- #83 Ted Hendricks
OLB- #41 Phil Villapiano
ILB- #55 Matt Millen(R)
CB- #37 Lester Hayes
P- #8 Ray Guy

Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Flores became the first Hispanic head coach in pro football last year when he took over for the retired John Madden in Oakland. The Raiders seen the end of an era in the offseason when 3 time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Ken Stabler was traded to the Houston Oilers along with Raider legends Dave Casper and Jack Tatum. The trade brought over a tougher, younger quarterback in Dan Pastorini from Houston to take the aging Stabler's place. While the offense will be in a rebuilding phase in 1980 the Raiders defense will be one of the toughest in the AFL with Lester Hayes, Ted Hendricks, John Matuszak, and tough rookie linebacker Matt Millen comprising perhaps one of the roughest, most dangerous defenses in Raiders history.

New York Jets:
Stadium: Shea Stadium
Head Coach: Walt Michaels
Notable Assistant Coaches: Jerry Glanville(defensive coordinator)
1979 Record: 7-7

Impact Players:
QB- #10 Steve Bartkowski
HB- #27 Wendell Tyler
DE- #99 Mark Gastineau
DT- #73 Joe Klecko
DT- #67 Dave Butz
DE- #87 Claude Humphrey

Walt Michaels will enter his 3rd season as Jets head coach in 1980 with a new defensive coordinator in Jerry Glanville, one of the brightest young defensive minds in the dying days of the NFL. Steve Bartkowski enters the 1980 season with a ton of pressure on him in the Big Apple but his accuracy and range in preseason so far has been on point. The real stars of the Jets in 1980 will be their all star defensive line, with arguably the best pass rusher in the league Claude Humphrey, a pair of tough as nails interior linemen in Klecko and Butz, and a budding young future star Mark Gastineau. 

Buffalo Bills:
Stadium: Rich Stadium
Head Coach: Chuck Knox
Notable Assistant Coaches: N/A
1979 Record: 7-7

Impact Players:
QB- #12 Joe Ferguson
HB- #31 Wilbert Montgomery
WR- #81 Mel Gray
G- #68 Joe Delamielleure
DE- #85 Jack Youngblood
ILB- #58 Isiah Robertson

Chuck Knox fielded a tough and physical Buffalo Bills team in 1979, truly a team molded in the image of a vintage NFL style team. Joe Ferguson emerged as the Bills starting quarterback and Wilbert Montgomery proved to be worthy of filling in the shoes of the recently retired legend OJ Simpson in 1979. Buffalo's defense and running game will be among the toughest in the AFL again in 1980.

Cincinnati Bengals:
Stadium: Riverfront Stadium
Head Coach: Bill Walsh
Notable Assistant Coaches: Chuck Studley(defensive coordinator), Bill Parcells(linebackers), Bill Belichick(special teams)
1979 Record: 3-11


Impact Players:
QB- #14 Ken Anderson
WR- #81 Drew Pearson
TE- #89 Dwight Clark
T- #65 Max Montoya
T- #78 Anthony Munoz(R)
C- #51 Randy Cross
ILB- #66 Bill Bergey
OLB- #58 Keena Turner(R)
CB- #47 Herman Edwards
SS- #49 Gary Fencik

Bengals owner Paul Brown is revered as one of the godfathers of the sport of football. His innovative coaching strategies lifted the Cleveland Browns into a dynasty in the 40's and 50's but he was cast off from the team due to a feud after new owners took over the franchise. Brown moved on from Cleveland and the NFL to start the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFL in 1968. Paul Brown's Bengals made it close to AFL glory in Super Bowl's V and X but they were humbled in both games. Cincinnati began a new era under a new head coach in 1979, an offensive genius and a protege of Paul Brown; Bill Walsh. Walsh took over a team in transition in 1979, a team that lacked confidence in itself. The Bengals started the 1979 season 0-10 but Walsh rallied his unit to win 3 of their final 4 games. Walsh's offense in the last 4 games of the season looked like one of the best in the league and aging former AFL MVP quarterback Ken Anderson played with newfound life as the 79 season progressed. Anderson will return to run Walsh's next generation offense in 1980 to prove that he is still an elite AFL quarterback even in his old age.

Kansas City Chiefs:
Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium
Head Coach: Marv Levy
Notable Assistant Coaches: N/A
1979 Record: 4-10

Impact Players:
QB- #19 Joe Montana
QB- #14 Steve Grogan
HB- #34 Walter Payton
WR- #82 Roy Green
WR- #81 Art Monk(R)
C- #53 Jeff Bostic(R)
ILB- #55 Dewey Selmon
K- #3 Jan Stenerud

After winning just 2 games in 1978 the Kansas City Chiefs made major improvements on both sides of the ball to field a much more competitive team and double their win total in 1979. Rookie quarterback Joe Montana showed poise and potential in his first season while Walter Payton carried the offense on his back to guide the team to 4 victories with 4 of their losses coming either by less than a field goal or by heart breaking last second losses. The Chiefs added another offensive weapon this offseason for Montana when they drafted Syracuse wide receiver Art Monk in the 1980 draft. Marv Levy's Chiefs could surprise a lot of people in 1980 if the defense can improve and if their 2nd year quarterback can take the next step.

Baltimore Colts:
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Head Coach: Buddy Ryan
Notable Assistant Coaches: Jerry Burns(offensive coordinator), Joe Vitt(strength/quality control)
1979 Record: 2-12

Impact Players:
QB- #7 Bert Jones
QB- #9 Ron Jaworski
WR- #81 Roger Carr
DE- #65 Harvey Martin
DT- #99 Dan Hampton
DT- #76 Steve Mcmichael(R)

The Baltimore Colts have yet to capture the glory in the AFL that they experienced in their NFL days but the franchise took a major step forward in the offseason by promoting defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan to head coach. Ryan immediately hired former co-coach with the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL in offensive coordinator Jerry Burns. Star quarterback Bert Jones returns in 1980 from injuries that sidelined him for most of 1978 and 1979 with hopes to return to the prime form that won him NFL MVP honors in years past. The Colts defense will continue to be the heart of the team as they look for answers on offense in 1980. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Stadium: Tampa Stadium

Head Coach: John McKay

Notable Assistant Coaches: N/A

1978 Record: 1-13

Impact Players:

QB- #17 Dave Krieg(R)
RB- #20 Billy Simms(R)
DE- #88 Alan Page

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been the laughing stock and the punching bag of the sports world ever since they entered the AFL as an expansion team in 1976. After losing all 14 games in their inaugural AFL season they would end up finishing 1-13 in each of the last 3 years, resulting in the AFL taking action by awarding the team extra picks in this year's AFL draft. The Bucs hoped to turn their fortunes around by using their #1 overall pick in the 1980 draft to take explosive Heisman Trophy winning runner Billy Simms. Undrafted free agent signing Dave Krieg surprised everyone when he stole the starting quarterback job in training camp and preseason. Head coach John McKay has given Krieg his confidence as the starter going into the 1980 season. While the Bucs offense begins a new era with rookies at quarterback and running back, the defense will continue to be anchored by the legendary Alan Page, one of the greatest to ever play. The pressure mounts for head coach McKay to produce a more competitive team in Tampa in 1980 or he could lose his job as early as mid-season. 

1980



1980 AFL Co-MVPs:
Earl Campbell(#34 Running Back, Houston Oilers); 1,794 rushing yards, 7 tds
John Riggins(#44 Fullback, Houston Oilers); 1,018 rushing yards, 20 tds


1980 AFL Standings


Eastern Division
New England Patriots 12-4
Miami Dolphins 9-7
New York Jets 9-7
Pittsburgh Steelers 8-8
Buffalo Bills 5-11
Baltimore Colts 5-11
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-15

Western Division
Houston Oilers 13-3
San Diego Chargers 11-5
Cleveland Browns 11-5
Oakland Raiders 10-6
Cincinnati Bengals 9-7
Denver Broncos 8-8
Kansas City Chiefs 7-9
Seattle Seahawks 3-13



1980 AFL Playoffs


***Wild Card Round***


AFL Western Division Wild Card Playoff Game

vs
Cleveland Browns 55 @ San Diego Chargers 59


AFL Eastern Division Wild Card Playoff Game

vs
New York Jets 17 @ Miami Dolphins 30


***Division Championships***


AFL Western Division Championship

vs
San Diego Chargers 47 @ Houston Oilers 28


AFL Eastern Division Championship Game

vs
Miami Dolphins 14 @ New England Patriots 23

---

The Superdome in New Orleans Louisiana, January 25th 1981


vs
San Diego Chargers 31 vs New England Patriots 16

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	F
Chargers	7	3	21	0	31
Patriots	7	6	3	0	16

Super Bowl XV MVP:

John Jefferson(7 receptions, 109 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns)

---

AFL '80: The Next Generation

The American Football League entered the dawn of a new decade in 1980 with one of the most exciting seasons in the history of the 20 year old league. New stars shined bright, stars like Tampa Bay's Heisman Trophy winning rookie running back Billy Sims. Sims won AFL Rookie of the Year honors by rushing for over 1,300 yards to give the Buccaneers fans something to be excited about. Head Coach Buddy Ryan whipped the Colts into a formidable challenger in 1980 with one of the hardest hitting defenses in the league. Meanwhile across the country the Seattle Seahawks took a surprising turn for the worse in 1980. Quarterback Jim Zorn threw over 20 interceptions as the Seahawks struggled to a disastrous 3-13 record. Through it all Seahawks receiver Steve Largent still proved to be one of the best receivers in the AFL with over 1,100 receiving yards. 

One team that climbed back into the public spotlight in 1980 was the New York Jets, whose return to the AFL playoffs was one of the biggest stories of the 1980 AFL season. The Jets quarterback Bartkowski had the best year of his career and put up some of the best numbers of any passer in the AFL in 1980, throwing for 30 touchdowns and over 3,500 passing yards. The Jets defense continued to improve under first year defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville. Without a doubt the most improved team in the AFL in 1980 would be the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs struggled early on in the season but as their 2nd year quarterback Joe Montana progressed through the season the Chiefs became one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. Walter Payton rushed for over 1,400 rushing yards while Joe Montana came of age starting all 16 games for Kansas City with 3,465 passing yards and 22 touchdown passes vs just 10 interceptions. Montana's best moment of the season was the 24 point comeback victory over the Patriots late in the season where he threw 2 fourth quarter touchdowns and led the game winning drive in the final 2 minutes of the game.

As the AFL kick started it's 3rd decade in 1980 we seen the end of an era in Pittsburgh as the Steelers failed to make the playoffs for the first time since they entered the league in 1976. Bradshaw, Swann, Franco, and The Steel Curtain defense fought until the bitter end, finishing with an 8-8 record despite suffering injuries across the board all year. Pittsburgh proved to still be one of the toughest teams in the AFL but the defending back to back AFL Champions were outgunned by the rising young teams in 1980. One of the teams on the rise in the AFL was the Buffalo Bills under head coach Chuck Knox. The Bills lost star running back Wilbert Montgomery to an ankle injury but the defense rallied and carried the team to some major upset victories late in the season. The Oakland Raiders evolved to survive in 1980, winning 10 games with new quarterback Jim Plunkett, who took over for the injured Dan Pastorini early in the season. The Raiders emerged as one of the best all around teams when they won their final 6 games in 1980 but they fell just 1 game short of the playoffs in their final season in Oakland before moving to LA next year.

Another longtime staple in the AFL evolved to keep up with the next generation when Dolphins coach Don Shula went with youth over experience in 1980. Dolphins AFL Championship winning quarterback Bob Griese went down with injuries early on in the season but Shula stuck with backup Doug Williams even after Griese returned from his injuries later in the year. Williams threw for 19 touchdown passes and over 3,000 yards while rookie running back Joe Cribbs ran for over 1,000 rushing yards and helped guide Miami to a winning record at 9-7. The Dolphins offensive line of Kuechenberg, Little, Slater, and rookie Dwight Stephenson shut down the New York Jets vaunted defensive line in the Eastern Conference Wild Card playoff game to help Miami make it to the Division title game. 

One of the leaders of the next generation of AFL superstars is Browns quarterback Brian Sipe, the highest rated passer in the AFL in 1980. Sipe led a resurgence in the Browns third year in the AFL with 30 touchdown passes and over 4,000 passing yards to help guide Cleveland to an 11-5 record and a spot in the Wild Card playoffs. Cleveland's road to the Super Bowl came to an end in one of the most epic playoff games in AFL history when Sipe dueled with Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts. Fouts and Sipe combined for over 1,100 passing yards between the two of them, with Fouts throwing for 6 touchdowns to edge the Chargers past Cleveland by a score of 59-55.

While Sipe had a dream season with the Browns in 1980 the MVP honors would end up being shared by 2 powerful running backs down in Houston. Houston Oilers running back Earl Campbell and fullback John Riggins both split the 1980 MVP honors as co-winners as both contributed to what was the most punishing ground attack the AFL had ever seen. The Oilers dominated the entire AFL in 1980 with a league best 13-3 record. Houston's quest to finally kick the door in came to a bitter close at home in the Astrodome when the mighty San Diego Chargers offense overpowered them for a 47-28 victory. 

The finest team in the Eastern division of the AFL in 1980 proved to be the upstart New England Patriots coached by second year head coach Dick Vermiel. Vermiel's Patriots were overloaded with weapons on offense this season like Stanley Morgan and Ahmad Rashad. Quarterback Vince Ferragamo thrived in his first full season in Vermiel's system and a fast, smart defense led by Harry Carson, Steve Nelson, and Mike Haynes led the Patriots to a first place 12-4 record. The Patriots dominated the Dolphins in a snowstorm in the Eastern Division Championship Game to slay their playoff demons that have been haunting them for the past 4 seasons. New England's Super Bowl dreams would come crashing down in the third quarter of Super Bowl XV when the San Diego Chargers exploded with 21 unanswered points to take a lead that they would never let go of. New England's costly mistakes and turnovers in Super Bowl XV brought about their downfall in a 31-16 loss.

The 1980 AFL season would end up being the season of the Super Chargers of San Diego California. After losing one of the biggest playoff upset losses in AFL history in 1979 the Chargers were back with a vengeance in 1980. Quarterback Dan Fouts led one of the best offenses in league history. Dan Fouts set a new AFL record with over 4,700 passing yards along with 33 touchdown passes thrown. The Chargers had 3 payers(John Jefferson, Kellen Winslow, and Charlie Joiner) with over 1,000 yards receiving while running back Tony Dorsett ran for over 1,300 rushing yards. San Diego's offense lit the AFL on fire in 1980 going but struggles on the defensive side of the ball led to them backing into the playoffs with an 11-5 record.

Dan Fouts threw for over 537 passing yards and 6 touchdown passes in the Chargers 59-55 victory over the Browns in the Wild Card playoffs. San Diego was still haunted by their upset loss to the Houston Oilers in the 1979 AFL Divisional Playoffs but revenge was sweet in the rematch in the Astrodome. The Oilers failed to keep up with the Chargers firepower and were left behind in a 47-28 rout that gave San Diego the victory and the trip to New Orleans for Super Bowl XV. San Diego's high powered offense was shut down by Dick Vermiel's Patriots' defense in the first half of Super Bowl XV. The Patriots held onto a 16-13 lead at halftime but momentum shifted after a fumbled kickoff return in the second half kcikstarted an explosion of scoring by San Diego. The Chargers would put up 21 points in the third quarter to take a 31-16 lead that they would hold onto for their first AFL Championship since 1963!

AFL Offseason News
February 1st, 1981

Raiders finalize move to Los Angeles

The Raiders officially closed their offices in Oakland and will complete the relocation to Los Angeles over the Spring just in time for the 1981 AFL draft. The Raiders move to LA will give the AFL a strong presence in the 2nd largest television market in the United States, a market that has been without a pro football team ever since the LA Rams died with the NFL four years ago. All of the Raiders home games will now be played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.


Houston Oilers fire Bum Phillips and hire Chargers OC Joe Gibbs as new head coach

In a shocking move the Houston Oilers ownership made the decision to move on from head coach Bum Phillips following the Oilers shocking one and done home playoff loss to the Chargers. Phillips led the Oilers to back to back Super Bowls in 1979 and 1980 but the team fell both times to their rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Houston loaded themselves with talent when they traded for Ken Stabler, Dave Casper, and Jack Tatum to make a run for a Super Bowl in 1980 but the team was blown out at home in the Western Division Title game. Houston acted quickly after firing Bum Phillips to hire former San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs. Gibbs coordinated a record breaking offense for the Chargers in 1979 and 1980 and was one of the major factor's in San Diego's incredible playoff run to the Super Bowl title. Richie Petitbon was hired as new Oilers defensive coordinator. Offensive line coach Joe Bugel was the only member of Bum Phillips' coaching staff that was retained by Joe Gibbs.


Broncos head coach Red Miller announces retirement, OC Dan Reeves promoted to head coach

The Broncos begin a new era with new ownership and new head coach Dan Reeves after Super Bowl winning head coach Red Miller announced his retirement following the 1980 season. Miller led the Broncos to a victory in Super Bowl XII with their league leading "Orange Crush" defense in 1977. The Broncos promoted offensive coordinator Dan Reeves to the new head coach. Reeves played and coached under the legendary Tom Landry on the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL before taking the job as Broncos' offensive coordinator last season, where he was thought to be largely responsible for one of Archie Manning's best seasons in years.


Tampa Bay Buccaneers hire Jim Hanifan as new head coach

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally parted ways with their original head coach John McKay after week 4 of the 1980 season. The Bucs made the move to hire one of the key offensive assistants from the San Diego Chargers Super Bowl run when they hired Jim Hanifan as the new head coach. Hanifan has a background in the NFL as offensive line coach for the St. Louis Cardinals before taking the job with the San Diego Chargers as Don Coryell's offensive line coach in 1979.


Tracking assistant coaching changes around the AFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers hire Tony Dungy as a defensive assistant. Dungy played under Chuck Noll as a defensive back on the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1977 to 1980.

The Kansas City Chiefs sign Dick Nolan as new defensive coordinator. Nolan was a player in the NFL from 1954 to 1962. Nolan was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 1968 to 1975 before taking a job as head coach of the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League from 1976 to 1980.

The Kansas City Chiefs sign Emmitt Thomas as defensive backs coach. Thomas played for the Chiefs from 1966 to 1978.

The Buffalo Bills hire Wade Phillips as new defensive line coach. Phillips served as defensive line coach for the Houston Oilers from 1976 to 1980.

New York Jets hired Romeo Crennel as special teams coach. Crennel was defensive assistant for Western Kentucky(1970-1974), Texas Tech(1975-1977), Ole Miss(1978-1979), and Georgia Tech(1980).

AFL Offseason News
March 24th, 1981

All new Minnesota Bulls set to bring AFL to Minneapolis Metrodome in 1982

The AFL's 16th expansion team is set to take the field next season in the brand new Metrodome in Minnesota. The team was announced last year but the ownership group revealed the new team name, logo, and helmet/uniform in a special press conference this week. The team was given the name the Minnesota Bulls and will begin play in the AFL Western division next season. The Bulls will be given a veteran player expansion draft next spring along with the 1st pick in the 1982 AFL draft. Minnesota plans to reveal their first head coach this Spring and the team will be given a free season to scout and build a front office in 1981.


AFL Hall Of Fame class of '81 revealed

Former Buffalo Bills greats Mike Stratton and Butch Byrd have been announced as the latest inductees set to go into the AFL Hall of Fame in August. Byrd and Stratton both played key roles in the Bills' defense that won back to back AFL titles in 1964 and 1965. Other inductees include former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson(the AFL's all time leading passer) and Jets receiver Don Maynard(the AFL's all time leading receiver). The AFL Hall of Fame was opened last year with the charter class including OJ Simpson, Joe Namath, Lance Alworth, Jim Otto, Ron Mix, Billy Shaw, George Blanda, Bobby Bell, Nick Buoniconti, and Willie Brown.


Raiders deal 5 draft picks and 4 players to Tampa Bay for #1 draft pick in upcoming draft

The newly christened Los Angeles Raiders made a bold and highly ambitious move to trade their 1981 first, second, and fourth round draft picks, as well as their first and third round draft pick in the 1982 draft along with outside linebacker Phil Villapiano and 3 other lesser known players to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for their first round pick in 1981(1st overall selection) and undisclosed conditional draft picks in the 1982 draft. New Buccaneers head coach Jim Hanifan made it clear that no single player could possibly turn the Bucs around and that he needed the picks from this trade to rebuild what has been one of the worst disasters in any sport for the last 5 years.

Raiders owner Al Davis praised the trade in the press conference saying that it would only benefit the entire AFL to see the Buccaneers franchise get the talent they need to field a competitive team while also allowing the Raiders to take the #1 spot to take the man that he sees as the future of the Raider organization, linebacker Lawrence Taylor.


Trades around the AFL as teams jockey for position in loaded 1981 AFL draft

As we approach one of the most talent loaded drafts in recent memory the 15 teams around the AFL made moves to position themselves to build for the future. The Pittsburgh Steelers traded offensive lineman Conrad Dobler to the Buffalo Bills for a 3rd round draft pick. The Bills turned around and shipped all pro offensive lineman Joe Dellamielleure to the Cleveland Browns for their 4th and 6th round picks.


Griese, Tatum, Armstrong among AFL legends to announce retirement

A class of legendary AFL careers came to an end this offseason when Miami Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese, former Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum, and Broncos running back Otis Armstrong all announced their retirements over the past week. Other names that called it a career are Bengals defender Bill Bergey, Dolphins offensive lineman Larry Little, Oilers defensive back Ken Houston, and Patriots running back Chuck Foreman.

1981 AFL Draft

The 1981 AFL Draft drew monster ratings on ESPN as fans tuned in to witness one of the most talent loaded drafts in recent times. The hype coming into the draft centered around Heisman Trophy winning running back George Rogers as well as dominant linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Notable first round picks:






With the 1st overall pick in the 1981 AFL draft the Los Angeles Raiders select...

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{Spoiler}

Lawrence Taylor, Linebacker(North Carolina)

With the 2nd overall pick in the 1981 AFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks select...

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{Spoiler}

Kenny Easley, strong safety(UCLA)

With the 3rd overall pick in the 1981 AFL Draft, the Baltimore Colts select...

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{Spoiler}

George Rogers, Running Back(South Carolina)

With the 5th overall pick in the 1981 AFL draft the Kansas City Chiefs select...

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{Spoiler}

Ronnie Lott, Defensive Back(USC)

With the 6th overall pick in the 1981 AFL draft the Denver Broncos select...

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{Spoiler}

James Brooks, Running Back(Auburn)

With the 9th overall pick in the 1981 AFL draft the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select...

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{Spoiler}

Mark May, Offensive Lineman(Pitt)

With the 10th overall pick in the 1981 AFL draft the New York Jets select...

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{Spoiler}

Freeman Mcneil, Running Back(UCLA)

Notable Later Round Picks:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Rickey Jackson, Linebacker(Pittsburgh)
Seattle Seahawks- Neil Lomax, Quarterback(Portland State University )
Los Angeles Raiders- Howie Long, Defensive Tackle(Villanova University)
New England Patriots- James Wilder, Running Back(University of Missouri)
Baltimore Colts- Mike Singletary, Linebacker(Baylor University)
Cincinnati Bengals- Chris Collinsworth, Wide Receiver(University of Florida)
Houston Oilers- Russ Grim, Guard(University of Pittsburgh)
Baltimore Colts- Dexter Manley, Defensive End(Oklahoma State)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Charlie Brown, Wide Receiver(South Carolina State)


Undrafted Free Agent Signings:

San Diego Chargers- Sam Mills, Linebacker(Montclair State)
Buffalo Bills- Everson Walls, Defensive Back(Grambling State)
Houston Oilers- Joe Jacoby, Offensive Lineman(Louisville)

Catching up now. While I understand Neo Zeed giving his hometown boys the rub with that co-MVP Award it was rude of him to take away Brian Sipe's lone claim to fame.

*EDITing this post as I continue reading through.

-Feel like Nobi put MONGO in Baltimore as a gift to me. That only would have made him more over here at Great American Bash 96.
-Patriots with an unexpected Super Bowl appearance. Were they good during that era? Been a while since I looked up old NFL standings, but I thought they only had one flukish good year during the Grogan Era? I'm probably wrong!
-I can get behind Nobi giving the Fouts led Chargers a SB win. Statistically the best passing offense in NFL history until Marino came along a few years later. My dad was a Chargers fan during this era in that he rooted for them in the playoffs since the Colts sucked. He also liked the Tarkenton Era Vikings. 
-Chiefs drafting Ronnie Lott has me willing to wager even more fake cash on them being the team of the 80s. Dang. And they got Art Monk too.
-Briefly forgot the Redskins were no more while reading a bunch of their players get taken at the end of that one draft.
-LT as a Raider feels right.
-Neil Lomax! I was a Neil Lomax Guy. He went off during one of the first games I remember watching. Probably against the Skins. I'll have to look it up after this post.
-I love seeing more 'modern' coaches pop up. Seeing Romeo Crennel way back then threw me for a loop.
-I'm sure Nobi will never job his Oilers out, and Joe Gibbs is a legend, but I still wasn't expecting to see Bum fired so early. 
-That Chargers/Browns playoff game would have been wild. 114 points! Would that still be the record?

Good stuff as always.

Baker my good friend always a treat to have you stop by. You definitely make me want to ramble on about some stuff so I'm hitting the lap top for this. Love that avatar by the way I went down that rabbit hole to check the story of that team and it's very interesting, it led me down the rabbit hole of the Shreveport Pirates which I remember hearing a lot about(we moved from Houston to East Texas around that time and all they got here are Shreveport tv and radio). Interesting to me that the CFL really had something going with those 2 teams it was just right and both cities still ended up losing their teams.

Sipe's real life 1980 NFL MVP award is an odd one to me looking at it on paper. You had Dan Fouts that year break the record for passing yards and I believe touchdowns too, he broke his own records that he set the year before. And Fouts' Chargers had identical 11-5 record as Cleveland. Besides that Earl Campbell's 1,900+ rushing yards that year is still a top 10 all time rushing performance last time I checked, while Sipe's passer rating has been dwarfed off the top list since then.

While typing this and thinking about it I almost want to edit 1980 to make Tony Dorsett the MVP and juice his stats. To me he was the difference maker for this Charger team in this universe, putting him in that equation with Chandler, Jefferson, Joiner, and Winslow is just unfair weaponry in that prime Air Coryell system. I think that team just has too many burners to cover with Dorsett in there. So my homerism did get the best of me here.

But I felt like Riggins and Campbell would have been unstoppable as a 1-2. I envisioned Riggins landing in Houston through the connection with Joe Bugel, who really was Bum Phillips offensive line coach in the Oilers' Luv Ya Blue days. So here I picture Riggins being lost in the shuffle during the AFL vs NFL days of the 70's and being brought into Houston by Bugel after the death of the NFL. I picture this lowering Earl Campbell's carries and extending his prime by a few years. When the Oilers really did fire Bum Phillips after 1980 Joe Bugel went to coach offensive line for the Redskins for Joe Gibbs where they put together the Hogs(and Bugel got Riggins to come out of retirement after he sat out 1980).

The Patriots were really good in 1976, they beat the Raiders and Steelers back to back that year and it was the year the Raiders went 13-1 and won the Super Bowl(and Pittsburgh's best year of their dynasty defensively). They got royally screwed by a bullshit roughing the passer call in the playoffs against the Raiders and that was it, what goes around comes around I guess. But they stayed good through the rest of the 70's, somewhere in there I believe they set a record for team rushing yards for a season. They were really good again in 1978 but the Oilers went up there to New England and beat them in their own house in the playoffs. Almost hard to believe a Houston football team ever went up to New England and beat the Patriots on the road in a playoff game. Good ole uncle Earl ran for 118 yards on them. 

But they had a really good roster and stayed good in 1979-80 but somewhere in there they had a coaching change for some reason. Whoever the new coach was kind of shit the team away and they were really bad there for a few years in the 80's until Raymond Berry took over and took them to that Super Bowl in 85. I thought that looking back at that Pats team from the late 70's going into that 1980-81 seasons they had some really good talent on that team but some oddball head coaches I never heard of and a coaching change in there even though they were on a string of winning seasons. I think they were a prime team to have been really good in the right hands there in 1980, Dick Vermiel and Marion Campbell coming over to take that team over I think it would have been just the right match the right coach in the right city with the right roster to make a run.

To me at this point after 20 years of pure AFL football I thought this Sipe vs Fouts duel would have been the zenith of that evolution of football. To me I believe this Charger team is the zenith of 20 years of AFL evolution. In real life its interesting to think that the Chargers let go of Fred Dean and Wes Chandler in the middle of the season because they were cheap, Dean went on to have like 14 sacks for the 49ers and helped them win the Super Bowl, Chandler was also really good for Green Bay I believe. I sometimes wonder if the "reparations" money that was a part of the real life merger agreement hurt those original AFL teams? I looked it up and part of the real merger was that those AFL teams were to pay the NFL teams like $20 millions over a payment plan spread out over a few years(I forget). I wonder if that had anything to do with the AFC losing so many consecutive Super Bowls to the NFC all those years, maybe it was the reason why the Chiefs and Chargers etc were so cheap in the 80's.

LT in LA in the 1980's, get your popcorn ready.

While researching the 1981 draft it caught my eye that Ron Simmons was drafted in the 6th round by the Browns, but he never played. That's an awful high draft pick for that era for somebody that didn't play at all, I wonder what the story was?

Man, what if Marino ends up playing for Stillers in this Yinzerverse!?

Neo Zeed dropping knowledge. You love to see it. Simmons had injury issues and tweener size. Knew about the injuries. Size thing I just got from a search. College football legend though. Iirc he pulled off the rare feat of finishing Top 10 in Heisman voting as a defensive player. Yeah I have no doubt Campbell/Riggins would have been an unstoppable backfield. Also shame on me for sleeping on Dorsett with the Chargers. Would have made a great offense even greater.

Nov 3, 2022 2:24:48 GMT 🤯 said:

Man, what if Marino ends up playing for Stillers in this Yinzerverse!?

The 83 draft to me is the turning point of this project and the point where the stuff that really happened in real life starts to fade out and all of the butterfly effects of the 70's start to really send this alternate history into a truly alternate dimension of reality. 

AFL Offseason News
May-June, 1981

Expansion Minnesota Bulls hire NFL legend Bud Grant as inaugural head coach

The entire state of Minnesota is celebrating the hiring of 3 time NFL Champion head coach Bud Grant to take over the new AFL expansion Minnesota Bulls set to take the league next year in 1982. Grant was head coach of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL where he led them to an NFL Championship in 1969. Bud Grant's Vikings were defeated by the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV, a.k.a. "The Most Important Football Game Ever Played", and many believe that the Vikings were never truly able to ever get over that defeat. Nonetheless Bud Grant's Vikings were the class of the NFL throughout the 1970's decade, going on to play in 3 more NFL Championship Games, winning 2 of them(1973 and 1976). The Vikings were among the most popular and well supported teams left in the NFL's dying days but they would go down with the sinking ship and played their final season ever in Metropolitan Stadium in 1977. Bud Grant would retire from head coaching and would sit out the last 3 years before getting the offer from the new Minnesota Bulls franchise.

Grant will have the 1981 season as a "Free Season" for the expansion team, a chance to assemble his coaching staff and to scout for the 1982 AFL draft, which will see his Bulls get the 1st pick. The Bulls will also get an expansion draft next offseason to put together a roster of veterans from all 15 other teams around the league. The Bud Grant Minnesota Bulls will play their home games in the brand new state of the art indoor Metrodome starting in 1982.


LA Raiders sign CFL star quarterback Tommy Kramer

The Raiders have been in a sort of crisis at the quarterback position ever since their trade of Ken Stabler for Oilers passer Dan Pastorini in the 1980 offseason. Pastorini was lost for the season with a broken leg in week 6 and his backup Jim Plunkett struggled as the Raiders finished with a 10-6 record and missed the playoffs in 1980 under Tom Flores' second season as head coach. The Raiders signed a major insurance policy this week when they won a bidding war for the services of the CFL star Tommy Kramer, who led the Edmonton Eskimos to back to back Grey Cup titles up north. Kramer was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the final season of the NFL in 1977 but found himself out of a job after the death of the league. Kramer would go on to play for the Eskimos in the CFL in 1978 and would emerge as the best quarterback in the league in 1979 and 1980. Kramer led the CFL in passing yards and touchdowns for the last 2 years and led the Eskimos to back to back league titles to become somewhat of a highly saught after free agent this offseason. Several teams were reportedly negotiating to sign Kramer, including the Buccaneers and Broncos. Many believe that Plunkett will remain the starter for LA in 1981 but Kramer could see action if he struggles or gets injured. 


Top AFL stars John Riggins and Vince Ferragamo holding out for new contracts

Two of the AFL's top stars are expected to miss the upcoming 1981 training camp and could miss significant time this season if deals aren't reached soon. The Oilers' fullback John Riggins has made it clear that he's worth more money elsewhere as a feature back where he claims he is willing and able to carry the ball 25-30 times a game. Last season Riggins split the 1980 AFL MVP award with Earl Campbell as the two power backs unleashed a furious ground attack on the league en route to leading the Oilers to a league best 13-3 record. Sources inside Houston have reported friction between owner Bud Adams, Riggins, and his new head coach Joe Gibbs over how to handle the situation. Some reports have come out that Gibbs has shown interest in trading Earl Campbell, an idea that has been vetoed by owner Bud Adams despite the fact that Houston could net multiple 1st round draft picks. 

In New England it's veteran quarterback Vince Ferragamo will reportedly miss Patriots' training camp in an effort to get a new contract after leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl last season. Reports coming out of New England is that both sides are deadlocked and that the Patriots are willing to start third year Phil Simms in 1981. 

1981 AFL Pre-Season Scouting Report

The American Football League is primed and ready for the 1981 season to get under way. The AFL comes off of a wildly successful 1980 season where new ratings records were set. All three networks posted gains across the board in 1980, with NBC's 15.0 rating being the best in the network's history while both CBS and ABC posted their largest numbers in years. CBS radio also reported a record audience of 7 million listeners for Monday night games. The AFL is #1 in sports for a reason, it's the most action packed, hardest hitting game in sports. The culmination of the 1981 season will be Super Bowl XVI live on January 24th 1982 from the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit Michigan!! Before we embark on our road to Super Bowl XVI lets take you around the AFL to preview all 15 teams for the upcoming 1981 season!

San Diego Chargers:
Stadium: Jack Murphy Stadium
Head Coach: Don Coryell
Notable Assistant Coaches: Ernie Zampese(wide receivers)
1980 Record: 11-5

Impact Players:
QB- #14 Dan Fouts
HB- #33 Tony Dorsett
WR- #89 Wes Chandler
WR- #83 John Jefferson
WR- #18 Charlie Joiner
TE- #80 Kellen Winslow
DE- #71 Fred Dean
ILB- #51 Sam Mills(R)
FS- #41 Charlie Waters

The San Diego Chargers in 1980 were truly Super. With the new expanded 16 game regular season in 1980 Dan Fouts had an extra 2 regular season games to shatter his single season records for touchdown passes and yards that he set last year. Running back Tony Dorsett was the man that many on the west coast felt should have won the 1980 MVP honors with over 1,388 rushing yards and 712 receiving yards he also had a total of 18 touchdowns rushing and receiving. The Chargers offense had too many weapons to stop, but their defense was their downfall as they stumbled to an 11-5 record.

While Tony Dorsett was snubbed on the MVP award for the 1980 regular season there was no doubt that he was the MVP of the 1980 AFL playoffs. San Diego's stunning 59-55 victory over the Browns in the playoffs made them nationwide superstars, with Tony Dorsett gaining 241 total yards from scrimmage with 3 touchdowns, including the game winning score in the final 2 minutes. The Chargers carried their momentum from their 59 point performance over into their revenge game against the Houston Oilers in the Western Division Championship Game at the Astrodome. In 1979 the Oilers stunned the world when they upset the top seed Chargers in San Diego, this time revenge was sweet for the Super-Chargers. Houston fell behind 14-0 early in the first quarter and found themselves without the luxory of being able to run the ball with their co-MVP ground attack. Houston fell behind fast and never came close to catching up to San Diego and a new star team was born. Two weeks later the Chargers exploded with 3 scores in the third quarter to run away from the Patriots to win Super Bowl XV in the Superdome, capturing their first AFL title since 1963.

The Chargers run to AFL glory in 1980 is all about their high powered offense, one of the most dynamic that the AFL has ever seen in 20 years. That offense returns full force for 1981 as San Diego is hungry to repeat and solidify their case as one of the greatest teams in AFL history. The defenses of the AFL still have not figured out how to stop this team, until they do this is the odds on favorite to repeat and take it all in 1981.

New England Patriots:
Stadium: Shaefer Stadium
Head Coach: Dick Vermiel
Notable Assistant Coaches: Marion Campbell(defensive coordinator), Dick Lebeau(defensive backs)
1980 Record: 12-4

Impact Players:
QB- #11 Phil Simms
QB- #16 Vince Ferragamo- HOLDOUT
HB- #32 James Wilder(R)
FB- #39 Sam Cunningham
WR- #28 Ahmad Rashad
WR- #86 Stanley Morgan
G- #73 John Hannah
ILB- #57 Steve Nelson
ILB- #53 Harry Carson
CB- #40 Mike Haynes

The Patriots finally slayed their playoff demons in 1980 when they ended a 4 year losing streak with a victory over the Miami Dolphins at home in the snow in the Eastern Division Championship Game. New England made their very first ever Super Bowl apppearance with the victory but they were outgunned by the San Diego Chargers in the New Orleans Superdome. Even though New England fell short of the Super Bowl, they still had a season to be proud of in 1980. Head coach Dick Vermiel led New England to a first place 12-4 record and a trip to the Super Bowl in only his 2nd season as head coach.

Going into 1981 Dick Vermiel has some challenges ahead of his offense. Starting veteran quarterback Vince Ferragamo missed all of training camp holding out for a new contract and is prepared to sit out the entire 1981 season if a new deal isn't made. The Patriots have shown little to no interest in restructuring Ferragamo's contract and have so far invested everything in their third year quarterback Phil Simms. Simms has taken the starter role during training camp and preseason. Another change for the Pats offense was the retirement of veteran running back Chuck Foreman. The Patriots will hope their rookie draft pick James Wilder will be able to fill the shoes of the former NFL All Pro.

Houston Oilers:
Stadium: Houston Astrodome
Head Coach: Joe Gibbs
Notable Assistant Coaches: Joe Bugel(offensive line), Richie Petitbon(defensive coordinator)
1980 Record: 13-3

Impact Players:
QB- #12 Ken Stabler
QB- #1 Warren Moon
HB- #34 Earl Campbell
FB- #44 John Riggins- HOLDOUT
TE- #87 Dave Casper
WR- #00 Kenny Burrough
WR/KR- #84 Billy Johnson
T- #72 Leon Gray
T- #66 Joe Jacoby(R)
G- #68 Russ Grimm(R)
DT- #78 Curley Culp
DE- #65 Elvin Bethea
OLB- #52 Robert Brazile
FS- #22 Roger Wehrli

The Oilers had a dream season in 1980 as their dual sledge hammer power rushing attack overpowered the entire AFL en route to a league best 13-3 record. Running back Earl Campbell and fullback John Riggins split the 1980 AFL MVP honors as co-winners. Earl Campbell led the AFL in rushing yards in 1980 with 1,794 while John Riggins had an amazing 20 touchdowns along with over 1,018 rushing yards of his own.

Houston's dream year quickly became a nightmare as the high powered San Diego Chargers offense left the Oilers in the dust in the Astrodome in the Western Division Championship Game. The Oilers would fall to San Diego by the score of 47-28 and the ensuing aftermath has seen the franchise enveloped in controversy. Beloved country bumpkin head coach Bum Phillips was promptly fired by owner Bud Adams. Adams then hired San Diego offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs as new Oilers' head coach. Trouble began to brew when fullback John Riggins demanded a new contract. Riggins held out and missed all of training camp and a rift was created between Joe Gibbs and Oilers' ownership when Bud Adams vetoed any talk of trading Earl Campbell. Head coach Joe Gibbs expressed interest in resigning Riggins and trading Earl Campbell but the situation remains deadlocked going into the start of this season. John Riggins remains a hold out, while tension between Joe Gibbs, Bud Adams, and Earl Campbell has become an issue right from the start. This could be a situation that could come to a head at the week 6 trade deadline with a major shakeup in Houston one way or the other.

Cleveland Browns:
Stadium: Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Head Coach: Sam Rutigliano
Notable Assistant Coaches: Dick Macpherson, Marty Schottenhiemer(defensive coordinator)
1980 Record: 11-5

Impact Players:
QB- #17 Brian Sipe
HB- #32 Otis Anderson
WR- #80 Harold Carmichael
TE- #82 Ozzie Newsome
T- #75 Dan Dierdorf
G- #68 Joe Delamielleure
DE- #77 Lyle Alzado
OLB- #57 Clay Mathews

Brian Sipe lit the AFL on fire in 1980 and saved the Cleveland Browns franchise as he put in one of the best seasons of any Browns quarterback since the legendary Otto Graham of the 1940's-50's. Sipe was a strong candidate for 1980 AFL MVP with 4 game winning drives and leading the Browns to their best record since entering the AFL in 1978. Sipe was a natural fit with the AFL style of play when the Browns moved from the NFL in 1978 and he's only gotten better every season he's played. Cleveland is just bigger, stronger, and tougher than any other team in the AFL and they will look to rebound from their crushing playoff loss to the Chargers on a quest for revenge in 1981.

Los Angeles Raiders:
Stadium: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Head Coach: Tom Flores
Notable Assistant Coaches: N/A
1980 Record: 10-6

Impact Players:
QB- #16 Jim Plunkett
QB- #9 Tommy Kramer
WR- #21 Cliff Branch
G- #63 Gene Upshaw
T- #78 Art Shell
DE- #72 John Matuszak
DT- #75 Howie Long(R)
OLB- #83 Ted Hendricks
OLB- #56 Lawrence Taylor(R)
ILB- #55 Matt Millen
CB- #37 Lester Hayes
P- #8 Ray Guy

The Raiders packed up during the offseason and moved from Oakland to Los Angeles where they will call the LA Memorial Coliseum their new home starting in 1981. The Raiders gave their Oakland fans something to be proud of in their final season in the city, finishing with an 10-6 record and finishing just 1 game out from making the playoffs. The Raiders made a bold move in the offseason to trade up in the 1981 draft, giving up a bounty of draft picks to a desperate Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise in exchange for their 1st overall pick. With it the Raiders selected the hottest prospect in the 1981 AFL draft when they made the move to take linebacker Lawrence Taylor. Taylor dominated college football as a true phenom at linebacker and not only is he expected to be a starter as a rookie for LA but time will tell if he could be a once in a lifetime talent.

Another big move in the offseason was the signing of CFL star passer Tommy Kramer. Kramer was drafted by the Vikings in the final NFL season in 1977 and found himself out of a job after the league died. Kramer would go on to play for the Eskimos in the CFL in 1978, 79, and 1980, leading the league in passing in 79 and 80 while also taking the Eskimos to back to back Grey Cup Titles.

Pittsburgh Steelers:
Stadium: Three Rivers Stadium
Head Coach: Chuck Noll
Notable Assistant Coaches: Tom Moore(wide receivers), Tony Dungy(defensive assistant)
1980 Record: 9-7

Impact Players:
QB- #12 Terry Bradshaw
HB- #32 Franco Harris
WR- #88 Lynn Swann
WR- #82 John Stallworth
C- #52 Mike Webster
DT- #75 Joe Greene
OLB- #59 Jack Ham
ILB- #58 Jack Lambert
CB- #47 Mel Blount
SS- #31 Donnie Shell
K- #3 Mark Mosely

Chuck Noll and this Pittsburgh Steelers squad is quite simply one of the best to ever coach/play in the sport of professional football history. This team dominated the NFL in it's final prime years as a pro league, capturing NFL titles in 1972, 1974, and 1975 before jumping to the AFL and conquering the league for 2 back to back Super Bowl titles in 1978 and 1979. That is 5 pro football world titles in 2 totally different leagues in an 8 year span from 1972 to 1979. The genius of Chuck Noll was his ability to adapt this team after his offense struggled in their first 2 years in the AFL in 1976-77. Noll unleashed his retooled passing attack with Terry Bradshaw taking over as the best quarterback in the league, with 2 deadly receivers in Swann and Stalworth. Pittsburgh fought for a 3rd consecutive AFL title in 1980 but injuries got the best of them and the rest of the league seemingly caught up to them as well. Pittsburgh was passed up by younger, hungrier, up and coming teams and would miss the playoffs with a 8-8 record in 1980. Pittsburgh will return healthy in 1981 as a living legend and still the gatekeepers of the Eastern division.

Miami Dolphins:
Stadium: The Orange Bowl
Head Coach: Don Shula
Notable Assistant Coaches: Bill Arnsparger(defensive coordinator)
1980 Record: 9-7

Impact Players:
QB- #17 Doug Williams
HB- #20 Joe Cribbs
C- #57 Dwight Stephenson
T- #78 Jackie Slater
T- #67 Bob Kuechenberg
DT- #54 Randy White
OLB- #58 Kim Bokamper

The Miami Dolphins began a new era in 1980 when quarterback Doug Williams took over as the full time starter in place of the injured veteran Bob Griese, who announced his retirement shortly after the season. Rookie running back Joe Cribbs shined in his first season in 1980, running for over 1,000 yards and helping Miami finish with a 9-7 record and return to the playoffs. Doug Williams dropped a pair of beautiful touchdown passes to ice the Jets in the Eastern Division Wild Card Playoffs. Even though the Dolphins fell short in the Eastern Division title game against the Patriots they still made it much further than anyone expected them to in 1980.

The Dolphins defense emerged as one of the best in the AFL last year and earned the nickname "The Killer B's" since so many of the players last names begin with the letter. Now Joe Cribbs has a full season of experience under his belt and Doug Williams went through a full training camp and preseason as the starting quarterback, this Dolphins team could be one of the toughest in the East in 1981.

Buffalo Bills:
Stadium: Rich Stadium
Head Coach: Chuck Knox
Notable Assistant Coaches: Wade Phillips(defensive line)
1980 Record: 5-11

Impact Players:
QB- #12 Joe Ferguson
HB- #31 Wilbert Montgomery
WR- #81 Mel Gray
G- #69 Conrad Dobler
DE- #85 Jack Youngblood
ILB- #58 Isiah Robertson
CB- #24 Everson Walls(R)

Pressure is on Chuck Knox as he enters his fourth season as head coach of the club looking for his first playoff appearance with the team. The Bills made strides to improve in 1981. Knox will look to break the Bills through their glass ceiling with the return of Wilbert Mongomery from his knee injury and the addition of all pro offensive lineman Conrad Dobler in the offseason.

New York Jets:
Stadium: Shea Stadium
Head Coach: Walt Michaels
Notable Assistant Coaches: Jerry Glanville(defensive coordinator), Romeo Crennel(special teams)
1980 Record: 9-7

Impact Players:
QB- #10 Steve Bartkowski
HB- #27 Wendell Tyler
HB- #24 Freeman Mcniel(R)
DT- #73 Joe Klecko
DT- #67 Dave Butz
DE- #99 Mark Gastineau
DE- #87 Claude Humphrey

The New York Jets defensive line of Joe Klecko, Dave Butz, Mark Gastineau, and Claude Humphrey earned the nickname "The New York Sack Exchange" when they brutalized quarterbacks in the AFL in 1980 for a total of 48 combined sacks between the 4 of them. Defensive end Mark Gastineau emerged as a force to be reckoned with as the season progressed, registering 12 sacks in only his second season. Interior linemen Joe Klecko and Dave Butz are as good of a DT duo as it gets in the AFL today, both men shut down the run and combined for 17 sacks between the 2 of them. The captain of the group is without a doubt 13 year veteran defensive end Claude Humphrey. Humphrey had his best season of his career in 1980 with 16 sacks. Humphrey at the age of 37 having 2 knee surgeries in the past is rumored to be playing his final season in 1981, so this could be the last year for these 4 killers to play together. The NYSE will anchor this beloved heart of the Big Apple in 1981, as the Jets look to return to the playoffs and take the Eastern Division.

Quarterback Steve Bartkowski is one of the best passers in the AFL and became a huge star in New York in 1980. One of the key storylines to watch in New York in 1981 is if whether or not Bartkowski can handle the pressure of being expected to be the second coming of Joe Namath. One of the biggest games on the Jets 1981 schedule is the home opener in week 2 on ABC Monday Night Football when they take on the Miami Dolphins. New York swept Miami in the regular season in 1980 but lost the 3rd meeting in the Wild Card playoff game.

Cincinnati Bengals:
Stadium: Riverfront Stadium
Head Coach: Bill Walsh
Notable Assistant Coaches: Chuck Studley(defensive coordinator), Bill Parcells(linebackers), Bill Belichick(special teams)
1980 Record: 9-7

Impact Players:
QB- #14 Ken Anderson
WR- #81 Drew Pearson
WR- #80 Cris Collinsworth(R)
TE- #89 Dwight Clark
T- #65 Max Montoya
C- #51 Randy Cross
T- #78 Anthony Munoz
OLB- #58 Keena Turner
CB- #47 Herman Edwards
SS- #49 Gary Fencik

The Cincinnati Bengals will debut their new tiger striped uniforms and helmets in 1981 as Bill Walsh enters his third season with the franchise. The Bengals will enter the 1981 season with questions looming over their aging quarterback Ken Anderson, a former AFL MVP that many feel father time has caught up with. The Bengals brought in a new young weapons in receiver Cris Collinsworth to support their aging gunslinger in 1981. Head coach Bill Walsh improved the Bengals dramatically in his first 2 years, if he can get Ken Anderson back to his MVP form this team could go far.

Kansas City Chiefs:
Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium
Head Coach: Marv Levy
Notable Assistant Coaches: Dick Nolan(defensive coordinator), Emmitt Thomas(defensive backs)
1980 Record: 7-9

Impact Players:
QB- #19 Joe Montana
HB- #34 Walter Payton
WR- #81 Art Monk
WR- #82 Roy Green
C- #53 Jeff Bostic
ILB- #55 Dewey Selmon
DE- #72 Too Tall Jones
CB- #42 Ronnie Lott(R)

The Chiefs proved last season that the were no longer the punching bag of the AFL. Joe Montana thrived in his 2nd season and Walter Payton proved to be the most versatile running backs in the AFL. The Chiefs looked to improve their defense when they drafted Ronnie Lott in the 1981 AFL draft. Head coach Marv Levy will be in the hot seat in 1981 as the pressure is on for his squad to break through and put up a winning record for the first time in nearly a decade.

Denver Broncos:
Stadium: Mile High Stadium
Head Coach: Dan Reeves
Notable Assistant Coaches: Joe Collier(defensive coordinator)
1980 Record: 8-8

Impact Players:
QB- #8 Archie Manning
RB- #21 James Brooks(R)
FB- #44 Ricky Bell
DE- #77 AJ Duhe
OLB- #57 Tom Jackson
ILB- #53 Randy Gradishar
CB- #20 Louis Wright

The Denver Broncos started a new era with a change in ownership in the offseason as well as the promotion of offensive coordinator Dan Reeves to the new head coach following the retirement of beloved Red Miller. Archie Manning had one of the best seasons of his career in 1980 and surprised everyone when he led an undermanned Broncos' offense to an 8-8 finish almost single handedly. Denver brought in a star runner with the drafting of James Brooks, a durable and versatile runner that will add an all new element to Dan Reeves' offense in 1981. One thing that also proved true in 1980 was that thet Broncos' "Orange Crush" defense was back, and this veteran group remains strong at it's core.

Baltimore Colts:
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Head Coach: Buddy Ryan
Notable Assistant Coaches: Jerry Burns(offensive coordinator), Joe Vitt(strength/quality control)
1980 Record: 5-11

Impact Players:
QB- #7 Bert Jones
QB- #9 Ron Jaworski
HB- #38 George Rogers(R)
WR- #81 Roger Carr
MLB- #50 Mike Singletary(R)
DE- #65 Harvey Martin
DE- #72 Dexter Manley(R)
DT- #99 Dan Hampton
DT- #76 Steve Mcmichael

The Baltimore Colts made a huge move when they drafted Heisman Trophy winning running back George Rogers in the first round of the 1981 AFL draft. Rogers could make an immediate impact on Baltimore's offense in 1981 while quarterback Bert Jones so far has been a tragic tale, a tale of a quarterback that became the last hope of a dying NFL in 1975-76. Jones shined at a time when the NFL was losing it's television contracts, so he became a cult status football icon by the time of the final NFL game ever played in the 1977 NFL Championship. In that game Jones' Colts dueled in a double overtime thriller against Roger Staubach's Dallas Cowboys. When the deal was made for the Colts to move from the dying NFL to the AFL in 1978 it was one of the most hyped news stories in sports for one reason, Bert Jones. The AFL scheduled Jones and the Colts in 4 prime time Monday Night Football games in their first season in 1978 but Jones was lost early in the year with a devastating shoulder injury. Jones returned in 1979 only to reinjure the same shoulder, missing another 10 games.

Bert Jones returned and played his first full season in the AFL finally in 1980 but he struggled mightily, and looked like a shell of the almost tall tale heroic reputation he built in the NFL. Jones lost 10 of his 15 starts in 1980 and was benched for the final game by Colts' head coach Buddy Ryan in favor of backup Ron Jaworski. Jaws 3 touchdown performance in the victory in Baltimore's season finale created a huge quarterback controversy in Baltimore in 1981. Buddy Ryan and offensive coordinator Jerry Burns insist that Bert Jones is healthy and he is the Colts' starting quarterback going into 1981. Ron Jaworski has built a strong fan following in Baltimore and many Colts' fans believe he could take the team to the playoffs. Meanwhile on the other side of the ball head coach Buddy Ryan has put together a formidable defense that will be a tough test for any offense in the AFL.

Seattle Seahawks:
Stadium: The Kingdome
Head Coach: Jack Patera
Notable Assistant Coaches: N/A
1980 Record: 3-13

Impact Players:
QB- #10 Jim Zorn
QB- #15 Neil Lomax(R)
HB- #36 William Andrews
T- #73 Ron Yary
WR- #80 Steve Largent
WR- #81 James Lofton
DE- #77 Lee Roy Selmon
DE- #79 Jacob Green
SS- #45 Kenny Easley(R)

The Seattle Seahawks fell on hard times in 1980 but they looked to turn their fortunes around when they selected Kenny Easley with the second overall pick in the draft to help strengthen one of the weakest defensive backfields in the AFL. Quarterback Jim Zorn will also be in the hot seat after a disappointing season in 1980 while rookie backup Neil Lomax could see playing time in 1981 if Zorn continues to struggle. The 1981 season will be Seattle's 6th season in the AFL, fans are growing restless for head coach Jack Patera to break this team through into the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Stadium: Tampa Stadium
Head Coach: Jim Hanifan
Notable Assistant Coaches: N/A
1980 Record: 1-15

Impact Players:
QB- #17 Dave Krieg
HB- #20 Billy Sims
WR- #85 Charlie Brown(R)
G- #73 Mark May(R)
DE- #88 Alan Page
OLB- #41 Phil Villapiano
OLB- #56 Rickey Jackson(R)

During the 5 years that the Buccaneers have been in the AFL they have been the worst disaster in the history of sports. Some blame the owner Hugh Culverhouse, some of his decisions set the team up with a losing culture right from the very beginning. The Bucs lost all 14 games in their inaugural 1976 season, then finished 1-13 for three years in a row from 1977 to 1979. Finally the Bucs' first head coach John McKay was fired after an 0-4 start to the 1980 season. Tampa would finish with interim head coach Wayne Fontes with a dismal 1-15 record.

A new era begins in Tampa Bay in 1981 after the hiring of new head coach Jim Hanifan. Hanifan was the longtime offensive line coach for Don Coryell during his days in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals before taking over the San Diego Chargers in the AFL in 1978. Hanifan was one of the most influential assistant coaches on Don Coryell's coaching staff that led the Chargers to the 1980 AFL title with a win in Super Bowl XV this past January.

One thing that thrilled Tampa fans in 1980 was rookie sensation running back Billy Sims, an electrifying runner that earned AFL Rookie Of The year award honors with over 1,300 rushing yards. Rookie quarterback Dave Krieg also toughed it out for 15 starts even though he took a beating week in and week out. A draft day trade by head coach Jim Hanifan set the Buccaneers up with talented rookies in Charlie Brown, Mark May, and Rickey Jackson in this year's draft. Linebacker Phil Villapaiano joins one of the all time greats Alan Page as a duo of championship caliber veterans. This 1981 season could finally be the season where this Tampa team wins some respect in the AFL.

I’m just glad you’re up to 16 game seasons. 14 isn’t enough and get outta here with that 17 nonsense.

1981



1981 AFL MVP: Dan Fouts(QB, San Diego Chargers), 4,890 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, 18 interceptions


1981 AFL Standings

AFL Eastern Division
Miami Dolphins 12-4
Baltimore Colts 10-6
New York Jets 9-7
Pittsburgh Steelers 8-8
New England Patriots 7-9
Buffalo Bills 7-9
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-11

AFL Western Division
San Diego Chargers 14-2
Cincinnati Bengals 13-3
Kansas City Chiefs 10-6
Cleveland Browns 7-9
Oakland Raiders 7-9
Houston Oilers 6-10
Seattle Seahawks 6-10
Denver Broncos 5-11


1981 AFL Playoffs


***Wild Card Round***


AFL Eastern Division Wildcard Playoff
vs
New York Jets 13 @ Baltimore Colts 9


AFL Western Division Wildcard Playoff
vs
Kansas City Chiefs 26 @ Cincinnati Bengals 20(OT)


***Division Title Round***


AFL Eastern Division Championship Game
vs
New York Jets 10 @ Miami Dolphins 21


AFL Western Division Championship Game
vs
Kansas City Chiefs 22 @ San Diego Chargers 51

---

vs
San Diego Chargers 34 vs Miami Dolphins 31(2OT)

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	OT	OT2	F
Chargers	14	10	0	7	0	3	34
Dolphins	0	0	21	10	0	0	31

Super Bowl XVI MVP:

Kellen Winslow(16 receptions, 171 yds, 2 TD, 1 blocked FG)

Super Bowl XVI will go down as one of the greatest games in all of AFL history. The game appeared to be another Chargers blowout as they jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead in the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit. Dolphins hero quarterback Doug Williams threw for 2 scores and ran for another to pull Miami to a 24-21 deficit in the third quarter. A Chargers fumble set Miami up for the game tying field goal early in the fourth to knot it all up at 24-24. Doug Williams and Dan Fouts dueled it out in one of the most thrilling fourth quarter showdowns in Super Bowl history as both men took turns leading their team on long suspenseful scoring drives. Dan Fouts connected with Kellen Winslow on two key 4th downs to keep their go ahead scoring drive alive, taking a 31-24 lead with just 1:41 left to play. Doug Williams took the Dolphins down the field to tie the game with a 13 yard screen pass to Joe Cribbs in the red zone.

The Dolphins and Chargers both suffered from fatigue of a fast pace fourth quarter as the game went into overtime tied up at 31-31. The Dolphins looked to have the game won when Doug Williams set Miami up for a 29 yard field goal with 6:44 left in the first overtime. Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow somehow miraculously managed to block the field goal to keep the Chargers alive. Dan Fouts took San Diego down into scoring range with just over 2 minutes left but he was intercepted at the 17 yard line. Super Bowl XVI would be the first ever to go into double overtime with the score still tied up at 31-31. San Diego took their opening drive of the second overtime and controlled the ball with Tony Dorsett on the ground. The Chargers managed to outlast the Dolphins in one of the greatest wars of attrition the league has ever seen, winning their 2nd consecutive AFL Super Bowl championship with a 41 yard field goal for the 34-31. Both Dan Fouts and Doug Williams threw for over 400 passing yards each. The game's MVP Kellen Winslow had to be carried off the field and treated after the game for exhaustion and dehydration. 

---

AFL '81: In The Air Tonight

There was something in the air in 1981. This is the year that MTV launched on the revolutionary new "Cable TV" medium, Space Shuttle Columbia took flight into space for the first time, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States, Indiana Jones hit the big screen with "Raiders Of The Lost Ark", and Phil Collins "In The Air Tonight" hit the radio airwaves. On the Gridiron the American Football League had a smash hit season that seen the football in the air more than ever, with the San Diego Super Chargers shattering offensive records all season. Dan Fouts would dominate the AFL and set new marks with 4,890 passing yards and 35 touchdown passes. Fouts was involved in a heated race for the AFL MVP title with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, an aging old gunslinger who many thought his best days were behind him. Anderson had an amazing comeback season with 3,822 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and an AFL leading 99.2 quarterback rating. The Chargers handled themselves in 1981 as the defending AFL Champions and they blazed a trail through the league en route to all new records for points scored and total yards in a single season. Fouts passed up Ken Anderson and led San Diego to a 1st place finish in the West with a 14-2 record. 

In the playoffs all eyes were on a showdown between Fouts vs Anderson in the Western Division Championship, but first Ken Anderson's Bengals had to get past the upstart Kansas City Chiefs coached by Marv Levy. In the Wild Card playoffs the Chiefs stunned the Bengals and a new hero was made when Chiefs' quarterback Joe Montana led a thrilling comeback victory in overtime. The Chiefs surprised everyone in 1981 as Montana and Walter Payton spearheaded a 10-6 run and a return to the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Kansas City went into San Diego hoping to keep their underdog cinderella season going in the Western Division Championship Game but Montana was knocked out of the game with a concussion by Chargers' defensive end Fred Dean in the second quarter. The Chargers keyed in on Walter Payton and Chiefs backup Steve Grogan had no chance to keep up with San Diego's loaded offense, the Chargers ran away with a blowout victory to make it to their 2nd consecutive Super Bowl. San Diego's win over the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVI solidifies their claim as one of the greatest teams in all of AFL history.  

The 1981 AFL season was full of it's surprises, both good and bad. Nobody expected the Cleveland Browns to finish with a losing record and miss the playoffs, but they did. Cleveland was hyped as one of the top contenders going into 1981 with one of the best quarterbacks in the AFL in Brian Sipe. Injuries plagued the Browns 1981 campaign and their star quarterback struggled to a 7-9 record. Nobody expected Bill Walsh's Cincinnati Bengals to dominate the AFL in 1981, but they did. The Bengals steamrolled everyone with the aging Ken Anderson proving everyone wrong by leading Cincy to a 13-3 finish. Nobody expected the upstart Kansas City Chiefs to bring Cincy's season to an end in Riverfront Stadium in the playoffs, but they did.

The Kansas City Chiefs grew into one of the toughest teams in the AFL through the course of the 1981 season as the arrival of rookie Ronnie Lott to the defense as brought a harder hitting edge than what the team has seen in recent years. Chiefs quarterback Joe Montana is one of the coolest there is, while running back Walter Payton is quite simply one of the all time greatest players in AFL history. Even though the Chiefs fell short against San Diego their upset over Bill Walsh's Bengals in the playoffs was a signature victory that put Kansas City on the map as one of the premier teams of the league going into 1982.

Nobody expected the Baltimore Colts to take 2nd place in the East on the back of a rookie runner George Rogers and arguably the hardest hitting, most physical defense in the league. The Colts benched their star quarterback Bert Jones for backup Ron Jaworski, who came in and shined to lead the Colts to a 10-6 record, their best since moving from the NFL to the AFL in 1978. Head coach Buddy Ryan put together one of the toughest defenses in the AFL with Harvey Martin, Steve Mcmichael, and Dan Hampton being joined by stellar rookies Mike Singletary and Dexter Manley. The Colts defense ranked 2nd in fewest total yard allowed while rookie running back George Rogers became an immediate sensation in Baltimore, going on to lead the NFL in rushing yards with 1,690.

Baltimore's dream season came to a nightmarish end, as they were upset at home in the Wild Card playoffs by a familiar old foe in the dreaded rival the New York Jets. The Jets vs Colts rivalry reached a new level in 1981 as the two teams destroyed each other in 2 brutal regular season games, with both teams splitting the series. In the third meeting in the Wild Card playoffs in Baltimore the New York Sack Exchange swallowed up Ron Jaworski and stuffed George Rogers to win a defensive stand off. Jets star quarterback Steve Bartkowski led the Jets back to the playoffs for the second consecutive season in 1981 this time taking the win in the Wild Card round to set up a rematch from the 1980 playoffs against their rivals in Miami. The Jets season came to an end at the hands of the hated Dolphins for the second year in a row as they were shut down in a muddy, rained out Orange Bowl in Miami in the Eastern Division Championship Game.

Nobody expected the Miami Dolphins to run away with the Eastern Division title in 1981, but that's what happened. All of the experts predicted 1981 to be a rebuilding year for the Dolphins, who lost veteran Bob Griese to retirement in the offseason. Backup Doug Williams took over the starting role for good in 1981 and put on an MVP caliber performance, leading the Dolphins to 1st place in the East with a 12-4 finish. The Dolphins powerful offensive line led by center Dwight Stephenson kept Williams protected in the pocket all season long, and blazed a trail for running back Joe Cribbs to finish with over 1,200 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. The Dolphins' "Killer B's" defense intercepted Jets quarterback Steve Bartkowski 4 times in the Eastern Division Championship Game to put the Dolphins back in the Super Bowl. Miami fell just short of victory in Super Bowl XVI but the game will live on in AFL history forever as one of the greatest ever played, the game many in the press have nicknamed "The Game Nobody Should Have Lost". Doug Williams self sacrificing heroic performance in Super Bowl XVI will go down as the greatest of any player to lose a Super Bowl, had the Dolphins been able to pull out the victory he would have surely been the game's MVP.

The biggest story of the AFL going into the 1981 season was the Oakland Raiders move to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The new Los Angeles Raiders seemed to be effected by the move early on in the season as they struggled to a 1-4 start. Then an earth shattering move was made just before the trade deadline when the Raiders traded a 4th round draft pick to the Houston Oilers for their bruising fullback John Riggins, aka "The Diesel". With Riggins joining the team in November the team came together through the course of the season with the emergence of rookie linebacker Lawrence Taylor fitting in with the Silver and Black like a hand in a glove. Taylor dominated down the stretch and single handedly changed the outcomes of games like few linebackers have ever done in AFL history. Taylor went on to earn AFL Defensive Player Of The Year honors in his rookie season. LT was joined by another impact rookie on defense in Howie Long, who along with Lester Hayes and Ted Hendricks led the defense to compensate for an aging offense to score big wins late in the season and finish with an 7-9 record.

Elsewhere around the AFL the defending Eastern Division Champion New England Patriots fell on hard times in 1981. A Super Bowl hangover struck the team as star quarterback Vince Ferragamo held out for the entire season in search of a new contract. Young starting quarterback Phil Simms wound end up missing 6 games with a wrist injury and the Patriots floundered to a 7-9 finish. The Houston Oilers kickstarted a new era under head coach Joe Gibbs but a holdout with their star co-MVP fullback John Riggins ended with the enigmatic veteran traded to the rival LA Raiders in week 6. Gibbs' attempt to evolve Houston into a passing team fell flat, but Earl Campbell ran for over 1,322 rushing yards behind a rejuvenated young offensive line. Houston struggled to an 0-6 start but got it together to win 7 of their last 10 games to finish 7-9. The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves left out of the postseason for the second consecutive year following their AFL Championship runs in 1978 and 1979. Pittsburgh struggled through key injuries to the defense as they got off to a 2-6 start before head coach Chuck Noll turned the team around to win 6 of their last 8 games to finish 8-8.

AFL Offseason News
February, March, April 1982

Donald Trump leads group that includes Kenny Rogers, Eddie Debartolo, John Bassett, Burt Reynolds and 4 former NFL owners to announce new USFL launch set for 1983

The AFL's time as America's lone major pro league in the Fall is coming to an end as a massive press conference was held at the Trump Taj Mahal in New Jersey to announce the formation of the all new USFL(United States Football League). All 8 of the league's teams were revealed in the press conference. Donald Trump led the press conference and was very critical of the AFL in recent years, saying that the league has become stale and boring and predictable. Trump also criticized key AFL figurehead Al Davis(LA Raiders owner) saying that he was a crook and should be investigated and locked up. Trump announced the new USFL would run head to head with games in the Fall season starting in 1983. The league is set to air games across 3 different cable television networks with a new contract for the 83 season.

The following 8 teams were revealed with their respective owners:

The New York-New Jersey Generals- Owned by New Jersey business mogul Donald Trump, who has positioned himself as the Al Davis of the USFL and spearheaded a movement to play the inaugural season head to head in the Fall with the 1983 AFL season.

San Antonio Gamblers- Owned by AIEG an investment business group based in San Antonio that includes minority owner and country music star Kenny Rogers(as well as his likeness used for the team's name, theme song, et al). The group also includes executive vice president chairman Jerry Jones, an oil mogul from Arkansas. The city of San Antonio also owns 5% of the team and has vowed to build a new 58,000 seat domed stadium for the team to be completed by the year 1989.

Florida Bandits- Owned by John Bassett with actor Burt Reynolds owning a minority share of the team.

San Francisco Sharks- Owned by Eddie Debartolo Jr, along with Trump and Bassett one of the key investors of the league.

Chicago Stallions- Owned by the George Halas, former owner of the NFL's Chicago Bears, one of the founding fathers of the defunct league.

Detroit Panthers- Owned by the Ford family, former owners of the NFL's Detroit Lions

St. Louis Knights- Owned by the Bidwill family, former owners of the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals.

Washington Sentinels- Owned by Jack Kente Cooke, former owner of the NFL's Washington Redskins.


Browns trade Lyle Alzado to LA Raiders

All Pro defensive lineman Lyle Alzado has been traded to the Los Angeles Raiders for a late round draft pick in the upcoming 1982 AFL Draft. Alzado was a dominant defensive lineman on the Super Bowl winning "Orange Crush" defense of the Denver Broncos. Lyle spent the last 3 seasons playing for the Cleveland Browns. Alzado's veteran experience will be valuable to the Raiders young defense starring Lawrence Taylor and Howie Long entering their sophomore seasons while Ted Hendricks, Matt Millen, and Lester Hayes will be returning to bolster what should be one of the best defensive units in the AFL in 1982. The Raiders have been making aggressive roster moves ever since the team relocated to Los Angeles last year, including a mid-season trade in 1981 that acquired former co-MVP fullback John Riggins from the Houston Oilers, as well as the signing of highly saught after free agent passer from the CFL Tommy Kramer.


"Mean" Joe Greene, Gene Upshaw, Curley Culp, Claude Humphrey lead class of 1982 retirements

The legendary Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle "Mean" Joe Greene has called it a career after 13 seasons in pro football(9 in the NFL and 4 in the AFL). Greene was one of the most dominant defensive players of all time, helping Pittsburgh win NFL Championships in 1972, 1974, and 1975. The Steelers transitioned to the AFL in 1976 where Greene continued his dominance, helping Pittsburgh become the only team to win league Championships in both the AFL and NFL when the Steelers won the AFL Super Bowl Title in 1978 and 1979. Other notable retirements this spring include longtime Oakland Raiders offensive lineman Gene Upshaw, former Oilers/Chiefs defensive lineman Curley Culp, San Diego Chargers defensive back Charlie Waters, Houston Oilers receiver Ken Burrough, Raiders defensive lineman John Matuszak, Jets pass rusher Claude Humphrey, and former Bills/Steelers offensive lineman Conrad Dobler.


AFL and Players Union agree to new collective bargaining agreement for 1982

The AFL inked a new 5 year collective bargaining agreement with the players union this Spring that includes improved retirement and health insurance benefits for retired players that played at least 4 years in the league. The new agreement runs through the 1986 season and shuts down any rumored rumblings of any kind of player strike for the upcoming 1982 season.


AFL Hall Of Fame Class Of '82 inductees revealed

The 1982 AFL Hall Of Fame class of inductees is headlined by the founder of the league and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt. Hunt will be joined in the Hall by his longtime head coach of the Chiefs, Super Bowl IV winning head coach Hank Stram. Other inductees include Super Bowl III winning head coach of the Jets Weeb Ewbank, former Raiders defensive lineman Tom Keating, and former Bills defensive lineman Tom Sestak.


Tracking assistant coaching changes around the AFL

The Seattle Seahawks signed Joe Vitt, former strength coach for the Baltimore Colts. Vitt will take on the roll of defensive quality control assistant.

The Cincinnati Bengals sign former New York Jets special teams assistant Romeo Crennell. Crennell will take the job as a special teams and defensive assistant.

AFL Offseason News
February 1982

Minnesota Bulls select Billy "White Shoes" Johnson with 1st pick in Expansion Draft

The all new AFL expansion Minnesota Bulls are set to make their debut in the league this 1982 season playing in the brand new state of the art Metrodome with legendary former NFL Championship winning head coach Bud Grant leading the team. This February the AFL set up the expansion draft to allow the Bulls to fill their roster with veterans from 13 of the 15 current AFL teams. The Seahawks and Buccaneers were exempt since they have only been in the league 5 seasons and both teams have struggled to be competitive since they joined the league as expansion teams in 1976.

Most of the picks in the draft were unknown veteran players from around the league but the Bulls did use their first pick to select one of the all time great return men in AFL history in Billy "White Shoes" Johnson. Johnson set an AFL record in 1975 with 4 returns for touchdowns(3 punt returns and 1 kickoff). White Shoes became a big star in Houston with the Oilers during their Luv Ya Blue era and the all time great hopes to rejuvenate his career in Minnesota. The Bulls only other real noteworthy selections in the Expansion Draft were linebacker Dewey Selmon from the Chiefs and offensive tackle Leon Gray from the Houston Oilers. Selmon was one of the anchors of the Chiefs defense for 5 seasons before suffering a knee injury that sidelined him for the entire 1981 season. Gray is arguably the biggest steal of the draft and has been one of the best linemen in the AFL for 9 years with the Patriots and Oilers. A 3 time All Pro, Gray was a Pro Bowler last season with Houston. 

The Bulls are set to get the 1st pick in the upcoming AFL draft this April live on ESPN and will launch as the 16th franchise, playing in the Western Division.

1982 AFL Draft

The AFL Draft continues to grow into a huge annual event as this year's player selection meeting airs live on ESPN from the Radio City Music Hall in New York. All eyes will be on the first ever draft pick of the new expansion Minnesota Bulls, who are on the clock with the 1st pick...

Notable first round picks:






With the 1st overall pick in the 1982 AFL Draft, the Minnesota Bulls select...

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Marcus Allen, Running Back(USC)

With the 3rd overall pick in the 1982 AFL draft the Denver Broncos select...

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Mike Munchak, Offensive Lineman(Penn State)

With the 4th overall pick in the 1982 AFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks select...

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Chip Banks, Linebacker(USC)

With the 6th overall pick in the 1982 AFL draft the New England Patriots select...

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Luis Sharpe, Offensive Lineman(UCLA)

With the 9th overall pick in the 1982 AFL draft the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select...

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Jim Mcmahon, Quarterback(BYU)

With the 10th overall pick in the 1982 AFL draft the Pittsburgh Steelers select...

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Gerald Riggs, Running Back(Arizona State)

With the 11th overall pick in the 1982 AFL draft the New York Jets select...

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Mike Quick, Wide Receiver(North Carolina State)

Notable Later Round Picks:

New England Patriots- Andre Tippett, Linebacker(Iowa)
Miami Dolphins- Mark Duper, Wide Receiver(Northwestern State)
Cleveland Browns- Morten Anderson, Kicker(Michigan State)
Baltimore Colts- Steve Jordan, Tight End(Brown)
Cincinnati Bengals- Bubba Paris()

Interested to see what you do with the USFL. My dad and other fans of offensive football would have been thrilled to see the Chargers win back to back Super Bowls. I like how you took inspiration from that famous Chargers/Dolphins playoff game. Next time please post the entire first round of the draft. I want to see the busts!

Nov 23, 2022 23:37:51 GMT Baker said:

Interested to see what you do with the USFL. My dad and other fans of offensive football would have been thrilled to see the Chargers win back to back Super Bowls. I like how you took inspiration from that famous Chargers/Dolphins playoff game. Next time please post the entire first round of the draft. I want to see the busts!

Yes sir I sure will, at least for the 83 draft. For the 1982 for the 2nd overall pick I had Tampa taking Kenneth Sims a defensive end(and had them taking Mcmahon with one of the picks they got from the Raiders trade in 81). Funny thing I just went to profootballreference and they just happened to have his picture up there where they have the random player pics. The Patriots took him 1st overall in the real life 82 draft, he played for them for 8 years but was injured for almost all of the 83, 86 and 88 seasons. His best season would be 85 he started 13 games and had 5 sacks the year the Pats went to the Super Bowl. Definitely not a notable player or an impact player but interesting, they passed over some pretty great players for him.