Historical project: 1974-

[3ric]

Career records

Category               Player               Record     Last Year
Games started          Glenn Ressler*	    160        1979 (tied with several)
Pass completions       Greg Cook            2,958      1979
Passing yards          Greg Cook*           38,303     1979
Passing touchdowns     Greg Cook*           249        1979
Rushing attempts       Willie Ellison       2,527      1979
Rushing yards          Willie Ellison*      10,792     1979
Rushing touchdowns     Willie Ellison*      105        1979
Receptions             Haven Moses*         794        1979
Receiving yards        Haven Moses*         12,360     1979
Receiving touchdowns   Charley Taylor*      74         1979
Interceptions          Paul Krause*         55         1979
Tackles                Isiah Robertson      968        1979
Sacks                  Claude Humphrey      87.5       1979
Field Goals            Errol Mann*          334        1979
Key Run Blocks         John Wilbur          345        1979
Targeted passes        Haven Moses*         1,443      1979
Passes defended        Willie Brown*        196        1979

Top performances

• 59 pass attempts by Steve DeBerg, MIN, vs GBY.
  
• 35 pass completions by Brian Sipe, CAR, vs NOS.
  
• 205 rushing yards by Josh Brown, HOU, vs NYJ.
  
• 16 tackles by Phil Croyle, CAR, vs TBY.
  
• 4.5 sacks by Steve Furness, TEN, vs BOS.
  
• 6 field goals by Chris Bahr, NOS, vs DAL.
  
• 8 key run blocks by John Wilbur, CHI, vs DET.
  
• 6 passes defended by Willie Brown, JAX, vs HOU.

1979 Awards List

  Award                                      Player                      Team  
Player of the Year                            Jim Plunkett                JAX    
Front Office Bowl MVP                         Dan Fouts                   WAS    
Offensive Player of the Year                  Jim Plunkett                JAX    
Defensive Player of the Year                  Steve Zabel                 GBY    
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  William Andrews             ATL    
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Carl McGee                  ATL    
All-League First-String Quarterback           Jim Plunkett                JAX    
All-League First-String Running Back          Willie Ellison              L.A    
All-League First-String Fullback              Oscar Reed                  MIN    
All-League First-String Tight End             Charlie Sanders             ATL    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver         John Stallworth             DEN    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver         Eddie Bell                  TEN    
All-League First-String Center                Bill Curry                  CHI    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard       John Wilbur                 CHI    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard       Woody Peoples               TEN    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Jerry Sisemore              TEN    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Doug France                 PIT    
All-League First-String Punter                Claude Hertz                BAL    
All-League First-String Kicker                Gino Cappelletti            CIN    
All-League First-String Defensive End         Randy White                 NOS    
All-League First-String Defensive End         Elois Grooms                PHI    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Gary Jeter                  L.A    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      John Mendenhall             GBY    
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker     Isiah Robertson             PHI    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Steve Zabel                 GBY    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Randy Gradishar             PIT    
All-League First-String Cornerback            Mel Blount                  NYJ    
All-League First-String Cornerback            Willie Brown                JAX    
All-League First-String Safety                Jake Scott                  MIA    
All-League First-String Safety                Paul Krause                 MIN    
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Roger Staubach              DAL    
All-League Second-String Running Back         Mercury Morris              MIA    
*All-League Second-String Fullback            Don Moorhead                TBY    
All-League Second-String Tight End            Todd Christensen            BOS    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Nat Moore                   SEA    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Duriel Harris               ATL    
All-League Second-String Center               Bob Johnson                 SFO    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Tom Rafferty                SEA    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Ernie Janes                 ATL    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     John Vella                  CIN    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     Sam Brunelli                MIA    
All-League Second-String Punter               Brett Flanigan              NOS    
All-League Second-String Kicker               Errol Mann                  OAK    
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Rodney Floyd                MIN    
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Derland Moore               KCY    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     Don Croft                   ATL    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     Rubin Carter                HOU    
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Tom Graham                  NYG    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Jack Ham                    SFO    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Mike Fulk                   CIN    
All-League Second-String Cornerback           Dave Brown                  BOS    
All-League Second-String Cornerback           Gary Green                  NYG    
All-League Second-String Safety               Rick Volk                   TEN    
All-League Second-String Safety               Mel Phillips                OAK   

[3ric]

Oh yeah, Joe Montana started 4 of the 6 games he played in and passed for 1031 yds and 8 TDs. But at the start of the 1980 season he looks a little worse than Simms...

[3ric]

1980 season

Notable names among the retirees:
OAK QB Jack Kemp, DET QB Billy Kilmer, MIA RB Mercury Morris, WAS RB Preston Pearson, DEN WR Bob Hayes, NYJ C Al Bemiller, MIA DT Manny Fernandez, ATL OLB Dan Hansen, CLE CB Mel Renfro.

In free agency we see QB Danny White getting a monster contract extension from Cleveland, for 6 yrs, $44.2 mil.
Others getting large contracts are SFO RB Delvin Williams, PHI WR Darryl Stingley, NO WR Stanley Morgan and MAR QB Archie Manning.

We renegotiate with T Andy Maurer, K Eric Robbins and C Lee Gross, but that's nowhere enough to free up enough cap room to field a whole team. More cuts coming. OLB Dominguez, T Galvez, TE Hill, S Major, ILB Martin, C Mauck, DT Roberson, WR Twilley, G Woods and T Washington all get the axe. We are in need of a cheap starter at offensive tackle going into free agency.

In the first week, we see signings such as WR John Stallworth accepting $21.84 mil to move from Denver to Miami! NYG Dt Doug English moves in the other direction, to Denver for $32 mil over 5 yrs. Denver also has an offer to keep Craig Morton, while the Giants does the same with Steve Spurrier. Cleveland tries to lure DET RB Archie Griffin to them.

In week 2, Cleveland gets Griffin and sets their target on the Saints' DE Randy White. Spurrier and Morton re-signs with their teams.

In week 6 we get our tackle in Marvin Montgomery, formerly of the New York Jets. We are his fifth team in five years. RB Otis Armstrong and OLB Randy Gradishar signs with Oakland. Finally Randy White signs - for San Francisco, snubbing Cleveland and New Orleans.

In week 20 we sign G Lynn Boden and QB Steve Grogan to help babysit Simms.

[3ric]

The 1980 college draft

1. Atlanta - Munoz, Anthony, T, USC
2. Buffalo - McMichael, Steve, DT, Texas
3. Kansas City - Greer, Curtis, DE, Michigan
4. Cleveland - Wolfley, Craig, G, Syracuse
5. Carolina - Cribbs, Joe, RB, Auburn
6. Chicago - Peterson, Kurt, G, Missouri
7. Kansas City - Acker, Bill, DT, Texas
8. Seattle - Brock, Stan, T, Colorado
9. Seattle - Steed, Lewis, DT, Louisiana State
10. New York J - Curry, Buddy, OLB, North Carolina
11. Detroit - Woodley, David, QB, Louisiana State
12. Philadelphia - Richardson, Al, ILB, Georgia Tech
13. Tampa Bay - Franks, Elvis, DE, Morgan State
14. Baltimore - Brantley, Scott, ILB, Florida
15. San Francisco - Stephenson, Dwight, C, Alabama
16. Minnesota - Lee, Mark, CB, Washington
17. San Diego - Hogeboom, Gary, QB, Central Michigan
18. Oakland - Sims, Billy, RB, Ohio State
19. Cleveland - Odom, Cliff, OLB, Mayville State
20. Houston - Carson, Carlos, WR, Louisiana State
21. San Francisco - Cumby, George, OLB, Oklahoma
22. Los Angeles - Irvin, Leroy, CB, Kansas
23. Jacksonville - Johnson, Henry, OLB, Georgia Tech
24. New Orleans - Young, Roynell, CB, Alcorn State
25. Green Bay - Harden, Mike, CB, Michigan
26. Denver - Wilson, Marc, QB, Brigham Young
27. Boston - Dietrich, Chris, T, North Carolina State
28. Seattle - Ray, Darrol, S, Oklahoma
29. Washington - Brunner, Scott, QB, Pittsburgh
30. Tennessee - Johnson, Johnnie, CB, Texas
31. Washington - Pankey, Irv, T, Penn State
32. Dallas - James, Roland, CB, Tennessee

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Elvis Franks, DE, Morgan State
Rnd 2 - Curtis Dickey, RB, Texas A&M
Rnd 3 - Dave Waymer, S, Notre Dame
Rnd 3 - Ricky Wright, FB, Oklahoma
Rnd 4 - Dennis Johnson, ILB, Southern California
Rnd 5 - Lenny Fitzgerald, TE, Texas Tech
Rnd 6 - Glen Keller, C, St. Olaf
Rnd 7 - Mike Davis, S, Colorado

Tony Dorsett was traded by Kansas City to Baltimore for a 1st-round pick (7th). FB Matt Suhey went in the 3rd round to Seattle. Art Monk went in the 5th round to Tennessee. Tunch Ilkin went to the Rams in round 3, and in the same round was Matt Millen drafted by the Packers.

[3ric]

Final roster:

 Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  
Simms, Phil            12  QB   2    39                75                5 yrs.  
Grogan, Steve          8   QB   6    33                52                3 yrs.  
Rose, J.D.             9   QB   2    14                44                1 yr.   
Riggins, John          28  RB   10   64                64                1 yr.   
Dickey, Curtis         40  RB   1    62                78                4 yrs.  
Terry, Barry           20  RB   2    50                63                2 yrs.  
Moorhead, Don          21  FB   10   60                60                2 yrs.  
Wright, Ricky          23  FB   1    50                78                4 yrs.  
Winslow, Kellen        83  TE   2    51                73                1 yr.   
Fitzgerald, Lenny      88  TE   1    23                51                3 yrs.  
Conley, Phil           89  FL   1    27                42                1 yr.   
Largent, Steve         87  SE   5    60                66                3 yrs.  
Jones, Calvin          82  SE   6    44                44                1 yr.
Upchurch, Rick         84  SE   6    50                50                2 yrs.  
Brock, John            86  SE   2    30                44                2 yrs.  
Hines, Andre           74  LT   1    20                34                1 yr.   
Boden, Lynn            62  LG   6    58                82                4 yrs.  
McElroy, Corwin        72  LG   9    54                54                2 yrs.  
Gross, Lee             50  C    6    57                66                3 yrs.  
Keller, Glen           59  C    1    20                48                3 yrs.  
Wysock, Joe            76  RG   6    63                63                4 yrs.  
Maurer, Andy           75  RT   12   64                64                3 yrs.  
Montgomery, Marvin     71  RT   10   50                51                2 yrs.  
Rogers, Paul           19  P    10   82                82                1 yr.   
Robbins, Eric          5   K    6    54                54                3 yrs.  
Hicks, Sylvester       73  LDE  3    24                32                1 yr.   
Gammon, Marcus         77  LDT  8    64                64                3 yrs.  
Wilson, Timothy        70  LDT  1    25                27                1 yr.   
Smith, Paul            97  RDT  13   49                50                2 yrs.  
White, James           98  RDT  2    19                34                1 yr.   
Dean, Fred             93  RDE  6    80                80                1 yr.   
Franks, Elvis          78  RDE  1    41                69                6 yrs.  
House, Greg            79  RDE  2    22                45                1 yr.   
Spearman, Clint        55  SLB  8    54                54                4 yrs.  
Kohrs, Bob             91  SLB  1    35                65                1 yr.   
Wilson, Otis           94  SILB 1    35                61                1 yr.   
Slutzker, Ray          54  MLB  3    54                62                1 yr.   
Johnson, Dennis        95  MLB  1    35                64                3 yrs.  
Van Pelt, Brad         99  WILB 8    83                85                3 yrs.  
Dorris, Andy           92  WLB  8    75                75                3 yrs.  
Sullivan, John         53  WLB  2    39                64                3 yrs.  
Davis, Oliver          25  LCB  4    75                75                3 yrs.  
Simpson, Bill          46  LCB  7    61                61                2 yrs.  
McIntyre, Pete         26  LCB  2    28                51                3 yrs.  
Rocha, Rob             38  LCB  1    15                42                1 yr.   
Stokes, T.J.           47  RCB  3    32                39                3 yrs.  
Thomas, Ike            27  SS   10   72                72                2 yrs.  
Waymer, Dave           30  SS   1    36                67                4 yrs.  
Stokes, Ed             33  SS   1    22                45                1 yr.   
Davis, Mike            45  SS   1    19                47                2 yrs.  
Harris, John           22  FS   3    64                64                3 yrs.  

[3ric]

Season Review

We ended the 1980 season with a 6-10 result, a one-win improvement from last season despite losing four straight games in December. Carolina won the NFC South for the first time with a 11-5 record, with New Orleans on second place at 8-8. Atlanta was dead last with only 4 wins.

The Super Bowl this year featured last year's winner, the Cincinnati Bengals, versus the 1972 winner, the Green Bay Packers. The signal callers share the distinction of being in their first year with their team, and by having played for the Packers. But while the Bengals' Mike Boryla is starting in place of injured Greg Cook, the Packers' Dan Fouts starts in his second consecutive final as he was with Washington last year.

The game turns into a real thriller, with the score tied 27-27 at the end of the game, forcing overtime. The Packers win the coin toss in the fifth period and elects to recieve. They get good field position from a 35-yd kick return and gain 15, 15 and 7 yds before Fouts finishes the game with an 18-yd TD strike to Skip Rudoff. Fouts became Super Bowl MVP with 362 yds passing and 4 TDs. The Bengals' Lynn Swann caught 7 passes for 167 yds and Rudoff caught 10 passes for 162 yds.

1980 Summary for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
   
Record: 6-10
Winning Pct.: .375
   
Tampa Bay Buccaneers    Team      Rank  
Rushes                  478       6           
Rushing Yards           1876      14          
Yards Per Carry         3.92      19          
Pass Attempts           538       24          
Completions             323       19          
Passing Yards           2967      29          
Yards Per Attempt       5.51      29          
3rd Down Conversions    30.9      28 (T)      
Points Per Game         18.3      25          
Turnovers               29        18 (T)      
Turnover Margin         +2        14 (T)      
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes                  395       5           
Rushing Yards           1536      5           
Yards Per Carry         3.88      10          
Pass Attempts           554       11          
Completions             297       2 (T)       
Passing Yards           2936      1           
Yards Per Attempt       5.29      1           
3rd Down Conversions    27.2      1           
Points Per Game         16.1      2           
Turnovers               31        8 (T)       
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     42    ATL           3       
2     21    at KCY        3       
3     7     at MIN        34      
4     10    STL           13      
5     9     SFO           17      
6     29    at L.A        0       
8     13    at SEA        16      
9     3     NOS           18      
10    19    at ATL        7       
11    9     CAR           17      
12    44    SDO           27      
13    35    WAS           13      
14    27    at DEN        33      
15    9     at CAR        30      
16    7     OAK           10      
17    10    at NOS        17      
   
Passing             Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int  
8 Grogan            QB    305   187   1766  5.79  10    9       
12 Simms            QB    232   135   1194  5.14  4     9       
**Team              ---   538   323   2967  5.51  14    18      
   
Rushing             Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD  
28 Riggins          RB    271   1079  3.98  4       
40 Dickey           RB    155   600   3.87  5       
**Team              ---   478   1876  3.92  9       
   
Receiving           Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC   TD  
84 Upchurch         WR    105   54    634   11.7  57    2       
21 Moorhead         FB    92    73    354   4.8   201   0       
87 Largent          WR    67    33    380   11.5  52    4       
89 Conley           WR    59    34    491   14.4  36    4       
82 Jones            WR    47    26    300   11.5  23    1       
40 Dickey           RB    42    29    193   6.6   67    1       
28 Riggins          RB    37    20    176   8.8   81    1       
88 Fitzgerald       TE    34    20    156   7.8   39    1       
23 Wright           FB    24    16    131   8.1   38    0       
**Team              ---   537   323   2967  9.1   623   14      
   
Defense             Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  
92 Dorris           OLB   80    28    4.0   3     2     4       
99 Van Pelt         ILB   80    32    1.0   0     2     7       
22 Harris           S     80    22    0.0   1     6     15      
27 Thomas           S     74    31    0.0   2     4     18      
55 Spearman         OLB   61    15    3.0   1     1     8       
25 Davis            CB    61    14    1.0   1     2     16      
46 Simpson          CB    35    7     2.0   1     2     19      
97 Smith            DT    34    15    4.5   13    0     0       
47 Stokes           CB    33    9     0.0   0     1     6       
78 Franks           DE    28    17    14.0  10    0     0       
93 Dean             DE    25    8     7.5   7     0     0       
30 Waymer           S     22    5     0.0   1     3     0       
53 Sullivan         OLB   18    3     1.0   1     0     3       
**Team              ---   799   223   44.0  58    23    101     

Simms showed some improvement this year, but apparently still goes through some growing pains.

[3ric]

Individual statistics

Dan Fouts led the league in passing efficiency with a 101.3 rating, and Steve Spurrier passed for the most yardage. Greg Cook had the most TDs and Detroit's David Woodley was the top rookie passer with 2078 yds and 8 TDs in 10 starts.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Att  Cmp  Pct   Yards Avg   Lg  TD   Int  
Fouts, Dan            QB  GBY   15 15 489  320  65.4  4134  8.45  90  24   8      
Cook, Greg            QB  CIN   16 16 497  312  62.7  4069  8.18  68  35   15     
Staubach, Roger       QB  DAL   15 15 470  286  60.8  3675  7.81  83  28   10     
Spurrier, Steve       QB  NYG   16 16 571  364  63.7  4446  7.78  55  33   15     
Phipps, Mike          QB  STL   16 16 541  341  63.0  4085  7.55  56  24   7      
Hart, Leo             QB  NYJ   13 13 349  235  67.3  2321  6.65  41  18   10     
Ferguson, Joe         QB  HOU   16 16 516  336  65.1  3355  6.50  47  23   10     
Richardson, Levon     QB  CLE   12 11 356  233  65.4  2632  7.39  80  13   12     
Nielsen, Horse Belly  QB  CAR   10 5  295  178  60.3  1820  6.16  51  13   6      
Sipe, Brian           QB  CAR   11 11 276  161  58.3  1998  7.23  58  10   7      

Dallas' Tyler led the league in rushing, and Green Bay's Ivery had the most rushing TDs. The top rookie runner was the Dolphins' Tim Newsome, who ran for 744 yds and won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Ivery's 5.8 rushing average is the second highest ever.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Att  Yards Avg   Lg  TD  
Tyler, Wendell        RB  DAL   16 16 309  1488  4.8   51  6      
Wolfe, Cole           RB  CIN   16 15 269  1243  4.6   59  5      
Reed, Tony            RB  CHI   16 16 239  1234  5.1   56  8      
Van Eeghen, Mark      RB  CAR   16 16 268  1229  4.5   56  7      
Gaines, Lawrence      RB  STL   15 13 294  1226  4.1   72  9      
Ivery, Eddie          RB  GBY   15 15 204  1199  5.8   55  12     
Simpson, OJ           RB  BUF   16 16 295  1097  3.7   41  4      
**Riggins, John       RB  TBY   16 16 271  1079  3.9   47  4      
Muncie, Chuck         RB  SDO   16 16 207  1064  5.1   47  7      
Griffin, Archie       RB  CLE   16 16 251  1011  4.0   54  6      

[3ric]

The 49ers' Washington led the league in catches, but Seattle's Moore had the most yardage and the most TDs (together with Swann and Cincinnati's Hill). The top rookie receiver was Dallas' Dale Hempstead with 39 catches for 535 yds and 6 TDs.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Targ Ctch Yards Avg   YAC   Lg   TD  
Moore, Nat            WR  SEA   16 16 184  86   1571  18.2  229   49   12     
Swann, Lynn           WR  CIN   13 13 136  82   1475  17.9  352   68   12     
Johnson, Billy        WR  STL   16 15 143  81   1386  17.1  273   56   8      
Marshall, Henry       WR  PHI   16 15 136  80   1342  16.7  326   89   6      
Washington, Gene      WR  SFO   16 16 167  93   1289  13.8  197   81   8      
Lofton, James         WR  MIN   12 11 141  84   1226  14.5  260   38   8      
Rudoff, Skip          WR  GBY   13 12 106  68   1220  17.9  257   75   9      
Medsker, Neal         WR  KCY   16 16 148  90   1176  13.0  127   55   4      
Curtis, Isaac         WR  NYG   16 16 115  66   1174  17.7  194   55   7      
Stallworth, John      WR  MIA   16 15 153  82   1160  14.1  208   48   3      

The Rams' Haynes had a great season as a returner, finishing second in punt return average and first in kick return average.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS PR   Yards Avg   TD  KR   Yards Avg   TD  
Ford, Charles         CB  WAS   16 16 33   504   15.2  1   0    0     0.0   0     
Haynes, Mike          CB  L.A   16 16 26   338   13.0  0   39   1448  37.1  2     
Natale, Tyrus         WR  CLE   15 10 26   335   12.8  1   1    23    23.0  0     
Baxter, Percy         CB  TEN   16 16 22   262   11.9  1   0    0     0.0   0     
Darden, Thomas        CB  CAR   16 16 36   419   11.6  0   22   588   26.7  0     
 
  Player              Pos Team  GP GS PR   Yards Avg   TD  KR   Yards Avg   TD  
Haynes, Mike          CB  L.A   16 16 26   338   13.0  0   39   1448  37.1  2     
Hicks, Thomas         WR  GBY   16 14 13   102   7.8   0   33   1070  32.4  1     
Meadows, Harry        CB  DEN   16 1  0    0     0.0   0   25   803   32.1  2     
Connell, Rod          CB  NOS   16 5  0    0     0.0   0   36   1037  28.8  0     
Johnson, Billy        WR  STL   16 15 16   159   9.9   0   32   916   28.6  0     

[3ric]

The Redskins' Breunig led the league in both tackles and assists. Tampa's Franks didn't win defensive rookie of the year despite having 14 sacks his first year. Instead, the award went to Buffalo ILB Johnny Bartoszewicz, who wasn't drafted, but got to start 16 games and record 68 tackles, 30 assists and 3 sacks.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Tckl Asst Sack Blkd Hurr  
Breunig, Bob          ILB WAS   16 13 130  49   7.5  3    4      
Huff, Marty           ILB MIN   16 14 127  42   1.0  0    0      
Owens, Brig           S   WAS   16 16 115  41   0.0  0    0      
Thompson, Wilton      S   NYG   16 16 115  35   0.0  2    2      
Robertson, Isiah      ILB PHI   16 15 113  40   1.0  3    6      
Ellis, Allan          S   BUF   16 16 112  36   2.0  0    0      
Weger, Mike           S   CHI   16 16 111  30   3.0  1    0      
Ham, Jack             OLB SFO   15 15 111  34   1.0  1    4      
Gordon, Larry         OLB ATL   16 16 110  39   6.5  2    3      
Graham, Tom           ILB NYG   16 16 110  39   3.5  0    4      
 
  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Tckl Asst Sack Blkd Hurr  
Edwards, Eddie        DE  MAR   16 16 63   15   15.0 8    23     
Orvis, Herb           DE  CIN   15 15 54   15   15.0 6    16     
**Franks, Elvis       DE  TBY   16 15 28   17   14.0 6    10     
Mitchell, Mack        DE  ATL   14 14 51   19   12.5 7    15     
Mullaney, Mark        DE  JAX   15 15 31   14   12.5 6    28    

Miami's Jake Scott led the league in defended passes with 28 in addition to have 6 interceptions, only three fewer than leader Thompson. The top rookie in this category was Minnesota's safety Lance Greene, who had 5 picks for 70 yds.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Ints IRYd TD   Defn Cght PPly PDPct  
Thompson, Wilton      S   NYG   16 16 9    195  1    16   28   546   22.0   
Jenkins, Keith        CB  PIT   16 6  9    173  1    3    21   273   21.9   
Darden, Thomas        CB  CAR   16 16 8    123  1    20   51   575   20.9   
Lambert, Jack         ILB HOU   16 16 7    146  1    12   42   474   20.4   
Bradley, Bill         CB  CLE   16 16 7    113  2    10   43   497   20.1   
Foley, Steve          S   STL   16 16 7    94   0    17   47   595   20.6   
Jackson, Tom          OLB PIT   9  9  6    152  1    12   31   265   21.6   
Myers, Tom            CB  BOS   16 16 6    139  2    10   39   560   20.1   
Villapiano, Phil      OLB NYJ   15 15 6    128  2    9    45   516   19.8   
**Harris, John        S   TBY   16 16 6    118  1    15   33   538   21.0   

[3ric]

Career records

Category               Player               Record     Last Year
Games started          Glenn Ressler*	    176        1980 (tied with several)
Pass completions       Greg Cook*           3,270      1980
Passing yards          Greg Cook*           42,372     1980
Passing touchdowns     Greg Cook*           284        1980
Rushing attempts       Willie Ellison*      2,767      1980
Rushing yards          Willie Ellison*      11,744     1980
Rushing touchdowns     Willie Ellison*      112        1980
Receptions             Haven Moses*         868        1980
Receiving yards        Haven Moses*         13,437     1980
Receiving touchdowns   Gene Washington      74         1980
Interceptions          Paul Krause*         57         1980
Tackles                Isiah Robertson*     1081       1980
Sacks                  Cedric Hardman       95         1980
Field Goals            Errol Mann*          361        1980
Key Run Blocks         Rufus Mayes          372        1980
Targeted passes        Haven Moses*         1,575      1980
Passes defended        Willie Brown*        219        1980

Top performances

• 63 pass attempts by Karl Sweetan, BOS, vs MIA.
  
• 39 pass completions by Karl Sweetan, BOS, vs MIA.
  
• 488 passing yards by Dan Fouts, GB, vs CHI.
  
• 38 rushing attempts by Kendall Marble, NYJ, vs BOS.
  
• 233 receiving yards by Skip Rudoff, GB, vs MIN.
  
• 5 sacks by Mike Barnes, MAR, vs SD.
  
• 6 FGs by Jack Simczak, CLE, Tim Mazzetti, ATL, and Travis Rodriguez, CAR.
  
• 9 key run blocks by Grant Evans, JAX, vs HOU.
  
• 24 targeted passes by Geoff Hayes, DET, vs HOU.
  
• 7 passes defended by Jake Scott, MIA, vs SD.
  

1980 Awards list

   Award                                      Player                      Team  
Player of the Year                            Steve Spurrier              NYG    
Front Office Bowl MVP                         Dan Fouts                   GBY    
Offensive Player of the Year                  Steve Spurrier              NYG    
Defensive Player of the Year                  Bob Breunig                 WAS    
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Tim Newsome                 MIA    
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Johnny Bartoszewicz         BUF    
All-League First-String Quarterback           Steve Spurrier              NYG    
All-League First-String Running Back          Wendell Tyler               DAL    
All-League First-String Fullback              John Cappelletti            MIA    
All-League First-String Tight End             Todd Christensen            BOS    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver         Nat Moore                   SEA    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver         Lynn Swann                  CIN    
All-League First-String Center                Carl Mauck                  GBY    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard       Herb Scott                  DAL    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard       Wes Hamilton                CIN    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Charlie Getty               BOS    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Jerry Sisemore              TEN    
All-League First-String Punter                Bob Parsons                 ATL    
All-League First-String Kicker                Pete Gogolak                MIA    
All-League First-String Defensive End         Eddie Edwards               MAR    
All-League First-String Defensive End         Herb Orvis                  CIN    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Mean Joe Greene             SDO    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Tommy Gay                   NYJ    
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker     Bob Breunig                 WAS    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Phil Villapiano             NYJ    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Hacksaw Reynolds            L.A    
All-League First-String Cornerback            Thomas Darden               CAR    
All-League First-String Cornerback            Jack Tatum                  TEN    
All-League First-String Safety                Wilton Thompson             NYG    
All-League First-String Safety                Jake Scott                  MIA    
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Greg Cook                   CIN    
All-League Second-String Running Back         Mark Van Eeghen             CAR    
All-League Second-String Fullback             Marv Hubbard                PIT    
All-League Second-String Tight End            Emery Moorehead             HOU    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Billy Johnson               STL    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Gene Washington             SFO    
All-League Second-String Center               Kyle Davis                  HOU    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Joe Fields                  NYJ    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Walt Sweeney                CAR    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     Jon Kolb                    PIT    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     Lionel Antoine              GBY    
All-League Second-String Punter               Ray Guy                     SFO    
All-League Second-String Kicker               Jack Simczak                CLE    
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Mack Mitchell               ATL    
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Randy Holloway              CLE    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     Gary Johnson                GBY    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     Gary Jeter                  L.A    
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Jack Lambert                HOU    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Jonathan Schaefer           SEA    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Larry Gordon                ATL    
All-League Second-String Cornerback           Tim Foley                   CAR    
All-League Second-String Cornerback           Skip Thomas                 KCY    
All-League Second-String Safety               Dick Anderson               SDO    
All-League Second-String Safety               Mike Weger                  CHI    

[3ric]

1981 season

Notable names among the retirees:
L.A G Glenn Ressler, CLE S Karl Kassulke, SEA S Paul Krause, L.A RB Willie Ellison, DET G Gene Upshaw, PIT RB Don McCauley.

In the first week of free agency, we cut John Riggins. It was a difficult decision as he's been with the team for 10 years, but I can't justify the cost as he would have been a $3 mil backup to Curtis Dickey this season. Dickey is in his second year and has three years left on his contract. The money freed was used to re-sign TE Kellen Winslow.

Quarterback-for-hire Dan Fouts signs with Chicago for 5 years, $52 mil, and Joe Profit moves from Denver back into the NFC South as he goes to Atlanta for 2 years, $5.6 mil. We sign T Darryl Carlton from Houston for 4 years, $15 mil. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson is offered $32 mil to stay with St. Louis.

The Packers are after Houston's QB Joe Ferguson, while Cincinnati looks to retain old reliable Greg Cook. We sign away Miami WR Billy Brooks for 3 years, $3.5 mil. L.A has offered utility man Jim Jensen a contract. Jensen wasn't drafted, but proved so valuable for San Diego he's been in the league for five years. Cornerback Nolan Cromwell signs with the Packers for 3 yrs, $9.7 mil.

Joe Ferguson signed with the Packers for $17 mil, four years, with the last year being voidable if he exceeds 3000 yds passing in his third year. TE Dave Casper signed with Buffalo and 14-yr veteran WR Haven Moses consider a four-year offer from St. Louis. The career receiving leader is still in great shape, but the deal never close, and Moses eventually signs with Houston for 2 yrs, $6.5 mil.

[3ric]

Looking at the draft preview, I'm almost beside myself seeing Lawrence Taylor rated as the no. 1 prospect in the entire draft. RB James Brooks, S Kenny Easley and DT Howie Long are almost as good, however. The second tier of blue-chippers has names such as Ronnie Lott and George Rogers.

The 1981 college draft

1. Washington - Brooks, James, RB, Auburn
2. Atlanta - Green, Curtis, DE, Alabama
3. Maryland - Bailey, Edwin, G, South Carolina
4. Detroit - Rogers, George, RB, South Carolina
5. Buffalo - Lanier, Ken, T, Florida State
6. Los Angeles - Irwin, Tim, T, Tennessee
7. San Diego - Wright, Eric, CB, Missouri
8. Seattle - Sanders, Eric, T, Nevada
9. Miami - Long, Howie, DT, Villanova
10. Tampa Bay - Simmons, Ron, DT, Florida State
11. Chicago - Gary, Keith, DE, Oklahoma
12. Dallas - Van Horne, Keith, T, Southern California
13. Philadelphia - Holloway, Brian, T, Stanford
14. Oakland - Easley, Kenny, S, UCLA
15. Buffalo - Blackmon, Don, OLB, Tulsa
16. St. Louis - Lott, Ronnie, S, Southern California
17. Philadelphia - Shula, Nick, DE, Texas Tech
18. Pittsburgh - Delaney, Joe, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette
19. Cleveland - Farrell, Warren, T, Utah
20. Jacksonville - Monty, Conrad, DT, New Mexico State
21. Houston - McGill, Kevin, T, Oregon
22. Los Angeles - Mitchell, Leonard, DE, Houston
23. Boston - Goricki, Nolan, RB, Auburn
24. Minnesota - Meisner, Greg, DT, Pittsburgh
25. Denver - Taylor, Lawrence, ILB, North Carolina
26. St. Louis - Thomson, Corey, T, Pittsburgh
27. Carolina - Finley, Scottie, DE, Arizona
28. New York G - Junior, A.J., ILB, Alabama
29. Jacksonville - Williamson, Carlton, CB, Pittsburgh
30. New York J - Wilson, Wade, QB, Small College
31. Carolina - Evans, Grant, C, Memphis
32. Green Bay - Boyarsky, Jerry, DT, Pittsburgh

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Ron Simmons, DT, Florida State
Rnd 2 - Mike Singletary, ILB, Baylor
Rnd 3 - Dexter Manley, DE, Oklahoma State
Rnd 4 - Stump Mitchell, RB, Small College
Rnd 5 - Skip Gaddy, ILB, Akron
Rnd 6 - Vince Griffith, C, San Jose State
Rnd 7 - Leslie Petoskey, CB, Syracuse

[3ric]

The list of the starting QB, RB and WRs from each team:

ATL - QB Matt Cavanaugh, RB Joe Profit, WR *Otto Stowe, Pat Lovejoy
BAL - QB James Keith, RB *Greg Pruitt, WR *Glenn Doughty, *Ray Jarvis
BOS - QB Steve Ramsey, RB Richie Blunt, WR *Sam Dickerson, Howard Sellers
BUF - QB *Kenny Stabler, RB Cole Wolfe, WR Ron Cassidy, Rod Parker
CAR - QB Brian Sipe, RB Mark Van Eeghen, WR *Dan Abramowicz, *James Roy Jackson
CHI - QB Dan Fouts, RB Tony Reed, WR Pat Tilley, Dwight Clark
CIN - QB *Greg Cook, RB Louis Carter, WR *Lynn Swann, Tony Hill
CLE - QB *Danny White, RB Archie Griffin, WR *Don Herrmann, Wes Chandler
DAL - QB *Roger Staubach, RB Wendell Tyler, WR Martin Kripper, Dale Hempstead
DEN - QB *Craig Morton, RB Mike Adamle, WR Skip Rudoff, Stan Brown
DET - QB David Woodley, RB Don Hardeman, WR *Ahmad Rashad, *Eddie Hall
GB -  QB Joe Ferguson, RB Eddie Ivery, WR *Al Marshall, Reggie Rucker
HOU - QB Steve DeBerg, RB Mike Pruitt, WR Haven Moses, *Ken Burroughs
JAX - QB *Jim Plunkett, RB *Leon Burns, WR Bo Casey, Calvin Jones
KCY - QB Al Devine, RB Bob Clemons, WR *Rocky Thompson, Neal Medsker
L.A - QB A.J. Curtis, RB Lawrence Gaines, WR *Paul Staroba, *Harold Jackson
MAR - QB *Archie Manning, RB Ottis Anderson, WR Emmitt Williams, Leon Givens
MIA - QB *Bob Griese, RB Kendall Tate, WR Arnold Nowlin, John Stallworth
MIN - QB Van Joseph, RB *Sam Cunningham, WR *Frank Lewis, James Lofton
N.O - QB Gary Daye, RB *Lydell Mitchell, WR Stanley Morgan, Tyrone Ayers
NYG - QB *Steve Spurrier, RB John Riggins, WR Ernest Gray, *Jerome Barkum
NYJ - QB *Joe Namath, RB Kendall Marble, WR Bob Wilcox, Byron Franklin
OAK - QB Jerald Ogden, RB *Franco Harris, WR *J.D Hill, Dave Stone
PHI - QB Pete Woods, RB Don Woods, WR *Darryl Stingley, *Cliff Branch
PIT - QB Mark Miller, RB Leon Crosswhite, WR *Golden Richards, Thomas Hicks
S.D - QB Jeremy Gilmore, RB Chuck Muncie, WR *Charlie Joiner, Jerry Butler
S.F - QB *Mike Livingston, RB *Delvin Williams, WR Teddy Reese, Winfred Sharper
SEA - QB Pat Ryan, RB Elvis Peacock, WR *Nat Moore, Ray Williams
STL - QB Percy Bridges, RB *Leo Hayden, WR *Mel Gray, *Billy "White Shoes" Johnson
T.B - QB Phil Simms, RB Curtis Dickey, WR Billy Brooks, Steve Largent
TEN - QB Dennis Morrison, RB Allen Carter, WR Randall Gangi, Willie Trese
WAS - QB Terry Bradshaw, RB *Chuck Foreman, WR Geoff Hayes, Keith Wright

* = remaining starter since 1978

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roster, Scout Overview
   
  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  
$$Simms, Phil           12  QB   3    45                70                4 yrs.  
Grogan, Steve           8   QB   7    38                51                2 yrs.  
Kersey, Hunter          5   QB   3    22                44                1 yr.   
$$Dickey, Curtis        40  RB   2    67                78                3 yrs.  
Mitchell, Stump         31  RB   1    55                70                2 yrs.  
Terry, Barry            20  RB   3    47                52                1 yr.   
Wright, Ricky           23  FB   2    55                77                3 yrs.  
$$Moorhead, Don         21  FB   11   54                54                1 yr.   
$$Winslow, Kellen       83  TE   3    58                74                3 yrs.  
Fitzgerald, Lenny       88  TE   2    28                46                2 yrs.  
Wilson, Mike            85  FL   1    26                43                1 yr.   
$$Largent, Steve        87  SE   6    65                66                3 yrs.  
Upchurch, Rick          84  SE   7    50                50                1 yr.   
$$Brooks, Billy         81  SE   6    49                49                3 yrs.  
Brock, John             86  SE   3    32                41                1 yr.   
Serrano, Harvey         60  LT   1    21                57                1 yr.   
##Jennings, Arnold      71  LT   1    16                50                1 yr.   
Boden, Lynn             62  LG   7    63                82                3 yrs.  
$$McElroy, Corwin       72  LG   10   51                51                1 yr.   
$$Gross, Lee            50  C    7    68                68                2 yrs.  
Griffith, Vince         52  C    1    17                56                3 yrs.  
$$Wysock, Joe           76  RG   7    63                63                3 yrs.  
$$Carlton, Darryl       69  RT   7    74                74                4 yrs.  
$$Maurer, Andy          75  RT   13   68                68                2 yrs.  
Michel, Mike            2   P    5    69                69                4 yrs.  
Bridges, Gary           7   K    2    46                60                4 yrs.  
$$Franks, Elvis         78  LDE  2    45                63                5 yrs.  
Manley, Dexter          70  LDE  1    44                66                4 yrs.  
##Jacome, Kyle          90  LDE  1    14                42                1 yr.   
$$Gammon, Marcus        77  LDT  9    65                65                3 yrs.  
Simmons, Ron            96  LDT  1    49                78                6 yrs.  
$$Smith, Paul           97  RDT  14   47                48                1 yr.   
$$Dean, Fred            93  RDE  7    80                80                1 yr.   
$$Spearman, Clint       55  SLB  9    53                53                3 yrs.  
Singletary, Mike        57  MLB  1    40                73                3 yrs.  
Johnson, Dennis         95  MLB  2    38                63                2 yrs.  
Withers, Winston        58  MLB  1    25                56                1 yr.   
$$Van Pelt, Brad        99  WILB 9    83                85                2 yrs.  
##Gaddy, Skip           56  WILB 1    28                61                3 yrs.  
$$Dorris, Andy          92  WLB  9    66                66                3 yrs.  
Sullivan, John          53  WLB  3    41                50                2 yrs.  
$$Davis, Oliver         25  LCB  5    76                76                2 yrs.  
Simpson, Bill           46  LCB  8    62                62                1 yr.   
McIntyre, Pete          26  LCB  3    29                46                2 yrs.  
$$Stokes, T.J.          47  RCB  4    38                38                2 yrs.  
##Petoskey, Leslie      37  RCB  1    14                45                2 yrs.  
$$Thomas, Ike           27  SS   11   72                72                3 yrs.  
Waymer, Dave            30  SS   2    45                67                3 yrs.  
Davis, Mike             45  SS   2    21                44                1 yr.   
$$Harris, John          22  FS   4    76                76                2 yrs.  
   
$$ - player is in starting lineup, ## - player is inactive.  

[JeeberD]

You better keep an eye on Dexter (and the teams pharmacutical supply)...

[3ric]

LOL! He just might go down with the dreaded "tobacco withdrawal syndrome" at some time...

[3ric]

Finally we came back to a winning form after some lean years following Ken Anderson's retirement. Phil Simms, Curtis Dickey and Steve Largent provided enough firepower on offense, but this team's strength is the league's no. 1 ranked defense, who allowed only 86.6 rushing yds and 180.2 passing yds per game, both the league's best.

This helped us to a 13-3 record and the division title by a margin of four games over 9-7 Carolina, with 5-11 Atlanta at 3rd place and 3-12-1 New Orleans last. After the first-round bye, we get rivals Carolina in the Conference semifinals. We beat them at home in week 1 24-16 but fell 23-29 at their place in week 11.

We are favored in this game by an 11-point spread, but have some injury problems with both Largent and defensive end Fred Dean out for the season. The Panthers have QB Brian Sipe, RB Mark Van Eeghen and a very good pair of cornerbacks in Thomas Darden and Tim Foley.

As it turn out, we hold them to only two field goals and score 20 points on them, mainly through touchdowns by Curtis Dickey and Kellen Winslow. Dickey ran 42 times for 170 yds, but Simms suffered a torn rotator cuff and is out for the season. Chicago won the other conference semi-final 20-19 over Dallas, and will travel to our home ground for the next game.

Chicago has one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the league in two-time Super Bowl MVP Dan Fouts. They have a 12-5 record but we are favored by a -4 spread and have the edge at all scouted position groups except for quarterback.

We beat them 23-20, with DT Marcus Gammon scoring first on a fumble return. Fouts answer with a 91-yd TD pass to Nathan Logan, and then the Bears take the lead in the third quarter on a run by James Wilder. With a four-point deficit in the fourth quarter we come from behind to win on a pass from Steve Grogan to Kellen Winslow with 50 seconds remaining.

Houston beat San Diego 15-7 to join us in the Super Bowl.

We go to the big game with a depleted offense and Grogan at the helm, but WR Rick Upchurch return to the lineup. The Oilers have Steve DeBerg, Mike Pruitt, receivers Haven Moses and Ken Burroughs which form a dangerous attack. Former Buccaneer Jack Lambert anchor their defense. They have a 12-6-1 record and the Buccaneers are favored by 4 points.

With a 3-3 score, we get the first TD on an 88-yd interception return by John Sullivan. A 40-yd run by Mike Pruitt tie the score and then the Oilers go in front on a 15-TD pass by Steve DeBerg to Carlson. Curtis Dickey even the score in the third quarter and then we got the winning TD when T.J. Stokes got a 49-yd interception return. A 30-20 win with 126 yds rushing from Dickey, and the Lombardi Trophy belongs to the 1981 NFL Champions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers!

[3ric]

Individual stats and the season summary coming up soon...

[3ric]

1981 Summary

Record: 16-3
Winning Pct.: .842
   
Tampa Bay Buccaneers    Team      Rank  
Rushes                  560       1           
Rushing Yards           2231      3           
Yards Per Carry         3.98      23 (T)      
Pass Attempts           493       30          
Completions             287       27 (T)      
Passing Yards           3064      29          
Yards Per Attempt       6.21      14          
3rd Down Conversions    40.5      4           
Points Per Game         21.0      15          
Turnovers               21        4 (T)       
Turnover Margin         -2        17          
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes                  352       1           
Rushing Yards           1387      1           
Yards Per Carry         3.94      6           
Pass Attempts           579       26 (T)      
Completions             299       7           
Passing Yards           2884      1           
Yards Per Attempt       4.98      1           
3rd Down Conversions    32.0      6           
Points Per Game         13.6      1           
Turnovers               19        32          
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     24    CAR           16      
2     30    MIA           0       
3     22    at DAL        7       
4     14    at ATL        3       
5     14    at MIN        24      
6     14    NOS           10      
7     12    at DET        10      
9     27    GBY           13      
10    27    CHI           23      
11    23    at CAR        29      
12    30    at NYJ        23      
13    29    SFO           14      
14    27    BUF           20      
15    16    at NOS        0       
16    17    at BOS        6       
17    10    ATL           20      
$$CS  20    CAR           6       
$$CF  23    CHI           20      
**FB  30    vs HOU        20      
   
Passing             Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int  
12 Simms            QB    447   260   2753  6.15  17    14      
8 Grogan            QB    42    25    295   7.02  2     0       
**Team              ---   493   287   3064  6.21  19    14      
   
Rushing             Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD  
40 Dickey           RB    304   1262  4.15  9       
20 Terry            RB    172   635   3.69  3       
**Team              ---   560   2231  3.98  13      
   
Receiving           Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC   TD  
81 Brooks           WR    125   64    703   10.9  99    6       
87 Largent          WR    85    49    762   15.5  218   4       
40 Dickey           RB    60    30    274   9.1   148   3       
83 Winslow          TE    48    33    354   10.7  150   0       
23 Wright           FB    33    23    134   5.8   89    2       
84 Upchurch         WR    32    20    240   12.0  31    0       
28 Hughes           FB    27    15    85    5.6   43    2       
20 Terry            RB    24    19    103   5.4   23    1       
88 Fitzgerald       TE    24    17    165   9.7   30    1       
**Team              ---   493   287   3064  10.6  893   19      
   
Defense             Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  
27 Thomas           S     93    27    1.5   1     1     15      
99 Van Pelt         ILB   90    24    2.5   2     3     9       
92 Dorris           OLB   78    25    3.5   0     0     12      
22 Harris           S     74    35    1.0   0     1     25      
25 Davis            CB    51    16    0.0   0     2     25      
53 Sullivan         OLB   47    19    2.5   1     0     5       
46 Simpson          CB    41    12    0.0   1     4     12      
47 Stokes           CB    40    21    1.0   0     0     2       
97 Smith            DT    35    10    6.5   10    0     0       
70 Manley           DE    28    12    5.0   9     0     1       
96 Simmons          DT    18    11    2.5   7     0     0       
37 Petoskey         CB    17    5     0.0   1     0     2       
**Team              ---   771   248   42.0  60    12    114     

[3ric]

Individual statistics

Surprisingly, there were no 4000-yd passers this season, and the yardage leader, Cincinnati's Irving White, had only 3861 yds passing. The highest rated passer was Chicago's Dan Fouts, who led the league for the second straight season, with a 100.9 rating.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Att  Cmp  Pct   Yards Avg   Lg  TD   Int  
Fouts, Dan            QB  CHI   14 14 424  270  63.6  3289  7.75  47  26   7      
Bartkowski, Steve     QB  WAS   12 12 297  175  58.9  2175  7.32  80  21   8      
Ferguson, Joe         QB  GBY   16 16 504  313  62.1  3642  7.22  64  26   13     
Todd, Richard         QB  SFO   8  8  226  129  57.0  1590  7.03  50  14   7      
Landry, Greg          QB  TEN   14 12 495  292  58.9  3276  6.61  50  18   10     
Franckowiak, Mike     QB  PIT   16 16 504  309  61.3  3416  6.77  52  18   14     
Ryan, Pat             QB  SEA   10 10 266  140  52.6  1880  7.06  97  16   9      
White, Danny          QB  CLE   14 14 380  217  57.1  2877  7.57  59  20   17     
White, Irving         QB  CIN   16 16 531  320  60.2  3861  7.27  83  28   27     
Plunkett, Jim         QB  JAX   15 15 533  310  58.1  3592  6.73  77  18   14     

Riggins had one more 1000-yd season in his battered body, and moved up to 2nd place in all-time career rushing yardage. Offensive Rookie of the Year James Brooks finished 13th with 1024 yds and 8 TDs.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Att  Yards Avg   Lg  TD  
Tyler, Wendell        RB  DAL   16 16 320  1422  4.4   48  13     
Reed, Tony            RB  CHI   16 16 259  1349  5.2   64  14     
Muncie, Chuck         RB  SDO   16 16 269  1297  4.8   51  11     
Clemons, Bob          RB  KCY   16 16 315  1276  4.0   36  8      
**Dickey, Curtis      RB  TBY   16 16 304  1262  4.1   55  9      
Peacock, Elvis        RB  SEA   16 16 263  1226  4.6   41  7      
Griffin, Archie       RB  CLE   16 16 264  1186  4.4   59  6      
Hayden, Leo           RB  STL   14 14 267  1173  4.3   53  9      
Pruitt, Mike          RB  HOU   16 16 255  1158  4.5   64  8      
Riggins, John         RB  NYG   16 16 261  1136  4.3   70  9      

[3ric]

Swann followed up his 2nd place in receiving yardage last season with leading the league in yardage and in receiving TDs (with 12) this year, and San Diego's Jerry Butler had 90 catches. Dallas' Drew Bertelson was the top rookie receiver with 36 catches for 524 yds and 1 TD.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Targ Ctch Yards Avg   YAC   Lg   TD  
Swann, Lynn           WR  CIN   16 16 133  79   1398  17.6  467   83   12     
Chandler, Wes         WR  CLE   16 12 136  71   1315  18.5  245   58   3      
Tilley, Pat           WR  CHI   15 15 125  79   1313  16.6  243   54   7      
Butler, Jerry         WR  SDO   16 13 175  90   1296  14.4  151   48   4      
Marshall, Henry       WR  PHI   16 16 155  82   1240  15.1  273   69   7      
Staroba, Paul         WR  L.A   16 16 184  85   1201  14.1  231   77   11     
Gray, Ernest          WR  NYG   16 13 155  85   1180  13.8  147   64   6      
Johnson, Billy        WR  STL   16 16 165  83   1166  14.0  171   40   4      
Williams, Emmitt      WR  MAR   16 16 174  87   1150  13.2  127   49   5      
Medsker, Neal         WR  KCY   16 15 160  80   1084  13.5  155   50   4      

Oakland's Dunlap was 1st in punt returns and 11th in kick returns. The Bengals´ Jett was aptly named with 3 kick returns for scores.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS PR   Yards Avg   TD  KR   Yards Avg   TD  
Dunlap, Leonard       CB  OAK   16 16 22   350   15.9  2   36   1054  29.2  0     
Colzie, Neil          S   MIA   16 15 27   376   13.9  0   18   519   28.8  0     
Harris, Dickie        S   MAR   16 16 21   287   13.6  0   2    56    28.0  0     
Nichols, Mark         WR  BAL   16 7  26   356   13.6  1   16   367   22.9  0     
Drayson, Graham       WR  NYJ   16 7  28   375   13.3  2   0    0     0.0   0     
 
Jett, Dave            WR  CIN   13 7  0    0     0.0   0   20   696   34.8  3     
Johnson, Levi         S   STL   16 16 0    0     0.0   0   21   721   34.3  1     
Clark, Donnie         CB  MIA   16 0  0    0     0.0   0   25   811   32.4  1     
Haynes, Mike          CB  L.A   16 16 2    25    12.5  0   28   864   30.8  1     
Sanders, Reuben       WR  MAR   15 0  0    0     0.0   0   34   1041  30.6  1     

[nilodor]

How is this dynasty going? I'll probably start the 86 file this weekend.

[3ric]

This thread will be resumed soon...

[3ric]

Tackles and sacks:

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Tckl Asst Sack Blkd Hurr  
Huff, Marty           ILB MIN   16 14 125  38   1.0  0    1      
Gordon, Larry         OLB ATL   16 16 124  24   8.5  3    3      
Wood, Richard         ILB CLE   16 16 123  40   8.0  0    3      
Matthews, Clay        OLB PIT   16 16 123  36   4.0  0    2      
Wallace, Rocky        OLB DEN   16 16 117  39   11.0 2    8      
Blair, Matt           ILB NYJ   16 16 116  39   3.0  0    0      
Nelson, Steve         ILB DEN   16 16 114  29   4.0  0    0      
Breunig, Bob          ILB WAS   16 15 114  42   6.0  0    1      
Ruud, Tom             ILB STL   16 15 114  38   0.0  1    1      
Cronan, Peter         OLB CLE   16 16 113  39   2.0  1    4      
 
  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Tckl Asst Sack Blkd Hurr  
Ahanotu, William      DE  NYJ   15 15 25   20   14.0 6    14     
Burley, Gary          DE  JAX   14 14 41   17   13.0 4    19     
Ambrose, Dick         OLB BOS   16 16 93   28   12.5 1    7      
Butler, Mike          DE  BAL   16 16 37   5    12.5 1    7      
Gastineau, Mark       DE  SEA   15 15 50   19   12.0 1    23     

Interceptions:

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Ints IRYd TD   Defn Cght PPly PDPct  
Washington, Mike      CB  SFO   16 16 9    229  2    18   49   546   21.0   
Foley, Steve          S   DET   16 16 9    192  3    25   33   540   22.7   
Haynes, Mike          CB  L.A   16 16 9    191  2    14   48   536   20.7   
Blount, Mel           CB  NYJ   16 16 9    173  2    9    49   606   20.0   
Jauron, Dick          CB  JAX   16 16 9    117  2    19   44   535   21.5   
Myers, Tom            CB  BOS   16 16 9    105  1    16   46   585   20.9   
Johnson, Levi         S   STL   16 16 9    68   0    27   39   572   22.5   
Roberson, Johnnie     CB  MAR   16 16 8    281  3    7    46   538   19.9   
Matthews, Clay        OLB PIT   16 16 8    265  3    10   56   531   19.7   
Clayborn, Ray         S   DAL   15 15 8    137  2    9    29   481   21.1   

[3ric]

Career records

Category               Player               Record     Last Year
Games started          Tom Goode	    192        1981 (tied with several)
Pass completions       Craig Morton         3,500      1981
Passing yards          Craig Morton         43,613     1981
Passing touchdowns     Greg Cook*           284        1981
Rushing attempts       Willie Ellison*      2,767      1980
Rushing yards          Willie Ellison*      11,744     1980
Rushing touchdowns     Willie Ellison*      112        1980
Receptions             Haven Moses*         921        1981
Receiving yards        Haven Moses*         14,184     1981
Receiving touchdowns   Gene Washington      74         1980
Interceptions          Paul Krause*         57         1980
Tackles                Isiah Robertson*     1185       1981
Sacks                  Cedric Hardman*      98         1981
Field Goals            Errol Mann*          387        1981
Key Run Blocks         John Wilbur          400        1980
Targeted passes        Haven Moses*         1,668      1981
Passes defended        Willie Brown*        219        1980

Top performances

• 58 pass attempts by Gary Daye, NOS, vs CAR.
  
• 37 rushing attempts by Kendall Marble, NYJ, vs ATL.
  
• 208 rushing yds by Tony Reed, CHI, vs CAR.
  
• 13 receptions by J.D. Hill, OAK, and Thomas Hicks, PIT.
  
• 225 receiving yds by Lynn Swann, CIN, vs CHI.
  
• 4 interceptions by Ray Clayborn, DAL, vs SEA. (Tied league record)
  
• 17 tackles by Matt Blair, NYJ, vs OAK.
  
• 4.5 sacks by Mark Gastineau, SEA, vs JAX.
  
• 22 targeted passes by J.D. Hill, OAK, vs NYJ.
  
• 7 passes defended by Wilton Thompson, NYG, vs DEN.
  

[3ric]

1981 Awards list

   Award                                      Player                      Team  
Player of the Year                            Jim Plunkett                JAX    
Front Office Bowl MVP                         Mike Pruitt                 HOU    
Offensive Player of the Year                  Wendell Tyler               DAL    
Defensive Player of the Year                  Clay Matthews               PIT    
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  James Brooks                WAS    
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Ricky Jackson               MAR    
All-League First-String Quarterback           Mike Franckowiak            PIT    
All-League First-String Running Back          Wendell Tyler               DAL    
All-League First-String Fullback              Les Hales                   CHI    
All-League First-String Tight End             Russ Francis                CIN    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver         Lynn Swann                  CIN    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver         Paul Staroba                L.A    
All-League First-String Center                Carl Mauck                  CHI    
**All-League First-String Offensive Guard     Joe Wysock                  TBY    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard       John Hannah                 MAR    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Dennis Harrah               CHI    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Andy Frederick              SDO    
All-League First-String Punter                Craig Cypher                DET    
All-League First-String Kicker                Frank Corral                JAX    
All-League First-String Defensive End         Randy White                 SFO    
All-League First-String Defensive End         Mark Gastineau              SEA    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Tony Baumhower              DET    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Gary Johnson                GBY    
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker     Richard Wood                CLE    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Clay Matthews               PIT    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Larry Gordon                ATL    
All-League First-String Cornerback            Tom Casonova                DAL    
All-League First-String Cornerback            Tim Fox                     SEA    
All-League First-String Safety                Steve Foley                 DET    
All-League First-String Safety                Neil Colzie                 MIA    
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Jim Plunkett                JAX    
All-League Second-String Running Back         Tony Reed                   CHI    
All-League Second-String Fullback             John Cappelletti            MIA    
All-League Second-String Tight End            Emery Moorehead             HOU    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Pat Tilley                  CHI    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Henry Marshall              PHI    
**All-League Second-String Center             Lee Gross                   TBY    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Bob Newton                  PHI    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Leon Gray                   CLE    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     Henry Lawrence              GBY    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     Frank Johnson               HOU    
All-League Second-String Punter               Ray Guy                     SFO    
All-League Second-String Kicker               Neil O'Donoghue             WAS    
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Eddie Edwards               MAR    
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Gary Burley                 JAX    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     Charles Johnson             HOU    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     Charles Philyaw             PHI    
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Bob Breunig                 WAS    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Rocky Wallace               DEN    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Phil Villapiano             NYJ    
All-League Second-String Cornerback           Mike Haynes                 L.A    
All-League Second-String Cornerback           Ken Riley                   CIN    
All-League Second-String Safety               Allan Ellis                 WAS    
All-League Second-String Safety               Wilton Thompson             NYG    

[3ric]

1982 season

Notable names among the retirees:
G Bob Kuechenberg, RB James Harrison, C Tom Goode, QB Greg Cook, S Brig Owens, DE Claude Humphrey, G Larry Little, RB Leo Hayden.

In free agency, we make a priority to try to re-sign DE Fred Dean with a 4-yr, $35 mil offer. We also give CB Bill Simpson a 3-yr, $15 mil proposal, and try to pry away WR Pat Tilley from Chicago with $21 mil over 4 years.

DAL QB Roger Staubach gets a 4-yr offer worth $37 mil from San Diego, Cincinnati sign PHI RB Wilbert Montgomery for $17 mil, BOS TE Todd Christensen jumps ship to Denver for 6 yrs, $25 mil. Cincinnati's WR Tony Hill get a massive offer from the Jets - $51 mil for 7 years. San Diego tackle Andy Frederick, one of the best in the league, gets a similar amount, $50 to sign with the Bengals, who's had a busy first week. We lose out on Pat Tilley, as he goes to San Fran for $29 mil. Finally, all-Pro LB Jack Ham sign with Houston.

In week 2, Staubach chooses the Jets among his suitors, joining teammate RB Wendell Tyler to make the journey from Texas to New Jersey. Tampa sign WR Geoff Hayes, T Frederick goes to Tennessee for $43 mil, Mean Joe Greene re-signs with San Diego for $18 mil, 3 yrs and CB Mike Haynes becomes a Titan for 6 yrs, $42 mil.

San Diego sign a bundle of players in week 3, agreeing to terms with Lee Roy Selmon, OLB Bob Brudzinski, C Bill Bryan and TE Emery Moorehead. ILB Matt Blair signs with the 49ers and we say goodbye to longtime Buc FB Don Moorhead, who goes to the Cowboys.

Suddenly L.A. enters the bidding for DE Dean, forcing us to match their 5-yr, $46 mil offer. Jacksonville similarily ups the ante for CB Simpson, but with a 4-yr deal that we cannot match. We approach CB Van Green for insurance. Dean jumps to accept the offer from the Rams, but we win one as Simpson signs our offer. Instead we turn our efforts to the 49ers' Mark Mullaney to replace Dean at DE.

Steve Bartkowski signs with San Francisco and Hacksaw Reynolds goes to the Rams' much improved defense. Sack master Pete Duranko signs with Minnesota, leaving Denver after more than a decade with the Broncos. Finally, in week 8, WR Hill decides to prolong the wait no more and accepts the Jets' $51 million. He could just as easily ended up with nothing. Steve DeBerg returns to Minnesota after a year with Houston, and we sign our final big free agent as DE Mullaney joins the Buccaneers.

Steve Ramsey goes to Jacksonville, Bubba Smith to Minnesota, and RB Rickey Bell replaces Tyler in Dallas.

[3ric]

In the draft, the top prospects are RB Marcus Allen, WR Mark Duper, OLB Mike Merriweather and ILB Chip Banks. On the second tier we have players like K Morten Andersen, WR Mike Quick and T Bubba Paris.

1. New Orleans - Paris, Bubba, T, Michigan
2. Maryland - Bryant, Jeff, DE, Clemson
3. Miami - Sharpe, Luis, T, UCLA
4. Atlanta - Duper, Mark, WR, Louisiana - Monroe
5. Los Angeles - Marion, Fred, CB, Miami, Florida
6. Kansas City - Merriweather, Mike, OLB, Small College
7. Baltimore - Galloway, David, DT, Florida
8. New York G - Farnhorst, Jim, OLB, Minnesota
9. Buffalo - Allen, Marcus, RB, Southern California
10. Seattle - Malone, Kennedy, QB, Oregon State
11. Baltimore - McNorton, Bruce, CB, Georgetown
12. San Francisco - Meyer, John, T, Arizona State
13. Philadelphia - Morris, Joe, RB, Syracuse
14. Pittsburgh - Cooks, Johnie, OLB, Mississippi State
15. Oakland - Quick, Mike, WR, North Carolina State
16. New York G - Hammond, Ken, G, Vanderbilt
17. Green Bay - Haley, Darryl, T, Utah
18. Philadelphia - Baldwin, Keith, DE, Texas A&M
19. Minnesota - Bailey, Stacey, WR, San Jose State
20. New York J - Banks, Chip, ILB, Southern California
21. Cincinnati - Bowser, Charles, OLB, Duke
22. Tennessee - Brown, Robert, ILB, Virginia Tech
23. Dallas - Ingram, Brian, OLB, Tennessee
24. St. Louis - Dallafior, Ken, T, Minnesota
25. New York J - Hill, Rod, CB, Kentucky State
26. Pittsburgh - Rohrer, Jeff, OLB, Yale
27. Washington - Baab, Mike, C, Texas
28. Chicago - Skelly, Walt, T, Tennessee
29. Cleveland - Edgar, Brad, C, Missouri
30. Jacksonville - Turner, Willie, WR, Louisiana State
31. Houston - Metzelaars, Pete, TE, Small College
32. Tampa Bay - Scholtz, Bruce, OLB, Texas

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Bruce Scholtz, OLB, Texas
Rnd 2 - Anthony Watson, S, New Mexico State
Rnd 3 - Joey Houser, T, Arkansas
Rnd 4 - Jake Franco, QB, Georgia
Rnd 5 - Sammy Winder, RB, Southern Mississippi
Rnd 6 - Andre Tyler, WR, Stanford
Rnd 7 - David Reeves, ILB, Air Force

[3ric]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roster, Scout Overview
   
  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  
Grogan, Steve           8   QB   8    43                51                1 yr.   
Simms, Phil             12  QB   4    58                69                3 yrs.  
Kersey, Hunter          5   QB   4    26                45                1 yr.   
Franco, Jake            17  QB   1    17                51                3 yrs.  
Dickey, Curtis          40  RB   3    72                78                2 yrs.  
Mitchell, Stump         31  RB   2    59                71                1 yr.   
Nelson, Darrin          36  RB   1    53                71                2 yrs.  
Winder, Sammy           41  RB   1    53                70                3 yrs.  
Wright, Ricky           23  FB   3    57                65                3 yrs.  
Crutchfield, Dwayne     45  FB   1    36                55                1 yr.   
Winslow, Kellen         83  TE   4    75                75                2 yrs.  
Fitzgerald, Lenny       88  TE   3    29                29                1 yr.   
Hayes, Geoff            82  FL   9    45                45                3 yrs.  
Brooks, Billy           81  SE   7    49                49                2 yrs.  
Largent, Steve          87  SE   7    65                66                2 yrs.  
Duckett, Kenny          89  SE   1    34                48                1 yr.   
Tyler, Andre            80  SE   1    23                48                3 yrs.  
Schultz, Sedrick        13  SE   1    33                50                1 yr.   
Boden, Lynn             62  LG   8    70                81                3 yrs.  
Gross, Lee              50  C    8    69                69                1 yr.   
Griffith, Vince         52  C    2    18                41                2 yrs.  
Wysock, Joe             76  RG   8    63                63                4 yrs.  
Cushenbery, John        64  RG   5    34                36                1 yr.   
Maurer, Andy            75  RT   14   59                59                1 yr.   
Carlton, Darryl         69  RT   8    76                76                3 yrs.  
Houser, Joey            65  RT   1    22                60                4 yrs.  
Michel, Mike            2   P    6    68                68                3 yrs.  
Bridges, Gary           7   K    3    47                51                3 yrs.  
Franks, Elvis           78  LDE  3    49                59                4 yrs.  
Manley, Dexter          70  LDE  2    55                74                3 yrs.  
Reese, Booker           71  LDE  1    33                50                1 yr.   
Gammon, Marcus          77  LDT  10   60                60                2 yrs.  
Simmons, Ron            96  LDT  2    58                74                5 yrs.  
Blades, Steven          74  RDT  1    25                38                1 yr.   
Mullaney, Mark          90  RDE  8    71                71                5 yrs.  
Gaddy, Skip             56  SLB  2    32                61                2 yrs.  
Scholtz, Bruce          91  SLB  1    40                73                5 yrs.  
Johnson, Dennis         95  MLB  3    41                63                1 yr.   
Singletary, Mike        57  MLB  2    47                73                2 yrs.  
Williams, Eugene        59  MLB  1    33                58                2 yrs.  
Van Pelt, Brad          99  WILB 10   83                85                1 yr.   
Dorris, Andy            92  WLB  10   63                63                2 yrs.  
Sullivan, John          53  WLB  4    47                49                1 yr.   
Simpson, Bill           46  LCB  9    62                62                3 yrs.  
Davis, Oliver           25  LCB  6    77                77                1 yr.   
Smith, Wayne            34  LCB  3    25                56                1 yr.   
Stokes, T.J.            47  RCB  5    39                39                1 yr.   
Coffey, Ken             49  RCB  1    27                50                1 yr.   
Thomas, Ike             27  SS   12   72                72                2 yrs.  
Waymer, Dave            30  SS   3    52                70                2 yrs.  
McElroy, Van            48  SS   1    29                63                2 yrs.  
Harris, John            22  FS   5    79                79                1 yr.   
Watson, Anthony         21  FS   1    34                64                4 yrs.  

We finished the regular season 11-4, tied for the lead in the NFC South with the Falcons, who took the division title and the first round bye on the tiebreaker rule.

With no extra rest we took on 9-7 Washington and beat them 37-10, with Steve Grogan completing 24 of 29 for 217 yds and 2 scores.

Simms return to the lineup and we oust 10-6 Los Angeles in a close game, 34-31. Curtis Dickey ran for 129 yds and Simms passed for 203 yds and two TDs.

In the conference finals we face rivals Atlanta for the third time this year. This time we come through with a 32-10 win and advance to the Super Bowl for the second straight year.

The Tennessee Titans has Richard Todd at QB, Allen Carter at RB, Art Monk at WR, a very good offensive line and an all-world secondary featuring Jack Tatum, Mike Haynes and Clarence Scott. After having an early tie at 7-7, Tampa got a 35-7 lead in the third quarter and coasted for a convincing win, and successfully defended the title! Phil Simms was MVP with 23-of-28 passing for 240 yds and 3 TDs.

[3ric]

1982 Summary for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
   
Record: 15-5
Winning Pct.: .750
   
Tampa Bay Buccaneers    Team      Rank  
Rushes                  515       3           
Rushing Yards           2157      3           
Yards Per Carry         4.18      17          
Pass Attempts           554       17          
Completions             339       6           
Passing Yards           3443      18          
Yards Per Attempt       6.21      17          
3rd Down Conversions    38.9      8           
Points Per Game         20.5      13          
Turnovers               30        19 (T)      
Turnover Margin         -1        15 (T)      
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes                  393       4 (T)       
Rushing Yards           1477      1           
Yards Per Carry         3.75      4           
Pass Attempts           519       4           
Completions             262       1           
Passing Yards           2769      1           
Yards Per Attempt       5.33      1           
3rd Down Conversions    32.2      7           
Points Per Game         15.2      2           
Turnovers               29        14 (T)      
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     16    at NOS        23      
2     20    at MAR        17      
3     7     at CHI        24      
4     40    at WAS        22      
5     13    DAL           6       
6     10    at ATL        20      
7     21    PHI           6       
9     28    at NYG        13      
10    24    NOS           13      
11    17    CAR           27      
12    24    at CIN        14      
13    20    STL           3       
14    19    PIT           13      
15    33    ATL           27      
16    24    CLE           0       
17    13    at CAR        16      
$$WC  37    at WAS        10      
$$CS  34    at L.A        31      
$$CF  32    at ATL        10      
**FB  35    vs TEN        7       
   
Passing             Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int  
12 Simms            QB    327   203   2126  6.50  19    14      
8 Grogan            QB    223   135   1307  5.86  5     6       
**Team              ---   554   339   3443  6.21  24    22      
   
Rushing             Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD  
40 Dickey           RB    310   1286  4.14  6       
36 Nelson           RB    85    351   4.12  3       
31 Mitchell         RB    41    209   5.09  0       
**Team              ---   515   2157  4.18  10      
   
Receiving           Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC   TD  
87 Largent          WR    155   86    1086  12.6  156   5       
81 Brooks           WR    119   66    836   12.6  89    8       
23 Wright           FB    82    62    332   5.3   161   2       
83 Winslow          TE    79    51    579   11.3  149   5       
40 Dickey           RB    44    28    224   8.0   136   2       
36 Nelson           RB    21    17    68    4.0   51    0       
89 Duckett          WR    16    9     108   12.0  12    0       
**Team              ---   553   339   3443  10.1  867   24      
   
Defense             Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  
99 Van Pelt         ILB   83    33    7.5   2     2     7       
27 Thomas           S     77    29    0.0   0     4     11      
22 Harris           S     77    32    0.0   0     3     11      
25 Davis            CB    65    15    0.0   0     1     14      
57 Singletary       ILB   52    18    2.0   1     2     5       
78 Franks           DE    50    9     14.5  22    0     2       
92 Dorris           OLB   47    27    1.0   1     2     5       
46 Simpson          CB    45    13    3.0   0     1     10      
90 Mullaney         DE    44    17    10.0  34    0     0       
47 Stokes           CB    36    14    0.0   1     2     7       
53 Sullivan         OLB   33    17    0.5   2     0     6       
96 Simmons          DT    29    6     5.5   8     0     0       
30 Waymer           S     27    4     1.5   1     2     6       
**Team              ---   796   251   56.0  79    19    88      

[3ric]

Individual statistics

Staubach was the highest rated passer with 96.7, and most TDs with 32. Seattle's Mario Adams was the top rookie passer with 1763 yds in 10 games, 6 starts.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Att  Cmp  Pct   Yards Avg   Lg  TD   Int  
Ferguson, Joe         QB  GBY   16 16 563  348  61.8  4106  7.29  60  25   15     
Woodley, David        QB  DET   16 16 573  341  59.5  3754  6.55  75  18   21     
Stabler, Kenny        QB  BUF   16 16 591  326  55.1  3612  6.11  52  19   16     
Sipe, Brian           QB  CAR   16 16 563  326  57.9  3575  6.34  73  15   13     
Salter, Bryant        QB  BAL   16 16 554  317  57.2  3572  6.44  50  19   12     
Ramsey, Steve         QB  JAX   16 16 605  337  55.7  3516  5.81  47  12   13     
Douglas, Karl         QB  MIN   15 15 524  325  62.0  3416  6.51  54  17   24     
White, Irving         QB  CIN   15 15 514  310  60.3  3369  6.55  92  18   20     
Todd, Richard         QB  TEN   16 15 505  293  58.0  3335  6.60  50  22   18     
Staubach, Roger       QB  NYJ   14 14 437  262  59.9  3329  7.61  93  32   12     

Marcus Allen started 16 games for the Bills and ran for 663 yds on 161 carries with 7 TDs to win the offensive rookie of the year award.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Att  Yards Avg   Lg  TD  
Clemons, Bob          RB  KCY   16 16 389  1380  3.5   29  11     
**Dickey, Curtis      RB  TBY   16 16 310  1286  4.1   39  6      
Tyler, Wendell        RB  NYJ   14 14 244  1205  4.9   47  6      
Pruitt, Mike          RB  HOU   16 16 253  1195  4.7   52  5      
Griffin, Archie       RB  CLE   16 16 271  1152  4.2   38  6      
Gaines, Lawrence      RB  L.A   16 16 297  1064  3.5   63  8      
Smith, Sherman        RB  DEN   16 12 228  1032  4.5   61  5      
Andrews, William      RB  ATL   16 16 219  986   4.5   52  12     
Bell, Rickey          RB  PIT   16 16 179  973   5.4   61  8      
Burns, Leon           RB  DAL   16 16 250  970   3.8   39  5      

[3ric]

Detroit's Wesley Garnett had the best average yds per catch, 18.0, and Ernest Gray had the most receptions with 115. The Falcons' Dwight Walker had 64 catches for 882 yds, 1 TD to become one of the two top rookie receivers together with the Raiders' Mike Quick, who also had 64 catches, but for 796 yds and 8 TDs.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Targ Ctch Yards Avg   YAC   Lg   TD  
Jefferson, John       WR  GBY   16 15 171  107  1716  16.0  383   58   8      
Gray, Ernest          WR  NYG   16 15 204  115  1611  14.0  266   58   9      
Lofton, James         WR  MIN   16 15 166  101  1514  14.9  284   54   5      
Hill, Tony            WR  NYJ   16 15 158  93   1506  16.1  314   75   18     
Marshall, Henry       WR  PHI   16 15 185  95   1276  13.4  220   80   9      
Collinsworth, Cris    WR  BUF   16 16 175  85   1151  13.5  105   49   4      
Green, Roy            WR  CLE   15 13 132  67   1116  16.6  149   41   4      
Rashad, Ahmad         WR  DET   16 16 141  79   1113  14.0  198   75   3      
**Largent, Steve      WR  TBY   16 16 155  86   1086  12.6  156   37   5      
Williams, Ray         WR  SEA   16 15 153  63   1073  17.0  272   67   4      

Kick return leader Steve Luke had just 8 punt returns and didn't qualify, but his 13.5 average would have tied for fourth. Billy "White shoes" Johnson is still going strong as a returner in his 9th season. In fact, he's never had a worse average returning kicks than 28.6 in a season.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS PR   Yards Avg   TD  KR   Yards Avg   TD  
House, Kevin          WR  NYG   16 0  29   514   17.7  2   0    0     0.0   0     
Farley, Rusty         WR  L.A   16 16 33   535   16.2  1   0    0     0.0   0     
Anderson, Dick        S   SDO   16 16 34   500   14.7  3   0    0     0.0   0     
Hunter, James         S   HOU   16 16 23   312   13.5  2   25   757   30.2  2     
Hall, Charles         CB  SFO   14 8  27   366   13.5  1   1    17    17.0  0     
 
Luke, Steve           S   GBY   16 16 8    108   13.5  0   26   858   33.0  1     
Walker, Dwight        WR  ATL   16 16 0    0     0.0   0   33   1024  31.0  1     
Hunter, James         S   HOU   16 16 23   312   13.5  2   25   757   30.2  2     
Johnson, Billy        WR  STL   16 16 29   239   8.2   0   26   773   29.7  0     
Platt, Ricardo        CB  BOS   16 0  4    19    4.7   0   24   709   29.5  1     

[3ric]

Tampa's Franks ties for the league lead in sacks one year after finishing third in the league as a rookie.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Tckl Asst Sack Blkd Hurr  
Gordon, Larry         ILB PIT   16 15 143  41   2.5  0    2      
Breunig, Bob          ILB WAS   16 16 130  39   5.5  0    2      
Ruud, Tom             ILB STL   16 14 126  33   1.0  1    0      
Lambert, Jack         ILB HOU   16 15 121  37   1.0  0    2      
McCleskey, Ernest     OLB MAR   16 16 120  45   4.0  0    2      
Shiver, Sanders       ILB DEN   16 15 119  35   5.5  0    1      
Wood, Richard         ILB CLE   16 15 118  32   5.5  0    4      
Blair, Matt           ILB SFO   16 13 117  38   0.5  1    1      
Puki, Craig           ILB CAR   16 16 117  26   3.0  0    0      
Williams, Reggie      OLB MIA   16 16 115  33   9.5  2    14     

**Franks, Elvis       DE  TBY   16 16 50   9    14.5 3    22     
Green, Curtis         DE  ATL   16 16 37   14   14.5 7    16     
Lunsford, Mel         DE  BOS   16 16 46   23   13.5 2    19     
Baker, William        DE  SDO   13 13 29   15   13.5 6    17     
Board, Dwayne         DE  HOU   16 16 49   14   13.0 5    21     

The Titans' Robert Brown is the defensive rookie of the year with 61 tck, 30 ast, 4 sacks, 5 interceptions for 121 yds and a TD.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Ints IRYd TD   Defn Cght PPly PDPct  
Nagy, Harold          S   MAR   16 16 8    227  2    9    44   527   20.1   
Darden, Thomas        CB  CAR   14 14 8    203  1    12   48   512   20.3   
Mamula, Brett         ILB NOS   16 14 8    77   0    9    41   410   20.4   
Dusek, Brad           OLB KCY   16 16 7    175  3    16   50   551   20.4   
Foley, Steve          S   JAX   16 16 7    134  1    14   37   551   20.9   
Williams, Reggie      OLB MIA   16 16 7    83   3    15   51   584   20.2   
Luke, Steve           S   GBY   16 16 7    75   1    14   29   564   21.3   
Wagner, Mike          CB  BUF   16 16 7    51   0    22   48   559   21.1   
Paris, Korey          S   KCY   16 16 7    27   0    7    23   534   20.9   
Ellis, Allan          S   WAS   16 16 6    145  2    13   39   526   20.5   

[3ric]

Career records

Category               Player               Record     Last Year
Games started          Rufus Mayes	    208        1982
Pass completions       Craig Morton*        3,676      1982
Passing yards          Craig Morton*        45,834     1982
Passing touchdowns     Greg Cook*           284        1981
Rushing attempts       John Riggins         2,770      1982
Rushing yards          Willie Ellison*      11,744     1980
Rushing touchdowns     Willie Ellison*      112        1980
Receptions             Haven Moses*         948        1982
Receiving yards        Haven Moses*         14,726     1982
Receiving touchdowns   Gene Washington*     74         1980
Interceptions          Mel Blount           61         1982
Tackles                Isiah Robertson*     1297       1982
Sacks                  Cedric Hardman*      99.5       1982
Field Goals            Jim Bakken           394        1982
Key Run Blocks         John Wilbur*         431        1982
Targeted passes        Haven Moses*         1,723      1982
Passes defended        Tim Foley            225        1982

Top performances

• 58 pass attempts by Greg Landry, PIT, vs CLE.
  
• 35 pass completions by Kenny Stabler, BUF, vs PIT.
  
• 6 pass touchdowns by Roger Staubach, NYJ, vs MIA. (Tied league record)
  
• 4 rushing touchdowns by Bob Clemons, KCY, vs MAR. (Tied league record)
  
• 4 receiving touchdowns by Tony Hill, NYJ, vs MIA. (Tied league record)
  
• 18 solo tackles by Larry Gordon, PIT, vs MAR.
  
• 21 targeted passes by Ernest Gray, NYG, vs ATL.

1982 Awards list

   Award                                      Player                      Team  
Player of the Year                            Roger Staubach              NYJ    
**Front Office Bowl MVP                       Phil Simms                  TBY    
Offensive Player of the Year                  Bob Clemons                 KCY    
Defensive Player of the Year                  Reggie Williams             MIA    
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Marcus Allen                BUF    
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Robert Brown                TEN    
All-League First-String Quarterback           Joe Ferguson                GBY    
All-League First-String Running Back          Bob Clemons                 KCY    
All-League First-String Fullback              Mike Guman                  TEN    
**All-League First-String Tight End           Kellen Winslow              TBY    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver         John Jefferson              GBY    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver         Ernest Gray                 NYG    
**All-League First-String Center              Lee Gross                   TBY    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard       Reggie McKenzie             KCY    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard       Herb Scott                  DAL    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Henry Lawrence              DAL    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      John Vella                  CIN    
All-League First-String Punter                Paul Rogers                 STL    
All-League First-String Kicker                George Hunt                 DAL    
**All-League First-String Defensive End       Elvis Franks                TBY    
All-League First-String Defensive End         Mel Lunsford                BOS    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Steve McMichael             BUF    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Doug English                DEN    
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker     Bob Breunig                 WAS    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Reggie Williams             MIA    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Brad Dusek                  KCY    
All-League First-String Cornerback            Thomas Darden               CAR    
All-League First-String Cornerback            Tim Foley                   CAR    
All-League First-String Safety                Allan Ellis                 WAS    
All-League First-String Safety                Louie Wright                CLE    
All-League Second-String Quarterback          David Woodley               DET    
All-League Second-String Running Back         Archie Griffin              CLE    
**All-League Second-String Fullback           Ricky Wright                TBY    
All-League Second-String Tight End            Mickey Shuler               GBY    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Tony Hill                   NYJ    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        James Lofton                MIN    
All-League Second-String Center               Bill Bryan                  STL    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Ernie Janes                 ATL    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Joe Fields                  NYJ    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     Charlie Getty               BOS    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     Dennis Harrah               CHI    
All-League Second-String Punter               Ray Guy                     SFO    
All-League Second-String Kicker               Mike Lansford               NOS    
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Dwayne Board                HOU    
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Duncan McColl               CIN    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     David Galloway              BAL    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     John Mendenhall             GBY    
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Richard Wood                CLE    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Jeff Barnes                 NOS    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Ernest McCleskey            MAR    
All-League Second-String Cornerback           Tim Fox                     SEA    
All-League Second-String Cornerback           Skip Thomas                 KCY    
All-League Second-String Safety               Pat Thomas                  L.A    
All-League Second-String Safety               Ken Houston                 OAK