FOF4: Historical project year 1983 -

[3ric]

Seasons 1970-1973:
http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/ubb...c&f=3&t=001391
Seasons 1974-1982:
http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/f...&threadid=4504

1983 season

Notable names among the retirees:
MIN DE Bubba Smith, SEA WR Mel Gray, BOS QB Karl Sweetan, HOU DE Cedric Hardman, NOS LB Joe Federspiel, SD DT Mean Joe Greene, SD WR Ken Burroughs, CAR WR James Roy Jackson, HOU WR Haven Moses, MIN DE Pete Duranko.

In the draft preview, we look at three blue-chip prospects at QB: Ken O'Brien, Tony Eason, and... (drum roll) ...Dan Marino! John Elway and Jim Kelly looks like 3rd- or 4th-round picks. Other players certain to be picked early are C Jesse Sapolu, DT Tim Krumrie, DE Jim Jeffcoat, ILB Karl Mecklenburg, DE Charles Mann, S Joey Browner and RB Eric Dickerson.

The Colts' RB Tony Dorsett signs quickly with Oakland in free agency, and Tennessee QB Richard Todd, who had a breakout season last year, has gotten a 6 yr, $48 mil offer from Houston. A week later Todd signs with New Orleans for $40 mil. Seattle's Lester Hayes, one of the best players in the league, leaves the Seahawks after six years to become a member of the Falcons for 4 yrs, $34 mil.

Journeyman QB Mike Franckowiak signs with Washington, his sixth team in 7 seasons. But this time it looks like he'll get to stay as he got a 4-yr deal worth $25 mil. 12-yr veteran guard Conrad Dobler re-signs with Detroit for $11 mil. 38-yr old Steve Spurrier hopes to get a new starting role with Boston after being relegated to backup in New York. The Patriots signed him for two years, $12 mil. He'll be protected by C Blair Bush who leaves Cincinnati for New England on a 6-yr contract offer worth $29 mil.

The Cowboys lose a starter at QB as Tommy Kramer rejects their proposal and accepts the offer from Kansas City for 4 yrs, $25 mil. Maryland running back Ottis Anderson still has offers from 4 different teams in week 6 of free agency, and will have to decide soon. His decision comes just a week later, as the prospect of joining Kramer and the Chiefs is too exciting to refuse. 15-yr veteran CB Mel Blount, who's still among the league's best corners, signs with the Bengals for $8 mil.

TE Ed Marinaro goes to Houston and WR Paul Staroba re-signs with L.A. for a 13th and a 14th season with the Rams. The Chiefs make another big free agent signing as All-Pro safety Dick Anderson joins them from San Diego for 3 yrs, $16 mil. He was Defensive Player of the Year in 1974, and still is one of the league's best at his position.

Injury-plagued RB Franco Harris starts over in Denver after 11 years with Oakland. At the end of free agency we see that players like ILB Clay Matthews, T Joe Bostic, OLB Tom Cousineau and CB Cleo Johnson are still available.

[3ric]

The 1983 college draft, round 1:
1. Chicago - Jeffcoat, Jim, DE, Arizona State
2. Philadelphia - Mosebar, Don, T, Southern California
3. Seattle - Cofer, Mike, DE, Tennessee
4. Seattle - Krumrie, Tim, DT, Wisconsin
5. Detroit - Gault, Willie, WR, Tennessee
6. Maryland - Marino, Dan, QB, Pittsburgh
7. Denver - Green, Darrell, CB, Small College
8. Baltimore - Hinton, Chris, G, Northwestern
9. Pittsburgh - Covert, Jimbo, T, Pittsburgh
10. Houston - Dickerson, Eric, RB, Southern Methodist
11. Jacksonville - Eatman, Irv, T, UCLA
12. Boston - Dent, Richard, DE, Tennessee State
13. New York G - Mann, Charles, DE, Nevada
14. Minnesota - Lutz, Dave, G, Georgia Tech
15. San Francisco - Warner, Curt, RB, Penn State
16. Miami - Nelson, Karl, T, Iowa State
17. New Orleans - Salem, Harvey, T, California
18. Cincinnati - Miller, Brett, T, Iowa
19. Kansas City - Marshall, Leonard, DT, Louisiana State
20. Pittsburgh - Payne, Jimmy, DE, Georgia
21. New York J - Richardson, Mike, CB, Arizona State
22. Carolina - Pickel, Bill, DT, Rutgers
23. Dallas - Townsend, Greg, DE, Texas Christian
24. Oakland - Reed, Doug, DT, San Diego State
25. Washington - Lewis, Tim, S, Pittsburgh
26. Green Bay - Duda, Mark, DT, Maryland
27. Los Angeles - Browner, Joey, S, Southern California
28. Cleveland - Horton, Ray, CB, Washington
29. Atlanta - Mecklenburg, Karl, ILB, Minnesota
30. Washington - Bird, Steve, WR, Eastern Kentucky
31. Tennessee - Sapolu, Jesse, C, Hawaii
32. Tampa Bay - Duerson, Dave, CB, Notre Dame

Other interesting picks:
43. Jacksonville - O'Brien, Ken, QB, California - Davis
47. San Francisco - Byrd, Gill, CB, San Jose State
49. New Orleans - Brown, Ron, WR, Arizona State
62. New York J - Eason, Tony, QB, Illinois
63. Tennessee - Ellard, Henry, WR, Fresno State
67. St. Louis - Hector, Johnny, RB, Texas A&M
68. New Orleans - Roby, Reggie, P, Iowa
69. Detroit - Kinard, Terry, CB, Clemson
74. Houston - Matthews, Bruce, C, Southern California
78. Minnesota - Elway, John, QB, Stanford
82. Cincinnati - Lewis, Albert, CB, Grambling
103. Denver - Carter, Anthony, WR, Michigan
136. Jacksonville - Mularkey, Mike, TE, Florida
145. New Orleans - Kelly, Jim, QB, Miami, Florida
152. Oakland - Talley, Darryl, OLB, West Virginia
161. Washington - Anderson, Gary, RB, Arkansas
175. San Francisco - Fernandez, Mervyn, WR, San Jose State

Undrafted:
RB Roger Craig, C Tom Thayer, CB Ronnie Lippett.

Tampa Bay Amateur Draft Report:
Rnd 1 - Dave Duerson, CB, Notre Dame
Rnd 2 - Glenn Young, WR, Mississippi State
Rnd 3 - Jim Arnold, P, Vanderbilt
Rnd 4 - James Jones, RB, Florida
Rnd 5 - Clifton Blake, C, Wisconsin
Rnd 6 - Leslie Pierce, QB, Kansas State
Rnd 7 - Toby Humphrey, TE, Ohio State

[3ric]

Draft analysis

• Jeffcoat probably won't start for the Bears as they have two strong ends in Barney Chavous and Keith Gary. Chavous is in his 11th season though so it's hard to fault this selection.
  
• Mosebar enters a similar situation for the Eagles, but the question is if he can fulfill the expectations on him. He appears to have problems adjusting to the pro game.
  
• Cofer easily is the most talented end on the 'Hawks team. Great pick, good value for them.
  
• Seattle's D-line took a giant step towards respectability with the selection of Krumrie. This improvement on an otherwise strong defense speaks well of the team's chances in the division.
  
• Willie Gault was a superb pick for Detroit as it fills a major need and provides QB David Woodley with a go-to receiver. Nothing except injury can prevent Gault from start in week 1.
  
• Marino becomes the heir apparent to 12-yr vet Archie Manning and should see playing time early as Manning has become very injury prone with age.
  
• Green gives the Broncos a true shut-down corner and gives their secondary a real boost as their only legitimate starter was safety Mike Fuller.
  
• Chris Hinton will be the backup to Henry Allison, who is in his 13th season. Good pick for the future.
  
• The selection of Covert was necessary for the Steelers as their starting tackles, Lionel Antoine and Jon Kolb, have 25 years of pro experience between them.
  
• Starting RB Mike Pruitt in Houston hasn't missed a start in three years and has had consecutive 1100-yd seasons, which makes the selection of Dickerson hard to understand. Pruitt is also in the first year of a 5-year contract.

Tampa Bay roster:

  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
$$Simms, Phil           12  QB   5    64                64                2 yrs.
Kersey, Hunter          5   QB   5    27                45                2 yrs.
Franco, Jake            17  QB   2    20                43                3 yrs.
##Pierce, Leslie        1   QB   1    18                58                2 yrs.
$$Dickey, Curtis        40  RB   4    78                82                1 yr.
Nelson, Darrin          36  RB   2    54                66                1 yr.
##Winder, Sammy         41  RB   2    52                63                2 yrs.
Jones, James            24  RB   1    59                71                3 yrs.
$$Wright, Ricky         23  FB   4    70                70                2 yrs.
Crutchfield, Dwayne     45  FB   2    41                61                2 yrs.
$$Winslow, Kellen       83  TE   5    78                78                4 yrs.
Humphrey, Toby          81  TE   1    26                53                3 yrs.
$$Hayes, Geoff          82  FL   10   38                38                2 yrs.
Young, Glenn            85  FL   1    38                61                3 yrs.
Dawkins, Julius         86  FL   1    30                53                2 yrs.
$$Largent, Steve        87  SE   8    65                67                4 yrs.
##Tyler, Andre          80  SE   2    25                42                3 yrs.
Schultz, Sedrick        13  SE   2    35                52                2 yrs.
$$Boden, Lynn           62  LG   9    86                86                2 yrs.
Beaman, Donnell         63  LG   5    48                54                3 yrs.
$$Gross, Lee            50  C    9    68                68                3 yrs.
Blake, Clifton          58  C    1    23                56                2 yrs.
$$Wysock, Joe           76  RG   9    65                65                5 yrs.
$$Maurer, Andy          75  RT   15   59                59                1 yr.
$$Carlton, Darryl       69  RT   9    76                76                3 yrs.
Smith, Eric             67  RT   6    45                53                3 yrs.
Arnold, Jim             3   P    1    73                93                3 yrs.
Bridges, Gary           7   K    4    52                52                2 yrs.
$$Franks, Elvis         78  LDE  4    60                65                3 yrs.
Manley, Dexter          70  LDE  3    63                82                2 yrs.
##Collier, Lionel       97  LDE  1    22                40                1 yr.
$$Drury, Andrew         95  LDT  10   49                50                1 yr.
Simmons, Ron            96  LDT  3    33                36                4 yrs.
Davis, Charlie          72  RDT  10   45                45                2 yrs.
##Blades, Steven        74  RDT  2    27                43                2 yrs.
$$Mullaney, Mark        90  RDE  9    67                68                4 yrs.
Gaddy, Skip             56  SLB  3    32                48                1 yr.
$$Scholtz, Bruce        91  SLB  2    51                76                4 yrs.
Singletary, Mike        57  MLB  3    58                75                1 yr.
$$Van Pelt, Brad        99  WILB 11   77                80                2 yrs.
$$Stewart, Mark         55  WILB 1    28                50                2 yrs.
$$Dorris, Andy          92  WLB  11   58                58                3 yrs.
##Harper, John          54  WLB  1    29                54                2 yrs.
$$Simpson, Bill         46  LCB  10   61                61                3 yrs.
$$Davis, Oliver         25  LCB  7    77                77                4 yrs.
Smith, Wayne            34  LCB  4    30                58                2 yrs.
Coffey, Ken             49  RCB  2    32                57                2 yrs.
Duerson, Dave           37  RCB  1    38                81                5 yrs.
$$Thomas, Ike           27  SS   13   66                66                1 yr.
Waymer, Dave            30  SS   4    62                70                1 yr.
McElroy, Van            48  SS   2    35                71                1 yr.
$$Harris, John          22  FS   6    76                76                2 yrs.
##Watson, Anthony       21  FS   2    36                52                3 yrs.

[3ric]

Season summary

In week 10, Minnesota's starting QB Steve DeBerg had to be put on injured reserve, which promoted rookie John Elway to the starting position. Tennessee's Henry Ellard is starting alongside 3-yr vet Art Monk since All-Pro WR Charlie Joiner also went out with an injury.

Tampa Bay finished at 10-6 and tied for second in the division with Atlanta three games behind 13-3 New Orleans. Luckily, we made the playoffs on a wild card despite ending the season on a 4-game losing streak.

In the wild card game, we play against Washington, who puts up a fight and has a 4-point lead with three minutes left. A 16-yd TD pass from Simms to Largent put us up 16-13 which the defense helps us to maintain to the end. Largent had 5 catches for 95 yds and Dickey ran for 88 yds. We held both QB Mike Franckowiak and RB James Brooks from doing much damage.

We face division winners New Orleans in the Conference semifinals, and RB Lydell Mitchell return from injury to give them a boost. They swept us in the regular season and give us a difficult time today too, and take an early 21-7 lead. We manage to narrow the deficit to four points at halftime, but the Saints score two quick TDs in the 3rd quarter and go ahead 35-17 and later score again to win 42-17. Disappointing, but they were the better team all season. Their QB, Richard Todd, was player of the week with 370 yds passing and 3 TDs.

New Orleans ruin it next week and lose 3-7 to Seattle, who advance to the Super Bowl together with Tennessee that beat Kansas City 23-7. The Titans' Dennis Morrison pass for 299 yds, 110 of them to Art Monk.

Two "expansion teams" from 1970 meet in the final, and Tennessee are favored by a 13-point spread although the 'Hawks has better linebackers and defensive backs. The overachieving 10-9 Seahawks continue to surprise and keep the game close, but the 16-2 Titans prevail 24-22 to capture the Lombardi Trophy. Morrison is MVP with 384 yds and 3 TDs. Art Monk again has a big game with 6 receptions for 144 yds and a TD.

[VPI97]

Originally posted by 3ric

Simmons, Ron            96  LDT  3    33                36                4 yrs.

Isn't that the same Ron Simmons who plays Farooq in the WWE? You had better give him some more playing time or he'll start clotheslining people right and left...

[3ric]

Team summary

1983 Summary for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
   
Record: 11-7
Winning Pct.: .611
   
Tampa Bay Buccaneers    Team      Rank  
Rushes                  508       4           
Rushing Yards           2382      3           
Yards Per Carry         4.68      3           
Pass Attempts           509       23          
Completions             319       19          
Passing Yards           3235      23          
Yards Per Attempt       6.35      18          
3rd Down Conversions    35.4      21          
Points Per Game         22.6      9           
Turnovers               23        11 (T)      
Turnover Margin         -3        21          
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes                  390       5           
Rushing Yards           1658      9           
Yards Per Carry         4.25      24          
Pass Attempts           540       19          
Completions             308       11 (T)      
Passing Yards           3108      5           
Yards Per Attempt       5.75      3           
3rd Down Conversions    31.3      4           
Points Per Game         15.8      1           
Turnovers               20        30 (T)      
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     9     at ATL        12      
2     31    at JAX        12      
3     27    MIN           17      
4     24    STL           10      
5     29    SFO           0       
6     31    at L.A        20      
8     30    at SEA        0       
9     19    at NOS        27      
10    30    ATL           20      
11    24    CAR           6       
12    24    HOU           6       
13    24    at DAL        13      
14    10    at BAL        19      
15    13    at CAR        30      
16    20    TEN           23      
17    17    NOS           38      
$$WC  16    at WAS        13      
$$CS  17    at NOS        42      
   
Passing             Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int  
12 Simms            QB    504   316   3207  6.36  23    9       
**Team              ---   509   319   3235  6.35  23    11      
   
Rushing             Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD  
40 Dickey           RB    288   1424  4.94  10      
24 Jones            RB    112   468   4.17  0       
36 Nelson           RB    54    295   5.46  1       
**Team              ---   508   2382  4.68  12      
   
Receiving           Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC   TD  
87 Largent          WR    137   81    1233  15.2  161   3       
23 Wright           FB    108   79    475   6.0   230   5       
40 Dickey           RB    65    49    445   9.0   179   2       
82 Hayes            WR    52    18    223   12.3  49    1       
83 Winslow          TE    36    26    241   9.2   43    5       
24 Jones            RB    32    23    203   8.8   114   2       
85 Young            WR    25    14    163   11.6  12    0       
**Team              ---   504   319   3235  10.1  824   23      
   
Defense             Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  
27 Thomas           S     91    23    0.0   2     1     9       
55 Stewart          ILB   75    23    3.0   1     0     4       
57 Singletary       ILB   72    20    3.0   1     1     3       
46 Simpson          CB    65    12    0.0   0     5     16      
25 Davis            CB    65    26    3.0   0     0     20      
22 Harris           S     64    32    0.5   1     2     16      
92 Dorris           OLB   57    15    4.0   0     0     7       
54 Harper           OLB   40    10    2.0   1     1     4       
34 Smith            CB    32    14    1.0   2     1     2       
78 Franks           DE    24    13    5.5   22    0     0       
95 Drury            DT    20    5     1.0   4     0     0       
37 Duerson          CB    20    4     0.5   0     0     3       
91 Scholtz          OLB   18    8     2.5   3     0     5       
90 Mullaney         DE    16    6     5.5   3     0     0       
**Team              ---   813   245   44.0  57    13    91      

[3ric]

Individual statistics

Super Bowl MVP Dennis Morrison, Tennessee, was the highest rated passer with a 100.8 rating. Cleveland's Bradley had the most TDs and John Elway was the top rookie passer with 1593 yds, 10 TDs and 8 ints.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Att  Cmp  Pct   Yards Avg   Lg  TD   Int  
Todd, Richard         QB  NOS   16 16 576  331  57.4  4382  7.60  81  23   26     
Ferguson, Joe         QB  GBY   16 16 570  357  62.6  4175  7.32  80  27   11     
Bradley, Gene         QB  CLE   16 16 528  325  61.5  4107  7.77  67  32   16     
Staubach, Roger       QB  NYJ   16 16 516  332  64.3  3903  7.56  72  29   8      
Woodley, David        QB  DET   16 16 556  334  60.0  3897  7.00  74  25   23     
Ogden, Gerald         QB  SDO   16 16 511  328  64.1  3462  6.77  49  21   21     
Fouts, Dan            QB  CHI   13 13 434  270  62.2  3368  7.76  57  21   10     
Adams, Mario          QB  SEA   16 16 484  262  54.1  3322  6.86  62  17   21     
Bunn, Bart            QB  HOU   16 16 533  301  56.4  3232  6.06  49  10   28     
**Simms, Phil         QB  TBY   16 16 504  316  62.6  3207  6.36  53  23   9      

St.Louis' Johnny Hector ran only for 579 yds and 5 TDs, but that was enough to get the Offensive Rookie of the year award.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Att  Yards Avg   Lg  TD  
Brooks, James         RB  WAS   16 16 284  1641  5.7   65  11     
**Dickey, Curtis      RB  TBY   16 16 288  1424  4.9   54  10     
Jones, James          RB  MAR   16 16 317  1250  3.9   53  5      
Clemons, Bob          RB  KCY   16 16 356  1218  3.4   30  8      
Simpson, Hubert       RB  DAL   16 16 316  1205  3.8   35  10     
Allen, Marcus         RB  BUF   16 16 206  1111  5.3   44  9      
Poole, Nathan         RB  CLE   13 8  238  1075  4.5   40  5      
Andrews, William      RB  ATL   15 15 222  1055  4.7   80  7      
Dorsett, Tony         RB  OAK   16 16 199  1037  5.2   54  4      
King, Kenny           RB  CIN   16 4  160  989   6.1   90  9      

[3ric]

Monk led the league in receptions, yardage and touchdowns while
Carolina's rookie FB Sam Westbrook had 55 catches for 406 yds.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Targ Ctch Yards Avg   YAC   Lg   TD  
Monk, Art             WR  TEN   16 14 151  90   1569  17.4  451   93   12     
Jefferson, John       WR  GBY   16 15 145  83   1459  17.5  315   68   8      
Gray, Ernest          WR  NYG   16 15 166  70   1341  19.1  282   83   7      
Green, Roy            WR  CLE   15 14 151  82   1257  15.3  257   53   6      
**Largent, Steve      WR  TBY   16 13 137  81   1233  15.2  161   53   3      
Medsker, Neal         WR  KCY   16 15 138  81   1152  14.2  193   55   4      
Muhammad, Calvin      WR  NOS   16 16 122  69   1148  16.6  162   51   1      
Hill, Tony            WR  NYJ   16 12 125  72   1146  15.9  221   72   8      
Marshall, Henry       WR  DEN   16 14 159  78   1099  14.0  147   63   5      
Tilley, Pat           WR  SFO   14 14 131  67   1082  16.1  135   63   9      

Punt and kick return average leaders:

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS PR   Yards Avg   TD  KR   Yards Avg   TD  
Haynes, Mike          CB  TEN   16 16 31   504   16.2  2   23   581   25.2  0     
Thompson, Rocky       WR  BAL   13 13 19   302   15.8  0   23   501   21.7  0     
Gibson, Kirk          WR  MIA   16 4  22   319   14.5  1   14   351   25.0  0     
Casey, Bo             WR  PHI   14 14 25   332   13.2  1   31   737   23.7  0     
Norman, Kennedy       CB  CLE   15 15 29   374   12.8  1   20   565   28.2  0     
 
  Player              Pos Team  GP GS PR   Yards Avg   TD  KR   Yards Avg   TD  
Fuller, Mike          S   DEN   16 16 20   115   5.7   0   29   932   32.1  1     
Clayborn, Ray         S   DET   16 16 6    65    10.8  0   32   972   30.3  1     
Perez, Brett          WR  BOS   16 5  0    0     0.0   0   24   724   30.1  1     
Medsker, Neal         WR  CIN   16 16 0    0     0.0   0   27   805   29.8  2     
Gault, Willie         WR  DET   16 2  23   288   12.5  0   18   530   29.4  0     

[3ric]

Undrafted rookie ILB Mark Stewart had 75 solo tackles for Tampa Bay.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Tckl Asst Sack Blkd Hurr  
Wood, Richard         ILB CLE   16 13 128  28   0.0  0    2      
Cronan, Peter         OLB DAL   16 16 128  37   8.5  1    4      
Miller, Larry         ILB BOS   16 15 125  35   0.0  0    2      
McCleskey, Ernest     OLB MAR   16 16 122  43   7.0  3    0      
Mack, Gene            ILB CAR   16 16 121  40   3.0  0    1      
Robertson, Isiah      ILB PHI   16 15 117  39   4.0  0    1      
Shoate, Rod           ILB DAL   15 13 116  41   4.0  0    0      
Colzie, Neil          S   MIA   16 16 114  38   3.5  0    3      
Harper, Willie        ILB CIN   16 16 113  40   3.0  0    1      
Slutzker, Ray         ILB OAK   16 13 110  34   1.0  0    1      
 
Shula, Nick           DE  PHI   13 13 54   10   14.0 2    6      
Merrill, Casey        DE  NOS   16 16 40   13   13.0 7    30     
Cobb, Robert          DE  DET   15 13 32   17   12.0 8    12     
Williams, Reggie      OLB MIA   15 15 107  25   11.5 1    7      
Harris, Al            DE  PIT   16 16 56   24   11.5 6    16     

Maryland safety Lionel Washington became Defensive Rookie of the year with 6 interceptions returned for 106 yds, with 69 tackles, 30 assists and 3 sacks.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Ints IRYd TD   Defn Cght PPly PDPct  
Owens, Burgess        CB  MAR   16 16 9    124  1    17   38   509   21.7   
Lee, Mark             CB  MIN   16 16 8    74   0    11   45   500   20.3   
Foley, Steve          S   JAX   16 16 7    209  1    16   31   558   21.4   
Haynes, Mike          CB  TEN   16 16 7    208  3    13   40   578   20.6   
Hayes, Lester         CB  ATL   16 16 7    125  1    20   47   503   21.1   
Brown, Dave           CB  BOS   16 16 7    15   0    24   44   513   21.7   
Clark, Mario          S   DAL   16 16 6    187  1    16   42   566   20.6   
Logan, Randy          S   L.A   16 16 6    150  1    11   24   476   21.2   
Darden, Thomas        CB  CAR   16 16 6    146  2    24   47   557   21.2   
Butler, Bobby         CB  DET   16 16 6    137  1    13   54   578   19.7   

[3ric]

Career records

Category               Player               Record     Last Year
Games started          Rufus Mayes	    208        1982
Pass completions       Craig Morton*        3,865      1983
Passing yards          Craig Morton*        48,075     1983
Passing touchdowns     Craig Morton         294        1983
Rushing attempts       John Riggins*        3,010      1983
Rushing yards          John Riggins         12,697     1983
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*          62         1983
Tackles                Isiah Robertson*     1297       1982
Sacks                  Cedric Hardman*      99.5       1982
Field Goals            Jack Simczak         411        1983
Key Run Blocks         John Wilbur*         431        1982
Targeted passes        Haven Moses*         1,723      1982
Passes defended        Tim Foley*           240        1983

Top performances

• 6 passing touchdowns by Mario Adams, SEA, vs ATL.
  
• 208 rushing yds by William Andrews, ATL, vs SEA.
  
• 13 pass receptions by Roy Green, CLE, vs NYJ.
  
• 329 receiving yds by Art Monk, TEN, vs NYJ. (New league record)
  
• 18 tackles by Larry Miller, BOS, vs NYJ.
  
• 9 key run blocks by Ed Fisher, DEN, vs BOS.

1983 Awards list

   Award                                      Player                      Team  
Player of the Year                          Roger Staubach              NYJ    
Front Office Bowl MVP                       Dennis Morrison             TEN    
Offensive Player of the Year                James Brooks                WAS    
Defensive Player of the Year                Peter Cronan                DAL    
Offensive Rookie of the Year                Johnny Hector               STL    
Defensive Rookie of the Year                Lionel Washington           MAR    
All-League First-String Quarterback         Gerald Ogden                SDO    
All-League First-String Running Back        James Brooks                WAS    
**All-League First-String Fullback          Ricky Wright                TBY    
All-League First-String Tight End           Rancher Tom Newsome         NOS    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver       Art Monk                    TEN    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver       John Jefferson              GBY    
All-League First-String Center              Carl Mauck                  CHI    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard     Pete Adams                  WAS    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard     Ernie Janes                 ATL    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle    Anthony Munoz               ATL    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle    Henry Lawrence              DAL    
All-League First-String Punter              Paul Rogers                 STL    
All-League First-String Kicker              Jack Simczak                ATL    
All-League First-String Defensive End       Al Harris                   PIT    
All-League First-String Defensive End       Nick Shula                  PHI    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle    Gary Johnson                SFO    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle    Gary Jeter                  STL    
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker   Rod Shoate                  DAL    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker  Peter Cronan                DAL    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker  Woodrow Lowe                WAS    
All-League First-String Cornerback          Thomas Darden               CAR    
All-League First-String Cornerback          Mark Lee                    MIN    
All-League First-String Safety              Steve Foley                 JAX    
All-League First-String Safety              Mario Clark                 DAL    
All-League Second-String Quarterback        Roger Staubach              NYJ    
**All-League Second-String Running Back     Curtis Dickey               TBY    
All-League Second-String Fullback           Earl Ferrell                NOS    
All-League Second-String Tight End          Joe Rose                    MAR    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver      Ernest Gray                 NYG    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver      Roy Green                   CLE    
All-League Second-String Center             Dave Huffman                DAL    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard    Stephen Lawson              BUF    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard    Reggie McKenzie             KCY    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle   Joe Bostic                  CHI    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle   Ron Mikolajczyk             OAK    
All-League Second-String Punter             K.C. Schwarz                MAR    
All-League Second-String Kicker             George Hunt                 DAL    
All-League Second-String Defensive End      Casey Merrill               NOS    
All-League Second-String Defensive End      Dwayne Board                HOU    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle   Brett Schultz               OAK    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle   Mike Kadish                 MAR    
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker  Scott Brantley              BAL    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker Reggie Williams             MIA    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker Robin Cole                  STL    
All-League Second-String Cornerback         Mike Haynes                 TEN    
All-League Second-String Cornerback         Skip Thomas                 KCY    
All-League Second-String Safety             Louie Wright                CLE    
All-League Second-String Safety             James Hunter                HOU    

[nilodor]

Originally posted by 3ric
All-League Second-String Cornerback Skip Thomas KCY

Good ol' Dr. Death. How's Tatum doing?

[3ric]

Tatum is in his 14th season, all with Tennessee (All-Pro in 1980 and 1975), hasn't missed a start in 8 seasons and has 49 interceptions (5th among active players).

[3ric]

1984 season

Notable names among the retirees:
KC S Dick Anderson, PIT T Jon Kolb, PIT S Mike Wagner, CIN CB Mel Blount, TEN WR Charlie Joiner, HOU OLB Jack Ham, ATL RB Joe Profit, LA WR Paul Staroba, NO RB Lydell Mitchell, BAL RB Mike Pruitt.

We trade future wrestling DT Ron Simmonds to Chicago to create more cap room. RB Curtis Dickey is the franchise player, but will be difficult to sign for more years as he wants a 5-yr, $50 mil contract. RB Darrin Nelson will not be resigned, and we have two players out for the season in WR Geoff Hayes and DE Mark Mullaney that ties up $7 mil in cap dollars. We'd like to get T Andy Maurer back for a 16th season, but we'll wait for him to lower his demands. Defensive tackle is a problem spot as we only have journeyman Charlie Davis and unproven Steven Blades there. We'd also like to retain ILB Mike Singletary, but we can't afford to get into a bidding war for him. 13-yr vet and three-time All-Pro S Ike Thomas probably won't be back, as we'll keep 3-yr man Van McElroy who comes with a big upside and at a lower price.

We offer contracts to DT Dan Hampton and T Edward Gruber. Three-time league MVP Roger Staubach has gotten a $28 mil offer to stay with the New York Jets. RB Tony Nathan could leave San Diego for Maryland if he accepts their 5-yr, $21 mil deal. WR John Jefferson signs with Minnesota for $40 mil and 5 years. In week 2 we agree to terms with Dan Hampton and the veteran DT joins Tampa Bay. WR Dwight Clark could leave Chicago for San Diego as they've offered him $49 mil for 6 years. Denver could improve their O-line significantly with the addition of both G John Hannah and C Ray Donaldson. OLB Clay Matthews appear headed for San Diego while Cliff Odom could leave Cleveland for the Giants.

Miami signs L.A. tackle Tunch Ilkin for 4 yrs, $21 mil and DT Mike Kadish goes to the Ravens. After week 4 we get Gruber's name on our contract and turn our efforts toward our own players. Tony Nathan leaves the Chargers for Denver, but the Broncos lose out on Hannah, as he goes back to Maryland. Philadelphia signs WR Roy Green for 6 yrs, $35 mil. P Ray Guy goes to the Jets for 3 yrs, $4 mil. S Dave Waymer, who was released by Tampa Bay last season, re-signs with the team that picked him up, the Eagles, for 5 yrs, $15 mil. All-time leading tackler Isiah Robertson signs with Seattle for three years.

[3ric]

1984 amateur draft

In the draft, the five highest rated players are: QB Steve Young, DE Reggie White, T John Alt, QB Warren Moon and WR Irving Fryar.

1. Minnesota - Banks, Carl, ILB, Michigan State
2. Jacksonville - Hamilton, Leslie, RB, Toledo
3. Pittsburgh - Alt, John, T, Iowa
4. Philadelphia - Pegues, Jeff, OLB, East Carolina
5. Baltimore - Roberts, William, T, Ohio State
6. Maryland - Maas, Bill, DT, Pittsburgh
7. Houston - White, Reggie, DE, Tennessee
8. Boston - McIntyre, Guy, G, Georgia
9. Pittsburgh - Geathers, Jumpy, DE, Small College
10. St. Louis - Fryar, Irving, WR, Nebraska
11. Oakland - Heller, Ron, T, Penn State
12. San Francisco - Baack, Steve, DE, Oregon
13. Los Angeles - Martin, Dan, T, Iowa State
14. New York G - Lipps, Louis, WR, Southern Mississippi
15. Buffalo - Harper, Todd, DE, Texas Tech
16. Boston - Winter, Blaise, DT, Syracuse
17. Carolina - Young, Steve, QB, Brigham Young
18. Cleveland - Williams, Eric, DT, Washington State
19. Green Bay - Manuel, Lionel, WR, Small College
20. San Diego - Bryan, Rick, DT, Oklahoma
21. Denver - Sturm, Terrance, CB, Hawaii
22. Tampa Bay - Lockhart, Eugene, OLB, Houston
23. Atlanta - Johnson, Mike, DE, Illinois
24. Cleveland - Radecic, Scott, OLB, Penn State
25. Washington - Hardig, Marc, T, Akron
26. New York J - Case, Scott, S, Oklahoma
27. Cincinnati - Zimmerman, Gary, G, Oregon
28. Detroit - Dennis, Ellis, G, Eastern Tenn. St.
29. Kansas City - Millard, Keith, DE, Washington State
30. New Orleans - Long, Terry, G, East Carolina
31. Seattle - Browner, Keith, OLB, Southern California
32. Tennessee - Blados, Brian, T, North Carolina

Tampa Bay Draft Report:
Rnd 1 - Eugene Lockhart, OLB, Houston
Rnd 2 - Warren Moon, QB, Washington
Rnd 3 - Alex Preston, WR, Nevada
Rnd 4 - Neal Brennan, DE, Indiana
Rnd 4 - Nick Foreman, DT, South Florida
Rnd 5 - Skip Palmer, ILB, Ohio
Rnd 6 - Billy Joe Combs, ILB, Hawaii
Rnd 7 - Wayne Crafts, RB, Middle Tenn. St.

When players report to training camp, we discover that ILB Brad Van Pelt's abilities has slipped badly, and a veteran addition is necessary. We still can't agree on terms with Singletary, and eventually sign away Barry Krauss from the Broncos.