Historical project: 1974-

[3ric]

1974 season

to see the earlier posted seasons at the old forum:
http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/ubb...c&f=3&t=001391

Notable names among the retirees:
FB Alan Ameche, BAL, DE Gino Marchetti, PHI, RB Paul Hornung, GB, QB Sonny Jurgenson, WAS, WR Gail Cogdill, DET, T Bob St.Clair, CLE, RB Billy Cannon, HOU, QB Len Dawson, KC.

OJ Simpson signed a new contract with Buffalo during the offseason worth $12.57 mil over 5 years, and Miami's Mercury Morris got 6 years, $10.72 mil. The Dolphins also signed WR Paul Warfield to a big contract, $8.59 mil for 5 years. Other big re-negotiations was made with MIN DT Alan Page, BOS WR Stanley Morgan, BOS G Len St.Jean and OAK CB Leonard Dunlap.

Tampa's Steve Spurrier is a free agent, and is asking for a 6 year, $25 mil contract. Buh-bye, Stevie - take a hike! Amazingly, New York Giants offer a contract to that bum and he signs for 6 years, $20.99 mil.

We sign a couple of players in free agency - WR Eddie Bell from New York Jets, CB Dave Grayson from Kansas City, G Sedrick Evans from Chicago, CB Bob Grim from Minnesota, WR Ron Shanklin from Pittsburgh, DE Shaun Chart from Los Angeles and QB Bill Munson from Detroit.

CIN WR Speedy Thomas signs with Chicago, NYG LB Sam Huff signs with Seattle, DAL RB Dan Reeves signs with Oakland, MIA RB Jim Kiick signs with Dallas, TB WR Marlin Briscoe signs with Philadelphia, BAL DT Big Daddy Lipscomb signs with Green Bay, CIN TE Bruce Coslet signs with Houston.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Jeris White, CB, Hawaii (Punishing hitter who's great in coverage but get pushed around by lead blockers)
Rnd 2 - Don Goode, ILB, Kansas (Intelligent playmaker who has to learn to play physical)
Rnd 2 - Curtis Botello, DT, Kansas State (Strong, but very unpolished. Tend to take plays off)
Rnd 3 - Junior Clayton, QB, Georgia Tech (Scrambling short-pass specialist with tendency to tell off his passes)
Rnd 4 - Doug Nettles, S, Vanderbilt (Big guy with nose for the ball, better instincts than football knowledge)
Rnd 5 - Rex Chacon, FB, Auburn (A pass-catching back, too small to block effectively)
Rnd 6 - Wilbur Jackson, RB, Alabama (Great straight-ahead speed, good change-of-pace back)
Rnd 7 - Norman Kerr, C, Iowa State (Very raw, will need to gain strength as he can't rely on bulk alone)


1. Jacksonville - Kollar, Bill, DT, Montana
2. Carolina - Getty, Charlie, T, Penn State
3. Maryland - Davis, Charlie, DT, Texas Christian
4. Cincinnati - Van Eeghen, Mark, RB, Colgate
5. Detroit - Howard, Billy, DT, Alcorn State
6. New York G - Cook, Fred, DE, Southern Mississippi
7. St. Louis - Johnson, Billy, WR, Widener
8. Atlanta - Jefferson, Jose, G, Indiana
9. Pittsburgh - Gradishar, Randy, OLB, Ohio State
10. Denver - Stallworth, John, WR, Alabama A&M
11. Cleveland - White, Danny, QB, Arizona State
12. San Francisco - Williams, Delvin, RB, Kansas
13. Detroit - Walton, Carl, TE, Alabama
14. Green Bay - Jones, Too Tall, DE, Tennessee State
15. Buffalo - Reese, Donald, DE, Jackson State
16. Philadelphia - Simpson, Bill, CB, Michigan State
17. St. Louis - Mott, Sedrick, T, Florida State
18. San Diego - Sawyer, Alfred, DE, Ohio State
19. New York J - Briggs, Gerald, DE, Michigan
20. Boston - Dutton, John, DE, Nebraska
21. Dallas - Timmons, Rodney, DT, Nebraska
22. Houston - Patton, Jerry, T, Kansas State
23. Kansas City - Richmond, Lionel, DE, Georgia
24. Minnesota - Jaster, Bob, CB, Florida
25. Cincinnati - Wolfe, Dale, T, Mississippi State
26. Tampa Bay - White, Jeris, CB, Hawaii
27. Baltimore - Blair, Matt, ILB, Iowa State
28. Los Angeles - Lawrence, Henry, T, Florida A&M
29. San Francisco - LeMaster, Frank, ILB, Kentucky
30. Oakland - Quinn, Tim, DE, Iowa
31. Washington - Cribbs, Bucky, T, Auburn
32. Denver - Finch, Tony, T, Texas Tech


After the draft, we sign WAS DT Jim Bailey and free agents Dave Gallagher, DE, Jack Lambert, ILB, and Fred McNeill, OLB to get the roster to 53 players.

[3ric]

A little update for Alf:
P Ray Guy, who was drafted in the first round last season by Miami (as #26, where in real life he was drafted as #23 by Oakland) had 86 punts for 3653 yds, an average of 42.4 yds/punt, and a long punt of 60 yards, with 25 punts downed within the red zone.

My scout judge him as the 2nd best punter in the league, after only Chicago's Bobby Joe Green, a 14-yr vet.

[Alf]

Too bad he was denied All Pro honors last season. Ray Guy ! Ray Guy !

[nilodor]

3ric check your mailbox for the new 75 file, this is the last one that needed updating

[henry296]

I like seeing where the Steelers of the 70s get drafted. Since they weren't first rounders can you tell me who and when the following where drafted:

Lynn Swann
Jack Lambert
Mike Webster

Thanks
Todd

[3ric]

Jack Lambert is on my team, Tampa Bay, since I needed a backup inside linebacker and he was the best undrafted rookie available. He's pretty good, but hasn't got much playing time.

Mike Webster was also undrafted, and is still a free agent going into week 13 in 1974. He's the best rookie center on the market.

Lynn Swann was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 6th round, and has a couple of starts as their 3rd receiver.

[3ric]

Our final roster:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roster, Scout Overview
   
  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  
$$Munson, Bill          8   QB   11   46                47                3 yrs.  
Douglas, Bobby          2   QB   6    33                48                1 yr.   
Clayton, Junior         6   QB   1    15                55                4 yrs.  
$$Riggins, John         28  RB   4    79                82                2 yrs.  
Jackson, Wilbur         34  RB   1    44                58                2 yrs.  
Browning, Mercury       45  RB   2    39                52                2 yrs.  
$$Moorhead, Don         21  FB   4    54                69                5 yrs.  
Chacon, Rex             42  FB   1    28                50                3 yrs.  
$$White, Jan            15  TE   4    60                67                2 yrs.  
Romeo, Tony             87  TE   12   46                46                1 yr.   
$$Vataha, Randy         81  FL   6    47                47                1 yr.   
Bell, Eddie             80  FL   5    47                47                3 yrs.  
Thomas, Duane           82  FL   3    30                35                2 yrs.  
##Thompson, Leonard     89  FL   2    24                44                2 yrs.  
$$Shanklin, Ron         86  SE   6    49                49                3 yrs.  
$$Joseph, Courtney      66  LT   4    51                52                2 yrs.  
$$Allison, Henry        79  LG   4    57                58                1 yr.   
Evans, Sedrick          71  LG   5    53                61                3 yrs.  
$$Mauck, Carl           51  C    5    81                81                2 yrs.  
Kerr, Norman            58  C    1    10                43                3 yrs.  
$$Smith, Royce          68  RG   3    53                65                2 yrs.  
##Bernhardt, Roger      65  RG   2    28                48                2 yrs.  
Maurer, Andy            75  RT   6    57                58                3 yrs.  
$$Snider, Mal           78  RT   6    50                50                1 yr.   
Rogers, Paul            19  P    4    85                85                1 yr.   
Turner, Jim             11  K    10   64                64                2 yrs.  
$$Gallagher, Dave       97  LDE  1    32                51                1 yr.   
##Smith, Toby           91  LDE  4    27                41                1 yr.   
$$Moore, Maulty         93  LDT  5    42                59                1 yr.   
Gammon, Marcus          77  LDT  2    40                58                2 yrs.  
##Botello, Curtis       76  NT   1    26                52                5 yrs.  
**Juchartz, Bob         72  RDT  4    60                73                2 yrs.  
$$Bailey, Jim           98  RDT  6    30                30                2 yrs.  
$$Sampson, Greg         96  RDE  3    61                74                3 yrs.  
Chart, Shaun            74  RDE  5    38                38                2 yrs.  
$$Hunt, Sam             55  SLB  5    50                50                2 yrs.  
Fulk, Mike              94  SLB  2    38                58                3 yrs.  
##McNeill, Fred         57  SLB  1    30                51                1 yr.   
$$Adams, Doug           54  MLB  4    47                53                1 yr.   
Graham, Tom             52  MLB  3    46                72                2 yrs.  
Goode, Don              53  MLB  1    35                70                5 yrs.  
Lambert, Jack           59  MLB  1    35                60                1 yr.   
Van Pelt, Brad          99  WILB 2    43                83                3 yrs.  
$$Dorris, Andy          92  WLB  2    49                79                5 yrs.  
$$Grayson, Dave         39  LCB  14   41                43                2 yrs.  
Hall, Charles           48  LCB  4    37                54                1 yr.   
$$Grim, Bob             30  RCB  8    45                45                3 yrs.  
White, Jeris            20  RCB  1    35                70                4 yrs.  
##White, Mike           46  RCB  2    20                46                3 yrs.  
$$Thomas, Ike           27  SS   4    70                70                2 yrs.  
$$Beaman, Tim           41  SS   4    52                59                2 yrs.  
Farasopoulos, Chris     33  SS   4    48                61                1 yr.   
##Nettles, Doug         29  SS   1    34                66                2 yrs.  
   
$$ - player is in starting lineup, ## - player is inactive.  
   
Players Under Contract: 53
On Active Roster: 46
   
Salary Cap: $35,600,000
Cap Room: $8,060,000
Maximum for New Player: $8,170,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $870,000
   
Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $0
Cap Room Required Next Year: $24,190,000

[nilodor]

i'm loving the dynasty, my suggestion is keep alot of cap space free for 77-79.

[3ric]

Season review:

Week 1: lost 10-35 to Falcons. Cannonball Butler ran for 100 yds and QB Steve Ramsey passed for 270 yds and 2 TDs. S Jim Tolbert had two interceptions off Munson, who had a dreadful debut for the Bucs.

Week 2: lost 20-23 to Ravens. Archie Manning passed for 328 yds and 2 TDs for Maryland, but had 5 interceptions and was sacked 6 times, and won the game! Tampa's Munson had 3 interceptions for the second straight week.

Week 3: lost 9-12 to Redskins. Only scoring is through FGs, Washington's Gerhardt kicked 4 of 5 with a long of 51 yds. Dullest game in history, and yes, Munson threw three picks to the other team...

Week 4: lost 9-24 to Cardinals. RB Carlos Bell had 137 total yards from scrimmage on 24 touches, and QB Charley Johnson passed for 2 TDs. Munson threw for 220 yds and only one interception, and WR Ron Shanklin caught 10 passes for 111 yds.

Week 5: won 44-10 over 49ers. Finally we got the offense going, Riggins ran for 94 yds and 2 TDs, and Munson completed 17 of 22 passes with two TDs and no picks!

Week 6: lost 23-30 to Rams. Roman Gabriel passed for 294 yds and one TD, and WR Harold Jackson caught 8 passes for 149 yds.

Week 8: won 16-7 over Seahawks. We had only 294 yds total offense, and was outgained by 60 yds. Seattle QB Jim Hart passed for 296 yds.

Week 9: lost 21-24 to Saints. WR Danny Abramowicz caught 4 passes for 117 yds and a TD with QB Edd Harget completing 20 of 28 passes for 253 yds. Our QB Bill Munson self-destructed again with 4 interceptions.

Week 10: lost 9-28 to Falcons. Atlanta QB Steve Ramsey passed for 4 TDs, we didn't score a touchdown until the final seconds.

Week 11: won 24-10 over Panthers. Riggins was injured, but Munson played his best game as a Buc: 23/27 for 264 yds, 1 TD and no interceptions. WR Randy Vataha caught 6 passes for 114 yds.

Week 12: won 26-15 over Bengals. Lynn Swann led all receivers with 6 catches for 99 yds and one score. Tampa's 3rd-string RB Wilbur Jackson ran 35 times for 166 yds.

Week 13: won 31-20 over Bears. Wilbur Jackson repeat his outstanding performance from last week by running for 107 yds and 2 TDs on just 16 carries.

Week 14: lost 13-21 to Steelers. Mel Blount opened the scoring by a 48-yd interception return for a TD, and Terry Bradshaw passed for a TD and ran in for another.

Week 15: won 41-31 over Panthers. Our S Ike Thomas had a 100-yd kick return, and CB Dave Grayson returned an interception 78 yds for another score. Carolina's Brian Sipe
passed for 260 yds.

Week 16: lost 20-31 to Browns. Jim Brown ran for 72 yds and a TD, and QB Frank Ryan passed for 323 yds and 3 TDs. Cleveland's defense held our running game to 52 yards.

Week 17: lost 24-27 to Saints. QB Bill Munson passed for 3 TDs and John Riggins ran for 146 yds, but Edd Harget passed for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to rally from a 13-24 deficit.


We finish third in the NFC South, with division champs Atlanta winning their wild card game vs Washington but exits the playoffs following a loss to Dallas in the conference semifinals.

 NFC South              W   L   T   Pct   PF    PA    Conf    Div  
Atlanta                 7   9   0   .438  317   294   6-6     4-2       
New Orleans             6   10  0   .375  288   396   5-7     4-2       
Tampa Bay               6   10  0   .375  340   348   5-7     2-4       
Carolina                4   12  0   .250  337   422   4-8     2-4       

[Senator]

you need another QB.

[3ric]

Individual statistics

Billy Kilmer led the league in passing efficiency with a 104.3 rating, but Buffalo's Jack Kemp passed for the most yardage and the most TDs.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Att  Cmp  Pct   Yards Avg   Lg  TD   Int  
Kilmer, Billy         QB  WAS   16 16 501  315  62.8  3980  7.94  58  34   7      
Kemp, Jack            QB  BUF   16 16 609  388  63.7  4790  7.86  60  42   13     
Gabriel, Roman        QB  L.A   14 14 467  297  63.5  3695  7.91  46  21   3      
Bradshaw, Terry       QB  PIT   16 16 543  349  64.2  4259  7.84  60  27   10     
Lamonica, Daryl       QB  OAK   16 16 546  352  64.4  4598  8.42  97  28   14     
Staubach, Roger       QB  DAL   16 16 515  311  60.3  3760  7.30  80  27   9      
Spurrier, Steve       QB  NYG   16 16 565  355  62.8  4244  7.51  93  31   15     
Morton, Craig         QB  DEN   14 14 497  295  59.3  3820  7.68  57  26   16     
Starr, Bart           QB  GBY   16 16 569  323  56.7  4070  7.15  87  29   12     
Johnson, Charley      QB  STL   16 16 536  337  62.8  3651  6.81  79  27   16     

The Jets' Boozer captured the rushing title, and the Rams' Ellison led the league in rushing TDs. No rookie RB really distinguishes himself this year, although Tampa Bay's Wilbur Jackson had 634 yds and 4 TDs on the ground.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Att  Yards Avg   Lg  TD  
Boozer, Emerson       RB  NYJ   16 16 292  1531  5.2   72  9      
Bell, Carlos          RB  STL   14 14 269  1340  4.9   57  4      
Brown, Larry          RB  WAS   16 16 319  1284  4.0   49  4      
Reeves, Dan           RB  OAK   15 15 296  1205  4.0   34  9      
McCauley, Don         RB  CHI   16 16 233  1167  5.0   59  1      
Sayers, Gale          RB  MAR   16 16 305  1157  3.7   47  8      
Bertelson, Jim        RB  GBY   16 16 294  1143  3.8   41  5      
Ellison, Willie       RB  L.A   16 16 287  1114  3.8   40  14     
Robinson, Paul        RB  CIN   16 16 236  1089  4.6   63  8      
Morris, Mercury       RB  MIA   16 16 287  1086  3.7   49  6     

[3ric]

For the second straight season, the Broncos' Haven Moses leads the league in receiving yardage, even if the Panther's Eddie Hall broke Moses' record for most catches in a season. Washington's Charley Taylor had 13 receiving TDs and the Bengals' Lynn Swann was the top rookie with 50 catches for 822 yds and 5 TDs. Swann was voted Offensive Rookie of the Year.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Targ Ctch Yards Avg   YAC   Lg   TD  
Hall, Eddie           WR  CAR   16 16 203  118  1711  14.5  241   58   10     
Moses, Haven          WR  DEN   16 15 199  111  1753  15.7  342   53   8      
Burroughs, Ken        WR  HOU   16 15 163  86   1284  14.9  219   42   5      
Joiner, Charlie       WR  SDO   16 16 157  84   1387  16.5  247   54   5      
Richardson, Willie    WR  BAL   16 16 137  81   1057  13.0  176   44   8      
Morgan, Stanley       WR  BOS   16 15 157  81   1385  17.0  345   65   10     
Staroba, Paul         WR  TEN   16 16 158  81   1328  16.3  227   88   7      
Drake, Earnest        WR  PIT   16 9  121  80   1255  15.6  191   60   7      
Warfield, Paul        WR  MIA   16 16 160  79   1313  16.6  262   69   9      
Washington, Gene      WR  SFO   16 16 166  76   1234  16.2  234   57   8     

The top five punt returners surprise by not having a single touchdown between them, although Atlanta's WR Otto Stowe, who didn't qualify with only 9 punt returns, is the only player with both a punt return TD and a kick return TD.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS PR   Yards Avg   TD  KR   Yards Avg   TD  
Beauchamp, Joe        S   SDO   16 16 27   398   14.7  0   0    0     0.0   0     
Anderson, Dick        S   MIA   16 16 29   396   13.6  0   0    0     0.0   0     
Dunlap, Leonard       CB  OAK   15 15 23   307   13.3  0   20   489   24.4  0     
Green, Van            CB  CIN   16 0  14   178   12.7  0   22   569   25.8  0     
Willingham, Larry     CB  NOS   16 16 20   233   11.6  0   0    0     0.0   0     
 
  Player              Pos Team  GP GS PR   Yards Avg   TD  KR   Yards Avg   TD  
Duncan, Speedy        CB  SDO   16 16 3    28    9.3   0   25   870   34.8  2     
Ackerman, Tyrone      RB  CAR   16 16 0    0     0.0   0   20   636   31.8  3     
Chandler, Bob         WR  KCY   13 10 21   147   7.0   0   20   616   30.8  1     
Alexander, Willie     CB  CIN   16 16 0    0     0.0   0   26   783   30.1  1     
Carmona, Thomas       WR  MAR   16 3  0    0     0.0   0   28   831   29.6  1 

[3ric]

Dallas' Harvey Martin had the most QB hurries with 35, and NYG's Jeff Yeates had 11 blocked passes. Green Bay's rookie DE Ed "Too Tall" Jones had 7.5 sacks. The 49ers' ILB Frank LeMaster became Defensive Rookie of the Year with 66 tackles, 22 assists and 2 sacks.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Tckl Asst Sack Blkd Hurr  
Laskey, Bill          ILB MAR   15 13 120  45   6.0  0    2      
Lucci, Mike           ILB DET   16 16 114  44   2.0  1    1      
Redman, Rick          ILB SDO   16 14 111  40   4.5  0    3      
Huff, Sam             ILB SEA   15 15 110  47   0.0  0    0      
Weger, Mike           S   DET   16 16 107  24   2.5  0    0      
Hansen, Dan           OLB ATL   15 15 107  29   11.0 1    6      
Kellerman, Ernie      S   CLE   16 16 106  45   1.0  0    0      
Naumoff, Paul         OLB DET   16 16 105  29   8.5  1    7      
Hall, Charles         ILB NYG   16 16 105  49   4.0  0    2      
Volk, Rick            S   BAL   16 16 103  23   1.0  0    1      

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Tckl Asst Sack Blkd Hurr  
Hand, Larry           DE  DET   16 16 52   20   17.5 1    24     
Martin, Harvey        DE  DAL   14 14 44   15   17.0 3    35     
Youngblood, Jack      DE  CIN   16 16 68   19   16.5 7    18     
Newsome, Billy        DE  NOS   14 14 38   16   15.0 5    18     
Alzado, Lyle          DE  DEN   16 16 49   23   14.0 6    26     

Miami's Dick Anderson ties Tampa's Ike Thomas for the most interceptions in a season, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors. The four return touchdowns is also a tied record, as Jimmy Carr, PHI, returned 7 interceptions for 325 yds and 4 scores in 1970.

  Player              Pos Team  GP GS Ints IRYd TD   Defn Cght PPly PDPct  
Anderson, Dick        S   MIA   16 16 12   258  4    20   30   581   22.7   
Clayborn, Raymond     CB  BOS   16 16 10   143  2    19   46   593   21.4   
Fischer, Pat          CB  STL   16 16 9    140  1    19   55   548   20.8   
Wagner, Mike          CB  BUF   16 16 8    135  0    17   37   547   21.4   
Baird, Bill           S   NYJ   15 15 8    118  1    6    31   523   20.5   
Blount, Mel           CB  PIT   16 16 7    164  1    13   42   534   20.5   
Kearney, Jim          S   KCY   16 16 7    95   1    15   41   611   20.7   
Logan, Jerry          S   BAL   16 16 7    36   0    19   36   551   21.5   
Atkinson, George      S   OAK   16 16 6    146  1    13   44   580   20.2   
Tatum, Jack           CB  TEN   14 14 6    143  1    15   40   468   20.7   

[3ric]

Career records

Category               Player               Record     Last Year
Games started          Dick Szymanski       80         1974
Pass completions       Fran Tarkenton       1,805      1974
Passing yards          Daryl Lamonica       21,631     1974
Passing touchdowns     Roman Gabriel        158        1974
Rushing attempts       Cannonball Butler    1,562      1974
Rushing yards          Emerson Boozer       6,059      1974
Rushing touchdowns     Jim Brown            47         1974
Receptions             Haven Moses          425        1974
Receiving yards        Haven Moses          6,942      1974
Receiving touchdowns   Charley Taylor       47         1974
Interceptions          Pat Fischer          31         1974
Tackles                Tommy Nobis          545        1974
Sacks                  Jerry Mays           68.0       1974
Field Goals            Don Chandler         180        1974
Key Run Blocks         Dick Szymanski       188        1974
Targeted passes        Haven Moses          790        1974
Passes defended        Brig Owens           101        1974

Individual Top Performances

• 59 pass attempts by Norm Snead, PHI, vs WAS.
• 36 pass completions by Jack Kemp, BUF, vs BOS.
• 439 yds passing by Terry Bradshaw, PIT, vs ATL.
• 35 rushing attempts by Bill Tucker, SFO, vs SEA.
• 242 rushing yards by Carlos Bell, STL, vs SEA.
• 14 receptions by Eddie Hall, CAR, vs SFO.
• 216 receiving yards by Eddie Hall, CAR, vs SFO.
• 4 interceptions by Dick Anderson, MIA, vs BOS (new league record)
• 15 tackles by Rick Redman, SDO, vs OAK.
• 6.5 sacks by Donnell Tarkenton, ATL, vs MAR. (tied league record)
• 6 FGs by Pat Leahy, NYJ, and Erroll Mann, OAK.
• 21 targeted passes by Eddie Hall, CAR, and Haven Moses, DEN.
• 7 defended passes by Dave Elmendorf, MIA, vs BOS. (new league record)

[3ric]

Team Summary

1974 Summary for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
   
Record: 6-10
Winning Pct.: .375
   
Tampa Bay Buccaneers    Team      Rank  
Rushes                  466       9           
Rushing Yards           1738      15          
Yards Per Carry         3.72      24          
Pass Attempts           516       29 (T)      
Completions             298       30 (T)      
Passing Yards           3127      32          
Yards Per Attempt       6.06      28 (T)      
3rd Down Conversions    37.4      18          
Points Per Game         21.2      20          
Turnovers               28        18 (T)      
Turnover Margin         -1        17          
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes                  433       16          
Rushing Yards           1643      13          
Yards Per Carry         3.79      9           
Pass Attempts           571       17          
Completions             343       24          
Passing Yards           3954      17          
Yards Per Attempt       6.92      13          
3rd Down Conversions    38.1      20          
Points Per Game         21.7      14          
Turnovers               27        13          
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     10    at ATL        35      
2     20    MAR           23      
3     9     WAS           12      
4     9     STL           24      
5     44    SFO           10      
6     23    at L.A        30      
8     16    at SEA        7       
9     21    NOS           24      
10    9     ATL           28      
11    24    at CAR        10      
12    26    CIN           15      
13    31    at CHI        20      
14    13    at PIT        21      
15    41    CAR           31      
16    20    at CLE        31      
17    24    at NOS        27      
   
Passing             Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int  
8 Munson            QB    513   296   3119  6.07  16    19      
**Team              ---   516   298   3127  6.06  16    19      
   
Rushing             Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD  
28 Riggins          RB    188   707   3.76  7       
34 Jackson          RB    146   634   4.34  4       
45 Browning         RB    57    143   2.50  0       
**Team              ---   466   1738  3.72  16      
   
Receiving           Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC   TD  
80 Bell             WR    88    43    661   15.3  126   4       
86 Shanklin         WR    83    42    479   11.4  73    0       
21 Moorhead         FB    77    55    389   7.0   209   2       
81 Vataha           WR    74    30    360   12.0  35    2       
15 White            TE    60    42    492   11.7  137   3       
28 Riggins          RB    41    28    205   7.3   105   3       
82 Thomas           WR    26    18    211   11.7  24    2       
87 Romeo            TE    22    8     102   12.7  18    0       
34 Jackson          RB    21    16    96    6.0   61    0       
**Team              ---   516   298   3127  10.4  825   16      
   
Defense             Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  
55 Hunt             OLB   92    35    9.0   8     1     8       
27 Thomas           S     84    35    0.0   0     5     11      
30 Grim             CB    67    10    0.0   0     2     9       
41 Beaman           S     65    15    0.0   1     3     5       
54 Adams            ILB   57    12    0.0   0     0     1       
99 Van Pelt         ILB   57    17    2.0   3     1     6       
92 Dorris           OLB   54    23    5.5   5     1     4       
39 Grayson          CB    52    16    0.0   0     3     8       
52 Graham           ILB   52    17    4.5   0     0     6       
96 Sampson          DE    39    9     7.5   11    0     1       
20 White            CB    26    2     1.0   2     0     2       
74 Chart            DE    22    5     5.0   8     0     0       
93 Moore            DT    18    6     3.5   5     0     1       
98 Bailey           DT    18    9     1.0   4     0     0       
33 Farasopoulos     S     18    8     0.0   1     0     0       
24 Bradley          CB    16    2     1.0   1     0     2       
**Team              ---   881   254   46.0  63    17    67 

[3ric]

1974 Season Awards List

   
   Award                                      Player                      Team  
Player of the Year                            Jack Kemp                   BUF    
Front Office Bowl MVP                         Roger Staubach              DAL    
Coach of the Year                             Not Yet Awarded               
Legend of the Game                            Not Yet Awarded               
Offensive Player of the Year                  Jack Kemp                   BUF    
Defensive Player of the Year                  Dick Anderson               MIA    
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Lynn Swann                  CIN    
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Frank LeMaster              SFO    
All-League First-String Quarterback           Jack Kemp                   BUF    
All-League First-String Running Back          OJ Simpson                  BUF    
All-League First-String Fullback              MacArthur Lane              STL    
All-League First-String Tight End             Raymond Chester             OAK    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver         Eddie Hall                  CAR    
All-League First-String Wide Receiver         Haven Moses                 DEN    
All-League First-String Center                Dick Szymanski              NYJ    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard       Jim Cadile                  CHI    
All-League First-String Offensive Guard       John Wilbur                 WAS    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Bob Wetoska                 CHI    
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Ron Mix                     SDO    
All-League First-String Punter                Herman Weaver               DET    
All-League First-String Kicker                Errol Mann                  OAK    
All-League First-String Defensive End         Jack Youngblood             CIN    
All-League First-String Defensive End         Larry Hand                  DET    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Mean Joe Greene             PIT    
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Jeff Yeates                 NYG    
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker     Bill Laskey                 MAR    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Dan Hansen                  ATL    
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Paul Naumoff                DET    
All-League First-String Cornerback            Pat Fischer                 STL    
All-League First-String Cornerback            Raymond Clayborn            BOS    
All-League First-String Safety                Dick Anderson               MIA    
All-League First-String Safety                Mike Weger                  DET    
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Terry Bradshaw              PIT    
All-League Second-String Running Back         Emerson Boozer              NYJ    
All-League Second-String Fullback             Cullen Bryant               L.A    
All-League Second-String Tight End            Willie Frazier              MIN    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Stanley Morgan              BOS    
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Charley Taylor              WAS    
All-League Second-String Center               Larry Kaminski              CHI    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Fuzzy Thurston              GBY    
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Ernie Janes                 PIT    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     Jon Kolb                    PIT    
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     Terry Hermeling             WAS    
All-League Second-String Punter               David Lee                   BAL    
All-League Second-String Kicker               Jack Simczak                CLE    
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Harvey Martin               DAL    
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Don Hultz                   PHI    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     Mike Tilleman               NOS    
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     Andy Rice                   KCY    
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Rick Redman                 SDO    
**All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker Sam Hunt                    TBY    
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Al Atkinson                 NYJ    
All-League Second-String Cornerback           Speedy Duncan               SDO    
All-League Second-String Cornerback           Erich Barnes                GBY    
All-League Second-String Safety               Mel Phillips                CHI    
All-League Second-String Safety               Rick Volk                   BAL    

[3ric]

1975 season

Notable names among the retirees:
BAL WR Raymond Berry, GBY DT Big Daddy Lipscomb, GBY QB Bart Starr, NYJ C Dick Szymanski, SEA ILB Sam Huff, L.A. DE Deacon Jones, PHI OLB Jack Pardee, HOU WR Charley Hennigan, BUF QB Tom Flores, DEN WR Lionel Taylor.

Miami signed QB Bob Griese to a new contract worth $26.16 mil over 6 years, and Roger Staubach, Archie Manning and Greg Cook also renegotiated their contracts. Other players rewarded with extensions was ATL WR Otto Stowe, MAR ILB Bill Laskey, NOS OLB Ron Kadziel, NOS RB Lydell Mitchell, and BUF CB Mike Wagner.

San Francisco's TE Ed Marinaro was traded to Maryland in exchange for a 3rd-round pick.

In free agency, we're going to make an offer to Carolina's Ken Anderson to be our new starting QB. Jim Plunkett is also available, but he's less polished at this point as he's never started a game in the NFL.

After the first week, we see that Seattle is making an effort to land Jim Brown as their RB. Good choice, as the Seahawks really need an impact player on offense. Cleveland could lose their starting QB Frank Ryan as well, since Green Bay has tagged him as the successor to recently retired Bart Starr.

Jim Brown rejects the Seahawks in week 2 and re-signs with Cleveland, all in all assuring he'll retire as a Brown. (d-oh)

In week 3, we in the Buccaneers organisation arrange a press conference to announce that we've signed Ken Anderson to play quarterback in Tampa Bay. (Yay!) Cleveland re-sign their QB Frank Ryan, who snubs the Packers.

Other transactions were: DT Bob Lilly from DAL to GBY, OLB Maxie Baughan from PHI to SDO, CB Dave Elmendorf from MIA to DEN, QB Joe Kapp from BAL to CHI, RB Calvin Hill from DAL to CHI, OLB Phil Villapiano from SDO to NYJ, QB Sam Wyche from HOU to PIT, QB Jim Plunkett from HOU to JAX, QB Don Strock from MIA to MIN and DE Lyle Alzado from DEN to L.A.

We also signed CB Bud Whitehead from San Diego, WR Herman Franklin from Kansas City and DT Gary Pettigrew from Seattle.

[3ric]

Anticipation runs high in waiting for this year's draft, where rookie RB Walter Payton from Jackson State has created much speculation on which team will select him.

Other exciting names to watch are Steve Bartkowski, a QB from California, and DT Randy White from Maryland...

[nilodor]

You gotta get walter who cares if you need a qb. Its walter.

[3ric]

1975 draft, first round:

1. Jacksonville - Burley, Gary, DE, Pittsburgh
2. Seattle - Fanning, Mike, DT, Notre Dame
3. Tennessee - Webb, Jimmy, DT, Mississippi State
4. Carolina - Solomon, Fred, WR, South Florida
5. Pittsburgh - France, Doug, T, Ohio State
6. Chicago - Harrah, Dennis, T, Miami, Florida
7. Detroit - Walker, Cornelius, DT, Rice
8. Tampa Bay - Dean, Fred, DE, Louisiana Tech
9. New Orleans - White, Randy, DE, Maryland
10. Baltimore - Donovan, Pat, T, Stanford
11. Philadelphia - Huff, Ken, G, North Carolina
12. San Francisco - Kelcher, Louis, DT, Southern Methodist
13. New York G - English, Doug, DT, Texas
14. Denver - Barber, Robert, DE, Grambling
15. Miami - Cameron, Glen, OLB, Florida
16. Cincinnati - Stenerud, Walt, T, Syracuse
17. New York J - Washington, Mike, CB, Alabama
18. Boston - Brazile, Robert, ILB, Jackson State
19. Cleveland - Hart, Jeff, T, Oregon State
20. St. Louis - Boden, Lynn, G, South Dakota State
21. Kansas City - Mitchell, Mack, DE, Houston
22. Minnesota - Hartenstein, Mike, DE, Penn State
23. Washington - Nugent, Dan, G, Auburn
24. New Orleans - Baker, Wayne, DT, Brigham Young
25. Houston - Elam, Cleveland, DE, Tennessee State
26. Buffalo - Simpson, Al, T, Colorado State
27. Green Bay - Johnson, Gary, DT, Grambling
28. Chicago - Jackson, Monte, CB, San Diego State
29. Oakland - Perry, Rod, S, Colorado
30. Los Angeles - Francis, Russ, TE, Oregon
31. Boston - Clark, Harris, T, Georgia
32. Kansas City - Payton, Walter, RB, Jackson State

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Fred Dean, DE, Louisiana Tech (Undersized but ferocious pass rusher)
Rnd 2 - Rick Upchurch, WR, Minnesota (Big-play man with great speed, also excellent returner)
Rnd 3 - Ken Lambert, S, Virginia (Ballhawk with slight build, excels in zone)
Rnd 4 - Dexter Young, WR, Oregon (Quick player who can stretch the field, drops a concern)
Rnd 5 - Lionel Galvez, T, Michigan (A man-mountain with superb strength, could start in two years)
Rnd 6 - Eric Robbins, K, Illinois (A big leg but questionable accuracy)
Rnd 7 - Omar Patter, DE, Louisiana-Lafayette (Bad technique and worse instincts, may not make team)


After the draft we signed C Lee Gross and traded G Sedrick Evans to Tennessee for DT Jim Kanicki. Denver WR Haven Moses was traded to Miami in exhange for a 2nd-round pick. Kansas City WR Otis Taylor was traded to Chicago for a 2nd round choice. Cincinnati QB Terry Hanratty was traded to Detroit for a 2nd round pick in next year's draft. Green Bay traded for the 49ers' QB Gary Huff with a 1st round choice in 1976.

Other interesting players drafted:
Arizona State ILB Bob Breunig, in the 4th round by Washington.
Louisiana-Monroe RB Mario Cage, in the 2nd round by Carolina.
Ohio State OLB Bruce Elia, in the 4th round by Boston.
Cal QB Steve Bartkowski, in the 2nd round by Cincinnati.
Kansas State QB Steve Grogan, in the 2nd round by Baltimore.
Central Michigan QB Mike Franckowiak, in the 2nd round by New Orleans.
Tulane S Steve Foley, in the 2nd round by New York Jets.

[3ric]

Reporter: "So, Walter, would you like to summarize your feelings today?"
Walter Payton: "Of course I'm a little disappointed, I talked with Carolina and the New York Giants and I really thought that I was going to one of those two. But it isn't important now, my motivation now is to go into training camp at Kansas City and compete for a place in the starting line-up."
Reporter: "How do you figure your chances are of starting for the Chiefs at home vs the Chargers in week one?"
Walter Payton: "Well, I have a lot of respect for Wendell Hayes, who's been starting for the last five years. I hope to learn everything about playing in the pros from him."

[3ric]

NEWS FLASH:
Reports from sunny Florida says that Tampa Bay's newly signed quarterback, Ken Anderson, suffered a pulled calf muscle in week 2 of the exhibition season. He's not expected to play in the first two games of the regular season.

NEWS FLASH:
Despite outplaying the incumbent tailback, Wendell Hayes in Kansas City, rookie Walter Payton won't get the start as the regular season begins. Payton apparently suffered a bruised ribcage in training, but the running back insist he'll be on the field, dismissing the injury as "not serious".

[3ric]

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

ATL - QB Steve Ramsey, RB *Cannonball Butler, WR Otto Stowe, Charlie Frazier
BAL - QB Earl Morrall, RB Greg Pruitt, WR Jimmy Orr, *Willie Richardson
BOS - QB Randy Johnson, RB *James Harrison, WR Sam Dickerson, *Stanley Morgan
BUF - QB *Jack Kemp, RB *O.J Simpson, WR Bob Chandler, *Elbert Dubenion
CAR - QB Brian Sipe, RB Tyrone Ackerman, WR *Eddie Hall, Freddie Solomon
CHI - QB Joe Kapp, RB Bo Cornell, WR Otis Taylor, Ahmad Rashad
CIN - QB *Greg Cook, RB *Paul Robinson, WR Nate Moore, Larry Walton
CLE - QB *Frank Ryan, RB *Jim Brown, WR Don Herrmann, Gene Washington
DAL - QB *Roger Staubach, RB *Preston Pearson, WR Bob Hayes, Wesley Garnett
DEN - QB *Craig Morton, RB Joe Profit, WR Bill Van Heusen, John Stallworth
DET - QB Terry Hanratty, RB *Jeff Kenny, WR *Pat Studstill, Ray Jarvis
GB - QB Gary Huff, RB Jim Bertelson, WR *Carroll Dale, Earl Thomas
HOU - QB Pete Beathard, RB Lawrence McCutcheon, WR Jim Beirne, Ken Burroughs
JAX - QB *Scott Hunter, RB *Leon Burns, WR *Steve Maier, *Ernie Jennings
KCY - QB Mike Livingston, RB *Wendell Hayes, WR Reuben Sanders, Jeff Bullock
L.A - QB *Roman Gabriel, RB *Willie Ellison, WR Paul Seal, *Harold Jackson
MAR - QB Archie Manning, RB *Gale Sayers, WR *Elmo Wright, Bill Barry
MIA - QB *Bob Griese, RB Mercury Morris, WR *Paul Warfield, Haven Moses
MIN - QB *Fran Tarkenton, RB Mike Adamle, WR Duane Thomas, Lawrence Koehke
N.O - QB Edd Harget, RB *Lydell Mitchell, WR *Dan Abramowich, Jerome Barkum
NYG - QB Steve Spurrier, RB Vince Clements, WR Honor Jackson, Terry Beasley
NYJ - QB *Joe Namath, RB *Emerson Boozer, WR *Bake Turner, Ike Harris
OAK - QB *Daryl Lamonica, RB Franco Harris, WR *Fred Biletnikoff, James Roy Jackson
PHI - QB *Norm Snead, RB John Brockington, WR Terrance Bernstein, Marlin Briscoe
PIT - QB *Terry Bradshaw, RB Don McCauley, WR *Frank Lewis, Golden Richards
S.D - QB *John Hadl, RB Bill Butler, WR Charlie Joiner, *Gary Garrison
S.F - QB *John Brodie, RB Andy Johnson, WR *Dave Parks, *Gene Washington
SEA - QB Jim Hart, RB *Greg Kucera, WR *Nick Collins, Bob Chandler
STL - QB *Charley Johnson, RB *Carlos Bell, WR Mel Gray, Cotton Speyrer
T.B - QB Ken Anderson, RB *John Riggins, WR Eddie Bell, Herman Franklin
TEN - QB Greg Landry, RB Dave Osborn, WR Brett Perez, *Kelvin Briggs
WAS - QB Billy Kilmer, RB *Larry Brown, WR *Charley Taylor, Roy Jefferson

* = remaining starter since 1972


It's interesting to note that Franco Harris, a three-year veteran, will be the undisputed starter in Oakland this season - he has been a backup with only one start so far. The Steelers are going with newcomer Don McCauley, who had a 1000-yd season with Chicago last year. The Eagles' John Brockington is another guy who's being handed the reins this season. He has had 12 starts in relief, but he has only averaged 410 yds over his four seasons.

As for the quarterbacks, it'll be exciting to watch Joe Kapp in Chicago, who's had backup roles in Minnesota and Baltimore, if he can perform in the starting role. In Detroit, Terry Hanratty is also getting the chance in a similar way to Kapp. He had two starts last year in L.A. after riding the pine for three years in Pittsburgh. Green Bay goes with a total unknown commodity in Gary Huff. They will probably struggle.

We have a quarterback controversy of sorts in Jacksonville, where Scott Hunter has been an unspectacular starter for three seasons. During free agency the Jaguars signed Jim Plunkett, who should be starting - he's a lot more talented than Hunter, who isn't going to get any better.

As for rookies starting - we have two this year in wide receivers Reuben Sanders of the Chiefs and Freddie Solomon of the Panthers. It's also nice to see that Denver's first-round choice last year, John Stallworth, has already beaten out the competition for a starting position.

[3ric]

Our final roster:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roster, Scout Overview
   
  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  
##Anderson, Ken         4   QB   5    57                61                5 yrs.  
$$Munson, Bill          8   QB   12   43                43                2 yrs.  
Clayton, Junior         6   QB   2    17                49                3 yrs.  
Stoy, J.J.              2   QB   1    8                 24                1 yr.   
$$Riggins, John         28  RB   5    83                83                3 yrs.  
Jackson, Wilbur         34  RB   2    50                59                1 yr.   
Browning, Mercury       45  RB   3    39                40                1 yr.   
$$Moorhead, Don         21  FB   5    68                69                4 yrs.  
Chacon, Rex             42  FB   2    29                45                2 yrs.  
$$White, Jan            15  TE   5    69                69                1 yr.   
Romeo, Tony             87  TE   13   42                42                2 yrs.  
$$Bell, Eddie           80  FL   6    52                52                2 yrs.  
Vataha, Randy           81  FL   7    47                47                3 yrs.  
$$Franklin, Herman      83  SE   5    50                50                2 yrs.  
Shanklin, Ron           86  SE   7    48                48                2 yrs.  
Upchurch, Rick          84  SE   1    43                72                4 yrs.  
##Young, Dexter         85  SE   1    36                54                3 yrs.  
**Joseph, Courtney      66  LT   5    52                53                1 yr.   
$$Allison, Henry        79  LG   5    62                62                5 yrs.  
$$Mauck, Carl           51  C    6    81                81                4 yrs.  
Gross, Lee              50  C    1    29                52                1 yr.   
$$Smith, Royce          68  RG   4    68                68                5 yrs.  
Davis, Sam              61  RG   9    64                64                1 yr.   
$$Maurer, Andy          75  RT   7    66                66                2 yrs.  
$$Snider, Mal           78  RT   7    50                50                3 yrs.  
Liscio, Tony            63  RT   13   38                40                2 yrs.  
##Galvez, Lionel        70  RT   1    28                57                2 yrs.  
Rogers, Paul            19  P    5    86                86                3 yrs.  
Robbins, Eric           5   K    1    42                51                2 yrs.  
Gallagher, Dave         97  LDE  2    37                56                1 yr.   
##Patter, Omar          73  LDE  1    22                49                3 yrs.  
Gammon, Marcus          77  LDT  3    47                61                3 yrs.  
**Pettigrew, Gary       95  LDT  10   31                31                3 yrs.  
$$Kanicki, Jim          72  NT   13   43                43                2 yrs.  
Botello, Curtis         76  NT   2    29                49                4 yrs.  
$$Sampson, Greg         96  RDE  4    69                73                2 yrs.  
$$Dean, Fred            93  RDE  1    55                86                6 yrs.  
$$Hunt, Sam             55  SLB  6    50                50                1 yr.   
Fulk, Mike              94  SLB  3    44                64                2 yrs.  
$$Graham, Tom           52  MLB  4    56                73                2 yrs.  
Adams, Doug             54  MLB  5    53                53                3 yrs.  
Lambert, Jack           59  MLB  2    42                65                2 yrs.  
##Goode, Don            53  MLB  2    40                64                4 yrs.  
$$Van Pelt, Brad        99  WILB 3    57                84                2 yrs.  
$$Dorris, Andy          92  WLB  3    59                76                4 yrs.  
Hall, Charles           48  LCB  5    43                55                3 yrs.  
Grayson, Dave           39  LCB  15   39                40                1 yr.   
$$Whitehead, Bud        22  RCB  14   51                52                2 yrs.  
$$White, Jeris          20  RCB  2    42                67                3 yrs.  
##Grim, Bob             30  RCB  9    36                36                2 yrs.  
$$Thomas, Ike           27  SS   5    70                70                4 yrs.  
$$Beaman, Tim           41  SS   5    60                60                3 yrs.  
Nettles, Doug           29  SS   2    42                70                1 yr.   
Lambert, Ken            36  FS   1    36                63                3 yrs.  
   
$$ - player is in starting lineup, ## - player is inactive.  
   
Players Under Contract: 54
On Active Roster: 46
   
Salary Cap: $41,900,000
Cap Room: $410,000
Maximum for New Player: $540,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $1,000,000
   
Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $540,000
Cap Room Required Next Year: $38,720,000

[3ric]

Season review:

Week 1: won 19-13 over Panthers. John Riggins and Wilbur Jackson combined for 174 yds rushing and ILB Brad Van Pelt scored on an interception return and had 10 tackles, 5 assists and a shared sack in addition.

Chicago's Bo Cornell ran for 129 yds and the Bears' QB Joe Kapp was 21-for-28, 267 yds and 2 TDs when they beat the Packers 34-30. Pittsburgh beat Maryland 30-24 thanks to OPOW Terry Bradshaw's 394 yds and 3 TDs passing. The Steelers' WR Golden Richards had a huge day with 9 catches for 248 yds, a tie for third best ever. Jacksonville starting QB Scott Hunter was injured and Jim Plunkett came on to make his NFL debut, completing 14 passes for 130 yds and 1 int. Hunter will be out for 6 weeks with a broken wrist. Cincinnati's OLB Ken Avery was DPOW with 14 tackles, 1 assist and 2.5 sacks in a 20-26 loss to Cleveland.

[Alf]

QB Steve Spurrier went to NY Giants where he threw for over 4000 yards and 31 TDs with only 15 INTs, not that bad for what you call a bum

[3ric]

Week 2: won 35-17 over Jaguars. Second-string QB Bill Munson passed for 305 yds and 2 TDs, and John Riggins ran for 102 yds. FB Don Moorhead caught 7 passes for 106 yds. Jaguars QB Jim Plunkett got his first start, but had a rough outing with 17 completions on 40 attempts for 216 yds, 3 ints and getting sacked 5 times.

For the second straight week, Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw was OPOW with 34 completions for 411 yds and 3 TDs, leading the Steelers to a 43-37 shootout win over the Los Angeles Rams. L.A's QB Roman Gabriel passed for 388 yds and 2 TDs in that game, with WR Blake Mariano catching 8 passes for 222 yds. San Francisco DE Cedric Hardman was DPOW with 5 tck, 1 ass and 4 sacks on Cleveland's QB Frank Ryan in their 27-17 win. The Chiefs' Walter Payton saw his first real action his week, being on the field for 37 offensive plays and catching two passes for 12 yds.

Alf - he obviously is on a better team now, he couldn't win games for me when he had to... Ken Anderson is a lot better! Stay tuned for next week when we'll settle that dispute... when Tampa visits the Giants!

[nilodor]

Can't wait to see the grudge match.

[3ric]

Week 3: won 29-7 over Giants. New York scored first, on a Spurrier pass to Britt Raymond, but the Buccaneers turned the game around with 29 unanswered points, with 13 coming from two interceptions off Spurrier. Riggins ran for 97 yds and Ken Anderson passed for 141 yds and 2 TDs in his debut for Tampa.

San Diego's WR Charlie Joiner caught 5 passes for 204 yds (an incredible 51-yd average!) and 2 TDs on passes from QB John Hadl, who passed for 377 yds and 3 TDs in their 24-21 win over Baltimore. OPOW was Minnesota's Fran Tarkenton, with 260 yds passing and 3 TDs. Seattle RB Greg Kucera impressed with 142 yds rushing and 1 score. DPOW was Atlanta's dynamic OLB Dan Hansen, with 9 tck, 1 ass and 3 sacks at home vs Dallas, a 23-20 win.

Who's the most talented QB not starting in this league? That has to be Cleveland's Danny White, who's carrying a clipboard on the sidelines while aging Frank Ryan is taking the snaps. Another frustrated backup QB is Oakland's Kenny Stabler, who's had only one start since entering the league in 1970, backing up All-Pro starter Daryl Lamonica.

[3ric]

Week 4: lost 27-17 to Falcons. Atlanta's QB Steve Ramsey overcame two interceptions and a 52% completion rate to pass for 303 yds and guide his team to a hard-fought win. Tampa ILB Brad Van Pelt had 10 tackles and an interception returned 43 yds.

Rams' RB Willie Ellison was awarded the OPOW for his 24-carry, 156-yd effort where he scored once. However, Baltimore's Greg Pruitt ran for the same amount of yards, but with only 13 carries and 2 TDs. Scott Rice, backup QB for the Cardinals who's starting while Charley Johnson is injured, leads all passers this week with 371 yds. The 49ers' John Brodie had a nightmarish day with 4 interceptions. Maryland's WR Darryl Stingley was on target for 18 passes, catching 11 for 129 yds and one score. DPOW was Cincinnati's DE Gary Davidson with 3 sacks, 5 tck and 1 ass.

On the injury front, Carolina has problems on offense with their starters at QB and RB, Brian Sipe and Mario Cage, listed as out. In Chicago, 9-year veteran ILB Dick Butkus' career is in jeopardy as he suffers from a degenerative hip condition, he'll miss the remainder of the season and we'll see if he returns next year. Rich Jackson, defensive end for the Denver Broncos, has suffered ligament tears to his knee and is expected to be out for more than a year. The Chiefs has six players listed as out with food poisoning and two of their linebackers suffers from severe depression.

Another player whose future is uncertain is Los Angeles QB Roman Gabriel, who underwent emergency knee surgery recently. WR Fred Biletnikoff in Oakland will probably miss 9 weeks with a compound leg fracture. Pittsburgh's injury problems on offense are worse than Carolina's, as QB's Terry Bradshaw and Sam Wyche are out, together with RB's Frenchy Fuqua and Rocky Bleier. Our injury problems in Tampa is pretty severe as well, with a third player put on injured reserve this week and three more out for 3-6 weeks. In addition, QB Ken Anderson is questionable with a sprained neck and sits in favor of Bill Munson next week vs Minnesota.

[rjac19]

great dynasty, I was wondering how are you able to go back in time with FOF?
thanks

[3ric]

Rjac - glad you're enjoying it!
Check out the link http://www.cflfb.com/FOF/fof.htm for more information about doing a historical career. Basically, you need to start a new game with the 1970 roster file and then use all the subsequent draft files, everything's available for download on the site. There's some additional instructions and the utilities used to create the draft files too.

[rjac19]

alright thanks man for your help

[3ric]

Week 5: lost 13-17 to Vikings. Fran Tarkenton passed for 271 yds and a score while Bill Munson only averaged a paltry 3.8 yds per pass and had 3 interceptions. When it's like that then it's no use in having John Riggins and Wilbur Jackson running for a combined 125 yds.

The Cardinals' backup QB, Scott Rice, continue to convince everyone he's the real deal. This week he wins the OPOW with 321 yds and 3 TDs. Another great passing performance was put on display by Washington's Billy Kilmer, who passed for 401 yds and 4 TDs in a 31-24 win over the 49ers. Kilmer's main target was WR Charley Taylor, who caught 12 passes for 259 yds and 4 TDs, that's second-best ever. Green Bay's RB Jim Bertelson leads all runners with 133 yds on 30 carries. Defensive player of the week is Buffalo's OLB Rocky Wallace, who had 5 tck, 1 ass and 3.5 sacks.

[3ric]

Week 6: won 23-17 over Saints. With Ken Anderson back at QB, we got 209 yds passing, 1 passing TD and NO interceptions. He's not going to put up lots of points anytime soon, but he don't make the mistakes that cost you games. NO's Lydell Mitchell had an 80-yd TD run and 126 yds rushing. WR Dan Abramowicz caught 8 passes for 113 yds.

The leading passer was San Diego's John Hadl, with 407 yds and 3 TDs, and Chargers WR Gary Garrison caught 9 passes for 200 yds and 1 TD. The guy who had 5 tackles and 3 sacks this week (which seems to be the requirement to win the DPOW) is Buffalo DT Jim Dunaway.

When I check the statistics, I see that injured QB Terry Bradshaw is leading the league in passing efficiency with a 115.1 rating. The passing yardage leader is Daryl Lamonica, with 1647 yds though 6 games. RBs Emerson Boozer and Gale Sayers are competing for the early lead in the race for the NFL rushing title, they are just separated by two yards with Boozer in the lead with 516 yds in 6 games. Jim Brown is averaging a TD a game. Cleveland WR Don Herrman leads all receivers with 38 catches for 662 yds. Another Brown, DE Mel Manning, is leading the league in sacks with 8.5 quarterback putdowns. Two players have 5 interceptions, Green Bay S Wilton Thompson and Philadelphia's Al Nelson.

[3ric]

Week 7: won 20-10 over Lions. Detroit's QB Terry Hanratty had us worried early, as he completed a 53-yd TD pass on their second offensive play. But John Riggins had a 71-yd run to set up our first TD, and finished with 111 yds on 15 carries. We had four takeaways, including a fumble recovery for TD by OLB Sam Hunt.

Cleveland's Frank Ryan put on a passing clinic this week with 21 completions in 24 attempts for 275 yds and 4 TDs. San Diego's John Hadl had 304 yds passing and 3 TDs. RB Gale Sayers showed flashes of his old dominant self with 157 yds rushing on 20 attempts. WR Charlie Joiner had 12 catches for 179 yds and Dallas' Bob Hayes got 153 yds on 8 receptions. DPOW was Washington OLB Chris Hanberger with 9 tck, 1 ast and 1.5 sacks.

[Anrhydeddu]

On the injury front, Carolina has problems on offense with their starters at QB and RB, Brian Sipe and Mario Cage, listed as out. In Chicago, 9-year veteran ILB Dick Butkus' career is in jeopardy as he suffers from a degenerative hip condition, he'll miss the remainder of the season and we'll see if he returns next year. Rich Jackson, defensive end for the Denver Broncos, has suffered ligament tears to his knee and is expected to be out for more than a year. The Chiefs has six players listed as out with food poisoning and two of their linebackers suffers from severe depression.

Another player whose future is uncertain is Los Angeles QB Roman Gabriel, who underwent emergency knee surgery recently. WR Fred Biletnikoff in Oakland will probably miss 9 weeks with a compound leg fracture. Pittsburgh's injury problems on offense are worse than Carolina's, as QB's Terry Bradshaw and Sam Wyche are out, together with RB's Frenchy Fuqua and Rocky Bleier. Our injury problems in Tampa is pretty severe as well, with a third player put on injured reserve this week and three more out for 3-6 weeks. In addition, QB Ken Anderson is questionable with a sprained neck and sits in favor of Bill Munson next week vs Minnesota.

Why don't you move the Injury Slider down a little to reduce the severity?

[3ric]

Week 8: Bye week. Charlie Joiner continues his amazing streak of big games, this time catching 10 balls for 181 yds and a score. Maryland's DE Mack Finger had 4 sacks, 6 tackles, and won the defensive player of the week award. Denver's QB Craig Morton passed for 401 yds and 3 TDs. Boston Patriots RB James Harrison ran for 180 yds and 2 TDs on 18 carries. O.J. Simpson put in a more workmanlike 25 carries for 152 yds and 1 score.

Week 9: won 20-13 over Packers. The game was tied at 3-3 until the middle of the third quarter when Ken Anderson found John Riggins with a short pass, which Riggo promptly took and ran 44 yards with for a 50-yd TD pass. He had 143 combined yards on the ground and in the air, and Anderson completed 20 of 29 passes for 238 yds and 2 TDs, the second a 6-yd pass to FB Don Moorhead. Ray Nitschke shone for Green Bay with 11 solo tackles.

In Oakland, a rare start was given to QB Kenny Stabler, who performed well with 278 yds and 1 TD. Jacksonville QB Scott Hunter was back in the lineup despite being questionable with a broken wrist. Jim Plunkett watched from the sideline as Hunter passed for 265 yds. Another injured starter coming back this week was Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw, who didn't help his league-leading QB rating with a 50% completion percentage on 30 passes for 203 yds with 1 interception.

The big performance that earned the 49ers' John Brodie the OPOW was 27 completions on 33 attempts for 301 yds and 5 TDs. New Orleans' WR Jerome Barkum had 10 catches for 151 yds, but the Chargers' fantastic Charlie Joiner was more spectacular with 5 receptions for 143 yds and 2 scores. Maryland's Gale Sayers continue his pursuit for another rushing title with 186 yds rushing on 30 carries.

When looking at the standings, the Houston Oilers and the Chicago Bears looks like the league's two premier teams at 7-1, with Atlanta Falcons a step behind with a 7-2 record. We are a game behind Atlanta at 6-2, tied for fourth in the league in winning percentage. In the power ratings, we are fifth, behind Washington and before Minnesota at sixth.

[nilodor]

Any possibility at getting a midseason team summary printout?

[3ric]

Good idea, thanks for the suggestion.

1975 Summary for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mid-season:
   
Record: 6-2
Winning Pct.: .750
   
Tampa Bay Buccaneers    Team      Rank  
Rushes                  235       11 (T)      
Rushing Yards           1083      6           
Yards Per Carry         4.60      5           
Pass Attempts           246       32          
Completions             163       19          
Passing Yards           1504      31          
Yards Per Attempt       6.11      27          
3rd Down Conversions    38.2      16          
Points Per Game         22.0      18          
Turnovers               10        13 (T)      
Turnover Margin         +9        2 (T)       
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes                  183       4           
Rushing Yards           683       3           
Yards Per Carry         3.73      8           
Pass Attempts           324       31          
Completions             190       30          
Passing Yards           2084      26          
Yards Per Attempt       6.43      10          
3rd Down Conversions    38.3      17          
Points Per Game         15.1      1           
Turnovers               19        3 (T)       
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     19    CAR           13      
2     35    JAX           17      
3     29    at NYG        7       
4     17    at ATL        27      
5     13    at MIN        17      
6     23    NOS           17      
7     20    at DET        10      
9     20    GBY           13      
10          CHI                   
11          at CAR                
12          at HOU                
13          SFO                   
14          BAL                   
15          at NOS                
16          at TEN                
17          ATL                   
   
Passing             Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int  
4 Anderson          QB    146   97    895   6.13  8     1       
8 Munson            QB    100   66    609   6.09  4     7       
**Team              ---   246   163   1504  6.11  12    8       
   
Rushing             Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD  
28 Riggins          RB    138   630   4.56  1       
34 Jackson          RB    70    367   5.24  1       
**Team              ---   235   1083  4.60  2       
   
Receiving           Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC   TD  
21 Moorhead         FB    55    39    338   8.6   222   5       
83 Franklin         WR    54    31    372   12.0  52    1       
80 Bell             WR    34    21    218   10.3  39    1       
28 Riggins          RB    29    24    212   8.8   90    3       
34 Jackson          RB    21    17    129   7.5   78    2       
81 Vataha           WR    12    4     62    15.5  8     0       
87 Romeo            TE    10    6     15    2.5   7     0       
86 Shanklin         WR    10    6     58    9.6   17    0       
15 White            TE    9     7     57    8.1   24    0       
**Team              ---   246   163   1504  9.2   546   12      
   
Defense             Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  
27 Thomas           S     44    17    1.0   1     2     5       
22 Whitehead        CB    41    10    0.0   2     2     6       
55 Hunt             OLB   39    10    2.5   4     1     4       
99 Van Pelt         ILB   35    14    0.5   3     3     3       
52 Graham           ILB   29    11    2.0   0     0     0       
54 Adams            ILB   26    3     0.5   0     0     0       
41 Beaman           S     25    7     0.0   0     2     8       
92 Dorris           OLB   21    10    3.0   1     0     3       
39 Grayson          CB    18    3     0.0   0     0     0       
48 Hall             CB    16    8     0.0   0     2     7       
72 Kanicki          DT    14    8     1.5   1     0     0       
96 Sampson          DE    11    3     0.5   5     0     0       
59 Lambert          ILB   11    0     1.0   0     0     0       
74 Muncy            DE    9     5     2.5   1     0     0       
93 Dean             DE    8     5     4.0   6     0     0       
**Team              ---   425   126   24.0  35    14    41

How do you rate this season's slower pace with more to read every week? I thought about doing something different, since the earlier seasons were mostly an exercise in stat-crunching.

[3ric]

Week 10: lost 21-24 to Bears. RB Bo Cornell ran for 130 yds on 24 carries, with a 57-yd TD run. QB Joe Kapp passed for two TDs to WRs Speedy Thomas and Ahmad Rashad. John Riggins had a great game with 162 yds rushing on 21 attempts.

In Miami, Bob Griese passed for 339 yds and 3 TDs to win over Boston 27-24, and the DPOW went to Buffalo OLB Jack Ham, who had 8 tck, 4 ast, 2 sacks and one pass defended in a 10-19 loss to Kansas City. WR Cotton Speyrer led all receivers with 6 receptions for 128 yds.

Week 11: won 23-17 over Panthers. John Riggins caught a 5-yd TD pass from Bill Munson in overtime to seal the win. Munson had to step in after Ken Anderson suffered a broken clavicle - he's out for about six weeks. Riggins ran for 84 yds and WR Herman Franklin and TE Jan White also caught touchdown passes.

The Dolphins' RB Mercury Morris ran for 189 yds and 2 TDs on 24 carries as Miami beat the Jets 14-6. Jacksonville's WR Steve Maier caught 9 passes for 219 yds and 1 TD. Minnesota's backup QB Don Strock passed for 226 yds and 4 TDs in the Vikings' 48-27 win over Detroit. Oakland's DE Patrick Kosier had 4 sacks, 5 tck and 4 ast while Green Bay's DT Bob Lilly had 9 tck, 3 ast and 2.5 sacks.

[nilodor]

i enjoy the two or three weeks posts more than the entire season posts. I find my self paying more attention to the dynasty than before.

[3ric]

Week 12: won 23-14 over Oilers. In a battle between two of the league's top teams, the 8-2 Oilers took an early lead through Charley Tolar. After two field goals and a John Riggins 1-yd TD run the 7-3 Buccaneers went ahead. Lawrence McCutcheon scored early in the fourth quarter, but OLB Sam Hunt's 49-yd fumble return for the winning touchdown sealed Tampa's victory with 1 minute left. John Riggins was MVP of the game with 166 yds on the ground, although a case could be made for Hunt, who also had 6 tck, 2 ast and an interception.

It's official - Daryl Lamonica has lost his job as the Raiders' starting QB, and Kenny Stabler showed why this week as the won the OPOW with 31 completions for 390 yds and 3 TDs. This week had no less than 6 passers throwing for more than 300 yds, with Cleveland's Frank Ryan getting 409 yds in the air and the Vikings' Don Strock passing for 4 TDs for the second week in a row.

The Rams' Willie Ellison was the top runner with 192 yds and 2 TDs on 18 carries, and Dan Abramowicz was the best receiver this week with 8 receptions for 148 yds. Dallas' CB Mel Renfro had a big game with 1.5 sacks and 1 interception, and the Jaguars' OLB Jack Rudolph had 9 tck, 2 sacks and 1 int.

The league's individual stat leaders are mostly the same, but Terry Bradshaw's rating is down to 103.6, 1.5 points ahead of second-place Billy Kilmer. Tampa's Ken Anderson is fourth with a 95.6 rating. San Diego's John Hadl is leading all passers in yardage, with an average of 300 yds/game. Maryland's Gale Sayers has struck upon a dry spell and has been overtaken by Dallas' Preston Pearson and the Buccaneers' John Riggins. Pearson has 1169 yds, Riggins 1042, Sayers 1039 and Willie Ellison has 1019 yds.

Among the receivers is San Diego's Charlie Joiner a runaway leader at 1228 yds, 101 yds more than Cleveland's Don Herrman and a whopping 269 yds ahead of third-placed Cotton Speyrer, St.Louis. Detroit's Ray Jarvis has 68 receptions, 2 more than Herrman and 3 more than Joiner. Gale Sayers is leading all punt returners with 2 TDs and a 17.7 average. Jacksonville's ILB Larry Ball is leading the league in both tackles and assists with the 49er's DE Cedric Hardman topping the list in sacks at 14.5. Surprisingly, Detroit's OLB Paul Naumoff is second in the league in sacks with 13.5. Green Bay's S Wilton Thompson has 6 interceptions for 142 yds and a TD.

[3ric]

Week 13: won 37-34 over 49ers. Bill Munson was the unlikely hero with a stunning 4th quarter comeback to force overtime. John Brodie threw three of his four touchdown passes in the first half on gains of 45, 47 and 11 yds. Munson kept Tampa in the game with a 50-yd TD pass with 17 seconds left of the first half. He had two more TD passes in the fourth quarter to score 17 points in the 4th quarter alone, and force overtime on an Eric Robbins FG with 8 seconds left. In overtime, K Eric Robbins nailed a 50-yd FG to end the game.

Brodie completed 23 of 37 passes for 340 yds and 4 TDs, with 2 interceptions. WR Gene Washington had 10 receptions for 184 yds and 2 scores. Munson outdid the San Francisco QB by passing for 358 yds on 33-for-44 passing and 4 TDs, with no picks. Nine different Buccaneers caught passes, with FB Moorhead getting 2 TDs. The 33 completions by Munson is a new club record, and the yardage second only to Steve Spurrier's 367 yds in 1973.

Offensive player of the week was Tampa Bay's QB Bill Munson. Chicago RB Calvin Hill ran for 157 yds on 38 carries, and Green Bay WR Earl Thomas caught 10 passes for 216 yds. DPOW was Minnesota's DE Rodney Floyd for his four sacks, 5 tck and 1 ast vs St.Louis. The Giants' S Ron Smith had a big game as well with 13 tck, 3 ast, 2 ints and 3 defended passes.

[3ric]

Week 14: won 36-28 over Colts. Bill Munson continues with his solid play, he was less spectacular this week with 264 yds passing and a TD but had no turnovers for the second straight week. Wilbur Jackson had a 72-yd TD run and Ike Thomas had a 75-yd interception return for a score. Baltimore's Earl Morrall passed for 4 TDs but only got 251 yds on 47 attempts.

Detroit QB Terry Hanratty also had 4 TDs, but the Lions beat San Diego 35-14, and Hanratty became OPOW with 265 yds passing and 29 completions. St.Louis WR Mel Gray had 6 catches for 146 yds and a score, while Minnesota DT Ray Hamilton starred in a 17-41 loss to Denver by having 10 tackles and 3 sacks.

A casual look at the standings reveal that Chicago's been pulling away from the rest of the league with a 12-1 record, with Atlanta one game behind at 11-2. Tampa Bay and Washington follows with 10 wins and 3 losses each. In the AFC, no team has a better record than Cincinnati's 9-4.

[3ric]

Week 15: won 30-20 over Saints. Running backs John Riggins and Wilbur Jackson combined for 168 yds on the ground, and our defense intercepted New Orleans' QB Edd Harget three times.

In Minnesota, Don Strock continue to play excellent in relief of injured starter Fran Tarkenton, out with a torn ACL. Strock passed for 399 yds and 3 TDs and has 15 TDs in seven starts. Franco Harris finally had a breakthrough game in Oakland, getting 147 yds on 17 carries. Second-year WR John Stallworth, Denver, had 8 catches for 160 yds and Carolina OLB Gus Otto was the week's top defender with 12 tck, 4 ast, 1 sack and 1 interception.

Our scout's evaluation of the top players at each position reveal that in his opinion, Miami's Bob Griese is the league's best quarterback (when free from injury). Roger Staubach and Roman Gabriel are second and third, with Terry Bradshaw and Archie Manning fourth and fifth. At running back, the best has to be the Saints' Lydell Mitchell closely followed by Greg Pruitt and Willie Ellison. Wide receiver Ahmad Rashad, Chicago, top my scout's list at his position with Miami's Paul Warfield on second place and Dallas' Bob Hayes at third.

Tackle Art Shell, Oakland, guard Samuel Holden, New Orleans, and center Forrest Blue are the top players on the offensive line. Surprisingly, Shell is the only one with an All-Pro selection. Punter Ray Guy, Miami, and kicker Tom Dempsey, New Orleans, head their respective lists as well.

At defensive end, he rate the Colts' Bubba Smith as the best, while DT Mean Joe Greene, Pittsburgh, OLB Jack Ham, Buffalo, and ILB Isiah Robertson, Denver are the number one player at their positions. Finally, Carolina CB Thomas Darden and Miami S Jake Scott clearly belong to every NFL GM's dream defense.

[3ric]

Week 16: lost 27-30 to Titans. Fred Herring had a 108-yd kickoff return for TD and K Adrian Butkus won the game for Tennessee with a 49-yd FG in overtime. The Titans' QB Greg Landry passed for 342 yds, 1 TD and one interception, while our Bill Munson had 290 yds, 2 TDs and 1 intercepted pass.

OPOW is Maryland's QB Archie Manning, who threw for 390 yds and 3 TDs on 39 attempts. Denver's Craig Morton passed for 420 yds but was intercepted twice, and the Broncos' WR Eric Allen caught 9 passes for 188 yds and a score. Seattle's RB Greg Kucera ran for 148 yds and 3 TDs. DPOW was Kansas City's ILB Lee Roy Caffey with 10 tck, 2 ast, 1.5 sacks and 1 interception.

Week 17: lost 7-14 to Falcons. In a deciding game for the division title we came up short to Atlanta yet again. Andy Hamilton had a 69-yd punt return TD and John Riggins' 29-yd TD run in the 4th quarter wasn't enough to overcome the deficit. Ken Anderson came back from his injury to get the start but had to go out early in the game. Bill Munson tried, but had three passes intercepted.

San Diego's John Hadl finished the regular season with another strong outing - 412 yds passing and 3 TDs, which was more than enough to lead the league in yardage. 16-year veteran RB Jim Brown made what could be his final game memorable with 167 yds on 26 carries and a score. WR Charlie Joiner capped his remarkable season with another big game: 11 receptions for 212 yds and one TD. Buffalo's OLB Rocky Wallace becomes DPOW for the second time this season with 8 tck, 2 ast, 1.5 sacks and 1 interception.

[nilodor]

Good luck in the playoffs and at next years draft

[3ric]

We finish second in the NFC South, once again behind Atlanta, but we qualify for the playoffs as a wild card.

  NC South              W   L   T   Pct   PF    PA    Conf    Div  
Atlanta                 13  3   0   .813  353   273   11-1    6-0       
Tampa Bay               11  5   0   .688  380   302   8-4     4-2       
New Orleans             6   10  0   .375  274   360   3-9     1-5       
Carolina                2   14  0   .125  239   372   1-11    1-5       

We are facing 12-4 Chicago with QB Joe Kapp, who excels in medium passing and has a 65.1 completion percentage for 3665 yds. The have the edge over us at QB and WR and about equal at linebacker and are 1-point favorites.

[3ric]

Wild card: lost 9-20 to Bears. We weren't close to competing at all, they were in command right from the start and we came out flat. Ahmad Rashad caught 6 passes for 99 yds and a TD, while RB Bo Cornell ran for 62 yds and another score.

OPOW was Oakland's Kenny Stabler with 20 completions for 234 yds and 2 TDs in the Raiders' 40-10 win over Houston. Dallas' Preston Pearson ran for 131 yds which helped the Cowboys to win 30-3 over the Rams. Kansas City WR Spencer Sanford caught 8 passes for 174 yds and 2 TDs but the Chiefs lost 17-24 to the Colts. DPOW was Dallas' OLB Dennis Dawkins with 7 tck, 3 ast, 1.5 sacks and 3 defended passes.

In the conference semi-final round, we saw Atlanta's Steve Ramsey pass for 377 yds and 3 TDs in the 34-41 loss to Dallas. Mercury Morris ran for 119 yds and a score and Paul Warfield had 11 receptions for 189 yds when Miami blanked the Colts 19-0. Oakland beat Cincinnati 24-17 in part thanks to DT Art Thoms 7 tck, 5 ast, 1.5 sacks. Also, Chicago won 17-10 over Washington.