1.
AFC Championship Game
–
The AFC Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American Football Conference, the winner then advances to face the winner of the National Football Conference Championship Game in the Super Bowl. The game was established as part of the 1970 merger between the NFL and the American Football League, with the merged league realigning into two conferences. Since 1984, each winner of the AFC Championship Game has also received the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after the founder of the AFL and longtime leader of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt. The first AFC Championship Game was played following the 1970 regular season after the merger between the NFL and the American Football League. The game is considered the successor to the former AFL Championship, every AFC team except the Houston Texans has played in an AFC Championship Game at least once. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most appearances in the AFC Championship Game at 16, with 11 of those games being in Pittsburgh, at the end of each regular season, a series of playoff games involving the top six teams in the AFC are conducted. In the current NFL playoff structure, this consists of the four division champions, the two teams remaining following the Wild Card round and the divisional round play in the AFC Championship game. Initially, the site of the game was determined on a rotating basis, since the 1975–76 season, the site of the AFC Championship has been based on playoff seeding based on the regular season won-loss record, with the highest surviving seed hosting the game. A wild card team can only host the game if both participants are wild cards, in case the fifth seed would host the sixth seed. Such an instance has never occurred in the NFL, beginning with 1984–85 season, the winner of the AFC Championship Game has received the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after the founder of the AFL. The original design consisted of a base with a sculpted AFC logo in the front. Numbers in parentheses in the table are AFC Championships, bold indicates team won Super Bowl that year. ^ b, The Seahawks were members of the NFC in 1976 and then members of the AFC from 1977 to 2001, including their appearances in the NFC Championship Game, they hold a combined 3–1 record between both Conference Championship Games. ^ c, The Buccaneers were members of the AFC in 1976 before moving to the NFC in 1977, ^ e, Includes appearances as the Baltimore Colts, where they went 1–1 in AFC Championship Games. Since moving to Indianapolis in 1984, the Colts are 2–3 in AFC Championship Games ^ f, Includes appearances as the Houston Oilers, since moving to Tennessee in 1997, they are 1–1 in AFC Championship Games. Los Angeles Raiders Largest margin of victory –48 points**, January 20,1991 – Buffalo Bills vs
2.
New England Patriots
–
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston region. The Patriots compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference East division. The Patriots are also headquartered at Gillette Stadium, an original member of the American Football League, the Patriots joined the NFL in the 1970 merger of the two leagues. The team changed its name from the original Boston Patriots after relocating to Foxborough in 1971, the Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium from 1971 to 2001, then moved to Gillette Stadium at the start of the 2002 season. The Patriots rivalry with the New York Jets is considered one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL. The Patriots have appeared in the Super Bowl nine times in franchise history, the Patriots have since become one of the most successful teams in NFL history, winning 14 AFC East titles in 16 seasons since 2001, without a losing season in that period. The team owns the record for most Super Bowls reached and won by a head coach–quarterback tandem, the Patriots are tied with the 49ers and Cowboys for the second most Super Bowl wins with five. The Steelers are in front with six, however, the Patriots are the only team to win five Super Bowls with the same coach and quarterback. On November 16,1959, Boston business executive Billy Sullivan was awarded the eighth, the following winter, locals were allowed to submit ideas for the Boston football teams official name. The most popular choice – and the one that Sullivan selected – was the Boston Patriots, immediately thereafter, artist Phil Bissell of The Boston Globe developed the Pat Patriot logo. The Patriots struggled for most of their years in the AFL, nickerson Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Alumni Stadium all served as home fields during their time in the American Football League. They played in only one AFL championship game, following the 1963 season and they did not appear again in an AFL or NFL post-season game for another 13 years. When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the American Football Conference East division, the following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which would serve as their home for the next 30 years. As a result of the move, they announced they would change their name from the Boston Patriots to the Bay State Patriots, the name was rejected by the NFL and on March 22,1971, the team officially announced they would change its geographic name to New England. During the 1970s, the Patriots had some success, earning a berth to the playoffs in 1976—as a wild card team—and in 1978—as AFC East champions and they lost in the first round both times. In 1985, they returned to the playoffs, and made it all the way to Super Bowl XX, following their Super Bowl loss, they returned to the playoffs in 1986, but lost in the first round. The team would not make the playoffs again for eight more years, during the 1990 season, the Patriots went 1–15. They changed ownership three times in the ensuing 14 years, being purchased from the Sullivan family first by Victor Kiam in 1988, who sold the team to James Orthwein in 1992
3.
NFC Championship Game
–
The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the National Football Conference, the winner then advances to face the winner of the American Football Conference Championship Game in the Super Bowl. The game was established as part of the 1970 merger between the NFL and the American Football League, with the merged league realigning into two conferences. Since 1984, each winner of the NFC Championship Game has also received the George Halas Trophy, named after the founder and longtime owner of the NFLs Chicago Bears, George Halas. The first NFC Championship Game was played following the 1970 regular season after the merger between the NFL and the American Football League. The game is considered the successor to the original NFL Championship, every NFC team has played in an NFC Championship at least once. The Seattle Seahawks, who have members in both the AFC and the NFC, hold the distinction of appearing in both conference title games. Only the Detroit Lions have yet to win an NFC Championship Game, at the end of each regular season, a series of playoff games involving the top six teams in the NFC are conducted. In the current NFL playoff structure, this consists of the four division champions, the two teams remaining following the Wild Card round and the divisional round play in the NFC Championship game. Initially, the site of the game was determined on a rotating basis, since the 1975–76 season, the site of the NFC Championship has been based on playoff seeding based on the regular season won-loss record, with the highest surviving seed hosting the game. A wild card team can only host the game if both participants are wild cards, in case the fifth seed would host the sixth seed. Such an instance has never occurred in the NFL, the original design consisted of a wooden base with a sculpted NFC logo in the front and a sculpture of various football players in the back. The trophies are now a new, silver design with the outline of a hollow football positioned on a base to more closely resemble the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Numbers in parentheses in the winning team column are NFC Championships won by that team, bold indicates team won Super Bowl that year. Numbers in parentheses in the city and stadium column is the amount of times that area and stadium has hosted a NFC Championship. ^ a, Overtime ^ b, The Seahawks were members of the NFC in 1976 and then members of the AFC from 1977–2001, including their only appearance in the AFC Championship Game, they hold a combined 3–1 record between both Conference Championship Games
4.
Carolina Panthers
–
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League, as a club of the leagues National Football Conference South division. The team president is Danny Morrison, and the coach is Ron Rivera. The Panthers were announced as the leagues 29th franchise in 1993 and they did not have another winning season until 2003, when they won the NFC Championship Game and reached Super Bowl XXXVIII, losing 32–29 to the New England Patriots. After recording playoff appearances in 2005 and 2008, the failed to record another playoff appearance until 2013. After losing in the round to the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 and the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, the Panthers finally returned to the Super Bowl in 2016. The Panthers have reached the playoffs seven times, advancing to four NFC Championship Games and they have won six division titles, one in the NFC West and five in the NFC South. The Carolina Panthers are legally registered as Panther Football, LLC, the team is headquartered in Bank of America Stadium in uptown Charlotte, also the teams home field. They are one of the few NFL teams to own the stadium they play in, the team hosts its annual training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. On December 15,1987, entrepreneur Jerry Richardson announced his bid for an NFL expansion franchise in the Carolinas. Richardson drew his inspiration to pursue an NFL franchise from George Shinn, who had made a bid for an expansion National Basketball Association team in Charlotte. Richardson founded Richardson Sports, a partnership consisting of himself, his family, Richardson looked at four potential locations for a stadium, ultimately choosing uptown Charlotte. In choosing the name, the Richardsons did not run focus groups with potential fans. Their intention had always been the Panthers, Jerry Richardson began driving a car with the license plate PNTHRS near the end of 1989, to highlight the demand for professional football in the Carolinas, Richardson Sports held preseason games around the area from 1989 to 1991. The matchups were between existing NFL teams, in 1991, the group formally filed an application for the open expansion spot, and on October 26,1993, the 28 NFL owners unanimously named the Carolina Panthers as the 29th member of the NFL. The Panthers first competed in the 1995 NFL season, they were one of two teams to begin play that year, the other being the Jacksonville Jaguars. Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dom Capers was named the first head coach, the team finished its inaugural season 7–9, the best performance ever from a first-year expansion team. They performed even better in their season, finishing with a 12–4 record and winning the NFC West division
5.
Super Bowl XXXVIII
–
The Patriots defeated the Panthers by the score of 32–29, winning their second Super Bowl championship in three years. The game was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, at the time, this was the most watched Super Bowl ever with 144.4 million viewers. The Panthers were making their first ever Super Bowl appearance after posting an 11–5 regular season record and they also made it the second straight year that a team from the NFC South division made the Super Bowl, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning Super Bowl XXXVII. The Patriots were seeking their second Super Bowl title in three years after posting a 14–2 record. NFL fans and sports writers widely consider this one of the most well-played and thrilling Super Bowls. Although neither team could score in the first and third quarters, the game was scoreless for a Super Bowl record 26,55 before the two teams combined for 24 points prior to halftime. The clubs then combined for a Super Bowl record 37 points in the fourth quarter, the contest was finally decided on New England kicker Adam Vinatieris 41-yard field goal with four seconds left. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for the time in three years. He set a Super Bowl record for the most pass completions, completing 66.7 percent of his passes and accumulating 354 passing yards,3 touchdowns, Jake Delhomme for his part overcame the poor start with 323 passing yards and three touchdowns. The 61 combined points stood as a Super Bowl record until the 62 points scored in Super Bowl LI in 2017, along with the rest of the halftime show, it led to an immediate crackdown by the Federal Communications Commission, and widespread debate on perceived indecency in broadcasting. NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXXVIII to Houston during their November 1,2000 meeting held in Atlanta and this was the first Super Bowl to be played in a stadium with a retractable roof. It also marked the first time in 4 tries that the Patriots played a Super Bowl that was not in New Orleans and this game marked a six-month stretch for Texas hosting the Super Bowl, NCAA mens Division I basketball Final Four and Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The Final Four was played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, beginning with this game, all Super Bowl games have been played on the first Sunday in February every year. Consequently, the Super Bowl is currently scheduled no earlier than February 1, the Panthers made their first trip to the Super Bowl after posting a one-win regular season just two years earlier. The franchise was only in their year of existence, joining the league as an expansion team in 1995. In just their second season, they posted a 12–4 regular season record and advanced to the NFC Championship Game, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers 30–13. With John Fox at the helm and the taking advantage of the free agent market and the salary cap rules. Then in 2003, they recorded an 11–5 record and won the NFC South, One of the free agents that Carolina signed before the 2003 season was quarterback Jake Delhomme
6.
NRG Stadium
–
NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Houston, Texas, United States. NRG Stadium has a capacity of 71,795, a total area of 1,900,000 square feet with a 97,000 sq ft playing surface. The stadium served as the host facility for Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1,2004, Super Bowl LI on February 5,2017, NRG Stadium is part of a collection of venues, which are collectively called NRG Park. The entire complex is named for NRG Energy under a 32-year, the stadium was constructed at the cost of $352 million. NRG Stadium is the first facility in the NFL to have a retractable roof, in February 2017, NRG Stadium hosted Super Bowl LI. It also hosted all 10 of the University Interscholastic Leagues Texas high school championship games at the conclusion of the 2015 season. The Houston NFL Holdings group came to Populous to begin the design for the first-ever NFL retractable roof football stadium in 1997. The intention was to create a stadium to replace the Astrodome that would operate like an open-air facility but have the intimacy. With the design for football and the square footage requirements of the rodeo, groundbreaking for the stadium was on March 9,2000 and the building was officially topped off in October 2001. The stadium opened on August 24,2002, with a game between the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans which the Dolphins won 24–3. The stadium hosted its first regular season NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans on September 8,2002, construction was completed in 30 months. The first rodeo was held in the stadium in February 2003, during a Texans preseason game on August 30,2012, against the Minnesota Vikings, an intoxicated fan fell to his death from an escalator. On March 19,2014, the stadium was renamed NRG Stadium, after NRG Energy, during the 2015 season, a permanent artificial surface was installed at NRG Stadium. The Texans had used a natural surface since the stadium opened, in recent years, the stadium installed artificial turf to be used during high school and college games while keeping the grass for Texans games. After the Texans home opener, complaints about the field conditions led to the installation of the artificial surface for Texans games. The surface brand is UBU Speed, which is part of Act Global, on the night of September 12–13,2008 the stadium sustained damage from Hurricane Ike forcing the Houston Texans home opener scheduled for September 14 to be postponed. Part of the roof cladding came off, and there was wind and that game was rescheduled to week 8, which was to have been the bye week for both the Texans and Bengals. The Bengals bye week was moved from October 26 to November 9, the stadium reopened on October 5,2008 when the Texans hosted the Indianapolis Colts and hosted three additional home games in October
7.
Houston
–
Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States. With a census-estimated 2014 population of 2.239 million within an area of 667 square miles, it also is the largest city in the southern United States and the seat of Harris County. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the city of Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land. Houston was founded on August 28,1836, near the banks of Buffalo Bayou and incorporated as a city on June 5,1837. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded, the burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the citys population. Houstons economy has an industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics. Leading in health care sectors and building equipment, Houston has more Fortune 500 headquarters within its city limits than any city except for New York City. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled, the city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse city in Texas and has described as the most diverse in the United States. It is home to cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has a visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District. In August 1836, two real estate entrepreneurs from New York, Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, purchased 6,642 acres of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the general at the Battle of San Jacinto. The great majority of slaves in Texas came with their owners from the slave states. Sizable numbers, however, came through the slave trade. New Orleans was the center of trade in the Deep South. Thousands of enslaved African Americans lived near the city before the Civil War, many of them near the city worked on sugar and cotton plantations, while most of those in the city limits had domestic and artisan jobs. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5,1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor, in the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
8.
2004 Pro Bowl
–
The 2004 Pro Bowl was the NFLs all-star game for the 2003 season. The game was played on February 8,2004, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, the final score was NFC55, AFC52, the most points scored in a Pro Bowl game. Marc Bulger of the St. Louis Rams was the games MVP, the AFCs first play set the tone for what would become a high-scoring affair. Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair faked a handoff to running back Jamal Lewis before throwing to Chad Johnson for a 90-yard touchdown pass, after the NFC got the ball back, they were forced to punt after a three-and-out. However, the punt by Todd Sauerbrun was blocked, and Ed Reed of the Ravens recovered it and ran it into the end zone, giving the AFC a 14–0 lead early on. The NFC responded with a touchdown by Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, after Mike Vanderjagt kicked a field goal of his own, the score at the end of the first quarter was 17–10 AFC. Peyton Manning came on for the AFC at the second quarter, Wilkins kicked another field goal for the NFC, and the halftime score was 31–13 in favor of the AFC. The AFC continued to add onto their lead with a Jamal Lewis touchdown, once again, the AFC struck quickly at the start of a quarter, when Trent Green hit Clinton Portis with a 22-yard touchdown pass. With less than 14 minutes remaining in the game, the score was 45–27, Bulger quickly threw a scoring pass to tight end Alge Crumpler, and a short time later hit Alexander with another touchdown pass. Although the two-point conversion attempt after Alexanders touchdown failed, the score was still 45–40 with just over five minutes to play. Just after that, Dré Bly picked off Manning and returned the interception for a touchdown, counting the successful two-point conversion after Blys touchdown, the NFC had scored 18 points in 8 minutes. Alexander scored another rushing touchdown with three and a half remaining to add to the NFCs lead. Manning, however, responded with a pass to Hines Ward. Safety Brock Marion picked off Bulger in the end zone and ran it back to the AFCs 22-yard line, Manning had 1,15 left on the clock and no timeouts. After two passes to his target, Harrison, as well as another to Ward, the AFC found itself on the NFCs 21-yard line. Kris Jenkins sacked Manning to send the AFC back, though, and with six seconds left, Vanderjagt, who hadnt missed a kick all season, was wide right on a 51-yard attempt. Ironically, the AFCs total of 31 points in the first half was a Pro Bowl record, 1st Quarter AFC – Chad Johnson 90-yard pass from Steve McNair,12,25. Drive,1 play,90 yards,0,15, AFC – Ed Reed 23-yard blocked punt return,11,02
9.
Aloha Stadium
–
Aloha Stadium is a stadium located in Halawa, Hawaii, a western suburb of Honolulu. It is the largest stadium in the state of Hawaii, Aloha Stadium is home to the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors football team. It hosts the NCAAs Hawaii Bowl, and has also been home to the National Football Leagues Pro Bowl since 1980 and it also hosts numerous high school football games during the season, and serves as a venue for large concerts and events. A swap meet in the parking lot every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday draws large crowds. Aloha Stadium once served as field for the AAA Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League from 1975 to 1987 before the team moved to Colorado Springs. Before 1975, Honolulus main outdoor stadium had been Honolulu Stadium, however, it had reached the end of its useful life by the 1960s, and was well below the standards for Triple-A baseball. The need for a new stadium was hastened by the Rainbows move to NCAA Division I, located west of downtown Honolulu and two miles north of Honolulu International Airport, Aloha Stadium was constructed in 1975 at a cost of $37 million. The first sporting event ever held at Aloha Stadium was a game played between the University of Hawaii and Texas A&I on September 13,1975. The stadium was somewhat problematic for its primary tenant, the Islanders. It was located in west-central Oahu, far from the Islanders fan base, additionally, while TheBus stopped right at the main gate of Honolulu Stadium, the Aloha Stadium stop was located some distance from the gate. As a result, attendance plummeted and never really recovered—a major factor in the ultimate move to the mainland. Additionally, stadium management initially refused to allow the use of metal spikes, when the Tacoma Twins complied with a parent-club directive to wear the spikes, stadium management turned off the center field lights. After 35 minutes, the umpires forfeited the game to the Twins, the Islanders protested, claiming they had no control over the lights. However, the PCL sided with the Twins, citing a rule that the home team is responsible for providing acceptable playing facilities. As originally built, Aloha Stadium could be reconfigured into various configurations for different sport venues and other purposes. Four movable 7, 000-seat sections, each 3.5 million pounds could move using air casters into a configuration for baseball. In January 2007, the stadium was locked into its football configuration due to cost. There have been numerous discussions with Hawaii lawmakers who are concerned with the condition of the stadium
10.
2002 NFL season
–
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League. The league went back to a number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each, also, the Chicago Bears played the 2002 season in Champaign, Illinois at Memorial Stadium because of the reconstruction of their home stadium Soldier Field. The NFL title was won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they defeated the Oakland Raiders 48–21 in Super Bowl XXXVII, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. With the Houston Texans joining the NFL, the teams were realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each division. In creating the new divisions, the tried to maintain the historical rivalries from the old alignment. The major changes were, The Seattle Seahawks became the team to switch conferences twice. The Arizona Cardinals moved from the NFC East to the NFC West and they had originally played in Chicago and then St. Louis before moving to Phoenix in 1988. The Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans, the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were placed into the newly formed NFC South. Both the AFC Central and the NFC Central were renamed AFC North and NFC North and they retained their team placement, minus the Titans, Jaguars and Buccaneers of their respective conferences. From 1999 to 2001, at least one team sat out each week because of an odd number of teams in the league. Under the new scheduling formula, only two of a teams games each season are based on the previous record, down from four under the previous system. All teams play four interconference games, an analysis of win percentages in 2008 showed a statistical trend upwards for top teams since this change, the top team each year then averaged 14.2 wins, versus 13.4 previously. The playoff format was modified, four division winners and two wild cards from each conference now advance to the playoffs, instead of three division winners and three wild cards. In each conference, the winners are now seeded 1 through 4. In the current system, the way a wild card team can host a playoff game is if both teams in the conferences championship game are wild cards. Since 1990, the number of teams is still 12. A player who touches a pylon remains in-bounds until any part of his body touches the ground out-of-bounds, continuing-action fouls now become dead-ball fouls and will result in the loss of down and distance
11.
2004 NFL season
–
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League. With the New England Patriots as the league champions, regular season play was held from September 9,2004 to January 2,2005. Due to several incidents during the 2003 NFL season, officials are authorized to penalize excessive celebration, the 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty will be marked off from the spot at the end of the previous play or, after a score, on the ensuing kickoff. If the infraction is ruled flagrant by the officials, the player are ejected, due to several instances during the 2003–04 playoffs, officials are instructed to strictly enforce illegal contact, pass interference, and defensive holding. Timeouts can be called by head coaches, in addition to the numbers 80–89, wide receivers will now be allowed to use numbers 10–19. A punt or missed field goal that is untouched by the team is immediately dead once it touches either the end zone or any member of the kicking team in the end zone. Previously, a punt or missed field goal that lands in the end zone before being controlled by the team could be picked up by a member of the receiving team. Teams will be awarded a third instant replay challenge if their first two are successful, previously, teams were only limited to two regardless of what occurred during the game. The one-bar facemask was officially outlawed, the few remaining players who still used the one-bar facemask at the time were allowed to continue to use the style until they left the league under a grandfather clause. Baltimore Ravens – Added third alternative uniforms, jacksonville Jaguars – New road uniforms. White uniforms, black numbers with gold and teal trim, New black pants with Jaguars logo on hip. New York Giants – Added third alternative uniforms, Minnesota Vikings – New FieldTurf field. Chicago Bears – Added third alternative uniforms, coaching changes Arizona Cardinals – Dennis Green replaced Dave McGinnis Atlanta Falcons – Jim Mora, Jr. Tiebreakers a Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed instead of San Diego based on better head-to-head record, jets clinched the AFC #5 seed instead of Denver based on better record in common games. C St. Louis clinched the NFC #5 seed instead of Minnesota or New Orleans based on conference record. D Minnesota clinched the NFC #6 seed instead of New Orleans based on better head-to-head record, Giants finished ahead of Dallas and Washington in the NFC East based on better head-to-head record. F Dallas finished ahead of Washington in the NFC East based on better head-to-head record, within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, the NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round
12.
National Football League
–
The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
13.
Philadelphia Eagles
–
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football franchise based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference East division. The franchise was established in 1933 as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets, when a group led by Bert Bell secured the rights to an NFL franchise in Philadelphia. Bell, Chuck Bednarik, Bob Brown, Reggie White, Steve Van Buren, Tommy McDonald, Greasy Neale, Pete Pihos, Sonny Jurgensen, the team has an intense rivalry with the New York Giants. This rivalry is the oldest in the NFC East and is among the oldest in the NFL and they also have a historic rivalry with the Washington Redskins, as well as their bitter rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys, which has become more high-profile in the last three decades. The team consistently ranks in the top three in attendance and has sold out every game since the 1999 season, in a Sports Illustrated poll of 321 NFL players, Eagles fans were selected the most intimidating fans in the NFL. Midway through the 1931 season, the Frankford Yellow Jackets went bankrupt, the Bell-Wray group had to pay an entry fee of $3,500 and assumed a total debt of $11,000 that was owed to three other NFL franchises. Neither the Eagles nor the NFL officially regard the two franchises as the same, citing the period of dormancy. Furthermore, almost no Yellow Jackets players were on the Eagles first roster, the Eagles, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the now-defunct Cincinnati Reds, joined the NFL as expansion teams. To accommodate football at Shibe Park during the winter, management set up stands in right field, some 20 feet high, these east stands had 22 rows of seats. The goalposts stood along the first base line and in left field, the uncovered east stands enlarged capacity of Shibe Park to over 39,000, but the Eagles rarely drew more than 25 to 30,000. The Eagles struggled over the course of their first decade, enduring repeated losing seasons, soon after, Bell and Rooney traded the Eagles franchise to Thompson and moved it to Pittsburgh, while Thompson moved the Steelers franchise to Philadelphia. By the late 1940s, head coach Earle Greasy Neale and running back Steve Van Buren led the team to three consecutive NFL Championship Games, winning two of them in 1948 and 1949. After the 1957 season, the Eagles moved from Connie Mack Stadium to Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania, Franklin Field would seat over 60,000 for the Eagles, whereas Connie Mack had a capacity of 39,000. The stadium switched from grass to AstroTurf in 1969 and it was the first NFL stadium to use artificial turf. In 1960, the Eagles won their third NFL championship, under the leadership of future Pro Football Hall of Famers Norm Van Brocklin and Chuck Bednarik, the head coach was Buck Shaw. The 1960 Eagles, by a score of 17–13, became the team to defeat Vince Lombardi. The Eagles had a good 1961 season and then fell on hard times in 1962
14.
Lincoln Financial Field
–
Lincoln Financial Field is the home stadium of the National Football Leagues Philadelphia Eagles and the Temple Owls football team of Temple University. It has a capacity of 69,176. It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and South Darien streets, also alongside I-95 as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, many locals refer to the stadium simply as The Linc. The stadium opened on August 3,2003 after two years of construction began on May 7,2001, replacing Veterans Stadium. While total seating capacity is similar to that of The Vet, the fields construction included several light emitting diode video displays, as well as more than 624 feet of LED ribbon boards. Naming rights were sold in June 2002 to Lincoln Financial Group, additional construction funding was raised from the sale of Stadium Builders Licenses to Eagles season ticket holders. The Army–Navy football game has played at the stadium. Temple Universitys Division I college football team plays their home games at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer have played games here against high-profile international clubs when their stadium Talen Energy Stadium does not provide adequate seating. The stadium also plays host to several games each year. In late spring of 2013, the Eagles announced that there will be some major upgrades to Lincoln Financial Field over the next 2 years, the total project estimate is valued at over $125 million. The upgrades included seating expansion, two new HD video boards, upgraded amenities, WiFi, and two new connecting bridges for upper levels and these upgrades were decided upon after research from season ticket holders, advisory boards, and fan focus groups. The majority of changes, including WiFi, were completed by the 2013 home opener. The upgraded sound systems and video boards were finished for the 2014 season, August 3,2003, Lincoln Financial Field hosted its first ticketed event, a soccer match between Manchester United and FC Barcelona. August 22,2003, The Philadelphia Eagles hosted the New England Patriots in the first pre-season football game at Lincoln Financial Field, September 6,2003, Lincoln Financial Field hosted its first regular-season college football game, a college matchup of local Philadelphia rivals, Villanova and Temple. Villanova prevailed 23–20 in double overtime, September 8,2003, The Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers competed on Monday Night Football in the first regular-season NFL game at Lincoln Financial Field. The game was referenced as the Inaugural Game at Lincoln Financial Field, the Buccaneers defeated the Eagles 17–0 in their new home. NFC Divisional Playoff, January 11,2004 and this game is also known as The Miracle of 4th and 26
15.
Cedar Fire (2003)
–
The Cedar Fire was a wildfire which burned over 280,000 acres of land in San Diego County, California during October and November 2003. The fires rapid growth was driven by the Santa Ana winds, by the time the fire was fully contained on November 4, it had burned 280,278 acres of land, destroyed 2,820 buildings and killed 15 people, including one firefighter. The fire remains the largest wildfire in California history, according to CALFIRE, it is also the third deadliest and second most destructive wildfire in state history. The Cedar Fire began in the Cuyamaca Mountains within the Cleveland National Forest and it was first reported at 5,37 PM PDT on October 25,2003, to the south of Ramona in central San Diego County. At the time it began, at least eleven other wildfires were burning in southern California. Within ten minutes of the report, the U. S. Forest Service had deployed 10 fire engines. Within 30 minutes,320 firefighters and six fire chiefs were en route, a San Diego County Sheriffs Department ASTREA helicopter that was rescuing a hunter spotted the fire at about the same time as the first phone report was received and called for an air response. Another Sheriffs helicopter equipped with a Bambi bucket was dispatched to drop water on the fire, when the helicopter was only minutes away from the fire, a Forest Service fire chief cancelled the water drop because policy required the cutoff of aerial firefighting 30 minutes before sunset. Between the time the fire started and midnight the predicted strong easterly Santa Ana winds surfaced, by 3,00 AM,62,000 acres had burned. Overnight, the fire killed 12 people living in Wildcat Canyon and Muth Valley in the northern part of Lakeside. The fire destroyed 39 homes on the Barona Indian Reservation, in only a few hours, the Cedar Fire pushed southwest over 30 miles and burned over 100,000 acres at rates of up to 6,000 acres per hour. On October 26, the fire forged into Alpine, Harbison Canyon and Crest, by October 28, the strong easterly Santa Ana winds died down and the fire turned east, consuming another 114,000 acres. The entire community of Cuyamaca, most of nearby Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, on October 29, a fire company attempting to defend a house in Riverwood Estates near Santa Ysabel became entrapped and overrun by the fire. Another firefighter sustained severe injuries, and two others were hurt, firefighters finally achieved full containment of the Cedar Fire on November 3, and total containment of all 2003 wildfires on December 5. President George W. Bush declared Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, air travel in and around the region was also disrupted due to the effect on air traffic control radar. The decision to move the game to Arizona was made less than 24 hours before the game started, investigators determined that the fire was started by Sergio Martinez of West Covina, California, a novice hunter who had been hunting in the area and had become lost. After gathering sticks and brush together, Martinez lit the brush and quickly lost control of the fire because of the heat, low humidity, Martinez was charged in federal court on October 7,2004 with setting the fire and lying about it. In November 2005, a judge sentenced Martinez to six months in a work-furlough program
16.
SDCCU Stadium
–
Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in San Diego, California, United States. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known for many years as Jack Murphy Stadium. Since 1997, the naming rights have been owned by Qualcomm. It is the home of the San Diego State Aztecs football team from San Diego State University, two college football bowl games, the Holiday Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl, are held in the stadium every December. The stadium was the home of two professional franchises, the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League and the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. The stadium has hosted three Super Bowl games, Super Bowl XXII in 1988, Super Bowl XXXII in 1998, humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Qualcomm Stadium is located immediately northwest of the interchange of Interstate 8, the stadium is served by the Qualcomm Stadium station of the San Diego Trolley, accessible via the Green Line running toward Downtown San Diego to the west, and Santee to the east. In the early 1960s, local sportswriter Jack Murphy, the brother of New York Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy, in November 1965, a $27 million bond was passed allowing construction to begin on a stadium, which was designed in the Brutalist style. Construction on the stadium began one month later, when completed, the facility was named San Diego Stadium. The Chargers played the first game ever at the stadium on August 20,1967, San Diego Stadium had a capacity of around 50,000, the three-tier grandstand was in the shape of a horseshoe, with the east end low. Due to expansion of Major League Baseball, this team was replaced by the current San Diego Padres major-league team beginning in the 1969 season and this was replaced in 1987 by a White Way Sign scoreboard, in which the video screen is surrounded almost entirely by three messageboards. The original video board was replaced in 1996 by a Sony JumboTron, after Jack Murphys death in September 1980, San Diego Stadium was renamed San Diego–Jack Murphy Stadium by a 6–2 vote of the San Diego City Council on January 6,1981. In 1983, over 9,000 bleachers were added to the deck on the open end of the stadium raising the capacity to 59,022. The most substantial addition was completed in 1997, when the stadium was fully enclosed, nearly 11,000 seats were added in readiness for Super Bowl XXXII in 1998, bringing the capacity to 70,561. Also in 1997, the facility was renamed Qualcomm Stadium after Qualcomm Corporation paid $18 million for the naming rights, the naming rights will belong to Qualcomm until 2017. In order to continue to honor Murphy, the city named the stadium site Jack Murphy Field, however, as part of the naming agreement Jack Murphy Field was not allowed to be used alongside Qualcomm Stadium. Some San Diegans, however, still refer to the stadium as Jack Murphy or simply The Murph, before his death in 2004, Bob Murphy still referred to it as Jack Murphy Stadium during New York Mets broadcasts, even after it was renamed. The stadium was temporarily renamed Snapdragon Stadium for 10 days in December 2011 as a tie in for Qualcomms Snapdragon brand
17.
Miami Dolphins
–
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football franchise based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference East division. The Dolphins play their games at Hard Rock Stadium in the northern suburb of Miami Gardens, Florida. The Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons are the oldest NFL franchises in the Deep South, however, of the four AFC East teams, they are the only team in the division that was not a charter member of the American Football League. The Dolphins team was founded by attorney-politician Joe Robbie and actor-comedian Danny Thomas and they began play in the AFL in 1966. For the first few years the Dolphins full-time training camp and practice facilities were at Saint Andrews School, in 1970 the Dolphins joined the NFL when the AFL–NFL merger occurred. The team made its first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl VI, Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games. For most of their history, the Dolphins were coached by Don Shula. Under Shula, the Dolphins posted losing records in two of his 26 seasons as the head coach. During the period spanning 1983 to the end of 1999, quarterback Dan Marino became one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, Marino led the Dolphins to five division titles,10 playoff appearances, and Super Bowl XIX before retiring following the 1999 season. During the summer of 1966, the Dolphins training camp was in St. Pete Beach with practices in August at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport. The Dolphins had a combined 15–39–2 record in their first four seasons under head coach George Wilson, before Don Shula was hired as head coach. Shula was a Paul Brown disciple who had been lured from the Baltimore Colts after losing Super Bowl III two seasons earlier to the AFLs New York Jets and finishing 8–5–1 the following season. Interestingly, Shula got his first NFL coaching job from then-Detroit Head Coach George Wilson, when Shula replaced Wilson at Miami the Colts charged the Dolphins with tampering in their hiring of Shula, costing the Dolphins their first round draft pick in 1971. Shula introduced himself to the Miami press by saying that he didnt have any magic formulas, Shulas early training camps with the Dolphins, with four workouts a day, would soon be the stuff of sweltering, painful legend. But Shulas hard work paid dividends, as Miami improved to a 10–4 record and their first-ever playoff appearance. The Dolphins were successful in the early 1970s, becoming the first team to advance to the AFC Championship for three consecutive seasons and they captured the AFC championship in 1971 behind quarterback Bob Griese, running backs Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick, and wide receiver Paul Warfield. The AFC Divisional Playoff Game, in which the Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, was the longest contest in NFL history, in Super Bowl VI, however, Miami lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24–3
18.
History of the San Diego Chargers
–
The Los Angeles Chargers franchise was founded in 1959 as a charter member of the American Football League. The team played the 1960 season in Los Angeles, moving to San Diego in 1961, the Chargers played in San Diego for 56 years. In 2017, the Chargers owner announced a move to Los Angeles, effective with the 2017 season, the Chargers original owner was hotel heir Barron Hilton, son of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton. Frank Leahy, a former Notre Dame University football coach, was named the teams first general manager, the Chargers initially considered playing at the Rose Bowl, but instead signed a lease to play at the Los Angeles Coliseum. There is also a theory about a man named Gerald Courtney of Hollywood who won an all-expenses-paid trip to Mexico City. They played ten years in the AFL before the merging of the league into the older NFL and their only coach for the ten-year life of the AFL was Sid Gillman, former coach of the NFLs Los Angeles Rams, who originally signed a three-year contract as head coach. Gillman, who was voted to the Hall of Fame, was widely recognized as a great offensive innovator. He also took on the role of coach and general manager after Frank Leahy resigned because of poor health. The early AFL years of the San Diego Chargers were highlighted by the play of wide receiver Lance Alworth with 543 receptions for 10,266 yards in his 11-AFL/NFL-season career. In addition, he set the pro football record of games with a reception during his career. With players such as Alworth, Paul Lowe, Keith Lincoln and John Hadl, the high-scoring Chargers reached the AFL Championship Game five times winning once during that ten-year span. The Chargers spent only one season in L. A. before moving in 1961, on that season, the defense recorded 49 pass interceptions as the AFL played an exciting brand of football featuring strong passing attacks. The Chargers were the originators of the term Fearsome Foursome to describe their all-star defensive line, anchored by Earl Faison, the phrase was later appropriated by various NFL teams. Houston defeated the Chargers 10–3 before 29,556 persons in Balboa Stadium to win the second AFL championship. The next year, the Chargers stumbled to a 4-10 record, as of 2016, this was the last professional sports championship for the city of San Diego. In 1964, the AFL teams signed a television contract with National Broadcasting Company for a record $36 million. The Chargers and New York Jets tied 17-17 before a record AFL crowd of 50,222 fans,46,828 paid in New Yorks Shea Stadium, a Balboa Stadium attendance record of 34,865 was set as Buffalo defeated San Diego 27-24 on Thanksgiving Day. The Chargers defeated the Jets 38-3 before 25,753 persons in Balboa Stadium to clinch their fourth AFL West title in five years, in 1965, San Diego won their fifth AFL West title in six years by defeating Houston on December 12 by the score of 37-26
19.
Sun Devil Stadium
–
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. It is home to the Arizona State Sun Devils football team of the Pac-12 Conference, the stadiums current seating capacity is 56,232 and the playing surface is natural grass. The gridiron within the stadium was named Frank Kush Field in honor of the coach of the ASU football team in 1996. Sun Devil Stadium is undergoing a $256 million renovation that is scheduled to be completed before the 2018 season, the stadium has hosted two annual college football bowl games, the Fiesta Bowl from 1971 to 2006, and the Cactus Bowl from 2006 to 2015. Sun Devil Stadium was the home stadium of the NFLs Arizona Cardinals after the teams arrival to the Phoenix metropolitan area in 1988. The Cardinals moved across the Valley to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale following the 2005 season, built in 1958, the stadiums original capacity was 30,000. The first addition in 1976 substantially raised the capacity to 57,722, seating was added to the south end zone, along with press and sky boxes. A year later, in 1977, the tier was completed to bring seating to 70,311. In 1988,1,700 more seats were added to bring the facility, during that time the Carson Student Athlete Center was added to the south end. The building is the home of the ASU Athletic Department, in 2007, engineers realized the stadiums concrete base of the stadium was buckling due to the rusting of structural steel supporting the foundation. Stadium designers had neglected to waterproof the structure when it was built, engineers estimated $45 million in repairs would be needed to maintain the stadium beyond 2010. A new Arizona bill allows the Arizona Board of Regents to set up a district on ASU property to collect revenue from local businesses, money from the fee will go toward the funding of renovation projects of ASUs athletic facilities, including the stadium. It was estimated the fund would accumulate enough money to begin planning renovations within 2–5 years, in April 2012, Sun Devil Athletics unveiled an estimated $300 million plan for renovated Sun Devil Stadium that entails reduced stadium capacity, field turf and fabric roof shading. The plan to cover the stadium with fabric was later scrapped, in October 2013, Sun Devil Athletics announced the removal of approximately 5,700 north end zone upper deck seats that reduced the stadium capacity to 65,870 for the 2014 season. The 2016 and 2017 Cactus Bowls, which are played in Sun Devil Stadium. Phase 1, Sections of the deck were removed. The bleachers behind the end zone were replaced with a steel. Phase 2, The west side of the bowl was demolished
20.
Arizona Cardinals
–
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football franchise based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League as a member of the leagues National Football Conference West division, the Cardinals were founded as the Morgan Athletic Club in 1898, and are the oldest continuously run professional football team in the United States. The Cardinals play their games at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The team was established in Chicago in 1898 and was a member of the NFL in 1920. Along with the Chicago Bears, the club is one of two NFL charter member franchises still in operation since the leagues founding, the club then moved to St. Louis in 1960 and played in that city through 1987. Before the 1988 season, the team moved west to Tempe, Arizona, a suburb east of Phoenix. In 2006, the club playing all home games at the newly constructed University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The franchise has won two NFL championships, both while it was based in Chicago, the first occurred in 1925, but is the subject of controversy, with supporters of the Pottsville Maroons believing that Pottsville should have won the title. Their second title, and the first to be won in a game, came in 1947. They returned to the game to defend in 1948. In 2012 the Cardinals became the first NFL franchise to lose 700 games since its inception, the franchises all-time win-loss record at the conclusion of the 2016 season is 549–741–40. They have been to the ten times and have won seven playoff games. During that season, they won their only NFC Championship Game since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the team has also won five division titles since their 1947–1948 NFL championship game appearances. From 1988 through 2012, the Cardinals conducted their summer training camp at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. The Cardinals moved their camp to University of Phoenix Stadium in 2013. The stadium was the site of the 2015 Pro Bowl, unlike in past years, the stadium also played host to Super Bowls XLII and XLIX. The franchises inception dates back to 1898, when a group gathered to play in the Chicago South Side. Chicago painting and building contractor Chris OBrien acquired the team, which he relocated to Normal Field on Racine Avenue, the team was known as Racine Normals until 1901, when OBrien bought used jerseys from the University of Chicago
21.
Joe Theismann
–
Joseph Robert Theismann is a former professional gridiron football player, sports commentator, corporate speaker and restaurateur. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003, following his retirement from football in 1985 after a career-ending injury, Theismann worked as a sportscaster and an analyst on pro football broadcasts with ESPN for nearly 20 years. He primarily partnered with Mike Patrick, for the networks Sunday Night Football package and for one season of Monday Night Football with Mike Tirico, Theismann also worked as a color analyst on NFL Networks Thursday Night Football package with play-by-play voice Bob Papa and Matt Millen. Theismann also co-hosts the networks weekly show Playbook, since 2011, he has worked on the Redskins preseason television broadcast team. Additionally, he works on the NFL Network on a variety of programs, Theismann is the owner of Theismanns Restaurant and Bar in Alexandria, Virginia, founded 1975. He also performs as a speaker for events, speaking on topics such as leadership and self-motivation. Theismann was born to Austrian Joseph John Theismann who ran a gas station and his Hungarian mother, Olga Tóbiás worked for Johnson & Johnson until her retirement. Theismann was raised in South River, New Jersey, and attended South River High School, where he lettered in baseball, basketball, Theismann accepted a college football scholarship to attend the University of Notre Dame. At Notre Dame, Theismann became the quarterback as a sophomore. In the three remaining games in the season, he led the Irish to two wins and a tie. In 1969, Theismann led the Irish to a number five ranking, the next year, the Irish had a 10–1 record, a number two ranking, and won against Texas in the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic, 24–11. That year, Theismann was an All-American and an Academic All-American, Theismann set school records for passing yards in a season and touchdowns in a season. He also set a record for passing yards in a game and completions in a game while playing against the University of Southern California in a torrential downpour in 1970. As a starting quarterback, Theismann compiled a 20–3–2 record while throwing for 4,411 yards and 31 touchdowns and his 4,411 passing yards rank fifth on Notre Dames career passing list. Theismann was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and he was the eighth Notre Dame quarterback enshrined into the hall, joining former Heisman Trophy winners Angelo Bertelli, John Lujack, and Paul Hornung. Theismann was selected in the round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. After prolonged negotiations with the Dolphins failed, Theismann elected to sign with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League for $50,000 per season. A fumble late in the quarter by Argonaut running back Leon McQuay close to the goal line cost the Argonauts what would have been their first Grey Cup victory since 1952
22.
Joe Namath
–
Joseph William Namath, nicknamed Broadway Joe and Joe Willie, is a former American football quarterback and actor. Namath was an AFL icon and played for that leagues New York Jets for most of his football career. He finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams and he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. Statistics belie Namaths enduring influence on the game of professional football and he retired after playing 143 games over 13 years in the AFL and NFL, including playoffs. Due mainly to chronic injuries that undermined his career at its peak, his record is 68 wins,71 losses, and four ties, 64–64–4 in 132 starts. He completed 1,886 passes for 27,663 yards, threw 173 touchdowns and he played for three division champions, earned one league championship, and one Super Bowl victory. In 1999, he was ranked number 96 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, in his 1975 autobiography, Alabama head coach Bryant called Namath the most natural athlete he had ever coached. Namath is known for boldly guaranteeing a Jets victory over Don Shulas NFL Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, already a celebrity, he was now established as a sports icon. He remained a recognizable figure in the media and sports worlds nearly half a century after his brashness cemented his identity in the public mind. Namath was born and raised in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania,30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and he is the son of Rose and János John Andrew Namath, a steelworker. While growing up, Namath was close to both of his parents, who eventually divorced, following his parents divorce, he lived with his mother. He was the youngest of four sons, with an adopted sister. Namath excelled in all sports at Beaver Falls High School and was a quarterback in football, guard in basketball. In an age when dunks were uncommon in high school basketball, coached by Larry Bruno at Beaver Falls, Namaths football team won the WPIAL Class AA championship with a 9–0 record in 1960. Coach Bruno later was his presenter to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, upon graduation from high school in 1961, he received offers from several Major League Baseball teams, including the Yankees, Indians, Reds, Pirates, and Phillies, but football prevailed. Namath graduated from college at age 64 in 2007, after he returned to the University of Alabama about forty years after leaving early to pursue a professional football. He successfully finished a 30-hour external program bachelor of degree in interdisciplinary studies. He was rejected by Maryland because his college-board scores were just below the schools requirements, after ample recruiting by Bryant, Namath accepted a full scholarship to attend Alabama
23.
Instant replay in American and Canadian football
–
In American and Canadian football, instant replay is a method of reviewing a play using cameras at various angles to determine the accuracy of the initial call of the officials. An instant replay can take place in the event of a close or otherwise controversial call, There are restrictions on what types of plays can be reviewed. In general, most penalty calls or lack thereof cannot be reviewed, American and Canadian football leagues vary in their application and use of instant replay review. The National Football League first adopted a limited Instant Replay system in 1986, though the current system began in 1999, the current system mirrors a system used by the now defunct USFL in 1985. Each coach is allowed two opportunities per game to make a coachs challenge, before the 2004 NFL season, the instant replay rule was slightly changed to allow a third challenge if both of the original two challenges were successful. A challenge can only be made on certain reviewable calls on plays that begin before the two-minute warning, up until the 2005 season, coaches could signal a challenge via an electronic pager, now used only by the replay assistant. The coaches now throw a red flag onto the field, indicating the challenge to the referees and this red flag was originally the backup plan if the pager were to fail, but it has become the more popular option among NFL coaches to signal a replay request. The referee has 60 seconds to watch the instant replay of the play, the referee must see incontrovertible visual evidence for a call to be overturned. If the challenge fails, the ruling stands and the challenging team is charged with a timeout. Because of the number of challenges, and the possible penalty of a lost timeout. If a questionable call is made in favor of the offense, then the offense will often line up, often players on the field will signal to the coach if they believe the play should be challenged. In those cases, the assistant will contact the referee by a specialized electronic pager with a vibrating alert. If a review takes place during that time while the clock is running, the clock will stop for the review, and then it will start running once the ball is set and ready for play. Starting with the 2010 season, any reviews with the clock running inside one minute will have a 10-second rundown, one concern about replay that was addressed some years ago was the situation where a coach would seek a review of a non-challengeable call. Before the rule was clarified, a team would lose the challenge, the current rule does not penalize a team in such a case, provided the rule is not abused or taken advantage of. For instance, if a player makes a reception and runs a long distance, if the play is challenged and the catch overturned, the game clock would be reset to have stopped at the moment of incompletion. Note that the spot of the ball may be challenged in certain cases, some unusual, and confusing sequences of events can occur during replay stoppages, and most have been addressed through rules clarifications. For instance, if a team commits a delay of game penalty, the current replay system replaced a previous system used from 1986 through 1991, when a procedure similar to that of college football was used
24.
Cincinnati Bengals
–
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals currently compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference North division. Their home stadium is Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati and their current head coach is Marvin Lewis, who has held the position since 2003 and is currently the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL, behind the New England Patriots Bill Belichick. Their chief rivals are the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, the Bengals were founded in 1966 as a member of the American Football League by former Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown. Brown was the Bengals head coach from their inception to 1975, after being dismissed as the Browns head coach by Art Modell in January 1963, Brown had shown interest in establishing another NFL franchise in Ohio and looked at both Cincinnati and Columbus. Due to the merger of the AFL and the NFL. The Bengals, like the other former AFL teams, were assigned to the AFC following the merger, Cincinnati was also selected because, like their neighbors the Reds, they could draw from several large neighboring cities that are all no more than 110 miles away from downtown Cincinnati. The Bengals won the AFC championship in 1981 and 1988, but lost Super Bowls XVI, after Paul Browns death in 1991, controlling interest in the team was inherited by his son, Mike Brown. In 2011, Brown purchased shares of the owned by the estate of co-founder Austin Knowlton and is now the majority owner of the Bengals franchise. The 1990s and the 2000s were a period of great struggle, following the 1990 season, the team went fourteen years without posting a winning record nor making the playoffs. The Bengals had several head coaches and several of their top draft picks did not pan out, Mike Brown, the teams de facto general manager, was rated as among the worst team owners in American professional sports. Since the mid-2000s, the teams fortunes have improved, two years after becoming head coach, Lewis guided the Bengals to their first winning season and first division title in over a decade. After the acquisition of Andy Dalton as quarterback in 2011, the Bengals had made the playoffs each season until 2016, the Bengals drafts are also highly touted, leading to a consistency that had long escaped the franchise. However, the team has remained unable to win in the postseason and have not won a game since 1990. The Bengals are one of the 13 NFL teams to not have won a Super Bowl as of the 2016 season, the franchise takes its name from an earlier Cincinnati Bengals team, which played from 1937–1941. It also was a nod to Paul Browns Massillon, Ohio, in 1967, an ownership group led by Paul Brown was granted a franchise in the American Football League. Brown named the team the Bengals in order to give it a link with past professional football in Cincinnati, another Bengals team had existed in the city and played in three previous American Football Leagues from 1937 to 1942. The citys world-renowned zoo was home to a rare white Bengal tiger
25.
Marvin Lewis
–
Marvin Ronald Lewis is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. Lewis has held the position since January 14,2003 and is currently the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL behind Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots and he is also the longest tenured coach in Bengals history. Previously, he was the coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens from 1996 to 2001. Taking over after a franchise worst 2-14 record in 2002, Lewis led the Bengals in 2005 to their first winning season, despite this success, Lewis has been unable to lead the Bengals to a postseason win. Marvin Lewis was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of McDonald, Pennsylvania and he started playing football at the age of 9 and played safety and quarterback for his team at Fort Cherry High School. He was on the team and played baseball in the summers as well. He initially decided to walk on as a player at Purdue University. He primarily played linebacker and earned all-Big Sky Conference honors three years as a linebacker. In 2001, he was inducted into Idaho State Universitys Sports Hall of Fame and he was named Idaho State Alumni of the Year for 2012. Lewis received both his bachelors degree in education and a masters degree in athletic administration from Idaho State. Lewis began his career as a graduate assistant at Idaho State before becoming the teams linebackers coach for four seasons. Idaho State won the NCAA Division I-AA Championship during his first year with the team, Lewis was an assistant coach at Long Beach State University, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Pittsburgh. Lewis had coaching internships with the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers before being hired as the coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992. He was on the Steelers Super Bowl XXX team which lost to the Dallas Cowboys, the newly relocated Baltimore Ravens, hired Lewis as their defensive coordinator in 1996, a position that he held for six seasons. In 2000, the Ravens defeated the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV thanks largely to a defense that allowed the fewest rushing yards, Lewis was a prime candidate for several NFL head coaching jobs, but was passed over each time. Most notably, he became head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. General manager Rich McKay was ready to offer the job to Lewis. However, the owners, the Glazer family, were unwilling to give the job to another defense-minded coach after firing Tony Dungy
26.
Dick LeBeau
–
Charles Richard LeBeau is an American football coach and former cornerback, who is the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He has been active at field level in the NFL for 58 consecutive seasons–14 as a player with the Detroit Lions and 44 as a coach and he is considered to be one of the greatest defensive coordinators of all time. Considered an “innovator” and “defensive football genius”, LeBeau created the zone blitz when he was coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals in the late 1980s. On February 6,2010, LeBeau was selected into the 2010 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the entire 2010 Steelers team attended the induction ceremony. LeBeau attended Ohio State University playing for famed coach Woody Hayes, and was on the 1957 national championship team, playing as a halfback on offense and a cornerback on defense. Also in 1957, playing both sides of the ball, he scored two touchdowns as Ohio State came back to beat Michigan 31–14 and he was initially drafted in the fifth round in 1959 by the Cleveland Browns but was cut in training camp. A few months later, he was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Lions. He played 14 years in Detroit and was teamed with Hall of Famers Dick Night Train Lane, Yale Lary, johnny Unitas always had respect for him, stating, Dick is a good corner. I am just glad Night Train Lane is gone, LeBeau is widely considered to be one of the greatest defensive backs in Lions history. He recorded 62 interceptions for 762 yards and three touchdowns and his 62 interceptions are still a Lions franchise record, and he is tied for seventh all-time in NFL history. His 762 interception return yards ranks third all-time in team history, LeBeau was also one of the most durable players in the league. In 14 years, he played 185 games – placing him fourth on Detroits all-time list and he is third all-time for most seasons played and previously held the NFL record for consecutive appearances by a cornerback with 171, which since has been broken by Ronde Barber. He also recovered 9 fumbles, returning them for 53 yards, during his career, he earned three trips to the Pro Bowl. In 1970, LeBeau established a career-high nine interceptions and he was a major defensive contributor to the Lions finishing with a 10–4 record that season. The Lions finished second in the NFC Central and earned a berth in the playoffs, in 2010, LeBeau was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with running back Floyd Little. LeBeau was honored by the Lions and inducted into the Pride of the Lions in 2010, after retirement as a player, LeBeau immediately went into coaching with the Philadelphia Eagles as a special teams coach under coach Mike McCormack, spending three seasons in Philadelphia. In 1976, LeBeau coached the secondary for the Green Bay Packers under Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Bart Starr, in his first season, Willie Buchanon, Johnnie Gray, Steve Luke, and Perry Smith combined for 10 interceptions. In 1977, Mike C. McCoy replaced Smith, and that combined for 11 interceptions
27.
Dallas Cowboys
–
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference East division. The team is headquartered in Frisco, Texas, and plays its games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The stadium took its current name prior to the 2013 season, the Cowboys joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960. The teams national following might best be represented by its NFL record of consecutive sell-outs, the Cowboys streak of 190 consecutive sold-out regular and post-season games began in 2002. This has also corresponded to eight NFC championships, most in the NFC, the Cowboys are the only NFL team to record 20 straight winning seasons, in which they only missed the playoffs twice, an NFL record that remains unchallenged. In 2015, the Dallas Cowboys became the first sports team to be valued at $4 billion, making it the most valuable team in the world. The Cowboys also generated $620 million in revenue in 2014, a record for a U. S. sports team. Prior to the formation of the Dallas Cowboys, there had not been an NFL team south of Washington, D. C. since the Dallas Texans folded in 1952. Oilman Clint Murchison Jr. had been trying to get an NFL expansion team in Dallas, Murchison had tried to purchase the Washington Redskins from Marshall in 1958. An agreement was struck, but as the deal was about to be finalized and this infuriated Murchison and he called off the deal. Marshall then opposed any franchise for Murchison in Dallas, since NFL expansion needed unanimous approval from team owners at that time, Marshalls position would prevent Murchison from joining the league. Marshall had an out with the Redskins band leader Barnee Breeskin. Breeskin had written the music to the Redskins fight song Hail to the Redskins, Breeskin owned the rights to the song and was aware of Murchisons plight to get an NFL franchise. Angry with Marshall, Breeskin approached Murchisons attorney to him the rights to the song before the expansion vote in 1959. Murchison purchased Hail to the Redskins for $2,500, before the vote to award franchises in 1959, Murchison revealed to Marshall that he owned the song and Marshall could not play it during games. After a few Marshall expletives, Murchison gave the rights to Hail to the Redskins to Marshall for his vote, the one against Murchison getting a franchise at that time. From 1970 through 1979, the Cowboys won 105 regular season games, in addition, they appeared in 5 and won two Super Bowls, at the end of the 1971 and 1977 regular seasons
28.
Bill Parcells
–
Duane Charles Bill Parcells, also known as The Big Tuna, is a former American football coach, best known as a head coach in the National Football League for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the coach of the New York Giants. Parcells later served as the coach of the New England Patriots, New York Jets. Throughout his career, he coached teams that were in a period of decline and he is the only coach in NFL history to lead four different teams to the playoffs and three different teams to a conference championship game. Parcells brought new success to the team and within four years and his tenure with the Giants spanned eight seasons and concluded with a second championship victory in Super Bowl XXV. After the Super Bowl win, Parcells retired as a coach in 1991, in 1993, Parcells came out of retirement to become the head coach of the Patriots, another struggling franchise at the time. Once again, Parcells changed the fortunes for the team and led them to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI during his season as their coach. Amid conflicts with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, he left the franchise after their Super Bowl loss and became the head coach of the Jets for the next season. Under Parcells, the Jets went from having only one victory in the season to obtaining a winning record. After three seasons as the Jets head coach, Parcells retired for a time in 1999. He coached the Cowboys for four seasons and helped them qualify for the playoffs twice, following the teams loss in a 2006 NFC Wild Card game, Parcells retired from coaching for good in 2007. Since his final retirement from coaching, Parcells currently serves as an NFL analyst for ESPN and he was also the Vice President of Football Operations with the Miami Dolphins, a position he held from 2008 to 2010. In 2013, Parcells was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Parcells was born in Englewood, New Jersey, on August 22,1941. He grew up in the town of Hasbrouck Heights. His mother, Ida Parcells, was a housewife while his father, Charles Parcells, played quarterback at Georgetown University, Bill Parcells is of Irish, Scottish, English, and Italian descent. Prior to his year in high school, the Parcells family moved a few miles north to the town of Oradell. While he was at River Dell, he was mistaken for another boy named Bill. As he had disliked his given name of Duane, he decided to adopt Bill as his nickname
29.
Detroit Lions
–
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference North division. The team plays its games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, despite success within the NFL, they could not survive in Portsmouth, then the NFLs smallest city. The team was purchased and relocated to Detroit for the 1934 season and they are one of four current teams and the only NFC team to have not yet played in the Super Bowl. Aside from a change to maroon in 1948 instituted by then head coach Bo McMillin. The design consists of silver helmets, silver pants, and either blue or white jerseys, the shade of blue used for Lions uniforms and logos is officially known as Honolulu blue, which is supposedly inspired by the color of the waves off the coast of Hawaii. The shade was chosen by Cy Huston in 1935, houston, the Lions first vice president and general manager, said of the choice, They had me looking at so many blues I am blue in the face, Huston said about the selection. But anyway, its the kind of blue, I am told, there have been minor changes to the uniform design throughout the years, such as changing the silver stripe patterns on the jersey sleeves, and changing the colors of the jersey numbers. White trim was added to the logo in 1970, in 1998, the team wore blue pants with their white jerseys along with grey socks but dropped that combination after the season. In 1999, the TV numbers on the sleeves were moved to the shoulders, in 1994, every NFL team wore throwback jerseys, and the Lions were similar to the jerseys used during their 1935 championship season. The helmets and pants were silver, the jerseys Honolulu blue with silver numbers. The team wore solid blue socks along with black shoes, the helmets also did not have a logo, as helmets were simple leather back then. The Lions also wore 50s-style jerseys during their traditional Thanksgiving Day games from 2001 to 2004 as the NFL encouraged teams to wear throwback jerseys on Thanksgiving Day, in 2003, the team added black trim to their logo and the jerseys. The face masks on the changed from blue to black with the introduction of the new color. Additionally, a home field jersey which makes black the dominant color was introduced in 2005. For 2008, the dropped the black alternate jerseys in favor of a throwback uniform to commemorate the franchises 75th anniversary. The throwback uniform became the teams permanent alternate jersey in 2009, the Lions officially unveiled new logo designs and uniforms on April 20,2009
30.
Steve Mariucci
–
Mariucci was born and raised in Iron Mountain, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he met best friend and current Michigan State University basketball head coach Tom Izzo. Both attended Iron Mountain High where they were teammates on the football, basketball, at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, where they were roommates, Mariucci was a three-time All-America quarterback. In 1975, he quarterbacked NMU to the NCAA Division II National Football Championship and he then went on to play two weeks with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League. He began his career at his alma mater, and moved to Cal State Fullerton. Mariuccis first pro position was as a coach for the United States Football Leagues Orlando Renegades in 1985. Later that fall, he had a stint with the Los Angeles Rams as quality control coach. He joined the USC staff in 1986 and he coached wide receiver Ken Henry to a season where he had 807 yards with 7 TD. WR Randy Tanner also had 408 yards with 3 TD and he then moved to the coaching staff at the University of California, Berkeley in 1987. In 1987, WR Brian Bedford had 515 yards with 4 TD, WR Mike Ford had 479 yards with 3 TD. In 1989, WR Brian Treggs had 746 yards with 4 TD, in 1990 and 1991, he served as the Golden Bears offensive coordinator. Quarterback Mike Pawlawski threw for 2,069 yards with 17 TDs, in 1991, QB Mike Pawlawski threw for 2,517 yards with 21 TD and RB Russell White ran for 1,177 yards with 14 TD. WR Sean Dawkins had 723 yards with 11 TD, in 1992, he was appointed as quarterback coach for the Green Bay Packers. After four years as coach for the Packers, Mariucci returned to Cal as head coach in 1996 where the team finished 6–6. Following his season with the Golden Bears, Mariucci was considered a candidate for several National Football League coaching positions. Mariuccis 1997 team went 13–3 during the season, earning home-field advantage in the National Football Conference. The defeat was the 49ers fourth NFC title loss of the 1990s, following losses to the New York Giants in 1990 and the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and 1993. In 1998, the 49ers posted a 12–4 record and returned to the playoffs as a wild card team, two losing seasons followed, but in 2001, the 49ers returned to the playoffs after a 12–4 season, once again to be eliminated by the Packers. Mariuccis final season in San Francisco was 2002, the 49ers won the NFC West with a 10–6 record and beat the New York Giants in a controversial wild-card game, posting the third-biggest comeback playoff victory in NFL history
31.
Jacksonville Jaguars
–
The Jacksonville Jaguars are an American professional football franchise based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League as a club of the American Football Conference South division. The team plays its games at EverBank Field. The Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers joined the NFL as expansion teams for the 1995 season, since their inception, the Jaguars have won division championships in 1998 and 1999 and have qualified for the playoffs six times, most recently in 2007. From their inception until 2011, the Jacksonville Jaguars majority owner was Wayne Weaver, the team was then purchased by Pakistani-born businessman Shahid Khan for an estimated $770 million. In 2015, Forbes estimated the value at $1.48 billion. In 1989, the ownership group Touchdown Jacksonville. The group initially included future Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Jacksonville developer Tom Petway, in 1991, the NFL announced plans to add two expansion teams in 1994, its first expansion since the 1976 addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Announced its bid for a team, and Jacksonville was ultimately chosen as one of five finalists, along with Charlotte, St. Louis, Baltimore, Jacksonville was considered the least likely expansion candidate for several reasons. The Jacksonville metropolitan area and television market were smaller than those of every team in the league. There were 635,000 people in Jacksonville proper according to the 1990 census, additionally, the Gator Bowl was outdated, and the ownership group struggled to negotiate a lease with the city. The troubled negotiations over the Gator Bowl lease led the group to withdraw from the NFL expansion bidding in July 1993. Charlotte was awarded the first franchise – the Carolina Panthers – in October 1993, surprisingly, the naming of the second expansion city was delayed a month. Most pundits speculated that the delay was made to allow St. Louis to shore up its bid, at the time, St. Louis was considered the favorite for the second franchise, with Baltimores three bids also considered strong. However, in a move, the NFL owners voted 26–2 in favor of awarding the 30th franchise to Jacksonville. After the Gator Bowl game on December 31,1993, the old stadium was demolished and replaced with a reinforced concrete superstructure. All that remained of the old stadium was the west upper concourse, in January 1994 Wayne Weaver chose Tom Coughlin as the first-ever head coach of the Jaguars. While he had previously had success with Boston College, many at the time believed his hiring was a risky move
32.
Jack Del Rio
–
Jack Louis Del Rio Jr. is head coach of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. A linebacker for four NFL teams between 1985-1996, he played football and baseball for the University of Southern California Trojans. Del Rio began his career as an assistant strength and linebacker coach with the New Orleans Saints. He was the coach on the Super Bowl XXXV-winning Baltimore Ravens, and defensive coordinator on the Carolina Panthers. He served as coach of the leagues Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 until 2011, the second in team history, and took a second head coaching job. Del Rio was born in Castro Valley, California to a father of Spanish and he attended Hayward High School in Hayward, California where he developed into a notable three-sport athlete. In football, he helped his team win a North Coast Section 2A Championship, in baseball although he was the starting catcher, in one game he was used as a pitcher and struck out 16 in a playoff game against Mission San Jose-Fremont. He and former Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu were teammates in baseball and football, in football he became a four-year starter. He finished his career with 340 tackles, including 58 tackles for loss. In baseball he batted.340 as a starter at catcher on a team that also included future Major League Baseball home run champion Mark McGwire. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015, Del Rio was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft. He was also selected in the 1985 USFL Territorial Draft by the Los Angeles Express, as a rookie, he started 9 games at right inside linebacker, tied a franchise record with 5 fumble recoveries and earned NFL All-rookie honors. In 1986, he lost his position to Alvin Toles after the season opener. On August 17,1987, he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a fifth round draft choice, in 1987, he was acquired by the Kansas City Chiefs to play outside linebacker, reuniting him with former Saints defensive coordinator John Paul Young. He started 9 games at right outside linebacker in his first season with the team and 10 games at left outside linebacker in 1988 and he was released on August 29,1989. On August 31,1989, he was claimed off waivers by the Dallas Cowboys, the next year he started 16 games, making 104 tackles and 1.5 sacks. In 1991, he replaced Eugene Lockhart as the starter at middle linebacker, darrin Smith, Dixon Edwards, Robert Jones, and Randall Godfrey, to leave via free agency instead of signing them to long-term contracts. On March 4,1992, he was signed as a Plan B free agent by the Minnesota Vikings and he led the team in tackles for three consecutive years and was selected to the 1994 Pro Bowl as a need player
33.
Tom Coughlin
–
Thomas Richard Coughlin is the executive vice president of football operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was the coach for the New York Giants for 12 seasons. He led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, Coughlin was also the inaugural head coach of the Jaguars, serving from 1995 to 2002 and leading the team to two AFC Championship Games. Coughlin attended Syracuse University, where he played halfback for the Syracuse Orange football team and he was teammates with Larry Csonka and Floyd Little. In 1967, he set the schools single-season pass receiving record, Jim Boeheim was his residence advisor during Coughlins senior year at Syracuse. Coughlin was mentored by Bill Parcells while Coughlin was wide receivers coach, like his mentor, Coughlin is known as a stern disciplinarian and for his meticulous attention to detail, earning him the nickname Colonel Coughlin. Coughlins first head coaching job was at the Rochester Institute of Technology from 1970–1973 and he then returned to his alma mater where he was eventually promoted to offensive coordinator, a position he also held at Boston College where he coached Doug Flutie. He returned to the staff after his stint at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Coughlins second stint started in 1974, and ended in 1980. He left the level to become a wide receivers coach in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles. While at New York, he was an assistant to Bill Parcells, after the 1990 season, Coughlin returned to Boston College to take on his second job as a head coach. In three seasons at Boston College, he turned the program into a consistent winner, Coughlins tenure was capped with a 41–39 victory over #1 ranked Notre Dame in 1993, the first time Boston College defeated Notre Dame. Coughlins success at Boston College led to his subsequent hiring as the first head coach of the NFLs expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, in eight seasons at Jacksonville, he helmed the most successful expansion team in league history. During Coughlins tenure, the Jaguars made four consecutive playoff appearances and he was named NFL Coach of the Year by United Press International. However, in appearances in the championship game, the Jaguars were defeated, in 1996 by the New England Patriots. Coughlins Jaguars won 49 regular season games in his first five years as head coach, but the Jaguars record for the next three years was only 19–29, and after a 6–10 finish in 2002, Coughlin was fired by owner Wayne Weaver. He finished his career in Jacksonville with a 68–60 regular season record. In 2011, Weaver said when looking back on his tenure as owner, after being out of football in 2003, Coughlin was hired to replace Jim Fassel as head coach of the New York Giants in January 2004. He inherited a team that finished 4–12 in 2003, as Coughlin took over, the Giants were trying to put together a trade for the first pick in the draft
34.
San Francisco 49ers
–
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team located in the San Francisco Bay Area. They compete in the National Football League as a member of the leagues National Football Conference West division, the team currently plays its home games at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located 45 miles southeast of San Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley. Since 1988, the 49ers have been headquartered in Santa Clara, the team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and joined the NFL in 1949 when the leagues merged. The 49ers were the first major professional sports franchise based in San Francisco. The name 49ers comes from the prospectors who arrived in Northern California in the 1849 Gold Rush, the team is legally and corporately registered as the San Francisco Forty Niners, Ltd. The team began play at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco before moving across town to Candlestick Park in 1970 and then to Levis Stadium in Santa Clara in 2014. The 49ers won five Super Bowl championships between 1981 and 1995, led by Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Steve Young, and coach Bill Walsh. As of the 2016 NFL season, the team has won a total of six championships, with the first in 1981. The 49ers have been in the playoffs a total of 26 times,25 times in the NFL. According to Forbes Magazine, the team is the 4th most-valuable team in the NFL, in 2016, the San Francisco 49ers were ranked the 10th most valuable sports team in the world, behind the Los Angeles Lakers and above Bayern Munich. In 1957, the 49ers enjoyed their first sustained success as members of the NFL, the 49ers fell behind the Bears 17–7. Tragically, 49ers owner Tony Morabito collapsed of a heart attack, the 49ers players learned of his death at halftime when coach Frankie Albert was handed a note with two words, Tonys gone. With tears running down their faces, and motivated to win for their departed owner, dicky Moegles late-game interception in the endzone sealed the victory. After Tonys death 49er ownership went to Victor Morabito and Tonys widow, the 49ers special assistant to the Morabitos, Louis G. Spadia was named general manager. They became the only full-house backfield inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, for most of the next 13 years, the 49ers hovered around.490, except for 1963 and 1964 when they went 2–12 and 4–10 respectively. Key players for these 49ers included running back Ken Willard, quarterback John Brodie, during this time the 49ers became the first NFL team to use the shotgun formation. It was named by the man who devised the formation, San Francisco 49ers coach Red Hickey. The formation, where the lines up seven yards behind the center, was designed to allow the quarterback extra time to throw
35.
Dennis Erickson
–
Dennis Brian Erickson is an American football coach and former player. He is formerly the assistant head coach and running coach at the University of Utah. Erickson retired on December 30,2016 after 47 years as a coach, Erickson was the head coach at the University of Idaho, the University of Wyoming, Washington State University, the University of Miami, Oregon State University, and Arizona State University. During his tenure at Miami, Ericksons teams won two championships, in 1989 and 1991. His record as a football head coach is 179–96–1. Erickson was also the coach of two teams in the National Football League, the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. Erickson was raised in Ferndale, Washington,100 miles north of Seattle and his father, Robert Pinky Erickson, was the head football coach at Ferndale High School before becoming the head coach at Cascade High School in Everett. The younger Erickson played quarterback at the rival Everett High, coached by next-door neighbor and this made for some quiet dinners on game day. As a junior, Dennis was the quarterback, beating out the former starter, senior Mike Price. Price, the son of the coach of Everett Junior College, was moved to defense as a safety. When Erickson left Washington State for Miami in 1989, he recommended Mike Price as his replacement, Erickson had beaten out Price for the Washington State job in 1987. Six years earlier in 1981, Price had beaten Erickson out for the job at Weber State College in Ogden, while at Idaho, Erickson was 2-2 in conference play against Prices Weber teams. At Oregon State, Erickson was 2-1 against Prices Washington State teams, Erickson graduated from Everett High School in 1965 and accepted a football scholarship to Montana State in Bozeman to play for head coach, Jim Sweeney. There, he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Erickson was an effective undersized quarterback from 1966 to 1968, earning all-conference honors in the Big Sky. Immediately after his season, he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Montana State Bobcats in 1969. In 1970 at age 23, Erickson became the coach at Billings Central Catholic High School. From 1971 to 1981 Erickson was an assistant coach, working with the offense. Ericksons college coach, Jim Sweeney, resigned from neighboring Washington State after the 1975 season and he then moved to Fresno State in 1976, and Erickson followed him to be the offensive coordinator for Sweeneys first three seasons
36.
AFC East
–
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League s American Football Conference. There are currently four teams that reside in the division, the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots, and the New York Jets. Since the divisions enfranchisement in 1960, with the creation of the American Football League, the most recent appearance and championship in the Super Bowl won by an AFC East team was the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. Entering 2017 the Patriots had the most wins in the history, with a record of 476-383-9. The Dolphins were second at 439-341-4 with a record of 20-21. The Bills were at 400-460-8 with a record of 14-15. The Jets held a record of 392-468-8, with a record of 12-13 including victory in Super Bowl III. The Bills have won ten titles, and the Jets have won four. The American Football League Eastern Division was formed during the season of the American Football League in 1960. The divisional alignment consisted of the Buffalo Bills, Boston Patriots, New York Titans, the Miami Dolphins entered the AFL in 1966 as part of its Eastern division. The division was absorbed nearly intact with the AFL–NFL Merger in 1970, none of the AFC East teams currently plays within the central city of their metropolitan area, The Bills play in Orchard Park, New York. They played in the city of Buffalo from 1960–72, the Jets play in East Rutherford, New Jersey The Dolphins play in Miami Gardens, Florida, a suburb of Miami The Patriots play in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Jets are now coached by Todd Bowles and the Bills were coached by Rex Ryan for 31 games, parcells himself coached the Patriots and the Jets and was Vice President of Football Operations for the Dolphins until the summer of 2010. ESPNs Chris Berman often calls this division the AFC Adams due to its similarity to the old Adams Division of the NHL. Along with the AFC West, the AFC East is the oldest NFL division in terms of creation date, place cursor over year for division champ or Super Bowl team. A Boston Patriots renamed to New England Patriots, B Houston Oilers move to newly created AFC Central division and later are renamed the Tennessee Oilers, then Tennessee Titans. Moved to AFC South in 2002, moved to AFC South in 2002. + – A players strike in 1982 reduced the season to nine games
37.
2003 New England Patriots season
–
The 2003 New England Patriots season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League and 44th season overall. They finished with a league-best 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVIII, two seasons after winning Super Bowl XXXVI, the Patriots went into 2003 after missing the playoffs in 2002. Milloy signed with the Buffalo Bills, who defeated the Patriots, 31–0, the Patriots would rebound though, not losing another game after starting with a 2–2 record. The regular season was bookended with a 31–0 victory over the Bills at home in Week 17, a score reversed from the Patriots shutout loss to the Bills in Week 1. The win gave the Patriots a perfect 8–0 record at home in the season and the 14–2 season was a club record. The top-seeded Patriots intercepted Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, the leagues co-MVP, four times, winning 24–14, with a tied game late in the fourth quarter, Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field goal with seconds remaining, giving the Patriots their second Super Bowl victory in three seasons. At the time of the first public training camp practice at Gillette Stadium on July 24, the Patriots received seven roster exemptions for the NFL Europe allocations of Dyshod Carter, Mike Malan, Mike Clare, Rod Trafford, Courtney Ledyard, Brad Harris, and Scott McCready. Additionally, the Patriots allocated offensive lineman Corey Mitchell, wide receiver T. C, taylor, and quarterback Shane Stafford to NFL Europe and received roster exemptions for them, but those players were waived before the start of training camp. Finally, injured exclusive rights free agent Stephen Neal did not sign his tender until after camp began, following the release of Lawyer Milloy the Patriots met the Bills in Buffalo, and Milloy was there after signing a deal with the Bills. Brady was also sacked twice, once by Milloy, in a 31–0 Bills rout and this would be the last time the Patriots would post a sub-500 record until 145 games later, when they were 1–2 after their first three games of the 2012 season. It was also their most recent regular season opening loss until 2014 as the team started 0–1 and this was their also their last shutout loss until week 14 of the 2006 season. Behind 30 completions in 44 attempts for 247 yards and three touchdowns, Tom Brady led the Patriots to their first win of the season by beating the Eagles. Donovan McNabb was hammered by the Patriots defense, limited to just 18 completions in 46 throws, he was picked off twice, bill Belichick was incensed by the comment and refused to speak to anyone connected with ESPN outside of Chris Berman for years after. The Patriots home opener came against an injury-shot Jets squad, the Jets running game had been shut down in that 2002 matchup and it didnt do much better this time around, totalling just 65 yards,53 of them from former Patriot Curtis Martin. At the start of the fourth rookie Asante Samuel picked off Testaverde, vinny did connect with Wayne Chrebet two minutes later, but the remaining thirteen minutes went scoreless as the Patriots took the win 23–16. Steve Spurrier became the last NFL coach to defeat the Patriots until Halloween 2004 as the Redskins raced to a 20–3 lead in the third quarter. Adam Vinatieri missed a field goal try for the first time in the year, ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright ran in touchdowns as the Redskins ground game ate up 119 yards. It was enough to hold off two late Brady touchdowns in a 20–17 Patriots loss, the Patriots began a 21-game winning streak in hosting the Titans, who had beaten the Patriots the previous December
38.
2003 Buffalo Bills season
–
The 2003 Buffalo Bills season was their 44th in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous output of 8–8. The team missed the playoffs for the consecutive season. The Bills started the strong, opening the season with a dominating 31–0 blowout of the New England Patriots. It was their largest margin of victory in an opener since 1992. The Bills second game was a convincing win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. But Buffalo lost seven of their nine games, and finished the season with three consecutive losses. Ironically, the Bills final game of the season was a 31–0 shutout loss to the New England Patriots – the reverse of the score by which the Bills beat New England in Week One, head coach Gregg Williamss contract was not renewed after the 2003 season. Van Miller, the teams longtime play-by-play announcer, announced his retirement after week 2 of the season, the Bills traded away their first pick in the 2003 draft to the New England Patriots for Drew Bledsoe in the previous draft. They obtained their first pick from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for Peerless Price
