italian pat patriot

what was the main reasons we were unable to get a win ?

the terrible loss on 1976 with Oak (Ben Dreith...) or some bad decisions during that 3 years period where we had a big opportunity to win it ?

i feel bad for some players (i.e Hannah) that should have earned it...

i have read that in that period probably we had the best team ever...

pity...

PatsWickedPissah

Yah, Dreith cost us the game. We were out. I will never forget that game or that call. We were cursed. Earlier in that game alleged power running back Sam Cunningham deliberately and mysteriously ran out of bounds 1 yd short of a 1st down, killing a drive. On another series, Russ Francis had a LB grab both his arms pulling them open such that a pass bounced off his chest. No call. End of drive.

Subsequently, the Pats lost some of their best players because Sullivan was too financially strapped to pay them. Chaos ensued and a great team disintegrated.

__________________
Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck." RAH

DegeneratePatsFan

People are letting nostalgia cloud their judgment. The 2003-2004 stretch was better (34-4 including playoffs with two superbowl wins can't be topped). That said, Dreith's call probablydid cost us a title - everyone knew that the winner of the Pats-Raiders game was going to win it all.

Fanfrom1960

Yes, the Pats were screwed by the Dreith call, and also shot themselves in the foot, as PWP points out, in the Oakland game. And then, to make it all the more galling, Pittsburgh lost both Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, had no running game at all, and lost big, 24 - 7 to Oakland in the AFC title game. The Patriots should have been in that game, and would have also won easily. Next, Oakland, again should have been New England, rolled over the Vikings 32 - 14 in the Super Bowl. But that's all 'coulda, woulda, shoulda', and I could tell you about the Red Sox history, up until 2004, but you probably aren't interested. We got the three SBs this century, could be, hopefully, there will be more, so be happy.

5 Rings for Brady!!

1976 still haunts me for some reason. Only the tuck rule helped me get over that. Too bad Raiders fans are too clueless to understand karma.

Murphys95

The team back then was loaded with talent, but never made it over the hump. New England's running game behind Hannah and Gray was the best of its day - but Grogan's youth proved costly in many games. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns in each season from 1976-1978 (we're talking 20 or more every year, and we're bashing Rex Grossman on these boards?! ).

I think you could argue the 76-78 Pats teams had among some of the best talent in Patriots history - from Hannah to Haynes to Nelson to Clayborn. But, most of that star talent was young then, and they just didn't have the mix of wiley veterans like the 2001-2004 Patriots teams did.

Unfortunately the team fell apart at the end of 1978 when coach Chuck Fairbanks accepted a job at Colorado (big mess). At 11-4, New England was blown out by Miami in Miami. They then lost handily at home to the Houston Oilers in the first round of the playoffs that year.



Great question as always italianpatthepatriot!

MagicMarker

Oh, God...I remember that game. I was ticked off for weeks afterward. All of those things PatsWickedPissah described happened in the last five minutes of the game.

Cunningham ran out of bounds on first down...stopping the clock. I don't know if he could have made the first down, but there was less than three minutes left. After no gain on second down, Russ Francis comitted a false start on third and one. Then, on third and six was the play that Francis had both arms held behind his back by Phil Valipiano and no call. There were about 2 and a half minutes left in the game at that point, Pats up by 4.

John Smith then came on to try the 50 yard field goal. It was right down the middle, but short. The Raiders took over, and then the pass interference call came on that last drive.

Say what you want about the "tuck rule" call......We deserved it to get even.

italian pat patriot

thanks a lot !

thomas144

Grogan was not a very good quarterback. It's a pretty important position.

italian pat patriot

the worst 5 minutes in our history franchise ?

where is it possible to see, also partially, that incredible game ?

no chance ?

it was a terrible L but surely a game that i see impossible to forget...