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Super Wins Should Have Started With Fairbanks


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That's the first thing I think about in that game, NOT the Drieth call. It was by FAR the worse call. There could be a least a whiff of controversy on the roughing call, the non-call on Francis was SO blatant and obvious, it was a crime that it wasn't called.

There was one other play that affected that game that no one really remembers anymore. It was on that final Pats drive that ended in the Francis non-call. It was on 1st down, Sam Cunningham ran around end and stepped out of bounds 9 yds later. It was a play that, if he wanted to, he could have easily lowered his shoulder and gotten that extra yard. No one thought much about it then, because it it was 2nd and 1, and the Pats had been running well all game. IIRC the Pats got a penalty the next play and now it was 2nd 6 and everything had changed, ending in the Villiapiano mugging of Francis

It wasn't something you blamed Cunningham for, and I don't recall it ever being used as a reason for why we lost, but still I wonder .....IF.

BTW- Compared to the felony that occurred that game, the "snow bowl" was hardly even a mistormeanor. Raider fans should be ashamed of themselves to complain when they were given such a blatant gift of MULTIPLE calls

Ken -

Cunningham had a shoulder injury that limited him to eight carries over the last five games. You might recall that his backup was a former Buffalo Bill (10th round pick in 1974) named Don Calhoun. So dominant was the Patriot offensive line that the little used Calhoun had four 100 yard rushing games during the five weeks he pinch hit for Sam Bam. For the season, Calhoun amassed 721 rushing yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

Most atttributed Cunningham's unwillingness to take the hit on that critical play to his aching shoulder.
 
The article leaves out a significant part of the Plunkett trade with the 49ers that makes it even more one-sided.

In addition to the two #1's in 1976 (Brock and Fox) and backup QB Tom Owen, the Patriots also received a #1 (Raymond Clayborn) and and #2 (Horace Ivory) in 1977.

The CB tandem of Mike Haynes and Raymond Clayborn was arguable the best in the NFL until Haynes moved on to Oakland.
 
Paterno says in his memoir that he had decided to take the Patriots job and even told everyone at PSU that he was moving on, before sleeping on it and having a change of heart.
 
Paterno says in his memoir that he had decided to take the Patriots job and even told everyone at PSU that he was moving on, before sleeping on it and having a change of heart.

That's what I recall as well. Paterno told NE he was accepting their offer and then retracted his acceptance the next day.
 
The roughing the passer call on Sugar Bear Hamilton against Ken 'The Snake' Stabler was a joke. Pats beat Oakland 48 - 17 in the regular season, and should have won this divisional playoff. They were screwed as refs handed Oakland the game. Raiders went on to win the Superbowl after a gift call.

The Raiders were good that year, but the Pats were better.

What made the Dreith theft more frustrating is that the Steelers won the other AFC semi-final that day while losing both Franco Harris and Rocky Blier, making the AFC title game a lot easier for the Raiders. They then got to feast on the Vikings in the SB. But hey, we got them back and then some, 25 years later.

Free at last. Free at last. Thank Walt Coleman we're free at last.
 
Actually there was a second horrible call that happened before the final Raider drive, Villapiano hit R Francis well before the ball arrived and held his arms the pass hit him in the chest no call, the pass would have resulted in a first down and the Raiders never get the ball.

I can still visualize that play.
 
Grid, as Lugosi says in White Zombie - "You paint a charming picture, Monsieur. One I would like to see myself."

But in reality, Off The Grid, you couldn't be further "Off The Mark". Your beliefs on the fundamental nature of man and your claims as to what the fundamental truth of human nature is come across as naive. And that's an understatement.
I know you march to the beat of your own drum and all, and more power to you for that. In many ways, you're a presence around here which I welcome whenever I see you. But reading your take on people in general up there raises a red flag to me.
I dunno, maybe it's one of your literary trademarks. Are you trying to put across some sort of rose-colored-glasses sarcasm and see if we bite? If that's the case, well done and stuff.
If not, well then, you've got a fundamental defect in your thinking which I'd be concerned about.
Grid, for people who think the way you do about people's natures, it's just a matter of time before someone takes full advantage of that and really screws you over.
.... and contrary to what you may think, they WILL sleep well afterwards.

I dunno, maybe you live in some sort of "closed society" up in Vermont or something. I always envision you as being holed up in a hippie commune in 1969 or thereabouts.
Grid, I mean, it's the only way anyone over 25 would see human nature the same way you do.

Grid, ya gotta be pulling my leg up there. If you're not, there's a whole profession that'd be happy to teach you otherwise. It's called psychology. Know what you got in there? Deep psychoanalysis on sociopaths and psychopaths. Talk to a prison psychologist some time and hear what they have to say about your stance on the nature of man.

Hey Grid, did you know that one out of every 200 people is a sociopath?

Or better yet, I'll extend an open invitation to you to come on down to my neighborhood in BROOKLYN. I'll take you by the hand as we transverse down the ugliest alleyways of the human psyche of some of my scummy neighbors.

... and rest assured when I tell you that every last one of these thieves, rapists, & murderers sleep very well at night and have no problem looking themselves in the mirror when they wake up.

Alas Grid, you do paint a charming picture. I'm just not sure you're being serious and just not typing some loopy Off The Grid "let's throw this against the wall and see if it sticks" or "let's raise this up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes" dealio.

Grid, no whayyy you're that naive.

If you are, it's just a matter of time before some sociopath sees you as a juicy victim ripe for the picking. In all sincerity, it's concerning to me.

Did you just predict that some SocioPath would see me as a "juicy victim ripe for the picking"???

That is was "just a matter of time."???


Seriously.

Did you really just come out'f the blue and say that???

You've got a pretty twisted, demented mind, my friend.

And this sick, demented Fantasy of yours is based on...what?? My suggestion that Misery feeds on itself, and that people who do awful, evil things are generally miserable wretches who live in a downward spiral of self loathing??

What does that have to do with your sick, degenerate, murderous Fantasy???

I've got bad news for you, pal: Able-bodied, healthy-minded adult male Infantry Veterans such as myself are not the ones who SocioPaths tend to see as a "juicy victim ripe for the picking".

Sorry to destroy your sick, fervent Fantasy.

And I've got more bad news for you.

They're actually much more likely to target people who already live in their own darkness: People, for instance, who're so psychologically demented that they randomly write out their sick, degenerate murderous Fantasies.
 
pity an sad that Pats were unable to win a Super Bowl in 1976-1978 range

i would have loved it and probably it would have been VERY IMPORTANT for the franchise on that period

r.i.p. Chuck
 
Did you just predict that some SocioPath would see me as a "juicy victim ripe for the picking"???

That is was "just a matter of time."???


Seriously.

Did you really just come out'f the blue and say that???

You've got a pretty twisted, demented mind, my friend.

And this sick, demented Fantasy of yours is based on...what?? My suggestion that Misery feeds on itself, and that people who do awful, evil things are generally miserable wretches who live in a downward spiral of self loathing??

What does that have to do with your sick, degenerate, murderous Fantasy???

I've got bad news for you, pal: Able-bodied, healthy-minded adult male Infantry Veterans such as myself are not the ones who SocioPaths tend to see as a "juicy victim ripe for the picking".

Sorry to destroy your sick, fervent Fantasy.

And I've got more bad news for you.

They're actually much more likely to target people who already live in their own darkness: People, for instance, who're so psychologically demented that they randomly write out their sick, degenerate murderous Fantasies.

You fascinate me. The level of spin you use to discount opposing views is some of the most childish I've ever encountered online. I can't imagine what you're like in person. I wonder if your emotional blind spots are as glaring.
Again, I'm fascinated. I wish I could shoot a documentary on you. It'd probably be pretty close to Grizzly Man. I wonder if I could make any money by exploiting you and presenting you to the general public for their astonishment. heh heh heh.
I can see it all now... "Coming soon to a theater near you, Off The Grid, The Documentary". The tag line would be - "He makes Grizzly Man look downright normal by comparison!"
 
Loved those late 70's teams but they were nowhere near as good defensively or in the clutch as the Super Bowl winning teams, the QB wasnt nearly as good, or the special teams. They had lots of talent on offense but they were inconsistant. But when they put it together, like the Jet game in 1978, it was sweet
 
Do you ever remember reading about or hearing about that Exhibition Game ~ it might've been against the Colts ~ when the Patriots simply ran the ball something like 15 times in a row on a single Drive ~ culminating in a TouchDown ~ purportedly so that Coach FairBanks could impress upon his own team just how dominant our Offensive Line could be? I don't know how accurately I'm remembering that, but I would love to find that somewhere.

Rings a bell but I couldn't tell you which team... ? Any of you guys?

Hannah/Gray was something I never got tired of... it was just beautiful to be able to use that side however we wanted, whenever we wanted... Another RIP for Leon, a decade or so late.

leon_gray_1977_12_04.jpg
 
Rings a bell but I couldn't tell you which team... ? Any of you guys?

Hannah/Gray was something I never got tired of... it was just beautiful to be able to use that side however we wanted, whenever we wanted... Another RIP for Leon, a decade or so late.

leon_gray_1977_12_04.jpg

I thought it was in 1996 after the Broncos came in and humiliated the Patriots that Parcells had them run the ball against the Colts 15 straight plays to open the game
 
The Patriots missed the playoffs in 1977 because of some strange tiebreaker fluke which rewarded the Colts for purposely losing a home game in December against the awful Detroit Lions (which is why Patriot fans also hate referee Fred Silva and Colt QB Bert Jones, and why they added a second Wild Card in 1978). In 1978, the Patriots wound up winning their first outright division title in team history (they were a Wild Card in 1976), clinching at home on a late field goal by David Posey, filling in for the injured John Smith.
Can someone explain this?
 
Can someone explain this?

It was due to tiebreakers. As best I can recall, this is how it played out.

The Patriots thad iebreaker disadvantages against the Colts and Miami, except in the case of a three way tie involving NE, Baltimore and Miami, in which case the Patriots would have won the division. In week 13 (next to last game), the Patriots beat Miami. Had the Colts won, a NE win at Baltimore plus a Miami victory the next week would have clinched the division for the Patriots in a three way tie.

Baltimore had the lead late against a bad Detroit team. The Colts had a punt blocked in the end zone at the very end of the game (I believe it was the last play). The Lions recovered the ball and claimed the victory. The three way tie scenario was gone and the Patriots were eliminated from the playoffs.

Had the Colt punter simply stepped out of the end zone and taken a safety, Baltimore would have won the game. The game sparked a bit of an uproar because it certainly appeared that the Colts had thrown the game (and it was clearly to their advantage to do so).
 
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