jmt57
Moderator
Staff member
PatsFans.com Supporter
2024 Weekly Picks Winner
2025 Weekly Picks Winner
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2005
- Messages
- 23,811
- Reaction score
- 19,756
Today in Patriots History
1978: Pats first home playoff game
Chuck Fairbanks' final game in NE
Pats lose after tumultuous two weeks
1978: Pats first home playoff game
Chuck Fairbanks' final game in NE
Pats lose after tumultuous two weeks
Sunday, December 31, 1978 at 1:00
Divisional Round Game at Schaefer Stadium
Houston Oilers 31, New England Patriots 14
Head Coaches: Chuck Fairbanks, Bum Phillips
QBs: Steve Grogan/Tom Owen, Dan Pastorini
Odds: New England 6-point home favorites
TV: NBC; Charlie Jones, Len Dawson
Cloudy, cool, 39º, 7-10 mph wind from the SSE
Referee: Gordon McCarter; Time: 2:54
61,297 tickets distributed; 416 no-shows; 60,881 in-stadium
Patriots are one-and-done after going 11-5, AFC East champs
Wild Card Houston Oilers win again, advancing to AFCCG at Pittsburgh Steelers
The first home playoff game in franchise history should have been a joyful celebration. It was anything but that.
Two years earlier the Patriots broke through with a truly great team, going 11-3 - the best winning percentage of any Pats team in the first 44 years of the franchise's existence - only to be robbed of what would have been New England's first Lombardi Trophy in the Ben Dreith Game. 1977 got flushed down the toilet because the Sullivans refused to pay All Pro LT Leon Gray and LG John Hannah the market price for players of their caliber, and by the time their holdouts were resolved too many games had been lost.
The 1978 New England Patriots entered the season with a dark cloud hanging over them. WR Darryl Stingley suffered a horrific injury in the preseason, a broken neck that left him paralyzed for life. After a 1-2 start the Pats traveled to Oakland to face Jack Tatum and those same Raiders that had benefited from Ben Dreith's cowardice two years earlier. The Patriots emerged victorious and went on a seven game winning streak. The highlight was a 55-21 drubbing of the New York Jets where the team rolled for 529 yards of offense on a day that Steve Grogan threw for 281 yards and four touchdown passes, with a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
In week 15 the Patriots came from behind to defeat Buffalo in the last minute. Despite a couple late season losses, with that victory the Pats not only clinched the AFC East title, but also the #2 seed - and with it, the first home playoff game in franchise history.
There were lingering issues though. The Sullivans attempted to cancel Stingley's insurance in order to save some money, infuriating players. Head coach Chuck Fairbanks had witnessed enough of the Sullivan's frugal ways. It turned out that Fairbanks was being courted by the University of Colorado, and he was anxious to bid farewell to the Sullivans and return to college football. Over anxious boosters let it be known that Fairbanks would become the Buffaloes new head coach, hoping to entice high school recruits to Boulder. And before the week 16 game at Miami, all hell broke loose.
New England Coach Sought Release—Club Loses, 23‐3
BOSTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) — Chuck Fairbanks, the former Oklahoma coach who took the New England Patriots from also‐rans to Super Bowl contenders, was suspended today ‘for acccepting a job as head coach at the University of Colorado.
Charles Sullivan, the Patriot vice president, said Fairbanks had asked permission — and had been turned down by club officials — to get out of his contract, which still has four years remaining. He also said that Fairbanks had been suspended pending a resolution of the situation.
Fairbanks was not on the sidelines tonight for the Patriots' 23‐3 loss to the Dolphins in Miami. but he was in the locker room before the game shaking hands with the players. During the second quarter, he left the locker room and went to another room in the Orange Bowl. He had no comment.
After a 5‐9 record his first year, Fairbanks compiled a 46‐39 career mark with the Patriots, including an 11‐4 record this year. The Patriots are among the favorites to be in the Super Bowl next month after winning the American Conference Eastern Division title.
“What happened was, Coach Fairbanks advised the Patriots he would like a release from his contract to accept a job as head coach at the University of Colorado,” Sullivan said. “We indicated to him we would not release him from his contract.”
“What that leaves the situation in,” Sullivan went on, “is that he has indicated he has accepted the job in Colorado, and he has been suspended from the position as head coach until such time as this matter is resolved.”
Billy Sullivan, the Patriot owner, said he had rejected separate requests from a delegation of 12 players and from Fairbanks that the coach stay through the season finale and the playoffs.
“He told me he would like to continue for the remaining games,” said Billy Sullivan. “I told him that while I had a great deal of respect for him, in Biblical times, it was said that no man can serve two masters.
“As good as you are, no man can run a recruiting program and coach a team for the Super Bowl. I suggested he not be with the team for the rest of the season.”
Ron Erhardt, the offensive coordinator. and Hank Bullough, the defensive coordinator, were co‐head coaches for the Patriots against Miami.
“If he reconsiders his decision to go to Colorado,” Charles Sullivan said, “we would welcome him back.”
The school's coaching package was reported to include a large piece of a multimillion dollar golf resort development being constructed near Denver. The golf deal could make Fairbanks a millionaire. A television deal could add $15,000 to a $35,000 annual Colorado football contract. Fairbanks's contract with the Patriots was believed worth $150,000 a year.
In Boulder, Eddie Crowder, the director of athletics at the University of Colorado, said he had discussed the matter of a coaching job with Fairbanks but had not signed him to a contract yet. “We will meet tomorrow again to discuss it further,” Crowder said. “I would be very happy if Chuck came here as our coach. There is nothing set yet.”
Hannah and Gray led the way for a balanced running game that used three different backs - Horace Ivory, Andy Johnson and Sam Cunningham - to consistently pound opponents. The passing game was no less balanced, with receivers Harold Jackson and Stanley Morgan sharing the load with Pro Bowl tight end Russ Francis.
New England had a young quarterback: 25-year-old Steve Grogan. The biggest problem was inconsistency and mistakes - Grogan finished the year with a TD/INT ratio of 15/23. But he also threw for over 2,800 yards, which was pretty good in this era. The offense finished fourth in the NFL in points scored.
For the final game in Miami, Sullivan's brainstorm was to have the offensive coordinator be the head coach when the Pats had the ball, and the defensive coordinator be the head coach when Miami had the ball. Replacing your head coach a couple hours before kickoff and having that idea as your Plan B went about as well as one would expect. Nothing against Hank Bullough and Ron Erhardt, but that concept was just plain stupid. The game should have been a big celebration over the Pats setting an NFL single-season record with 3,165 yards rushing - an accomplishment that stood for 41 years - but instead that was never a consideration. More problematic was Steve Grogan suffering a sprained knee against the Dolphins.
The Patriots had a bye week to get their **** together, and during that time the Sullivans relented - perhaps after witnessing the team's ineptitude in the 23-3 loss to Miami with the two co-coach system - and agreed to let Fairbanks back for the remainder of the playoffs. However, it was all way too much of a distraction. On New Years Eve the sky was gray and angry, reflecting the mood inside Schaefer Stadium. Houston scored early in the second quarter on a 71-yard pass play from Dan Pastorini (12-15, 200 yards, 3 TD, 1 Int), after Mike Haynes fell to leave a wide open receiver.
After that Grogan - who called his own plays - seemed to panic, throwing the ball rather than relying on the ground game. Despite a good kickoff return by Raymond Clayborn to the Houston 43, Grogan decided to go for it all rather than count on the line to work down the field, and he was picked off at the goal line. A late hit on a 3rd-and-8 on Tim Fox erased a Houston three-and-out, and the Oilers ended up driving 99 yards to take a 14-0 lead.
The Patriots were able to respond and drive the length of the field after the ensuing kickoff, but at the 2:00 warning on a 3rd-and-15, Grogan's pass for Stanley Morgan was picked off at the seven yard line. A 27-yard return coupled with an unnecessary roughness penalty on Shelby Jordan gave the Oilers the ball at midfield. Pastorini worked on safety Doug Beaudoin, and completed a 7-play, 51-yard drive in just 1:23, giving Houston 21-0 lead.
After watching Grogan go 3-12 for 38 yards and two picks, Fairbanks pulled the plug, inserting Tom Owen to replace Grogan. Even with two weeks rest, the sprained knee was an issue. He was unable to put full pressure on the knee in his passes, disrupting the proper torque. In addition he was not much of a threat to run, which was a major part of the Pats offense - and Houston knew it. Grogan had rushed for 539 yards in 1978, but ran with the ball only once against the Oilers.
At that point the crowd knew the game and the season was over. In the final minutes the stadium mockingly serenaded 'Good-bye Chuckie, good-bye Chuckie, good-bye Chuckie, we hate to see you go', with several choice words and phrases filling in between the choruses.
I don't believe I have ever been to a sporting event with such a sour, angry mood as this game. The ominous skies were a perfect metaphor. There was a powerful, negative vibe the entire time, from start to finish. After an inspiring record-setting season that saw them exceed expectations, the Patriots had managed to end the year with a series of self-inflicted wounds. The 31-14 finish was a disheartening end to a once-promising season that ran the gamut from tragic to uplifting to simply aggravating.
5:14 Highlight Video
12/31/1978 Houston Oilers at New England Patriots highlights, NFL Week 18 playoffs, divisional round
12/31/1978 Houston Oilers at New England Patriots highlights, NFL Week 18 playoffs, divisional round
Box Score, Halftime & Full Game Summaries, Team & Individual Stats, Drive Charts and Full Play-by-Play:
Divisional Round - Houston Oilers at New England Patriots - December 31st, 1978 | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Houston Oilers 31 at New England Patriots 14 on December 31st, 1978 - Full team and player stats and box score
www.pro-football-reference.com
December 31, 1978 - AFC Divisional Playoff - Houston Oilers at New England Patriots Box Score and Game Statistics
The most complete, accurate and reliable reference source for December 31, 1978 - AFC Divisional Playoff - Houston Oilers at New England Patriots boxscore and game statistics.
www.profootballarchives.com
Patriots Starting Offense:
86 WR Stanley Morgan
70 LT Leon Gray
73 LG John Hannah
67 C Bill Lenkaitis
61 RG Sam Adams
74 RT Shelby Jordan
81 TE Russ Francis
29 WR Harold Jackson
14 QB Steve Grogan
32 HB Andy Johnson
39 FB Sam Cunningham
Patriots Starting Defense:
72 LDE Mel Lunsford
71 NT Ray Hamilton
64 RDE Richard Bishop
54 LOLB Steve Zabel
57 LILB Steve Nelson
50 RILB Sam Hunt
56 ROLB Rod Shoate
26 LCB Raymond Clayborn
27 SS Doug Beaudoin
48 FS Tim Fox
40 RCB Mike Haynes
Patriots Special Teams:
9 K David Posey
4 P Jerrel Wilson
26 KR Raymond Clayborn
37 KR James McAlister
86 PR Stanley Morgan
40 PR Mike Haynes
