Who Remembers the '86 Playoff Loss at Denver?

[Patjew]

I remember that entire season vividly. I was 13 and it was when I first became a rabid fan. Remember the hail mary winner against the Rams that year? I think they won 7 in a row before the Bengals stopped them. Tony Franklin and Stanley Morgan had amazing years, and Tippet was Lawrence Taylor Jr. That team looked like it was on the Super Bowl express until injuries mounted. Tippet and Lippet went down, which was huge. Plus they couldn't run to save their lives. No one averaged 3 yards/carry.

Right before the safety that sealed the deal in the playoffs, Fryar tried to run the KO out of the end zone and was stopped at the 10. That was the end of the beginning of the end.

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

I think it's disgraceful the way Tony Eason has been treated over the years by Patriots fans and the media.

I seem to remember he started 0-6 in Superbowl XX before being replaced by Grogan, but one of those incompletions was a dead certain touchdown which was dropped IIRC by Stanley Morgan. That touchdown would have given the Pats a 10-0 lead and possibly transformed the game.

Instead it seems his legacy has been sealed by a dropped ball and an O-line that made him a lamb to the slaughter that day.

Mike Singletary dropped into a deep zone and might have got a hand on the ball to Morgan. If he didn't actually touch the ball, he distracted Morgan enough by flashing in front of the ball, causing Morgan to lose sight of it briefly. I'd give Singletary credit rather than blame Morgan. Also, the score would have been 7-0, not 10-0, since the Pats scored the FG two plays after that.

I seriously doubt if Morgan scored that the game would have been changed. On the first offensive play, the Pats ran play-action effectively, but that's when Dawson blew out his knee. On the 2nd play, they also ran play-action effectively, but that was the Singletary/Morgan play. For those first two plays, the Bears bit on play-action because the Pats had run the ball so well in their earlier playoff run. However, now the gig was up as the Bears realized the Pats would be passing all game (a wise decision...the only thing the Pats did right gameplanning-wise heading into the game). On the 3rd down and every down thereafter, the Bears brought the house and Eason/Grogan had no time to throw. Instead of a 46-10 final, we would have been looking at a 46-14 final if Morgan caught that TD.

Regards,
Chris

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

A recap of the 22-17 playoff loss to the Broncos in January of 1987 can be found at:

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=4795

I'd cut/paste the article, but I don't know if that would fly with Ian.

Edit: With gamebook (!), too:

http://www.denverbroncos.com/resources/custom/PDF/flashback_ne_01041987.pdf

Regards,
Chris

 

[marty]

Yes! That was the one and only time I ever made a bet on Football! I had to clean dishes for a week!!!

 

[italian pat patriot]

I'd like to create a thread for all of us who suffered through the heartbreaking loss at Denver in the '86 Divisional Playoffs. It'd be great if everyone would post their two cents.

Here's my story.

I became a Pats fan during the miraculous '85 playoff run. I was nine years old. I've always had a thing for the underdogs and there was no greater underdog than the '85 team. Plus I really like the red, white, & blue color scheme and, of course, the Pat Patriot helmets (although I now like the Flying Elvis better).

Anyhow, although I became a Patriots fan in the '85 postseason, it wasn't until '86 that I became a true "DIE-HARD" fan. That's the year the emotional attachment was permanently forged.

We went 11-5 in '86 and won the AFC East for the 2nd time in our franchises history. It was also the first time we'd ever qualified for the playoffs two years in a row.

We were a very good road team that year. Our only loss on the road came in Denver in a game we blew a huge halftime lead (20-3 or 20-0). It was one of many losses we experienced at the hands of John Elway.

Entering the playoffs, I really believed we had a chance to make it back to the Super Bowl. Eason had enjoyed a good season and Grogan filled in very well when forced to do so. The running game was terrible (dead last in the league) but the defense was very good.

The playoff game against Denver was one of those games that went back and forth. The Broncos scored the games first 10 pts but the Pats came back to tie the game in the second quarter. After a Denver FG, Eason hit Stanley "The Steamer" Morgan for a long bomb to give the Pats their first lead of the game, 17-13. I remember going crazy and running all through the house when that happened.

Later on in the 3rd, the Pats jumped offsides and stopped playing. Elway took advantage and threw a deep bomb to put the Broncos up 20-17.

The 4th quarter was a defensive struggle. With about 5 minutes left in the game, the Pats faced a 4th and 1 from their own 40 yard line but Coach Berry decided to punt instead of going for it. I remember cursing that decision when it happened. I don't even think it was a full yard. In fact, as the years have gone by, the distance to that would be first down has shrunk to half a finger nail. That 4th down play has stuck with me for a long, long time. What if, what if, what if....

Anyhow Denver managed a few first downs and by the time we got the ball back again, we were pinned against our own 2 yard line with about a minute or two remaining in the game. Eason was sacked for a safety and the great season of 1986 was over.

It was the very first time in my life where my heart was absolutely broken. After the game my brother (a Steelers fan) rubbed it in pretty hard. I remember retreating to my room and actually crying. I wasn't the crying type either.

A few years later ('88) we had another chance to make the playoffs. We were in control of our own destiny. All we had to do was win and we'd get in. Unfortunately, our nemesis, John Elway, stood in our way. We never did manage to beat that guy (0-11 vs Elway). Who knew that '88 would be our last competitive season for what seemed like an eternity.

But times have changed. Today, our Patriots have become the greatest football team in all the land. The story dominating the NFL landscape revolves around the Patriots and their quest to do what no other football team before them has ever done. Win three straight Super Bowls and four in five years. It's not enough for us to become a dynasty. Our quest is to become the greatest dynasty of them all.

On Saturday Night, we'll walk into Denver with a chance to avenge all the heartache those Broncos have caused us over the years. All I ask from this Patriots team is everything they've got. This is a real good Denver team. I don't know if we're good enough to beat them in their building but I believe that we can. I believe in this team. I believe in these players and these coaches. I believe in the story of the greatest dynasty of them all.

I say we show this team our support and see them off when they leave for Denver on Thursday or Friday. We MUST beat the Broncos!!!!

AAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

That's my story.


Tell me yours.

Thks Pyper for the emotions you brought.
I also have always 'suffered' the Broncos and i always remember Elway beating us.
I really hope in a big W saturday (for me it will be sunday early morning but i will be in front of the tv surely).

ps = i liked Tony Eason and i have anyway good memory for him.

 

[Fanfrom1960]

Yes! That was the one and only time I ever made a bet on Football! I had to clean dishes for a week!!!

For a week! That's pretty severe. I remember after the game one of my sons buddies calling and asking him if he'd accept a collect call from John Elway. Well, not exactly!

 

[fgssand]

It's kind of sad actually. Eason has been treated horribly by Patriots Nation. I think he showed up for the 10 year reunion (1995) and was booed pretty heavily. That's one thing I've never liked about Boston fans. Way to cynical and negative. I understand that Eason was a bit of a disappointment. He had all the talent in the world but he apparently was too fragile for the NFL game.

Still, 10-20 years later, its sad that people can't respect the fact that he did the best he could. It's not like he was an a-hole like Terry Glenn or Terrell Owens. He was just a guy that didn't live up to expectations.

Anyhow, I doubt we'll ever see him in Foxboro again. Being that I became a "Die-Hard" fan in '86, Eason was actually one of my favorite players. But I'm pretty much alone in that sentiment.

You are right - Eason was given way more crapola by the Boston fans and media than he deserved. He was never quite the same after that brutal hit that seperated his shoulder.
He D-I-D lead us to our first Superbowl and deserved better than the booing he got. I think people might have been kinder to him this time around - we certainly should have been.

Amazing how all old sins and troubles have gone away with three Lombardies, I am at peace with the football world these days although we NEED to see Superbowl #4 so we can go down in history as the greatest dynasty of them all.

Just reading and remembering everything Denver has done to us - we OWE them a loss in their own stadium and this is the year we exorcise those old Bronco playoff demons.

 

[p8ryts]

Stanley Morgan did not drop Eason's pass

It was tipped by Mike Singletary changing the trajectory

 

[ilduce06410]

tony gets a raw deal

I think it's disgraceful the way Tony Eason has been treated over the years by Patriots fans and the media.

I seem to remember he started 0-6 in Superbowl XX before being replaced by Grogan, but one of those incompletions was a dead certain touchdown which was dropped IIRC by Stanley Morgan. That touchdown would have given the Pats a 10-0 lead and possibly transformed the game.

Instead it seems his legacy has been sealed by a dropped ball and an O-line that made him a lamb to the slaughter that day.

can't find hide nor hair of tony eason. there is a tony eson who's a San Francisco yoga instructor and is active in the AIDS fundraising community. the pics are not clear but it looks like it's not him.
there is no good reason for champaign tony to be booed in new england. the only other players i would think of would be terry glenn and irving fryar. of course the sullivans, any one of them.
maybe that's a problem that needs to be worked. of course i can't imagine why tony would come back, again, for another round of booing.