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I Remember You
by Chris Brophy
29/8/2007
Many NFL fans like myself started watching football back in the mid 80s. Though I was first aware of the game in 1984, it was around 1986 when I first started to really take serious notice of the NFL’s teams and players. Back then, the NFL was a calmer place, less player movement (no free agency), less yearly change the teams at the top seemed to stay there longer and as Graham Taylor might say, you didn’t see so many ‘Yo-Yo’ teams.
Even now, as I get ready to watch this season and recall recent seasons, I still find myself thinking about teams based on how I first remember them. I find it hard to think of the Niners as an also-ran but at the same time, the Lions and the Cardinals have managed to uphold losing traditions that have gone on since my early exposure to NFL football.
So, what is my first recollection of each team?
Arizona Cardinals: The St Louis Cardinals, no, they are the Phoenix Cardinals, no, they are the Arizona Cardinals. You can change the name but the results stay the same. The whipping boy of the NFC East, changing divisions hasn’t helped either. Neil Lomax, Roy ‘Jet Stream’ Green and JT Smith were a good air attack though, used often as they were nearly always chasing the game.
Atlanta Falcons: They played in red, they played badly in red. There best player was a guard (Bill Fralic). Even though they’ve played in black since Jerry Glanville changed the colours back in the early 90s, I still see red and I still hear Mick Luckhurst harping on about them!
Baltimore Ravens: Who?
Buffalo Bills: A sorry team but the start of the turnaround was near. The building blocks were in place (Kelly, Reed, Thomas would come in ’88) but did I see four straight Super Bowl losses coming? No, I still think the 88 team beaten in the AFC Championship by the Bengals might have been the best of the bunch.
Carolina Panthers: See Baltimore Ravens.
Chicago Bears: Mean defense, coaching rants and outbursts and the Will Jim McMahon play this week? question were the order of the day. Dikta the analyst isn’t half the fun that Dikta the ranting Head Coach was. I’ll always be grateful I got to see Walter Payton play.
Cincinnati Bengals: If you started watching football in the mid 90s, you recall the Bungles. I recall the days of the Jungle, the Ickey Shuffle and a heart breaking loss to the Niners in Super Bowl XXIII.
Cleveland Browns: Bernie Kosar’s strange throwing action, a beefy running attack of Mack and Byner, the Dawg Pound forcing officials to change ends in games and never being able to beat the Broncos in the play-offs that was the Browns of the 80s. They’d kill to lose to the Broncos in the play-offs nowadays!
Dallas Cowboys: Just coming to the end of the Tom Landry era as many of the old timers were hanging on by a thread. The treatment Landry received when Jones bought the team caused outrage but funny how winning makes the memory fade. Herschel Walker was the one star in his prime they had and he’d help them win three Super Bowls, indirectly.
Denver Broncos: The nearly team of the 80s, deemed a one man team by many was understandable as Elway dominated their image but Karl Mecklenberg and Simon Fletcher leading the ‘Orange Crush’ is just as memorable to me. I still like those old bright orange uniforms too. Rich Karlis and his bare foot kicking still makes me cringe!
Detroit Lions: The Lions don’t like change. They were rubbish in the 80s and they have stunk out the joint recently. The start of the Barry Sanders era was something great to see though.
Green Bay Packers: The most championships in football history yet the Pack of the mid 80’s plain stunk. Randy Wright might have been one of the worst QBs I’ve ever seen. Funny that however bad they were, they still seemed to be able to always beat the much more competitive Vikings.
Houston Texans: Should be getting a ‘Who?’ but was an NFL city back then with the Oilers and the ‘House Of Pain’. Had a very talented roster but seemed to underachieve. If you recall the Falcons of the 90’s, they were what the Oilers were in the 80’s. I still remember how Warren Moon coming to town after his time in Canada caused a stir too.
Indianapolis Colts: As I said at the start, the mid 80s was more my time but I do recall watching Channel 4 when they showed the trucks loading up and moving the team from Baltimore. Getting Eric Dickerson made them competitive for a burst but Quarterback was a position of constant flux that Colts fans don’t have to endure nowadays.
Jacksonville Jaguars: See Ravens and Panthers.
Kansas City Chiefs: Always competitive it seems over recent times but the 87 and 88 Chiefs I recall as bad teams with a mess at QB. Still, the emergence of Christian Okoye was fun to watch and the instant impact of the late Derrick Thomas was bringing early comparisons to a certain LT (no, not the Chargers running back!).
Miami Dolphins: Air Marino! I hated his cheesy presentation skills on Channel 4 though. The Mark’s Brothers, no running game and a bad defence are a total 180 on what the Phins are today though.
Minnesota Vikings: An NFC team that were always there or thereabouts. Some might consider a nearly team, especially after the Herschel Walker trade but I tend to remember the great Anthony Carter at wide Receiver (and punt returner) as well as defense that was very good. Keith Millard, Chris Doleman and Joey Browner could lay the wood.
New England Patriots: I wanted the Pats to stick it to the over confident Bears in 1986. I never thought they could though! Steve Grogan just never seemed to go away however much they tried. Andre Tippett was fun to watch though. Would any Pats fans like to see the return of the old uniforms though? I doubt it considering those old ones are forever associated with being clobbered by the Bears.
New Orleans Saints: I’m sure most NFL fans are aware the Saints have a pretty poor history but they were pretty good in the mid to late 80’s with a combination of Dalton Hillard and Rueben Mayes at Running Back and the Dome Patrol defense. Eric Martin was an underrated receiver too.
New York Giants: Always competitive, LT would regularly be seen killing QB’s and Carl Banks wasn’t half bad either although the infamous Randall Cunningham play might be what he’s best remembered for. Who would have thought years later Parcells would be coaching one of their division rivals?
New York Jets: The New York Sack Exchange and an offense stacked with talent in Wesley Walker, Al Toon, Freeman McNeil and Mickey Shuler meant they were always fun to watch, especially when playing the Dolphins in 100 point shootouts.
Oakland Raiders: the Los Angeles Raiders! And back then, rumours had them as being possibly the Sacramento or Irwindale Raiders! Marcus Allen being pushed aside for Bo Jackson and Vince Evans always seeming to end up playing at some point are recalls of the offense. Defense was the domain of bad actor Howie Long.
Philadelphia Eagles: The start of the Buddy Ryan era and a certain Randal Cunningham spring to mind. Strange how he compares so closely to Mike Vick at the time, then again, he hasn’t been nicked for dog fighting so maybe that’s not so true. The dominating defense came together quickly under Ryan but they would always implode at the wrong time.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The late 80s were a struggle for the Steelers and the end was nigh for the legendary Chuck Noll. Bubby Brister was a tryer and they had a star in the young Rod Woodson but it would take Noll going for the winning ways to return. The win over Houston in the 89 wild card game seems to stick with me though.
St Louis Rams: The Los Angeles Rams to me! Back in the day LA had two teams, now they can’t have one despite the TV market size. A good team to watch with Chris Evert – er, Jim Everett – throwing to Henry Ellard and Flipper Anderson but they were always a step behind the 49ers in the division.
San Diego Chargers: Al Saunders was coaching the Chargers back then and back then, the Chargers were pretty much average. The Air Coryell era was coming to an end and they weren’t having much luck getting over it. Anthony Miller at Wide Receiver was a rising star though.
San Francisco 49ers: Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, an underrated defense led by Ronnie Lott. Irritatingly good! Whenever it mattered, they were clutch. The Patriots now remind me an awful lot of the Niners then.
Seattle Seahawks: The Kingdome was a tough place to play and ‘The Boz’ was the LaVar Arrington of his time, craving media attention. Steve Largent was a class act and Chuck Knox is a Head Coach who had close to 200 career wins who no one now remembers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Officially playing in orange but more like a salmon pink, they played as bad as their colour choice suggests. Buccaneer Bruce winking at opponents probably led to a uniform change later on in life after Bucs’ coaches became convinced he was telling opponents the play! Vinny Testaverde setting an NFL record for interceptions was a 80s lowlight.
Tennessee Titans: What the Houston Oilers became but to me, it’s almost like a new franchise as they have nothing in common with the old Oilers.
Washington Redskins: Ah, My team! Always competitive and for those who see the Skins as a team that always trades their draft away, it was just like that in the 80s. The second quarter of Super Bowl XXII is the highlight of my football following life.
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