Revisiting The 1975 NFL MVP Ballot
Fran Tarkenton had the best regular season of his Hall of Fame career in 1975, when he won the MVP award. Did he deserve it? Who were the other contenders that year? Let’s break down the top finishers on the 1975 NFL MVP ballot:
THE TOP THREE
1)Fran Tarkenton (QB, Minnesota)
Completion Percentage: 64% (1st)
Yards-Per-Attempt: 7.0 (11th)
Interception Percentage: 3.1% (3rd)
Total Passing Yards: 2,994 (2nd)
Touchdown Passes: 25 (T-1st)
Tarkenton’s Vikings went 12-2 and were the top seed in the NFC playoffs in ’75. They lost a controversial heartbreaker to the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round, but, of course, postseason results have no bearing on the MVP voting.
2)O.J. Simpson (RB, Buffalo)
Rush Yards: (1st)
Yards-Per-Attempt: 5.5 (1st)
Total Yards: 1,817 (1st)
Touchdowns: 16 (1st)
The Juice had a strong year following up on his winning this award in 1974. Buffalo stayed in contention all year at a time when only four teams per conference made the playoffs. But with a final record of 8-6, they fell short of the postseason. Suffice it to say, O.J. is known today more for the controversy and tragedy that took place two decades later. But our focus here is football in 1975.
3)Terry Metcalf (RB, St. Louis)
Rush Yards: 816
Receiving Totals: 43 catches/378 yards
Special Teams: 12.4 punt return average, 27.4 kickoff return average
Metcalf’s type of player is more common today than it was in 1975, as he was utilized in a variety of roles under the creative scheme of head coach Don Coryell. He was also an electric return man. St. Louis went 11-3 and won a tough NFC East, outlasting Dallas and the Washington Redskins.
OTHER CONTENDERS
We’re going to focus on the top three finishers as a cutoff point, but here are some other notable contenders:
Chuck Foreman (RB, Minnesota): Foreman ran for 1,070 yards (5th in the league) and his 73 receptions led the league. The downside? He only averaged 3.8 yards-per-carry.
Ken Anderson (QB, Cincinnati): Anderson’s 3,169 passing yards and 8.4 yards-per-attempt both led the league. His 61% completion rate and 29% interception rate were each second. Anderson threw 21 touchdown passes, ranking fourth. His team went 11-3 and made the playoffs. The only knock is that he missed one game due to injury and it was a big one, against a fellow contender in the Houston Oilers.
Lydell Mitchell (RB, Baltimore): The Colts had a turnaround season, rising from the ashes to win the AFC East. While quarterback Bert Jones was an emerging star, Mitchell was the key focal point of the offense in 1975. He ran for almost 1,200 yards and caught 60 passes. Moreover, his 9.1 yards-per-catch is a healthy number for a running back.
Franco Harris (RB, Pittsburgh): Franco muscled up for 1,246 yards and averaged a strong 4.8 yards a pop on a Steeler team that was the NFL’s best during the regular season and validated that by winning a repeat Super Bowl title.
REVISING THE BALLOT
This ballot and the stats tell you a lot about the era. It was a running back heavy era, as further evidenced by the fact Foreman finished fourth. Defenses were given much more leeway in pass defense, explaining the lower numbers for quarterbacks. On a related noted, offensive gameplans used fewer attempts to go down the field deeper and take more risks. That’s reflected in the interception rates.
Given these contenders, who are your top 3? I think the voters got the top two spots right, both the players and the sequence. The third spot is where I have more of an issue. While Metcalf was an exceptional talent, he was far from alone on the St. Louis offense. In fact, his teammate, Jim Otis, was a 1,000-yard rusher. Metcalf was certainly a difference-maker, but I’m hard-pressed to say he was better than the other candidates on this list.
At first glance, I was inclined to say Anderson should not only have made the top-3, but he should have won the award. Those numbers are dazzling and Cincinnati’s offense, with Bill Walsh on staff, was the key reason for their success. But in a close race, every little thing matters. Missing that game against the Oilers stands out. So does the fact that Cincinnati was still able to win without him.
So, I can’t put Anderson ahead of Tarkenton or O.J., but I think he does go ahead of Metcalf, and I’d also have him ahead of Mitchell and Franco. Here’s my revised final top 3 for the 1975 NFL MVP award:
1)Fran Tarkenton
2)O.J. Simpson
3)Ken Anderson