In the most recent edition of The Notebook Nine, I ranked the greatest wins in Washington Redskins history. By necessity, those were playoff wins. But my memory banks are filled with so many other notable regular season wins that it seemed necessary to do a separate listing that would focus on those. Upon further review, […]
An era ended this week when the Washington professional football franchise decided to retire the “Redskins” nickname. Whether you find that decision lamentable and unnecessary, as I do, or enlightened and overdue as others may, we now have a clearly delineated era of Washington Redskins football to unpack. So today’s Notebook Nine will focus on […]
After a disappointing playoff miss in 1987, the New England Patriots were looking to get back on track. Under head coach Raymond Berry, the latter part of this decade had been what was—to that point—the most successful in franchise history. The Patriots reached their first Super Bowl in 1985 and won the AFC East in […]
The 1987 New England Patriots came into the season on what was, for the franchise in the era prior to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, a high point. They had reached the Super Bowl for the first time in 1985 and followed that up with an AFC East title in 1986. Head coach Raymond Berry […]
It isn’t often a season can be both successful and tumultuous all at once. The 1984 New England Patriots managed it. They went through internal turmoil and midstream changes at head coach and quarterback. But they also won more games than they lost, flirted with playoff contention in a tough AFC and set the stage […]
For over two decades the Raider organization had been synonymous with excellence. It was even the organization motto—whether the team was in Oakland or Los Angeles there was a “Commitment To Excellence.” And they backed it up on the field. For the 21-year period from 1965-85, the Raiders had twenty winning seasons, fifteen playoff trips, […]
The good people of New England have seen some great football for a long period of time. For a younger generation nationwide the Patriots have become the team that defines NFL life, whether you love them or hate. But a generation a little older recalls that it wasn’t always so. This franchise used to be […]
The city of Houston saw good football in the seven-year stretch from 1987-93. The Oilers made the playoffs each season. There were also some tough playoff losses, like the endings to 1989 and 1991. But the 1992 Houston Oilers edition took the cake, getting into the postseason with real prospects of reaching a Super Bowl…and […]
The Dan Reeves era of Denver Broncos history had been an unquestionable success. Reeves, backed by the powerful right arm of John Elway, had taken the team to the playoffs six times from 1983-91, including three trips to the Super Bowl. But tensions between the coach and quarterback were mounting and when a promising season […]
Marty Schottenheimer had turned the Kansas City Chiefs fortunes around with a winning season upon his arrival in 1989. Schottenheimer followed that up with playoff trips in 1990 and 1991. With expectations on the rise, the 1992 Kansas City Chiefs season ended up being a bit of a disappointment. But they still made the playoffs—and […]
The Chicago Bears were the gold standard of the NFC Central from 1984 thru 1991. In that eight-year stretch, the Bears made the playoffs seven times, won the division six times and were a memorable Super Bowl champion in 1985. With Mike Ditka at the helm, the franchise was colorful and successful. The 1992 Chicago […]
After a nice run of playoff teams from 1987 through 1989, the Vikings had slipped to .500 and then to 6-10 the past two seasons. Dennis Green, the head coach at Stanford, was hired to put the franchise back on track. He did exactly that. The 1992 Minnesota Vikings won a division title and set […]