The 1977 Cowboys had Roger Staubach throwing to Drew Pearson, Tony Hill, Golden Richards, Butch Johnson, Billy Joe Dupree and Preston Pearson as well as Tony Dorsett. Astounding selection.
Yes my discredit to that squad is that Golden Richards was the 2nd leading WR, but he only had 17 receptions which is far to low for me to grant consideration. Thanks for bringing them up though.
@@markgardner9460 Yes, they were a back heavy team too. Preston Pearson was catching alot for a back. No criticism of the video intended. Absolutely superb discussion.
I consider Preston Pearson to be right up there with Foreman and Mitchell as the best catching RB's of all-time. Pearson had the most diffucult, acrobatic catches of any RB, in my opinion.
1975 Chuck Foreman touched the ball 353 times for 1761 yards and 22 TD's. Bill Walsh, when constructing his offense in SF, would note how the Vikings used Foreman as a model for what hie did with the 49ers. Foreman was the Vikings Offense in those days. If it wasn't for Tarkenton having the best year of his life, Chuck would have gotten a big consideration for MVP in '75. And to beat a dead horse. How is Foreman not in Canton? Especially when we compare his career to the likes of Gale Sayers(who is in the HOF). Both had very similar tenures. Both also had their career shot to hell due to bad knee injuries. I call Chuck Foreman, the Human Swiss Army Knife. Meaning he was brilliant in different roles on offense. One of the most exciting and versatile talents the game ever saw. So let's give #44 his due. Put him in Canton where he belongs.
ABSOLUTELY !!! #44 should be retired by the Vikings also !!! Foreman spinning cutting was spectacular ---workhorse numbers .... Canton for sure .... 🌟 #44 🌟
This was a fun video. I'm a little surprised that Randy Grossman, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, Rocky Bleier, Franco Harris, et al, were left on the editing room floor. 🏈😎👍🏼
The Steelers didn't throw often to their running backs and tight ends, so from a balance perspective, which is what I primarily based my selection upon, they didn't merit enough consideration. Great players though!
The 1971 Dallas Cowboys had three Hall of Famers at WR and TE. Bob Hayes, Lance Alworth, Mike Ditka. All Hall of Famers. Dallas ranked 2nd in receiving yards in the NFL that year. Hayes was 7th in the league in yards and led the league with a 24.0 yards per reception and had 11 TD's. , Alworth ranked 34th; 25th in yards per game for WR's that season(which would place him near the top in the 2nd WR category and he did it in only 11 starts). Ditka was a medium tight end receiving wise . He ranked 13th among TE's that year in yards receiving- but he only played half of the offensive downs as he was a messenger for Landry. All pretty amazing stats considering that Dallas liked to spread the ball around in the air - 8 players had over 100 receiving yards and 12 players had at least one catch. Even more amazing considering that Dallas' main weapon was their running game- which was #1 in the NFL that season; with Duane Thomas, Calvin Hill and Walt Garrison and a scrambling Staubach. IMO- this was the best team of the 1970's. 20 out of 22 starters were all-pros or pro bowlers. Every single player on that team would start at least one game in his career. That's a deep bench. Once Staubach took over as QB in week 8, the season was a laugher- Dallas rolled through everybody. The closest we can come to a comparison of this team to the mighty Steelers 70's teams was a regular season game played in 1972. Dallas won pretty convincingly, although the game was sloppy due to great pass defenses on both sides and a host of penalty's and turnovers. They did it without Duane Thomas, Roger Staubach and Lance Alworth. The Steelers didn't have Swann or Stallworth or Lambert; and Franco got knocked out of the game. Plus the Steelers, although a great team , were still pretty green in 1972 (especially Bradshaw), while Dallas was getting pretty old (10 starters over 30 yo). That said, I 'll still take this team over the best Steelers team- Dallas' '71 defense was just stunning. Great talent and they knew the system. Adderley and Renfro and Green and Harris in the secondary? Get out of here. They just annihilated Miami in the Super Bowl.
Excellent stuff! For purposes of my video, the Running Backs need to be included for consideration. While Walt Garrison's 40 receptions are very solid (22nd in the NFL), a weak link was Calvin Hill's 19 catches. Another weak link was that Ditka and Alworth only combined for 3 receiving touchdowns. Also, Bob Hayes was the Cowboys second leading receiver, yet he only ranked 37th best in the NFL. While I agree that the '71 Cowboys were one of the greatest teams of all-time, I can not seriously consider them as being the best receiving team of the 1970's. Thank you for providing awesome info!
@@markgardner9460 Yeah, I'm not going to pretend these guys were the best receiving corps of the '70's. But it was cool that all three were HoFers. And considering that this was really just a bruiser running team- it was pretty remarkable. That said, both Hill and Garrison were exceptional out of the backfield. As to their running- check out what happened when Dallas used Duane Thomas at fullback and Calvin Hill at tailback v the Jets and Giants- it was a slaughter . Murder is illegal.
They were great together. My criteria included Running Backs into the mix. I noted that I excluded them from the top spot due to inferior pass receiving production than the '76 Colts and '75 Vikings.
"I am"convinced"..."SportsStatsNGab"..we need to get "you"in the "broadcast" booth".."your " attention "to "detail" and " narration"....and the "extra" pull" up" information"is"superb"!!!
No doubt. What more do the voters want? 5X Pro Bowl, 3X All-Pro, 3rd & 4th place MVP finishes, Rookie of the Year, (3) 1,000 yard rushing seasons when that was a BIG thing to accomplish in the '70's, 76 total touchdowns, 2X NFL touchdown leader and he finished 2nd with 22 in '75. Running Backs didn't last forever back then cuz they didn't have modern medicine on their side to treat knee injuries like they do now.
I hear ya, Steven. Back then it was very rare for a RB to put up even 5 outstanding years due to how difficult it was to stay healthy, but Foreman had those 5 type of years, along with another OK one.
The guy had all the tools and put up everything that you'd want in terms of accolades and accomplishments other than a Super Bowl win (which they could have won in Jan of '82 if Charles Alexander would have ran his pass pattern into the end zone instead of stopping one yard short and allowing Danny Bunz to stop him from scoring)
If I'm seeing it correctly,the crazy pass from Tarkenton to Marinaro against the Lions despite great effort by both players wound up being a loss of 4 yards!
I think it may have been a gain of one yard, but that's just from memory. I could definitely be wrong. Regardless, that was a LOT of movin' and groovin' by both players for not much, if any, yardage. I'm glad that you brought that play up.
Hey big guy. The Eagles "Fire High" gang of 1973 ( Roman Gabriel, Charle Young and Harold Carmichael) may be contenders for honorable mention on this list. It is April 22, 2024 and I just read that Roman Gabriel passed away a couple of days ago of natural causes. Have you ever thought of doing career videos on some of the players of that era, especially in memoriam?
Yes, I definitely could have/should have listed the '73 Eagles because Tom "Silky" Sullivan and Norm "Big Boo" Bulaich combined for 92 receptions. The weak link was the #2 WR, Don Zimmerman, who only had 22 receptions. I have done videos of players' careers - Mel Gray, Larry Brown, Greg Pruitt, Chuck Foreman and Warren Wells immediately come to mind. Check 'em out in my Playlist, if you'd like. Every once in awhile I will publish a video of that sort.
I know this is a 70's themed video, but its worth mentioning that Fouts broke the completion, yardage and td record 3 seasons in a row. I believe that was 79-81.
He broke the yards record 3 years in a row, but he did not break the td record. However, in '80 and '81 he broke both the attempts and completion records.
I think trading him was due to two factors. One, he was a highly-paid veteran and the Rams had a lot of other star players to pay big bucks to. Two, Billy Waddy was a 1977 2nd round draft pick and Ron Smith was a 1978 2nd round draft pick and I think the Rams wanted some return on those Wide Receiver high draft selections.
When I saw the title I thought you were going to go with the 78 Vikings. Foreman had 61 receptions and the other running back Rickey Young had 88. Tight end Bob Tucker was the weak link with 47 while wide receivers Sammy White had 53 and Ahmad Rashad had 66 catches. Together they had 24 TDs and 3,150 yards and Fran led the league in passing yards although overall it was one of his worst seasons and his 18th and final. They ranked 1st, 4th, 7th, T13th and T26th in the league. It is no wonder that Tarkenton ranks as the greatest quarterback of all time when using the REAL GOAT scoring system.
I strongly considered the '78 Vikes. I averaged receptions and yardage over a one game basis for a more accurate comparison. Despite two more regular season games played in 1978, that squad's top two receiving running backs and wide receivers and top receiving tight end caught two less touchdown passes than the 1975 squad. It was one of the reasons that I opted for the '75 team.
Damn, ed hill street blues marinaro!!! I’m partial to the colts. Don McCauley contributed big time with rushing tds though. And keep in mind Ken Anderson was a qb for a west coast offense in its infancy. Jim hart seemed like solid qb his whole career, though cowboys and redskins were really tough. Yeah, Vikings earned it. Chuck foreman was magical, as was lydell Mitchell. Their careers were eerily similar. Fun piece to watch!!
@@markgardner9460 Really?? Okey, I’m going to type this and let it be known. In my opinion if Jerome bettis is a hof, then Mitchell or foreman should be. Bettis was never an earl Campbell or even a Larry csonka PERIOD
Just imagine the fines players would get for some of those hits on wide receivers these days. And those old timers were probably making just enough to buy an extra Malaise era automobile for the wife.
@@markgardner9460 Yeah I looked him up. Long NFL career but didn't play much. I remember him because he was a star player in college. Read a little about him. Unfortunately he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 36 and lost both legs.
I lived in Nebraska 70-74 Jerry Tagge and Humm were well liked there! Neither QB did much in the NFL and Humm passed away at 65 from MS.sad Oddly enough both Tagge and Humm had 3 career NFL TD passes! Tagge had a few more maybe 35 in the CFL
Unfortunately they had Billy Kiilmer, and and an old Sonny Jurgenson, Roy Jefferson, Charlie Taylor, Jerry Smith,and Frank Grant Washington had solid receivers, and and great TE Washington Redskins although George Allan was a run first guy....
That's true. Larry Brown was an effective receiver, too, but they lacked another Running Back who was as well. So I opted to exclude them from consideration. Thanks for bringing up Washington!
Great video brother....I love this era of ball. This is the first generation of offense slanted rule changes. You could knock the stuffing out of a receiver within five yards of scrimmage line or on a tackle. You had to possess some sizeable onions to catch over the middle. Here's my eye test - fun to watch. Cardinals, Colts, Vikings, Bengals & Raiders (Bronco bias). I enjoyed the Oilers w/Billy White Shoes - greatest end zone celebration ever - and Dan Pastorini. Coryell was a true innovator @ St Louis (cardiac kids) then on to San Diego with a monster offense. Don Maynard I did not know he was Cardinal. I'm surprised Dallas, LA & Miami didn't rank high. GREAT GREAT ERA OF BALL. Thanks brother, you're appreciated.
Yeah, the defenders used to knock 'em out of bounds, too, so the receiver would be ineligible to receive the pass. You're 100% right on about going across the middle back in the day. It took a lot of guts cuz linebackers and strong safeties were patrolling that area. Now a lot of guys just fall to the ground rather than try to battle for extra yards.
If we're considering the entire decade, the Raiders are the winner with the 2nd-most passing yards (25,552) and the most TD receptions (232). Those damned Cowboys, the self-anointed "America's Team," are next with the most passing yards (26,681) and 2nd in TDs (204). What cinches Oakland's spot are its four seasons with over 2,000 passing yards and 25 TDs. By comparison, Dallas has three and Minnesota two. If I had to pick a single team for a single season, the 1976 Raiders are the one. That may be the only team in pro football history with three Hall of Fame receivers (Branch, Casper, Biletnikoff). Another possibility that comes to mind are the 1964 Colts with Moore, Berry and Mackey, who were skunked by the Browns 27-0 in the NFL championship game. It's true Lenny Moore was more running back than receiver, but that Colts trio is the closest I could come to another one. Edit: The 1978 rules changes re: pass defense and blocking create some confusion in how passing in the 70s should be approached. Those 1979 Chargers were a hint of things to come with the arrival of Air Coryell.
Thanks for your comments! I don't know if the stats provided are only for the top 2 pass-catching Running Backs, as well as Wide Receivers and the top pass-catching Tight End. Perhaps they are all-inclusive. My qualification in the video pertained to that so-called disclaimer. In 1964, Lenny Moore played Halfback for the year. Jimmy Orr was Raymond Berry's opposite at Wide Receiver and he actually had a slightly better year than him, surprisingly. The Redskins receiving combo of Charley Taylor, Bobby Mitchell and Jerry Smith was incredible for awhile, but I don't think they had much in the way of pass-catching Running Backs.
Great as usual!! I'm in the first minute and guessing here. So, if its for one year I'll say the 76 Colts or the 79 Chargers. Lets see if I got close and continue with the video to see!
Good call with the '76 Colts - I rated them 2nd best, although I could see other fans rating them #1 due to a deeper passing game than the '76 Vikings. The '79 Chargers two leading running back receivers didn't have any receiving touchdowns, so they didn't make the grade for me.
Great compilation, of course im biased towards my Vikings, especially that 75 team, best offensive team for the Vikes of the 70's!!! They just ended it with a defensive gut punch game with the Cowboys who were red hot at the end of the season and hot enough to beat the Vikes in Minn.
The '73 squad was excellent, although having an aged Carroll Dale as the WR opposite of John Gilliam was a somewhat weak point. The '69 team had a defense that was almost second to none, but the offense didn't have Fran. If they would have had Fran on the team from '69-'71, I've got to think that they win at least one Super Bowl, eh?
@@markgardner9460 I think if Fran had been there from 69-71 that they would have had a great chance to grab a SB!But yeah Carroll Dale wasn't a top WR at that point in his career!Dale had 14 receptions for 193 and 0 TDs in 1973 so he was definitely not what he was a few years earlier!
He is listed 4th in ypc behind Richard Caster,Aaron Thomas (49rrs and Giant's in the 60s) and Pete Retzlaff but Caster and Retzlaff also played WR Thomas might have been strictly a TE but he only had 260 receptions about half of Smith so I think Smith is probably the best deep threat amongst TE ever! Interesting though Thomas had 37 TD and Smith 40.
@@stevenzimmerman4057 I know it has been discussed before but I would have loved to see some of the players from the 70’s playing today. Bert Jones, Jackie Smith, Tarkenton, John Gilliam, Lydell Mitchell, Chuck Foreman and so many others. I think all would be HOF’s
Receivers really took a beating in the 70’s - that was Redskins DB Ken Houston (27) with the uppercut to the ribs of Oilers TE Mack Alston (82). Good thing the Hall of Famer played football and not boxing! And, Steelers Lynn Swann (88) took some huge hits going over the middle.
There was another Oilers player who put the slug on Alston just before Houston, but I've forgotten who that was. It was so tough back then - very difficult to play in every regular season game.
Snap quiz: Which 1970's teams had a Hall of Famer at both wide receiver spots and tight end? Hint , there are two teams who had this. No cheating- see if you can do it without looking.
@@stevenzimmerman4057 1971 Dallas Cowboys. Bob Hayes, Lance Alworth, Mike Ditka. All hall of famers. Dallas ranked 2nd in receiving yards in the NFL that year. Hayes was 7th in the league, Alworth ranked 34th; 25th in yards per game for WR's that season(which would place him near the top in the 2nd WR category and he did it in only 11 starts). Ditka was a medium tight end receiving wise . He ranked 13th among TE's that year in yards receiving. All pretty amazing stats considering that Dallas liked to spread the ball around in the air and that Dallas' main weapon was their running game- which was #1 in the NFL that season.
I can't much say one superstar player is better than another, but I think Raiders' Cliff Branch (#21) might be the best receiver I've seen, but Mel Gray had that great speed and good hands. I think maybe Ray Chester was the most athletic of the tight ends here. To me, Chuck Foreman was the best runner.
Seeing Jackie Smith always makes us longtime Cowboys fans cringe a bit. He was a great player, but if he made ONE MORE CATCH we probably would have another ring to the five we have.
Staubach put some of the blame on himself for throwing that super soft pass to him. If he catches it and the Cowboys win, it's a storybook ending to a great career.
His last year as a player was '78 and it took him until '94 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, so it certainly seems that your assertion is spot on, Steven.
@@markgardner9460 He should have been in way before then! And like many of the Vikings from that era,one SB would have gotten many in the HOF much quicker!
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The 1977 Cowboys had Roger Staubach throwing to Drew Pearson, Tony Hill, Golden Richards, Butch Johnson, Billy Joe Dupree and Preston Pearson as well as Tony Dorsett. Astounding selection.
Yes my discredit to that squad is that Golden Richards was the 2nd leading WR, but he only had 17 receptions which is far to low for me to grant consideration. Thanks for bringing them up though.
@@markgardner9460 Yes, they were a back heavy team too. Preston Pearson was catching alot for a back.
No criticism of the video intended. Absolutely superb discussion.
Love the video . especially the ending with the 75 Vikings!
I consider Preston Pearson to be right up there with Foreman and Mitchell as the best catching RB's of all-time. Pearson had the most diffucult, acrobatic catches of any RB, in my opinion.
@@markgardner9460 Pearson kinda gets overlooked but that's a good choice!
What a great debate/discussion in a field of heavy competition. Outstanding work Mark!
Thank you. Yes, the competition was heavy...even amongst the various Vikings teams.
1975 Chuck Foreman touched the ball 353 times for 1761 yards and 22 TD's. Bill Walsh, when constructing his offense in SF, would note how the Vikings used Foreman as a model for what hie did with the 49ers. Foreman was the Vikings Offense in those days. If it wasn't for Tarkenton having the best year of his life, Chuck would have gotten a big consideration for MVP in '75. And to beat a dead horse. How is Foreman not in Canton? Especially when we compare his career to the likes of Gale Sayers(who is in the HOF). Both had very similar tenures. Both also had their career shot to hell due to bad knee injuries. I call Chuck Foreman, the Human Swiss Army Knife. Meaning he was brilliant in different roles on offense. One of the most exciting and versatile talents the game ever saw. So let's give #44 his due. Put him in Canton where he belongs.
Yes, Foreman is extremely Hall of Fame worthy, as is Lydell Mitchell, in my opinion. Foreman's 76 total td's is very impressive for that era.
Agreed Foreman, Mitchell and of course Ken Anderson should be in Canton!
Right on!
For sure,we'll put ! Elusive, fast,good hands, great route runner,didn't fumble unless in SUPER BOWL
ABSOLUTELY !!!
#44 should be retired by the Vikings also !!!
Foreman spinning cutting was spectacular ---workhorse numbers ....
Canton for sure .... 🌟 #44 🌟
This was a fun video.
I'm a little surprised that Randy Grossman, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, Rocky Bleier, Franco Harris, et al, were left on the editing room floor.
🏈😎👍🏼
The Steelers didn't throw often to their running backs and tight ends, so from a balance perspective, which is what I primarily based my selection upon, they didn't merit enough consideration. Great players though!
As a 70's kid your videos like my Topps Football trading cards brings back such great memories. Thank you.
That's awesome! I'm glad to hear that!
I remember as a little kid Lynn Swann and John Stallworth were Terry Bradshaw greatest targets that help won 4 super bowls of the 70s decade.
The Steelers dudn't throw much to their running backs and tight ends - mainly the wide receivers
The 1971 Dallas Cowboys had three Hall of Famers at WR and TE. Bob Hayes, Lance Alworth, Mike Ditka. All Hall of Famers. Dallas ranked 2nd in receiving yards in the NFL that year. Hayes was 7th in the league in yards and led the league with a 24.0 yards per reception and had 11 TD's. , Alworth ranked 34th; 25th in yards per game for WR's that season(which would place him near the top in the 2nd WR category and he did it in only 11 starts). Ditka was a medium tight end receiving wise . He ranked 13th among TE's that year in yards receiving- but he only played half of the offensive downs as he was a messenger for Landry. All pretty amazing stats considering that Dallas liked to spread the ball around in the air - 8 players had over 100 receiving yards and 12 players had at least one catch. Even more amazing considering that Dallas' main weapon was their running game- which was #1 in the NFL that season; with Duane Thomas, Calvin Hill and Walt Garrison and a scrambling Staubach. IMO- this was the best team of the 1970's. 20 out of 22 starters were all-pros or pro bowlers. Every single player on that team would start at least one game in his career. That's a deep bench. Once Staubach took over as QB in week 8, the season was a laugher- Dallas rolled through everybody. The closest we can come to a comparison of this team to the mighty Steelers 70's teams was a regular season game played in 1972. Dallas won pretty convincingly, although the game was sloppy due to great pass defenses on both sides and a host of penalty's and turnovers. They did it without Duane Thomas, Roger Staubach and Lance Alworth. The Steelers didn't have Swann or Stallworth or Lambert; and Franco got knocked out of the game. Plus the Steelers, although a great team , were still pretty green in 1972 (especially Bradshaw), while Dallas was getting pretty old (10 starters over 30 yo). That said, I 'll still take this team over the best Steelers team- Dallas' '71 defense was just stunning. Great talent and they knew the system. Adderley and Renfro and Green and Harris in the secondary? Get out of here. They just annihilated Miami in the Super Bowl.
Excellent stuff! For purposes of my video, the Running Backs need to be included for consideration. While Walt Garrison's 40 receptions are very solid (22nd in the NFL), a weak link was Calvin Hill's 19 catches. Another weak link was that Ditka and Alworth only combined for 3 receiving touchdowns. Also, Bob Hayes was the Cowboys second leading receiver, yet he only ranked 37th best in the NFL. While I agree that the '71 Cowboys were one of the greatest teams of all-time, I can not seriously consider them as being the best receiving team of the 1970's. Thank you for providing awesome info!
@@markgardner9460 Yeah, I'm not going to pretend these guys were the best receiving corps of the '70's. But it was cool that all three were HoFers. And considering that this was really just a bruiser running team- it was pretty remarkable. That said, both Hill and Garrison were exceptional out of the backfield. As to their running- check out what happened when Dallas used Duane Thomas at fullback and Calvin Hill at tailback v the Jets and Giants- it was a slaughter . Murder is illegal.
Jim Hart's Cardiac Kids were great. Fun to watch.
They sure were! The defense was a little leaky, so they had to air it out from time to time in order to catch up and they were very entertaining.
Cliff Branch, Fred Biletnikoff, and Dave Casper all 3 in the HOF.
They were great together. My criteria included Running Backs into the mix. I noted that I excluded them from the top spot due to inferior pass receiving production than the '76 Colts and '75 Vikings.
Mel Gray, pride of Montgomery High School, Santa Rosa, CA.
"I am"convinced"..."SportsStatsNGab"..we need to get "you"in the "broadcast" booth".."your " attention "to "detail" and " narration"....and the "extra" pull" up" information"is"superb"!!!
Thank you. There always seems to be a lot of noteworthy information to share. I appreciate your kind comments!
It's a disgrace that Chuck Foreman is not a HOFer
No doubt. What more do the voters want? 5X Pro Bowl, 3X All-Pro, 3rd & 4th place MVP finishes, Rookie of the Year, (3) 1,000 yard rushing seasons when that was a BIG thing to accomplish in the '70's, 76 total touchdowns, 2X NFL touchdown leader and he finished 2nd with 22 in '75. Running Backs didn't last forever back then cuz they didn't have modern medicine on their side to treat knee injuries like they do now.
@@markgardner9460if Foreman had 1-2 more productive years he'd be a lock.for the HOF
I hear ya, Steven. Back then it was very rare for a RB to put up even 5 outstanding years due to how difficult it was to stay healthy, but Foreman had those 5 type of years, along with another OK one.
Foreman was absolutely awesome! I hope Veteran's Committee gets him in HOF!!!!!
@@tomdavey8723 I absolutely agree!
Air Coryell was in St Louis and the west coast offense was in Cincinnati. 🏈🏈
Hi Mark - wearing my Franco Harris steelers white jersey for this video
I love it. He's in a footage clip in my next video that will be rolling out in less than 2 hours, so I'm sure you'll check it out! Thanks!
@@markgardner9460Maynard played for Houston Texans in WFL in 74
and was the Receivers Coach for the Shreveport Steamers during the 1975 WFL season.
Ken Anderson is SO underrated.
The guy had all the tools and put up everything that you'd want in terms of accolades and accomplishments other than a Super Bowl win (which they could have won in Jan of '82 if Charles Alexander would have ran his pass pattern into the end zone instead of stopping one yard short and allowing Danny Bunz to stop him from scoring)
Amazing to watch! So many incredible players! Was it coincidence that #42 was worn by 3 outstanding WR? (Gilliam, Warfield and Taylor)
Holy cow! I saw all 3 play, and I never thought about all of them wearing #42! Good observation!
I can't think of any other #42's that played WR in the '70's...as least that were any good. Crazy.
@@markgardner9460 Of course #42 wasn't a typical number for a WR either!
Ronnie Lott wore 42 of course he was a DB
John Brockington #42 - RB, of course.
Ed Marinaro, great job on Hill Street Blues too.
He appeared in Dynasty in '81, too.
If I'm seeing it correctly,the crazy pass from Tarkenton to Marinaro against the Lions despite great effort by both players wound up being a loss of 4 yards!
I think it may have been a gain of one yard, but that's just from memory. I could definitely be wrong. Regardless, that was a LOT of movin' and groovin' by both players for not much, if any, yardage. I'm glad that you brought that play up.
@@markgardner9460 you might be right I was trying to figure out where the play originated
The play looked like a southern California interstate highway map with so much criss-crossing.
Hey big guy. The Eagles "Fire High" gang of 1973 ( Roman Gabriel, Charle Young and Harold Carmichael) may be contenders for honorable mention on this list. It is April 22, 2024 and I just read that Roman Gabriel passed away a couple of days ago of natural causes. Have you ever thought of doing career videos on some of the players of that era, especially in memoriam?
Yes, I definitely could have/should have listed the '73 Eagles because Tom "Silky" Sullivan and Norm "Big Boo" Bulaich combined for 92 receptions. The weak link was the #2 WR, Don Zimmerman, who only had 22 receptions.
I have done videos of players' careers - Mel Gray, Larry Brown, Greg Pruitt, Chuck Foreman and Warren Wells immediately come to mind. Check 'em out in my Playlist, if you'd like. Every once in awhile I will publish a video of that sort.
@@markgardner9460 Thanks! Now that you mention it I do remember seeing Larry Brown and Chuck ( Why is he not in the Hall of Fame) Foreman.
@@markgardner9460 I forgot about Norm Buliach. I just saw him in your 1970 draft video.
Nice vid....saw my man Issac Curtis...he should be in the HOF instead of Lynn Swann !
Yes, he is more deserving than Swann. Plus I can't believe that Swann got in before Stallworth.
@@markgardner9460 Yep, couldn't believe that myself. Swann got in because of 3 great catches in SB's.
You're exactly right!
For a while, Roger Carr was the games fastest wide receiver.
Cliff Branch and Mel Gray were right there with him.
This is awesome stuff , I remember all these great players thanks ❤ for your time and effort
Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
I am very lucky to have found this channel. Great stuff always.
Glad you enjoy it! Thanks for watching!
Absolutely terrific again! 21 yesrs before me. I enjoy history! Thank you for putting this together!
Thank you - I appreciate it and I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
Lynn Swan was the best route runner that i ever seen play . i went to Steeler games. Rodger Carr did lite it up in 76,77
I think that Charlie Joiber was also a very precise route runner. Fred Biletnikoff, too.
@@markgardner9460 Jerry Rice is the best
I liked the Cardiac Cardinals..a good team but couldn't handle the Cowboys, Vikings, 49ers & such..Jim Hart was a very good QB
Yes, I agree. Hart doesn't get the credit that he deserves. He threw a great deep ball, too.
I know this is a 70's themed video, but its worth mentioning that Fouts broke the completion, yardage and td record 3 seasons in a row. I believe that was 79-81.
He broke the yards record 3 years in a row, but he did not break the td record. However, in '80 and '81 he broke both the attempts and completion records.
@@markgardner9460 thanks for the correction.
No problem. He still threw for 24, 30 and 33 td's in those years, so he bettered his personal best in those years.
Those were great teams that made Broncos fans sweat bee-bees.
The Chargers offensive line was considered to be huge back then and they generally protected Fouts well.
The Rams should NEVER have traded Harold Jackson.
I think trading him was due to two factors. One, he was a highly-paid veteran and the Rams had a lot of other star players to pay big bucks to. Two, Billy Waddy was a 1977 2nd round draft pick and Ron Smith was a 1978 2nd round draft pick and I think the Rams wanted some return on those Wide Receiver high draft selections.
When I saw the title I thought you were going to go with the 78 Vikings. Foreman had 61 receptions and the other running back Rickey Young had 88. Tight end Bob Tucker was the weak link with 47 while wide receivers Sammy White had 53 and Ahmad Rashad had 66 catches. Together they had 24 TDs and 3,150 yards and Fran led the league in passing yards although overall it was one of his worst seasons and his 18th and final. They ranked 1st, 4th, 7th, T13th and T26th in the league. It is no wonder that Tarkenton ranks as the greatest quarterback of all time when using the REAL GOAT scoring system.
I strongly considered the '78 Vikes. I averaged receptions and yardage over a one game basis for a more accurate comparison. Despite two more regular season games played in 1978, that squad's top two receiving running backs and wide receivers and top receiving tight end caught two less touchdown passes than the 1975 squad. It was one of the reasons that I opted for the '75 team.
I immediately thought of the 75 Vikings
David Humm another lefty for Oakland! Certainly not Snake's caliber of course!
@@markgardner9460 Great job as always Mark. I forgot that was the first 16 game season.
Nasty hit that Carr took! Holy cow!
Damn, ed hill street blues marinaro!!! I’m partial to the colts. Don McCauley contributed big time with rushing tds though. And keep in mind Ken Anderson was a qb for a west coast offense in its infancy. Jim hart seemed like solid qb his whole career, though cowboys and redskins were really tough. Yeah, Vikings earned it. Chuck foreman was magical, as was lydell Mitchell. Their careers were eerily similar. Fun piece to watch!!
Great point about Foreman and Mitchell's careers - I strongly consider both to be Hall of Fame worthy.
@@markgardner9460 Really?? Okey, I’m going to type this and let it be known. In my opinion if Jerome bettis is a hof, then Mitchell or foreman should be. Bettis was never an earl Campbell or even a Larry csonka PERIOD
Just imagine the fines players would get for some of those hits on wide receivers these days. And those old timers were probably making just enough to buy an extra Malaise era automobile for the wife.
They'd fine 'em so often and so much that they'd be afraid to tackle like they are now.
Great stuff as usual. Thanks.
Thank you - much appreciated!
@@markgardner9460 I'm not a Raider fan,but Branch and Biletnikoff were a amazing duo! Fire and ice!
Well put!
A couple of David Humm highlights. You don't see those every day. There might have only been the two.
3 TD passes in a 10 year NFL career
@@markgardner9460 Yeah I looked him up. Long NFL career but didn't play much. I remember him because he was a star player in college. Read a little about him. Unfortunately he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 36 and lost both legs.
I lived in Nebraska 70-74 Jerry Tagge and Humm were well liked there! Neither QB did much in the NFL and Humm passed away at 65 from MS.sad Oddly enough both Tagge and Humm had 3 career NFL TD passes! Tagge had a few more maybe 35 in the CFL
He was 5th in the Heisman voting during his senior season. I remember watching him play for Nebraska on national tv and was impressed with him.
Don’t dis Humm. He was cool enough to play in the NFL with no shoulder pads.
Great video, as always. Even if U are a SteAler fan. 😂
I used to be, but now I'm just an overall fan of '60's through '80's football
Unfortunately they had Billy Kiilmer, and and an old Sonny Jurgenson, Roy Jefferson, Charlie Taylor, Jerry Smith,and Frank Grant Washington had solid receivers, and and great TE Washington Redskins although George Allan was a run first guy....
That's true. Larry Brown was an effective receiver, too, but they lacked another Running Back who was as well. So I opted to exclude them from consideration.
Thanks for bringing up Washington!
Great video brother....I love this era of ball. This is the first generation of offense slanted rule changes. You could knock the stuffing out of a receiver within five yards of scrimmage line or on a tackle. You had to possess some sizeable onions to catch over the middle. Here's my eye test - fun to watch. Cardinals, Colts, Vikings, Bengals & Raiders (Bronco bias). I enjoyed the Oilers w/Billy White Shoes - greatest end zone celebration ever - and Dan Pastorini. Coryell was a true innovator @ St Louis (cardiac kids) then on to San Diego with a monster offense. Don Maynard I did not know he was Cardinal. I'm surprised Dallas, LA & Miami didn't rank high. GREAT GREAT ERA OF BALL. Thanks brother, you're appreciated.
Yeah, the defenders used to knock 'em out of bounds, too, so the receiver would be ineligible to receive the pass.
You're 100% right on about going across the middle back in the day. It took a lot of guts cuz linebackers and strong safeties were patrolling that area. Now a lot of guys just fall to the ground rather than try to battle for extra yards.
If we're considering the entire decade, the Raiders are the winner with the 2nd-most passing yards (25,552) and the most TD receptions (232). Those damned Cowboys, the self-anointed "America's Team," are next with the most passing yards (26,681) and 2nd in TDs (204). What cinches Oakland's spot are its four seasons with over 2,000 passing yards and 25 TDs. By comparison, Dallas has three and Minnesota two. If I had to pick a single team for a single season, the 1976 Raiders are the one. That may be the only team in pro football history with three Hall of Fame receivers (Branch, Casper, Biletnikoff). Another possibility that comes to mind are the 1964 Colts with Moore, Berry and Mackey, who were skunked by the Browns 27-0 in the NFL championship game. It's true Lenny Moore was more running back than receiver, but that Colts trio is the closest I could come to another one.
Edit: The 1978 rules changes re: pass defense and blocking create some confusion in how passing in the 70s should be approached. Those 1979 Chargers were a hint of things to come with the arrival of Air Coryell.
Thanks for your comments! I don't know if the stats provided are only for the top 2 pass-catching Running Backs, as well as Wide Receivers and the top pass-catching Tight End. Perhaps they are all-inclusive. My qualification in the video pertained to that so-called disclaimer.
In 1964, Lenny Moore played Halfback for the year. Jimmy Orr was Raymond Berry's opposite at Wide Receiver and he actually had a slightly better year than him, surprisingly.
The Redskins receiving combo of Charley Taylor, Bobby Mitchell and Jerry Smith was incredible for awhile, but I don't think they had much in the way of pass-catching Running Backs.
Great as usual!! I'm in the first minute and guessing here. So, if its for one year I'll say the 76 Colts or the 79 Chargers. Lets see if I got close and continue with the video to see!
Good call with the '76 Colts - I rated them 2nd best, although I could see other fans rating them #1 due to a deeper passing game than the '76 Vikings.
The '79 Chargers two leading running back receivers didn't have any receiving touchdowns, so they didn't make the grade for me.
@@markgardner9460 I think the Vikings pickk was good. Boy that Fran!!
Fran was The Man!
Great compilation, of course im biased towards my Vikings, especially that 75 team, best offensive team for the Vikes of the 70's!!! They just ended it with a defensive gut punch game with the Cowboys who were red hot at the end of the season and hot enough to beat the Vikes in Minn.
A lot of those Vikings players from the '75 squad think that it was their best team from '61 through the '70's (and most likely the '80's, too)
The cowboys beat the Vikings that year due to offensive pass interference not being called on the Cowboys winning score. I'm a Vikings fan since 68.
@@markgardner9460I concur! I think the Vikings 75 teams was probably their best 73 and 69 were close.
The '73 squad was excellent, although having an aged Carroll Dale as the WR opposite of John Gilliam was a somewhat weak point. The '69 team had a defense that was almost second to none, but the offense didn't have Fran. If they would have had Fran on the team from '69-'71, I've got to think that they win at least one Super Bowl, eh?
@@markgardner9460 I think if Fran had been there from 69-71 that they would have had a great chance to grab a SB!But yeah Carroll Dale wasn't a top WR at that point in his career!Dale had 14 receptions for 193 and 0 TDs in 1973 so he was definitely not what he was a few years earlier!
👍💜
Jackie Smith is such a great tight end but unfortunately he is always remembered for his drop in the Super Bowl. It’s a shame.
Great point. He was a "field stretcher", which was unique for the era in which he played. His 16.5 average yards per catch is amazing!!
@@markgardner9460For a tight end 16.5 a reception is remarkable!
Indeed! I wonder if any other TE has a career mark that is better.
He is listed 4th in ypc behind Richard Caster,Aaron Thomas (49rrs and Giant's in the 60s) and Pete Retzlaff but Caster and Retzlaff also played WR Thomas might have been strictly a TE but he only had 260 receptions about half of Smith so I think Smith is probably the best deep threat amongst TE ever! Interesting though Thomas had 37 TD and Smith 40.
@@stevenzimmerman4057 I know it has been discussed before but I would have loved to see some of the players from the 70’s playing today. Bert Jones, Jackie Smith, Tarkenton, John Gilliam, Lydell Mitchell, Chuck Foreman and so many others. I think all would be HOF’s
Receivers really took a beating in the 70’s - that was Redskins DB Ken Houston (27) with the uppercut to the ribs of Oilers TE Mack Alston (82). Good thing the Hall of Famer played football and not boxing! And, Steelers Lynn Swann (88) took some huge hits going over the middle.
There was another Oilers player who put the slug on Alston just before Houston, but I've forgotten who that was. It was so tough back then - very difficult to play in every regular season game.
Now it's gonna.be 2
hand tag! NFL won't be happy until no one is stopped!
@@markgardner9460Looked like LB Chris Hanburger (55) and CB Mike Bass (41) in on that tackle. Two HOFers in on that play.
When I initially started following pro football. Raymond Berry was the leagues best ever. Until Jerry Rice showed up on the scene.
A 20th round draft pick and a 1st round draft pick
Snap quiz: Which 1970's teams had a Hall of Famer at both wide receiver spots and tight end? Hint , there are two teams who had this. No cheating- see if you can do it without looking.
Oakland and San Diego?
@@stevenzimmerman4057 Nope
@@christianstough6337 I'm sure it was Oakland who is the other team?
@@stevenzimmerman4057 1971 Dallas Cowboys. Bob Hayes, Lance Alworth, Mike Ditka. All hall of famers. Dallas ranked 2nd in receiving yards in the NFL that year. Hayes was 7th in the league, Alworth ranked 34th; 25th in yards per game for WR's that season(which would place him near the top in the 2nd WR category and he did it in only 11 starts). Ditka was a medium tight end receiving wise . He ranked 13th among TE's that year in yards receiving. All pretty amazing stats considering that Dallas liked to spread the ball around in the air and that Dallas' main weapon was their running game- which was #1 in the NFL that season.
@@christianstough6337 Thank you for the information
I can't much say one superstar player is better than another, but I think Raiders' Cliff Branch (#21) might be the best receiver I've seen, but Mel Gray had that great speed and good hands.
I think maybe Ray Chester was the most athletic of the tight ends here.
To me, Chuck Foreman was the best runner.
Chester is so underrated. His numbers are in line with Charlie Sanders' stats, but hardly anyone considers Chester to be Hall of Fame caliber.
You must of not been looking!
If Clif Branch and Mel Gray played in today's NFL their numbers would be unbelievable.
better touchdown numbers and yards per catch than Tyreek Hill
@@babyblueLEGEND ya they both had 4.1 timed speed
SKOL!!
Yeah- they're a lotta Vikes fans out there and they always seem to support them well when they're playing on the road, too.
Seeing Jackie Smith always makes us longtime Cowboys fans cringe a bit. He was a great player, but if he made ONE MORE CATCH we probably would have another ring to the five we have.
Staubach put some of the blame on himself for throwing that super soft pass to him. If he catches it and the Cowboys win, it's a storybook ending to a great career.
@@markgardner9460Jackie Smith took entirely too much blame for one drop!
His last year as a player was '78 and it took him until '94 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, so it certainly seems that your assertion is spot on, Steven.
@@markgardner9460 He should have been in way before then! And like many of the Vikings from that era,one SB would have gotten many in the HOF much quicker!