Football

E

The 1980s

The San Francisco 49ers were the dominant team of the 1980s, as quarterback Joe Montana keyed the team to four Super Bowl victories (1982, 1985, 1989, 1990). Montana, who benefited from good blocking protection, read defenses well and could pass while scrambling away from tacklers. His favorite receiver was Jerry Rice, who eventually became the NFL career leader in receptions and touchdown catches. The first three of San Francisco’s titles came under head coach Bill Walsh, who was known for his offensive innovation. Other powerful teams during the 1980s included the Chicago Bears, the Washington Redskins, and the Raiders, who moved from Oakland to Los Angeles after the 1981 season, and back to Oakland in 1995.

In the mid-1980s a new type of defensive player emerged. While speedy defensive backs covered equally fast wide receivers, a player called the rush linebacker emerged with one specialized duty: pressuring the quarterback. With no pass-coverage responsibilities, the fast and strong rush linebacker focused his attention on the quarterback and the running backs. The New York Giants’ Lawrence Taylor, perhaps the best player of all time at this position, led New York to a Super Bowl victory in 1987.

The late 1980s saw players pushing to improve their labor situation. In 1989 the threat of a lawsuit caused the NFL to change its original policy and allow college underclassmen to enter the draft. Juniors and third-year sophomores became eligible, and many college stars turned professional before exhausting their college eligibility.

Free agency emerged in 1992 in a settlement of a lawsuit filed in 1987 by the NFL Players Association. The association was formed in 1956 when players began to demand improved conditions. The union brought the suit in 1987 on behalf of players seeking freedom of movement between teams. The NFL’s Management Council initially objected to any form of free agency, so in 1987 veteran players held a three-game strike in protest. Now in place, free agency is accompanied by a salary cap that limits teams to a maximum annual player payroll.

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F

The 1990s

In the early 1990s quarterback Jim Kelly and running back Thurman Thomas led the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances (1991–1994). However, they lost them all. Dallas returned to the Super Bowl in 1993 behind running back Emmitt Smith and quarterback Troy Aikman. The pair led the Cowboys to Super Bowl victories that year and in 1994 and 1996. Outstanding coaches during the decade included Jimmy Johnson with the Cowboys and Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos, both of whom won back-to-back Super Bowls.

Perhaps the greatest offensive players of the 1990s were running backs Smith and Barry Sanders of the Lions and quarterbacks Steve Young of the 49ers, Dan Marino of the Dolphins, John Elway of the Broncos, and Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers. Sanders led the NFL in rushing several times and became the first running back to rush for more than 1,000 yards in ten consecutive seasons (1989-1998). Smith was named the Super Bowl most valuable player in 1994 and eventually became the all-time career rushing leader. Young led the NFC in passing during six seasons (1991-1994, 1996, and 1997) and led the 49ers to a Super Bowl victory in 1995. Marino became the NFL’s all-time passing leader by passing for 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns. Elway led the Broncos to five Super Bowl appearances between 1987 and 1999, winning in 1998 and 1999. Favre led the Packers to two Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998, winning the Super Bowl in 1997. All of these players had retired by the end of the decade, except for Smith, who retired in 2004, and Favre, who eclipsed Marino’s touchdown and passing records in 2007.

G

Recent Developments

The 21st century brought new teams to the circle of NFL champions, as the St. Louis Rams (2000), Baltimore Ravens (2001), New England Patriots (2002), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003) each won their franchise’s first Super Bowl title. The Indianapolis Colts won in 2006 for the first time since the Colts franchise moved to Indianapolis. The Patriots became a dominant team in the middle of the first decade, winning the championship in 2004 and 2005 to become just the second franchise to win the Super Bowl three times in four years (the Dallas Cowboys did it first in the 1990s).

NFL stars in the first half of the decade included quarterbacks Peyton Manning of the Colts and Tom Brady of the Patriots; defensive players Jevon Kearse of the Titans and Ray Lewis of the Ravens; running backs Priest Holmes of the Chiefs, Edgerrin James of the Colts, and Marshall Faulk of the Rams; and receivers Terrell Owens of the Eagles, Randy Moss of the Minnesota Vikings, and Torry Holt of the Rams.

By the second half of the decade, other stars who emerged were running backs Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks and LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers; quarterbacks Eli Manning of the New York Giants and Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers; and wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, both of the Colts, and Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Two of the NFL’s career leading rushers, Emmitt Smith (18,355 yards, first all-time) and Jerome Bettis (13,294 yards, fifth all-time), announced their retirements at the end of the 2004 season. Bettis later reversed his decision, deciding to return for one more season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He then helped the Steelers win their first championship title in more than 25 years, as Pittsburgh defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, 21-10.

The promise shown by Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison of the Colts came to fruition in the 2006 season when the Colts finally beat their arch nemesis, the New England Patriots, in the playoffs and advanced to the Super Bowl in 2007. In Super Bowl XLI, Manning was named most valuable player (MVP) for his performance against the Chicago Bears.

In 2007 the Patriots became the first team to go unbeaten in the regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The Patriots won all 16 of their regular season games and set a record for the most points scored, led by Tom Brady, who set the single-season touchdown record. But the Patriots’ hopes of matching the Dolphins with a perfect season were dashed by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Giants quarterback Eli Manning followed his brother Peyton in being named Super Bowl MVP.

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