Former Commissioner Pete Rozelle the man who led the NFL to the prominent role it plays today in American society passed away in 1996. While he is not with us anymore he has to smiling down upon the state of affairs of the 2010 season.
Rozelle’s dream was to create parity among his league’s teams, his catch phrase “on any given Sunday any NFL can beat another” has more truth in 2010 than it has had in any other season from my recent memory. Seventeen of the 32 teams are 2-3, 2-2, or 3-2 after 5 weeks and for the first time since the NFL re-aligned into 4 divisions in each conference in 2002, we have all 4 teams in the AFC South at 3-2 – a NFL first.
Speaking of records, the Ravens after 5 weeks have the AFC’s best record at 4-1. While the Jets also are 4-1, the Ravens have them on the tie breaker, not only because the Ravens beat the Jets, but also one of Jets wins was against a NFC team. This week the Ravens visit the 3-1 Patriots, a team the Ravens have never beaten in regular season but as we know, they throttled Brady & Co. in last season’s AFC Wild Card round in New England 33-14.
Besides sporting a fine record the Patriots are averaging nearly 40 points in their last 2 contests but it remains to be seen if they can continue to deliver such high octane without star wide receiver Randy Moss who was traded to the Vikings last week. Brandon Tate will attempt to take Moss’ place along with recently re-acquired Super Bowl MVP wide receiver Deion Branch.
The Patriots though will win or lose based on quarterback Tom Brady. His surrounding cast clearly will have something to say about the outcome yet New England’s fortunes still rest on the shoulders of their signal caller. Brady has thrown for nine scores and just 2 interceptions in 4 games this year. More importantly for the Ravens is the revenge Brady wants for the playoff loss last year to Baltimore, a game in which he threw three interceptions and fumbled when Terrell Suggs stripped the ball from him on the Patriots first possession of the playoff game.
This is easily the NFL’s most important game of the week.
Sunday’s Baltimore visit to New England is reminiscent of another trip when a Baltimore team took the AFC’s best record into New England, week six of the 1977 season. Then the 5-0 Baltimore Colts traveled to Foxboro to take on the 3-2 Patriots.
Baltimore Colts at New England Patriots, October 23, 1977 Schaefer Stadium
Both the Colts and Patriots were considered favorites to win the conference along with the Steelers and Raiders. Both were 11-3 in the AFC East in 1976, with the Colts winning the division on a tie breaker.
There were some bad feelings between the teams. On opening day 1976 the Colts beat the Patriots 27-13, as quarterback Bert Jones kicked off what would be an MVP season by throwing for 2 scores to Glen Doughty who beat rookie and future Hall of Famer defensive back Mike Haynes on both plays. After the game Jones told Will McDonough of the Boston Globe that he was able to read the Patriot pass defense by watching Haynes who was tipping the coverage.
In the rematch in Baltimore later that year, a 21-14 Patriots win, Haynes intercepted a Jones pass. After the play Haynes threw the ball to Jones asking him if he tipped him off again. The two would joke about it years later but the incident fueled bad feelings between the teams.
In 1977, the Colts had beaten the Chiefs 17-6 in week 5 and in week 4 had fallen behind the Dolphins 28-10. However, Jones led the Colts to 35 unanswered points in a 45-28 comeback win and headed to New England as the hottest team in the conference while the Patriots were barely above .500.
Queue up the national television audience…
The first time Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan had the ball he found wide receiver Darryl Stingley for a 64 yard gain which set up Don Calhoun’s 2 yard touchdown run. The Colts countered with a three and out, highlighted by nose tackle Ray Hamilton’s sack of Jones.
The Colts defense was able to keep them in the game forcing Patriots punts, though the Patriots made at least one first down on every first half drive. The half ended 7-0 New England. The Colts were lucky to still be in the game and had yet to penetrate New England territory.
The second half started with another Patriots sack and Colts punt. This punt was countered by a 16 play New England drive which ended with a Grogan to Russ Francis 31 yard scoring pass, 14-0 Patriots.
The Colts again countered with a punt but on New England’s ensuing drive running back Sam Cunningham fumbled and the Colts recovered. The Colts still could not muster up any offense, failed to gain a first down and were forced to settle for a 40 yard field goal from Toni Linhart, 14-3 Patriots.
Another long New England drive ended on the Colts one yard line. Since the Colts’ offense hardly threatened to score, the Patriots decided to kick the field goal. John Smith’s short kick made for a 17-3 Patriot lead and would be the game’s final score.
Bert Jones completed just 6 of 18 passes for 64 yards, his lowest passing total since a 1974 game against the Bills, a season in which the Colts were 2-12. The Patriots got to Jones for 5 sacks for 54 yards in losses, meaning the high powered Colt passing attack had 11 net yards passing. Lydell Mitchell and Baltimore’s rushing attack produced just 75 yards.
Meanwhile the Patriots rolled to 169 yards on the ground and had two yards passing to completely dominate the team with AFC’s best record.
The Colts would eventually win the AFC East again in 1977 and avenge this loss with a thrilling come from behind division clinching 30-24 win over the Patriots during week 14 in Baltimore (video here), but their first meeting was the worst performance by a Colt offense led by Bert Jones during their playoff years of 1975-77 when Baltimore had arguably the best offense in the NFL.
Hopefully a similar visit by Baltimore to New England under similar circumstances this weekend will produce better results.
Enjoy the game…
