NFL » American Football League

New York Jets

Neal — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:16:39 +0000

The New York Jets were at a time known as the New York Titans from 1960-1962 in the American Football League. In 1959, New York was granted with another football team but the Titans could not draw any fans to watch them play and they went bankrupt. David Werblin and four other partners purchased the team and changed the name from the Titans to the Jets. Good fortune became to occur with the jets organization including the move form the Polo grounds where to they played to the new Shea Stadium, Attendance quickly grew also with an opening day of over 45,000 people to watch the Jets in 1963.

The Jets were mediocre during the early to mid 1960′s. It wasn’t until quarterback Joe Namath joined the team in 1965. 1968 was a major turning point, not just for the jets, but for the AFL/NFL war of the 1960′s. Namath made the famous guarantee saying his Jets would defeated the NFL Champions Baltimore Colts. The Jets had their best season to date finishing the regular season with a 11-3 record. The Colts were the overwhelming favorite not just to beat the Jets but to destroy them. Namath would be right guaranteeing victory with a 16-7 defeat over the Colts in Super Bowl III and Namath was named Super Bowls Most Valuable Player This proved that the AFL could match up against the superior NFL. Joe Namath was elected to the Pro Football hall of Fame in 1985 along with team member wide receiver Don Maynard in 1987.

The win over the Colts proved to be the high point of the Jets franchise. During the 1970′s, the Jets were a sub .500 team six times while never making the playoffs. The 1980′s were a vast improvement from the 1970′s making the playoffs four times and reached the AFC Championship game in 1982, but lost to the Miami Dolphins 14-0. In the 1990′s the jets only made the playoffs twice and ended the decade with a 1998 AFC Championship loss to the Denver Broncos 23-10.

Since 2000 the Jets have had their best decade since the 1980′s with four playoff appearances and winning the AFC East division in 2002. The New England patriots have dominated the AFC East since 2000 making it very difficult for any other team like the Jets to break out. The New York Jets have new life with the acquisition of all-time great quarterback Bret Favre leading the way. Jets fans hope Favre can pull off a great season and another Super Bowl victory for the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!

New England Patriots

Neal — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:09:57 +0000

The New England Patriots were born on November 22, 1959 becoming a member of the new American Football League. In a naming contest, a team of Boston sportswriters decided to keep the history of the area alive calling their franchise the “Patriots”. The Patriots played in the first ever regular season AFL game on September 9, 1960 losing to the Denver Broncos 13-10. The Patriots finished the first season with a 5-9 record. The Patriots would improve over the next three seasons posting back-to-back 9-4-1 seasons and in 1963 finished tied for first place with the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots first playoff game came against the bills which they won 26-8. In the AFM Championship game the Patriots were dismantled 51-10 by the San Diego Chargers. The following season placekicker and wide receiver Gino Cappelletti was named the AFL Most Valuable Player. Cappelletti became the AFL’s all-time leadier in points scored with 1,100. In 1966 another Most Valuable Player came form the Patriots in fullback Jim Nance who lead the league in rushing twice in 1966 and1967.The Patriots would play in many different locations including Fenway Park, where the Boston Red Sox baseball team plays, Boston University Field, and in Harvard. The Patriots finally made their home at 70,000 seat Foxboro Stadium in 1971.

As the 1960′s and 1970′s went forward little success came around for the Patriots with a new low in 1970 with a 2-12 record. The Patriots would once again reach the playoffs in 1976 but would lose to the Oakland Raiders 24-21. The Patriots would make their first Super Bowl appearance against the “Monsters of the Midway” Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. The game was rout and the Bears won 46-10. The 1990′s for the Patriots saw them rise again to meet the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. The Packers would end the Patriots hopes again to a championship defeating them 35-21.

The 2000′s provided the New England Patriots with what they have been wishing for, a Super Bowl victory, not just one but three Super Bowl wins. The Patriots first Super Bowl win came against the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI with a 20-17 win. The second Super Bowl victory two seasons later against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII in another thrilling game with the Patriots winning 32-29. The next season provided the Patriots with the same result winning Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21. The Patriots would make a Super Bowl trip in Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants but lost 17-14. The Patriots were on the verge of going undefeated with a 19-0 record and do something that hasn’t been done since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, finishing a season undefeated. That year several NFL record were broken when the Patriots set the all-time scoring record in a season with points scored with 589, Tom Brady throwing fifty touchdown passes, and Randy Moss catching twenty-three touchdown passes.

Since 2001, the New England Patriots have won the AFC East seven times, four Super Bowl appearances, back-to-back 14-2 regular seasons, and a 16-0 regular season. Its safe to say that the New England Patriots are the team of the decade.

Cincinnati Bengals

Neal — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:50:11 +0000

The Cincinnati Bengals became apart of the American Football League in 1968 only to merge with the NFL in 1970. The Bengals weren’t the first professional football team, during the 1930′s and 1940′s the team with the same name played in Cincinnati. The Bengals won their first home game in the second game of the season defeating the Denver Broncos 24-10 on September 15, 1968, finishing with a 3-11 season. Coach Paul Brown, who had a major influence in bringing a team back to Cincinnati, won AFL Coach of the Year in 1969. Brown coached the Cleveland Browns for seventeen seasons. Brown was eager to get back into coaching and with the aid of then governor Jim Rhodes brought football back to Cincinnati.The Bengals first winning season came in just two seasons later in 1970 with a 8-6 record winning the AFC Central. This was the first time that an expansion team would win a division title in its first three season. As the decade wore on the Bengals came back down to Earth and posting back-to-back 4-12 seasons in 1978 and 1979. In 1981 the Bengals rebounded and made their way to Super Bowl XVI bu lost to the San Francisco 49ers 26-21, this was the beginning of the 49ers dynasty. Following a disappointing 4-12 season in 1987, the 1988 Bengals went 12-4 finishing first in the AFC Central and were Super Bowl contenders once again playing in Super Bowl XXIII. As was the case in their previous Super Bowl appearance the Bengals lost to the 49ers 20-16 on a last minute pass by all-time great quarterback Joe Montana.

The Bengals were lead in the 1980′s and early 1990′s by left-handed quarterback Boomer Esiason. Boomer was one of the most prolific left-handed passers of all-time being elected four times to the Pro Bowl, named the leagues Most Valuable Player in 1988, and has over 37,000 career passing yards. Another Bengal great was offensive tackle Anthony Munoz. Munuz was elected to eleven straight ro Bowl from 1982 to 1992 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

The 1990′s were a low point in Bengals history. They only appeared in two playoff games, winning one, in the entire decade posting four different 3-13 seasons. From 1991-2004 the Bengals made the playoffs zero times, never having a winning season and even had a league worst 2-14 record in 2002.

The 2000′s have produced not much more success then the 1990′s did. The Bengals since 2000 have only made the playoffs one time in 2005 winning the AFC North with a 11-5 record. The Bengals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who eventually would go on to win Super Bowl XL, in the first round 31-17. There are positives within the Bengals organization, with quarterback Carson Palmer the Bengals have someone to build a team around.

Buffalo Bills

Neal — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:25:54 +0000

The Buffalo Bills became a member of the American Football League in 1959. Not until 1963 did the Bills have the on field success they were looking for ending in a tie for the AFL Eastern Division title. The next two seasons saw the Bills win the AFL Championship defeating the San Diego Chargers in 1964 20-7 and 1965 23-0. The Bills played in a their third consecutive AFL Championship game but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-7. After there very successful beginnings the Bills found themselves at the bottom of the league winning only thirteen games in the next five seasons.After a dismal few years the Bills became competitive once again with running back Orenthal James or better knows as O.J. Simpson.

Simpson was the number one overall pink in the 1969 draft by the Bills and made an immediate impact in the Pro’s. Simpson set the then record for rushing yards in a single season with 2,003 becoming the first player do to so and also winning the Most Valuable Player award. Simpson was selected to the 1970′s All Decade team and elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

As the 1980′s wore on the Bills began to see the makings of a successful team again as in the 1960′s. Quarterback Jim Kelly was selected in the 1983 draft but didn’t start for the Bills until 1986 because he choose to play in the United States Football League. In addition to Kelly in 1988 running back Thurman Thomas was selected. The Bills were on the verge of making NFL history, but not in the ideal way. The Bills would play in four consecutive Super Bowls from 1991-1994 which has never been done before, sadly, losing all. The Bills first Super Bowl appearance was the closest game of all with the Bills losing 20-19, making it the closest Super Bowl ever. The flowwong year the Bills made the second appearance against the Washington Redskins losing 37-24. Thurman Thomas lead the league in rushing that year winning the Most Valuable Player. The Bills lost to the Dallas Cowboys the next two years in games that were not very competitive, 52-17 and 30-13. The Bills were victims of a much better Dallas Cowboy team lead by quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin. Appearing in four straight Super Bowl will probably never happen again, or if it does it will be a very long time. What the Buffalo Bills accomplished overall was still very impressive. While the ultimate prize is to win the Super Bowl, appearing four straight times is something to be proud of.

In 1993 the Bills were apart of more history as well beating the Houston Oilers in overtime in the AFC Wild Card game coming from thirty-two points down to win 41-38. What is more remarkable about that victory is that it was won with the Bills backup QB Frank Reich when starting QB Jim Kelly suffered ligament damage to his knee.

Over the last decade the Bills have had little to be happy about making the playoffs one once in 1999 losing to the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card game. The Buffalo Bills play in the AFC East with the New England Patriots, New York Jets, and the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots have dominated the division the last ten years. The Buffalo Bills are long over do for more success like they had in the 1990′s.