Guys, this is going to be a long post, but it'll be worth the long read.
When looking back, I think the 1994 NFL season is the true epitome of a crossroads season- where past and present met head-on, and things changed before and after. For this one glorious year, many things converged head-on.
It was a season of beginnings and endings.
Consider:
It was the NFL's 75th Anniversary Season (IMO, it began the era of the throwback football jerseys becoming really popular.), historic in its own right.
It was the first year that NFL games were televised on FOX (CBS lost the rights to NFC games after a long, long reign- though they did get it back in 1998), and thus began the brief but memorable three year run of FOX and NBC televising the bulk of the games.
It was also a personal crossroads for me- my family moved from Bufalo to Kenosha in July 1994- the day after the MLB All-Star Game, but that's another story for another time- and it marked a change. In Buffalo, I mainly saw Bills games, AFC East games, and NFC East games on CBS. Now, I would mainly get midwestern games (i.e. the NFC Central) and not see my adopted team as frequently as I used to.
It was the final year of legendary Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana, and the rookie year of a player who may make the Hall of Fame itself one day- Marshall Faulk. I'm not comparing the two historically, but it's among the many examples of an old lion exiting and a young liong entering- an all-time great offensive player exiting, and a soon-to-be-great offensive player entering (Another example- in 1998, Peyton Manning's rookie season coincided with John Elway's last. Ditto for Kurt Warner, Dan Marino, and Steve Young in 1999).
(Another great player who played his last game that year was Sterling Sharpe. IMO, he's the ultimate "cut down in his prime" wide reciever of my lifetime.)
As of today, it was the last time that Los Angeles would have a pro football team- the Rams and Raiders played their last games in the City of Angels before they moved to St. Louis and Oakland, respectively.
That was a year in which the NFL made rule changes to improve offenses. If anyone remembers, the previous season, there seemed to be a lot of field goals being kicked and a lot fewer touchdowns. If anyone remembers these problems, this S.I. Vault article will explain them: Pro football might still be America's favorite game, but - 12.06.93 - SI Vault
Here were the rule changes:
It was the 25th Anniversary of Monday Night Football, where there were so many great games that year: Rice broke the touchdown record in a rout of the Raiders (no offense, Salsa); Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith had a brilliant night of running, the Packers/Bears Halloween game with A-W-F-U-L weather.
It was a year when franchise fortunes changed for better or worse. The New England Patriots started their ascent to greatness, while the Houston Oilers collapsed amid the trade of Warren Moon (It was also the year Jeff Fisher got his first job as head coach- as of today, he's the game longest-tenured sideline boss). Also, the old Browns had one last great year, while the Bills long-reign as AFC Champs ended with a thud.
It was the year Arrowhead Stadium switched from turf to grass (coincidentally, they have not won a playoff game since they made the switch. Maybe that's a reason
), the Bears won their last playoff game for 13 years, and the Chargers made their only Super Bowl to date.
It was the apex of the 49ers/Cowboys 1990s rivalry. Many in the media painted them as being a cut above all the other teams (one columnist called the NFL a two-team league.
:rant
ala the Patriots and Colts of a few years ago. (Sports Illustrated dubbed their NFC Title game 'The Real Super Bowl.")
When looking back, I think the 1994 NFL season is the true epitome of a crossroads season- where past and present met head-on, and things changed before and after. For this one glorious year, many things converged head-on.
It was a season of beginnings and endings.
Consider:
It was the NFL's 75th Anniversary Season (IMO, it began the era of the throwback football jerseys becoming really popular.), historic in its own right.
It was the first year that NFL games were televised on FOX (CBS lost the rights to NFC games after a long, long reign- though they did get it back in 1998), and thus began the brief but memorable three year run of FOX and NBC televising the bulk of the games.
It was also a personal crossroads for me- my family moved from Bufalo to Kenosha in July 1994- the day after the MLB All-Star Game, but that's another story for another time- and it marked a change. In Buffalo, I mainly saw Bills games, AFC East games, and NFC East games on CBS. Now, I would mainly get midwestern games (i.e. the NFC Central) and not see my adopted team as frequently as I used to.
It was the final year of legendary Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana, and the rookie year of a player who may make the Hall of Fame itself one day- Marshall Faulk. I'm not comparing the two historically, but it's among the many examples of an old lion exiting and a young liong entering- an all-time great offensive player exiting, and a soon-to-be-great offensive player entering (Another example- in 1998, Peyton Manning's rookie season coincided with John Elway's last. Ditto for Kurt Warner, Dan Marino, and Steve Young in 1999).
(Another great player who played his last game that year was Sterling Sharpe. IMO, he's the ultimate "cut down in his prime" wide reciever of my lifetime.)
As of today, it was the last time that Los Angeles would have a pro football team- the Rams and Raiders played their last games in the City of Angels before they moved to St. Louis and Oakland, respectively.
That was a year in which the NFL made rule changes to improve offenses. If anyone remembers, the previous season, there seemed to be a lot of field goals being kicked and a lot fewer touchdowns. If anyone remembers these problems, this S.I. Vault article will explain them: Pro football might still be America's favorite game, but - 12.06.93 - SI Vault
Here were the rule changes:
It was the 25th Anniversary of Monday Night Football, where there were so many great games that year: Rice broke the touchdown record in a rout of the Raiders (no offense, Salsa); Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith had a brilliant night of running, the Packers/Bears Halloween game with A-W-F-U-L weather.
It was a year when franchise fortunes changed for better or worse. The New England Patriots started their ascent to greatness, while the Houston Oilers collapsed amid the trade of Warren Moon (It was also the year Jeff Fisher got his first job as head coach- as of today, he's the game longest-tenured sideline boss). Also, the old Browns had one last great year, while the Bills long-reign as AFC Champs ended with a thud.
It was the year Arrowhead Stadium switched from turf to grass (coincidentally, they have not won a playoff game since they made the switch. Maybe that's a reason
), the Bears won their last playoff game for 13 years, and the Chargers made their only Super Bowl to date.It was the apex of the 49ers/Cowboys 1990s rivalry. Many in the media painted them as being a cut above all the other teams (one columnist called the NFL a two-team league.
:rant ala the Patriots and Colts of a few years ago. (Sports Illustrated dubbed their NFC Title game 'The Real Super Bowl.")
