List of the Day: Best Rushing Seasons, 1930s NFL

TOP 10*
1- Beattie Feathers, 1934 Chicago Bears
1004 yards, 119 att., 8.4 avg., 8 TD

2- Cliff Battles, 1937 Washington Redskins
874 yards, 216 att., 4.0 avg., 5 TD

3- Tuffy Leemans, 1936 New York Giants
830 yards, 206 att., 4.0 avg., 2 TD

4- Ace Gutowsky, 1936 Detroit Lions
827 yards, 191 att., 4.3 avg., 6 TD

5- Jim Musick, 1933 Boston Redskins
809 yards, 173 att., 4.7 avg., 5 TD

6- Swede Hanson, 1934 Philadelphia Eagles
805 yards, 146 att., 5.5 avg., 7 TD

7- Dutch Clark, 1934 Detroit Lions
763 yards, 123 att., 6.2 avg., 8 TD

8- Cliff Battles, 1933 Boston Redskins
737 yards, 136 att., 5.4 avg., 3 TD

9- Bill Osmanski, 1939 Chicago Bears
699 yards, 121 att., 5.8 avg., 7 TD

10-Dutch Clark, 1936 Detroit Lions
628 yards, 123 att., 5.1 avg., 7 TD


Cliff Battles



Tuffy Leemans



Ace Gutowsky


BEST BY FRANCHISES NOT IN TOP 10
Chicago Cardinals: George Grosvenor, 1936
609 yards, 169 att., 3.6 avg., 4 TD

Pittsburgh Pirates: Whizzer White, 1938
567 yards, 152 att., 3.7 avg., 4 TD

Green Bay Packers: Clarke Hinkle, 1937
552 yards, 129 att., 4.3 avg., 5 TD

Brooklyn Dodgers: Bobby Wilson, 1936
505 yards, 104 att., 4.9 avg., 3 TD

Cleveland Rams: Parker Hall, 1939
458 yards, 120 att., 3.8 avg., 2 TD

Staten Island Stapletons: Doug Wycoff, 1932**
454 yards, 135 att., 3.4 avg., 1 TD

Cincinnati Reds: Red Corzine, 1933***
239 yards, 100 att., 2.4 avg., 1 TD

St. Louis Gunners: Swede Johnston, 1934****
84 yards, 35 att., 2.4 avg., 1 TD

*Statistics available from 1932 on
** Stapletons folded after 1932 season
*** Reds played in 1933-34
****Gunners played three games in 1934


Dutch Clark



Whizzer White



Clarke Hinkle

1997: Bill Parcells Becomes Head Coach of New York Jets

On February 11, 1997 the New York Jets finally were able to sign the head coach they wanted, Bill Parcells. It was not an easily done deal for the franchise that had gone 4-28 in two seasons under Rich Kotite and had not been over .500 in any of the previous eight years.

Bill Parcells had established himself as a winning NFL coach with New York’s other team, the Giants, where he led the club to two championships and five postseason berths from 1983 through ’90. After retreating to the broadcast booth for two years, he had turned around a New England Patriots team that had been in a prolonged slump and reached the playoffs twice more, including a Super Bowl appearance following the 1996 season.

However, before the Patriots faced Green Bay in the Super Bowl there was already speculation that Parcells wanted to leave. He clashed with owner Robert Kraft and was dissatisfied with his level of input into player personnel decisions. Following the 35-21 loss to the Packers, Parcells left the Patriots.

Parcells wasn’t ready to step away from the sideline and sought to fill the Jets opening. Kraft made clear that Parcells had to abide by the terms of his contract, which meant he couldn’t coach any team but the Patriots in 1997. The Jets therefore announced that they would hire Parcells as a consultant to the team, and his chief assistant coach, Bill Belichick, would become head coach.

Kraft was not about to accept such an arrangement, and Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was forced to intervene. The commissioner agreed with Kraft that the consulting arrangement was unacceptable, and brokered an agreement between the teams that freed Parcells to become coach of the Jets at the expense of four draft picks, including a first round choice in 1999.

The Jets finally had Parcells as head coach; Belichick settled for assistant head coach (he would, of course, eventually make his way back to the Patriots with significant results). The new coach set about changing the makeup and attitude of the team. Following the 1-15 record of 1996, the ’97 Jets went 9-7 and nearly made the postseason. RB Adrian Murrell had a second straight thousand-yard rushing season (1086). The youthful receiving corps made progress, led by brash second-year WR Keyshawn Johnson (70 catches for 963 yards). The linebacking corps that included Marvin Jones and Mo Lewis, as well as aging ex-Giant Pepper Johnson, and CB Aaron Glenn highlighted the defense.

Quarterback was a problem area, where veteran Neil O’Donnell ran afoul of Parcells and was replaced by the gunslinging Glenn Foley until Foley fell to a knee injury. The offensive and defensive lines were ordinary at best, and the same could be said of the secondary aside from Glenn. Still, the club gave up far fewer points in ’97 (287) as opposed to the disastrous 1996 season (454)

The Jets took a major plunge into the free agent market for 1998 and it paid off with key acquisitions in QB Vinny Testaverde, RB Curtis Martin (who had played for Parcells in New England), C Kevin Mawae, and LB Bryan Cox. All excelled – in particular Testaverde – and the team surged to 12-4, making it all the way to the AFC Championship game before falling to the Denver Broncos.

The Jets dropped to 8-8 in 1999, the last season with Parcells at the helm. While he failed to make the Super Bowl with the Jets, as he had with the Giants and Patriots, his overall record was 29-19 in the regular season, 1-1 in the playoffs. It was a significant turnaround for the franchise, and the team put together winning records in the next three seasons following Parcells’ departure. The price for landing the coach known as “the Big Tuna” had been high, but he had brought much-needed respectability.

1961: AFL Approves Move of Chargers From LA to San Diego

The Los Angeles Chargers of the new American Football League had a very solid first season on the field. Owned by hotel executive Barron Hilton, the Chargers entered the AFL’s first year with the best known of the new league’s head coaches, Sid Gillman, who had been in charge of the Rams from 1955-59. He also served as general manager after Frank Leahy, the former Notre Dame head coach who originally served in the position, resigned due to bad health. Unlike many of the franchises in the fledgling league, there was ample money to spend on the organization and Hilton was willing to do so.

Gillman was an innovative thinker when it came to offense in general and the passing game in particular. The Chargers had the top-ranked passer in the league in 1960 with QB Jack Kemp (pictured with Gillman below), a native Southern Californian who had played college football at Occidental and been rejected by the NFL. HB Paul Lowe was the AFL’s second-ranked rusher with 855 yards for a league-high 6.3 yards-per-carry. They were both All-AFL selections, as were rookie OT Ron Mix and CB Dick Harris. Other standouts were offensive end Howard Clark, OT Ernie Wright, DE Ron Nery, DT Volney Peters, and linebacker/punter Paul Maguire. The team easily won the Western Division with a 10-4 record and lost an exciting league championship contest to the Houston Oilers (see Jan. 1).


However, the problem was that in Los Angeles, few seemed to notice and turnout was low. Average attendance for the seven home games was 15,768, which didn’t compare badly to some of the other teams but was far too low for Los Angeles, particularly when playing in the cavernous Memorial Coliseum (capacity for football at that time was over 101,000). A low turnout of 9928 as the Chargers hosted Denver was particularly embarrassing, and just 11,457 were present for the final home game against the New York Titans.

Hilton had lost some $900,000 over the course of the season and decided before it was concluded that he would move the franchise. Jack Murphy, a respected sportswriter for the San Diego Union, became aware of the situation with the Chargers and spearheaded a drive by civic leaders in San Diego to persuade Hilton to move the club down the coast.

It was agreed that the local football field, Balboa Stadium (pictured above in 1964), would be double-decked to increase the seating capacity from 15,000 to 34,000 and that the Chargers would be rent-free tenants. On February 10, 1961 the American Football League granted approval to Hilton to move the team to San Diego. It was the league’s first franchise shift, and the only one following the ’60 season.

San Diego proved more welcoming to the Chargers, where they didn’t have to compete directly against an NFL team – or, for that matter, a major league club in any other sport - and were immediately embraced by the community. 20,216 fans attended the home opener in ’61 against the weak Oakland Raiders, and the crowds steadily grew with each game to a high of 33,788 when the Dallas Texans came to town. The overall average was 27,859 as the team again won the division title. They hosted the championship game, and lost again to the Oilers before a somewhat disappointing Christmas Eve crowd of 29,556. But the league showed its commitment to San Diego as Balboa Stadium hosted the first AFL All-Star game on January 7, 1962.

The Chargers remained an exciting and competitive team throughout the decade of the AFL’s existence prior to the merger in 1970, winning a championship along the way. Barron Hilton sold his controlling interest in the team in 1966. Sid Gillman remained with the organization beyond the merger until 1971, taking a hiatus from coaching during the ’69 season due to health issues; he returned for ten games in ‘71 before leaving the front office as well as the sideline. Overall, he accounted for an 86-53-6 regular season record, although the Chargers were just 1-4 in the postseason.

List of the Day: 1000-Yard Receivers, Other Leagues

AAFC
(All-America Football Conference, 1946-49)

Mac Speedie (pictured above)
Cleveland Browns, 1947-49
(1947-67 rec., 1146 yds., 17.1 avg., 6 TD)
(1949-62 rec., 1028 yds., 16.6 avg., 7 TD)

WFL
(World Football League, 1974-75)


Tim Delaney (pictured above)
The Hawaiians, 1974
(89 rec., 1232 yds., 13.8 avg., 8 TD)

Alfred Jenkins
Birmingham Americans, 1974
(60 rec., 1326 yds., 22.1 avg., 12 TD)

Ed Marshall
Memphis Southmen, 1974
(60 rec., 1159 yds., 19.3 avg., 19 TD)


USFL
(United States Football League, 1983-85)

Alton Alexis
Jacksonville Bulls, 1985
(83 rec., 1118 yds., 13.5 avg., 5 TD)

Gordon Banks
Oakland Invaders, 1985
(62 rec., 1115 yds., 18.0 avg., 5 TD)

Larry Brodsky
Tampa Bay Bandits, 1985
(69 rec., 1071 yds., 15.5 avg., 7 TD)

Danny Buggs
Tampa Bay Bandits, 1983
(76 rec., 1146 yds., 15.1 avg., 5 TD)

Anthony Carter (pictured below)
Michigan Panthers, 1983
(60 rec., 1181 yds., 19.7 avg., 9 TD)
Oakland Invaders, 1985
(70 rec., 1323 yds., 18.9 avg., 14 TD)


Derrick Crawford
Memphis Showboats, 1985
(70 rec., 1057 yds., 15.1 avg., 9 TD)

Lonnie Harris
Denver Gold, 1985
(101 rec., 1432 yds., 14.2 avg., 8 TD)

Derek Holloway
Michigan Panthers, 1984
(62 rec., 1219 yds., 19.7 avg., 9 TD)

Richard Johnson (pictured at bottom)
Houston Gamblers, 1984-85
(1984-115 rec., 1455 yds., 12.7 avg., 15 TD)
(1985-103 rec., 1384 yds., 13.4 avg., 14 TD)

Trumaine Johnson (pictured below)
Chicago Blitz, 1983
(81 rec., 1322 yds., 16.3 avg., 10 TD)
Arizona Wranglers, 1984
(90 rec., 1268 yds., 14.1 avg., 13 TD)


Marc Lewis
Denver Gold, 1985
(75 rec., 1207 yds., 16.1 avg., 6 TD)

Frank Lockett
New Orleans Breakers, 1984
(56 rec., 1199 yds., 21.4 avg., 8 TD)

Gerald McNeil
Houston Gamblers, 1985
(58 rec., 1017 yds., 17.5 avg., 6 TD)

Greg Moser
Memphis Showboats, 1985
(57 rec., 1145 yds., 20.1 avg., 6 TD)

Ricky Sanders (pictured below)
Houston Gamblers, 1984
(101 rec., 1378 yds., 13.6 avg., 11 TD)


Charlie Smith
Boston Breakers, 1983
(54 rec., 1009 yds., 18.7 avg., 5 TD)

Jim Smith
Birmingham Stallions, 1984-85
(1984-89 rec., 1481 yds., 16.6 avg., 8 TD)
(1985-87 rec., 1322 yds., 15.2 avg., 20 TD)

Eric Truvillion (pictured below)
Tampa Bay Bandits, 1983
(66 rec., 1080 yds., 16.4 avg., 15 TD)


Clarence Verdin
Houston Gamblers, 1985
(84 rec., 1004 yds., 12.0 avg., 9 TD)

Joey Walters
Washington Federals, 1984
(98 rec., 1410 yds., 14.4 avg., 13 TD)

Alphonso Williams
Oklahoma Outlaws, 1984
(50 rec., 1087 yds., 21.7 avg., 7 TD)

1976: Dick Vermeil Hired as Head Coach by Philadelphia Eagles

Since winning the NFL Championship in 1960 under Head Coach Buck Shaw, who promptly retired, the Philadelphia Eagles had gone through a long period of successive coaching failures. Through the 1975 season the Eagles had five coaches, who combined for a won-lost record of 74-127-9 with just two winning years along the way. The last of those, Mike McCormack, went 16-25-1 from 1973 to ’75 and was let go.

Owner Leonard Tose had hired three of those coaches since taking over the team in 1969, and interviewed several candidates for the latest vacancy, including those with pro head coaching experience such as Hank Stram and Allie Sherman, as well as Norm Van Brocklin, the quarterback of the 1960 championship team who had gone on to coach the Vikings and Falcons. On February 8, 1976 he signed 39-year-old Dick Vermeil, who had drawn national attention after coaching UCLA to an upset of top-ranked Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Vermeil had been an assistant coach at the pro level, having served as the first designated special teams coach in NFL history under George Allen with the Los Angeles Rams. He had led UCLA to an overall record of 15-5-3 over two seasons. Initially reluctant to accept the job, he was taking on the task of trying to turn around an organization that had been mired in losing and had mortgaged its future, primarily in deals for QB Roman Gabriel before the 1973 season and LB Bill Bergey in ’74. They did not have a draft choice until the fourth round in ’76 and the fifth round in ’77, and would not choose again in either the first or second round until 1979.

Vermeil was signed to a five-year contract and took the first season to evaluate the talent on hand. Gabriel was still with the team, but clearly on the downside of his career at age 36 and primarily utilized as a backup to the mediocre Mike Boryla. There was quality at tight end, where Charle Young was considered one of the league’s best (and was prone to being outspoken about that fact) and wide receiver, with 6’8” Harold Carmichael providing a big, if sometimes inconsistent, target.

Rookie FB Mike Hogan played well prior to an injury that ended his season after eight games, while veteran HB Tom Sullivan suffered through an injury-plagued campaign. The offensive line needed work, but had some promising players in tackles Jerry Sisemore and Stan Walters.

With a lack of quality defensive linemen and a better group of linebackers led by the All-Pro Bergey, Vermeil chose to use a 3-4 alignment. Strong safety Randy Logan was a rising star in the defensive backfield.

The biggest change Vermeil brought to the club from the beginning was intensity and a solid work ethic. He personified it by working long hours and often spending the night on a cot in his office at Veterans Stadium. It took time for the results to show, but when they did, the change was dramatic.

“I always had a sense that we were moving in the right direction,” Bergey said later. “Even in the early years when the wins were few and far between, we could see the intensity of the play picking up. Dick’s personality rubbed off on us.”

The wins were most definitely few and far between initially. The club duplicated the 1975 record of 4-10 in ’76, and was 5-9 in 1977. Young, who had become involved in a contract dispute, was traded to the Rams after the first year for QB Ron Jaworski (pictured with Vermeil below); “The Polish Rifle” took over the starting job and improved along with the team. Carmichael showed a greater maturity and became an even better receiver and team leader. At the end of the 1977 season, rookie Wilbert Montgomery emerged as a quality running back. Moreover, six of the nine losses were by six points or less, pointing to the increasing competitiveness of the team.

The hard work was rewarded in 1978, as the Eagles went 9-7 and earned a wild card playoff spot while Montgomery set a new team single-season rushing record with 1220 yards. The record improved to 11-5 and another wild card berth in ’79, and in 1980 Philadelphia won the NFC Championship with a 12-4 tally, although they faltered badly in the Super Bowl. Some fans and commentators blamed Vermeil for allowing the team to become too tight going into the Super Bowl, and the loss seemed to be a negative turning point for both the coach and team.

While the club got off to a 6-0 start in 1981, it faltered in the second half and just made it into the postseason as a wild card entry with a 10-6 tally; they lost to the Giants in the first round. It was the first time that the team had failed to improve on the previous year’s showing since Vermeil had arrived.

The Eagles went 3-6 in the strike-shortened 1982 season, and Vermeil resigned, citing burnout. The emotional Vermeil’s intensity had ultimately proved to be his undoing in Philadelphia. He left with an overall record of 57-51.

Vermeil moved to the broadcast booth and did not return to coaching until he signed on with the Rams fifteen years later in 1997 (after flirting with the idea of coming back to the Eagles in 1995). But from 1976 through ’80, he turned a perennially losing team into a contender and was twice selected as NFC Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America for his efforts.

List of the Day: First 1000-Yard Receiver for Each Current AFC Franchise

(In chronological order)


Browns: Mac Speedie, 1947
(67 rec., 1146 yds., 17.1 avg., 6 TD)

Broncos: Lionel Taylor, 1960 (pictured above)
(92 rec., 1235 yds., 13.4 avg., 12 TD)

Colts: Raymond Berry, 1960 (pictured below #82)
(74 rec., 1298 yds., 17.5 avg., 10 TD)



Jets/Titans: Don Maynard & Art Powell, 1960
(Maynard – 72 rec., 1265 yds., 17.6 avg., 6 TD)
(Powell – 69 rec., 1167 yds., 16.9 avg., 14 TD) (pictured above #84)

Titans/Oilers: Bill Groman, 1960
(72 rec., 1473 yds., 20.5 avg., 12 TD)

Chargers: Dave Kocurek, 1961
(55 rec., 1055 yds., 19.2 avg., 4 TD)

Steelers: Buddy Dial, 1961 (pictured below)
(53 rec., 1047 yds., 19.8 avg., 12 TD)



Raiders: Art Powell, 1963 (pictured above)
(73 rec., 1304 yds., 17.9 avg., 16 TD)

Bills: Elbert Dubenion, 1964 (pictured at bottom #44)
(42 rec., 1139 yds., 27.1 avg., 10 TD)

Chiefs: Otis Taylor, 1966 (pictured below)
(58 rec., 1297 yds., 22.4 avg., 8 TD)


Patriots: Harold Jackson & Stanley Morgan, 1979
(Jackson – 45 rec., 1013 yds., 22.5 avg., 7 TD)
(Morgan – 44 rec., 1002 yds., 22.8 avg., 12 TD)

Bengals: Cris Collinsworth, 1981
(67 rec., 1009 yds., 15.1 avg., 8 TD)

Dolphins: Mark Duper, 1983 (pictured below)
(51 rec., 1003 yds., 19.7 avg., 10 TD)


Jaguars: Jimmy Smith & Keenan McCardell, 1996
(Smith – 83 rec., 1244 yds., 15.0 avg., 7 TD)
(McCardell – 85 rec., 1129 yds., 13.3 avg., 3 TD)

Ravens: Michael Jackson & Derrick Alexander, 1996
(Jackson – 76 rec., 1201 yds., 15.8 avg., 14 TD)
(Alexander – 62 rec., 1099 yds., 17.7 avg., 9 TD)

Texans: Andre Johnson, 2004 (pictured below #80)
(79 rec., 1142 yds., 14.5 avg., 6 TD)

2006: Steelers Defeat Seahawks in Super Bowl XL

The Super Bowl following the 2005 season matched a team that had won four Super Bowls (as opposed to one loss) against a club that had never vied for the league championship before.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, under Head Coach Bill Cowher, had typically contended in recent years, even if they had not won a Super Bowl since the ’79 season. Second-year QB Ben Roethlisberger had built upon his outstanding rookie season to lead the NFL in percentage of touchdown passes (6.3) and yards per attempt (8.9). He missed three games during the regular season to a knee injury and the Steelers lost two of them – testimony to his value to the team. While the outstanding career of RB Jerome Bettis was winding down, Willie Parker stepped into the starting role and gained 1202 yards. WR Hines Ward led the receiving corps with 69 catches for 975 yards and 11 TDs. The solid 3-4 defense featured NT Casey Hampton, linebackers Joey Porter and Clark Haggans, and SS Troy Polamalu.

Pittsburgh came in second in the AFC North at 11-5, qualifying them for a wild card showdown with division rival Cincinnati, also 11-5 but ahead of the Steelers due to a better division record. Pittsburgh won handily and then defeated the Colts in the Divisional round and Denver for the AFC title.

The NFC champions were the Seattle Seahawks, appearing in their first Super Bowl. Seattle, under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, had won the NFC West with a conference-best 13-3 record. The two key offensive performers were RB Shaun Alexander, who set a then-league record with 28 touchdowns while leading the NFL with 1880 yards on the ground, and QB Matt Hasselbeck, who completed a career-high 65.5 percent of his passes for 3459 yards with 24 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. Key defensive performers included NT Chuck Darby and LB Lofa Tatupu. The Seahawks defeated Washington in the Divisional playoff and Carolina for the conference title.

There were 68,206 in attendance at Detroit’s Ford Field for Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006. What they saw in the first half was a low-scoring defensive battle. An apparent 17-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck to WR Darrell Jackson late in the first quarter was called back for offensive pass interference; Seattle had to settle for a 47-yard field goal by Josh Brown instead.


Roethlisberger, meanwhile, started slowly, completing just one of five passes in the first quarter for one yard. But late in the second quarter he made big plays to get the Steelers on the scoreboard. First, he ducked the pass rush to throw a shovel pass to Ward that gained 12 yards on a third-and-six play. Then, with third-and-28 on the Seattle 40, he ran out of the pocket and, just short of the line of scrimmage, threw a deep pass that Ward hauled in for a 37-yard gain to the three yard line. On a broken play two snaps later, the big (6’5”, 240-pound) quarterback dove and barely made it into the end zone from a yard out (pictured). While Seattle reached the Pittsburgh 40 with under a minute remaining, Brown’s 54-yard field goal attempt was wide and the Steelers took a 7-3 lead into halftime.


On the second play of the third quarter, Parker broke loose for a Super Bowl-record 75-yard touchdown run and a 14-3 lead (pictured at left). The Seahawks attempted a field goal on their next possession, but Brown again missed a long attempt, this one from 50 yards.

Pittsburgh drove deep into Seattle territory and looked set to break the game open, but Roethlisberger’s third-down pass at the seven yard line was intercepted by CB Kelly Herndon, who returned it 76 yards to the Pittsburgh 20. The Seahawks took full advantage of the break, with Hasselbeck hitting TE Jerramy Stevens for a 16-yard touchdown. Rather than a commanding lead, the Steelers now led by just 14-10 with 6:45 to play in the third quarter.

The contest moved into the fourth quarter, and Seattle again drove into Pittsburgh territory. However, a poorly thrown pass by Hasselbeck was intercepted by Steelers CB Ike Taylor. Three plays later, Parker took a handoff and in turn handed the ball off on a reverse to WR Antwaan Randle El, who hit Ward on a pass that covered 43 yards and scored the touchdown that, for all intents, sealed the game with just under nine minutes remaining (pictured at bottom).

Seattle had to punt on the next possession, and there was only 1:51 left on the clock when the offense next got the ball; the Seahawks got to the Pittsburgh 23 as time expired. The Steelers had their fifth Super Bowl championship by a 21-10 final score.

Hines Ward (pictured at top) was the game’s MVP with 5 pass receptions for 123 yards and a TD, as well as the big play that set up the first Pittsburgh score. Ben Roethlisberger had his difficulties as he completed just 9 of 21 passes for 123 yards with two intercepted, but in the end he had the distinction of becoming the youngest Super Bowl-winning quarterback (23). With the long scoring run, Willie Parker led the rushing attack with 93 yards on 10 carries. Jerome Bettis, in the last game of his career and playing in his hometown, ran for 43 yards on 14 attempts.

The Seahawks outgained the Steelers, 396 yards to 339, and had the advantage in first downs with 20 to 14. Matt Hasselbeck went to the air 49 times, completing 26, for 273 yards with a TD and an interception. Shaun Alexander gained 95 yards on 20 carries. WR Bobby Engram caught the most passes, with 6 for 70 yards, while WR Joe Jurevicius gained the most receiving yards with 93 on his 5 receptions.

For Bill Cowher, it was his first championship after coaching the team into the postseason in 10 of 14 seasons. The fifth Super Bowl victory put the Steelers in a tie with the 49ers and Cowboys for the most; they would win a sixth following the 2008 season. In between, Pittsburgh dropped to 8-8 in 2006, Cowher’s final year; they were back in the postseason in ’07 and won the title in ’08.

Seattle won the West Division in each of the next two seasons, but with weaker records followed by losses in the Divisional round to exit the postseason.