1923: Cub Buck Punts 19 Times as Packers Edge St. Louis All-Stars

In the early days of pro football, versatility was a prized asset in a player, and kicking was among the most important skills. There were no specialists at that time, and punting was significant in what were often low-scoring, defense-dominated games that turned on the battle for field position. Howard “Cub” Buck of the Green Bay Packers was a tackle who could also kick, and on November 4, 1923 he set an unofficial record for punts in a game with 19 (the NFL didn’t officially keep punting statistics until the 1930s).

Buck was one of the biggest players of his era, listed at 6’0” and around 260 pounds (sometimes as high as 280). An All-American in college at Wisconsin, he had joined the pre-NFL Canton Bulldogs in 1916, where he blocked for the legendary Jim Thorpe and was involved with college coaching on the side (in 1917, he became head coach at Carleton College). The Packers signed Buck upon joining the new American Professional Football Association (still a year away from being renamed the National Football League) at $75 per game. He was worth it, for by all accounts he was an outstanding tackle on both offense and defense and, of course, could kick.

The Packers came into the game at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis with a 2-2-1 record and were trying to keep pace with the Bulldogs and Chicago Bears in the divisionless league’s standings.

The ambitiously-named All-Stars, owned and coached by Ollie Kraehe (who also played guard), were anything but. In their first (and only) season in the NFL, they had yet to score a point in any of their four league games (they had beaten the non-league Murphysboro All-Stars 25-0 in their opening contest), although thanks to two of the games having ended in scoreless ties the record was 0-2-2. As attested to by the two 0-0 games, one of which was against the Packers in Green Bay, the defense didn’t give up many points – a total of 12 in the two losses.

The turf was muddy and playing for field position was even more the order of the day than usual. The crowd on hand numbered a modest 750. Green Bay had the ball 14 times in the first half, with the result being 11 punts and a missed field goal attempt, all by Buck, and two turnovers. Late in the third quarter, a 50-yard punt by Buck was fumbled by back Eber Simpson and recovered by the Packers at the St. Louis 16. Following two short running plays, Buck kicked a 20-yard field goal. It was all Green Bay would need.

On the Packers’ next possession, Buck quick-kicked on first down and the punt sailed 60 yards to pin the All-Stars inside their ten yard line. The Packers turned the ball over twice more in the fourth quarter, but Buck’s punting continued to keep St. Louis stuck in its own territory and Green Bay came away with a 3-0 win.

Highlighting the difference in the style of play at that time, of Buck’s 19 punts, five were on first down, one on second, eight on third, and just five on fourth down. Buck also completed a 13-yard pass to tailback Curly Lambeau (also the team’s organizer and coach) out of punt formation. While there was no precise total for the punting yardage, it is estimated that he averaged 31 yards per kick. Considering the conditions – and the likelihood that the same, sodden ball was in play throughout – it was an impressive performance.

The Packers won their four remaining league games to finish third in the league with a 7-2-1 record. In those four contests, they gave up a total of seven points. St. Louis won its next game, scoring its only points of the season in a 14-7 verdict over Jim Thorpe’s Oorang Indians, and ended up in 14th place at 1-4-2 (their last scheduled NFL game was cancelled and they lost their finale, a non-league game at Benld, Illinois). The league withdrew the franchise the following year.

Cub Buck tied for fifth in the NFL with six field goals and added five extra points for a total of 23 points. It was his best season for placekicking and scoring – and, at least in one game, for punting. He played another two seasons, through 1925, and retired to become head coach at the University of Miami.

The official league record for punts in a game is currently 16, by Leo Araguz of the Raiders against San Diego in 1998. But at least unofficially, Buck has held the record for 88 years.

As a footnote, for any of the chief rivals to the NFL where the statistics are available, the record was 11 in the All-America Football Conference, World Football League, and United States Football League (in the AAFC, it was accomplished by Glenn Dobbs of the Los Angeles Dons vs. the New York Yankees in a 1949 game; Florida’s Billy Hobbs punted that many times in a 1974 WFL game against Houston; and in the USFL, Dario Casarino of the Boston Breakers reached 11 against the Chicago Blitz in 1983).

1980: Sipe & Pruitt Propel Browns Past Bears

There was a big crowd of 83,224 present at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium on November 3, 1980 for a Monday night game between the host Browns and Chicago Bears. Hopes were high for the Browns, coached by pass-oriented Sam Rutigliano, who were riding a three-game winning streak coming into the contest, overcoming a slow 2-3 start and giving them an overall record of 5-3. The key to the offense was 31-year-old QB Brian Sipe (pictured at right), who had slowly developed into a daring and exciting passer capable of pulling games out in the final minutes. FB Mike Pruitt provided power and pass receiving ability out of the backfield, and the receiving corps of TE Ozzie Newsome and wide receivers Dave Logan and Reggie Rucker was reliable.

Meanwhile the Bears, coached by Neill Armstrong, were 3-5 after losing at Philadelphia the week before. The offense was heavily dependent on RB Walter Payton, who had led the NFC in rushing in each of the past four seasons (and the entire NFL once, in 1977) and came into the game against the Browns ranked third. QB Vince Evans, who had taken over for ineffective veteran Mike Phipps, was mobile and could throw long. The defense was typically rugged and had given up a total of just 37 points over the previous four games.

A steady rain was falling throughout the contest. Following a three-and-out possession by the Bears to start the game, the Browns scored the first time they had the ball, moving from their 41 yard line to the Chicago 14, but a penalty wiped out an apparent scoring pass to Rucker and they settled for a 23-yard field goal by Don Cockroft.

The Browns again drove into Chicago territory, but LB Jerry Muckensturm intercepted a Sipe pass at the 17. However, the Cleveland defense stifled the Bears in the first half - Chicago didn’t get its initial first down of the game until six minutes into the second quarter.

Sipe, who wasn’t sharp in the first half, was intercepted a second time in Bears territory. It snuffed out a promising drive, as CB Len Walterscheid picked off the pass at the 14. The Bears were unable to capitalize when Bob Thomas missed a 35-yard field goal attempt. The Browns took over with 3:22 on the clock and put together a nine-play, 80-yard drive in which Sipe completed four passes and HB Greg Pruitt had a 15-yard run. Sipe finished it off by throwing to Rucker, who made a shoestring catch for a four-yard touchdown with 57 seconds remaining in the half.

Cleveland had only a 10-0 lead at halftime despite dominating the Bears in the first half, with 241 yards and 18 first downs to Chicago’s 62 yards and two first downs.

The Browns took the second half kickoff and drove 56 yards in 14 plays. However, after getting a first-and-goal on the nine, on third-and-seven Sipe was sacked by DE Mike Hartenstine for a 16-yard loss and Cockroft ended up kicking a second field goal from 42 yards through the rain and swirling wind.

Still in the third quarter, the Bears finally got on the board. Evans threw to TE Robin Earl for a 24-yard gain, ran for 12 yards, and then finished off the seven-play, 54-yard drive with a seven-yard scoring run with 1:10 left in the period. The Bears were also helped along the way by a late hit call on Browns SS Clarence Scott.

The Browns were forced to punt on their next series, but it was a good one by Johnny Evans that traveled 56 yards and gave the Bears the ball on their own 18. The Bears again moved down the field, but Vince Evans was intercepted by CB Ron Bolton at the Cleveland 16. The Browns then drove 84 yards in 13 plays, capped by Mike Pruitt scoring from a yard out midway through the fourth quarter.

Chicago fought back, however, as Evans threw to WR Brian Baschnagel for a 17-yard TD three minutes later, again making it a six-point game. Following a 24-yard kickoff return by HB Dino Hall, the Browns took over at their own 35. Mike Pruitt ran for five yards and then Sipe threw to Rucker for four.

With the Bears defense massed at the line of scrimmage to stop the run, Pruitt took a pitchout and swept around the right side on a third-and-one play from his own 44, broke a tackle, received an outstanding block from WR Willis Adams, and then had nothing but open field as he ran 56 yards for a touchdown with 3:35 left on the clock.

Pruitt’s long scoring run effectively put the Browns out of reach. The Bears went 70 yards in 10 plays on their next drive and Evans threw a touchdown pass of six yards to Earl with 37 seconds to play, but the ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Browns to extinguish any remaining threat. Cleveland came away with a 27-21 win.

The Browns significantly outgained Chicago (432 yards to 275) and had more first downs (31 to 20). The defense did a good job of keeping the Bears in the game, in particular sacking Sipe – who had been sacked only six times in the previous games – a total of three times for 36 yards in losses. The Browns were hindered by the loss of OT Doug Dieken to a knee injury early in the contest.


Brian Sipe spread the ball around to eight different receivers as he completed 23 of 39 passes for 298 yards with a TD and two interceptions. Ozzie Newsome led the receivers with 5 catches for 97 yards. Mike Pruitt ran the ball 27 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns.

For the Bears, Vince Evans was successful on 18 of 33 throws for 201 yards with two touchdowns and one intercepted. The Cleveland defense held Walter Payton to 30 yards on 11 carries, and he carried only twice in the second half, although he co-led the club with 5 pass receptions, for 31 yards. Robin Earl also caught 5 passes and gained 63 yards with a TD.

The Browns continued to play well the rest of the way and won the AFC Central title with an 11-5 record. They lost a heartbreaker in the Divisional playoff round against the Raiders. Chicago continued to play inconsistently and finished at 7-9 and in third place in the NFC Central.

Brian Sipe had a career year as he led the league in passing (91.4 rating) and lowest percentage of interceptions (2.5) while ranking second in pass attempts (554), completions (337), yards (4132), and TD passes (30, tied with San Diego’s Dan Fouts and Vince Ferragamo of the Rams). He was named MVP by the Associated Press, Pro Football Writers of America, and The Sporting News, was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection, and was named to the Pro Bowl.

Mike Pruitt ranked eighth in the NFL with 1034 yards on 249 carries (4.2 avg.) and scored six touchdowns; he also led Cleveland with 63 pass receptions. Despite being stymied by the Browns, Walter Payton led the NFC in rushing for a fifth straight year with 1460 yards on 317 attempts (4.6 avg.) and six TDs, although the mobile Vince Evans led the club with 8 rushing touchdowns. Like Pruitt, Payton also led his team in pass receiving with 46 catches for 367 yards.

1969: Kilmer & Johnson Each Throw 6 TD Passes as Saints Hold Off Cards

The lowly New Orleans Saints were off to a 0-6 start prior to facing the St. Louis Cardinals on November 2, 1969, and it hardly seemed likely that they would do any better in Week 7. The Saints had scored a total of 91 points, an average of 15.2 per game, with a high of 20 in the season-opening contest against the Redskins.

In losing to Philadelphia the previous week, Jim Ninowski had seen action in place of QB Bill Kilmer (pictured at right), but the 30-year-old veteran was back behind center against the Cardinals. In addition, Dave Parks was shifted from wide receiver to tight end with Al Dodd being moved into Parks’ spot as Head Coach Tom Fears sought to generate some offense.


The Cardinals, under Head Coach Charley Winner, were having their own problems. They had started off at 2-1 but came into the game against New Orleans at 2-2-1. Injuries in the defensive backfield were a concern. Both Jim Hart and Charley Johnson (pictured at left) had started at quarterback, with Johnson holding down the job against the Saints.

There were 46,718 in attendance at Busch Memorial Stadium. In the first quarter, the Saints missed a scoring opportunity after CB Gene Howard returned a kickoff 86 yards before being knocked out of bounds. Following a pass interference call on CB Nate Wright, they had a first down at the one. FB Andy Livingston lost a yard, FB Ernie Wheelwright gained it back and then was stopped for no gain on third down. Going for it on fourth down, Kilmer tried to sneak the ball in and was stopped short. However, they were successful on a 25-yard touchdown pass play from Kilmer to Parks, and Johnson had connected with WR Dave Williams on a 32-yard TD throw for the Cardinals. The score was even at 7-7 after the opening period.

The Cardinals took the lead early in the second quarter on Johnson’s second scoring pass to Williams, this one covering 14 yards. Tom Dempsey booted a 43-yard field goal for the Saints to narrow the margin to 14-10.

Midway through the second quarter, Howard leaped and knocked away a Johnson pass that was intended for Williams, who was in the clear at the New Orleans 20. Following the thwarted scoring throw, FB Cid Edwards caught a pass from Johnson for a 14-yard gain but fumbled and CB Elijah Nevett recovered for the Saints at the St. Louis 43. Two passes to Dodd moved the ball to the 20 and then Kilmer hit Wheelwright for a touchdown that put New Orleans ahead at 17-14.

Late in the second quarter, Kilmer had an apparent 50-yard scoring pass called back when he scrambled before throwing to HB Don Shy. However, he had crossed the line of scrimmage before launching his pass. Still, the Saints extended their lead before halftime when Kilmer completed his third touchdown toss of the game of five yards to WR Dan Abramowicz. While Dempsey’s extra point attempt failed, New Orleans was up by 23-14 at the intermission and would never relinquish the lead – although there was still plenty of scoring to go.

In the third quarter, the Saints poured it on when Kilmer connected with Shy on a 28-yard scoring play and then capped another possession with a one-yard touchdown run by Wheelwright. Johnson threw a TD pass to WR John Gilliam, but Kilmer hit Abramowicz for another touchdown, from 11 yards out, and New Orleans held a 44-21 lead going into the final period.

Kilmer threw his sixth and last scoring pass less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, to Parks for 13 yards, and then St. Louis played catch-up with the score at 51-21. First came two Johnson scoring passes to Williams that covered 31 and 26 yards, respectively. After FS Larry Wilson returned a blocked field goal attempt by Dempsey late in the game, Johnson tossed his sixth touchdown pass to HB Roy Shivers that covered 14 yards. Time ran out on St. Louis, however, and the Saints held on to win the improbably wild offensive show by a score of 51-42.

It was the most points the Cardinals had given up since moving to St. Louis in 1960, and the 12 combined touchdown passes broke the NFL record of 11 first set by the Giants and Redskins in 1962.

Both teams piled up plenty of yardage, with New Orleans outgaining the Cardinals, 508 to 478. The Saints also led in first downs by 26 to 19. St. Louis was hurt by four turnovers, to one by New Orleans, and 10 penalties (as opposed to five flags thrown on the Saints).


Bill Kilmer completed 22 of 32 passes for 345 yards and a club-record 6 touchdowns and had one intercepted. Al Dodd (pictured at right) caught 7 passes for 145 yards and Dan Abramowicz and Dave Parks each caught 5 passes and scored two TDs (Abramowicz outgained Parks, 72 yards to 64). RB Tony Baker rushed for 110 yards on 14 carries.

For the Cardinals, Charley Johnson tied a franchise record with 6 touchdown passes (originally set by Jim Hardy in 1950, Johnson had matched it previously in 1965) while completing 20 of his 37 throws for 374 yards and giving up two interceptions. Dave Williams was the chief beneficiary as he caught 8 passes for 164 yards and 4 TDs. John Gilliam gained 106 yards on his 5 receptions that included one score. HB Johnny Roland was the team’s leading rusher with 44 yards on 10 attempts and Cid Edwards was right behind with 42 yards on 5 carries.

“There really isn’t any key to what happened,” said Kilmer afterward. “The receivers were getting open and I had great protection. When you get that, it makes it easy.”

“I was just disappointed in our defensive showing,” said a frustrated Charley Winner. “I just never thought a Cardinal defense would permit that many points.”

After a loss to the Cowboys the next week, the resurgent Saints won three straight games and ended up at 5-9 and in third place in the Capitol Division of the Eastern Conference. St. Louis rebounded with a big win over the Giants but won only once more and finished with a 4-9-1 record that ranked third in the Century Division.

Bill Kilmer, better known for his leadership ability than passing prowess, ended up throwing for 2532 yards with 20 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions. Charley Johnson, in the meantime still splitting time with Jim Hart, passed for 1847 yards with 13 TDs and 13 interceptions apiece (he was dealt to Houston in the offseason, thus resolving the quarterback dilemma in St. Louis).


Dave Williams (pictured at left) caught a career-high 56 passes for 702 yards, but caught just three more touchdown passes over the course of the season to give him a total of seven. John Gilliam was the Cards’ more accomplished receiver overall with a fourth-ranked 997 yards on 52 receptions for a 19.2 average and 10 TDs. Dan Abramowicz of the Saints led the NFL with 73 catches and ranked third with 1015 yards.

2009: Chris Johnson Runs for 228 Yards as Titans Beat Jaguars

The Tennessee Titans were in the midst of a dreadful season coming off of their bye week as they hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 1, 2009 at LP Field. They were 0-6 and Head Coach Jeff Fisher, reportedly under pressure from owner Bud Adams, had decided to bench ineffective veteran QB Kerry Collins in favor of erratic Vince Young. It was a reversal of fortune as Collins had replaced Young following a season-opening loss in ’08 and the team had gone 12-3 the rest of the way to win the AFC South. While they lost to the Ravens in the Divisional playoff round, they had every reason to anticipate further success in 2009. Instead, they regressed on both sides of the ball and in their previous outing had been humiliated by the Patriots by a score of 59-0.

The Jaguars, under Head Coach Jack Del Rio, were 3-3 but all three wins had come in the last four games, including an easy victory over Tennessee. The team had undergone a significant overhaul, and there were several rookies in the starting lineup. Fourth-year veteran RB Maurice Jones-Drew was the key to the offense that was directed by QB David Garrard. The defense was a concern, however, due to a poor pass rush.

The first quarter was quiet, with Tennessee taking a 3-0 lead on a 48-yard field goal by Rob Bironas. On their first possession of the second quarter, the Titans went 54 yards in eight plays highlighted by Young pass completions to WR Nate Washington for 16 yards and 18 yards to TE Bo Scaife. Washington pulled in a six-yard touchdown pass and the score was 10-0.

The Titans got the ball back quickly when CB Rod Hood intercepted a Garrard pass near midfield that he returned to the Jacksonville 35. RB Chris Johnson (pictured at top) promptly took off around end for 22 yards and four plays later Bironas kicked another field goal, this time from 25 yards.

However, the Jaguars struck back in a hurry. On their first play following the kickoff, Jones-Drew ran for an 80-yard touchdown that narrowed Tennessee’s lead to 13-7. The Titans went three-and-out on their next possession, and while Jacksonville held onto the ball for eleven plays, the drive stalled at the Jaguars’ 46 and they were forced to punt. Tennessee held onto the six-point margin at halftime.

Jacksonville received the second half kickoff and once again struck with lightning quickness as Jones-Drew took off on another long scoring run, this time going 79 yards up the middle for the touchdown. The extra point attempt was blocked, but the Jaguars had tied the game at 13-13. It proved to be the high water mark for Jacksonville.

The Titans weren’t long in responding - a seven-play drive ended with Johnson running 52 yards for a TD and 20-13 Tennessee lead. Jacksonville went three-and-out and the Titans put together another scoring drive, with Young completing two passes as Tennessee went 40 yards in seven plays. Bironas booted a 45-yard field goal and the Titans were up by ten points at 23-13.

Following another Jacksonville possession that ended in a punt, the Titans took over at their own five yard line in the last minute of the third quarter. Johnson ran twice for six yards, but started the fourth quarter off with a bang as he ran 89 yards for a touchdown that essentially sealed the game for Tennessee.

The Jaguars were unable to move the ball effectively in their last three possessions, which resulted in an interception and two punts, and Tennessee came away with a convincing 30-13 win.

The Titans controlled the ball for far more plays (67 to 49) and longer time of possession (39:43 to 20:17) as they outgained the Jaguars (430 yards to 330) and had more first downs (20 to 12). 305 of those yards came on the ground and Tennessee didn’t turn the ball over at all, while Jacksonville did so twice. The Titans also sacked Garrard four times, while Young was not dumped at all by the Jaguars.

Chris Johnson set a franchise record by rushing for 228 yards on 24 carries that included two touchdowns, both of over 50 yards. Vince Young played conservatively but effectively as he completed 15 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a TD; he also added to the rushing total by gaining 30 on 12 carries (including two kneel-downs at the end). Bo Scaife caught four passes for 27 yards while WR Justin Gage gained 41 yards on his three receptions.


Overshadowed for the Jaguars in this game of big plays was Maurice Jones-Drew (pictured above), who rushed for 177 yards on just eight attempts that included two long scoring carries. He averaged 22.1 yards per attempt and became the third player in league history to have two scoring runs of 75 yards or longer in a game. Indeed, between Johnson and Jones-Drew, it was the first NFL game with four rushing touchdowns of 50 or more yards.

The other statistics for Jacksonville were far less impressive. David Garrard was successful on just 14 of 27 passes for 139 yards with no TDs and two interceptions. WR Mike Thomas was the leading receiver with four catches for 55 yards.

“He looked all right out there,” Bud Adams said of Vince Young. “I think he's coming around a lot. I think there's some things that happened to him early in his career that didn't let him concentrate on football. I think he realized he needed to work at it hard. And he has shown that.”

“It's just one week at a time now we got the first win,” Coach Jeff Fisher said, looking ahead after the team’s first win of the season. “Unfortunately, it took us a little bit too long. Now we're going to take it and just move on.”

The Titans moved on in surprising fashion as the win over Jacksonville was the first of five straight. Two losses in the last five contests kept them from qualifying for the playoffs, but as it was Tennessee finished at 8-8 and third in the AFC South. Behind them was Jacksonville at 7-9.

Chris Johnson played a major role in the second half surge and ended up as the NFL’s leading rusher while joining the exclusive two thousand-yard rushing club (2006 on 358 carries for a 5.6-yard average with 14 touchdowns). Adding on two pass receiving TDs, he had 16, which tied for second in the league with Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew ranked fourth among the league’s runners with 1391 yards on 312 attempts with 15 rushing touchdowns.

Vince Young (pictured below) went on to complete 58.7 percent of his passes (152 of 259) for 1879 yards with 10 TDs and 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 281 yards and was named to the Pro Bowl. It was a high point in a decidedly up-and-down career in Tennessee that ultimately ended badly – by the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Titans formally cut ties with the talented but drama-prone and inconsistent quarterback.

MVP Profile: Adrian Peterson, 2008

Running Back, Minnesota Vikings



Age: 23
2nd season in pro football & with Vikings
College: Oklahoma
Height: 6’1” Weight: 217

Prelude:
Taken by the Vikings in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft, Peterson made an immediate impact as he rushed for 1341 yards as a rookie, including a single-game record 296 yards against San Diego. If there was any downside, it came in the knee injury that caused him to miss two games, his lesser numbers as defenses stacked the line to stop him when he returned, and his mediocre pass blocking. Still, with his combination of speed and power, he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

2008 Season Summary
Appeared in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 363 [2]
Most attempts, game - 30 (for 192 yds.) vs. Green Bay 11/9
Yards – 1760 [1]
Most yards, game – 192 yards (on 30 carries) vs. Green Bay 11/9
Average gain – 4.8 [8]
TDs – 10 [8, tied with four others]
100-yard rushing games - 10

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 21
Most receptions, game – 4 (for 20 yds.) vs. Indianapolis 9/14, (for 21 yds.) at Tennessee 9/28
Yards – 125
Most yards, game - 33 (on 3 catches) vs. Green Bay 11/9
Average gain – 6.0
TDs – 0

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 1
Yards – 16
Average per return – 16.0
TDs – 0

All-Purpose Yards – 1901 [5]

Scoring
TDs – 10 [16, tied with eight others]
Points – 60

Postseason: 1 G (NFC Wild Card playoff vs. Philadelphia)
Rushing attempts – 20
Rushing yards – 83
Average gain rushing – 4.2
Rushing TDs – 2

Kickoff Returns
Returns – 1
Yards – 20
Average per return – 20.0
TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL Player of the Year: Bert Bell Award
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Vikings went 10-6 to finish first in the NFC North and gained the third playoff seed in the conference. Lost NFC Wild Card playoff to Philadelphia Eagles (26-14).

Aftermath:
Peterson followed up in 2009 with 1383 rushing yards and a league-leading 18 TDs while also catching a career-high 43 passes as the Vikings went 12-4 and advanced to the NFC Championship game. While a tendency to fumble was still a concern (he lost the ball 9 times in 2008 and 7 in ’09), Peterson was again a consensus first-team All-Pro and was named to the Pro Bowl. Turmoil touched the team in 2010, which dropped to 6-10, but Peterson was a bulwark who ran for 1298 yards, scored 13 TDs, fumbled only once, and was selected to a fourth straight Pro Bowl.

--

MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/12/14]

1960: Bills Upset Oilers with Two Fourth Quarter Field Goals

Coming up on the midpoint of the inaugural American Football League season, the Houston Oilers (5-1) had established themselves as the team to beat in the Eastern Division while the Buffalo Bills (2-4) were struggling. They met for the first time on October 30, 1960 at Buffalo’s War Memorial Stadium.

The Oilers, coached by Lou Rymkus, featured QB George Blanda, a veteran of 10 NFL seasons almost exclusively with the Bears, and rookie HB Billy Cannon, the Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU. Cannon was off to a slow start, but FB Dave Smith proved to be a good find and Blanda had outstanding receivers to throw to in flanker Charley Hennigan and split end Bill Groman.

Buffalo, under the direction of Head Coach Buster Ramsey, had a respectable defense that included DE LaVerne Torczon, DT Chuck McMurtry, MLB Archie Matsos, and FS Richie McCabe. However, offense was a problem, in particular quarterback. Ex-Brown Tom O’Connell started the year behind center and was a disappointment. Johnny Green played well in his first start of the season the week before, a convincing 38-9 win over the Raiders.

There were 23,001 fans in attendance and they saw the Oilers score first as Blanda connected with Hennigan on an eight-yard touchdown pass. The Bills responded when FB Wray Carlton went 70 yards for a touchdown with a screen pass from Green (the Green-to-Carlton combination on screen passes would prove effective throughout the game). However, the extra point attempt failed and Houston maintained a 7-6 lead.

Before the first quarter was over, Joe Hergert kicked a 36-yard field goal that put the Bills in front by 9-7. The Oilers retook the lead in the second quarter when Blanda threw to Cannon for a 21-yard touchdown.

Hergert suffered an injury and DB Billy Atkins (pictured at top), the team’s punter, took over the placekicking for Buffalo. His 18-yard field goal moved the Bills to two points behind the Oilers at 14-12 and then end Dick Brubaker caught a 10-yard pass from Green to make the score 19-14 at the half.

The Blanda-to-Cannon combination struck again in the third quarter, this time for a 53-yard touchdown and, with Blanda’s successful extra point, Houston moved back in front in the see-saw game at 21-19. The lead increased by three on a 50-yard Blanda field goal, still in the third period.

The Bills drove from their 26 into Houston territory early in the fourth quarter, ending with an Atkins field goal from 45 yards out. A shanked punt by Houston’s Ken Hall allowed Buffalo to take over at the Oilers’ 39 following a 20-yard return by Matsos. Another Green screen pass to Carlton got the ball down to the three. The Oilers defense held as Buffalo was only able to gain a yard on the next three plays. Although the crowd was yelling for the Bills to go for it, they took a delay-of-game penalty that set the ball back to the seven so that Atkins would have a better angle for his field goal attempt. It was successful from 15 yards with less than six minutes remaining to play and provided the final result, a 25-24 upset win for Buffalo.


Buffalo’s offense rose to the occasion as the Bills outgained the Oilers (352 yards to 287) and had more first downs (17 to 13). While they gained only 59 yards on the ground, the Bills netted 293 yards through the air (Green was sacked five times for 41 yards in losses). Blanda was sacked just once, but the Oilers turned the ball over five times, to three by Buffalo.

Johnny Green had a big performance, completing 18 of 49 passes for 334 yards with two touchdowns and one intercepted. Wray Carlton caught 6 passes for 177 yards and the one long TD while also rushing for 25 yards on six carries. Elbert Dubenion contributed 5 receptions for 76 yards. HB Wilmer Fowler was the team’s leading ground gainer with 36 yards on 10 attempts. Archie Matsos (pictured above) had a big day for the Bills, intercepting two passes and returning the short punt, thus setting up two touchdowns.

George Blanda had his worst passing game of the year, hitting on just 9 of 32 throws for 124 yards, and while three were good for TDs, four were intercepted. Dave Smith ran for 107 yards on 12 carries, and Billy Cannon also ran the ball 12 times, gaining 60 yards, and also caught three passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns.


The upset win wasn’t a turning point for the Bills – they won just twice more and finished in third place in the Eastern Division with a 5-8-1 record. Houston recovered to win the division comfortably at 10-4 and defeated the Chargers for the first AFL Championship.

Johnny Green (pictured at left) failed to sustain his success against the Oilers, partly because of an injury to his throwing arm suffered during the game. He ended up completing just 89 of 228 passes (39.0 percent) for 1267 yards with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions apiece. Wray Carlton led the team in rushing with 533 yards and caught 29 passes for 477 yards (16.4 avg.). Billy Atkins ended up handling most of the placekicking as well as the punting and was successful on 6 of 13 field goal attempts and 27 of 33 extra points.

1989: Webster Slaughter Has Big Day as Browns Beat Oilers

From 1985 to ’88, the Cleveland Browns had won 32 regular season games and been to the postseason for four straight years, but despite advancing to the AFC Championship game twice, they had fallen short of the Super Bowl. The result had been the forced resignation of Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer by owner Art Modell. Bud Carson, formerly defensive coordinator of the Jets, was hired for 1989 and the team was at 4-3 as it hosted the Houston Oilers on October 29 at Municipal Stadium.

QB Bernie Kosar, healthy after missing eight games due to injuries in 1988, was an able field general and fine passer despite his awkward-looking sidearm passing style. The running game missed FB Kevin Mack, who was inactive due to off-field drug issues, but had speed in rookie HB Eric Metcalf. And while TE Ozzie Newsome was on the downside of his outstanding career, the wide receivers consisted of quick-footed Webster Slaughter (pictured above), tall Reggie Langhorne, and slow-but-sure-handed Brian Brennan.

The AFC Central was a tough, competitive division, and the visiting Oilers were one of the teams that made it so. Under Head Coach Jerry Glanville, they were aggressive on defense and quick-striking on offense. Former CFL star QB Warren Moon was coming off his first Pro Bowl season in the NFL, despite missing five games with a shoulder injury, and was playing well in ’89. Still, for all the talent, the team tended to be inconsistent and also was 4-3 coming into the game in Cleveland.

The Oilers received the opening kickoff and drove 68 yards in 14 plays, including two third-down conversions, finishing up with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Moon to WR Haywood Jeffires. The score remained at 7-0 as the teams traded punts into the second quarter until a Kosar pass was intercepted by SS Bubba McDowell at the Cleveland 29. While McDowell ran to the end zone, the play was called back due to an illegal use of hands infraction on the return, but seven plays later Tony Zendejas kicked a 23-yard field goal to extend Houston’s lead to 10-0.

Kosar was intercepted again on the Browns’ next possession, this time by CB Steve Brown, but the Oilers were unable to capitalize and took the ten-point lead into halftime.

Houston had dominated the first half, but the Browns drove methodically down the field to start the third quarter. Metcalf carried the ball six times for 26 yards on the 13-play possession that covered 71 yards and ended up with Kosar, not known for his mobility, running for the last five and a touchdown.

The Oilers had to punt after a short possession ended at their 46, and on the first play the Browns went with a flea-flicker as Metcalf took the handoff and then pitched back to Kosar, who threw long to Slaughter for an 80-yard touchdown. With Matt Bahr’s successful extra point, the Browns had a 14-10 lead with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter.

The Oilers weren’t done yet, however, and moved quickly down the field. Moon threw to WR Ernest Givins for 15 yards and, following an incompletion, RB Alonzo Highsmith ran 25 yards down the middle. A holding penalty momentarily slowed the advance, but then Moon connected with WR Curtis Duncan for a 55-yard gain to the Cleveland one yard line, and from there RB Mike Rozier ran in for a TD. The Oilers were back in the lead at 17-14.

On Cleveland’s first play, Kosar was sacked by DE Ray Childress for a seven-yard loss. However, he again went long for Slaughter and was successful for a 77-yard touchdown. The eventful third quarter ended with the Browns back in front at 21-17.

Cleveland had the ball to start the fourth quarter and, on the third play, Metcalf took a pitchout and tossed an option pass to Langhorne in the end zone for a 32-yard TD. It was the rookie running back’s first NFL pass, and with the extra point it put the Browns up by 11 points.

There was still plenty of time, and the Oilers were capable of striking quickly as well. However, they again were forced to punt from near midfield. Cleveland managed to hold onto the ball for the remaining 9:20 of the game, a total of 15 plays that stretched from the Browns’ 20 to the Houston 25, and came away with a 28-17 win.

Cleveland outgained the Oilers (383 yards to 299) and had more first downs (18 to 17). However, Houston didn’t turn the ball over at all while the Browns did so twice.


Webster Slaughter was the star for Cleveland, catching 4 passes for 184 yards and the two long touchdowns. Bernie Kosar went to the air 19 times and completed 14 for 262 yards with two touchdowns as well as two interceptions; most significantly, he completed all eight of his second half passes for 207 of those yards. Eric Metcalf (pictured at left) rushed for only 48 yards on 17 carries, but also had 6 pass receptions for 46 yards and threw a touchdown pass.

For the Oilers, Warren Moon was successful on 15 of 25 passes for 241 yards and a TD with none intercepted. WR Drew Hill caught three of those passes for 67 yards while Ernest Givins and Haywood Jeffires also snagged three, for 42 and 30 yards respectively, and Curtis Duncan contributed 61 yards on his two catches. Alonzo Highsmith ran for 58 yards on 12 carries to pace the club.

Cleveland was in the midst of a four-game winning streak, but following a tie lost three straight before winning the final two contests, including the finale over the Oilers in Houston. The season sweep of the Oilers was significant, for the Browns won the AFC Central with a 9-6-1 record while Houston and Pittsburgh both ended up at 9-7. Both the Oilers and Steelers qualified for the playoffs (the Oilers swept Pittsburgh in their two meetings and thus placed second in the standings) and, meeting in the first round, the Steelers won in overtime. The Browns won their Divisional playoff over Buffalo but lost the AFC Championship game to their title-game nemesis, the Denver Broncos.

Webster Slaughter earned selection to the Pro Bowl by catching 65 passes for 1236 yards (19.0 avg.) and six touchdowns. Eric Metcalf gained 1748 all-purpose yards (633 rushing on 187 carries, 397 receiving with 54 catches, 718 returning 31 kickoffs); it was a good rookie year for the son of an earlier all-purpose pro halfback, Terry Metcalf.

Bernie Kosar (pictured below) was the fourth-ranked passer in the AFC (80.3 rating) as he threw for 3533 yards with 18 TD passes. He was among the league leaders with a completion percentage of 59.1 and low interception percentage of 2.7. Warren Moon was ahead of Kosar among passers in the conference (88.9 rating), yards passing (3631), completion percentage (60.3), and scoring throws (23). He was selected to the Pro Bowl for a second straight year (of an eventual eight consecutive and nine overall).