In reviewing the New England Patriots’ season, the failure to gain the AFC top seed is what stands out as despite another excellent season, the Pats were stopped short of their ultimate goal (win the Super Bowl), for the 10th time in 11 seasons.
Of course the team had won three Super Bowl titles in four seasons before the current 11 year period.
Losing road games at the New York Jets, a game in which a depleted “N.E.” team battled and a loss at Miami, as huge favorites, in the season’s finale cost New England the top seed.
They made little effort as a depleted team in Miami and eventually had to play in Denver, where the team suffered a third playoffs game defeat, in the aforementioned 11 year period.
I really enjoyed watching the 1967 film, “The Comedians” which starred Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor with a cast that included film greats past and future. Of course it was on the fabulous TCM (Turner Classic Movies), sans commercials.
Sir Alec Guinness and Lillian Gish to name two, who had already accomplished so much.
James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson and Georg Sanford Brown as three, who would have great futures.
Mr. Jones and Ms. Tyson recently worked together these 49 or so years later, on Broadway, in “The Gin Game.”
Jones character in “The Comedians” is named Magiot, spelled differently, but pronounced the same as a character (Maggio) portrayed by Frank Sinatra in his Academy Award winning role, in “From Here To Eternity.”
Only four of the NFL’s 32 teams have failed to make a Super Bowl appearance.
The Detroit Lions, who last played for the NFL title in 1957 (they won routing the original Cleveland Browns and rookie Jim Brown) are the only non expansion team in that group.
Three expansion teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and expansion/new Cleveland Browns round out the group.
Two other teams, the third and fourth Super Bowl winners, the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs respectively have failed to make a Super Bowl appearance since the AFC/NFC configuration began with the 1970 season.
Tobin Rote pictured above and the father of one time New York area T.V. sports reporter Rock Rote, was the quarterback on the last Detroit Lions’ title team in 1957.
Both the Denver Broncos, who will be making their 8th Super Bowl appearance and the Carolina Panthers, making their second have been to the Supe before.
This keeps a streak going of no first time finalist in a major North American sports league since the Texas Rangers made their first World Series appearance in 2010.
Thus with this Super Bowl matching two teams that have been finalists before, there have been 21 major North American sports league finals sans a first time finalist.
If one considers the decade starting in the zero year, in this case 2010, there have been no first time Super Bowl entrants.
The last first time Super Bowl entrant, the 2009 New Orleans Saints defeated the Peyton Manning quarterbacked Indianapolis Colts.
In the previous decade (2000-2009), 6 NFL franchises made their first Supe appearance during that period.
The 2000 Baltimore Ravens, 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and aforementioned Saints won while the 2003 Carolina Panthers, 2005 Seattle Seahawks and 2008 Arizona Cardinals lost in the “big game.”
The current NBA and NHL runners up, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Tampa Bay Lightning were the last first time finalists in their respective leagues.
The Cavaliers in 2007 and the Lightning in 2004. While the Lightning (1-1) in finals won, the Cavaliers (0-2) in finals lost.
The baseball Texas Rangers lost not only as the last first time World Series participant in 2010 but again in excruciating fashion in the following year’s Fall Classic/baseball final.
Summer (The First Time) – Bobby Goldsboro
Click above for Mr. Goldsboro’s beautiful song, recalling another kind of “first time.”
Bobby Goldsboro pictured above.
The N.H.L. Montreal Canadiens were once the dominant team in the sport and along with the New York Yankees and Boston Celtiics considered the greatest of all North American major sports league teams.
They are still the greatest hockey franchise in history and their incredible 15 titles in a 24 year period from (1956-1979) will long remain among the greatest sports success periods of all time.
Yet their recent slump which has manifested in the team failing to get a win in 20 of 26 games and leaves them out of playoff position at the upcoming NHL All Star break, brings into focus that the Habs have not won a Stanley Cup since 1993 and have but two in the 35 completed NHL seasons since the Canadiens’ aforementioned great run (1980-2015).
Even with significant injuries and this horrible slump, I predict the Canadiens will make a strong run when their season resumes.
The Canadiens, whose emblem is pictured above, won 5 straight Stanley Cups (1956-1960) an NHL record and 4 straight (1976-1979).
However they have not won it all since 1993 and are struggling mightily thus far this season.
The Denver Broncos (20-18) home win vs the New England Patriots in the AFC title game denied the Pats a chance to match the 15 year period greatness of the San Francisco 49ers in a San Francisco area Super Bowl.
Instead it is the 49ers from (1981-1995) that have the most Super Bowl crowns in a 15 year period (5) while the Patriots must settle for four.
It is noteworthy that the Pittsburgh Steelers under coach Chuck Noll and with Terry Bradshaw at quarterback, won an incredible 4 Supe crowns in 6 seasons from (1974-1979) but not another before or until 2005.
The Green Bay Packers coached by Vince Lombardi and with Bart Starr at the quarterback position, won 5 NFL crowns in 7 seasons from (1961-1967), the last two, in the first two Supes, following the 1966 and 1967 seasons.
The Patriots’ 15 year run produced a (4-2) Super Bowl record. Additionally they hosted a divisional round game, meaning they were at least a conference two seed with a first round bye, 10 times in the 15 year period.
However as the festivities begin in the San Francisco Bay Area leading up to the 50th Super Bowl, it is the hometown 49ers with a (5-0) Super Bowl record (1981-1995) and eleven home divisional round games who lead the way, not that the Pats’ 15 year run is “chopped liver”–which tastes great by the way.
Carl Monroe, number 32 pictured above, scored the first touchdown in the only other San Francisco area Super Bowl which resulted in an easy 49ers win vs the Miami Dolphins, who were coached by Don Shula.
Shula’s son Mike will be a part of the second S.F. area Supe, as the offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers.
It truly is a great experience to again watch the one and only Johnny Carson at almost the same time as the “days of yore” as one hour shows are being aired each night at 11 P.M. Eastern time on Antenna Television.
Carson was the master, funny, insightful and so far ahead of the game.
One show that aired last week featured Elizabeth (do not call her Liz was ascertained from that lone appearance with Mr. Carson) Taylor.
Ms. Taylor gave insight into one of the reasons why she was close with Michael Jackson. Of course both Ms. Taylor as an actress and Michael Jackson as a singer/entertainer gained enormous stardom and all that comes with it, good and bad.
She cited the fact they both started in show business so early and had no real childhood.
I love the Tonight Show Theme, I believe written by Paul Anka, and it is a great trip back in time to watch the show again.
No this is not a “pitch” to buy dvd’s of the great Carson Tonight shows, but I would and certainly recommend watching this treat while it airs again.
The great Johnny Carson pictured above.
The upcoming Super Bowl will be the eighth in Denver Broncos’ franchise history.
Starting (0-4), all games lost by at least 17 points, Denver is (2-5) in Super Bowl action.
After winning successive Super Bowl crowns in 1997 and 1998, Denver went back to its losing Super Bowl ways just two years ago, losing (43-8) to the Seattle Seahawks.
This will be just the second time that the Broncos will be playing in a Super Bowl telecast by (its) AFC network. Denver won its first “Supe” crown in that game, which was the last Super Bowl televised by NBC as the AFC network, and for that matter in that network’s last year televising a full slate of games each Sunday.
Five times Denver played in Super Bowl games telecast by the NFC network, compiling a (1-4) record.
They also lost in their only neutral network appearance.
This game is on CBS which once was the NFC network and was the network that telecast Denver Super Bowl losses after the 1977, 1986 and 1989 seasons.
The Carolina Panthers are now (2-2) in NFC title games after their easy victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the game two days ago.
Carolina hosted the NFC title game for the first time after playing on the road and going (1-20 in previous title tilts.
Incredibly both the Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars played in title games in just their second season which was 1996.
Both second year teams lost that Sunday in those title games but no expansion team in any major sports league has advanced that far, that quick before or since that point.
Carolina lost to the Packers that day but defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in the 2003 title game to advance to their only other Super Bowl before this season.
The Panthers also lost at Seattle vs the Seahawks in the 2005 NFC title game.
There are a couple of reasons for mentioning tonight’s NBA tilt between the defending champion Golden State Warriors and the 2014 champion San Antonio Spurs.
The first is there is a battle for position and subsequent home advantage between the two fine teams in the NBA West.
Next is I will have many football details in the insane 2 week hype period leading up to the 50th Super Bowl game so this is a change of pace.
The Warriors enter tonight’s home game with a (40-4) record with San Antonio just two games behind with a (38-6) record.
Sadly these two teams are both in the far superior NBA west and can not meet in the finals.
Sadder, the team that benefits and more specifically the individual is LeBron James.
Already James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have dismissed coach David Blatt, as if it is his fault the Cavs are not good enough to even stay close, vs the Warriors and I believe the Spurs.
As someone who truly dislikes James, for but one reason and that being he twice got to choose his team and chose the far weaker Eastern Conference, yet wants to be called an, if not the all-time player, I truly hope James and Cleveland do not win.
However, I know they, playing in the East are a viable threat.
Why do I continually tilt at these windmills?!!
Dick Snyder hit the winning shot for the Cleveland Cavaliers to win an incredible quarterfinal series vs the Washington Bullets in 1976. I have great memories of listening to the great then voice of the Cavs, Joe Tait, as good a play by play man that has ever been behind a microphone.
Andy B Sports 