1997 Super Bowl Bronco's key acquisitions....

[thunderkyss]

I just fiinished watching America's Game on NFLN(I love that channel) and today, they were going over the 1997 Bronco's.

They started with a segment detailing how Howard Griffith just finished his rookie contract or whatever, and was due to become a FA. Shanahan told him it wasn't going to happen, and that he was going to be a Bronco for a long time. Griffith was excited because the Broncos had made it deep into the Play-offs the year before, but he really wanted to test the market.... the Bronco's made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

I thought it was kind of odd, being that I was never a big Bronco's fan, I didn't realize how much they used the fullback. Especially with some visitor's here saying our use of the fullback bastardizes the ZBS. According to that program, the Full Back was very crucial to the run game, as well as the passing game.

The other Acquisition was Neil Smith. Again, I wasn't really a Bronco fan, so I never even heard of him. But he was a beast. So much so, that Elway restructured his contract for the sole purpose that they would be able to get the old(some thought out of gas) DE.

He wore the #90. Just thought that was interesting.

But they talked about how it was that defense that won several key games on the Bronco's '97 Super Bowl run. Including the Super Bowl winning 4th & 6(or 9) stop of the GB Packers on the last play of the game.

They also showed the play on third down of that defensive stop. Atwater comes from his Safety position, and lays a hit on some reciever(Brooks) about to catch the ball that would pick up a first down, & extend the Packer's drive. Atwater knocks himself out. He knocks Brooks out, he knocks out the corner covering Brooks.......


& I'm thinking..... Laron Landry

Anyway, it was a good program, I highly suggest you catch it if you can.

[The Pencil Neck]

Wasn't Rathman the FB and Craig the HB in the (almost) original West Coast Offense?

[MATRIX]

Originally Posted by The Pencil Neck

Wasn't Rathman the FB and Craig the HB in the (almost) original West Coast Offense?

Rathman wasn't the "original" FB of the original WCO team of Bill Walsh. But, they broke the mold with him. He did it all, and the closest you get to him today is good old Mike in TB.

[The Pencil Neck]

Originally Posted by MATRIX

Rathman wasn't the "original" FB of the original WCO team of Bill Walsh.

That's why I put "almost original". Neither he nor Craig were the originals, iirc.
Craig came in around 83 and Rathman around 86, I think.

However, they were with the Niners under Walsh and since that's the originator of the WCO and if he was using Craig at HB and Rathman at FB then obviously, FB wasn't NOT a part of the WCO. So our use of a FB isn't necessarily a direct contradiction of the original tenets of the WCO.

That's all I was saying.

[mexican_texan]

Originally Posted by MATRIX

Rathman wasn't the "original" FB of the original WCO team of Bill Walsh. But, they broke the mold with him. He did it all, and the closest you get to him today is good old Mike in TB.

Mike Alstott? Are you serious?

[thunderkyss]

I don't think anyone has a problem with the full back in the WCO.... it's the ZBS that some don't like the full back.

[The Pencil Neck]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

I don't think anyone has a problem with the full back in the WCO.... it's the ZBS that some don't like the full back.

Ahhhhh... reeding is hrd.

[Texan_Bill]

I caught that show last night too. It was pretty interesting. There was a scene where Shanahan was talking to Elway on the sideline and you can see Kubes getting his two cents in...

I remember Neil Smith though. He was a beast with Kansas City, when KC had a pretty stingy D - that included stud LB Derrick Thomas. They were pretty dominant (except whenever Moon hung 527 yards passing on them in 1990)..

[Specnatz]

Mentioning Roger Craig, made me recall something that was said on eSpin about Marshall Faulk, they said he revolutionized the RB position because of his ability to run and also catch the ball like no one else has ever done.

I guess they totally forgot about Roger Craig being the first RB to ever rush for a 1k yrds and rec for 1k yrds in the same season.

[Texan_Bill]

Originally Posted by Specnatz

Mentioning Roger Craig, made me recall something that was said on eSpin about Marshall Faulk, they said he revolutionized the RB position because of his ability to run and also catch the ball like no one else has ever done.

I guess they totally forgot about Roger Craig being the first RB to ever rush for a 1k yrds and rec for 1k yrds in the same season.

Roger Craig did it with more power and a high leg kick!!

I think the pre-cursor to the "Marshall Faulk" type of guy would have been James Brooks.

[4Texans]

Interesting TK.......

You can kind of see Kubiak and Smith putting those pieces together here. I hope they work out the same way.