Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Very similar three-year runs. Each looked back on more for their offense than defense. Cards were 31-13 during this run while the Colts were 31-14 due to Balt, of course, playing in an extra playoff game/loss. Though easy to forget, StL did not make the playoffs in '76. But it was the year both actually played against each other; an early-December Cardinal win, Cards winning by only 7 points despite Baltimore turning the ball over 5 times (to StL's one). Neither Coryell/Hart & Co nor Marchibroda/Jones & Co having won a playoff game simply a case of just how brutal NFC and AFC competition was during that very time.

Further thoughts?

The 1975-77 Colts remind me of the 2012-14 Colts:

1. Both teams had QB's drafted high that replaced legends (Jones, Luck). They also didn't reach their potential because of injuries.

2. Both teams had controversial GM's in Joe Thomas and Ryan Grigson. Thomas was hated initially because he got rid of guys like Unitas, but it did pay off (didn't he also try to run off Marchibroda?). Grigson didn't really draft well. He failed to put a good line in front of Luck. I also heard that he wasn't liked by people in the organization.

3. Both teams overachieved. They had deficiencies in key spots that prevented them from going further (the 75-77 Colts didn't have much of a defense. The 12-14 Colts had deficiencies on defense, on the offensive line, and at running back).

7DnBrnc53 wrote:Thomas was hated initially because he got rid of guys like Unitas, but it did pay off (didn't he also try to run off Marchibroda?).

Marchibroda and Thomas got into a power struggle over who was in charge of picking the roster. It reached a point where Marchibroda briefly resigned, but because there was such a mutiny of the assistants, players and fans, he came back and Thomas was gone. Of course, Irsay was in the mix, which guaranteed they'd find a way to mess it up.

The problem with Thomas was that his attitude in rebuilding the team was "Screw you" with no sentiment. It obviously worked, but the fans weren't too sad to see him go. Thomas latched on to Eddie DeBartolo and the 49ers and once again got into a power struggle, this time with Monte Clark, who left. While the Niners were supposed to contend in '78, they imploded instead and Thomas himself flipped out and was fired, leading to the Walsh era.

When Joe Thomas took over the 49ers, one of the first things he did was burn all of their memorabilia. Tragic.

Shipley wrote:When Joe Thomas took over the 49ers, one of the first things he did was burn all of their memorabilia. Tragic.

I wasn't going to go there but since you did....
Despicable. As historians that should disqualify him from ever getting a positive mention around here...
And yet someone actually mentioned him for the Hall of (the) Very Good a while back.
Yikes.

JuggernautJ wrote:

Shipley wrote:When Joe Thomas took over the 49ers, one of the first things he did was burn all of their memorabilia. Tragic.

I wasn't going to go there but since you did....
Despicable. As historians that should disqualify him from ever getting a positive mention around here...
And yet someone actually mentioned him for the Hall of (the) Very Good a while back.
Yikes.

I love Joe Thomas because of his warts. He built championship contenders for two expansion teams (Minnesota & Miami) in two different leagues. He quickly turned around an aging Baltimore franchise. His record as a talent evaluator and as a GM wheeler-dealer speaks for itself. Yet he was always bitter that the coaches (like Shula) got all the credit for winning, which perhaps explains his Stalin-esque insecurity. In addition to the "book burning" in SF, there was a story of how Thomas' oneupmanship was despised by the SF scouts, so they started talking about a fictional draft prospect to Thomas, and Thomas would claim that he, too, knew of the player and thought he would be a good draft prospect. Hilarious stuff.

One thing about his icky time in SF...I've read that DeBartolo is the one who forced Thomas' hand to trade for OJ Simpson. After all the unpopular housecleaning that Thomas did in Baltimore, it makes no sense that one of his first big moves would be to trade away top draft choices for an aging RB.

Shipley wrote:When Joe Thomas took over the 49ers, one of the first things he did was burn all of their memorabilia. Tragic.

I once read that Thomas did the same thing when he became Colts GM. Supposedly someone went outside the Colt offices walked by a dumpster and saw the 50's-60's Baltimore Colt game films, etc thrown in with the trash. He then rescued them.

This attitude may not have been uncommon with "Football Men" of Thomas' generation. They had a mindset of the past and the future mean nothing, all that counts is the present.

SixtiesFan wrote:

Shipley wrote:When Joe Thomas took over the 49ers, one of the first things he did was burn all of their memorabilia. Tragic.

I once read that Thomas did the same thing when he became Colts GM. Supposedly someone went outside the Colt offices walked by a dumpster and saw the 50's-60's Baltimore Colt game films, etc thrown in with the trash. He then rescued them.

This attitude may not have been uncommon with "Football Men" of Thomas' generation. They had a mindset of the past and future mean nothing, all that counts is the present.

Not the same thing, but when Lombardi took over the Packers, he removed everything that had anything to do with Lambeau or other former coaches removed from the stadium. And, of course, he fought like hell to keep City Stadium II from being renamed Lambeau Field.

SixtiesFan wrote:

Shipley wrote:When Joe Thomas took over the 49ers, one of the first things he did was burn all of their memorabilia. Tragic.

I once read that Thomas did the same thing when he became Colts GM. Supposedly someone went outside the Colt offices walked by a dumpster and saw the 50's-60's Baltimore Colt game films, etc thrown in with the trash. He then rescued them.

This attitude may not have been uncommon with "Football Men" of Thomas' generation. They had a mindset of the past and the future mean nothing, all that counts is the present.

Former Buffalo Bills safety Jeff Nixon told me the story of walking by a dump truck just as it was about to pull out of the Rich Stadium tunnel. He looked in and saw it was filled with film cannisters. He jumped in and grabbed what he could find of the games he knew he had played in. He saved six game films.

I think alot of teams go through purges like this. Thank goodness some teams have the foresight to save everything

With the 1975-77 Colts, I can understand the defenses being mediocre. But the offensive performance in playoffs was a disappointment. 1976 Steelers defense or no, the 1976 Colts had an excellent offense in regular season, and should have been able to do more in the playoffs than they did. Ditto the 1977 team, they really should have won the Raiders game with the two return TDs and 3 other turnovers by the Raiders.