Which Era of Footbal do you think was Best and Y?

Question

I loved the 80's they played Smash mouth and some of the best d-fenses ever

Answer 1

Late 80's and early 90's because that's when my football teams were the word "Good".

Answer 2

From a personal stand point I have to say the 80’s. Growing up as a Cleveland Browns fan those were some great years. The early part of the decade had Brian Sipe leading them to the AFC championship game only to lose to the Raiders at the last minute because Coach Sam Ratigliano opted to go for the TD, which got picked off in the end zone instead of going for the easy field goal that would have won the game.

I know that sounds like a pretty crappy memory, but I was a kid and it was just exciting watching football then.

Answer 3

They 70s and 80s were awesome times for the NFL.
The league's popularity was at an all time high after decades of struggling to gain respectability.
It was proven when the USFL decided to challenge them, and failed miserably.
Those were still the days before free agency when players had a loyalty and pride in playing for the same team for their whole career.
Year after year you knew 90% of the roster because they came back and laid it on the line for their team.
The mark of excellence strived to be achieved by the Steelers, Cowboys, Dolphins, and 49ers set the bar for teams to match even to this day.
Legal problems and arrests were something that you did not see players entwined in everytime you turned around.
Free agency and greed have done their best to ruin the game, but if you want to see the BEST players perform on the biggest stage, you turn on the NFL.

Answer 4

Late 60's to mid 70's. Before free agency..

When you had defenses with great names like The Fearsome Foursome, Doomsday, The Purple People Eaters, The Steel Curtain and, ironically, the No-Name... Bob Lilly, Merlin Olsen, Randy White, Alan Page, Carl Eller, LC and Mean Joe. Youngblood, Harvey Martin... You can still see Deacon Jones slapping a tackle upside the head on his way to another quarterback "sack", a term he coined himself..

And, oh my, the linebackers!... Give me Ray Nitchke on the frozen tundra, Dick Butkus slamming an unsuspecting RB into the dirt. Lambert... just the name makes me feel like I was just tackled. The Stork, Mike Curtis, Bobby Bell, Tommy Nobis, Jack Pardee, Randy Gradishar and so many other unsung LBs...

Paul Kraus, Lem Barney, Jack Tatum, Old man Willie Brown, Roger Wehrli, Dick Anderson, Cliff Harris, Ken Houston, Larry Wilson...and ball hawks galore. All able to actually touch the opposing WR!

Need offense? What about the Green Bay ground game, the balanced Dallas assault, Air Coryell, da Raid-uhs!...

Take your QB pick, Johnny U? Tarkenton? Broadway Joe? The Mad Bomber? The original Snake? Staubach? Manning's Daddy? That hotshot Bradshaw kid? Fouts? Or maybe the beer drinker's forever hero, Billy "the body" Kilmer..

Need a RB? I submit Sayers, Sweetness, Simpson, Hornung, Franco, one of the best NFL football names ever CSONKA, and the most dominant player in NFL history, Jim Brown. Throw in gritty backs like Ed Podolak, Marv "Mother " Hubbard, Rocky Bleier and Jim Braxton, and you can line up with any era behind rocks like Mike Webster, Bob Brown, Forrest Gregg, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Larry Little, Ron Yary, John Hannah and the aptly named Tom MACK.

The evolution of the game wasn't to the point where WR's were as important back then, but we still saw some of the best ever to play the game. Drew Pearson, Harold Carmichael, Don Maynard, Paul Warfield, OtisTaylor, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Ron Jesse, Biletnikoff and Branch..

Kickers named Jan, Garo and Bakken ruled those days. Hell, even the best punter in NFL history was Ray Guy..

The Raiders when they were actually feared, Bob Griese's glasses, Super Bowl III, and the big AFL-NFL merge...

Call me old-fashioned or call me old-school. But for me, those were the pure, unpolluted by greed, Golden Days of the NFL...

Answer 5

I would have to say the mid to late 80's and early 90's. The Bill Walsh era with his west coast offense and great defensive teams. They had total balance and how do you trade Joe Montana insert Steve Young and your team improves. Also remember that the salary cap era was implemented because of them and their ability to stockpile talent on their roster. You didn't have to like the 49ers but you have to respect their 5 Super Bowl titles.

Answer 6

The 50s when Pete Rozelle was commishener. Great players like Johnny Unitas, Y.A. Tittle, Bobby Layne and the great Jim Taylor.

Answer 7

1990's pre-free agency. Best rivalaries created. Cowboys-9'ners dominated. The dominance of the NFC. Just better football.

Answer 8

Steel Curtain of the Steelers in the 70s was best

Answer 9

70's. The Steeler Dynasty, Dolphin'd undefeated record. And More competition in that decade.

Answer 10

I definitely agree! I am a big fan of the '85 Bears. I still like to watch clips of the defense doing their hard hitting and to watch Walter Payton do his thing!!