Even though Al Davis has passed away, the Raiders are still making crazy personnel deals. This morning the Oakland Raiders traded a 2012 first round pick and a conditional 2013 first round pick for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer.
My first reaction to this deal was "The Raiders must think like everyone else. Kyle Boller really sucks." My second reaction was "What?" and then I picked my jaw off the floor.
Two first round picks for Carson Palmer who hasn't had a decent season since 2006? Hue Jackson has talked about replacing Al Davis as the Raiders GM and if he made this deal then he is certainly carrying on Davis' legacy. The Raiders gave up so much when they could have signed David Garrard off the unemployment line instead of giving the farm for Palmer.
So now the Raiders have given up two first round picks and a fourth round pick (for Terrelle Pryor) in less than three months. Three draft picks for quarterbacks including two first round picks. Only the Raiders.
On the flip side of this, knowing Mike Brown and the Bengals they'll blow those picks on another Andre Smith so it will be like the Raiders gave up nothing for Palmer. So in the end this could be a win for the Raiders.
The Raiders will always be the Raiders though. No matter if Al Davis is dead or alive, they'll always make dumb personnel decisions. They've proven this.
(With the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday, I will look at the five Super Bowls that the 49ers played in. Why the 49ers you ask and not other Super Bowls, because this is my blog and I'm a 49ers fan. So deal with it.)
Super Bowl XXIII San Francisco 20 Cincinnati 16 Location: Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida Date: January, 22 1989 MVP: Jerry Rice Favorite: 49ers by 7 National Anthem: Billy Joel Coin Toss: Nick Buoniconti, Bob Griese, and Larry Little Network: NBC Announcers: Dick Enberg and Merlin Olson Nielsen Rating: 43.5
Background: To give you the background of how the 49ers played their way into Super Bowl XXII, let me take you back when they won their last Super Bowl before this game.
The 49ers would have to transition to younger players over the next three years after beating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX. Out were players like Dwight Clark, Wendall Tyler, John Ayers, Dwight Hicks, Jack Reynolds, and Fred Dean. In were players like Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Harris Barton, Don Griffin, Charles Haley, Bill Romanoski, and Kevin Fagan. This would be a painful transition for the 49ers as they would be eliminated three years in a row, including a painful loss to the Minnesota Vikings in 1987 when the 49ers had the best record in the league.
This painful transition would carry over into the 1988 season. Steve Young and Joe Montana would battle in a quarterback competition. In fact, Young started a couple of the games in the season with coach Bill Walsh claiming Montana was hurt when many of his players questioned if Montana was hurt at all. After a 6-5 start, Montana lead the Niners to 4 wins in five games to finish out the season.
Roger Craig would once again have over 2,000 total yards on offense in the season and would be named the NFL offensive player of the year. The defense was lead by the secondary of Lott, Tim McKyer, and Eric Wright. The secondary intercepted 18 passes on the season, while Haley lead the team with 11.5 sacks.
The Cincinnati Bengals were also coming off a disappointing season in 1987. Head coach Sam Wyche and quarterback Boomer Esiason openly feuded during that entire season. The 1988 season would see Esiason and Wyche put away their differences. The Bengals would run the West Coast Offense in a no huddle formation. Because of this tweak in the offense, Esiason would lead the league in passing and win the MVP award. The offense was also lead by Ickey Woods who rushed for 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns. Ickey would gain a lot of media attention with his "Ickey Shuffle" dance after a touchdown.
In the playoffs, both the Bengals and Niners would dominate their opponents. Cincinnati defeated Seattle and Buffalo to reach the Super Bowl. The 49ers on the other hand would avenge their 87 loss to Minnesota and then would crush the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship becoming the first team since 1979 to win the NFC Championship on the road.
Pregame Notes: - Despite having the better record and the MVP, the Bengals were 7 point dogs to the Niners because of Joe Montana.
- If you thought networks pimping their own product is bad now, it has really been going on for a while. Former Dolphins would take part in the coin toss. Bob Griese was one of those former Dolphins. Griese at the time was a college football announcer for NBC. This Super Bowl was being broadcasted on, you guessed it NBC.
- Cincinnati running back Stanley Wilson cuased some problems for the team as he was arrested in his hotel room while using drugs. He was suspended for the Super Bowl. This would become a trend for players playing in the Super Bowl in Miami. (See, Eugene Robinson)
Game Summary: Despite a great finish, this was one of more boring Super Bowls in history. The first half ended with both teams tied at 3. The reason both teams struggled on offense in this game is because both coaches knew each other well. Sam Wyche was Bill Walsh's assistant for Walsh's first couple of years in San Francisco. Wyche was with the team when they won their first Super Bowl against Cincinnati. So yeah, both sides knew each other's offenses quite well. The 1st half though would see some injuries that would significantly affect the game. 49ers offensive lineman Steve Wallace would break his ankle on the second play of the game and would not return. Bengals defensive lineman Tim Krumrie twisted his ankle 180 degrees and would break two bones in his leg. And of course NBC had to show about a thousand replay's of this grizzly injury. There was also two records broke on one play. Cincinnati punter Lee Johnson punted a record 63 yards while John Taylor returned the punt for a record 45 yards.
Neither team would score a touchdown until the end of the third quarter. Cincinnati kickoff returner Stanford Jennings returned a kickoff 93-yards for a touchdown and to give the Bengals the 13-6 lead.
The Niners though would score quickly to tie the game. Montana lead the Niners on a 4-play 85 yard drive that would end with a Jerry Rice touchdown. The game was tied 13-13 early in the fourth quarter. The Niners missed a field goal in the middle of the fourth quarter giving the Bengals the ball at the 32-yard line. The Niners would hold the Bengals to a field goal, which would give the Bengals the 16-13 lead with 3:20 left in the game. On the last drive of the game, Joe Montana would become a legendary quarterback who is still talked about today.
Because of an illegal block on the kickoff the Niners would start the drive on their own 8-yard line with 3:10 left in the game. Montana would lead the Niners on a 11-play, 92-yard drive that would cement his legacy. To calm his teammate Harris Barton before the drive started, Montana pointed out that John Candy was in the other end zone watching the game. He would say, "Hey, isn't that John Candy?" Needless to say, Joe Cool was born on this day. Figuring the Niners would work the sidelines to save time, the Bengals were tricked when Montana threw to Roger Craig and tight end John Frank in the middle of the field on the first two plays of the drive. Montana's next pass was to Jerry Rice, then Roger Craig ran the ball to the Niners 35-yard line. Montana would once again throw to Rice for a 17-yard gain to the Bengals 48-yard line. And then followed this pass up with one to Roger Craig for a 13-yard gain to put the ball on the Bengals 35-yard line.
On the next play, Montana threw his first incomplete pass of the drive. After that, Cross committed an illegal man downfield penalty, which at the time was a 10-yard foul, moving the ball back to the 45-yard line and bringing up second down and 20 to go with just 1:15 left in the game. Montana though would complete a 27-yard pass to Jerry Rice to put the ball on the Bengals 18-yard line. A 8-yard pass to Roger Craig set the ball up at the Bengals 10-yard line.
The next play would be the final play that Bill Walsh would ever call. With 39 seconds in the game, Jerry Rice went into motion to draw the defense to him, while Montana would hit John Taylor in the end zone for the touchdown.
The 49ers would win the game 20-16 to capture their third Super Bowl of the 80's.
Postgame notes: - Jerry Rice tied a Super Bowl record with 11 catches for over 200 yards and a touchdown. He was named MVP of the Super Bowl. - Before the game, there was speculation that head coach Bill Walsh might retire after this game. Brent Musberger, who was the sideline reporter for CBS for this game, asked Walsh after the game if it was his last game which would make Walsh cry. Yes, Brent Musberger made Bill Walsh cry after the game. Walsh though would retire as the Niners coach and defensive coordinator George Seifert would take over the team.
- Although the NFL had played Super Bowls in Miami before, this was the first one in Joe Robbie Stadium. It's now called Sun Life Stadium or Land Shark Stadium or whatever the Dolphins owner can squeeze an extra nickle out of to buy the naming rights to that stadium.
- The Niners became the first team to win Super Bowl's on three different networks. (Super Bowl XVI-CBS, Super Bowl XIX-ABC and Super Bowl XXIII-NBC)
- This was the last Super Bowl to be played on the second to last Sunday of January. From that point on, all Super Bowl's have been played on the last Sunday of January and the beginning of February.
- This was the last outdoor Super Bowl to start earlier than 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, as it started just after 5 p.m.
(With the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday, I will look at the five Super Bowls that the 49ers played in. Why the 49ers you ask and not other Super Bowls, because this is my blog and I'm a 49ers fan. So deal with it.)
Super Bowl XVI San Francisco 26 Cincinnati 21 Location: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan Date: January 24, 1982 MVP: Joe Montana Favorite: San Francisco by 1 National Anthem: Diana Ross Coin Toss: Bobby Layne Network: CBS Announcers: Pat Summerall and John Madden Nielsen Ratings: 49.1
Super XVI was notable for different reasons. It was the first game played in a Northern City Pontiac, Michigan where the weather would wreck havoc on the traffic trying to get to the game. It was the first Super Bowl that Pat Summerall and John Madden called together. It was also the start of the 49ers dynasty that would last for over 20 years.
Background: The 49ers surprised many in the league by going 13-3 on the season. Joe Montana emerged as a star quarterback in his third season in the league. Montana's favorite targets where Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon. The leading rusher was Rickey Patton and Earl Cooper was the first pure West Coast Offense running back serving as a running and receiving threat. The Niners defense was lead by 3 rookie defensive backs in Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright, and Carlton Williamson. The defense was also lead by veterans Jack Reynolds and Fred Dean.
The Cincinnati Bengals were also a surprise team going 12-4 on the season and never winning a playoff game in the teams history. The offense was lead by NFL MVP Ken Anderson who's deep threat was rookie Cris Collinsworth. Tight End Dan Ross and fullback Pete Alexander rounded out the offense that was protected by hall of fame lineman Anthony Munoz.
The conference championship games leading up to the Super Bowl were instant classics. The Chargers would go to Cincinnati after playing in The Epic in Miami. When San Diego arrived in Cincinnati to play the Bengals, the temperatures where -9 degrees with a wind chill of -50 degrees. Needless to say the cold weather Bengal team thrashed the Chargers 27-7. The Niners on the other hand played an instant classic against the Dallas Cowboys. With the Niners losing 27-21 with time running out in the fourth quarter, Joe Montana lead the Niners down the field. With 51 seconds left in the game, Joe Montana found Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown which would be forever known as "The Catch" sending the Niners to their first Super Bowl.
Super Bowl Pre-game Notes: - The Niners were favorites heading into the game despite being pretty evenly matched with the Bengals.
- Cincinnati head coach Forrest Gregg became the second person to have played and coached in a Super Bowl. Former Raiders coach Tom Flores was the first.
- This was the first Super Bowl to feature first-time Super Bowl participants since Super Bowl III.
- This was also the first Super Bowl to feature two teams who had losing records the previous year.
- This was the first Super Bowl to be played in a northern city and the only Super Bowl played in the Pontiac Silverdome.
Game Summary: 1st Quarter The game started with the Niners fumbling the opening kickoff giving the ball to Cincinnati on the Niners 26-yard line. The Bengals wouldn't be able to captilize as Ken Anderson threw an interception to Dwight Hicks at the 5-yard line. Montana would drive the Niners down the field and would score a 1-yard touchdown on a QB sneak. The Niners lead 7-0 at the end of halftime.
2nd Quarter Cincinnati would once again blow another scoring opportunity. Rookie Cris Collinsworth fumbled a pass from Ken Anderson at the five-yard line that was recovered by the Niners. Montana drove the Niners on a Super Bowl record 92-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Earl Cooper to make the score 14-0 Niners. With 4 minutes left in the half, the Niners went on another scoring drive that ended with a Ray Werching field goal to make the score 17-0 Niners. Then on the ensuing kickoff, Archie Griffin muffed the squib kick, giving the Niners the ball on the Bengals four-yard line. A offsides penalty on the Niners prevented them from scoring a touchdown, so Ray Werching kicked another field goal to make the score 20-0 at halftime. That would be the biggest lead in Super Bowl history. 3rd Quarter The late field goal by the Niners would actually give the Bengals confidence heading into the 2nd half. Anderson lead the Bengals down the field and ran for a five-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 20-7 Niners. The Bengals defense, now inspired, held the Niners to only 8 plays and 4 yards on offense in the entire third quarter.
Late in the the quarter, the Bengals drove all the way down to the Niners three-yard line. What would ensue would be the greatest goal line stand in Super Bowl history. On first-and-goal, Pete Johnson took the handoff and was stoned at the one-yard line. On 2nd down, Johnson ran up the middle and lost a yard. On third-and-goal Niners linebacker Dan Bunz made one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history. Anderson faked a run to Johnson and threw a swing pass to Charles Alexander who was isolated by Bunz. Bunz was able to tackle Alexander at the one-inch line and prevent him from scoring. Rather than kicking the field goal, the Bengals decided to run Johnson up the middle once again. And once again he was stoned at the one-yard line giving the Niners the ball and the momentum.
4th Quarter The Niners didn't do much with the ball and had to punt. Cincinnati would drive down the field and end the drive with a four-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to tight end Dan Ross. The Niners lead 20-14.
The Niners ensuing drive would drain a huge amount of time off the clock and ended with another Werching field goal to make the score 23-14 Niners. With five minutes left in the game, Anderson threw an interception to Niners cornerback Eric Wright which set up another Wersching field goal to make the score 26-14 Niners. Anderson would throw another touchdown to Dan Ross to make the score 26-21, but it would be too late for the Bengals.
The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI.
Post Game Notes: - Joe Montana was the game's MVP throwing for 157 yards one touchdown and rushing for 18 yards and a touchdown run. - This is the only Super Bowl where the losing team scored more touchdown than the winning team. (Bengals 3, 49ers 2)
- Ray Wersching tied a Super Bowl record with 4 field goals.
- Cincinnati tight end Dan Ross made history by catching 11 passes for two touchdowns.
- Super Bowl XVI is still the most watched Super Bowl ever with 85 million viewers and is only second behind the series finale of MASH.
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