#6 astroturf. You'll notice that concussions and serious leg injuries skyrocketed in the early '70s after almost all the stadiums started using this. The early stuff was nothing less than a carpet on a concrete slab. Worst thing that happened to sports.
The reason astroturf deserves to be on the list is despite the disastrous impact, short-term, it had on the game...long term, it allowed for even contemplating later evolving surfaces that have been heralded as beneficial, not just by fans, but by players. [Besides..."change" does not necessarily imply intrinsic improvement.]
I haven't taken NFL Films for granted: in the early 1990's ('91-92, episodes airing on ESPN after MNF) I learned about the teams, players, and the NFL itself through this studio, and I'm very grateful.
Thank you for this! I like watching these old NFL Top 10. The commentators in here really know the game. Unlike the new version of NFL Top 10, too many comedians and artists acting wannabe analysts 🤦♂️
I love the old lists, even when I disagree with a list, at least I’m listening to people who know their stuff instead of listening to people who think Jim Brown was a linebacker (that really happened)
I like your list! You should work for NFL Films for making that list! Well I agree that some give good comments/analysis like the ones you've mention above. But I'm annoyed with these overreactions and unfunny comments made by these "casual fans" like Flula Borg. I've rather enjoy listening to insights by local radio hosts like Mark Madden or ex-Raider players like George Atkinson ranting when a Raider doesn't make the Top 10 or even Ray Didinger. Wish the could bring the old ones back and not these "casual fans". It gives you a sense of memorabilia as you watch NFL Top 10 and hear insights/comments/stories from the ones who really know the game.
11:56 One of the few times I agree with Mark Madden - no other sports organization in North America (and maybe the world) has a back catalog, detailing its history in such a clear, cinematic, and alluring way as the NFL.
I was extremely spoiled going from watching NFL Films in the morning and afternoons to watching NFL Primetime on Sunday nights. The biggest insult was Disney bringing NFL Countdown back... on ESPN+. I can't wait for ESPN and Disney to disappear considering they've ruined so much. The NFL is sadly on the decline as well.
13:43, I couldn't agree more. I have nothing against people who play fantasy football, but I get seriously pissed off when idiots comment about being angry because a team rested a player and it cost them points. It is as though they have forgotten what the game is actually about.
1:42 Pete Gogolak. 6:12 The West Coast Offense! 9:34 NFL Films. 13:45 The 1978 Rule Changes? 17:24 The Astroturf. 22:01 The Instant Replay. 25:57 The Great, Paul Brown. 30:49 Free Agency. 34:52 The NFL on Television. 40:11 The AFL-NFL Merger. Best of the Rest Game-Changers: 5:26 The Great, Lawrence Taylor. 12:45 Fantasy Football. 30:03 The Legendary, Red Grange. 34:23 The Historical, Pete Rozelle.
Man went to the Super Bowl with 4 different quarterbacks in 3 different decades. My dad is a Dolphin fan and whenever I went to his house, he had the team photo of the 72 Dolphins next to his bed. RIP Mr. Shula and f 2020.
Pete Rozelle was one sharp dude. Nobody did as much for the NFL as he did. Made the NFL what it is today and beat out baseball as the national past time in the process. Best commissioner of any sports league ever.
The Betting Line changed the game but the NFL does not want to acknowledge that it's benefited by gambling. The betting line increased interest in EVERY game each week and led to eyeballs on tv's and televised advertisements till the very end of each game.
Blanton Collier got a championship with his players in 1964, and kept the Browns a perennial playoff team the rest of the decade (including another two conference championship game appearances in 1968 and 1969) and Weeb Ewbank, Bill Walsh, Don Shula, and Chuck Noll each won championships in the league as well. He’s had quite the coaching tree.
But near the end of his life he had to face them pleasant truth that one of his best innovators, Bill Walsh, was someone he refused to promote to head coach and refused to give a positive recommendation for to people elsewhere in the league forcing Bill Walsh to go to Stanford. He would forever have to think that had not made this huge mistake the 49ers success of the 80s could have been his.
It seems a bit odd that NFL Films should name itself to such an honor, but it's undeniable that their films have enriched the fan experience a lot. At least they have for this old geezer. I agree TV should be #1. Thanks for the post.
NFL films should be higher. Without the Sabals, many wondrous memories would have faded to black. Because of their vision and creativity, I'm still watching player who were before my time. Thanks to them and RIP both father and son Sabal.
Yep, just look at basketball. There is no video of Wilt Chamberlain's 100pt game. So many of the old legends of basketball are like mythical figures because of how behind the NBA and ABA were when it came to documenting and broadcasting the game
I would say that the creation of the AFL had more of an impact than the merger. The AFL decided to play wide open offensive minded football while the NFL remained straight forward run oriented football. Once the AFL did that the NFL became boring. It's like the WHA and recruiting and signing European hockey players making it a faster game forcing the NHL to do the same. Amazing what rebel leagues can accomplish.
The super bowl wins.... it’s a national holiday.... everyone knows about the super bowl, even non fans, non Americans.... but I guess you could argue that the super bowl being on TV helped it
What I remember when Bill Walsh took over the 49ers was the quarterback taking a few steps back and throwing to a wide open receiver. Timing. That was different than the passing game at the time.
When Bill Walsh was an offensive assistant with the Bengals under Paul Brown in the 70's, they ran what became known as the "West Coast Offense" . For some unknown reason, Brown did not name Walsh the new Head Coach of the Bengals when Brown retired from coaching after the 1975 season. 6 years later, Walsh got his revenge in Super Bowl XVI before Brown passed away, and again in Super Bowl XXIII.
It wasn't unknown. Walsh wanted to be a head coach..he even had an offer from GB but Paul Brown called them and sabotaged Walsh's chance at an interview..in other words fuck paul brown and his legacy
Stephen Hill - I hate to be a hater here. But these shows have gotten dated and corny. Now when these Top 10 shows were new - they were revolutionary. Time has just moved on. Best to just keep these shows in 2006.
Because the forward pass was legalized in 1906, long before the NFL. Not, however, before pro football started. That was in the 1890s. The NFL started in 1920.
@AVERY HUEBEL Satan: I told them it was 100% and their Special Teams are on my fantasy team. Finally, I shall avenge that "Book of Job" incident and... wait why the ME is Polamalu lining up in the c gap?
Could Anyone Imagine An Idea For The NFL Draft Lottery? It Would Be Crazy Enough For Anything Or Everything To Happen For The NFL To Make Not Just The Worst Teams But For The Best Teams To Secure And Draft To Top Picks In The Draft Just On The Bounce Of A Few Lottery Balls... Maybe.
@@miguelsandoval1985 Your not alone on this, I also want to see a draft lottery because I am so sick of teams tanking on purpose for the first pick in the draft which can backfire so easily because there is no guarantee on some things here: 1. more then one team can be godawful and they will be fighting to lose on purpose just to get the number one overall pick 2. Any number one first draft pick can be a bust Jamarcus Russell is the best example as well as Ryan Leaf
Yes, I agree. It needed to be rated far higher, like number 4. Until then, my hometown Steelers could dominate alone, just by Mel Blount man handling the other team's best wide out within 5 yards. In defiance, we still won two more Superbowls back to back after that. The wimpy Don Shula was the right man to explain this on the video. He's the one who pissed and moaned about Blount's man handling so much, that the league changed the rule to shut him up. It DID make the game more exciting since there was more long passes. But we in the Burgh were all about DEFENSE. And we HATED the rule change.
The West Coast offense invented in Cincinnati. And ended up costing the Bangels TWO Super Bowls, because Paul Brown didn't think Bill Walsh had what it took to be a head coach. As a 49ers fan, I would like to thank Coach Brown for one of the biggest instances of mental flatulence in the history of professional sports. *points at Paul Brown* "HAW HAW!!!" *Nelson Munce voice*
During Rozelle's reign, the NFL's marketing was ingenious, as the league partnered with other industries to expand its footprint. It hooked me as a kid in the early 70s. I remember the International House of Pancakes had a big, good-looking insulated mug - red on one side with images of all the AFC helmets, blue on the other side with the NFC helmets. Coca-cola, back when soda came in glass bottles, had bottle caps with a black-and-white image of each of the then 26 teams' helmets on the underside, and there was a prize if you managed to collect each one, I think $500 or something (which was big money back then.) I had an NFL Venus color-by-number set that I sent away for when I saw it advertised in a comic book. Texaco gave away with every fill up glassware with the NFL shield on one side and a regionally determined team helmet on the other. Not to be outdone, Sunoco had player stamps and an album to stick'em in. That album is still one of my most prized possessions. Wanna buy it? It'll cost you $10,000- - -Nah, forget it. I won't sell it (!)
Overall , this film is right on . So many things that I did in my playing days have changed .I was a straight on kicker with a school record of 41 Yd FG !!! Played D end , never recorded sacks back then , but on Offense , you couldn't extend your arms . Being from the late 50s , thru the 60s , into the 70s .even 80s , 90s players were not " nomads " as free agency , salary cap changed NFL football . Yes , this documentary is one that all generations should watch . It clearly shows how the NFL as we know has truly evolved and has really become the national pastime
Let's See How Well The NFL Has Changed Over The Years On The List 10. Soccer Style Kickers 1:41 9. West Coast Offense 6:13 8. NFL Films 9:34 7. 1978 NFL Rules Changes 13:44 6. Astro Turf 17:24 5. Instant Replay 22:00 4. Paul Brown 25:57 3. Free Agency 30:49 2. Television 34:52 1. AFL/NFL Merger 40:10 I''M I MISSING SOMETHING... AGAIN?!!!!!!!
1. 'Bullet' Bob Hayes. He was the first "Really Fast" player in the league and forced the entire defensive side of the league to invent the Zone-defense. 2. Jerry Jones. Him and his staff are the reason tape watching is such an enormous part of the game today in both scouting and prepping for opponents. It would've come at some point in time no matter what but JJ started it. 3. Jerry Jones: Through out his time as an owner of the most valuable sports brand on earth he has refused to let the NFL dictate his business and made deals with Nike, Pepsi and hundreds of other deals possible for both his team, other teams and the entire league which was instrumental in making the NFL a trillion $ enterprise. 4. Robert Kraft and Tom Brady: After the Patriots first SB with Brady at the helm it became clear that now one owner and especially one player was the new poster boy of the league. Rules didn't apply to them and could be both bended and broken. 5. Al Davis: Al was a renegade and it only came together for him once but his philosophy about drafting and signing players for traits like speed became the norm after his passing. Now, speed and quickness is everything.
I'm not always sure about Mark Madden, but I see his point about Fantasy Football, rooting for guys on teams that aren't your favorite(s) so one can win their league. I mean, I'm cool with Fantasy Football, (especially the video game kind:-), but yeah, things can get awkward.
True Value used to have NFL Films VHS tapes as promo items in the early 90s. Got 1 or 2 from my dad every Christmas for a few years. I wore those bad boys out.
It reduced ties dramatically - you had 11 of them in 1966, and there were four other seasons with 10 or more prior to 1974. The fact is, the average fan doesn't pay $140 of their hard earned to watch a game end in a tie.
@@benhub3932 You mean the Manning-Brady rule. After the Patriot rape of Colt's receivers in '02 followed by Brady's knee injury a few years later both teams pushed hard for enforcement of the Mel Blount rule.
Paul Brown made the Browns, then the Bengals, and the Ravens wouldn't exist without the original Browns... this man is responsible for most of the AFC north's existence.
Instant replay also created one of the greatest John Madden lines ever: "I miss the days when, a fumble is a fumble, and if it's a fumble, it's a fumble."
Top 10 things that changed the game. Number 6: Astro Turf Next on NFL Network: Top 10 things we miss about football Number 7: Grass "You know what I miss about football? Grass! Remember when teams played on grass?!"
I think Pittsburgh still does--although I also think they mixed some of that FieldTurf in along with it three or four years back. Still though, your point holds.
@@DRTY3RD no, the Steelers have Kentucky bluegrass. The Steelers would never go back to turf nor the Eagles because both got real sick of playing on turf at home after experiences at the Vet and Three Rivers.
28:07 Anybody else see Kevin Kolb threw for 300 yards against the Panthers? Wtf? That has got to be a typo. If you're even old enough to know who Kolb was then u would know why that's so baffling
I know this came out in 2008, but the rule changes which came out the following season changed the game forever. Not allowed to hit QBs or make big time hits anymore
Not too High , but maybe #7 should be ... when all WR’s completed full programming , in which they would get up and exaggeratedly gesture for a PI flag after ALL incomplete passes no matter circumstances involved. It took a few years to really saturate the WR DNA , but sometime in the early 2010’s this was accomplished at an acceptable rate of 98.4%.
I am really surprised, and somewhat disappointed, that the introduction of the "platoon system" was not included. Before Red Blair (if memory serves), players went both ways. If a player came out of the game, he could not return during that half. So a player coming out in the first half could return in the second. When football went to platoons with special teams and free substitution, the players could then be bigger and would hit harder. I haven't tracked injuries, but suspect that this contributed greatly to the physical damage incurred by players. If platoons had not come in, football would be a different game.
Thanks for posting these Top 10s. I feel forced on this one however, to mention THE biggest change that they just glossed over. The advent of the face mask.
@@EmmaBonn96 "Kinda included" doesn't fit when considering the impact of the face mask. NOTHING was a bigger change or had a larger impact on the game of football.
Tom Landry Inventing the 4-3 Defense... should be on the list can you imagine 7 guys on the line no linebackers. The 4-3 Defense. It should be on the list .
The 8 weeks ago we stood in this same spot speech in the intro was made by Jonathan Vilma before the Jets road wildcard playoff game at New England in 2006 season. The 8 weeks ago he was referring to was the game at New England Jets had won obviously 8 weeks before. Jets would however lose that playoff game to the Patriots
NFL Sunday Ticket changed everything in football when it was introduced in 1994 on Primestar/Direct TV . In 1994, if you had the Ticket every Any Given Sunday was a doubleheader day on NBC & FOX then later CBS & FOX in 1998.😊
television and instant replay are basically the same thing what I remember is like somewhere between 74 and 76 they brought in the fair catch imagine being a punt returner without the option for a fair catch
Thing I miss most about football is Al Davis, even if things started to go south for him at the end he was a character as much as anything else and I loved him
24:44 Oh my God that's adorable. Of course, since we're from the future we can say this: How on EARTH are you expected to watch the replay on THAT screen and come up with a call in 15 seconds??? I hope they had an optician on standby for these guys.
I'm all for safe play, but they have taken hard hitting out of football. They have officiated defense into touch football. I don't watch as much as I used to. Every reciever walking across the middle of the field.
Everyone mentions the 78 rule changes as the Mel Blount rule, but how did I just realize that the offensive line blocking change was to mitigate the steel curtain.
It honestly boggles my mind that no one thought to try kicking sidewinder before to Pete Gogolak. Kicking straight on just looks and feels so unnatural - did no one think "There's gotta be a better way"?
