The BITTER FEUD Between Mike Shanahan and Todd Christensen | 1989 Raiders

During the 1989 NFL season, Los Angeles Raiders tight end and 5-time Pro Bowler Todd Christensen was fighting to make the roster. Christensen did not make it onto Mike Shanahan's roster; however, the way that he didn't make it onto the team left such a bitter taste in his mouth that after getting cut, Christensen went full scorched earth on the organization, the man he lost the job to (Mike Dyal), and head coach Mike Shanahan. This is the story behind the bitter drama
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#nfl #raiders #nflthrowback #lvraiders #lasvegasraiders #football #sports #highlights
Members of the 1989 Raiders:
Jeff Gossett
Steve Beuerlein
Vince Evans
Jay Schroeder
Jeff Jaeger
Dennis Price
Mike Haynes
Derrick Crudup
Dan Land
Vann McElroy
Russell Carter
Kerry Porter
Marcus Allen
Eddie Anderson
Bo Jackson
Steve Smith
Terry McDaniel
Steve Strachan
Zeph Lee
Bobby Joe Edmonds
Vance Mueller
Stefon Adams
Mike Harden
Lionel Washington
Otis Wilson
Linden King
Thomas Benson
Joe Costello
Jerry Robinson
Jackie Shipp
Rory Graves
John Gesek
Steve Wright
Dan Turk
Bruce Wilkerson
Scott Davis
Bill Pickel
Don Mosebar
Pete Koch
Howie Long
Steve Wisniewski
Tim Rother
Bob Golic
Timmie Ware
Tim Brown
Willie Gault
Mike Dyal
Mervyn Fernandez
Trey Junkin
Ethan Horton
Mike Alexander
Mike Wise
Emanuel King
Greg Townsend
Mark Mraz
Ricky Hunley
Mike Shanahan (head coach)
Art Shell (head coach)
Al Davis (owner)

[@joeb9216]

He was great as host of Touchdown Trivia on Married with Children.

[@diaz5292]

Al Bundy was once asked what one word defines him more than any other. "Winner" answered Al without any hesitation. And indeed he did score 4 touchdowns in one game when playing for Polk High...lol

[@donparisheo]

I remember how dominant Christensen was he was an unreal TE I also loved it when he went in the NBC booth and did a great job calling playoff games. He teamed up with Charlie Jones who had a classic voice, both worked tremendously together.

[@jmad627]

I agree. They were great.

[@donparisheo]

@@jmad627 Indeed they were they called the famous collapse of the Houston Oilers vs Buffalo Bills game in '93.

[@GR-bn3xj]

As a Dolphins fan, I hated him but had tons of respect. He was the best catching TE at the time. I called him hands of glue lol

[@donparisheo]

@@GR-bn3xj Yes he was sure handed and ran good routes. I used to marvel at the fact he wore uniform number 46 as a TE, definitely not common for those days.

[@marcus813]

They were 2 of my favorite NBC announcers and I miss them both. They really did work well together.

[@82dorrin]

"In Mike Shannahan's offense, Tight Ends were not supposed to be receiving threats" *Shannon Sharpe has entered the chat*

[@suflanker45]

@jmcfan11 So was Todd.

[@dondajulah4168]

@jmcfan11 So Christenson having come off 5 straight Pro Bowl seasons wasnt "an established Pro Bowler" LMAO

[@jjmanzano9]

Yeah I noticed that too. Maybe shanahan adapted his offensive scheme by the time he returned to Denver.

[@donparisheo]

@@suflanker45 I find ironic that Al Davis didn't want to fight his coach when it came to Todd Christensen yet he had no problem telling Art Shell what to do when it came to Marcus Allen.

[@ronaldm.6150]

Christensen was far better than Sharpe.

[@JayDogTitan-he6wo]

A converted running back, Todd Christensen was one of the toughest tight ends to ever play, Reliable, durable, A great Raider. 🙏

[@chrisrobinson8339]

I'm still pissed at coach Mike for putting RG3 in that playoff game vs the Seahawks and ruining RG3. I could tell he wasn't healthy and this goofy coach couldn't. Can't stand him. Sorry Shannon.

[@prowertastic8136]

Mike didn’t want to put him in Snyder did and forced him to start RG3

[@grinningchicken]

Mike was a really good coordinator who got lucky with Elway and illegal cap moves. But his player evaluation and management of personalities was always weak. Take his record with QBs he drafted and his record is pedestrian.

[@eugenedenbrook322]

I mean, you're absolutely right, the young man shouldn't have been out there. But wasn't it Snyder's call, not Shanahan's?

[@ZeroCrystal]

I remember Todd Christensen from when he hosted the early days of American Gladiators. Did pretty good at the ol' announcer thing back then, as I remember.

[@jmb01550]

He was on only for the 2nd half of the 1st season replacing Joe Theismann. He was replaced the next year by Larry Czonka.

[@alice_evermore]

I loved Todd! He was such an inspiration! When he passed away it really shook me.

[@jmad627]

He was my favorite announcer. Shame he died so young.

[@GR-bn3xj]

I didn't know he died.. where have I been

[@maples328]

@@jmad627 , same 😢

[@marcus813]

@@jmad627 I loved him as an announcer as well and I was sad when I heard about his death.

[@donparisheo]

His retirement seemed too abrupt to me when I found out, I always felt he had a lot left in the tank Now I understand what brought it about it still doesn't make sense.

[@NosferatusCoffin]

In case this has not been mentioned yet, here is a Fun Fact. in 1980, Christensen did in fact find the end zone. He caught a TD in the Raiders 27-7 wildcard win over the Oilers in the 1980 wild card. It was actually his first ever catch as a pro.

[@pronkb000]

How young was Todd at that time? He hadn't even grown his legendary 'stache yet.

[@NosferatusCoffin]

@@pronkb000 24 years old at the time. His third season.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Todd was the best TE in football from 1982-1987 in a league that had Kellen Winslow, Ozzie Newsome, and Mark Bavaro among others. His glaring omission from 1st team All Pro status in 1986 when he led the NFL in receptions is partly why he doesn't get more consideration for the Hall. I'd rather have a guy that was genuinely great like he was in that short stretch than someone who was good for 10 years.

[@werther83]

Thanks for your work on this video! The gall bladder issue was more serious than Todd made public. He got very ill and completely jaundiced, and as a result of the surgery and hospital stay he lost 20-30 pounds, so he arrived at camp completely frail and out of shape, so I suppose a coach could be forgiven for wondering if he could play at all. He was always supremely confident in himself (whether justified or not) and felt he could get back to his old self. In fact, he continued thinking that through the early 90s and toyed with the idea of trying out almost every year. As a boy he'd have me stand about 15 feet away and throw a football at him as hard as I could and he would practice catching with either hand. He definitely didn't leave the game with a sense of completion. Do you have links to articles you used as sources for this video? I would love to read them. (I'm one of Todd's sons, by the way).

[@KazeShikamaru]

Good dad?

[@werther83]

@@KazeShikamaru Yes! That isn't to say he and I always saw eye to eye. But he cared a lot, and always showed up. He was not an absent father at all.

[@mcmlxv9827]

Todd was a Raiders legend. One of the toughest and best TE's ever.

[@teen_laqueefa]

Thanks for sharing.

[@Evilpengwinz78]

Video suggestion: The strangest 500+ passing yards game in NFL history The game: Bears @ Rams, 1982 Why it's strange: - Vince Ferragamo never made a Pro Bowl, and is the only QB with 500+ passing yards in a game to never make a Pro Bowl in his career (20 different QBs have thrown for 500+ yards in a game, and it's happened 25 times in NFL history, including postseason). All the other QBs to do this in the 20th century are either in the HOF, or had much more success in their playing careers than Ferragamo did (Phil Simms, Boomer Esiason) - Ferragamo threw more picks than TDs in his NFL career - Ferragamo played for the Rams from 1977-1980, played in the CFL in 1981 (where his team went 3-13 but still made the playoffs??? WTF Canada), then went back to the Rams in 1982 - The Bears took an early 17-0 lead in the game, and the Rams never got within one possession of the Bears for the rest of the game (this was before the 2 point conversion, obviously) - The 1982 Bears defense included some players that formed part of their all-time great defense in 1985 - The Rams finished 2-7 that year (shortened season because of the strike). They drafted someone called Eric Dickerson in the 1983 draft - Apparently he was quite good. It's interesting to think how history could've been completely different if Ferragamo had won this game. Would they have been able to trade up and get Dickerson?

[@GR-bn3xj]

I think most QBs who threw for over 500 yards lost the game. Always ironic their best game was a loss lol

[@Evilpengwinz78]

@@GR-bn3xj NFL QBs who threw for 500+ yards in an NFL game are 13-12. Games with a 500+ yard passer tend to fall into one of the following categories: 1) The team gives up a big lead early, so running the ball goes out the window, and the defense is often playing a load of basic zone coverages and looking to not give up any quick scores on deep balls, especially in the 2nd half. A 10-play touchdown drive is still a good result for the defense here, because it burns up enough clock that the other team can't score enough points in the time remaining anyway. There's also the added benefit of not putting your best blitzes and coverages on film when this happens. The opposing QB picks up a ton of yards, but it's basically garbage time for most of the game. Example: Roethlisberger in the playoffs vs the Browns last year (2020 playoffs) These are the most common 500+ yard games, and it shows up when you look at QBR, since picks obviously mean a lower QBR. 500 passing yards with a QBR of 116+: 10-1 (That one loss is Tony Romo in the shootout mentioned below) 500 passing yards with a QBR below 116: 3-11

[@GR-bn3xj]

@@Evilpengwinz78 wow great stats. I remember Dan Marino vs the Jets and it seems the Dolphins we're playing catch up the whole game. He threw some INTs I believe but also got the 500 yards in a loss. I also remember Warren Moon doing it with a loss. My thinking was probably using old numbers. I'm stuck in the 80's and 90's lol. But great data and facts. Thank you

[@tjones5719]

Ferragamo may not be well known but was for a short time a good QB. He led the Rams to the super bowl his rookie year. Went 11-4 as the starter the next year and had a very good statistically year 3000+ yds, 30 TDs (very high for that era). It was his year in Buffalo that really brought down his career stats.

[@jkelly7758]

Waiting for the Jay Schroeder story - played one game in college, drafted by blue jays 1st as catcher, then drafted by redskins 4 years later. Love your videos

[@TrooperSC]

That would be a good video.

[@alexfurtado7254]

The 1988 and 1989 Raiders certainly have a lot of interesting stories to them. Mike wanted to completely reinvent the culture around a veteran team and it didn’t go over well to say the least. Then you had the controversy over his firing, and then the hiring of the first black coach in the modern NFL Era.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

As mediocre as those teams were, both had a chance to win a game and make the postseason. The '88 team failed at home against Seattle. The '89 team failed on the road against Seattle.

[@chuckthurmond]

Christensen's first NFL reception was a postseason touchdown in 1980. I always liked that he kept No. 46 after becoming a tight end.

[@alice_evermore]

It was the old Warren Bankston play against the Oilers in the 1980 Wild Card Game! - Both wore # 46.

[@donparisheo]

Yes it was strange to see that 46 on a TE.

[@2Phaktz]

Boss move by Christensen sitting on the bench beyond the end zone after a touchdown and low fiving his guys before they sat with him.

[@TheAlfrulz]

That was an awesome scene by the whole team. Too bad a fan had to go dump a beverage on them at around 11:19.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

One of the earliest games I remember watching live. Lost to the Chargers 40-34 in OT but won out after that to win the West in 1985.

[@nasetvideos]

Great video--Really fantastic job telling this story...enjoy the games today! Look forward to hearing your recap tonight at 11:30 EST of all the games. That's always the best end to a long football day.

[@ppj0241]

He was a good color guy, too. I always liked it when he was in the booth.

[@donparisheo]

Yes he teamed up with Charlie Jones and they worked great together.

[@trevorhembrough1290]

“The primary role of the Tight End in Mike Shanahan’s offense is as a blocker.” Uh, Shannon Sharpe would like a word with you.

[@nickkaning7616]

I was thinking the same thing...but remember this was the Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson Raiders. It wasn't the Denver Broncos with Jihn Elway.

[@broncojuan]

That was after Mike went to SF and learn how to better use the TE. In fact, he saw what was being done there and improved on it.

[@BuccaneerBruce]

That was because of John Elway. Shanarat is a highly overrated coach.

[@OhThankKevin]

early on, the mention of both Raymond Chester and Dave Casper reminds me that both Raiders TEs made the Pro Bowl in 1979. Has another team provided two Pro Bowlers for the same position in the same season?

[@Canedude08]

New Orleans Saints Linebackers, if you don't break it down into detail (MLB, ILB)

[@jasonfire3434]

I think it’s happened plenty of times with WRs. Off the top of my head Harrison/Wayne and Boldin/Fitzgerald come to mind.

[@hughgurney8686]

Off the top of my head - the mid-late 80s Giants / Saints were sending multiple linebackers to the Pro Bowl, probably Chicago too whether it happened in same year I'm not sure. The Raiders themselves had Hayes/Haynes as Pro Bowl cornerbacks.

[@CTubeMan]

The four members of the 49ers secondary made the Pro Bowl after the 1984 season.

[@eugenedenbrook322]

@@hughgurney8686 Raiders had Haynes, Hayes and McElroy in the Pro Bowl in 84'. Joined by: the great Kenny Easley. More than one Raiders fan told me, that watching that group in the Pro Bowl together, they suuuure wished Kenny could switch to silver and black!

[@michaelv3340]

I remember his segments on inside the NFL on HBO. He had a pretty dry sense of humor.

[@jlsav66]

I strongly recommend the Americas Game version of the 83 Raiders where Todd Christensen was one of the contributors. He will bring you to tears at the end. My favorite tight end of all time and I wasn’t even a raider fan. A guy that made a Hall of Fame career out of nothing.

[@kessel12]

It’s a good thing Shanahan had a change of heart considering Shannon Sharpe established himself as one of the best receiving tight ends in the game before Shanahan came back to Denver, otherwise we could have had Christensen 2.0.

[@marcus813]

@jmcfan11 Maybe Shanahan learned his lesson and adapted. He would've been a fool not to exploit Sharpe's receiving ability.

[@big8dog887]

@jmcfan11 More importantly, Elway liked throwing to him, and he had a whole lot more say in the matter than whoever Shanahan's Raider QB was.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Well even before Sharpe, Shanarat was helping Brent Jones put up nice numbers in San Francisco as offensive coordinator.

[@shaughnziech2193]

a member of Mensa, which he reminded us of a few times, miss him, great interviewer and guest

[@kyledamron]

The Raiders really were ahead of their time with great receiving tight ends Todd probably the best in a line really great tight ends. I debate myself if Casper or Christiansen are the better TE, but I love Todd. I wish he was in the HoF

[@James59991]

Incredible video! Another example of the establishment destroying one great intellect first, then removing his ability to demonstrate his talent. RIP Todd Christensen.

[@andan04]

Sounds like Christensen, Dan Reeves, and RGIII could have had a fun conversation about Mike Shanahan.

[@BAYAREA-kd1ig]

Shanahan was a creep

[@nathaneast7923]

If you had told me in 1986, when Christensen was 30 years old, had the most catches in the NFL over the preceding 5 years, had just become the only player in NFL history to log 80+ catches for 4 seasons in a row, had been All-Pro 4 years straight, a Pro Bowler 5 years straight, and had led the NFL in catches in 2 of the previous 4 seasons, and was indisputably the best TE in the game, that he would not make the NFL, I would've laughed at you. If you'd told me that just 2 years later -- after leading the league in catches! -- he'd be retired, I would've said you're insane. Yet it all happened. He went from best in the game, on a surefire Hall of Famer track, to nobody. Real fast. He just disappeared. Today, people remember Mark Bavaro more. Mark Bavaro, a man who never even caught 65 passes in a season. Christensen had 80+ catches 4 years in a row! He's miles better than Bavaro.

[@CTubeMan]

This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made another video about another veteran tight end in the AFC West who didn’t seem to get a fair shot to compete for his job in the preseason. That tight end, Riley Odoms, went on to pull a George Costanza by leaving the team, then coming back the next day.

[@David.M._1979]

Too many Shannon Sharpe references here. But he did run a completely different offense in L A. Compared to the one in Denver.

[@DMS-pq8]

The 79 Cowboys had three really good TEs in Billy Joe Dupree, Doug Cosbie and Jay Saldi and were also pretty stacked at FB with Ron Springs and Robert Newhouse so I can see why Christiensen didn't get a chance to show what he could do

[@eugenedenbrook322]

Cowboys were phenomenal at scouting and development, for a long time.

[@DMS-pq8]

@@eugenedenbrook322 Tex and Gil Brant were ahead of their time

[@akbarlebowitz8151]

Todd didn't want to play TE in Dallas. He relented when he became a Raider.

[@maxthepupp]

I've long been on the record that Christensen should be in the HOF. Certainly in the discussion - and I NEVER hear it brought up! There's many, many guys you can safely say that about and Todd is absolutely one. His only real contemporaries were win slow &Ozzie. Some other real good TE's like fuss rancid as well.

[@eugenedenbrook322]

That's a good point. Why isn't he talked about more often, because he absolutely belongs in Canton. Him, Chuck Howley, Darren Woodsen, and Joe Jacoby; that'd be a nice HoF class next year!

[@auntrayjones39]

Wow had no idea Christensen got done this dirty

[@taz1417]

I like these video showcases. Keep up the good work. and there is a new thing I learned in this video. You can still play football without a gall bladder, and that Todd Christensen was originally drafted by the Cowboys.

[@msarzo]

His coaching career began with fucking up Todd Christiansen. It ended with him fucking up RGIII. And Shanny's supposed to be great...

[@spartacusrex1144]

Shanahan should have never been in the silver and black... Christiansen should have socked him up

[@cliftonbolden8015]

RIP Todd Christensen he was really good!

[@bc6352]

Casper was a powerful blocker in addition to his receiving exploits. Since he was a more complete tightend I would give him the edge over Christensen. Casper was a first team all-pro four times. Christensen three. Also, Casper had two iconic plays: Ghost to the Post and the Holy Roller. Additionally, Dave had a gaudy 13.8 yards per catch to Todd's 12.7 for career. Casper had 52 regular season touchdown catches to 43 for Christensen. On 89 fewer catches so Casper had a better knack for scoring TD's. I love TC though he should go in the Hall of Fame posthumously. He was the best in AFC. Much better than Ozzie Newsome head to head and less injury prone and less fumbles than Kellen Winslow.

[@nickkaning7616]

Todd Christensen was an odd duck to say the least. The man could play. Funny, how as time passes I grow to appreciate Todd Christensen much more...

[@michaelarmenta8289]

He had an unusual number for a TE.

[@chevy4x466]

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree either. His son treats people like garbage in sf

[@LosAngeles-yz1yn]

Can you do one on the 1990 Lyle Alzado comeback attempt?

[@johnharris6655]

Christensen was one of the best long snappers in the NFL. He had one bad snap and it came in Super Bowl 18. Lucky for him Ray Guy was the tallest punter in the league and saved him. Todd said that on the previous play he landed on the chalk which was this sticky paint stuff and could not get it off his hands before he snapped the ball.

[@johnliberty3647]

Let's not forget that Christiansen was also a long snapper, making him even more valuable to a team.

[@Supervillain725]

I remember when Art Shell was The Raiders' coach, but I don't remember Mike Shanahan's stint with Da Raiders.

[@brianhiedemansr2936]

Todd came to our house and knew that his career was in limbo. My mom and dad helped him (he is my moms cousin) come to the decision and he did not look back on the decision, was he pissed, yes my parents at one point told us to go outside and play, because they didn’t want us to hear his and I am putting this lightly his language which was full of colorful choice of words and hate towards Mike. Todd even helped me with my route running since I was a WR and how to keep from getting beat at the CB spot which I also played in each game until my 8th grade season ( I am same size weight wise just a couple inches taller since I graduated HS in 1996) so my parents were concerned about my safety was I mad yes, I did not enjoy Cross Country so i didn’t give 100% or even 80% of my time and energy, maybe 75% but for sure 70% of my effort was put into that sport. I even admitted that my favorite player was Bo Jackson at the time. Which is why I wore jersey #16 (also Frank Viola of the 1987 WS winning Twins and the player that got me interested in being a pitcher) and for baseball in the summer and basketball and the #34 in football and my high school baseball teams also because of Kirby Puckett who was my favorite baseball player for the Twins. Todd never showed us an attitude of hey I am a pro football player automatically respect me and talk only about me or else go away. No he was a humble man who showed us that no matter what you do in life or how much money you make you are not better than the next person because you might be number 5 out of 6 in the ranks because someone might be more deserving of the spot under the right conditions. But also said that sure they have strengths but just like you they have weaknesses to, and you might be wrong where they are not. Teams win championships not individuals except in the Olympics but they to are part of a team as well. He has no regrets about his playing days he just wished he had a fair chance with the Raiders and their Head Coach.

[@sirlawrence9161]

Jalen Hurts had a 17.5 rating today. He would've been better off spiking the ball into the ground every play.

[@MilsurpMikeChannel]

I remember watching him play against the Chiefs, an later in the booth on NBC. Dad and I both hated him when he was assigned Chiefs games because his distaste for the Chiefs was obvious.

[@randyhanson4973]

TC should be in the HOF

[@kentfreeman8674]

Super shocked he ain't in hofer

[@Fireyninjadog]

Mike hated al Davis since the raiders fired him for art shell

[@chrisrobinson8339]

That's coach Mike for ya

[@TrooperSC]

I like Todd because he used to call out Roy Firestone as the idiot he was on his ESPN show.

[@LOLheyman]

This is why George kittle doesn't have kelce stats. The Shanahan's are soooooooo OVERRATED. Shanahan hasn't won shit without a hof quarterback.

[@marcusanderson933]

Should be in the Hall of Fame! R.I.P Toddzilla! ☠☠☠

[@haha4938]

I remember Christensen, I didn't know he had been done dirty like that. Another reason to not like the Raiders lol

[@ralphshelley9586]

It's like Riggins leaving NY Jets!

[@jamesresmondo2663]

The Hall Of Fame Has A Problem Putting Raider Greats In. Cliff Branch , Todd Christensen , Snake Stabler After His Death .What A Disgrace!

[@Joseph-cu8lg]

Ben Coats, has a claim on the HOF. others who were a tier lower and forgotten are Jerome Barkum, Jimmie Giles, David Hill etc

[@DoobieKeebler]

Jeez! I wonder what kind of stats he could have put up in todays NFL....

[@danielmcgilvry8049]

Shanahan was always a liar, ask Dan Reeves.

[@dcoopthemann]

Yeah, I was going to say it. As a Cowboys fan, one of the things I remember most about "TE" Todd Christensen was when he played for the Cowboys, they wanted him to play "TE", but he didn't want to do it. So they CUT him. All of a sudden, he's playing "TE" for the Raiders - and LIGHTING THE LEAGUE UP! I had / have a childhood friend back then that was a Raiders fan that was bragging about how Christensen is LIGHTING THE LEAGUE UP - as a "TE" - and how the Raiders basically "STOLE HIM" from the Cowboys. I had to tell him, he didn't want play "TE" for Dallas - and how getting CUT - a couple of times - and you're facing the chance of not playing in the league at all with anybody, you start playing anywhere, at any position the next team that gives you a chance to play. If Christensen would've stayed with Dallas and "NOT" play "TE" for them, he would've never had the career he had with the Raiders! He damn sure wasn't going to have that same career playing "FB" for Dallas.

[@davidcobb2693]

Todd Christensen was Special Teams gold for the Raiders, he was one of the best long snappers in the game and he was smart enough to realize a move to TE would give him a longer career and a lot less damage to his brain.

[@brasspick]

I read where Shanahan wouldn't shut up about Clarence Kay, a TE Shanahan had coached in Denver..."his" guy. That was another part of the dissension between Todd Christensen and Shanahan.

[@stevenbauer4799]

Christensen was pretty washed up by then. And maybe shanahan did it to get back at al as those two had a long going feud with shanahan saying al screwed him out of $$$ he was owed as raider coach. Shanahan didn't even make it thru the '89 season as coach as al fired him. And probably a good thing christenson didn't make the raiders that season with scrubs and washed up journeymen like schroeder, beuerlein, and 100 year old vince evans as raider qb's that season. Christensen (rip) made a good game show host on 'married...with children'.

[@kenhill3230]

I was not aware of this, and just lost all respect for Shanahan. I was never a Raiders fan, but I always respected their talent.

[@kyledamron]

Todd was had a great vocabulary and was a pretty smart guy. I wouldn't want him going off in the press about me

[@skiprockjr.6881]

Todd Christensen will forever be known as the third best former NFL player that hosted American Gladiators behind Larry Csonka and Joe Theismann.

[@thecawdsquad875]

Fun fact: After retiring from the NFL, Todd Christiansen tried out for the Oakland A's. He wasn't signed because of his age.

[@johnharris6655]

Shannanhan told the team they could not sit on a football on their helmet. That was a Raider tradition.

[@shackdaddy7106]

The truly great coaches especially when they are first starting out adapt to the players on their team. After the coach has established himself then he could bring in players that he knows that will work with his particular system. The one exception to that rule was Don Shula. When he took over the Baltimore Colts in 1963 he had Johnny Unitas the greatest quarterback in the NFL at the time. And went to two NFL championship games. When he took over the Miami Dolphins in 1970 yeah Bob Griese, who was good but nowhere near the level of John Unitas. But he had a great running attack with Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Mercury Morris. And the great Paul Warfield at wide receiver. So we coached the great team that mainly ran the ball and only threw the ball occasionally and had the only perfect season in NFL history and winning two Super Bowls. In 1983 Miami Dolphins with Shula still as head coach,drafted Dan Marino. Immediately he had had the best passing attack in pro football. No head coach in the history of football was better at adapting to his players talent than Don Shula.. And won more games than any other head coach in NFL history.

[@kibitznec700]

That shanahan sucked. Ruined various careers, like RG3.

[@e2go]

Lol at Al Davis saying "he didn't agree with the decision but he couldn't fight the coaches on this one". Sounds like Al didn't want to look like the bad guy. Can't think of an owner with less problem sticking his nose into the coach's business than Al Davis.

[@hughgurney8686]

Surprised they didn't manage to trade him. Modern moneyball NFL wouldn't touch a 33-year-old TE but I'm sure there should have been a team in '88 that would have given at least a low round or conditional pick for a player who was coming off 5 Pro Bowls.

[@kyledamron]

I'm surprised he didn't play elsewhere

[@PlasticSausages]

The poet was a great player. He was also a great special teams player. On the 1980 super bowl team he played a really important role on teams. And even when he was a starter, I think he would score a touchdown and the trot to the huddle, as he was on the XP team.

[@radar0412]

Is there a story to tell as to why the 72 undefeated Dolphins had to play the AFC Championship ON THE ROAD game against the Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium? Cheers from the Past.

[@KnightBoat]

The host team was chosen by division on a rotating basis. Kind of like college conferences that don't have a neutral championship site.

[@radar0412]

@@KnightBoat Ok. 72 must've been the last year for the rotating formula. I'm pretty sure from 73 on the team with the best record that wasn't a wildcard team hosted the Championship game. Cheers Mate.

[@TheAlfrulz]

1974 was the last year of the rotational division format to decide home field advantage. In 1975 they began seeding teams based on their regular season records. The only exception was another quirky rule where two teams from the same division could not face each other in the divisional (second) round of the playoffs until 1990. In that case, the seeding had to be reshuffled for only that round. I never understood why they had that in place.

[@JAWrightonline]

@@TheAlfrulz Personally, I liked that quirk in the playoff system. Quite often, the conference's two best team are in the same division. By eliminating the possibility of them playing each other in the divisional round, the conference title game won't anticlimactic. Dumbass Tagliabue took it out in 1990 and moronic Goodell maintained that stupid change.

[@TheAlfrulz]

@@JAWrightonline - That's a good reason why they may have put that rule in place. I think they had to get rid of it in 1990, because they expanded the playoff field from 5 to 6 teams per conference. That made for a rare, but possible scenario where if three wild cards came from the same division and the same division champ would be waiting in the second round. It made it physically impossible to get around it. I think it came into play once with the NFC Central in 1997.

[@MrOctober44]

That's a crazy story. I wonder what Shanahan was thinking?

[@russhassell9742]

i love of historical knowledge of the NFL

[@tjones5719]

Kellen Winslow and Ozzie Newsome - those were tight ends better than Christensen. Winslow made it to the HOF despite two horrific knee injuries that took many games away from his prime.

[@travismcdonald6576]

Christensen has two rings. Boom.

[@tjones5719]

@@travismcdonald6576 Marv Fleming. If you don’t know the reference he is a TE that has four super bowl rings. Likely you have never heard of him because super bowl rings don’t come close to defining how good a TE is. Isn’t likely even a top ten factor. So that explosion was in your own face. What a pathetic comment you made.

[@tjones5719]

@jmcfan11 “Fleming also played in an era where TE were almost exclusively used as blockers and, as a result, doesn’t have the stats to get into the HOF (although he’s in the Packers HOF).” But he is not in the HOF despite having more super bowl rings. So that is not a significant factor toward a TE getting into the HOF. You acknowledge what I am saying by pointing out he doesn’t have the stats. “The point he’s making is that TC should also be in the HOF”. No, the point he is making is he has two super bowl rings and that should get him in almost exclusively. That argument fails. “he has similar stats to Winslow”. No he doesn’t. He is behind Winslow in catches quite significantly and yards if I remember right. And that is even though he played around 25+ (or about 25%) more games than Winslow. “and Newsome has only has better stats than them because he had more career starts than both Winslow and Christensen combined.” And that longevity matters. “Factor in that he was a key contributor to 2 SB champions, how do you justify him not being in the HOF while they are?” Same as I already said and you not the other person could deny, he didn’t have the stats. Go to Pro Football Reference. They have a stat around HOF worthiness of all players in all positions. Christensen doesn’t rate higher than even the lowest rated HOF TE.

[@tjones5719]

@jmcfan11 Yes, I know the stats and the stats you just provided confirm that Christensen was far behind Winslow in catches and yards (but played 25+ more games - I see you tried to falsely list games by instead using games started but Christensen had 130 or so games). Then you start arguing about the QB, sorry that doesn’t work. You might as well start complaining about coach, defense that doesn’t get off the field, etc. It is a weak argument. “…but still similar.” No they are not. 20% more catches about and about 13% more yards for Winslow in about 25% less games. That’s a big gap.

[@tjones5719]

@jmcfan11 “but his best seasons fall short of both TC and Winslow.” Incorrect his 83 and 84 years were in line with both. You can argue he wasn’t elite long enough but neither was Christensen - he had four good years (two were great). Newsome also had two great years.

[@LostLakeTribune]

Please do the 1997 Dolphins Colts game!

[@arizonawrestlinginterviews1040]

That's completely bogus the way Shanahan did Christensen. I mean, just what was he afraid of, having Christensen go to Seattle or San Diego or something?

[@marcus813]

Shanahan botched that situation badly. I don't like how he strung Christensen along, especially given how the coach handled things in the '89 preseason.

[@KWCline91]

You might want to come up with a video on the worst reason to suspend someone. I think the Texans had a case for that with how they handled Justin Reid.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

I do have some bizarre suspension related videos: - In 1972, the Patriots tried to suspend running back Carl Garrett. The league stepped in and said that the Pats couldn't suspend him: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5uonnRqrcpmhM0 - In 1974, the Chargers suspended running back Cid Edwards, but never told him why he got suspended: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJWupZaCbqiNpKM

[@donparisheo]

@@OfficialJaguarGator9 Man I love your work I watch your videos for hours. I was a Houston Oilers fan and hated them moving to Tennessee. Can you do a feature on how Ed Biles sabotaged Bum Phillips to Bud Adams causing him to get fired. Also anything you could do on the departure of the Oilers would be Wonderful.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

@@donparisheo Thanks! If you want a good video on the departure of the Oilers, I highly recommend UrinatingTree. He had two videos on the Oilers that are really good

[@donparisheo]

@@OfficialJaguarGator9 Thanks, I did see one of his videos. I wasn't aware he made 2, I will definitely check it out. Once again Thanks for the fine work you do, there's no one like you

[@travismiller4320]

Everything I came here to say has been said already, gave it 👍.

[@jmj7599]

It is not a well-kept secret Mike Shanahan is classless

[@ralphshelley9586]

What did Al Davis think? Coaches have their pets!

[@ralphshelley9586]

Shanahan hot bounced!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Todd was a stud, Mike was a dud.

[@Davepool-hs7vr]

Karma got Mike Shanahan early on in the 1989 season.

[@scottstevens9533]

Fantastic player, but he tried too hard as a commentator. It was like he crammed in as many intellectual sounding words into his brain as possible and he strained to use every one of them - often at inappropriate times.

[@presto111man]

Jim Plunkett would just spike the ball into the ground on every play, in order to raise his QB rating.

[@johnharris6655]

Plunkett has 2 rings, Not Marino, not Warner, nor a bunch of other Quarterbacks, and Plunkett was retired in 1989.

[@johnharris6655]

@jmcfan11 Plunkett took over a team that was 2-3 and took them to the Superbowl.

[@johnharris6655]

@jmcfan11 Plunkett did not have Campbell, but won a Super Bowl.

[@quotemenot7520]

shanahan proving what an awful Raiders coach he was.

[@rd-pd8xb]

RIP TC.

[@blainemonaco2092]

He looked like a great teammate……

[@michaelfabian3036]

Despite Shanahan being an "iconic" 2x Broncos SB Championship coach, I've always thought him a dodgy, dark~sided figure; I mean come on, pushing QB Elvis Grbac to throw the ball at Al Davis's head during pre~game warmups out on the field, before the 49ers~Raiders 1994 opener, WWTF!?! I can even recall HC Dan Reeves having issues with him, when ol' Mike was the Broncos OC & QB Coach in the late '80's & early '90's. Basically a NO~CLASS guy, despite his success.

[@silyrabittrxr4kids5]

Loved T.C. I didn't know about him being shit on like that. Is he in the Raiders HOF?

[@donculotta1551]

I have been a lifelong Broncos fan. Being born and raised in East Baltimore< I have gone through hell ever since 1983, which is what made me a Broncos fan in the first place. That being said, Mike Shanahan IS the G.O.A.T. No, strike that: THE MASTERMIND!!!!!

[@davidkaziska6192]

This would feel totally different if Christensen signed with another team and proved Shanahan wrong, but he never played again. That makes it look like he was overpaid and underproductive and wasn't cut earlier just in case they needed him.

[@kyledamron]

And who the hell is Mike Dyall?¡?! I love Todd and will forever dislike mike

[@adamzielinski2001]

Todd was such a crappy announcer. Listen to the way he says,” Whhhiiiitteeee.”

[@zacchaeuswilson6116]

Definitely sounds like something that shiesty Mike Shanahan would do.

[@brainscott8198]

Jesus H...another KZbin story that takes 13 minutes to tell a 3 minute story....blah blah blah boring!