The Worst Scoring Offense (1972 Philadelphia Eagles)

For a couple of years, the Eagles had the worst scoring offense in a 14 game season in history. Exciting game footage from 1972, along with music from the era makes this a very entertaining video. Check it out!

[@user-ll2yj3hy4c]

As a lifetime Eagles fan I try to forget the 1972 NFL season.

[@anthonybrooks5040]

You shouldn't feel that bad about the '72 Eagles. At least they beat the 1-13 Oilers.

[@markgardner9460]

I can understand that.

[@williamstuartmitchell5480]

Yup. Already lived through it. Although depressing to relive it, I’m extremely grateful for the current Owner, GM and players and I’m grateful for the new Coordinators and having lived through the lean years after the 1960 championship and the arrival of Dick Vermeil, I’m still skeptical about Sirianni. I hope he lets Kellen Moore run the offense. Last year it was very clear that the rest of the NFL had developed strategies to deal with Sirianni’s playbook.

[@barbaracaroll]

Most Eagles fans think football started in 1994 when Lurie bought the team or 2004 when they made a super bowl after losing so many championship games or the young ones point to 2017 and they totally disregard the Cowboys 5 super bowls the Giants 4 super bowls a couple legendary ones in there and the redskins 3 super bowls they somehow think that all the other teams super bowls disappear and they have the only one lol

[@2095yourstruly]

A big reason they got Gabriel for 1973. Another great video, thanks Mark

[@markgardner9460]

Correct - they had to get him - can't have another grueling season like '72. I'm glad that you enjoyed the video!

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

The Eagles uniforms were definitely better than today's although the one you are rocking was better than that!

[@9Hammers]

Except it's a Don Meredith jersey...

[@markgardner9460]

I always liked their uniforms...until recently

[@markgardner9460]

Harold Carmichael

[@3243_]

ALL the uniforms back then were better than they are today.

[@Rob774]

They weren't better, just different.

[@briggscharleton6139]

I'm sure Harold Jackson was more than overjoyed for that plane ticket to Los Angeles in 73

[@markgardner9460]

It must have felt like getting a "get out of jail free" card.

[@johnm8096]

It’s amazing how things would change when they got Roman Gabriel the next season.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

Absolutely correct!

[@markgardner9460]

They got Gabe and Tight End Charle Young and they instilled Running Back Tom "Silky" Sullivan as a starter.

[@michaelleroy9281]

They improved to 5-8-1 but still weak defensively

[@surfshack2]

Roman gave them their first glimpse of hope and they built on that all the way up to 1980.

[@neilschauer5080]

Roman must have thought he died & went to hell .

[@petegregory9534]

I remember now why Vermeil was so revered

[@gtrhoppe]

This is where I get my nostalgia fix for hardcore NFL football played by real athletes. This totally makes up for the disrespectful wussy ball that the NFL expects us to watch every Sunday. Back then, you rarely saw a player not giving his all, hustling on every play. Thanks for the reliable videos.

[@markgardner9460]

I'm with ya. Just because they serve it up on a plate doesn't mean I'm gonna eat that crap. Thanks for your continued viewing and comments!

[@JosephArmeni-ct3fc]

Well put! No one made 100 grand,much less the millions part time players get now! Winning was the reward,not millions, guaranteed money,means,why give a crap,getting paid no matter what

[@markgardner9460]

I can still hear Randy Moss say "Randy plays when Randy wants to."

[@michaelleroy9281]

@@markgardner9460 Which got him traded from the Vikings after 2004

[@Rob774]

That being said, these guys couldn't play in today's game because guys are bigger... fastsr... smarter. And c9mparing comments is pointless, since you didn't have access to these guys thoughts, which might have been worse.

[@jstube36]

13:03 Now that's a hit. Every franchise goes through the down years. It's never much fun. Most of that decade was not kind to the Eagles. That division for the most part was a two-team race. For the Eagles, things did start to look up once Dick Vermeil and Ron Jaworski arrived. That's when things got a little too crowded in the NFC East. Especially when Gibbs went to Washington and Tuna to the Giants. That's when the division was a complete madhouse of insanity.

[@markgardner9460]

That had to have been one of the most highly competitive divisions of all-time from top to bottom.

[@jstube36]

@@markgardner9460 Think of this stat. from 1980-1995, the teams of the NFC East appeared in 10 Super Bowls winning 8. The intensity and rivalries were over the top in that span of years. And it was most brutal when the teams played each other. It can still get a bit crazy. But not like it was then.

[@markgardner9460]

That's getting close to domination

[@michaelleroy9281]

The 2 games they won were both by 1 point 21-20 over KC 18-17 over Houston on 6 Field Goals

[@evanmeier3570]

While Jackson led the team in catches, it appears in this video that he had a few uncharacteristic drops. Non-existent running game and an inconsistent kicker and you have a historically anemic offense. Cool to see Carmichael grab his first TD. Liske was a poor man’s Joe Pisarcik. CFL refugee who couldn’t replicate success in the Big Boy League. Very informative video with some great footage. I enjoy these early 70’s clips as it was before I was old enough to really have any memories of these seasons. Thanks Mark!

[@markgardner9460]

I got a kick out of Carmichael's "hop kick" td celebrations.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

@@markgardner9460 They were entertaining!

[@markgardner9460]

Unique!

[@denisceballos9745]

@@markgardner9460 He was “working on it” - I think the big windmill spikes appeared the next year - his break out year. Amazing athlete!

[@drbonesshow1]

The Eagles had as much offense as Tom Dempsey had a right foot. May his club foot RIP. When I was a post-doc in physics at UPenn I had to ride the Trenton to Philly train including game day Sunday. After a loss you'd hear the foul language and from the women it was even worse.

[@markgardner9460]

I got a big kick from the last part of your final sentance, Professor!

[@tommythomason6187]

To be fair to the three QBs, they had shaky pass protection. Those quarterbacks looked frantic, trying to find a receiver quickly. And, uncharacteristic for Jackson to drop those passes. They DID beat the Houston Stinkers and the mediocre Cardinals were in the second of three consecutive 4-9-1 seasons. They were also 4-9-1 in 1969. The Eagles needed a big-time QB and Roman Gabriel changed the complexion of the offense. They also got Norm Bulaich in 1973.

[@markgardner9460]

I forgot to mention Big Boo in an earlier response - thanks for bringing him up. You are spot on about the QB's having inadequate protection. Tommy Prothro said they needed help up front. Well, they got it in '73 with rookie Jerry Sisemore at Tackle and rookie Guy Morriss at Center.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

Sisemore and Morris were excellent players

[@markgardner9460]

Played 12 & 15 years respectively in the NFL. That's a long time in the trenches for that era - a lot of scratchin' and clawin' goin' on.

[@NigelIncubatorJones]

But at least their uniforms were a lot better looking than their current iteration.

[@markgardner9460]

I really like the crisp, uncluttered '72 uniforms - especially the helmet.

[@NigelIncubatorJones]

@@markgardner9460 Either this era, or the Randall Cunningham era unis.

[@jamesmelcher9355]

I’m in the minority here, but I never liked this look, and especially not the white helmets with the green wings. I prefer what they have now, or their late 1960s look.

[@michaelleroy9281]

The White helmets worn from 1969-1973 meant years of losing

[@michaelleroy9281]

The all white look made them look like milkmen that went away in 1974

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

Larry Watkins the only rushing TD? Holy cow!

[@markgardner9460]

By a RB. Reaves had a one yard td run for the team's other rushing td.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

​@@markgardner9460Still pathetic! 2 rushing TDs all year!

[@markgardner9460]

...and it wasn't like the QB's were passing for touchdowns and stealing 'em from the RB's cuz they only had 10 td passes all year.

[@jammininthepast]

The Eagles were truly woeful in '72. I don't remember them turning it around until '76-'77. Carmichael was huge, he could get open though. I don't remember him fighting for balls or "high pointing" he just got open. The Oilers about the same, awful until mid decade. In the early '70s the NFC was ruled by what four/five teams essentially, occasional upstarts...thanks brother, good memories, you're appreciated.

[@markgardner9460]

For some reason, Cornerback Joe Lavender popped into my head. He wasn't an Eagle until '73, but I remember his horn-rimmed prescription eyeglasses that he wore while playing for Washington. I think Ken Houston wore the same ones while playing in the secondary with Lavender.

[@jammininthepast]

@@markgardner9460 yeah military style glasses.

[@nicholassmith479]

Cowboys, Vikings, Rams and occasionally the Redskins.

[@Bogo1313]

The Cardinals won the NFC East in 1974 and 1975, and finished 10-4 in 1976.

[@kingofallmediums2123]

Love your videos and that Eagles 🦅 uniform 😊

[@markgardner9460]

Glad you like them! Thank you!

[@christianwootton100]

Philly should bring back those alien head helmets.

[@markgardner9460]

You've got some supporters!

[@billmalone5050]

The 1972-73 Philadelphia Eagles were not a good football team. But they looked really good. I loved their green and white uniforms with the white helmets.

[@markgardner9460]

Their uniforms with the green jersey has always been one of my favorite. I know that a lot of fans don't care for the simplicity, but I think the scheme works very well.

[@hovertrout1]

Dempsey image woukd make an ideal framed print

[@markgardner9460]

It's got a great background, doesn't it? The image has good balance.

[@blinko656]

You should have your own TV channel. I think that would be great. We need that.!

[@markgardner9460]

I'll say this: we need better options than football shows that address whether or not a panel of "experts" think a given running back will or will not gain 100 yards in the upcoming game. That's so weak and lacks substance. I like a program like Chris "Mad Dog" Russo's.

[@centrist1008]

Which is a bummer. I loved the old unis

[@jamesmelcher9355]

I love seeing the old CBS Sports “ticket logo” banners!

[@markgardner9460]

Yeah, those bright orange ones!

[@thedarkchild86]

72 Eagles was before my time as a Eagles fan ... It amazing that John Reaves was able to hang around long enough to play in the USFL TAMPA BAY BANDITS .... He was outstanding for them ....

[@markgardner9460]

Then he finished up with the Bucs in '87 when he played 7 games for them at age 37. I wished that I had watched more USFL games, but I was in my roaring 20's.

[@thedarkchild86]

@markgardner9460 If nothing else he had longevity in Pro Football

[@markgardner9460]

That's right. Even just playing 1 or 2 years is a big accomplishment when considering the high level of competition every year in securing a roster spot. Really, no player should be looked upon as being awful because if that's the case, then how bad are the back-up players? And the plsyers that were cut from the team. Hall of Fame baseball Manager Casey Stengel said it best: "If your name is in The Baseball Encyclopedia then you were a great player". The same thing goes for football.

[@danielury2765]

Thanks for the video and the detailed description of this team. Harold Carmichael (#17) still must be the tallest to play WR on any team before or since. 1972 was an awful year for the Phillies, too. Must have been great to hang around Veterans Stadium that year.

[@anthonybrooks5040]

Don't forget that the losing bug also bit the '76ers when they went 9-73 (all-time worst for a complete season) in '72-'73.

[@markgardner9460]

Wow. What a year. At least there was The Broad Street Bullies who provided ample entertainment.

[@billywalik6411]

Harold one day in practice threw a football 100 yards! Tall yes…So Strong!

[@markgardner9460]

I read where Harold played some QB in high school and threw the javelin and discus at Southern. That's one impressive feat!

[@orbyfan]

@@markgardner9460 In the fall of 1972 they did, but they ended the 1971-72 season by missing the playoffs when Gerry Meehan scored with 4 seconds left to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 win in the last game of the season. The Flyers ended up tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the tie-breaking formula gave the Penguins the last playoff spot. The Flyers that year, like the Eagles and Phillies, were lacking in scoring.

[@joeyvocals1]

Sir, this is always so fascinating to me! My grandparents are two years older than John Reeves! I thoroughly enjoy: general history, sports, politics, music, and military! I always wait for your video! You are the best!

[@markgardner9460]

Thank you, Joey! Those are very kind comments and I appreciate it.

[@joeyvocals1]

@@markgardner9460 👍

[@1234herbie]

This video needed a ***WARNING*** post attached to it. Something on the lines of “not for the faint of heart” 🤣🤣 Another fine history lesson with this video. 👍🏾

[@markgardner9460]

That's about right! Thank you - I'm glad that you like it!

[@billywalik6411]

I once asked Johnny Rauch why we had so many ‘Trick Plays’…”Cause We Stink” Billy Walik #9

[@markgardner9460]

Wow, now that's a dose of reality. You had an awesome touchdown to touch ratio at Villanova and it got better each subsequent year.

[@billywalik6411]

@@markgardner9460 Thanks! Billy

[@dmitrifailla6408]

He probably wanted to run a vertical offense, But may not have had the ability to, do you think ?

[@billywalik6411]

@@dmitrifailla6408 JR was a curious hire no doubt. As there was no one to mentor their #1 draftee (QB John Reeves), who had never called plays at any time in his career. How much input Rausch had, well wasn’t much.

[@topJimmyP1984]

It didn't help them having to play two games against Doomsday and two games against George Allen's Over the Hill Gang

[@markgardner9460]

That's certainly true. Dallas sacked Eagles QB's 9X in week 10, but they only tallied one in week one.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Don't forget 2 losses to the Giants one of them was by a score of 62-10

[@markgardner9460]

Giants QB's threw 5 td's on only 13 completions

[@dmitrifailla6408]

@@michaelleroy9281 The Next year saw a reversal of fortunes for the two teams !!!!

[@dmitrifailla6408]

It would be no shock if Ron McDole had career games against the Eagles since the QB coach was his HC in '69 & '70 in Buffalo and got him traded out of Buffalo !!!!

[@williamwaller2485]

Awwwh yeah, I remember those years well. I actually thought before the Eagles won the Superbowl in 2017 that they would never win a Superbowl in my lifetime. After the final seconds of the 2017 Superbowl ran off a brother almost cried...actually I did shead a tear or two lol. Hell, I waited a long time for that feeling.

[@saml760]

My late father was an Eagles season ticket holder back then and we sat in section 732, the yellow seats, the nose bleed seats at Veterans Stadium and I remember so well those sunday afternoonsin cold winter weather watching the Eagles stink the joint up and my dad and I still cheering our heads off for them. /ah,the memories.

[@markgardner9460]

I checked out that section on-line and you're right.....nose bleed seats, but at least you were there cheering and enjoying the atmosphere! Thanks for commenting!

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

Wow back to back wins on missed FG! Bakken usually didn't miss from that close!

[@markgardner9460]

It's those squared-tipped shoes...don't hit the ball just right and off it goes to one side

[@jamesmelcher9355]

Bakken had a great career with the Cardinals, and before that at Wisconsin. He went to the same high school I did (Madison West in Madison, WI). Stu Voigt of the Vikings and Tim Stracka of the Browns did, too. IIRC, Bakken went on to work for the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department.

[@CapeFear1]

Harold Jackson went on to be a monster with the LA Rams.

[@markgardner9460]

Yes he was and he was pretty good with the Patriots after that, too. I think that he belongs in the Hall of Fame.

[@johnm8096]

Rick Arrington was sideline reporter Jill Arrington’s dad.

[@markgardner9460]

Good info. Thank you for providing!

[@zcam1969]

Mark . Pete Rose 4,245 hits life time . Pete belongs in the HOF !

[@markgardner9460]

Artifacts from his career are on display inside the Hall of Fame. I don't think he'll be inducted while he's alive.

[@zcam1969]

@@markgardner9460 he has signed a 100 million autographs .

[@markgardner9460]

Clubhouse attendants have signed their share, too. Pete confessed that he couldn't tell the difference.

[@zcam1969]

@@markgardner9460 I HAVE A PETE ROSE AUTOGRAPH LMAO

[@bdog1323]

Well, look at the bright side, the '76 Bucs scored only 125 points and even worse in '77 with 103 points. 😄

[@jameswilson7790]

Tampa Bay scored 50 points in their two wins. They also scored 23 points in their loss at Seattle. That means that they scored only 30 points in the other 11 games. That's an average of less than 3 points per game. YIKES!!!

[@orbyfan]

Peter Liske never did wear a chin strap, either in the CFL or NFL. When he returned to Calgary, he failed to achieve his previous success, in no small part because the team around him had deteriorated in recent years. 1969, not '68, was the year he went to Denver, and he went to Philadelphia in 1971 to rejoin--briefly--his former Calgary head coach, Jerry Williams.

[@dmitrifailla6408]

1972 was a truly terrible year for The Pro Sports Clubs in The City of Philadelphia, The Eagles went 2-11-1, The Phillies went 59-97 despite Steve Carlton's 27-10 record, The Sixers went 9-73, The Flyers were eliminated from the post season on the last game of the season

[@markgardner9460]

The Flyers beat the North Stars in the quarterfinals the following year. We know what happened in the two years following that!

[@michaelleroy9281]

@markgardner9460 In 72-73 although they lost to Montreal in the semifinals they served notice of the terror they were going to spread throughout the league for the next 3 seasons

[@dmitrifailla6408]

It was the 1972 calendar year that I was referring to

[@denisceballos9745]

Freddie “The Fog” Shero 👍🏼 One of the all time great NHL coaches.

[@dmitrifailla6408]

@@denisceballos9745 Coached Buffalos 1969-70 AHL championship team !!!!

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

You're right! Carmichael, Jackson and Hawkins were excellent receivers wasted with Philly's inept quarterbacks!

[@markgardner9460]

Carmichael had quite the unique td celebration, eh?

[@3243_]

You should have seen them in 1974. Quite often they celebrated their touchdowns by using the ball to roll dice in the end zone.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

@@3243_ Oh yeah,it was funny actually! ( Unless it was against your favorite team!)

[@tomgorman748]

Grew up in Philly in the 70’s. Not easy being an Eagles fan then.

[@markgardner9460]

Not until very late in the '70's, that's for sure!

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

Tom Fears was a darn good WR and had a quite the career as Saints and Southern California Sun HC!

[@kevinmadden1645]

84 catches in a 12-game season(1950).

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

​@@kevinmadden1645Yes the 1950 Rams were incredible offensively! Scored a record 38.8 points a game! Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield at QB Fears Elroy Hirsch and Vitamin T Smith and Glenn Davis rounding out the offense! Scored 65 and 70 points in back to back games ! Absolutely incredible!!!

[@markgardner9460]

That was remarkable!

[@markgardner9460]

Didn't both QB's make the Pro Bowl that year?

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

​@@markgardner9460Yes both QBs made All Pro Waterfield 11; TD and 13 picks not exactly stellar!

[@jrodlange8099]

I knew the Eagles were horrible in this era, but I didn't realize how historically bad their offense was. Obviously the QB position was a disaster. But on top of that, think about this. This was a run heavy era in the NFL. He mentioned it later in the video, but to have 1 rushing TD out of your running backs? RU kidding me?

[@zcam1969]

Mark , Pete Rose had 200 hits per season 1970 - 1979 , does he belong in MLB HOF !

[@markgardner9460]

We all know that Petey has the numbers. How 'bout these numbers: (4) 500 consecutive games played streaks?

[@zcam1969]

@@markgardner9460 Charlie Hussell . Mark !

[@anthonybrooks5040]

3:23--Hahaha! 😂 I was hoping that you would show it!!! Whether it's golf balls or small batteries, Philly fans have been like this forever!

[@markgardner9460]

The field maintainence crew could have had a rummage sale with all of the stuff being thrown

[@lawrencecaplan6446]

in FL we best remember John Reaves for the Florida Flop when Ray Graves had the D lie down to let the Canes score so Reaves could break career passing yards record. Very sad!

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

Yes that was a very controversial play by Florida and Reaves ( and Graves)

[@markgardner9460]

Wow, I had forgotten about that! Can you imagine if that happened today?

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

@@markgardner9460 It would be plastered everywhere!

[@lawrencecaplan6446]

@@markgardner9460 it would never happen today because coaches know they'd get raked over the coals! it was a front page story in the next days Miami Herald

[@lawrencecaplan6446]

Doug Dickey not Ray Graves sorry!

[@gregroeper2976]

The qb position was most problematic for this team. So they made a trade for Roman Gabriel at a high price. It didn’t really work out in the end.

[@markgardner9460]

Not in the end is right. The 1973 season was electric for the offense, but Gabriel was getting on in age. It's a good thing that the next QB trade worked well for them involving Jaworski.

[@surfshack2]

Didn’t become a fan until 1976. Before that all I can remember is my dad saying that the Eagles sucked. 🤣 There wasn’t much hope until Roman , then Bergey, Vermeil , Montgomery. They picked Montgomery in the 6th round.

[@markgardner9460]

Linebacker Jerry Robinson was a very good pick in '79, too - the Eagles first round pick in quite a few years, as they traded away a few to land Bergey and Gabriel.

[@harryschnepp5907]

Alway find your channel filled with so much fun, thanks once again Pat [ Mr Peepers ] Fisher and Harold Carmicheal , on tuff guys

[@markgardner9460]

Thank you - I'm glad that you enjoy the videos. I think Pat Fischer belongs in the HOF and I admire his tackling prowess that was based upon leverage and technique. His match-ups with Carmichael were almost worth the price of admission in the '70's.

[@fritzpollard266]

Sorry for a second comment but when I heard Bill Petersons name so you need to see “Top 10 coaches who belonged in college” to understand how big a train wreck was.

[@markgardner9460]

OK - I'll look into checking that out. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@orbyfan]

Alert viewers will notice the vast stretches of empty seats in the Astrodome. That was the year a disgruntled Houston fan gave the finger to the camera late in a Monday Night Football blowout.

[@markgardner9460]

Dandy Don Meredith said "that fan is saying his team is #1" on the air.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

I remember John Reaves coming out of Florida I thought he would be a much better professional player ( of course I was 13 so what did I know!)

[@markgardner9460]

He didn't appear to have a strong enough arm and/or he threw too late, in my opinion.

[@michaelleroy9281]

The Eagles and the NFL would be much different than his accomplishments at the University of Florida

[@markgardner9460]

3 year starter at Florida with 24 td passes as a sophomore. That was almost unheard of back then.

[@EGVoss]

I love the action shots on the old timey cards and posters. It's almost like they wonder if they're going to be drilled anyway even though it's a publicity photo.

[@markgardner9460]

Yeah, like the Harold Jackson photo. He looks like he's bracing to get belted.

[@flyinelvis69]

Like was a legend with Calgary in the CFL and it looked like the O-line wasn't bad. It round pick Reaves looked lost in those clips so the coaching was probably the issue. Still had to beat the Cowboys and Redskins to go anywhere on that division😊

[@markgardner9460]

Reaves had the highest sack percentage in the league in '72: 14.8% So he had a lot of difficulty handling the pass rush.

[@scotthovland7380]

Ahh the good ol days when the Eagles were bad🙂💜👍

[@calliopivogiatzis2235]

I thought Norm Snead was so underrated!

[@markgardner9460]

He definitely flew under the radar, as he was overshadowed by Tarkenton, Jurgensen, Unitas, Gabriel, Starr and Brodie...and that wasn't even considering the AFL QB's. I think his 196 touchdown passes was 9th best all-time at his retirement and his 30,797 passing yards was 6th most. Unfortunately, he threw a lot of interceptions and his 257 were the second most to George Blanda's 272.

[@zcam1969]

Mark what year did the NFL institute the replay review ? i lost track !

[@markgardner9460]

1986, I think

[@zcam1969]

@@markgardner9460i don't know either ? i think they experimented with it for a year or two in the mid 80's because they weren't using it in 89 ?

[@TooRandomForYou]

How many negative yards would the ‘72 eagles offense have against the ‘85 bears defense?

[@markgardner9460]

I'd call for a lot of quick kicks on 3rd down.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

Po James! I vaguely remember him!

[@markgardner9460]

Given name is Ronald, but you can call him Po, Steven.

[@1234herbie]

Donny Anderson with the St.Louis Cardinals didn’t exactly lead a stellar rushing attack either. (The video mentioned Philly was number two in yards per carry, St. Louis was first)🤢 😀

[@williamford9564]

2:20: Leonard Tose in his delusional mind may have actually believed what he was saying. The 1971 team won its last 3 games and 4 of its last 5 to finish with a 6-7-1 record and twice as many wins as the year before. Under Ed Khayat, who took over after the third game of the season, from the fired Jerry Williams, they actually had a winning record. They drafted John Reaves in the first round. Reaves broke all kinds of records at University of Florida and was the first team All American quarterback, even though another QB, Pat Sullivan ( oddly) won the Heisman Trophy. The fans may have also believed in the hype. The draft in 1972 was weak in quarterbacks, but it was one year after the 1971 bumper crop when QBs took the first three picks in round 1. But alas, Pete Liske was terrible to start 1972 and a not ready for prime time John Reaves was thrown to the wolves. He had a pretty awful time of it, coming off the bench, and then starting 7 games, which he all lost.. He never started another game for the Eagles after 1972.

[@markgardner9460]

Great information! Thank you for your comments!

[@NigelIncubatorJones]

Gotta love the expression "extremely average".

[@markgardner9460]

His statistics seem to have been the mode.

[@1983jblack]

Eh, I would say the 1977 Bucs were worse - 103 pts scored and 2600 yd total offense in a 14 game season. The Bucs were shut out 6 times (4 in 5 games at one stretch). They were dead last in scoring, total offense, passing, and rushing that year

[@markgardner9460]

Yes, they were worse. I just picked the '72 Philly club in a moment of time as being the worst scoring offense (which they were, but for only 2 years until the Falcons broke their record and then later Tampa Bay broke their record).

[@dmitrifailla6408]

McKay probably wanted to build on defense then he would work on offense

[@markgardner9460]

That's what happened and I think it was a sound philosophy that worked well down the line.

[@dmitrifailla6408]

The team who would in a 14 game season surpass The '72 Eagles & '74 Falcons for offensive ineptitude ? The '77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 103 points scored

[@markgardner9460]

The Buccaneers point total was even worse than the year before when they scored the least points in the league with 125. It's hard to fathom how woeful they were.

[@dmitrifailla6408]

@@markgardner9460 McKay was probably more inclined to build with Defense then get the Offensive Help

[@docnoc66]

Hi mark - wearing my 1983 Keith Butler Seahawks Fishnet for this one - weren’t the 72 oilers worse? If not - pretty close

[@markgardner9460]

The Oilers scored 19 more points, but they were horrible, too. Keith Butler...now there's a blast from the past. Nice jersey! They should wear them exclusively now.

[@docnoc66]

@@markgardner9460 I luv those 80s fishnet jerseys but tough to find

[@markgardner9460]

Not too many teams utilized them, right? Which teams? Seahawks, Browns, Eagles...

[@docnoc66]

Fishnets - Buccs, giants , cards dolphins

[@billmalone5050]

What kind of football jersey is the host and narrator of this video wearing ?

[@markgardner9460]

I'll provide a hint: the player is one foot taller than the host/narrator.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

I'm surprised someone thought that was a Don Meredith jersey!

[@markgardner9460]

The color of the numbers is kind of silver-gray, so maybe that reminded him of the Cowboys jersey

[@manuelmaldonado2387]

the Best 70s FootBall

[@markgardner9460]

Right on!!!

[@williamford9564]

4:14: John Rauch. The man who used OJ Simpson as a "decoy" in 1969!

[@markgardner9460]

In 1972 when Lou Saban took over as the Bills Head Coach, he said "If you've got a big gun, shoot it." which meant that he was going to give O.J. the football a lot. Using him a decoy was ridiculous.

[@dmitrifailla6408]

Rauch was an Al Davis Coach who wanted to play a Vertical offense

[@markgardner9460]

The Bills should have traded the #1 overall pick since his philosophy didn't mesh with the O.J. draft selection.

[@jamesmelcher9355]

At least they beat the Oilers…the ‘72 Oilers were one of the worst teams ever. No wonder the Astrodome looked almost deserted for this game!

[@markgardner9460]

There was NOBODY at that Oilers/Eagles game!

[@3243_]

Including the participating teams.

[@dmitrifailla6408]

Butlers Missed FG made some Rocky Road Ice Cream and Baby Ruth Candy Bars possible !!!!

[@3243_]

@@dmitrifailla6408 That was sweet.

[@Shilohii65]

Tom Dempsey, could there be an anymore uncharacteristic looking man, for an NFL player? That Dunlop gut of his is akin to someone who chugs a couple six-packs, not works out to get a six-pack. But he could sure kick the pigskin.

[@markgardner9460]

He weighed 265 pounds when he kicked his famous 63 yard field goal, but ballooned to well over 300 pounds due to excessive eating and drinking during the off-season dinner speaking engagements.

[@billywalik6411]

Back of the Plane with Tom Dempsey was…Where it’s at!

[@markgardner9460]

Tom liked to have a few, I take it. Who were some of the most difficult DB's to get open against?

[@Paul11B2P]

🎉🎉🎉

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

Liske Reeves and Arrington didn't exactly strike fear into opponents! In a odd sort of way it reminded me of the Vikings 1971 quarterback situation ( albeit the Eagles had a terrible defense and the Vikings defense was elite) Cuozzo,Lee and Snead well Stunk! It's a odd comparison i.grant you! But I can see some odd similarities!

[@markgardner9460]

I think it's a very good comparison! Liske was a 15th round draft puck while Lee was a 17th round pick. Norm Snead was a 1st round pick like Reaves. Finally, Arrington and Cuozzo were undrafted free agents. Both clubs switched QB's as starters throughout the year.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

@@markgardner9460 Good point

[@chrisrose6014]

I still say it Joe Kappa had stuck around Minnesota would've won a SB in 70 or ,71. But then again that likely would've meant no tarkenton trade in 72

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

@@chrisrose6014 Dallas was very hard to beat in 1971,but I definitely think the Vikings would have had a great chance to win the Superbowl in 1970!

[@thedarkchild86]

PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW AND WHY THE EAGLES TRADED HAROLD JACKSON ????? UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!!!

[@markgardner9460]

The Eagles needed a quality veteran QB and the Rams needed a quality young WR since Jack Snow was getting old. The Rams had both John Hadl and Roman Gabriel, so they had Philadelphia over the proverbial barrel in terms of negotiating strength. I think that the Eagles thought they could effectively replace Jackson's production with Harold Carmichael and that turned out to be the case. While it would have been amazing to have both Harolds on the Eagles again in 1973 with Roman Gabriel throwing to them, teams typically didn't have two high quality WR's back then (the Raiders were a notable exception). When considering all of the high draft choices that Philadelphia shipped to L.A., along with RB Tony Baker & Jackson, it was a high price to pay to secure Gabriel's services.

[@thedarkchild86]

@@markgardner9460 Thanks . Wow

[@billywalik6411]

That spring I fielded a call from Hadl concerning a Jackson trade to the Rams. He only wanted to know was Jackson still for real? Obviously the Eagles had little use for undersized WR’s. Credit Pretty Boy Boyd Dowler, receiver coach, reinventing the roster in his own image, well before Gabriel came into the picture.

[@markgardner9460]

Yeah, Boyd was 6'5" and 225 pounds when he played WR. His cohort at Green Bay Carroll Dale, wasn't small either at 6'2" 200 pounds.

[@guitarcomet5]

I thought this was gonna be about Jack Dempsey. Clickbait?

[@markgardner9460]

Jack Dempsey? This isn't about boxing. Tom Dempsey is depicted on the thumbnail and he's featured in the video, so no - it's not clickbait.

[@guitarcomet5]

@@markgardner9460 Tom….oops…my bad

[@BrockBoone]

more they were poop

[@SJS-gz1dt]

Hilarious!!😂

[@markgardner9460]

It's a comedy of errors! It's The Keystone Cops revisited!

[@WillMuny]

Ummm, No. That is and will always be the 1977 Bucs. Lets compare Points Scored Eagles - 143 (145) The Defense got a Safety Bucs - 77 (105) The Defense scored 4 TDs Yards Gained Eagles - 3,463 (4.2 Yards per Play) Bucs - 2,693 (3.2 Yards per Play) Turnovers Eagles - 38 Bucs - 46 Eagles were The Greatest Show on Turf compared the the Bucs.

[@markgardner9460]

I attempted to make it clear that they held the record and I stated that the Falcons broke it 2 years later.

[@neilschauer5080]

Yup . They were bad..really bad..except for Jackson

[@docnoc66]

This is reason why Eagles traded for Gabriel- Poor J Reeves - no QB coach or instruction- just thrown to the wolves - ruined his career - the other 2 QBs - Arrington was Horrible and Liske sucked during first 7 games / all they needed was Dick Shiner or Jim DelGaizo to round out a 5 QBs from hell

[@markgardner9460]

Reaves was unable to effectively handle pass rushes, as his 14.8 sack percentage was the highest in the league in '72. Strangely, Bobby Douglass had the second lowest percentage, as he was a masterful scrambler.

[@BrockBoone]

they were so trash

[@markgardner9460]

Leonard Tose thought quite highly of them before the season started. What was he thinking?

[@BrockBoone]

@@markgardner9460 they were stinky

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

​@@markgardner9460Tose was delusional!

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

The 74-75 Falcons and the 76-77 Bucs might have been the only teams with worse QB play than the 72 Eagles!

[@9Hammers]

My Grandpa had very high hopes for Reaves...nope.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

Ed Khayat wasn't exactly a great head coach!

[@markgardner9460]

He probably didn't receive too many Christmas cards from the Philly fans.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

@@markgardner9460 Unless they were ticking! 😂

[@markgardner9460]

Good one!

[@denisceballos9745]

…and owner Leonard Tose was extremely average.

[@dmitrifailla6408]

Khayat was D-Line Coach for the ignominiously bad 1981 Baltimore Colts Defense, Ironically the HC of that team was his Eagles replacement PFHOFer Mike McCormack

[@user-hu5iw4lb4x]

I was a kid and big Broncos fan but even I knew Pete Liske was not a great quarterback, why Eagles took him is mystery, I think the Broncos picked up Charley Johnson and we immediately turned into competitive team with a good offense, Johnson was a very good quarterback, no disrespect to Liske he was on two pretty bad teams

[@markgardner9460]

You're right...plus going from being a bench player to a starter and then repeating the process doesn't help either.

[@imalt8271]

I was a season ticket holder.🥲

[@markgardner9460]

For the '72 season? Any other years? Where were your seats?

[@imalt8271]

@@markgardner9460 The first year of the Vet through the 1980 season. 600 level, I think section 607.

[@markgardner9460]

2nd ring from the top at the corner of an end zone. You got some see some trying times, but then also some good times when Vermeil took over and lead them to success. Bill Bergey is my favorite Middle Linebacker - what a wrecking ball he was.