1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Oszuscik
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1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Post by Oszuscik »

Which team do you feel was better, ‘80 or ‘81?

The ‘81 team seems to get all the accolades and is the one most commonly mentioned as personifying Air Coryell, but to me the ‘80 seemed to be the better of the two. Not to mention that team had Joe Gibbs, John Jefferson, and Fred Dean.
7DnBrnc53
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Re: 1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Post by 7DnBrnc53 »

Oszuscik wrote:Which team do you feel was better, ‘80 or ‘81?

The ‘81 team seems to get all the accolades and is the one most commonly mentioned as personifying Air Coryell, but to me the ‘80 seemed to be the better of the two. Not to mention that team had Joe Gibbs, John Jefferson, and Fred Dean.
The 81 team had a terrible defense that was 26th in points allowed and 27th in yards allowed (the year before, they were 18th in points allowed and sixth in yards allowed). Also, if the Bucs didn't have that blunder late in their Week 15 game with SD (TB had a 23-21 lead late in the game when Jimmie Giles bobbled a pass that the Chargers picked off. That led to a game winning FG by Benirschke), the Chargers miss the playoffs altogether.

However, you have to give them credit for the guts and the heart they showed in Miami. That was a great game. Also, if the weather in Cincy was the way it was the week before (when they played Buffalo), they would have had a much better chance at a SB appearance.
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: 1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Post by 74_75_78_79_ »

It's pretty simple, IMO...their '79 installment was better than '80, '80 better than '81 for reasons already given, and '81 better than '82 if only because of 'Epic' as opposed to the following year's outing at Miami (Dolphins wearing their white unis this time may've helped, lol).

As for that 'Epic', I'm surprised Vegas installed SD, the road team that barely got in, as a 2.5pt favorite over a Don Shula team that showed more consistency throughout the season while finishing with a better record (11-4-1 to 10-6). It's not as if it was the Dolphins' first playoff berth in awhile; they made it in '78 & '79 as well! But Vegas obviously knew best! Chargers won by three!

It doesn't necessarily warrant a 'what-if' being that Cincy clearly bested them (in both the 'Freezer' and at the sunny Murph two months prior), but you have to wonder how SD would have fared in Pontiac vs the Forty Niners? You, pretty much, shouldn't assume that it would have been like the following year's regular season 'hidden' 41-37 classic. SF was clearly off throughout that strike-shortened campaign. Maybe SF wins by more than the five they beat Cincy by. Probably by more than a TD, but I think SD at least keeps it more suspenseful throughout (maybe even leading them once or twice) as opposed to allowing a 20-0 hole at the half. That young but gifted Seifert-coached secondary would have ultimately gotten the best of "Air Coryell" while Joe - with Dean on his team instead of rushing him - may have had quite a day vs that super-weak Charger secondary.
RRMarshall
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Re: 1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Post by RRMarshall »

I've always felt Dean's presence alone on the 1979 and 1980 teams made those Chargers clubs superior to the 1981 team. The fact that the 79 and 80 clubs each lost at home in the playoffs still puzzles me. They should have beaten the Oilers at home in the 79 divisonal playoff, and they should have played better against the Raiders in the 80 AFC Championship Game. For some reason Don Coryell-coached teams came up flat in the postseason. His Cardinals losing in Minnesota in 1974 I understood, their first appearance in the postseason and being overwhelmed by a veteran team. But being blown out by the Rams in 1975 in LA still mystifies me? The following season they avenged the loss with a last-second win against the Rams in LA. Air Coryell was a master of the quick-strike offense and piling up a lot of regular season victories, but three postseason victories versus 6 losses (I'm including the 1982 postseason 'tournament') and only once advancing as far as the conference championship game? Maybe a little more attention to the defensive platoon might have made the difference.
lastcat3
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Re: 1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Post by lastcat3 »

RRMarshall wrote:I've always felt Dean's presence alone on the 1979 and 1980 teams made those Chargers clubs superior to the 1981 team. The fact that the 79 and 80 clubs each lost at home in the playoffs still puzzles me. They should have beaten the Oilers at home in the 79 divisonal playoff, and they should have played better against the Raiders in the 80 AFC Championship Game. For some reason Don Coryell-coached teams came up flat in the postseason. His Cardinals losing in Minnesota in 1974 I understood, their first appearance in the postseason and being overwhelmed by a veteran team. But being blown out by the Rams in 1975 in LA still mystifies me? The following season they avenged the loss with a last-second win against the Rams in LA. Air Coryell was a master of the quick-strike offense and piling up a lot of regular season victories, but three postseason victories versus 6 losses (I'm including the 1982 postseason 'tournament') and only once advancing as far as the conference championship game? Maybe a little more attention to the defensive platoon might have made the difference.
Fouts was either really good or really bad. The Air Coryell teams are one of my favorite teams to go back and watch old games of and I tell ya it is hard to find a game where Fouts didn't throw three or four Int's. Can't really find games of his 70's Cardinals (home video recorders weren't that common prior to the late 70's/early 80's) but I am sure they were similar where they were either really hot or they weren't hot at all.
BD Sullivan
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Re: 1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Post by BD Sullivan »

The chains on Gene Klein's wallet helped destroy what might have been a Super Bowl champion.
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Bryan
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Re: 1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Post by Bryan »

lastcat3 wrote:Fouts was either really good or really bad. The Air Coryell teams are one of my favorite teams to go back and watch old games of and I tell ya it is hard to find a game where Fouts didn't throw three or four Int's. Can't really find games of his 70's Cardinals (home video recorders weren't that common prior to the late 70's/early 80's) but I am sure they were similar where they were either really hot or they weren't hot at all.
I agree with this. I remember Ron Wolf talking about the Raiders facing those Chargers teams, and the he said the Raiders' problem was handling the Charger WRs/TEs and their offensive balance. Fouts was just a product of the system. The same thing was probably true with the Cards...Coryell inherits a mediocre QB in Jim Hart and makes him better than he really is. Then it falls apart in the postseason.
lastcat3
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Re: 1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Post by lastcat3 »

Bryan wrote:
lastcat3 wrote:Fouts was either really good or really bad. The Air Coryell teams are one of my favorite teams to go back and watch old games of and I tell ya it is hard to find a game where Fouts didn't throw three or four Int's. Can't really find games of his 70's Cardinals (home video recorders weren't that common prior to the late 70's/early 80's) but I am sure they were similar where they were either really hot or they weren't hot at all.
I agree with this. I remember Ron Wolf talking about the Raiders facing those Chargers teams, and the he said the Raiders' problem was handling the Charger WRs/TEs and their offensive balance. Fouts was just a product of the system. The same thing was probably true with the Cards...Coryell inherits a mediocre QB in Jim Hart and makes him better than he really is. Then it falls apart in the postseason.
Joe Gibbs was the OC for those Air Coryell teams and actually Washington's system was very similar to San Diego's but they just kept the Tight End's at the line instead of spreading them out. The system was under better control in Washington and that is probably why the Redskins got to several Super Bowls while the Chargers didn't. Sure the Redskins had a better defense but if they were trying to sling the ball around as haphazardly as the Chargers did they probably would have struggled in the playoffs as well.
Brian wolf
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Re: 1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Post by Brian wolf »

The 79 Chargers had a great year but the Oilers were tougher in the playoffs, with the Chargers taking them lightly without Pastorini and Campbell.

The pass rush couldnt get to Plunkett enough in the 80/81 AFC Championship game, while Jefferson dropped two late TD passes that hurt their comeback attempts.

Though Chandler replaced Jefferson, the loss of Dean for the 81 AFC Championship hurt their chances of beating the Bengals. The 80 squad to me was their best chance, especially after beating the Eagles that season.
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: 1980 Chargers vs 1981 Chargers

Post by 74_75_78_79_ »

Brian wolf wrote:The 79 Chargers had a great year but the Oilers were tougher in the playoffs, with the Chargers taking them lightly without Pastorini and Campbell.

The pass rush couldnt get to Plunkett enough in the 80/81 AFC Championship game, while Jefferson dropped two late TD passes that hurt their comeback attempts.

Though Chandler replaced Jefferson, the loss of Dean for the 81 AFC Championship hurt their chances of beating the Bengals. The 80 squad to me was their best chance, especially after beating the Eagles that season.
Agreed. '79 better team, but '80 their best chance to possibly hoist that Lombardi! Never was a believer in that SD wins again at the Murph vs the 'Burgh 1/6/80. And if they do manage, I don't see them beating Rams two weeks later despite what they also did to them during the regular season. Once the playoffs began (or perhaps earlier; once the 5-6 start was out the way) LA was once again the very good team they were throughout the decade, only they actually made it to the SB this time!

An Eagles/Chargers SBXV match has always been a curious hypothetical. Does 'Air Coryell' (with a real suspect LB-core & secondary, mind you) be able to win again vs Philly? Or does Vermeil's mistake of setting a way-too-uptight/strict-bedcheck atmosphere override (make that - underride) things?? Likely would have made for a much better game than the "over-after-the-1st-Q" 27-10 result that we actually got (an even-worse game than that other 27-10 Superdome snoozer three Januarys prior).
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