Post by Admin on Jan 28, 2014 21:27:46 GMT
With the Denver Broncos making its seventh Super Bowl appearance, it brought some memories of team President John Elway. He came into the league in 1983 amidst much publicity. He was expected to step in right away and start winning, something that is rare for a rookie quarterback. Jim Plunkett, who was quarterbacking for the eventual 1983 champion Los Angeles Raiders, was one of those exceptions.
Drafted out of Stanford in 1970, or '71 (I don't know off the top of my head right now), Plunkett started immediately as a rookie for the New England Patriots. He played quarterback in the NFL as if his career at Stanford, which included a Heismann trophy, was his training. Plunkett played good football for a few seasons before his numbers declined. Although Plunkett was good, his team was continuously rebuilding during his years there.
By the 1975 season, Steve Grogan took over as the Patriots' quarterback. Returning to Stanford-area San Francisco for the 1976 season, Plunkett became the 49ers starting quarterback, and San Francisco had its first winning season (8-6) in four seasons. Things didn't go well for Plunkett the next two seasons, as his team finished under .500. After the 1978 season, the Oakland Raiders acquired Plunkett. Oakland also traded for quarterback Dan Pastorini, who started for the Raiders in the 1979 campaign, and the beginning of the 1980 season.
Early in 1980, against San Diego, Pastorini left the game with his team trailing. Plunkett entered the game and brought his team back to a tie before the Chargers scored on a late touchdown to win. Plunkett and the Raiders went on through 1980 and won the Super Bowl that year. By 1983, Plunkett was in the middle of his second stretch of greatness...as for John Elway that year, sure, he went through some learning experiences having been, so to say, "thrown to the wolves," however, with his team banding together, and some help from the other quarterback, Steve DeBerg, Elway's Broncos made the playoffs, only to lose in the first round to division rival Seattle (yes, the Seahawks used to be in the AFC West).
Though it's not exactly 1983 again, it is Denver vs. Seattle in the 2013 season Super Bowl. Right now, I lean to the better defensive team, Seattle. More later.