Colts off the hook?

[Cubb09]

Does this upset for the ages get the colts off the hook as the greatest upset ever?

[Ravens23]

Definitely..beating an undefeated team is the biggest UPSET in the NFL.

[Rxdoxx]

If it doesn't get them totally off the hook, it surely dilutes/expands the discussion when the subject comes up, we are not undisputed #1 anymore :)

[ravenjoe]

I believe that the Jets upset of our Colts was bigger than this one. Having said that, isn't it interesting that both NY teams inflicted the loss.

[flraven]

Yeah, the Jets were like 18 point underdogs and were coming from the (widely considered) inferior AFL. Plus, no one really thought the Jets would pull it off, 'cept for Namath.

But yes, it certainly expands the discussion of the biggest SB upsets.

[highwater]

It doesn't get the Colts off the hook, but at least this game belongs in the same conversation. Really, the only way a Super Bowl upset could even come close to matching the historical significance of Jets/Colts would be this, an undefeated team going down.

[RAVENOUS52]

Not off the hook, but one would have to think that you can't mention greatest SB upsets without immediately including the first Cheatriots victory over the Rams and the G-Men upsetting the undefeated Cheats...

[psuasskicker]

Jets were 17 point dogs to the Colts.

Pats were 14 point dogs to the Rams in '01/'02.

Giants were 12 point dogs to the Pats this year.

The Pats were dominant the first half of the season. The second half they weren't nearly as dominant. They played extremely well and deserved their wins at least for the most part. But they clearly were nowhere near as dominant as the market priced them for a majority of that time. If memory serves me, the Pats have failed to cover 10 of their last 12 spreads.

A Vegas capper came out and said they gave the Pats nothing less than 2 points more than they ordinarily would have, setting the open at 13, because they were such public favs. The market reflected this when almost immediately the sharps bet the line down to 11. Later in the week, the squares bet it back up to 12 where it finally settled. It was unquestionably too many points, and honestly if the Giants weren't such a public team it quite possibly could have been a lot more. The Jags playoff game was a terrific example of this.

This is one of the biggest upsets in NFL history, but not the biggest.

- C -

[Mista T]

If the NFL wins the first 3 championships, the merger is voided.

So some guy overhears another talking about this so-called merger poison pill, and, almost 40 years later, we're supposed to believe it? :grbac: Theories on Rosenbloom's drowning, mobsters, gambling bets, etc. aren't going to be proven or disproven now, but a provision to void the merger is another matter. The merger agreement was a written contract involving 26 teams. If there was a poison pill, it would be there in black & white. There was substantial publicity in 1969 surrounding SB III - not a peep about the merger being in jeopardy if the Colts won. I cannot believe that this 3 losses in a row story would just surface now.

Sorry Trap ... IMHO, it's just bullshit. :T2:

[HoustonRaven]

The NFL-AFL merger agreement stipulated that if the AFL didn't win a Superbowl after 3 years then the contract would be null and void. Greenbay won the first two superbowls, so the AFL HAD to win the third.

Sasquatch, Loch Ness Monster, Chessy, UFO's, ghosts, spontaneous human combustion, this hair-brained theory etc ... you get the point.

Dude, go back to the basement of the science building with that nonsense.

:grbac:

[Mista T]

Trap:

Your link is to a quote from something stated up on the internet by someone named Brian Buccellato -- there is no referenced documentation, just this bozo's opinion. He claims to be a "writer/colorist", a "lovely human being", wears scarves, and has a lot of male friends. Brian, who wasn't even born at the time of SB III, is a lot less of an authority on the NFL-AFL merger than I am.

Here is what the mereger agreement stated:

Here are the major stipulations of the NFL-AFL merger, announced June 8, 1966:
• Pete Rozelle would serve as commissioner when the two leagues officially merge in 1970 to form one league with two
conferences.
• All existing franchises would be retained and no franchises would be transferred from present locations.
• The leagues agreed to play a world championship game, beginning in January 1967.
• A common draft would be held, effectively ending a prolonged bidding war over the top college prospects.
• AFL clubs agree to pay an $18 million indemnity, to be funneled to the Giants and 49ers for sharing markets.
• Two new franchises would be added by 1968 (became Saints and Bengals).
• Two more teams by 1970, or soon thereafter (expansion delayed until Bucs and Seahawks in 1976).
• Interleague preseason games would begin in 1967.
• Continued two-network TV coverage.
•The history and records of the American Football League would be incorporated into the new NFL, but the AFL name and
logo would be discontinued.

If you can find a more reputable source than Brian Buccellato, let's see it. Otherwise, put down the crack pipe please!

[highwater]

He claims to be a "writer/colorist", a "lovely human being", wears scarves, and has a lot of male friends.

Well, I certainly think he sounds qualified to address this issue.