NFL Needs to Recognize Pre-Super Bowl Era

[PBF81]

On 11/9/2023 at 2:36 PM, May Day 10 said:

The start of the Superbowl was/is a pretty serious delineation (I mean the Browns and Lions traded championships for years prior to the Superbowl).   The NFL Champions prior to that are recognized.  Usually you talk in terms of a teams' Superbowl Championships.  If the just say Championships and omit pre-merger days, then they are wrong and should be bopped.

 

Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Bobby Layne, Frank Gifford, etc are all relevant and they all count.  
 

AFL Championships should not be viewed on the same plane as NFL Championships.

 

 

 

It was also a whole lot easier to win a Championship in a 10 or 12-team league than a 32-team league.  

 

For our intents and purposes there are three eras of pro football.  

 

The pre-AFL/NFL merger era. 

The 1970 to early '90s free-agency era.  

The era from then 'til now.  

 

 

On 11/9/2023 at 4:47 PM, WotAGuy said:

I believe the NFL adopted all of the AFL team records and statistics, but I don’t know how they could recognize the AFL champions because it conflicts with the NFL concurrent champions. Anything prior to about the mid-1980s is ancient history for most of the current fan base. 

 

The best era of football by my preference was from the AFL/NFL merger until full bore free agency.  

 

 

5 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

I like this, if they can’t win a superbowl, let’s revise history to make them retroactive winners. 

 

Why not.  During the Ryan era we won the offseason championship.  

 

During this era we've won the Culture championship.  

 

So why not that too.  

 

 

[nucci]

1 hour ago, PBF81 said:

 

Especially when hardly anyone younger than 70 would even have had any cognizance of that era, much less specifically our AFL championships.  

 

 

I kinda remember. Went to my first game in '68

[PBF81]

6 minutes ago, nucci said:

I kinda remember. Went to my first game in '68

 

Nice!

 

Point being, the vast majority of "Bills Mafia" have no recollection. 

 

 

[oldmanfan]

I will always hold the AFL championships in esteem.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

On 11/9/2023 at 10:26 AM, mjt328 said:

One of my frustrations with the NFL, is the refusal to recognize championships from before Super Bowl I occurred.

Professional football in the NFL goes back to 1920.  Not 1967.

Here are some facts that not everyone may know:

 

The Green Bay Packers have actually won more championships (13 overall) than both the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers combined.

The Chicago Bears have the second-most championships (9) out of anyone in the NFL.

 

Several teams who have never won a Super Bowl, have actually won multiple championships before that era began.  They include the Cleveland Browns (4), Detroit Lions (4), Buffalo Bills (2) and Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers (2).  As a fan of the Bills, I know the frustration that exists over never hoisting the Lombardi Trophy and awful feeling like they will never get it done.  I often wonder if some of that could be alleviated if the NFL would just acknowledge more than 56 years of league history.

 

The Bills last championship was in 1965.  They have two overall.

The New York Jets last championship was in 1969.  They have one overall.

The Miami Dolphins last championship was in 1974.  They have two overall.

 

 

I can get on board with this but it still wouldn't feel like a Superbowl championship because of how big the league is now.

 

dont worry we are winning this year so all will be well 💪👑

 

 

[Buffalo ill]

Living in the past is silly.  Any superbowl from more than 10 years ago is irrelevant.  Really 5 years may as well be the cutoff for relevancy.