1976 Detroit Lions season

The 1976 Detroit Lions season was the 47th season in franchise history. After the first four games of the season, Rick Forzano resigned under pressure of owner William Clay Ford, and was replaced by one time Brigham Young University head coach and Lions assistant Tommy Hudspeth.[2] In spite of a stellar season by quarterback Greg Landry, that year's NFL Comeback Player Of The Year, the team was still mired in mediocrity, finishing 6–8.

1976 Detroit Lions season
OwnerWilliam Clay Ford, Sr.
Head coachRick Forzano and Tommy Hudspeth
General managerRuss Thomas
Home fieldPontiac Metropolitan Stadium[1]
Results
Record6–8
Division place3rd NFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify


NFL Draft
Main article: 1976 NFL Draft

}}

1976 Detroit Lions draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 10 James Hunter  CB Grambling State from Chicago
1 16 Lawrence Gaines  RB Wyoming
2 44 Ken Long  G Purdue
2 46 David Hill *  TE Texas A&I from San Diego
3 68 Russ Bolinger  OT Long Beach State from Chicago
3 76 John Woodcock  DT Hawaii
5 145 Steadman Scavella  LB Miami (FL) from Miami
7 198 Garth TenNapel  LB Texas A&M
8 217 Rich Sorenson  K Chico State from New England
8 225 Charles Braswell  DB West Virginia
9 253 Leanell Jones  TE Long Beach State
10 279 Bill Bowerman  DB New Mexico State
11 307 Gary Shugrue  DE Villanova
12 335 Mike McCabe  C South Carolina
13 363 Mel Jacobs  WR San Diego State
14 391 Leonard Elston  WR Kentucky State
15 419 Trent Smock  WR Indiana
16 447 Craig McCurdy  LB William & Mary
17 475 Jim Meeks  DB Boise State
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

  • Detroit were awarded a first-round pick (8th) from Los Angeles as compensation for the Rams signing Lions free agent WR Ron Jessie. During the draft, Detroit traded this 8th pick to Chicago in exchange for the Bears' first- and third-round picks (10th and 68th).
  • Detroit were awarded a second-round pick (46th) from San Diego as compensation for the Chargers signing Lions free agent C Ed Flanagan.
  • Detroit traded its fourth-round pick (108th) to Miami in exchange for LB Larry Ball and the Dolphins' fifth-round pick (145th).
  • Detroit traded its fifth-round pick (140th) to San Francisco in exchange for QB Joe Reed.
  • Detroit traded its sixth-round pick (170th) to New England in exchange for C Jon Morris.
  • Detroit traded FB Leon Crosswhite to New England in exchange for the Patriots' eighth-round pick (217th) and sixth-round pick in 1975.

Roster
Detroit Lions roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

 Reserve Lists
  • Currently vacant

Rookies in italics

Regular season

On November 25, O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills set a record with the most rushing yards in a Thanksgiving Day game, by rushing for 273 yards vs. the Lions.[3]

In spite of their poor overall record the Lions offense set a statistical record for Passer Rating Differential (40.9, 14th best 196—2011). Such a high rating is usually reserved for playoff teams or Super Bowl winners;

Top 25 Teams in Passer Rating Differential (1960–present)

Ranking Team OPR DPR Differential Record Won title

  • 1 1960 Browns 109.5 51.7 57.8 8–3–1 –
  • 2 1966 Packers 102.1 46.1 56.0 12–2 Yes
  • 3 1987 49ers 106.2 53.8 52.4 13–2 –
  • 4 1989 49ers 114.8 68.5 46.3 14–2 Yes
  • 5 1975 Vikings 90.8 46.2 44.6 12–2 –
  • 6 1975 Steelers 86.7 42.8 43.9 12–2 Yes
  • 7 1994 49ers 111.4 68.1 43.3 13–3 Yes
  • 8 1999 Rams 106.6 64.1 42.5 13–3 Yes
  • 9 1975 Bengals 89 46.9 42.1 11–3 –
  • 10 1963 Giants* 94.4 52.7 41.7 11–3 Yes
  • 11 1962 Packers 84.9 43.4 41.5 13–1 Yes
  • 12 1976 Lions 84.6 43.7 40.9 6–8 --
  • 13 1963 Bears 75.6 34.8 40.8 11–1–2 Yes
  • 14 1996 Packers 95.7 55.4 40.3 13–3 Yes
  • 15 1974 Redskins 90 49.9 40.1 10–4 –
  • 16 1972 Dolphins 86.9 47.4 39.5 14–0 Yes
  • 17 1988 Vikings 80.4 41.2 39.2 11–5 –
  • 18 1991 Redskins 98 58.9 39.1 14–2 Yes
  • 19 1960 Eagles 87.9 49.1 38.8 10–2 Yes
  • 20 2007 Patriots* 116 78.1 37.9 16–0 Yes
  • 21 2002 Buccaneers 86.3 48.4 37.9 12–4 Yes
  • 22 2009 Saints 106 68.6 37.4 13–3 Yes
  • 23 1984 Dolphins* 108.5 71.4 37.1 14–2 Yes
  • 24 1977 Cowboys 85.3 48.2 37.1 12–2 Yes
  • 25 1967 Rams 84.4 47.5 36.9 11–1–2 –

Note: The 1963 Giants, 2007 Patriots and 1984 Dolphins lost in their respective title games.[4]

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 12 at Chicago Bears L 10–3
54,125
2 September 19 Atlanta Falcons W 24–10
50,840
3 September 26 Minnesota Vikings L 10–9
77,292
4 October 3 at Green Bay Packers L 24–14
55,041
5 October 10 New England Patriots W 30–10
60,174
6 October 17 at Washington Redskins L 20–7
45,908
7 October 24 at Seattle Seahawks W 41–14
61,280
8 October 31 Green Bay Packers W 27–6
74,992
9 November 7 at Minnesota Vikings L 31–23
46,735
10 November 14 at New Orleans Saints L 17–16
42,048
11 November 21 Chicago Bears W 14–10
78,042
12 November 25 Buffalo Bills W 27–14
66,875
13 December 5 at New York Giants L 24–10
66,069
14 December 11 Los Angeles Rams L 20–17
73,470

Week 1 at Bears
See also: 1976 Chicago Bears season and Bears–Lions rivalry
Week One: Detroit Lions (0–0) at Chicago Bears (0–0)
1 2 34Total
Lions 0 3 003
Bears 0 0 7310

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: September 12, 1976
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
  • Game attendance: 54,125
  • Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 2 vs Falcons
See also: 1976 Atlanta Falcons season
Week Two: Atlanta Falcons (0–1) at Detroit Lions (0–1)
1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 7 3010
Lions 0 0 02424

at Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium, Pontiac, Michigan

  • Date: September 19, 1976
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Indoors (dome)
  • Game attendance: 50,840
  • Box Score

Week 4 at Packers
Week Four: Detroit Lions (1–2) at Green Bay Packers (0–3)
1 2 34Total
Lions 0 14 0014
Packers 10 0 01424

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: October 3
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 55,041
  • Box Score

Standings
NFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Minnesota Vikings(1) 11 2 1 .821 5–1 9–2 305 176 W2
Chicago Bears 7 7 0 .500 4–2 7–5 253 216 L1
Detroit Lions 6 8 0 .429 2–4 4–8 262 220 L2
Green Bay Packers 5 9 0 .357 1–5 5–8 218 299 W1

References
  1. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1988&dat=19761028&id=jk8iAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S6wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1373,4798352&hl=en
  2. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 114.
  3. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 377
  4. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/kerry_byrne/06/23/most.important.stat.passer.rating.differential/index.html
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.