Special Sub-Topic: A Decade of the NFL Authored by: zizzo24 Sub-topic of: NFL 1990s

Which player in the 1990 NFL regular season had 7 interceptions for 231 yards, returning 3 for a touchdown?

Wayne Haddix. Wayne Haddix of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not only had that stat line (7 Int – 231 yards – 3 TDs) for the 1990 regular season, but also for his entire 4-year NFL career. While playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rod Woodson picked off 5 passes in 1990 and finished his career with 71 interceptions. Mark Carrier of the Chicago Bears led the NFL for the 1990 regular season as a rookie with 10 interceptions. Deion Sanders had 3 interceptions in 1990, and returned two for a touchdown.

Which NFL team finished with the worst record during the 1991 regular season?

Indianapolis Colts. The Indianapolis Colts finished the 1991 season with a record of 1 win and 15 losses. The Colts would have finished their “perfect” season if it hadn’t been for the meddling New York Jets, which the Colts defeated 28-27 in week 11. Tampa Bay finished the season with 3 wins and 13 losses. One of Tampa’s three victories came in the final week of the season when they beat the Colts 17-3. The Cincinnati Bengals also finished the season with a lowly 3 wins and 13 losses, quite a turnaround from their 9-win and AFC Central winning season the previous year. The Phoenix Cardinals had the best record of these four teams, winning 4 games and losing 12.

During the 1992 NFL regular season, two players surpassed 1,000 kick return yards. One was Deion Sanders. Who was the other player?

Mel Gray. Detroit Lions kick returner Mel Gray totaled 1,006 kick return yards, second only to Deion Sanders who had 1,067. Dave Meggett of the New York Giants had 455 kick return yards. Brian Mitchell of the Washington Redskins compiled 492 kick return yards. The Phoenix Cardinals Johnny Bailey amassed 690 kick return yards.

Which former PAC-10 quarterback led the NFL in passing yardage for the 1993 regular season?

John Elway. Legendary Denver Bronco quarterback John Elway, who attended Stanford University from 1979-82, led the NFL with 4,030 passing yards during the 1993 season. Elway finished the season with only 7 more passing yards than Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers. Troy Aikman passed for 3,100 yards in 1993 as a member of the Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys. Aikman began his college career at the University of Oklahoma in 1985 before transferring to UCLA, and played for the Bruins in 1987 and 1988. Drew Bledsoe played for the New England Patriots in 1993 and finished his rookie campaign with 2,494 passing yards. Bledsoe played for Washington State University from 1990-92. Warren Moon of the Houston Oilers finished the 1993 season with 3,485 passing yards. Moon graduated from the University of Washington in 1978. Elway, Aikman, and Bledsoe were all the 1st overall pick in their respective NFL drafts. Moon was not drafted by any NFL team but left a legacy in the Canadian Football League from 1978-1983, winning 5 CFL championships before beginning his career with the Houston Oilers in 1984.

Who led the AFC in rushing during the 1994 NFL season?

Chris Warren. Chris Warren of the Seattle Seahawks (the Seahawks played in the AFC from 1977-2001) led the AFC in rushing with 1,545 yards. Warren had 4 consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons from 1992-95 all while playing for Seattle. In 1994, Indianapolis Colts rookie running back Marshall Faulk finished 3rd in the AFC and 5th in the NFL in rushing with 1,282 yards. Thurman Thomas played for the Buffalo Bills during the 1994 season amassing 1,093 yards rushing. In 1992, Barry Foster led the AFC in rushing while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just two years later in 1994, Foster gained only 851 yards rushing, his final season in the NFL. Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions led the NFL with 1,883 yards rushing in 1994.

In 1995, who was the former Northern Iowa standout that led the NFL in quarterback sacks?

Bryce Paup. Bryce Paup led the NFL with 17.5 sacks during the 1995 regular season while playing linebacker for the Buffalo Bills. Paup, a 6th round draft pick of the Green Bay in 1990, played 5 seasons for the Packers before joining the Bills in 1995. Paup might be better remembered in some circles for ending Randall Cunningham’s 1991 season in the very first game of the season, when Paup crashed into Randall’s knee, taking Cunningham out for the remainder of the season. Clyde Simmons tallied 11 sacks as a member of the Arizona Cardinals during the 1995 season. Simmons played his college football at Western Carolina in the mid 1980’s. John Randle racked up 10.5 sacks while playing defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings in the 1995 season. Randle attended Texas A&I University during the late 1980s. Charles Haley also registered 10.5 sacks while terrorizing quarterbacks as a member of the Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys in 1995. Haley attended James Madison University in the mid 1980s.

The 1996 NFL draft had an excellent group of wide receivers selected. The New York Jets used the first overall pick on wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. There would be four other wide receivers selected in the first round that year. Which wide receiver was selected the latest in the first round?

Eric Moulds. Eric Moulds from Mississippi State University was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 24th overall selection in the 1st round. Moulds played his first 10 NFL seasons with the Bills and amassed over 9,000 receiving yards during that time. Ohio State’s Terry Glenn was selected with the 7th overall selection by the New England Patriots. Glenn had an outstanding rookie campaign hauling in 90 catches during the 1996 regular season. The St. Louis Rams selected LSU speedster Eddie Kennison with the 18th overall pick. With the very next pick (19th overall), the Indianapolis Colts selected Marvin Harrison from Syracuse University. Other notable wide receivers selected in the 1996 NFL draft were Amani Toomer (2nd round – 34th overall), Mushin Muhammad (2nd round – 43rd overall), Terrell Owens (3rd round – 89th overall), and Joe Horn (5th round – 135th overall).

Which NFL team ended a 14-year absence from the playoffs in 1997?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended one of the worst stretches in NFL history when they finished a respectable 10-6 during the 1997 regular season. The franchise had not played in a playoff game since the strike year of 1982 when they finished the abbreviated regular season 5-4. From 1983-1996, Tampa Bay only won 64 times and lost a ridiculous 159 games over the 14-year span. The long suffering Buccaneer fans were rewarded for their loyalty in 2003 when Tampa Bay won Super Bowl XXXVII. The Cincinnati Bengals had an impressive streak of their own from 1991-2004, but never qualifying for the playoffs. The St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals franchise had a playoff drought from 1983-1997 before returning to the playoffs in 1998. The Cardinals defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs that season, their first playoff win since the 1947 NFL Championship game. The New York Jets appeared in the playoffs exactly zero times from 1992-1997 before reaching the AFC Championship in 1998.

Who was the next quarterback selected in the 1998 NFL draft after Peyton Manning, who was the 1st pick overall, and Ryan Leaf who was the 2nd pick overall?

Charlie Batch. Charlie Batch played quarterback at Eastern Michigan University and was selected in the 2nd round (60th overall) of the 1998 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. Batch was the Lions starting quarterback from the 1998-2001 seasons before moving on to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2003. Brian Griese attended the University of Michigan and led the Wolverines to a perfect 12-0 record during the 1997 college season, earning a share of the NCAA championship. This accomplishment earned Griese a 3rd round selection (91st overall) in the 1998 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. Griese even earned a Super Bowl ring during his 1998 rookie season with the Broncos while playing sparingly behind John Elway and Bubby Brister. Matt Hasselbeck was drafted by coach Mike Holmgren of the Green Bay Packers with the 187th overall selection in the 6th round of the 1998 NFL draft. In 2001, Hasselbeck was reunited with Holmgren when joining the Seattle Seahawks via trade. Jake Plummer, a product of Arizona State University, was selected in the 1997 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2nd round (42nd overall). Plummer spent the first 6 seasons of his NFL career with the Cardinals before moving on to the Denver Broncos in 2003.

Which NFL quarterback had the most rushing yards during the 1999 NFL regular season?

Doug Flutie. Doug Flutie won the 1984 Heisman Trophy while quarterbacking at Boston College. 15 years later he would lead all quarterbacks in rushing yardage for the 1999 regular season, gaining 476 yards at the ripe old age of 37, and while leading the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs. Unfortunately for Flutie and the Bills, they were knocked out in the Wild Card round by the Tennessee Titans on a play simply known as the "Music City Miracle". Steve McNair ran for 337 yards during the 1999 regular season and led the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV. Perhaps karma caught up with McNair and the Titans when they fell just one yard short of the end zone, which would have sent Super Bowl XXXIV into overtime. Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles ran for 313 yards during his rookie campaign in 1999. Oakland Raider quarterback Rich Gannon ran for 298 yards during the 1999 regular season. Three years later Gannon would be named the NFL MVP for the 2002 season and lead the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII. Gannon would go on to throw 5 touchdown passes in Super Bowl XXXVII, two to his Raider teammates, but also three to the opposing Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a lopsided 48-21 loss.