Over the weekend when I was scanning channels, I stumbled on the NFL Channel and noticed two complete broadcasts of past Super Bowls.  Super Bowl III, between the Jets and Colts, and Super Bowl VII between the Dolphins and Redskins.  Watching those two games these seemed very different than the game today.  The game was played at a much slower pace and featured ground attacks that pretty much controlled the game.  The passing, in addition to being not featured also wasn't that accurate.  

 

In the Jets stunning victory, Joe Namath was 17-28, for only 206 yards.  As the Dolphins capped an unbeaten season, Bob Griese completed just 8 of 11 passes for 88 yards.  The next year, Griese was even more efficient completing 6-7 for 73 yards in a Super Bowl VIII win over the Vikings.  In both Miami wins fullback Larry Csonka's running between the tackles led Miami, rushing for 112 and 145 yards. 

 

College baseball changed dramatically with the advent of the aluminum bat.  When you look at statistics, you can easily tell that 1974 was the year the bat changed.  After watching both of those games, I started looking to see where football changed and passing became the dominant force and the run game took a backseat.  

 

It looks like that year was 1979…the year the Steelers beat the Cowboys, 35-31, in Super Bowl XIII.  That was the year the game had its first 300 yard passer.  Terry Bradshaw completed 17 of 30 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns.  Bradshaw had played in two Super Bowls earlier in the decade.  In Super Bowl IX against the Vikings he was 9-14, for 96 yards, and completed 9 of 19 the next year in a win over Dallas.  

 

The decade of the 80's brought a lot of great quarterbacks in to the league and maybe more importantly gameplans designed to throw the ball.  The league hasn't been the same and college football followed suit a few years later where the quarterback and passing game became more prominent.