1976 Detroit Lions season
| 1976 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | William Clay Ford Sr. |
| General manager | Russ Thomas |
| Head coach | Rick Forzano and Tommy Hudspeth |
| Home field | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium[1] |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–8 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | 2
|
| AP All-Pros | None |
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.[citation needed]
Offseason
1976 Expansion Draft
| Round | Overall | Name | Position | Expansion Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | Larry Ball | Linebacker | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 0 | 0 | Gordon Jolley | Offensive tackle | Seattle Seahawks |
| 0 | 0 | John McMakin | Tight end | Seattle Seahawks |
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
|
Offensive linemen
|
Linebackers
|
Reserve lists
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 against 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 1960 to 2011). Such a high rating is usually reserved for playoff teams or Super Bowl winners.[4]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | at Chicago Bears | L 3–10 | 0–1 | Soldier Field | 54,125 |
| 2 | September 19 | Atlanta Falcons | W 24–10 | 1–1 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 50,840 |
| 3 | September 26 | Minnesota Vikings | L 9–10 | 1–2 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 77,292 |
| 4 | October 3 | at Green Bay Packers | L 14–24 | 1–3 | Lambeau Field | 55,041 |
| 5 | October 10 | New England Patriots | W 30–10 | 2–3 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 60,174 |
| 6 | October 17 | at Washington Redskins | L 7–20 | 2–4 | RFK Stadium | 45,908 |
| 7 | October 24 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 41–14 | 3–4 | Kingdome | 61,280 |
| 8 | October 31 | Green Bay Packers | W 27–6 | 4–4 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 74,992 |
| 9 | November 7 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 23–31 | 4–5 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,735 |
| 10 | November 14 | at New Orleans Saints | L 16–17 | 4–6 | Louisiana Superdome | 42,048 |
| 11 | November 21 | Chicago Bears | W 14–10 | 5–6 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 78,042 |
| 12 | November 25 | Buffalo Bills | W 27–14 | 6–6 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 66,875 |
| 13 | December 5 | at New York Giants | L 10–24 | 6–7 | Giants Stadium | 66,069 |
| 14 | December 11 | Los Angeles Rams | L 17–20 | 6–8 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 73,470 |
!Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Season summary
Week 1 at Bears
Week One: Detroit Lions (0–0) at Chicago Bears (0–0)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: September 12, 1976
- Game time: 2:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 69 °F or 20.6 °C • Wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
- Game attendance: 54,125
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2 vs Falcons
Week Two: Atlanta Falcons (0–1) at Detroit Lions (0–1)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 24 |
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
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4 at Packers
Week Four: Detroit Lions (1–2) at Green Bay Packers (0–3)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Packers | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Date: October 3
- Game time: 2:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 60 °F or 15.6 °C
- Game attendance: 55,041
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Minnesota Vikings(1) | 11 | 2 | 1 | .821 | 5–1 | 9–2–1 | 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
- ^ "The Argus-Press - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 114.
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 377
- ^ "Aaron Rodgers shows Passer Rating Differential is important stat - Kerry J. Byrne - SI.com". Archived from the original on June 26, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011.