A vintage video making the rounds on social media recently shows a 1977 promo commercial for The NFL Today on CBS.
Why? Because, as the ‘Historic Vids’ X account points out, almost all of the highlights in the video would be a penalty in today’s game, if not an outright ejection, if not a lengthy suspension.
The NFL has outlawed several of these tackles and/or moves, and some of them for good reason. They’re meant to keep players safe. To lengthen their careers.
Does it make for better football though? Take a look at what amounts to a PSA catalog of banned moves in the NFL …
CBS NFL intro from 1977. Almost every clip is a penalty in 2024 pic.twitter.com/Jg60xF8zOd
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) May 3, 2024
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That’s A Lot Of Banned NFL Moves In One Clip
Targeting, and late hits, and horse collar tackles, oh my! This video has everything.
Stomping on players while they’re lying on the field. A near decapitation of a kick returner. Blatant face masks.
Aside from Walter Payton going over the top for the score, there aren’t too many moves here that wouldn’t draw some laundry from the zebras on the field in today’s game.
The horse collar wasn’t rendered illegal until 2005, a blanket penalty including the jersey until 2006. The targeting rule became a penalty in 2008.
Of course, grasping the face mask was illegal back in 1956. But producers of NFL Today apparently had no cares to give. Dirty play was clearly glorified back when this video was made.
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Fans Were Getting Nostalgic
Despite the violence and the dirty play, social media reaction to the video – which is approaching 5 million views – was rather nostalgic.
“NFL will be just flag football in 10 years,” one fan lamented.
Added another, “They have ruined the game.”
“These were some of the very best years of the NFL,” one person opined on social media. “I miss watching the games with my father.”
Ah yes. To live in a time when we could enjoy a hearty high-five with Pop after our favorite player left cleat marks in the back of the opposing quarterback.
What a time it was, for sure.
Anyway, to answer the question in the headline – I count 5 penalties by today’s standards, four of which could lead to a suspension following a league review after the game.
The only thing missing was the flying kick – perfected by Antonio Brown:
