1978 Philadelphia Eagles season
Encyclopedia
The 1978
Philadelphia Eagles
season resulted in an appearance in the postseason for the first time in eighteen years, which ended the longest postseason drought in the franchise’s history and one of the longest in the history of the National Football League.
in the city of Chester, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania)
The draft was held May 2–3, 1978. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. The draft was 12 rounds long with a total of 334 players selected.
The Eagles, because of previous trades made, had to wait until the 3rd round for their first pick. They would only have 7 picks and of these 7 players selected, 5 made the team and played during the season. With the 66th pick the Eagles as their first pick in the draft the Philadelphia Eagles selected Reggie Wilkes a Linebacker out of Georgia Tech.
The number 1 overall pick in the draft was taken by the Houston Oilers
who selected the 1977 Heisman Trophy
winner, Earl Campbell
a Running Back
out of the University of Texas
Future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, in 2006, Warren Moon
, a Quarterback from University of Washington, went undrafted. He is also in the Canadian Football League's Hall of Fame.
Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.
{|
{|
|-
|style="background-color:#FFCC00; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;"|
|= Pro Bowl
er ||
|style="background-color:#CCFFCC; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;"|
|= Hall of Fame
r
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable sortable" style="width:60%"
|-
!style="background:#00cc00;" width=1%|Rd
!!width=1% style="background:#00cc00;"|PICK
!!width=15% style="background:#00cc00;"|PLAYER
!!width=5% style="background:#00cc00;"|POS
!!width=10% style="background:#00cc00;"|SCHOOL
|- align="center"
| 1 || 8 || Pick Traded to
Cincinnati Bengals
|| ||
|- align="center"
| 2 || 35 || Pick Traded to
Cincinnati Bengals || ||
|- align="center"
| 3 || 66 || Reggie Wilkes
||Linebacker||Georgia Tech
|- align="center" bgcolor=""
| 4 || 92 || Dennis Harrison
||Defensive tackle||Vanderbilt
|- align="center" bgcolor=""
| 5 || 118 || Pick Traded to
Kansas City Chiefs|| ||
|- align="center"
| 5 || 130 || Norris Banks
Acquired Pick||Running back||Kansas
|- align="center"
| 6 || 145 || Pick Traded to
Buffalo Bills || ||
|- align="center"
| 7 || 176 || Pick Traded to
Oakland Raiders || ||
|- align="center"
| 7 || 186 || Greg Marshall
Acquired Vikings Pick||Defensive tackle||Oregon State
|- align="center" bgcolor=""
| 8 || 204 || Pick traded to
Minnesota Vikings|| ||
|- align="center" bgcolor=""
| 9 || 230 || Charles Williams||Defensive back||Jackson State
|- align="center" bgcolor=""
| 10 || 261 || Pick traded to
Cleveland Browns || ||
|- align="center"
| 11 || 288 || Bill Campfield||Running back||Kansas
|- align="center"
| 12 || 315 || Mark Slater||Center||Minnesota
|}
s and Philadelphia Eagles
fans for a fumble
recovery by cornerback
Herman Edwards
that he returned for a touchdown
at the end of a November 19, 1978
NFL
game against the New York Giants
in Giants Stadium
. It was seen as miraculous because it occurred at a point in the game when the Giants were easily capable of running out the game's final seconds. The Giants had the ball, and the Eagles had no timeouts
left. Everyone watching expected quarterback
Joe Pisarcik
to take one more snap
and kneel with the ball
, thus running out the clock
and preserving a 17–12 Giant upset. Instead, he attempted to hand it off to fullback
Larry Csonka
and botched it, allowing Edwards to pick up the ball and run 26 yards for the winning score.
|-
! Week
! Date
! Opponent
! Result
! Attendance
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 1
| September 3, 1978
| Los Angeles Rams
| L 16–14
|64,721
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 2
| September 10, 1978
| at Washington Redskins
| L 35–30
|54,380
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 3
| September 17, 1978
| at New Orleans Saints
| W 24–17
|49,242
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 4
| September 24, 1978
| Miami Dolphins
| W 17–3
|62,998
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 5
| October 1, 1978
| at Baltimore Colts
| W 17–14
|50,314
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 6
| October 8, 1978
| at New England Patriots
| L 24–14
|61,016
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 7
| October 15, 1978
| Washington Redskins
| W 17–10
|65,722
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 8
| October 22, 1978
| at Dallas Cowboys
| L 14–7
|60,525
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 9
| October 29, 1978
| St. Louis Cardinals
| L 16–10
|62,989
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 10
| November 5, 1978
| Green Bay Packers
| W 10–3
|64,214
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 11
| November 12, 1978
| New York Jets
| W 17–9
|60,249
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 12
| November 19, 1978
| at New York Giants
| W 19–17
|70,318
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 13
| November 26, 1978
| at St. Louis Cardinals
| W 14–10
|39,693
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 14
| December 3, 1978
| at Minnesota Vikings
| L 28–27
|38,722
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 15
| December 10, 1978
| Dallas Cowboys
| L 31–13
|64,667
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 16
| December 17, 1978
| New York Giants
| W 20–3
|56,396
|}
s and Philadelphia Eagles
fans for a fumble
recovery by cornerback
Herman Edwards
that he returned for a touchdown
at the end of a November 19, 1978
NFL
game against the New York Giants
in Giants Stadium
. It was seen as miraculous because it occurred at a point in the game when the Giants were easily capable of running out the game's final seconds. The Giants had the ball, and the Eagles had no timeouts
left. Everyone watching expected quarterback
Joe Pisarcik
to take one more snap
and kneel with the ball
, thus running out the clock
and preserving a 17–12 Giant upset. Instead, he attempted to hand it off to fullback
Larry Csonka
and botched it, allowing Edwards to pick up the ball and run 26 yards for the winning score.
{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" border="1"
|- bgcolor="#D0E7FF"
| colspan="7" align="center" | NFC East
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
!Team!!W!!L!!T!!PCT!!PF!!PA
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Dallas Cowboys
|12||4||0||.750||384||208
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffdddd"
|align="left"| Philadelphia Eagles
|9||7||0||.563||270||250
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Washington Redskins
|8||8||0||.500||273||283
|- align="center"
|align="left"| St. Louis Cardinals
|6||10||0||.375||248||296
|- align="center"
|align="left"| New York Giants
|6||10||0||.375||264||298
|-
|}
|-
|style="background-color:#FFCC00; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;"|
|= 1978 Pro Bowl Selection
||
|style="background-color:#CCFFCC; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;"|
|= Hall of Fame
r
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable sortable" style="width:100%"
|-
!style="background:#00cc00;" width=5%|NO.
!!width=15% style="background:#00cc00;"|Player
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|AGE
!!width=6% style="background:#00cc00;"|POS
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|GP
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|GS
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|WT
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|HT
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|YRS
!!width=20% style="background:#00cc00;"|College
|- align=center
| || Dick Vermeil
|| 40 || Head Coach || || || || || 3 ||San Jose State
|- align=center
|38 ||- align=left|Larry Barnes||24||RB||7||0||220||5–11|| 1 ||- align=left|Tennessee State
|- align=center bgcolor=#ffcc00
|66 ||- align=left|Bill Bergey*||33||LB||16||16||243||6–4||9||- align=left|Arkansas State
|- align=center
|34 ||- align=left|James Betterson||24||RB||9||0||210||6–0|| 1 ||- align=left|North Carolina
|- align=center
|25 ||- align=left|Bill Bryant||27||DB||3||0||195||5–11||2||- align=left| Grambling State
|- align=center
|95 ||- align=left|John Bunting||28||LB||6||6||220||6–1||6||- align=left| North Carolina
|- align=center
|67 ||- align=left|Lem Burnham||31||DE||15||0||236||6–4|| 1 ||- align=left| U.S. International
|- align=center
|37 ||- align=left|Billy Campfield||22||RB||16||2||200||5–11||Rookie||- align=left|Kansas
|- align=center bgcolor=#ffcc00
|17 ||- align=left|Harold Carmichael*||29||WR-TE||16||16||225||6–8||7||- align=left|Southern
|- align=center
|71 ||- align=left|Ken Clarke||22||NT-DT||16||0||268||6–2||Rookie||- align=left|Syracuse
|- align=center
|46 ||- align=left|Herman Edwards||24||DB||16||16||194||6–0|| 1 ||- align=left| California and
San Diego State
|- align=center
|13 ||- align=left|Rick Engles||24||P||6||0||177||5–11||2 ||- align=left|Tulsa
|- align=center
|30 ||- align=left|Cleveland Franklin||23||RB||16||4||216||6–2|| 1 ||- align=left|Baylor
|- align=center
|53 ||- align=left|Dennis Franks||25||C||16||0||241||6–1||2 ||- align=left|Michigan
|- align=center
|64 ||- align=left|Ed George||32||T||16||0||270||6–4||3||- align=left|Ferrum,Wake Forest
|- align=center
|33 ||- align=left|Louie Giammona||25||RB||7||0||180||5–9||2||- align=left|Utah State
|- align=center
|78 ||- align=left|Carl Hairston||26||DE-DT-LB||16||16||260||6–3||2 ||- align=left|Md-Eastern Shore
|- align=center
|68 ||- align=left|Dennis Harrison||22||DE||16||6||275||6–8||Rookie ||- align=left|Vanderbilt
|- align=center
|89 ||- align=left|Wally Henry||24||WR||3||0||175||5–8|| 1 ||- align=left|UCLA
|- align=center
|35 ||- align=left|Mike Hogan||24||RB||14||12||213||6–2||2||- align=left|Tennessee-Chattanooga
|- align=center
|23 ||- align=left|Bob Howard||34||DB||10||6||174||6–2||11 ||- align=left|Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and
San Diego State
|- align=center
|7 ||- align=left|Ron Jaworski||27||QB||16||16||196||6–2||4||- align=left|Youngstown State
|- align=center
|65 ||- align=left|Charlie Johnson||26||NT||16||16||266||6–3|| 1 ||- align=left|Colorado
|- align=center
|49 ||- align=left|Eric Johnson||26||DB||16||0||192||6–1|| 1 ||- align=left|Washington State
|- align=center
|72||- align=left|Wade Key||32||G-T||13||12||245||6–5||8||- align=left|Texas,Texas State
|- align=center
|84 ||- align=left|Keith Krepfle||26||TE||10||10||227||6–3||3||- align=left|Iowa State
|- align=center
|88||- align=left|Bill Larson||25 ||TE||5|| 1 ||225||6–4||3||- align=left|Colorado State
|- align=center
|55 ||- align=left|Frank LeMaster||26||LB||16||16||232||6–2||4 ||- align=left|Kentucky
|- align=center
|41 ||- align=left|Randy Logan||27||DB||16||16||195||6–1||5 ||- align=left|Michigan
|- align=center
|63||- align=left|Tom Luken||28||G||16||6||253||6–3||6||- align=left|Purdue
|- align=center
|32 ||- align=left|Herb Lusk||25||RB||3||0||190||6–0||2 ||- align=left|Long Beach State
|- align=center
|54||- align=left|Drew Mahalic||25||LB||9||8||225||6–4||3||- align=left|Notre Dame
|- align=center
|2 ||- align=left|Mike Michel||24||P-K||10||0||177||5–10|| 1 ||- align=left|Stanford
|- align=center
|81 ||- align=left|Oren Middlebrook||25||WR||16||0||185||6–2||Rookie||- align=left|Arkansas State
|- align=center
|1 ||- align=left|Nick Mike-Mayer ||28||K||12||0||186||5–8||5||- align=left|Temple
|- align=center bgcolor=#ffcc00
|31 ||- align=left|Wilbert Montgomery*||24||RB||14||14||196||5–10|| 1 ||- align=left|Abilene Christian and
Jackson State
|- align=center
|50 ||- align=left|Guy Morriss||27||C||16||16||255||6–4||5||- align=left|TCU
|- align=center
|57 ||- align=left|Mike Osborn||23||LB||16|| 1 ||235||6–5||Rookie||- align=left|Kansas State
|- align=center
|86 ||- align=left|Richard Osborne||25||TE||16||7||230||6–3||2||- align=left|Texas A&M
|- align=center
|20 ||- align=left|John Outlaw||33||DB||14||8||180||5–10||9||- align=left|Jackson State
|- align=center
|83 ||- align=left|Vince Papale||32||WR||13||0||195||6–2||2||- align=left|St. Joseph's (PA)
Played no college football
|- align=center
|82 ||- align=left|Ken Payne||28||WR||16||9||185||6–1||4 ||- align=left|Langston
|- align=center
|69 ||- align=left|Woody Peoples||35||G||15||14||252||6–2||10 ||- align=left|Grambling State
|- align=center
|52 ||- align=left|Ray Phillips||24||LB||10||4||224||6–4|| 1 ||- align=left|Nebraska
|- align=center
|26 ||- align=left|John Sanders||28||DB||15||15||175||6–1||4 ||- align=left|South Dakota
|- align=center
|21 ||- align=left|John Sciarra||24||DB-QB||16||2||185||5–11||Rookie||- align=left|UCLA
|- align=center
|76 ||- align=left|Jerry Sisemore||27||T-G||16||16||265||6–4||5 ||- align=left|Texas
|- align=center
|79 ||- align=left|Manny Sistrunk||31||DT-DE||16||10||269||6–5||8 ||- align=left|Ark-Pine Bluff
|- align=center
|85 ||- align=left|Charlie A. Smith||28||WR||14||5||185||6–1||4 ||- align=left|Grambling State
|- align=center
|58||- align=left|Terry Tautolo||24||LB||16||2||232||6–2||2||- align=left|UCLA
|- align=center bgcolor=#ffcc00
|75 ||- align=left|Stan Walters*||30||T||16||16||275||6–6||6||- align=left|Syracuse
|- align=center
|11 ||- align=left|John Walton||31||QB||4||0||210||6–2||2||- align=left|Elizabeth City State
|- align=center
|51 ||- align=left|Reggie Wilkes||22||LB||16||13||235||6–4||Rookie||- align=left|Georgia Tech
|- align=center
|47 ||- align=left|Charles Williams||25||DB||7|| 1 ||180||6–1||Rookie||- align=left|Jackson State
|- align=center bgcolor="90EE90"
| || 53 Players
Team Average || 26.7 || || 16 || ||217.9|| 6–1.8 || 3.1 ||
|}
Pro-Bowl Selections
League Leaders
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
season resulted in an appearance in the postseason for the first time in eighteen years, which ended the longest postseason drought in the franchise’s history and one of the longest in the history of the National Football League.
Off Season
The Eagles held their last training camp at Widener UniversityWidener University
Widener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia...
in the city of Chester, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania)
NFL Draft
The 1978 NFL Draft1978 NFL Draft
The 1978 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 2–3, 1978...
The draft was held May 2–3, 1978. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. The draft was 12 rounds long with a total of 334 players selected.
The Eagles, because of previous trades made, had to wait until the 3rd round for their first pick. They would only have 7 picks and of these 7 players selected, 5 made the team and played during the season. With the 66th pick the Eagles as their first pick in the draft the Philadelphia Eagles selected Reggie Wilkes a Linebacker out of Georgia Tech.
The number 1 overall pick in the draft was taken by the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
who selected the 1977 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner, Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell
Earl Christian Campbell , nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung and O.J Simpson are the only people to have won the Heisman Trophy , were first overall National Football League draft picks and are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
a Running Back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
out of the University of Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
Future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, in 2006, Warren Moon
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon is a former American professional gridiron football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs...
, a Quarterback from University of Washington, went undrafted. He is also in the Canadian Football League's Hall of Fame.
Player Selections
The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with.Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.
{|
{|
|-
|style="background-color:#FFCC00; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;"|
|= Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
er ||
|style="background-color:#CCFFCC; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;"|
|= Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
r
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable sortable" style="width:60%"
|-
!style="background:#00cc00;" width=1%|Rd
!!width=1% style="background:#00cc00;"|PICK
!!width=15% style="background:#00cc00;"|PLAYER
!!width=5% style="background:#00cc00;"|POS
!!width=10% style="background:#00cc00;"|SCHOOL
|- align="center"
| 1 || 8 || Pick Traded to
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
|| ||
|- align="center"
| 2 || 35 || Pick Traded to
Cincinnati Bengals || ||
|- align="center"
| 3 || 66 || Reggie Wilkes
Reggie Wilkes
Reginald Wayman Wilkes is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. He attended university and played college football at Georgia Tech, graduating with a Bachelor of Science...
||Linebacker||Georgia Tech
|- align="center" bgcolor=""
| 4 || 92 || Dennis Harrison
Dennis Harrison
Dennis Harrison, Jr. is a former professional American football player who played ten seasons in the National Football League. He played in Super Bowl XV for the Philadelphia Eagles and was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1981 season...
||Defensive tackle||Vanderbilt
|- align="center" bgcolor=""
| 5 || 118 || Pick Traded to
Kansas City Chiefs|| ||
|- align="center"
| 5 || 130 || Norris Banks
Acquired Pick||Running back||Kansas
|- align="center"
| 6 || 145 || Pick Traded to
Buffalo Bills || ||
|- align="center"
| 7 || 176 || Pick Traded to
Oakland Raiders || ||
|- align="center"
| 7 || 186 || Greg Marshall
Acquired Vikings Pick||Defensive tackle||Oregon State
|- align="center" bgcolor=""
| 8 || 204 || Pick traded to
Minnesota Vikings|| ||
|- align="center" bgcolor=""
| 9 || 230 || Charles Williams||Defensive back||Jackson State
|- align="center" bgcolor=""
| 10 || 261 || Pick traded to
Cleveland Browns || ||
|- align="center"
| 11 || 288 || Bill Campfield||Running back||Kansas
|- align="center"
| 12 || 315 || Mark Slater||Center||Minnesota
|}
Pre Season
- On August 5, the NFL played its first game in Mexico City. The New Orleans Saints beat the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 14–7.
Regular Season
The Miracle at the Meadowlands is the term used by sportscasterSportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
s and Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
fans for a fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
recovery by cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Herman Edwards
Herman Edwards
Herman "Herm" Edwards, Jr. is an American football analyst who most recently coached in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was fired from this position on January 23, 2009. Since then, he has been hired as a football analyst for ESPN...
that he returned for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
at the end of a November 19, 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
game against the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
. It was seen as miraculous because it occurred at a point in the game when the Giants were easily capable of running out the game's final seconds. The Giants had the ball, and the Eagles had no timeouts
Sport time-out
In sports, a time-out is a halt in the play. This allows the coaches of either team to communicate with the team, e.g., to determine strategy or inspire morale. Time-outs are usually called by coaches or players, although for some sports, TV timeouts are called to allow media to air commercial breaks...
left. Everyone watching expected quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Joe Pisarcik
Joe Pisarcik
Joseph Anthony Pisarcik is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for eight seasons, from 1977 through 1984 after playing college football at New Mexico State University. His first professional team was the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football...
to take one more snap
Snap (football)
A snap starts each American football and Canadian football play from scrimmage.-Action:...
and kneel with the ball
Quarterback kneel
In American football, a quarterback kneel, also called taking a knee, genuflect offense, or victory formation occurs when the quarterback immediately kneels to the ground after receiving the snap. It is primarily used to run the clock down, either at the end of the first half or the game itself, in...
, thus running out the clock
Running out the clock
In sports, running out the clock refers to the practice of a winning team allowing the clock to expire through a series of pre-selected plays, either to preserve a lead or hasten the end of a one-sided contest.- American football :...
and preserving a 17–12 Giant upset. Instead, he attempted to hand it off to fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Larry Csonka
Larry Csonka
Larry Richard Csonka is a former collegiate and professional American football fullback.-Childhood:One of six children, Csonka was born in Stow, Ohio where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family...
and botched it, allowing Edwards to pick up the ball and run 26 yards for the winning score.
Schedule
{| class="wikitable"|-
! Week
! Date
! Opponent
! Result
! Attendance
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 1
| September 3, 1978
| Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
| L 16–14
|
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 2
| September 10, 1978
| at Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
| L 35–30
|
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 3
| September 17, 1978
| at New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
| W 24–17
|
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 4
| September 24, 1978
| Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
| W 17–3
|
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 5
| October 1, 1978
| at Baltimore Colts
| W 17–14
|
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 6
| October 8, 1978
| at New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
| L 24–14
|
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 7
| October 15, 1978
| Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
| W 17–10
|
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 8
| October 22, 1978
| at Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
| L 14–7
|
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 9
| October 29, 1978
| St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
| L 16–10
|
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 10
| November 5, 1978
| Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
| W 10–3
|
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 11
| November 12, 1978
| New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
| W 17–9
|
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 12
| November 19, 1978
| at New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
| W 19–17
|
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 13
| November 26, 1978
| at St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
| W 14–10
|
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 14
| December 3, 1978
| at Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
| L 28–27
|
|-style="background: #ffdddd;"
| 15
| December 10, 1978
| Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
| L 31–13
|
|-style="background: #ddffdd;"
| 16
| December 17, 1978
| New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
| W 20–3
|
|}
Week 1 vs LA Rams
Week 9 vs St Lou Cardinals
The St Louis Cardinals come into the game with a win less record of 0–8 against the 4th place 4 wins and 4 loses Philadelphia Eagles.Week 11 vs NY Jets
Week 12: at NY Giants
The Miracle at the Meadowlands is the term used by sportscasterSportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
s and Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
fans for a fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
recovery by cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Herman Edwards
Herman Edwards
Herman "Herm" Edwards, Jr. is an American football analyst who most recently coached in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was fired from this position on January 23, 2009. Since then, he has been hired as a football analyst for ESPN...
that he returned for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
at the end of a November 19, 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
game against the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
. It was seen as miraculous because it occurred at a point in the game when the Giants were easily capable of running out the game's final seconds. The Giants had the ball, and the Eagles had no timeouts
Sport time-out
In sports, a time-out is a halt in the play. This allows the coaches of either team to communicate with the team, e.g., to determine strategy or inspire morale. Time-outs are usually called by coaches or players, although for some sports, TV timeouts are called to allow media to air commercial breaks...
left. Everyone watching expected quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Joe Pisarcik
Joe Pisarcik
Joseph Anthony Pisarcik is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for eight seasons, from 1977 through 1984 after playing college football at New Mexico State University. His first professional team was the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football...
to take one more snap
Snap (football)
A snap starts each American football and Canadian football play from scrimmage.-Action:...
and kneel with the ball
Quarterback kneel
In American football, a quarterback kneel, also called taking a knee, genuflect offense, or victory formation occurs when the quarterback immediately kneels to the ground after receiving the snap. It is primarily used to run the clock down, either at the end of the first half or the game itself, in...
, thus running out the clock
Running out the clock
In sports, running out the clock refers to the practice of a winning team allowing the clock to expire through a series of pre-selected plays, either to preserve a lead or hasten the end of a one-sided contest.- American football :...
and preserving a 17–12 Giant upset. Instead, he attempted to hand it off to fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Larry Csonka
Larry Csonka
Larry Richard Csonka is a former collegiate and professional American football fullback.-Childhood:One of six children, Csonka was born in Stow, Ohio where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family...
and botched it, allowing Edwards to pick up the ball and run 26 yards for the winning score.
Week 13 at St L Cardinals
After the games of week 11 the Philadelphia Eagles look out of being an NFC playoff team were slim. They were in 3rd place in the NFC East and behind 4 teams for a Wild Card team spot. That was some of the reasoning why the place kicking duties were given to the punter Mike Michel when regular kicker Nick Mick-Meyer got hurt. At the end of week 13 the Eagles find themselves trailing division leading Dallas by 1 game, and tied with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins for 1 of 2 Wild Card team playoff spots.Standings
The Eagles were hampered by the loss of their placekicker (Nick Mike-Mayer) in the closing weeks of the season and his replacement (punter Mike Michel) was unable to make several extra point kicks and missed all field goal attempts.{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" border="1"
|- bgcolor="#D0E7FF"
| colspan="7" align="center" | NFC East
NFC East
The NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins....
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
!Team!!W!!L!!T!!PCT!!PF!!PA
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Dallas Cowboys
1978 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1978 Dallas Cowboys season was their 19th in the NFL. For the third consecutive season, the Cowboys finished in first place in the NFC East. The Cowboys scored 384 points, which ranked first in the NFC, while the defense only gave up 208 points. Twice, the Cowboys appeared on Monday Night...
|12||4||0||.750||384||208
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffdddd"
|align="left"| Philadelphia Eagles
|9||7||0||.563||270||250
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Washington Redskins
1978 Washington Redskins season
The 1978 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 9-5 record from 1977. This was Jack Pardee's first season as Head Coach.For the 1978 season, the NFL expanded from a 14-game season to a 16-game season.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:...
|8||8||0||.500||273||283
|- align="center"
|align="left"| St. Louis Cardinals
1978 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season
-Schedule:-Standings:-References:**...
|6||10||0||.375||248||296
|- align="center"
|align="left"| New York Giants
1978 New York Giants season
The 1978 New York Giants season was the 54th season for the club in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Regular season:The Miracle at the Meadowlands is the term used by sportscasters and Philadelphia Eagles fans for a fumble recovery by cornerback Herman Edwards that he returned for a...
|6||10||0||.375||264||298
|-
|}
1978 Roster
{||-
|style="background-color:#FFCC00; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;"|
|= 1978 Pro Bowl Selection
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
||
|style="background-color:#CCFFCC; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;"|
|= Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
r
|}
- + After name means 1st team selection
{| class="wikitable sortable sortable" style="width:100%"
|-
!style="background:#00cc00;" width=5%|NO.
!!width=15% style="background:#00cc00;"|Player
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|AGE
!!width=6% style="background:#00cc00;"|POS
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|GP
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|GS
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|WT
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|HT
!!width=4% style="background:#00cc00;"|YRS
!!width=20% style="background:#00cc00;"|College
|- align=center
| || Dick Vermeil
Dick Vermeil
Richard Albert "Dick" Vermeil is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles , St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs...
|| 40 || Head Coach || || || || || 3 ||San Jose State
|- align=center
|38 ||- align=left|Larry Barnes||24||RB||7||0||220||5–11|| 1 ||- align=left|Tennessee State
|- align=center bgcolor=#ffcc00
|66 ||- align=left|Bill Bergey*||33||LB||16||16||243||6–4||9||- align=left|Arkansas State
|- align=center
|34 ||- align=left|James Betterson||24||RB||9||0||210||6–0|| 1 ||- align=left|North Carolina
|- align=center
|25 ||- align=left|Bill Bryant||27||DB||3||0||195||5–11||2||- align=left| Grambling State
|- align=center
|95 ||- align=left|John Bunting||28||LB||6||6||220||6–1||6||- align=left| North Carolina
|- align=center
|67 ||- align=left|Lem Burnham||31||DE||15||0||236||6–4|| 1 ||- align=left| U.S. International
|- align=center
|37 ||- align=left|Billy Campfield||22||RB||16||2||200||5–11||Rookie||- align=left|Kansas
|- align=center bgcolor=#ffcc00
|17 ||- align=left|Harold Carmichael*||29||WR-TE||16||16||225||6–8||7||- align=left|Southern
|- align=center
|71 ||- align=left|Ken Clarke||22||NT-DT||16||0||268||6–2||Rookie||- align=left|Syracuse
|- align=center
|46 ||- align=left|Herman Edwards||24||DB||16||16||194||6–0|| 1 ||- align=left| California and
San Diego State
|- align=center
|13 ||- align=left|Rick Engles||24||P||6||0||177||5–11||2 ||- align=left|Tulsa
|- align=center
|30 ||- align=left|Cleveland Franklin||23||RB||16||4||216||6–2|| 1 ||- align=left|Baylor
|- align=center
|53 ||- align=left|Dennis Franks||25||C||16||0||241||6–1||2 ||- align=left|Michigan
|- align=center
|64 ||- align=left|Ed George||32||T||16||0||270||6–4||3||- align=left|Ferrum,Wake Forest
|- align=center
|33 ||- align=left|Louie Giammona||25||RB||7||0||180||5–9||2||- align=left|Utah State
|- align=center
|78 ||- align=left|Carl Hairston||26||DE-DT-LB||16||16||260||6–3||2 ||- align=left|Md-Eastern Shore
|- align=center
|68 ||- align=left|Dennis Harrison||22||DE||16||6||275||6–8||Rookie ||- align=left|Vanderbilt
|- align=center
|89 ||- align=left|Wally Henry||24||WR||3||0||175||5–8|| 1 ||- align=left|UCLA
|- align=center
|35 ||- align=left|Mike Hogan||24||RB||14||12||213||6–2||2||- align=left|Tennessee-Chattanooga
|- align=center
|23 ||- align=left|Bob Howard||34||DB||10||6||174||6–2||11 ||- align=left|Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and
San Diego State
|- align=center
|7 ||- align=left|Ron Jaworski||27||QB||16||16||196||6–2||4||- align=left|Youngstown State
|- align=center
|65 ||- align=left|Charlie Johnson||26||NT||16||16||266||6–3|| 1 ||- align=left|Colorado
|- align=center
|49 ||- align=left|Eric Johnson||26||DB||16||0||192||6–1|| 1 ||- align=left|Washington State
|- align=center
|72||- align=left|Wade Key||32||G-T||13||12||245||6–5||8||- align=left|Texas,Texas State
|- align=center
|84 ||- align=left|Keith Krepfle||26||TE||10||10||227||6–3||3||- align=left|Iowa State
|- align=center
|88||- align=left|Bill Larson||25 ||TE||5|| 1 ||225||6–4||3||- align=left|Colorado State
|- align=center
|55 ||- align=left|Frank LeMaster||26||LB||16||16||232||6–2||4 ||- align=left|Kentucky
|- align=center
|41 ||- align=left|Randy Logan||27||DB||16||16||195||6–1||5 ||- align=left|Michigan
|- align=center
|63||- align=left|Tom Luken||28||G||16||6||253||6–3||6||- align=left|Purdue
|- align=center
|32 ||- align=left|Herb Lusk||25||RB||3||0||190||6–0||2 ||- align=left|Long Beach State
|- align=center
|54||- align=left|Drew Mahalic||25||LB||9||8||225||6–4||3||- align=left|Notre Dame
|- align=center
|2 ||- align=left|Mike Michel||24||P-K||10||0||177||5–10|| 1 ||- align=left|Stanford
|- align=center
|81 ||- align=left|Oren Middlebrook||25||WR||16||0||185||6–2||Rookie||- align=left|Arkansas State
|- align=center
|1 ||- align=left|Nick Mike-Mayer ||28||K||12||0||186||5–8||5||- align=left|Temple
|- align=center bgcolor=#ffcc00
|31 ||- align=left|Wilbert Montgomery*||24||RB||14||14||196||5–10|| 1 ||- align=left|Abilene Christian and
Jackson State
|- align=center
|50 ||- align=left|Guy Morriss||27||C||16||16||255||6–4||5||- align=left|TCU
|- align=center
|57 ||- align=left|Mike Osborn||23||LB||16|| 1 ||235||6–5||Rookie||- align=left|Kansas State
|- align=center
|86 ||- align=left|Richard Osborne||25||TE||16||7||230||6–3||2||- align=left|Texas A&M
|- align=center
|20 ||- align=left|John Outlaw||33||DB||14||8||180||5–10||9||- align=left|Jackson State
|- align=center
|83 ||- align=left|Vince Papale||32||WR||13||0||195||6–2||2||- align=left|St. Joseph's (PA)
Played no college football
|- align=center
|82 ||- align=left|Ken Payne||28||WR||16||9||185||6–1||4 ||- align=left|Langston
|- align=center
|69 ||- align=left|Woody Peoples||35||G||15||14||252||6–2||10 ||- align=left|Grambling State
|- align=center
|52 ||- align=left|Ray Phillips||24||LB||10||4||224||6–4|| 1 ||- align=left|Nebraska
|- align=center
|26 ||- align=left|John Sanders||28||DB||15||15||175||6–1||4 ||- align=left|South Dakota
|- align=center
|21 ||- align=left|John Sciarra||24||DB-QB||16||2||185||5–11||Rookie||- align=left|UCLA
|- align=center
|76 ||- align=left|Jerry Sisemore||27||T-G||16||16||265||6–4||5 ||- align=left|Texas
|- align=center
|79 ||- align=left|Manny Sistrunk||31||DT-DE||16||10||269||6–5||8 ||- align=left|Ark-Pine Bluff
|- align=center
|85 ||- align=left|Charlie A. Smith||28||WR||14||5||185||6–1||4 ||- align=left|Grambling State
|- align=center
|58||- align=left|Terry Tautolo||24||LB||16||2||232||6–2||2||- align=left|UCLA
|- align=center bgcolor=#ffcc00
|75 ||- align=left|Stan Walters*||30||T||16||16||275||6–6||6||- align=left|Syracuse
|- align=center
|11 ||- align=left|John Walton||31||QB||4||0||210||6–2||2||- align=left|Elizabeth City State
|- align=center
|51 ||- align=left|Reggie Wilkes||22||LB||16||13||235||6–4||Rookie||- align=left|Georgia Tech
|- align=center
|47 ||- align=left|Charles Williams||25||DB||7|| 1 ||180||6–1||Rookie||- align=left|Jackson State
|- align=center bgcolor="90EE90"
| || 53 Players
Team Average || 26.7 || || 16 || ||217.9|| 6–1.8 || 3.1 ||
|}
NFL Wild Card Game
The Falcons won their first playoff game in team history after they overcame a 13–0 deficit by scoring 2 touchdowns in the final 5 minutes of the game. Punter Mike Michel, who took over placekicker duties when regular placekicker Nick Mike-Mayer got injured in week 12, missed a possible game winning field goal in closing seconds.Awards and honors
- UPI Coach of the YearNFL Coach of the Year AwardThe National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job of working with the talent he has at his disposal. Currently, the most widely recognized award is presented by the...
: Dick Vermeil
Pro-Bowl Selections
- Bill Bergey – LB
- Harold Carmichael – WR
- Wilbert Montgomery – RB
- Stan Walters – Tackle
League Leaders
- Harold Carmichael, NFC Leader, Receiving Yards – 1072
- Wilbert Montgomery, NFC Leader, Rushing Avg – 4.6