Traditionalists however, believe the rule changes are the beginning of the removal of the " Ironman " ( two-way offense and defense ) style of play of arena football that the league has actively promoted for 20 seasons, and that removing the " Ironman " style of play takes away a key component of what makes arena football a distinctive sport over other versions of football ( NFL, CFL, other indoor leagues, etc.

The club then go relegated in 1999 – 2000 but got promoted the very next season and then the club won there first NFL championship in 2004.

Collinsworth left the show in 2002, when he was promoted to Fox's newly formed " A Team " NFL game announcing team alongside Joe Buck and Troy Aikman ( replacing Pat Summerall and John Madden ).

Pasqualoni was an assistant at Syracuse from 1987 until 1991, when he was promoted to head coach after the position was vacated by Dick MacPherson, who left for the NFL to coach the New England Patriots.

In 1996, Spurrier promoted Zook back to defensive coordinator following the departure of Bobby Pruett, but Zook left Florida to coach in the NFL.

Sahadi was eventually promoted to the position of Manager of On-Air Promotions for NBC Sports, and produced advertising campaigns for the NFL, NBA and the 1992 Summer Olympics.

In a special meeting prior to Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans on February 2, 2002, NFL owners voted unanimously to approve the purchase.

During its final two years of existence, the AFL teams won upset victories over the NFL teams in Super Bowl III and IV, the former New York Jets victory was considered one of the biggest upsets in American sports history.

The 1981 season saw Walsh lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl championship ; the team rose from the cellar to the top of the NFL in just two seasons.

The Ravens triumphed over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV at the conclusion of the 2000 season, making them one of four NFL teams to win in their lone Super Bowl appearance, along with the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A 2012 poll on NFL. com rated the 2000 team as the second-greatest NFL team of the Super Bowl Era.

The Bears have won nine ( 9 ) NFL Championships ( eight pre-merger, and one Super Bowl ).

In 1994, the NFL celebrated their 75th Anniversary, and the Dallas Cowboys celebrated their back-to-back Super Bowl titles by unveiling a white " Double-Star " jersey on Thanksgiving Day.

In that same year, Smith became the first player to win the Super Bowl, the NFL rushing title ( i. e. lead the league in rushing ), the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, and the Super Bowl MVP all in one season.

The Lions have not had much success during the Super Bowl era: the Lions are one of four current NFL teams that have yet to qualify for the Super Bowl, and the team is 1-10 in post-season play during that period.

However, in 1968 the Colts returned with the continued leadership of Unitas and Shula and went onto win the Colts ' third NFL Championship and made an appearance in Super Bowl III.

Leading up to the Super Bowl and following the 34 – 0 trouncing of the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship, many were calling the 1968 Colts team one of the " greatest pro football teams of all time " and were favored by 18 points against their counterparts from the American Football League, the New York Jets.

The result of the game was surprising to many in the sports media as Joe Namath and Matt Snell led Jets to the Super Bowl victory, under head coach Weeb Ewbank, who won two NFL Championships with the Colts.

The victory gave the Colts their fourth NFL championship and first Super Bowl victory.

In 1972, the Dolphins completed the NFL's only perfect season culminating in a Super Bowl win, winning all 14 of its regular-season games, both of its NFL playoff games, and also Super Bowl VII.

In 1972 the Dolphins completed the only fully undefeated season in the NFL, winning all 14 regular season games, two playoff games and Super Bowl VII, defeating the Washington Redskins 14 – 7.

Albert was also the lead play-by-play voice of the Westwood One radio network's NFL coverage for several years, calling Monday Night Football as well as numerous playoff games and every Super Bowl beginning 2002.

Despite producing some of the best teams in NFL history over the years, the Vikings have not won a Super Bowl.

Minnesota became the first modern NFL expansion team to win an NFL Championship Game, and earned a berth in Super Bowl IV.

In his 16-year career in the NFL, Anderson made four trips to the Pro Bowl, won four passing titles, was named NFL MVP in 1981, and set the record for completion percentage in a single season in 1982 ( 70. 66 %).

The Cowboys hosted the Green Bay Packers for the 1966 NFL Championship at the Cotton Bowl.

In American football, the Scottish Claymores played WLAF / NFL Europe games at Murrayfield, including their World Bowl 96 victory.

Like many other NFL teams located in temperate climates, the Panthers traditionally wear their white jerseys at home during the first half of the season — forcing opponents to wear their dark ones under the warm autumns in Charlotte.

A " Cowboys " chest crest is directly under the NFL shield.

However, under head coach Weeb Ewbank and the leadership of quarterback Johnny Unitas, the Colts would go onto a 9 – 3 record during the 1958 season and reached the NFL Championship Game for the first time in their history by winning the NFL Western Conference.

For most of their short history, the Jaguars did what many other NFL teams located in subtropical climates traditionally practice: wear their white jerseys at home during the first half of the season — forcing opponents to wear their dark ones under the sweltering autumns in Jacksonville.

In 1960, the Eagles won their third NFL championship, under the leadership of future Pro Football Hall of Famers Norm Van Brocklin and Chuck Bednarik ; the head coach was Buck Shaw.

Under NFL rules, if a quarterback lines up under center, he is by definition ineligible and not allowed to receive a forward pass.

As the two leagues had an unequal number of teams ( under the merger agreement, the NFL expanded by one team to 16, and the AFL by one to 10 ), realignment was advocated by some owners, but was opposed.

The Baltimore Colts had won the 1958 and 1959 NFL championships under Coach Weeb Ewbank.

The Colts did well under Shula, losing to the Cleveland Browns in the 1964 NFL Championship Game and, in 1965, losing in overtime to the Green Bay Packers in a tiebreaking game to decide the NFL Western Division championship.

The Colts finished a distant second in the West to the Packers in 1966, and in 1967, with the NFL divided into four divisions of four teams each, went undefeated with two ties through their first 13 games, but lost the game and the Coastal Division championship to the Los Angeles Rams on the final Sunday of the season — under newly-instituted tiebreakers, Los Angeles won the division championship as it had better net points in the two games the teams played ( the Rams win and an earlier tie ).

") Lombardi was under intense pressure from the entire NFL that the Packers not only win but preferably win big.

No subsequent Super Bowl has ever been blacked out under this rule, as all have been sold out ( owing to its status as the marquee event on the NFL schedule, meaning that tickets sell out pretty quickly ).

But in 1990, after Arizona voters rejected a ballot initiative to create a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday, the NFL voted to yank Super Bowl XXVII from Arizona under pressure from civil rights groups and from the NFL Players ' Association.

The Broncos ' offense, under the leadership of Elway and running back Terrell Davis, had another outstanding regular season, ranking 2nd in the NFL with 501 points and gaining 6, 276 yards ( 3rd in the league ).

Created as a joint venture between NBC and the World Wrestling Federation under the company name " XFL, LLC ", the XFL was created as a " single-entity league ", meaning that the teams were not individually owned and operated franchises ( as in the NFL ), but that the league was operated as a single business unit.

By early June 1974, the WFL claimed they had some 60 NFL players under contract.

In 1967, the NFL expanded and created four divisions under the two conferences, which led to the institution of a larger playoff tournament.

Many college quarterbacks, such as Tim Tebow who almost exclusively used the shotgun at Florida, have difficulty adapting to NFL offenses where most snaps are taken under center.

Groundbreaking for the Santa Clara Stadium occurred on April 19, 2012 and the stadium is currently under construction with a planned completion date in time for the 2014 NFL season.

Because of this, Providence made history again by being the first team to host an NFL game at night under floodlights.

* June 8: The AFL and NFL reach an agreement to merge as equals into one league under the NFL name, to take effect with the 1970 season.