1974 Baltimore Colts season
22nd season in franchise history
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1974 Baltimore Colts season was the 22nd season for the team in the National Football League. The Colts finished with a record of 2 wins and 12 losses, fifth in the AFC East.
| 1974 Baltimore Colts season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Irsay |
| General manager | Joe Thomas |
| Head coach | Howard Schnellenberger Joe Thomas |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–12 |
| Division place | 5th AFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | LB Mike Curtis |
Second-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger was fired after three games,[1] after an argument with owner Robert Irsay over whether Marty Domres or Bert Jones should start at quarterback for the Colts.[2]
General manager Joe Thomas took over the head coaching duties for the remainders of the season, but could direct the team to only two wins, both on the road, as the Colts failed to win a home game during the 1974 season. This would be the last time the Colts would fail to win a home game in a non-strike season until their abysmal 1–15 1991 season, when the team was based in Indianapolis.
Offseason
NFL draft
Staff
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Final roster
Regular season
All-Pro linebacker Ted Hendricks signed a future contract with the World Football League, and was then traded by the Colts to the Green Bay Packers by general manager Joe Thomas. (Hendricks never ended up playing for the bankrupt WFL, and made four more Pro Bowls in his career.)
In an autopsy of the Colts 1974 season written for Street & Smith's Pro Football Annual, Buffalo Evening News writer Larry Felser observed that the patience of Baltimore fans was waning, with the perennially sold-out Memorial Stadium had failed to crack the 40,000 mark at the gate on multiple occasions.[3] "When Joe Thomas arrived on the scene as general manager in 1972, he promised to tear down a decaying team and rebuild it into a champion," Felser wrote. "He produced on the first part of his vow; the Baltimore fans are waiting for the other shoe to drop."[3]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Game Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 15 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 0–30 | 0–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | 48,890 | Recap |
| 2 | September 22 | Green Bay Packers | L 13–20 | 0–2 | Memorial Stadium | 41,252 | Recap |
| 3 | September 29 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–30 | 0–3 | Veterans Stadium | 64,205 | Recap |
| 4 | October 6 | at New England Patriots | L 3–42 | 0–4 | Schaefer Stadium | 59,502 | Recap |
| 5 | October 13 | Buffalo Bills | L 14–27 | 0–5 | Memorial Stadium | 40,626 | Recap |
| 6 | October 20 | at New York Jets | W 35–20 | 1–5 | Shea Stadium | 51,745 | Recap |
| 7 | October 27 | at Miami Dolphins | L 7–17 | 1–6 | Orange Bowl | 65,868 | Recap |
| 8 | November 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 14–24 | 1–7 | Memorial Stadium | 36,110 | Recap |
| 9 | November 10 | Denver Broncos | L 6–17 | 1–8 | Memorial Stadium | 33,244 | Recap |
| 10 | November 17 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 17–7 | 2–8 | Atlanta Stadium | 41,278 | Recap |
| 11 | November 24 | New England Patriots | L 17–27 | 2–9 | Memorial Stadium | 34,782 | Recap |
| 12 | December 1 | at Buffalo Bills | L 0–6 | 2–10 | Rich Stadium | 75,325 | Recap |
| 13 | December 8 | Miami Dolphins | L 16–17 | 2–11 | Memorial Stadium | 34,420 | Recap |
| 14 | December 15 | New York Jets | L 38–45 | 2–12 | Memorial Stadium | 31,651 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Miami Dolphins | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 6–2 | 9–2 | 327 | 216 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 5–3 | 7–4 | 264 | 244 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 5–6 | 279 | 300 | W6 |
| New England Patriots | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 4–7 | 348 | 289 | L3 |
| Baltimore Colts | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 1–7 | 1–10 | 190 | 329 | L4 |
- Source:[4]
Season summary
Week 2 vs Packers
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
- Date: September 22
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 41,252
- Box Score
| Game information |
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First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
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