1978 Philadelphia Eagles season

1978 Philadelphia Eagles season
Owner	Leonard Tose
General manager	Jim Murray
Head coach	Dick Vermeil
Home field	Veterans Stadium
Results
Record	9–7
Division place	2nd NFC East
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Falcons) 13–14
Pro Bowlers	T Stan Walters [1] TE Harold Carmichael [1] RB Wilbert Montgomery [1] LB Bill Bergey [1]
←  1977 Eagles seasons 1979  →

The 1978 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Eagles reached the postseason for the first time since their championship-winning season in 1960, which ended the longest postseason drought in the franchise's history and one of the longest in the history of the NFL. The Eagles ended their playoff drought by winning their final game in the regular season and needing either the Minnesota Vikings or Green Bay Packers to lose - both teams ended up losing and thus earned a wild card entry. This was also the first season since 1966 in which the franchise finished the season with a winning record. They were knocked out in the Wild Card by the Atlanta Falcons 14–13.

The Miracle at the Meadowlands

Main article: Miracle at the Meadowlands

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 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.

The Eagles were 6–5 going into this game, and the win was crucial in that it ultimately allowed the Eagles to get the fifth-and-final playoff spot in the 1978 NFC playoffs.

Off Season

The Eagles held their last training camp at Widener University in the city of Chester, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania)

NFL Draft

The 1978 NFL draft The draft was held May 3-4, 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 ^[2] a running back out of the University of Texas

Future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, in 2006, Warren Moon, a quarterback from the University of Washington, went undrafted. Moon 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.

= Pro Bowler [3]

= Hall of Famer

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School
1	8	Pick Traded to Cincinnati Bengals
2	35	Pick Traded to Cincinnati Bengals
3	66	Reggie Wilkes	Linebacker	Georgia Tech
4	92	Dennis Harrison	Defensive tackle	Vanderbilt
5	118	Pick Traded to Kansas City Chiefs
5	130	Norris Banks Acquired Pick	Running back	Kansas
6	145	Pick Traded to Buffalo Bills
7	176	Pick Traded to Oakland Raiders
7	186	Greg Marshall Acquired Vikings Pick	Defensive tackle	Oregon State
8	204	Pick traded to Minnesota Vikings
9	230	Charles Williams	Defensive back	Jackson State
10	261	Pick traded to Cleveland Browns
11	288	Billy Campfield	Running back	Kansas
12	315	Mark Slater	Center	Minnesota

Preseason

• On August 5, the NFL played its first game in Mexico City. The New Orleans Saints defeated the Eagles by a score of 14–7. ^[4]

Roster

1978 Philadelphia Eagles roster

Quarterbacks (QB)  7 Ron Jaworski 11 John Walton Running backs (RB) 38 Larry Barnes 37 Billy Campfield -- Dodie Donnell 30 Cleveland Franklin 33 Louie Giammona 35 Mike Hogan FB 31 Wilbert Montgomery Wide receivers (WR) 17 Harold Carmichael 81 Oren Middlebrook 83 Vince Papale 82 Ken Payne 85 Charlie Smith Tight ends (TE) 88 Bill Larson 86 Richard Osborne

Offensive linemen (OL) 53 Dennis Franks C 64 Ed George T 72 Wade Key G 63 Tom Luken G 50 Guy Morriss C 76 Jerry Sisemore T 75 Stan Walters T Defensive linemen (DL) 67 Lem Burnham DE 71 Ken Clarke NT 78 Carl Hairston DE 65 Charlie Johnson NT 79 Manny Sistrunk DE

Linebackers (LB) 66 Bill Bergey 55 Frank LeMaster 54 Drew Mahalic 57 Mike Osborn 52 Ray Phillips OLB 58 Terry Tautolo 51 Reggie Wilkes OLB Defensive backs (DB) 25 Bill Bryant CB 46 Herman Edwards CB 23 Bob Howard CB 49 Eric Johnson S 41 Randy Logan SS 20 John Outlaw CB 26 John Sanders FS 21 John Sciarra FS Special teams  2 Mike Michel P  1 Nick Mike-Mayer K

Reserve 34 James Betterson RB (IR) 95 John Bunting LB (IR) 89 Wally Henry WR (IR) 84 Keith Krepfle TE (IR) 32 Herb Lusk RB (IR) 47 Charles Williams CB (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 3	Los Angeles Rams	L 14–16	0–1	Veterans Stadium	64,721
2	September 10	at Washington Redskins	L 30–35	0–2	RFK Stadium	54,380
3	September 17	at New Orleans Saints	W 24–17	1–2	Louisiana Superdome	49,242
4	September 24	Miami Dolphins	W 17–3	2–2	Veterans Stadium	62,998
5	October 1	at Baltimore Colts	W 17–14	3–2	Memorial Stadium	50,314
6	October 8	at New England Patriots	L 14–24	3–3	Schaefer Stadium	61,016
7	October 15	Washington Redskins	W 17–10	4–3	Veterans Stadium	65,722
8	October 22	at Dallas Cowboys	L 7–14	4–4	Texas Stadium	60,525
9	October 29	St. Louis Cardinals	L 10–16	4–5	Veterans Stadium	62,989
10	November 5	Green Bay Packers	W 10–3	5–5	Veterans Stadium	64,214
11	November 12	New York Jets	W 17–9	6–5	Veterans Stadium	60,249
12	November 19	at New York Giants	W 19–17	7–5	Giants Stadium	70,318
13	November 26	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 14–10	8–5	Busch Memorial Stadium	39,693
14	December 3	at Minnesota Vikings	L 27–28	8–6	Metropolitan Stadium	38,722
15	December 10	Dallas Cowboys	L 13–31	8–7	Veterans Stadium	64,667
16	December 17	New York Giants	W 20–3 [5]	9–7	Veterans Stadium	56,396

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game recap

Week 1 vs LA Rams

Week 1: Philadelphia Eagles vs Los Angeles Rams

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	3	3	0	10	16
Eagles	0	0	0	14	14

at Veterans Stadium on AstroTurf,

• Date: September 3, 1978
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 76 °F (24.4 °C), wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
• Referee: Gordon McCarter

Game information

First quarter Rams – Frank Corral 29-yard field goal, Rams 3–0 Second quarter Rams – Frank Corral 47-yard field goal, Rams 6–0 Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter Rams – Nolan Cromwell 0-yard fumble return (Frank Corral kick), Rams 13–0 Eagles – Ken Payne 24-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) Rams 13–7 Eagles – Wally Henry 57-yard punt return (Nick Mike-Mayer kick), Eagles 14–13 Rams – Frank Corral 46-yard field goal, Rams 16–14 Passing Eagles – Ron Jaworski: 7 of 17 for 102 yards, 1 TD, 1 ints Rams – Pat Haden: 14 of 33 for 154 yards, O TD, 0 ints Rushing Eagles – 30 Att, 128 Yards, 0 TDS Wilbert Montgomery, 12 Att, 46 yards, 1 TD Rams – 33 Att, 103 Yards, 0 TDS Wendell tyler – 10 Att, 36 yards, 0 TD Receiving Eagles – Harold Carmichael: 1 rec, 32 yards, 0 TD Rams – Willie Miller: 3 rec, 44 yards, 0 TD NFC East Standing Dallas, New York & Washington (1–0); Philadelphia & St. Louis (0–1)

Week 3 at NO Saints

• Television: CBS
• Announcers: Gary Bender and Hank Stram

Former Youngstown State University star Ron Jaworski threw three touchdown passes two to Harold Carmichael one from 6 yards and the other from 18 yards as the Eagles got their first win of the season. The bitterness stemmed from the fact that one of their teammates, kick return specialist Wally Henry, suffered a broken leg when he hit illegally from behind. Henry was playing on the kickoff team in the third quarter when he was hit and carried from the field. Only minutes earlier, he had set up a touchdown with a 55-yard punt return to the Saints 20-yard line. The Eagles also had a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jaworski to Keith Krepfle and a Nick Mike-Mayer 21-yard field goal. The Saints also scored with a 47-yard pass from Archie Manning to Tinker Owens Touchdown connection, a nine-yard score from fullback Tony Galbreath and a 21-yard field goal by Rich Szaro. The Eagles had to make two last minute interceptions to halt the Saints drive to a tying score.

Week 5 at Baltimore Colts

• Television: CBS
• Announcers: Tim Ryan, Tom Matte and Roman Gabriel

Colts quarterback Bill Troup moved Baltimore 71 yards in nine plays for the first touchdown, on a two-yard run by Roosevelt Leaks, the drive started after Nick Mike Mayer missed a 46-yard field goal. Two plays later the Colts have the ball again when Philadelphia quarterback Ron Jaworski fumbled and defensive end John Dutton recovered at the Eagles 38. Pass interference on a razzle-dazzle play in which running back Joe Washington took a handoff and pitches back to Troup who then threw a pass to Roger Carr, put the ball on the Eagles 1 yard line but couldn't score. They quickly got another chance when Wilbert Montgomery fumbled and Derrell Luce recovered the ball and carried it to the 4 where Troup threw to Leaks for a 14-0 Colts lead. But the Eagles came back roaring in the 4th quarter when Jaworski threw a 20-yard pass to Krepfle and then Mayer kick a 26-yard chip shot and then Montgomery who rushed for 144 yards on the day scored a 14-yard touchdown run with 2:39 left in the game to secure a must win for the Eagles who now trail the Redskins by 2 games (5-0) in the NFC East standings.

Week 9 vs St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals come into the game with a win–loss record of 0–8 against the 4th place, 4 wins and 4 losses Philadelphia Eagles.

Week 9: Philadelphia Eagles vs St. Louis Cardinals

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	13	0	3	16
Eagles	0	10	0	0	10

at Veterans Stadium on AstroTurf,

• Date: October 29, 1978
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C), wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter Eagles – Nick Mike-Mayer 25-yard field goal, Eagles 3 – 0 Cardinals – Jim Otis 7-yard rush (kick failed) Cardinals 6 – 3, Eagles – Harold Carmichael 33-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick), Eagles 10 – 6 Cardinals – Dave Stief 55-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick) Cardinals 13 – 10 Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter Cardinals – Jim Bakken 31-yard field goal Cardinals 16 – 10 NFC East Standing Washington (7–2) Dallas (6–3) New York (5–4) Philadelphia (4–5) St. Louis (1–8) Passing Eagles – Ron Jaworski: 21 of 40 for 231 yards, 1 TD, 1 ints Cardinals – Jim Hart: 12 of 24 for 260 yards, 1 TD, 3 ints Rushing Eagles – 28 Att, 132 Yards, 0 TDS Billy Campfield, 10 Att, 74 yards, 0 TD Cardinals – 35 Att, 94 Yards, 1 TDS Jim otis – 22 Att, 72 yards, 1 TD Receiving Eagles – Harold Carmichael: 7 rec, 126 yards, 1 TD Cardinals – Mel Gray: 2 rec, 76 yards, 0 TD Team Stats STL PHI First downs STL 15 – PHIL 19 Rush-yards-TDs STL 35–94–1 – PHIL 28–132–0 Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT STL 12–24–260–1–3 PHIL 21–40–231–1–3 Sacked-yards STL 0–0 – PHIL 2–11 Net pass yards STL 260 – PHIL 220 Total yards STL 354 – PHIL 352 Fumbles-lost STL 4–0 – PHIL 4–2 Turnovers STL 3 – PHIL 5 Penalties-yards STL 7–53 – PHIL 6–45

Week 11 vs NY Jets

Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	0	3	6	0	9
Eagles	0	7	3	7	17

at Veterans Stadium on AstroTurf,

• Date: November 12, 1978
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter Rams – Frank Corral 47-yard field goal, Rams 6 – 0 Eagles – Harold Carmichael 18-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) Eagles 7 – 3 Third quarter Eagles – Nick Mike-Mayer 39-yard field goal Eagles 10 – 3 Jets Kevin Long 5-yard rush (kick failed) Eagles 10 – 9 Fourth quarter Jets – Pat Leahy 41-yard field goal Jets 3–0 Eagles – Harold Carmichael 6-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) Eagles 17 – 9 NFC East Standing Washington (8–3) Dallas (7–4) Philadelphia (6–5) New York & (5–6) St. Louis (3–8) Other teams Los Angeles (9–2) Leads NFC West Atlanta (7–4) Green Bay (7–4) Minnrsota (7–4) Passing Eagles – Ron Jaworski: 13 of 23 for 135 yards, 2 TD, 1 ints Jets – Matt Robinson: 10 of 23 for 143 yards, O TD, 2 ints Rushing Eagles – 43 Att, 154 Yards, 0 TDS Billy Campfield: 22 Att, 92 yards, 0 TD Jets – 33 Att, 108 Yards, 1 TDS Kevin Long: 15 Att, 62 yards, 1 TD Receiving Eagles – Harold Carmichael: 3 rec, 45 yards, 2 TD Rams – Willie Miller: 5 rec, 88 yards, 0 TD

Week 12

Main article: Miracle at the Meadowlands

See also: 1978 New York Giants and Eagles–Giants rivalry

Philadelphia Eagles (6–5) at New York Giants (5–6)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	6	0	13	19
Giants	14	0	3	0	17

at Giants Stadium • East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: November 19
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 49 °F (9.4 °C) • Wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
• Game attendance: 70,318
• Referee: Cal Lepore
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Eagles Ron Jaworski 15/31, 164 Yds, 3 INT Wilbert Montgomery 22 Rush, 88 Yds, TD Harold Carmichael 5 Rec, 105 Yds Giants Joe Pisarcik 13/24, 181 Yds, 2 TD, INT Doug Kotar 13 Rush, 36 Yds Jim Robinson 4 Rec, 73 Yds

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 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.

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PHI NYG 1 Giants Hammond 19-yard touchdown reception from Pisarcik, Danelo kick good 0 7 1 Giants Perkins 30-yard touchdown reception from Pisarcik, Danelo kick good 0 14 2 Eagles Montgomery 8-yard touchdown run, kick no good 6 14 3 Giants 37-yard field goal by Danelo 6 17 4 Eagles Hogan 1-yard touchdown run, kick no good 12 17 4 0:20 Eagles Fumble recovery returned 26 yards for touchdown by Herm Edwards, Michel kick good 19 17 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 19 17

Week 13 at St. Louis Cardinals

After the games of week 11 the Philadelphia Eagles' outlook of being an NFC playoff team was 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 placekicking duties were given to the punter Mike Michel when regular kicker Nick Mick-Meyer got hurt. At the end of week 13 the Eagles found themselves trailing division leading Dallas by one game, and tied with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins for 1 of 2 Wild Card team playoff spots.

Week 13: Philadelphia Eagles at St. Louis Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	7	0	7	14
Cardinals	3	0	0	7	10

at Busch Memorial Stadium on AstroTurf,

• Date: November 26, 1978
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 43 °F (6.1 °C), wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
• Referee: Pat Haggerty

Game information

First quarter Cardinals – Jim Bakken 32-yard field goal, Cardinals 3 – 0 Second quarter Eagles – Charlie A. Smith 22-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Mike Michel kick) Eagles 7 – 3 Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter Eagles – Mike Hogan 2-yard rush (Mike Michel kick), Eagles 14 – 3 Cardinals – Pat Tilley 1-yard pass from Jim Hart (Jim Bakken kick), Eagles 14 – 10 NFC East Standing Dallas (9–4) Eagles (8–5) Washington (8–5) Giants (5–8) Cardinals (4–9) Other teams Atlanta (8–5) Minnesota (7–5–1) Green Bay (7–5–1) Passing Eagles – Ron Jaworski: 15 of 31 for 164 yds, 0 tds, 3 ints Cardinals – Joe Pisarcik: 13 of 23 for 181 yds, 2 tds, 1 ints Rushing Eagles – 45–150–2, Wilbert Montgomery, 22 Att, 88 yards, 1 TD Cardinals – 31–100–0, Doug Kotar – 13 Att, 36 yards, 0 TD Receiving Eagles – Harold Carmichael: 5 rec, 105 yards, 0 TD Cardinals – Jim Robinson: 4 rec, 73 yards, 0 TD Team Stats First downs PHIL 15 – ST L 17 Rush-yards-TDs PHIL 37–95–1 – ST L 25–102–0 Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT PHIL 13–25–156–1–0 ST L 20–37–197–1–2 Sacked-yards PHIL 1–7 – ST L 1–5 Net pass yards PHIL 149 – ST L 192 Total yards PHIL 244 – ST L 294 Fumbles-lost PHIL 1–0 – ST L 2–1 Turnovers PHIL 0 – ST L 3 Penalties-yards PHIL 8–74 – ST L 3–25

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) missed an extra point kick in each of the last three games of the season.

NFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Dallas Cowboys (2)	12	4	0	.750	7–1	9–3	384	208	W6
Philadelphia Eagles (5)	9	7	0	.563	4–4	6–6	270	250	W1
Washington Redskins	8	8	0	.500	4–4	6–6	273	283	L5
St. Louis Cardinals	6	10	0	.375	3–5	6–6	248	296	W1
New York Giants	6	10	0	.375	2–6	5–9	264	298	L1

Postseason

NFL Wild Card Game

Atlanta Falcons 14, Philadelphia Eagles 13

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	6	0	7	0	13
Falcons	0	0	0	14	14

at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta

• Date: December 24, 1978
• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 49,447
• Referee: Fred Silva
• TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and Hank Stram

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 34-yard field goal in the closing seconds.

Awards and honors

• UPI Coach of the Year: Dick Vermeil

League Leaders ^[6]

• Harold Carmichael, NFC Leader, Receiving Yards – 1072 ^[7]
• Wilbert Montgomery, NFC Leader, Rushing Avg – 4.6

References

1. "Philadelphia Eagles All-Pros and Pro Bowlers". Pro Football Reference.
2. Earl Campbell, 1977 Heisman Trophy winner ^{"Heisman Trophy". Heismen. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2008.}
3. Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
4. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN   0-7611-2480-2, p.284
5. "Herm Edwards remembers well the first 'Miracle at the Meadowlands'". December 20, 2010.
6. "NFL 1978 League stats, awards and more on databaseFootball.com". Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
7. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN   0-7611-2480-2, p. 452

External links

• Eagles on Pro Football Reference
• Eagles on jt-sw.com
• Eagles on Eagles.net ^[usurped]