The NFL, which is entering its 98th season, is clearly a different league now than it was 30 years ago.
In 1979, Sports Illustrated's Frank Deford asked people around the NFL what the league might look like in 2000, from the rules to the personnel to the atmosphere. Looking back on those predictions is pretty eye-opening.
While some of the predictions look accurate today (growing fears of safety and more specialized positions) others look pretty funny (metals "flecks" in the football to see if it crossed the goal line).
We went back through the predictions and found a mix of guesses that were surprisingly on target and some that were wildly off the mark.
"In the year 2000, there won't be any contact below the waist."— Bum Phillips, head coach of the Houston Oilers in 1979.
Not quite, Bum. The league has gone the other way in an attempt to protect players' heads. However, some receivers still prefer players go high rather than low to protect their legs.
"The 25-yard end zone is the single greatest thing that could change the game. The whole concept of goal-line defenses would change with that."— Marv Levy, then the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
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