26, and held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, the same city where the league was founded. The 1997 Hall of Fame Class included Mike Haynes, Wellington Mara, Don Shula and Mike Webster. Regular season Scheduling formula Highlights of the 1997 season included: Thanksgiving: Two games were played on Thursday, November 27, featuring the Chicago Bears at the Detroit Lions and the Tennessee Oilers at the Dallas Cowboys, with the Lions and Oilers winning. Final standings Tiebreakers Miami finished ahead of NY Jets in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2–0). Pittsburgh finished ahead of Jacksonville in the AFC Central based on better net division points (78 to Jaguars’ 23). Oakland finished ahead of San Diego in the AFC West based on better division record (2–6 to Chargers’ 1–7). San Francisco was the top NFC playoff seed based on better conference record than Green Bay (11–1 to Packers’ 10–2). Detroit finished ahead of Minnesota in the NFC Central based on head-to-head sweep (2–0). Carolina finished ahead of Atlanta in the NFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2–0). Playoffs Statistical leaders Team Individual Awards Players of the Month AFC NFC Coaching changes St. Louis Rams – Dick Vermeil; replaced Rich Brooks who was fired after the 1996 season. New Orleans Saints – Mike Ditka; replaced interim head coach Rick Venturi who replaced the resigning Jim Mora that same year. New York Giants – Jim Fassel; replaced Dan Reeves who was fired after the 1996 season. Atlanta Falcons – Dan Reeves; replaced June Jones who was fired after the 1996 season. New York Jets – Bill Parcells; replaced Rich Kotite who was fired after the 1996 season. Detroit Lions – Bobby Ross; replaced Wayne Fontes who was fired after the 1996 season. San Francisco 49ers – Steve Mariucci; replaced George Seifert who resigned after the 1996 season. New England Patriots – Pete Carroll; replaced Bill Parcells who accepted the job to coach the Jets. Oakland Raiders – Joe Bugel; replaced Mike White who was fired after the 1996 season. San Diego Chargers – Kevin Gilbride; replaced Bobby Ross who resigned after the 1996 season. Stadium changes Jacksonville Jaguars: Jacksonville Municipal Stadium was renamed Alltel Stadium after the communications company Alltel acquired the naming rights San Diego Chargers: Jack Murphy Stadium was renamed Qualcomm Stadium after the tech company Qualcomm acquired the naming rights Tennessee Oilers: The relocated