I really appreciate YouTube user "Wade Randy" for separating this Dec. 3, 1973, NFL Monday Night Football telecast in videos of the first half and second half. It's very appropriate for my experience of childhood.
Merry Christmas73, in my house for certain. I can't overstate how crucial a cultural figure Perry Como was in the life of my mother and, consequently, in my family growing up. One of the traditions around Perry Como TV specials was keeping the phone free for Mom's sister, Mary Ellen, to make her inevitable call as the credits rolled. The phone would ring, and we would know to let Mom answer. And before Mom could say hello, you could hear Aunt Mary exclaim over the earpiece, “Isn’t he gorgeous!?!”
Guests on The Perry Como Winter Show, which aired last night Dec. 10, 1973, are Jack Burns and Avery Schreiber, The Establishment and (special guest star) Sally Struthers. Mom cared zero about the guests Perry Como would have on his shows.
Say what you want about the death of broadcast television, but let me lay some mind-blowing 411 on Corporate America: It's Dec. 11, 2019, and I honestly just added Kraft Cheez Whiz and French bread to my grocery list solely because of an attractive commercial from our sponsor for this 46-year-and-a-day-old broadcast-TV Christmas special.
I am impressed that the writers for this thing came up with a pretty cute setup. The deal is that Perry Como shows up at a California TV studio, and everyone's in shirt sleeves on a sunny, 85-degree day. But gorgeous Perry is bundled up and has snow on the roof of his car and a Christmas tree hanging out the back. He runs into Burns, Schreiber and Struthers on the elevator, where they are puzzled by his heavy-winter attire. But it turns out that Perry is some kind of magic Christmas time-and-space shifter. He has the elevator let out on a floor where it's Vermont in the winter, and there The Establishment (which is one of those diverse, happy, made-for-TV singing troupes the showed up on these sorts of 1970s TV specials) is already jamming to tree trimming and other merrymaking. I think this is all fine and clever.
The jokes pretty much all revolve around titles of Perry Como's song hits, Jack Burns's shots at racism (he congratulates Como on his fine work in The Godfather, confusing Como with Marlon Brando because he says he thinks all Italians look alike), Avery Schreiber's long hair (Como was a barber before he was a pro singer) or Sally Struthers's squeaky voice or curvy shape.
Now we have Burns, Schreiber, Struthers and no gorgeous Perry together in a bit where they are unpurchased Christmas toys doing a sendup of Bette Midler's hit song, "Friends." Mom is absolutely fuming at this point and probably popping popcorn to pass time until the next segment.
Kraft's second commercial of the night features a ham glaze using Kraft Marmalade, cloves and ginger and one of those fantastic sweet-potato casseroles with the browned miniature marshmallows on top. Oh, my word, I love those casseroles!
OK, commercial's over, and here's gorgeous Perry in pajamas and a scarlet robe, sneaking into his kitchen for a midnight, Dagwood-sandwich snack. Mom's found the bead again.
We had a chipper song-and-dance number involving Como, Struthers and The Establishment all in their pajamas, but now the young people are getting sleepy and going to bed. There's a soft chorus playing Como's perfect "Home for the Holidays," and that sets gorgeous Perry off into a sentimental mood at the flickering fire. He launches into his surprise 1973 hit, "And I Love You So," which is a truly beautiful song and which would be the last truly giant hit of Perry Como's career.
It's excellent.
And that right there, boys, is why Mom got dinner and the dishes done early tonight.
A third message from Kraft, and this time they're really pouring on the pounds: a turkey basted in Squeeze Parkay Liquid Margarine, vegetables under a sauce of "nutritious" melted Velveeta and a salad with a big dollop of Miracle Whip.
Dessert time at the next Kraft break: pecan pie, chocolate-marshmallow fudge, sesame cookies, and on and on, all heavily reliant on Philadelphia Cream Cheese and/or the miniature marshmallows. I've enjoyed the consistent thread of these commercials among and through this show--that treasured holiday traditions can be gracefully interlaced with modernity and its conveniences and innovations.
And here's gorgeous Perry with a closing number about the joy of singing in harmony. It's OK.
"We hope you've enjoyed our little Christmas offering. If nothing else, we hope we've helped you into a holiday spirit. On behalf of Sally, Jack, Avery and The Establishment, let me wish you and yours a very, very merry Christmas and all good things for the new year. ... Don't forget to buy Christmas Seals. Good night."
A voiceover at the start of the credits tells us we can receive Kraft recipes by dropping a postcard to December TV recipes, Box 1718, Chicago 60680.
The writers on this thing were Bob Wells, Johnny Bradford and--ha!--Lorne Michaels.
The Dolphins are fine, playoffs wise, whatever happens tonight at the Orange Bowl. But Howard Cosell says they are "a team of irrepressible pride and self respect," and so he says he expects a lot of fight from the home team despite the fact that the AFC East is already decided:
Miami 10-1 Buffalo 7-5 New England 5-7 New York 4-8 Baltimore 2-10
Both of the Steelers' quarterbacking Terrys--Bradshaw and Hanratty--are hurt, so Pittsburgh's quarterback tonight is "Jefferson Street" Joe "Joe Willie Gilly" Gilliam. His second pass is intercepted and returned for a touchdown by balding Miami safety Dick Anderson. Dolphins cornerback Curtis Johnson snares a Gilliam ricochet a little later in the first quarter, and this leads to a 28-yard field goal by balding Garo Yepremian. So we go to a suggestive Joe Namath-for-Brut commercial with the Dolphins up early, 10-0.
In spite of the hairlines, the Dolphins look absolutely in their prime--fit and crisp in the aqua jerseys and white pants, versatile and confident, just total masters of the domain. The Steelers appear, oh, about a brick or three shy of a load. Dominant Dolphins, not-yet Steelers, bawdy-cartoon Namath ... this game--played at almost the midpoint of my childhood experience of the NFL--is so far almost totally representative of that experience.
Don Meredith: "Might not see him finish out the night. Bradshaw might have to come in."
Howard Cosell: "It's too bad. You don't like to see it happen to the young man. A lot of people have waited a long time for this kind of opportunity for Gilliam, for reasons that don't have to be further amplified." (Gilliam is black.)
Meredith: "That's true. But he hasn't completed one to his side yet and three to Miami."
Bradshaw does, indeed, come on in place on Gilliam, and now Anderson intercepts him and returns for a touchdown. That's three interceptions and two returned for touchdowns by Dick Anderson, and there remains 13:28 to play in the second quarter. It's 27-0, Dolphins, and this is fantastic.
Howard Cosell reports that Joe Theismann, a former Miami draft choice and CFL all-star in both 1971 and '73, is at tonight's game and has been in negotiations to join the Dolphins for NFL74.
Huge year for Nicklaus in 1973. He won seven tournaments: the Bing Crosby Pro-Am, the Greater New Orleans Open, the Tournament of Champions, the Atlanta Classic, the PGA Championship, the Ohio Kings Island Open, and the Walt Disney World Golf Classic. One of the great years in golf history.
On February 11, 1973, Arnold Palmer won the Bob Hope Desert Classic, beating Nicklaus and Johnny Miller by two strokes. It was Palmer's 62d victory on the PGA Tour -- and his last.
1973 was a great year for American golf. Here are some of the people on our 1973 Ryder Cup team: Palmer, Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Weiskopf, and Billy Casper. They beat Great Britain and Ireland 19 to 13 over in Scotland.
Cosell talks about how Don Shula downplays the satisfaction he takes from the Dolphins' and his first Super Bowl win in NFL72 and emphasizes his commitment to winning season after season. "He better start getting more out of them, because he ain't going to win every year," Meredith advises.
Roy Gerela gets a field goal on his second try after a Dolphins' penalty, and Yepremian misses one after Anderson's fourth interception of the Steelers, and we are at the half with Miami ahead, 30-3 ...
Sonny Jorgensen replaces Billy Kilmer to lead a second-half comeback win for the Redskins, 27-24, over the Giants ... Dallas keeps pace in the NFC East with a 22-10 win over Denver ... Cleveland rallies from 20-7 down to tie Kansas City, 20-20 ... and now a word from Dr. Grabow Pre-smoked Pipes, "the perfect Christmas gift" ... and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar for Pro Keds sneakers ... Jets beat Colts, 20-17, and Marty Domres is Baltimore's quarterback; I wonder what happened with rookie Bert Jones ... Buffalo upsets Atlanta! ... Cincinnati upsets Minnesota! (27-0!)
I don't understand how a professional football coach could think that Billy Kilmer gives him a better chance at victory than Sonny Jurgensen. But I don't understand how a professional football coach would think Joe Gilliam gives him a better chance than Terry Bradshaw.
In early November, there was an AP story on the NFL that was showed up in the Sun-Democrat that the Chargers had offered 40-year-old John Unitas in a trade to Pittsburgh with Terry Bradshaw and Terry Hanratty both hurt. "We’re not interested," Dan Rooney was quoted as saying.
Chuck Noll is 31-36 in five seasons as a head coach, all with Pittsburgh. "He's a good coach," Cosell assures us, and Gifford notes that the record is pretty good considering that the Steelers were 1-13 in Noll's first season.
And now Bobby Goldsboro is in the booth! "Don't go away, Bobby," Cosell says. "We might need you before this one's over."
Now Cosell is suddenly talking about Earl Morrall not seeing Jimmy Orr in Super Bowl III, and now I'm wondering if the new coach up at the University of Detroit, Dick Vitale, is watching this game.
One guy who I'm pretty sure is watching tonight's game is Tony Kornheiser, a sportswriter on the preps beat at Newsday in New York. As Kornheiser would say, Terry Bradshaw is really "slinging" it now, and Meredith is marveling at the former No. 1 overall pick's passing abilities.
The Pittsburgh comeback, however, is being held in check by some receiver failures--wide receiver Barry Pearson's drop on a timing route to the corner of the end zone (right before the fourth-down fail) and wide receiver Frank Lewis's stumble en route toward a promising Bradshaw bomb behind the Miami zone, among them. This seems like a good time to note that two of the Steelers' first three draft choices for NFL74 are going to be Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.
The Steelers ended up scoring a couple more touchdowns, on a 21-yard run by Franco Harris and a 17-yard pass from Bradshaw to Barry Pearson. Then the Dolphins befuddled the Monday Night booth with a package of fourth-down gamesmanship.
With 64 seconds to go, the ball at the Miami 11 and the Steelers now within 30-24, the Dolphins lined up to attempt a fourth-and-1 conversion. Meredith surmised that Shula's attitude was that his team didn't deserve to win if it couldn't pick up a yard in this situation. Alas, the Dolphins were flagged for delay of game, and presumably Shula was instead simply trying to get Pittsburgh's defense to jump offsides.
Now backed to the Miami 6 and facing fourth-and-6, the Dolphins' regular offense again lined up. Meredith and Cosell both vehemently challenged the wisdom of Shula's aggressiveness here. This time, Griese did take the snap--but simply ran out of the back of the end zone for a safety. "Shula's ahead of us again," Cosell said, now recognizing the ploy.
Larry Seiple's free-kick punt sailed an amazing 73 yards, and the final was 30-26.
But even though the Dolphins won and were on the march to a second-straight championship, watching this game was a mixed bag for me. Pittsburgh's just-short comeback was just so foreboding of the new NFL age nearly upon us. Five-year-old me had no idea what was about to hit him.
Here's how the Steelers managed the QB situation in 1974:
Week 1: Gilliam starts and plays well. The Steelers beat Baltimore 30-0. Week 2: Gilliam starts and throws 50(!) passes. He goes 31-50 for 348 yards, 1 TD, and 2 interceptions. The Steelers tie Denver 35-35. Through two games, Gilliam looks great. Week 3: Gilliam starts and goes 8-31 (!) with two interceptions. The Raiders beat Pittsburgh 17-0 in a game where Stabler throws only 12 passes. Franco Harris is injured and misses the next two games. Gilliam's performance deteriorates over the next few weeks. Week 4: Gilliam starts and goes 16-32 with two interceptions. The Steelers beat Houston 13-7. Week 5: Gilliam starts and goes 14-36. The Steelers beat Kansas City 34-24 anyway as the Chiefs throw SEVEN interceptions. Week 6: Gilliam starts and goes 5-18 for 76 yards. The Steelers beat Cleveland 20-16. Harris was back, but the offense continued to suffer. In Weeks 4-6, the Steel Curtain forced 15 turnovers, and Pittsburgh won all three games. Week 7: Noll goes back to Bradshaw. Bradshaw starts and goes 9-21 for 130 yds and 2 interceptions. But Harris runs for 141 yards, and Bleier runs for 78 yards. Pittsburgh beats Atlanta 24-17. Week 8: Bradshaw plays well: 12-22, 146 yds, 1 TD, 0 interceptions. Pittsburgh beats Philly 27-0. The Steelers are now 6-1-1. Week 9: Bradshaw has a terrible game in Cincinnati: 13-35, 140 yds, 1 interception. The Bengals win 17-10. The Steelers are 6-2-1, the Bengals are 6-3. Week 10: Terry Hanratty starts and goes 2-15 for 63 yards and 3 interceptions. Gilliam comes in and goes 1-4 for 18 yards. Bradshaw doesn't play at all. Pittsburgh commits 6 turnovers. But Cleveland commits SEVEN turnovers, and the Steelers win 26-16. Steelers now 7-2-1. Week 11: Bradshaw returns and goes 8-19 for 80 yards. Harris and Bleier run for 167 yards. The Steelers beat New Orleans 28-7, and are now 8-2-1. Week 12: At home against Houston, Bradshaw is terrible: 6-20 for 60 yards. Hanratty replaces him and is even worse: 0-5 with two interceptions. The Steelers lose 13-10 and fall to 8-3-1.
At this point, the season is almost over and Pittsburgh still doesn't have a quarterback or a consistent plan on offense.
Week 13: Bradshaw goes 10-16 for 86 yards. Gilliam goes 0-2. Harris and Bleier combine for 178 yards as Pittsburgh has apparently decided to become a running team. The Steelers edge New England 21-17 and clinch the division (9-3-1). Week 14: The Bengals have collapsed and are now 7-6. Pittsburgh hammers them 27-3 to end the regular season. Bradshaw goes 8-13 for 132 yards. Gilliam goes 4-8 for 51 yards.
And that's it. Pittsburgh goes on to win the next two Super Bowls. Gilliam appeared in four games in 1975, going 24-48 with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He never appeared in the NFL after that season.
In retrospect, the 1974 NFL season is one of the most significant seasons in history. The Dolphins have a chance to win their third title in a row. The Raiders, Steelers, Vikings, Rams, and Redskins are all looking for their first title. John Madden, Chuck Noll, Bud Grant, Chuck Knox, and George Allen are all fighting for immortality. Don Coryell goes to the playoffs for the first time. Noll's success in navigating this land mine will change the history of the NFL. Now I'm really excited for Eric's coverage next year.
Love the magnetic standing boards.
ReplyDeleteMe, too.
DeleteMerry Christmas73, in my house for certain. I can't overstate how crucial a cultural figure Perry Como was in the life of my mother and, consequently, in my family growing up. One of the traditions around Perry Como TV specials was keeping the phone free for Mom's sister, Mary Ellen, to make her inevitable call as the credits rolled. The phone would ring, and we would know to let Mom answer. And before Mom could say hello, you could hear Aunt Mary exclaim over the earpiece, “Isn’t he gorgeous!?!”
ReplyDeleteGuests on The Perry Como Winter Show, which aired last night Dec. 10, 1973, are Jack Burns and Avery Schreiber, The Establishment and (special guest star) Sally Struthers. Mom cared zero about the guests Perry Como would have on his shows.
ReplyDeleteActually, that's not true. She cared a good bit because she was mad that they took screen time away from gorgeous Perry.
ReplyDeleteSay what you want about the death of broadcast television, but let me lay some mind-blowing 411 on Corporate America: It's Dec. 11, 2019, and I honestly just added Kraft Cheez Whiz and French bread to my grocery list solely because of an attractive commercial from our sponsor for this 46-year-and-a-day-old broadcast-TV Christmas special.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed that the writers for this thing came up with a pretty cute setup. The deal is that Perry Como shows up at a California TV studio, and everyone's in shirt sleeves on a sunny, 85-degree day. But gorgeous Perry is bundled up and has snow on the roof of his car and a Christmas tree hanging out the back. He runs into Burns, Schreiber and Struthers on the elevator, where they are puzzled by his heavy-winter attire. But it turns out that Perry is some kind of magic Christmas time-and-space shifter. He has the elevator let out on a floor where it's Vermont in the winter, and there The Establishment (which is one of those diverse, happy, made-for-TV singing troupes the showed up on these sorts of 1970s TV specials) is already jamming to tree trimming and other merrymaking. I think this is all fine and clever.
ReplyDeleteThe jokes pretty much all revolve around titles of Perry Como's song hits, Jack Burns's shots at racism (he congratulates Como on his fine work in The Godfather, confusing Como with Marlon Brando because he says he thinks all Italians look alike), Avery Schreiber's long hair (Como was a barber before he was a pro singer) or Sally Struthers's squeaky voice or curvy shape.
ReplyDeleteNow we have Burns, Schreiber, Struthers and no gorgeous Perry together in a bit where they are unpurchased Christmas toys doing a sendup of Bette Midler's hit song, "Friends." Mom is absolutely fuming at this point and probably popping popcorn to pass time until the next segment.
ReplyDeleteKraft's second commercial of the night features a ham glaze using Kraft Marmalade, cloves and ginger and one of those fantastic sweet-potato casseroles with the browned miniature marshmallows on top. Oh, my word, I love those casseroles!
ReplyDeleteOK, commercial's over, and here's gorgeous Perry in pajamas and a scarlet robe, sneaking into his kitchen for a midnight, Dagwood-sandwich snack. Mom's found the bead again.
TV is the best.
ReplyDeleteWe had a chipper song-and-dance number involving Como, Struthers and The Establishment all in their pajamas, but now the young people are getting sleepy and going to bed. There's a soft chorus playing Como's perfect "Home for the Holidays," and that sets gorgeous Perry off into a sentimental mood at the flickering fire. He launches into his surprise 1973 hit, "And I Love You So," which is a truly beautiful song and which would be the last truly giant hit of Perry Como's career.
ReplyDeleteIt's excellent.
And that right there, boys, is why Mom got dinner and the dishes done early tonight.
A third message from Kraft, and this time they're really pouring on the pounds: a turkey basted in Squeeze Parkay Liquid Margarine, vegetables under a sauce of "nutritious" melted Velveeta and a salad with a big dollop of Miracle Whip.
ReplyDeleteWe come back to a solo Como encore for the lovely "The Hands of Time," which was the theme to Brian's Song. This might be more than I'm ready to take:
ReplyDeleteIf the hands of time
Were hands that I could hold,
I'd keep them warm and in my hands
They'd not turn cold. ...
Yup.
ReplyDeleteDessert time at the next Kraft break: pecan pie, chocolate-marshmallow fudge, sesame cookies, and on and on, all heavily reliant on Philadelphia Cream Cheese and/or the miniature marshmallows. I've enjoyed the consistent thread of these commercials among and through this show--that treasured holiday traditions can be gracefully interlaced with modernity and its conveniences and innovations.
ReplyDeleteAnd here's gorgeous Perry with a closing number about the joy of singing in harmony. It's OK.
ReplyDelete"We hope you've enjoyed our little Christmas offering. If nothing else, we hope we've helped you into a holiday spirit. On behalf of Sally, Jack, Avery and The Establishment, let me wish you and yours a very, very merry Christmas and all good things for the new year. ... Don't forget to buy Christmas Seals. Good night."
A voiceover at the start of the credits tells us we can receive Kraft recipes by dropping a postcard to December TV recipes, Box 1718, Chicago 60680.
The writers on this thing were Bob Wells, Johnny Bradford and--ha!--Lorne Michaels.
Well, mission accomplished, Perry Como. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnd now on to the game. The Steelers tonight need to win in order to not fall into a three-way tie for the AFC Central lead:
ReplyDeletePittsburgh 8-3
Cleveland 7-3-2
Cincinnati 8-4
Houston 1-11
ReplyDeleteThe Dolphins are fine, playoffs wise, whatever happens tonight at the Orange Bowl. But Howard Cosell says they are "a team of irrepressible pride and self respect," and so he says he expects a lot of fight from the home team despite the fact that the AFC East is already decided:
Miami 10-1
Buffalo 7-5
New England 5-7
New York 4-8
Baltimore 2-10
Both of the Steelers' quarterbacking Terrys--Bradshaw and Hanratty--are hurt, so Pittsburgh's quarterback tonight is "Jefferson Street" Joe "Joe Willie Gilly" Gilliam. His second pass is intercepted and returned for a touchdown by balding Miami safety Dick Anderson. Dolphins cornerback Curtis Johnson snares a Gilliam ricochet a little later in the first quarter, and this leads to a 28-yard field goal by balding Garo Yepremian. So we go to a suggestive Joe Namath-for-Brut commercial with the Dolphins up early, 10-0.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of the hairlines, the Dolphins look absolutely in their prime--fit and crisp in the aqua jerseys and white pants, versatile and confident, just total masters of the domain. The Steelers appear, oh, about a brick or three shy of a load. Dominant Dolphins, not-yet Steelers, bawdy-cartoon Namath ... this game--played at almost the midpoint of my childhood experience of the NFL--is so far almost totally representative of that experience.
Presumably Roy Blount covers this game in his book.
DeleteI don't remember it, but I'll bet you're right. I'll have to dig out my old copy.
DeleteAra Parseghian, the Notre Dame coach, is advertising station wagons (the dual-facing backseats with game table for kids is outstanding!). The Dec. 17 Sports Illustrated has a “They Said It” item where Parseghian explains, “To pronounce my name, you take ‘par’ as in golf, ‘seag’ as in Seagram’s whiskey, and ‘yen’ as in Japanese money. Just think of a drunken Japanese golfer.” This is helpful.
ReplyDeleteAnderson again intercepts Gilliam.
ReplyDeleteDon Meredith: "Might not see him finish out the night. Bradshaw might have to come in."
Howard Cosell: "It's too bad. You don't like to see it happen to the young man. A lot of people have waited a long time for this kind of opportunity for Gilliam, for reasons that don't have to be further amplified." (Gilliam is black.)
Meredith: "That's true. But he hasn't completed one to his side yet and three to Miami."
Cosell: "That's correct."
Bob Griese, touchdown pass to Jim Mandich. 20-0, Dolphins, nearing the end of the first quarter ...
ReplyDeleteBradshaw does, indeed, come on in place on Gilliam, and now Anderson intercepts him and returns for a touchdown. That's three interceptions and two returned for touchdowns by Dick Anderson, and there remains 13:28 to play in the second quarter. It's 27-0, Dolphins, and this is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteHoward Cosell reports that Joe Theismann, a former Miami draft choice and CFL all-star in both 1971 and '73, is at tonight's game and has been in negotiations to join the Dolphins for NFL74.
ReplyDeleteAnd now Jack Nicklaus is in the booth with Cosell, Meredith and Frank Gifford!
ReplyDeleteHuge year for Nicklaus in 1973. He won seven tournaments: the Bing Crosby Pro-Am, the Greater New Orleans Open, the Tournament of Champions, the Atlanta Classic, the PGA Championship, the Ohio Kings Island Open, and the Walt Disney World Golf Classic. One of the great years in golf history.
DeleteOn February 11, 1973, Arnold Palmer won the Bob Hope Desert Classic, beating Nicklaus and Johnny Miller by two strokes. It was Palmer's 62d victory on the PGA Tour -- and his last.
Delete1973 was a great year for American golf. Here are some of the people on our 1973 Ryder Cup team: Palmer, Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Weiskopf, and Billy
DeleteCasper. They beat Great Britain and Ireland 19 to 13 over in Scotland.
Cosell talks about how Don Shula downplays the satisfaction he takes from the Dolphins' and his first Super Bowl win in NFL72 and emphasizes his commitment to winning season after season. "He better start getting more out of them, because he ain't going to win every year," Meredith advises.
ReplyDeleteRoy Gerela gets a field goal on his second try after a Dolphins' penalty, and Yepremian misses one after Anderson's fourth interception of the Steelers, and we are at the half with Miami ahead, 30-3 ...
ReplyDeleteAnd that means halftime highlights with Howard Cosell!
ReplyDeleteSonny Jorgensen replaces Billy Kilmer to lead a second-half comeback win for the Redskins, 27-24, over the Giants ... Dallas keeps pace in the NFC East with a 22-10 win over Denver ... Cleveland rallies from 20-7 down to tie Kansas City, 20-20 ... and now a word from Dr. Grabow Pre-smoked Pipes, "the perfect Christmas gift" ... and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar for Pro Keds sneakers ... Jets beat Colts, 20-17, and Marty Domres is Baltimore's quarterback; I wonder what happened with rookie Bert Jones ... Buffalo upsets Atlanta! ... Cincinnati upsets Minnesota! (27-0!)
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how a professional football coach could think that Billy Kilmer gives him a better chance at victory than Sonny Jurgensen. But I don't understand how a professional football coach would think Joe Gilliam gives him a better chance than Terry Bradshaw.
DeleteIn early November, there was an AP story on the NFL that was showed up in the Sun-Democrat that the Chargers had offered 40-year-old John Unitas in a trade to Pittsburgh with Terry Bradshaw and Terry Hanratty both hurt. "We’re not interested," Dan Rooney was quoted as saying.
DeleteOh, exciting, and now here's Keith Jackson with a preview of ABC Sports' Q1C74 programming:
ReplyDelete-- ABC's Wide World of Sports, expanding to Saturday and Sunday episodes (instead of only Saturdays);
-- 12th season of PBA coverage;
-- Howard Cosell's Sports Magazine, a new Sunday series;
-- PGA Tour coverage, beginning Jan. 5 with the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am
-- a fresh season of The American Sportsman with Curt Dowdy, and
-- an expanded second "Superstars" competition.
Chuck Noll is 31-36 in five seasons as a head coach, all with Pittsburgh. "He's a good coach," Cosell assures us, and Gifford notes that the record is pretty good considering that the Steelers were 1-13 in Noll's first season.
ReplyDeleteAnd now Bobby Goldsboro is in the booth! "Don't go away, Bobby," Cosell says. "We might need you before this one's over."
Still 30-3, Miami, but Pittsburgh is driving.
30-10, 9:05 to play in the third ...
ReplyDeleteJim Kiick fumbles, and L.C. Greenwood recovers.
ReplyDeleteGifford: "I told you this wasn't over."
Cosell: "When did you say that?"
Meredith: "I heard him. It was during the commercial."
Now Cosell is suddenly talking about Earl Morrall not seeing Jimmy Orr in Super Bowl III, and now I'm wondering if the new coach up at the University of Detroit, Dick Vitale, is watching this game.
ReplyDeleteFranco Harris converts on a fourth down.
At the Miami 12, Pittsburgh fails on a fourth-and-6 attempt, however, and Meredith questions the wisdom of not attempting a field goal here.
ReplyDeleteMeredith's right. That's a silly decision.
DeleteMeredith was really great.
DeleteOne guy who I'm pretty sure is watching tonight's game is Tony Kornheiser, a sportswriter on the preps beat at Newsday in New York. As Kornheiser would say, Terry Bradshaw is really "slinging" it now, and Meredith is marveling at the former No. 1 overall pick's passing abilities.
ReplyDeleteThe Pittsburgh comeback, however, is being held in check by some receiver failures--wide receiver Barry Pearson's drop on a timing route to the corner of the end zone (right before the fourth-down fail) and wide receiver Frank Lewis's stumble en route toward a promising Bradshaw bomb behind the Miami zone, among them. This seems like a good time to note that two of the Steelers' first three draft choices for NFL74 are going to be Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.
Here are Kilmer's stats from Super Bowl VII:
ReplyDelete14 of 28 for 104 yards, 0 TD's, and 3 interceptions. Rating of 19.6.
In 1973, the Redskins lost to the Vikings 27-20 in the playoffs. Here are Kilmer's stats from that game:
ReplyDelete13 of 24 for 159 yards, 1 TD, and 1 interception. Rating of 71.4.
The Steelers ended up scoring a couple more touchdowns, on a 21-yard run by Franco Harris and a 17-yard pass from Bradshaw to Barry Pearson. Then the Dolphins befuddled the Monday Night booth with a package of fourth-down gamesmanship.
ReplyDeleteWith 64 seconds to go, the ball at the Miami 11 and the Steelers now within 30-24, the Dolphins lined up to attempt a fourth-and-1 conversion. Meredith surmised that Shula's attitude was that his team didn't deserve to win if it couldn't pick up a yard in this situation. Alas, the Dolphins were flagged for delay of game, and presumably Shula was instead simply trying to get Pittsburgh's defense to jump offsides.
Now backed to the Miami 6 and facing fourth-and-6, the Dolphins' regular offense again lined up. Meredith and Cosell both vehemently challenged the wisdom of Shula's aggressiveness here. This time, Griese did take the snap--but simply ran out of the back of the end zone for a safety. "Shula's ahead of us again," Cosell said, now recognizing the ploy.
Larry Seiple's free-kick punt sailed an amazing 73 yards, and the final was 30-26.
The Steelers should have taken the field goal when the score was 30-10.
DeleteBut even though the Dolphins won and were on the march to a second-straight championship, watching this game was a mixed bag for me. Pittsburgh's just-short comeback was just so foreboding of the new NFL age nearly upon us. Five-year-old me had no idea what was about to hit him.
ReplyDeleteThe statistics for this game are amazing. Here are Bob Griese's numbers: 8-13, 73 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int's.
ReplyDeleteHere are Gilliam's numbers: 0-7, 0 yards, 0 TD's, 3 Int's.
Here are Bradshaw's numbers: 14-35, 117 yards, 2 TD's, 3 Int's.
Here's how the Steelers managed the QB situation in 1974:
ReplyDeleteWeek 1: Gilliam starts and plays well. The Steelers beat Baltimore 30-0.
Week 2: Gilliam starts and throws 50(!) passes. He goes 31-50 for 348 yards, 1 TD, and 2 interceptions. The Steelers tie Denver 35-35. Through two games, Gilliam looks great.
Week 3: Gilliam starts and goes 8-31 (!) with two interceptions. The Raiders beat Pittsburgh 17-0 in a game where Stabler throws only 12 passes. Franco Harris is injured and misses the next two games. Gilliam's performance deteriorates over the next few weeks.
Week 4: Gilliam starts and goes 16-32 with two interceptions. The Steelers beat Houston 13-7.
Week 5: Gilliam starts and goes 14-36. The Steelers beat Kansas City 34-24 anyway as the Chiefs throw SEVEN interceptions.
Week 6: Gilliam starts and goes 5-18 for 76 yards. The Steelers beat Cleveland 20-16. Harris was back, but the offense continued to suffer. In Weeks 4-6, the Steel Curtain forced 15 turnovers, and Pittsburgh won all three games.
Week 7: Noll goes back to Bradshaw. Bradshaw starts and goes 9-21 for 130 yds and 2 interceptions. But Harris runs for 141 yards, and Bleier runs for 78 yards. Pittsburgh beats Atlanta 24-17.
Week 8: Bradshaw plays well: 12-22, 146 yds, 1 TD, 0 interceptions. Pittsburgh beats Philly 27-0. The Steelers are now 6-1-1.
Week 9: Bradshaw has a terrible game in Cincinnati: 13-35, 140 yds, 1 interception. The Bengals win 17-10. The Steelers are 6-2-1, the Bengals are 6-3.
Week 10: Terry Hanratty starts and goes 2-15 for 63 yards and 3 interceptions. Gilliam comes in and goes 1-4 for 18 yards. Bradshaw doesn't play at all. Pittsburgh commits 6 turnovers. But Cleveland commits SEVEN turnovers, and the Steelers win 26-16. Steelers now 7-2-1.
Week 11: Bradshaw returns and goes 8-19 for 80 yards. Harris and Bleier run for 167 yards. The Steelers beat New Orleans 28-7, and are now 8-2-1.
Week 12: At home against Houston, Bradshaw is terrible: 6-20 for 60 yards. Hanratty replaces him and is even worse: 0-5 with two interceptions. The Steelers lose 13-10 and fall to 8-3-1.
At this point, the season is almost over and Pittsburgh still doesn't have a quarterback or a consistent plan on offense.
Week 13: Bradshaw goes 10-16 for 86 yards. Gilliam goes 0-2. Harris and Bleier combine for 178 yards as Pittsburgh has apparently decided to become a running team. The Steelers edge New England 21-17 and clinch the division (9-3-1).
Week 14: The Bengals have collapsed and are now 7-6. Pittsburgh hammers them 27-3 to end the regular season. Bradshaw goes 8-13 for 132 yards. Gilliam goes 4-8 for 51 yards.
And that's it. Pittsburgh goes on to win the next two Super Bowls. Gilliam appeared in four games in 1975, going 24-48 with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He never appeared in the NFL after that season.
In retrospect, the 1974 NFL season is one of the most significant seasons in history. The Dolphins have a chance to win their third title in a row. The Raiders, Steelers, Vikings, Rams, and Redskins are all looking for their first title. John Madden, Chuck Noll, Bud Grant, Chuck Knox, and George Allen are all fighting for immortality. Don Coryell goes to the playoffs for the first time. Noll's success in navigating this land mine will change the history of the NFL. Now I'm really excited for Eric's coverage next year.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm excited, too. And I agree with you about the significance of NFL74.
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