I've gotta tell you, I am ready for some football. I know that training camps have opened up in the NFL and teams are preparing for their first preseason games, but I couldn't wait that long. I'm ready for some football right now. So with that in mind I watched a game from 1989 between then division rivals the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints, played at the Superdome on November 26, 1989. Coming into the game, the Rams were sitting at 7-4 while the Saints were at 6-5, and the winner of this game would have a huge advantage in the race for a wild card spot in the NFC. The Saints had beaten the Rams earlier in the year in Los Angeles, and to make matters worse, the Rams had only scored one touchdown in their last five games in the Superdome. What's more, the Rams' Henry Ellard, their All-Pro wide receiver, was ruled unable to play by the Rams' training staff due to a hamstring injury. With all that against them, the Rams turned to second-year wide receiver Willie "Flipper" Anderson to carry them to victory, and Flipper responded with perhaps the best game a receiver has ever had in the history of the NFL. In fact, ESPN recently named Flipper's performance on this night the second-best game a wide receiver has ever had (link here). The Rams would go on to win this game in overtime, 20-17, on a game winning field goal by Mike Lansford, the last barefoot kicker in the NFL. A few thoughts about this game:
- Flipper had the game of his life here, catching 15 passes for an NFL record 336 yards and a touchdown. What was remarkable about the game was that Anderson would constantly catch deep passes going for 30 or 40 yards time and time again. I don't think he had a catch longer than 46 yards in the game, but every catch he made seemed to go for at least 25 yards. Also, Anderson saved his best for the fourth quarter and overtime, as he caught nine passes for 195 yards and a touchdown in the later stages of the game. Interestingly enough, Anderson had come into this game with only 19 catches in 11 games, and did not have another game in 1989 where he caught more than four passes. For the season, Anderson ended up with 44 catches, so in one night Anderson had over a third of his overall production for that season.
- While Anderson was great, the rest of the Rams offense was not so great. QB Jim Everett may have thrown for 454 yards, but a lot of his balls were not thrown with a lot of skill and authority, and he had some trouble handling the Saints' pass rush. What annoyed me most about Everett is that on multiple occasion, Everett would dive onto the ground and lose yardage rather than hang in the pocket and take a chance either running or throwing. Everett also had this tendency in another game I reviewed. I don't want to question the man's toughness, since 1) I've never been in the pocket facing a pass rush in an NFL game, and 2) the Saints, led by LBs Pat Swilling, Rickey Jackson, and DE Frank Warren were coming hard and fast on nearly every play, but it is an annoying tendency, nonetheless.
- Throughout the game, the announcers (ESPN's Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann) were constantly praising the Saints defense, who shut the Rams' running game down and sacked Everett six times and picked him off twice. While the Saints' D had some moments, it's hard to praise them when they let a wide receiver break off a record day. I will say that Pat Swilling was quite impressive in this game, constantly pressuring the quarterback and giving Rams LT Irv Pankey fits with his blinding speed. It's easy to forget, but Swilling was a heck of a pass rusher, racking up 107.5 sacks in his career. Swilling's fellow outside linebacker Rickey Jackson is about to be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, and deservedly so, but maybe the HOF voters should take a closer look at Swilling next year. Swilling hasn't had a lot of HOF support, but he definitely deserves some consideration (as does his teammate, ILB Sam Mills, but that's a different story).
- It was a good news, bad news kind of night for Saints CB Robert Massey, then a rookie. The good news is that he had two interceptions. The bad news is that he was the man responsible for covering Anderson most of the night, and we know how that ended up. Not to mention that Massey committed a huge pass interference penalty in overtime which at that point saved the Rams from a 3rd and long situation deep in their own territory. The Rams seemed to be picking on Massey, especially early in the game, and while he made some good plays, eventually the Rams' strategy paid off.
- The Saints' quarterback, Bobby Hebert, had a decent game. But what struck me as interesting was that after every incompletion, Hebert would either yell at his receiver for not catching a ball and make angry faces, or if he was really angry, he would stop around on the ground or pump his fist in anger or make other dramatic gestures. Even if the pass was five feet over his receiver's head, Hebert would act as if it was the other guy's fault that the ball wasn't caught. On a couple of occasions, he would yell at his receivers for not catching a ball or running the wrong route or whatever, making a big show out of it. To me, that's just counter-productive, as it's not as if the other receivers are going to be more motivated or get better just because they don't want to get yelled at by their quarterback. If anything, it's just going to piss them off and eventually they'll either tune him out or snap back at him. Maybe I misconstrued the situation and Hebert was just angry at himself, but it did not look that way to me.
- Hebert may have had a right to be angry at one wide receiver, rookie Floyd Turner. Turner dropped three balls in the game, and each one was a play that could have completely changed the conception of the game. Early in the first quarter, Turner beat Rams CB Clifford Hicks deep and seemed to be on his way to a touchdown, but the ball went right through his hands. Then in the second quarter, Turner dropped a pass in the endzone after Rams S Vince Newsome knocked the ball loose on a big hit (although in his defense, if Hebert made a better throw and didn't lead Turner straight into Newsome, it would have been an easy touchdown, but that didn't stop Hebert from throwing a fit). Then later on, Turner dropped another deep ball that he should of had. If Turner catches two of those balls, than the Saints would probably go on to win easily, and their whole season could of turned out differently.
- Then again, the Saints did have a 17-3 lead late in the fourth quarter, as the Rams just could not stop shooting themselves in the foot with dumb penalties. It seemed like whenever the Rams got some momentum, somebody would either commit a false start or a holding penalty without fail. To be frank, the Rams really had no business winning this game, and the fact they did is mainly owed to the efforts of Anderson and the defense, which shut down the Saints for most of the second half, minus a big run and a touchdown pass from HB Dalton Hilliard, who threw the touchdown to Eric Martin to give the Saints a 17-3 lead in the third quarter.
- The officiating wasn't very good in this game, as the refs made two key calls against the Saints in the 2nd quarter. The first occurred after an interception from Robert Massey, who had returned it for a touchdown but later was ruled down by contact. Even though the idiots in the booth agreed with the officials, it did not look like to me that Massey had been touched. The second occurred after Swilling seemed to sack Jim Everett, but the refs ruled that Everett's arm was moving forward and therefore, it was an incomplete pass. Never mind that Swilling got to Everett before his arm was moving. The refs also called back a false start on the Rams due to "excessive crowd noise", a rule which was in place back in 1989 but has since been repealed. Also, both teams were called for intentional grounding (throwing the ball to avoid the sack) in plays which, by today's rules, would be perfectly legal because on both occasions, the quarterback was well outside the tackle box. Those weren't bad calls, I just found it interesting.
Overall, despite the best efforts of Mike Patrick, I found this game to be quite enjoyable, and it only served to further whet my appetite for some football. This was quite a fun game, with many big plays and great players, none of which were greater on this night than Flipper Anderson, who just went crazy on the Saints. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this or other posts, or ideas for future reviews or posts, than share them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at kthec2001@gmail.com.
Showing posts with label Jim Everett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Everett. Show all posts
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers, NFC Championship Game, January 14, 1990
Well, I was ready for some football today, so I decided to take in a game from the past. This particular game was the 1989 NFC Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, played at Candlestick park in San Francisco. The 49ers went 14-2 during the regular season and had to be considered the favorites, but the Rams seemed to be getting hot at the right moment, winning two straight road games against the Eagles and Giants to get to this point. Not to mention that Los Angeles had beaten San Francisco, at Candlestick, earlier in the season, and nearly beat them again in Los Angeles. This game featured two teams that are very familiar with each other, with both teams having top notch offenses that few other teams had been able to stop during the regular season. This could have been a heck of a game. Instead, the 49ers completely dominated and made the Rams look terrible. A few thoughts from this game.
- This was actually a close game for a while, as the Rams stopped the Niners on the first drive and drove down the field for a 23-yard field goal. If there was one play that could have completly changed the game, it came late in the first quarter with the Rams up 3-0 and at the San Francisco 40 yard line. The Rams faked a reverse, and quarterback Jim Everett fired deep to an open Willie "Flipper" Anderson. It looked like a sure touchdown, but free safety Ronnie Lott raced from the other side of the field and got to the ball just in time to deflect it out of bounds. It was one of the better plays you will see a safety make, and if Lott hadn't made that play, the Rams are up 10-0 and who knows what happens from there. Instead, the Rams were forced to punt, and the rest is history.
- Joe Montana, the 49ers quarterback, just carved the Rams' defense up all day long. Montana completed 26 out of 30 passes for 262 yards. The Rams seemed determined to not let the deep ball beat them, so what did Montana do? Well, he did an excellent job of finding the weakness of the Rams coverage nearly every time he went back to pass. The Rams were forced to start a young James Washington at safety, and while Washington would later become a good player with the Dallas Cowboys, it was clear that he was overmatched in this game. Montana zeroed in on Washington, constantly picking on him and working the middle of the field with a lot of success.
- If there was one drive that summed up the game, it came with two minutes left in the first half. With the score 14-3 San Francisco, the Niners started at their own 18 yard-line, and from there Montana went to work, spreading the ball out to different recievers, from star running back Roger Craig to wideout Mike Sherrard, who was only playing his second game in three years due to injuries. Even after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (which was unwarranted, by the way, as the Rams were more at fault) pushed the Niners back fifteen yards to the Rams' 18 with 14 seconds left, Montana and the 49ers calmly and cooly came right back, as Montana found John Taylor in the end zone after Taylor burnt Leroy Irvin on a slant route for a touchdown. After the extra point, the 49ers were up 21-3 and never looked back.
- Tom Rathman, the 49ers Fullback, was quite simply a beast. He was one hard man to bring down, and when you did bring him down he would make sure it would be a painful experience for the defender. At one point he dragged Washington a couple of yards downfield before going down, and Rathman was constantly running over defenders. Oh yeah, Roger Craig wasn't any easier to bring down either, as his high-kicking running style usually left defenders with a knee in the face. The two backs combined for 245 yards from scrimmage and made life tough for Rams defenders.
- You know what you don't see at all anymore? Kickers that kick the ball barefoot. The Rams had one in Mike Lansford, who wore a shoe on his plant foot and left his kicking foot bare. Even when the field was cold or muddy, and this game featured quite a muddy field, Lansford left the foot sans shoe. Since he lasted nine years in the NFL, I guess it worked for him, but I doubt if we will ever see another barefoot kicker again in the NFL. It seems like kicking the ball with a bare foot would hurt like hell, but what do I know?
- This was not a good game for Rams QB Jim Everett, and in many ways his performance in this game affected him for the rest of his career. Everett started out okay, but the 49ers pass rush was getting to him, and Everett started to make mistakes, throwing constantly into double coverage, not stepping into his throws for fear of getting hit, which led to underthrown passes, and throwing three interceptions, two of which I wondered just what the heck he was trying to do, as there were at least three 49ers around the area he threw it. The lowpoint for Everett, and the play that ultimately defined his career, came in the third quarter. On third down, Everett dropped back to pass. With no one really close to hitting him, Everett dived on the ground with the ball, eventually being touched down for a sack. Check it out for yourself:
- From that point on, the Rams and their fans never truly believed in Everett, a quarterback who by the way, led the NFL in touchdown passes in 1988 and 1989. Although Everett put up good stats in 1990, the Rams fell to 5-11 and both Everett and the Rams went downhill from there until Everett was shipped to New Orleans and the Rams left L.A. to go to St. Louis. If only Ronnie Lott hadn't of gotten to that ball, than Jim Everett might be a Hall of Fame quarterback in the Rams might still be in Los Angeles. Funny how one single play can change everything, isn't it?
Bottom line, the Rams got licked, and this game is just classic Montana, as he leads the 49ers with machine like precision. At times it just looked too easy, as if Montana and his receivers were just playing catch in the backyard. From here, the 49ers would crush the Denver Broncos by a 900-10 margin (actually 55-10) and win the Super Bowl, while the Rams would have to leave town before reaching the NFC Championship Game again. Today, Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, and the rest of 1989 49ers are remembered as one of the greatest teams of all-time, while Jim Everett is remembered mainly for this video:
Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any comments about this or previous posts, or ideas for future reviews or posts, than share them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com. Next time on The Canon Review should be fun, provided you're a fan of the former wrestler Van Hammer. Otherwise, well, you have been warned.
- This was actually a close game for a while, as the Rams stopped the Niners on the first drive and drove down the field for a 23-yard field goal. If there was one play that could have completly changed the game, it came late in the first quarter with the Rams up 3-0 and at the San Francisco 40 yard line. The Rams faked a reverse, and quarterback Jim Everett fired deep to an open Willie "Flipper" Anderson. It looked like a sure touchdown, but free safety Ronnie Lott raced from the other side of the field and got to the ball just in time to deflect it out of bounds. It was one of the better plays you will see a safety make, and if Lott hadn't made that play, the Rams are up 10-0 and who knows what happens from there. Instead, the Rams were forced to punt, and the rest is history.
- Joe Montana, the 49ers quarterback, just carved the Rams' defense up all day long. Montana completed 26 out of 30 passes for 262 yards. The Rams seemed determined to not let the deep ball beat them, so what did Montana do? Well, he did an excellent job of finding the weakness of the Rams coverage nearly every time he went back to pass. The Rams were forced to start a young James Washington at safety, and while Washington would later become a good player with the Dallas Cowboys, it was clear that he was overmatched in this game. Montana zeroed in on Washington, constantly picking on him and working the middle of the field with a lot of success.
- If there was one drive that summed up the game, it came with two minutes left in the first half. With the score 14-3 San Francisco, the Niners started at their own 18 yard-line, and from there Montana went to work, spreading the ball out to different recievers, from star running back Roger Craig to wideout Mike Sherrard, who was only playing his second game in three years due to injuries. Even after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (which was unwarranted, by the way, as the Rams were more at fault) pushed the Niners back fifteen yards to the Rams' 18 with 14 seconds left, Montana and the 49ers calmly and cooly came right back, as Montana found John Taylor in the end zone after Taylor burnt Leroy Irvin on a slant route for a touchdown. After the extra point, the 49ers were up 21-3 and never looked back.
- Tom Rathman, the 49ers Fullback, was quite simply a beast. He was one hard man to bring down, and when you did bring him down he would make sure it would be a painful experience for the defender. At one point he dragged Washington a couple of yards downfield before going down, and Rathman was constantly running over defenders. Oh yeah, Roger Craig wasn't any easier to bring down either, as his high-kicking running style usually left defenders with a knee in the face. The two backs combined for 245 yards from scrimmage and made life tough for Rams defenders.
- You know what you don't see at all anymore? Kickers that kick the ball barefoot. The Rams had one in Mike Lansford, who wore a shoe on his plant foot and left his kicking foot bare. Even when the field was cold or muddy, and this game featured quite a muddy field, Lansford left the foot sans shoe. Since he lasted nine years in the NFL, I guess it worked for him, but I doubt if we will ever see another barefoot kicker again in the NFL. It seems like kicking the ball with a bare foot would hurt like hell, but what do I know?
- This was not a good game for Rams QB Jim Everett, and in many ways his performance in this game affected him for the rest of his career. Everett started out okay, but the 49ers pass rush was getting to him, and Everett started to make mistakes, throwing constantly into double coverage, not stepping into his throws for fear of getting hit, which led to underthrown passes, and throwing three interceptions, two of which I wondered just what the heck he was trying to do, as there were at least three 49ers around the area he threw it. The lowpoint for Everett, and the play that ultimately defined his career, came in the third quarter. On third down, Everett dropped back to pass. With no one really close to hitting him, Everett dived on the ground with the ball, eventually being touched down for a sack. Check it out for yourself:
- From that point on, the Rams and their fans never truly believed in Everett, a quarterback who by the way, led the NFL in touchdown passes in 1988 and 1989. Although Everett put up good stats in 1990, the Rams fell to 5-11 and both Everett and the Rams went downhill from there until Everett was shipped to New Orleans and the Rams left L.A. to go to St. Louis. If only Ronnie Lott hadn't of gotten to that ball, than Jim Everett might be a Hall of Fame quarterback in the Rams might still be in Los Angeles. Funny how one single play can change everything, isn't it?
Bottom line, the Rams got licked, and this game is just classic Montana, as he leads the 49ers with machine like precision. At times it just looked too easy, as if Montana and his receivers were just playing catch in the backyard. From here, the 49ers would crush the Denver Broncos by a 900-10 margin (actually 55-10) and win the Super Bowl, while the Rams would have to leave town before reaching the NFC Championship Game again. Today, Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, and the rest of 1989 49ers are remembered as one of the greatest teams of all-time, while Jim Everett is remembered mainly for this video:
Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any comments about this or previous posts, or ideas for future reviews or posts, than share them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com. Next time on The Canon Review should be fun, provided you're a fan of the former wrestler Van Hammer. Otherwise, well, you have been warned.
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