With the Minnesota Vikings playing so poorly tonight against the Chicago Bears in the outdoors, it got me in the frame of mind to watch another football game where the elements played a role. So I went online and watched the 1977 playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams, in a game that would later be dubbed "The Mud Bowl". The Rams had lost to Minnesota in both the 1974 and 1976 playoffs in Minnesota, and most experts figured that since the Rams had home field advantage this time around, that the Rams would finally dispose of their tormentors. But a torrential rainstorm made the L.A. Coliseum field a quagmire of slop, and as it turns out, actually gave the tough-minded Vikings the advantage, as they had more experience in rough conditions from playing their home games at Exhibition Stadium. Of course, the Vikings did the dumbest thing they could have done and moved to an indoor stadium five years later, taking away whatever homefield advantage that playing in the cold in Minnesota would have given them, but that's another topic for another time. Anyway, the Rams also had a huge advantage in that Minnesota QB Fran Tarkenton was injured and unable to play, so 32 year old journeyman Bob Lee had to take the snaps for the Vikings. All of that added up to a hill of beans for the Rams, as once again they found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard against the Vikings, losing by a 14-7 margin. A few notes about this game.
- The Vikings head coach, Bud Grant, seemed to have the right game plan in place for this type of game. With the field as bad as it was, Grant decided to have Lee throw often early in the game, although Lee didn't throw anything deep. It worked on the first drive, as Lee was 5 for 5 and the Vikings scored after a five yard run by Chuck Foreman. After that, Lee didn't complete any of the six passes he attempted, as by that point the Vikings switch exclusively to the running game, finishing the game with 28 straight running plays (the last three were really kneeldowns, but they count as run all the same).
- Both teams' featured running backs, Foreman and the Rams Lawrence McCutheon, actually did pretty well, as each player got over 100 yards. McCutheon broke off a couple of big runs to end up with 102 yards on 16 carries, while Foreman ran tough on 31 carries for 101 yards. The difference between the two teams became the fullbacks, as Robert Miller of the Vikings gained 66 yards on the ground and through the air, while the Rams' fullback, John Cappelletti, gained only 15 yards and missed large portions of the game due to being 'bone-weary', at least according to the announcers.
- Kudos goes to the Vikings, whom in spite of the muddy conditions, only fumbled the ball once early in the game, and didn't turn the ball over one time. This in spite of being -18 in turnovers during the regular season. Meanwhile, the Rams QB, Pat Haden, threw only six interceptions during the regular season, but threw three in this game against the Vikings (one was a desperation heave on the game's last play). That included a pick in the end zone by the Vikings Nate Allen, and another pick deep in Vikings territory on a wobbler by Paul Krause. Actually, I thought the Krause pick might have been tipped, but no, Haden's pass came out side to side instead of spiraling, and Krause was easily able to get under the ball and snatch it.
- Also, DT Alan Page of the Vikings was quite impressive in this game. After McCutheon broke off a 27 yard run early in the game, it was Page, a lineman, that chased down the speedy running back and prevented an even bigger gain. Page also got a sack when he sped by C Rich Saul in the third quarter, and also pressured Haden a few times and made some key plays stopping the run for the Vikings. Not bad for a 240 pound defensive tackle, which was small for that position even back in 1977. If Page came around today, he'd either be moved to linebacker or maybe defensive end. Quite frankly, you won't find many lineman in history that were as quick as Alan Page. Also, you won't find many as durable as Vikings DE Jim Marshall, as the 39 year old Marshall was playing in his 284th straight game. Not only that, but Marshall also made a few big plays for the Vikings, tipping a pass and making a big tackle for loss in the second half of the game. After the game, the network interviewed Page and Marshall, who both spent two minutes complaining about the officiating. If they did that today, chances are both men would be fined heavily, but that's just how things were back then.
- As for the announcers, it was a treat listening to Vin Scully. Yes, he's more known for baseball, but Scully's just as skilled at announcing football games. As for his partner, Alex Hawkins, well let's just say that he's at least better than Jon Gruden and Tony Siragusa.
- As you might expect for a game called the Mud Bowl, the field was a giant mess. Even at the beginning of the game, the whole middle of the field was nothing but mud. This resulted in everybody being covered in mud to the point where it was hard to tell who was who for the Vikings because their white jerseys were completely covered in mud. All except for Vikings' receivers Ahmad Rashad and Sammy White, who stood on the outside of the field and didn't have much to do as the Vikings ran every play right up the middle. Rashad caught a couple of passes early, while White wasn't even thrown the ball, as I can recall. As for the Rams, you could kind of see their numbers through the mud, as they were painted in yellow, but each team's offensive line was just coated in mud. The Vikings even changed jerseys at halftime, but about five plays in, they were just as dirty as they were before the change.
- I was struck mostly by how conservative each team was. Yes, the game was somewhat played in difficult conditions, but I was still surprised when the Vikings began to take a knee on first down with three minutes to play in the game. Also, when the Rams were driving during the last play of the game, they still kept two backs in the backfield and even ran a draw play with 30 seconds to go and no timeouts. I guarantee you won't see a team do that in the game nowadays. However, Bud Grant wasn't all conservative, as after his team scored in the fourth quarter, the Vikings pulled off an onside kick and kept the ball a little longer, which was great because nobody expected it, especially the guy trying to catch the ball.
- While Fran Tarkenton didn't play due to injury, another Hall of Fame quarterback was also on the sidelines. Yep, the Rams had Joe Namath on the bench, as he had lost the job to Haden early in the season. That didn't stop Hawkins and Scully from speculating whether we would see Namath come in at some point, but Broadway Joe never got into action in what would be his final game in uniform.
- The video I watched also showed the postgame show, and during it, Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder declared that Chuck Knox had coached his last game in Los Angeles, and that George Allen would replace him. While Allen did not come to coach the Rams, Snyder was at least right about Knox, as he resigned before he could get fired, in spite of five straight division titles. It would not be the last game Knox coached for the Rams, as he came back in 1992 in an ill-fated move to coach the Rams through three straight losing seasons. While the Rams never reached the Super Bowl under Knox, they would reach the Superbowl in 1979 under Ray Malavasi. As for the Vikings, they got the privilege of being decimated by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game, losing to the 'Boys 26-13 in what proved to be Bud Grant's only loss in the NFC Championship game.
Well, thanks for reading. Remember, if you have any ideas for future reviews, or comments about this or previous reviews, then send them to me either by e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com or by leaving a comment on the blog.
Showing posts with label Los Angeles Rams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles Rams. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Los Angeles Rams vs. New Orleans Saints, November 26, 1989
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.
- 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.
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