Whatever the equivalent of IR is for commissioners, the NFL’s Roger Goodell is surely on it. He’s taken a serious beating this year, most recently when a mediator decided he had overstepped his bounds in the Ray Rice case by penalizing the Ravens running back twice for KO-ing his wife. Rice’s indefinite suspension has been lifted, and he’s free to play for any team that’ll have him.
Pete Rozelle: Did he inhale?
Part of Goodell’s image problem is that he’s always being compared to The Ghost of Pete Rozelle. But even Rozelle, I’ll just point out, was known to overstep his bounds in the dispensing of discipline. One time was in 1974, his 15th year on the job. A federal appeals panel ruled he couldn’t just impose a $200 fine on players — 106 in all — who had left the bench during a fight. It was something that had to be collectively bargained. The players association had brought the suit, which was initially rejected by the National Labor Relations Board.
“Judge Gerald W. Heaney, writing for the judges, said if Rozelle was the agent for both the owners and the players ‘and promulgated the rule as their agent,’ United Press International reported, ‘one must assume a serious breach of ethics by the commissioner if he talked to only one of his principals. And no one suggests that the commissioner is an unethical man.’”
Ergo, Teflon Pete did it unilaterally, at the behest of the owners.
Red Smith of The New York Times also weighed in on the subject:
So while Goodell got shot down by Barbara S. Jones, the former federal judge who arbitrated the dispute, it was hardly unprecedented in NFL history. Why, it even happened to the sainted Pete Rozelle.
On Dec. 8, 1940, the Chicago Bears barreled into Washington’s Griffith Stadium and beat the Redskins 73-0 in the NFL championship game — the biggest smackdown in league history. What follows is an attempt to recreate that game, with the help of newspaper accounts, play by plays, video highlights and my own interviews with some of the players. The figures might be a yard off here and there, but they’re mostly accurate. (You’d be amazed at how inexact record keeping was in the prewar years.)
I’ve inserted comments and notes throughout to (hopefully) add to your reading pleasure. Enjoy.
Bears end Ken Kavanaugh: “I bought 26 tickets for friends of mine from Arkansas, Louisiana and around Chicago, and I think three of ’em were picked up. So when we get to Washington, I’ve got 23 tickets at $4 a head in my pocket. Our bus arrives at the stadium, and I go out in front and start selling the tickets. It takes me about a half-hour or so, but I finally get rid of them.
“Later I’m in the locker room getting dressed, and [coach George] Halas says, ‘Where the hell have you been, eating another sandwich?’ He used to get on me because I’d eat a sandwich before games. We didn’t have any pregame meal or anything, you see. We just went out and played. Anyway, I said, ‘George, I had 23 tickets to sell at $4 apiece, and I don’t know if we’re going to make that much playing this game, so I was out front selling ’em. Are we ready to go out [for warmups]?’ And he says, ‘In about 10 minutes.’ And I said, ‘Well, that’s all I need.'”
Note: Kavanaugh needn’t have worried. The winning Bears each received $873.99, which would have more than covered the cost of the 23 tickets he got stuck with.
Weather: Sunny, 40 degrees.
Attendance: 36,034.
FIRST QUARTER
Bears win toss, elect to receive.
Note: Among the officials were referee Red Friesell (he of the famous Fifth Down in the Cornell-Dartmouth game earlier that year) and linesman Irv Kupcinet (the Chicago Times sportswriter and erstwhile Philadelphia Eagle).
(Sound of whistle blowing.)
[table],Redskins kick 55 yards from WAS 40 to CHI 5. Ray Nolting to CHI 25 for 20 yards.
1-10-C25,George McAfee up the middle to CHI 32 for 7 yards.
2-3-C32,Bill Osmanski left end for 68 yards\, TOUCHDOWN.
,Jack Manders extra point is GOOD.,
,CHICAGO 7\, WASHINGTON 0\, 2 plays\, 68 yards.,
[/table]
Note: Osmanski’s way was paved by one of the greatest blocks of all time. Bears end George Wilson wiped out not one but two Redskins along the sideline.
[table],Bears kick 56 yards from CHI 40 to WAS 4. Max Krause to CHI 40 for 56 yards.
1-10-C40, Jimmy Johnston right tackle to CHI 34 for 6 yards.
2-4-C34, Johnston right tackle to CHI 28 for 6 yards.
1-10-C28,Ed Justice left tackle to CHI 26 for 2 yards.
2-8-C26,Johnston right end to CHI 26 for no gain.
3-8-C26,Sammy Baugh pass to Charlie Malone dropped at CHI 5.
4-8-C26,Bob Masterson 32 yard field goal is NO GOOD.
[/table]
Comment: Dropping a Baugh pass took some doing. Sammy laid it out there on a pillow. Malone somehow managed, though.
[table nl=”~~”],,
1-10-C20,McAfee left end to CHI 24 for 4 yards.
2-6-C24,Nolting right tackle to CHI 27 for 3 yards.
3-3-C27,Osmanski right tackle to CHI 49 for 22 yards.
1-10-C49,Nolting up the middle to WAS 48 for 3 yards.
2-7-W48,Nolting up the middle to WAS 45 for 3 yards.
3-4-W45,McAfee left end to WAS 39 for 6 yards.
1-10-W39,Nolting right tackle to WAS 37 for 2 yards.
2-8-W37,McAfee left tackle to WAS 31 for 6 yards.
3-2-W31,McAfee left guard to WAS 28 for 3 yards.
,Timeout #1 by CHI
1-10-W28,Nolting right tackle to WAS 27 for 1 yard.
2-9-W27,Osmanski right tackle to WAS 21 for 6 yards.
3-3-W21,McAfee to WAS 19 for 2 yards.
4-1-W19,Nolting through tackle to WAS 14 for 5 yards.
1-10-W14,Sid Luckman flat pass to Nolting to WAS 2 for 12 yards.
1-2-W2,Osmanski right tackle to WAS 2 for no gain.
2-2-W2,Osmanski right tackle to WAS 2 for no gain.~~FUMBLES (Erny Pinckert hit)\, RECOVERED by CHI-Joe Stydahar at W3.~~Stydahar to W1 for 2 yards.
3-1-W1,Luckman up the middle for 1 yard\, TOUCHDOWN.
,Bob Snyder extra point is GOOD.
,CHICAGO 14\, WASHINGTON 0\, 17 plays\, 80 yards.
[/table]
Comment: A 17-play drive. Ouch. The Redskins went with a five-man line on defense pretty much the whole way. That’s what had worked for them earlier in the season, when they shut down the Bears’ revolutionary T formation in a 7-3 victory. As teams would soon learn, though, the T — in the early stages, at least — was most vulnerable to a seven-man front, which made it easier to pressure the passer and turn sweeps inside.
[table]
,Bears kick 60 yards from CHI 40 to end zone\, Touchback.
1-10-W20,Baugh flat pass to Johnston to W14 for -6 yards.
2-16-W14,Baugh pass incomplete over middle. (Bulldog Turner nearly intercepts.)
3-16-W14,Baugh pass through hands of Bob McChesney at W42.
4-16-W14,Baugh punts 28 yards to W42 (partially blocked).
[/table]
Comment: Are you getting the impression this isn’t the Redskins’ day? They’ve already had two drops, a missed field goal, a near INT and a deflected punt. And it’s still the first quarter.
[table],,
1-10-W42,Joe Maniaci left end for 42 yards\, TOUCHDOWN.
,Phil Martinovich extra point is GOOD.
,CHICAGO 21\, WASHINGTON 0\, 1 play\, 42 yards.
[/table]
Note: This was essentially the same play Osmanski scored on. Again, a five-man line wasn’t as effective against the wide stuff the T threw at you (thanks, among other things, to the quick-strike capability of the man-in-motion).
[table nl=”~~”]
,Bears kick out of bounds. Redskins ball at WAS 45.
1-10-W45,Frank Filchock flat pass to McChesney. FUMBLES\,~~RECOVERED by WAS-Bo Russell at WAS 39 for -6 yards.
2-16-W39,Filchock pass incomplete to Bob Hoffman.
3-16-W39,Filchock long pass incomplete to Wilbur Moore.
4-16-W39,Filchock punts 36 yards to CHI 25\, McAfee to CHI 42 for 17 yards.
[/table]
Comment: Baugh shared the quarterback duties with Filchock, so it was never unusual to see Frankie come into the game. Despite the change, though, the Redskins continued to kill themselves on first down. They’d begun two straight series with a 6-yard loss — and would begin their next with an interception.
[table nl=”~~”],,
1-10-C42,Luckman overthrows lateral pass to Nolting\,~~ball goes out of bounds at CHI 28 for -14 yards.
2-24-C28,Luckman quick-kicks 58 yards to WAS 14. Moore to WAS 20 for 6 yards. Quarter ends.
[/table]
Comment: A rare goof by the Bears. So what did they do? They played it safe with a three-touchdown lead and punted on second down. Welcome to 1940s strategy.
SECOND QUARTER
[table],,
1-10-W20,Filchock long pass for Moore INTERCEPTED by Scooter McLean at 50. No return.
[/table]
Note: McLean dropkicked an extra point in the ’41 title game — the last successful dropkick in the NFL until Doug Flutie booted one for the Patriots in 2005.
[table nl=”~~”],,
1-10-50,Harry Clark right tackle to WAS 49 for 1 yard.
2-9-W49,Off fake reverse\, Maniaci right tackle to WAS 43 for 6 yards.
3-3-W43,Maniaci right guard to WAS 39 for 4 yards.
1-10-W39,Luckman pass to Maniaci to WAS 11 for 28 yards.
1-10-W11,McLean FUMBLES handoff from Luckman\,~~RECOVERED by WAS-McChesney at W19 for -8 yards.
[/table]
Comment: Another reminder the Bears didn’t play a perfect game.
[table],,
1-10-W19,Filchock up the middle to WAS 22 for 3 yards.
2-7-W22,Filchock pass incomplete down middle to Dick Todd.
3-7-W22,Filchock flat pass to Hoffman to WAS 29 for 7 yards.
1-10-W29,Filchock long pass to Wayne Millner to CHI 29 for 42 yards.
3-10-C18,Filchock pass to Millner to CHI 18 for 11 yards.
,Timeout #2 by CHI
1-10-C18,Filchock pass batted down by Plasman.
2-10-C18,Filchock pass to McChesney dropped at CHI 5.
3-10-C18,Filchock pass incomplete to Moore in end zone.
4-10-C18,Filchock pass incomplete to McChesney.
[/table]
Note: McChesney reportedly played with his right hand in a splint. That might explain his problems on the second down play.
[table],,
1-10-C18,Manders right end to CHI 18 for no gain.
2-10-C18,Luckman pass to Bobby Swisher to WAS 46 for 36 yards.
1-10-W46,McLean left end to WAS 26 for 20 yards.
1-10-W26,Osmanski runs to WAS 26 for no gain.
2-10-W26,McLean runs to WAS 24 for 2 yards.
3-8-W24,Luckman pass to Plasman at WAS 12 knocked down by Todd
4-8-W24,Martinovich 32-yard field goal is NO GOOD.
[/table]
Note: Plasman, a 6-foot-3, 218-pound end, was the last NFLer to play without a helmet. He went bareheaded through the ’41 season. As he explained it, whenever he looked up for a pass, “the flap [of his headgear] always fell down over my eyes so that I couldn’t follow the flight of the ball. . . . One day, after a pass bounced off my chest, Halas said I wouldn’t have to wear a helmet anymore.”
[table nl=”~~”],,
1-10-W20,Filchock scrambles to WAS 37 for 17 yards.
1-10-W37,Filchock pass nearly intercepted by Plasman.
2-10-W37,Filchock long pass to Millner INTERCEPTED by Nolting at CHI 34.~~Nolting for 10 yards to CHI 44.
[/table]
Note: The Redskins’ eight interceptions are still the all-time record for the postseason. But get this: In the previous year’s title game, the Packers threw six INTs and won, 28-0. It was, indeed, a different time. Offenses were much looser with the ball.
[table],,
1-10-C44,Nolting right tackle to WAS 47 for 9 yards.
2-1-W47,Nolting up the middle to WAS 42 for 5 yards.
1-10-W42,Osmanski runs to WAS 42 for no gain.
2-10-W42,Luckman laterals to Osmanski\, who runs to WAS 31 for 11 yards.
1-10-W31,Nolting right tackle to WAS 28 for 3 yards.
2-7-W27,Osmanski runs to WAS 29 for -2 yards.
3-9-W29,Luckman pass to Ken Kavanaugh in end zone for 29 yards\, TOUCHDOWN.
,Snyder extra point is GOOD.
,CHICAGO 28\, WASHINGTON 0\, 7 plays\, 56 yards.
[/table]
Comment: Kavanaugh was surrounded by so many top players during his years with the Bears that he’s never been properly appreciated. Look at it this way: 52 of his 168 receptions in the NFL, regular season and postseason, went for touchdowns — 31 percent. You won’t find a higher TD rate in league history (among receivers with that many catches, anyway). Jerry Rice’s rate was less than half that.
[table],Bears kick 60 yards to goal line. Filchock to WAS 25 for 25 yards.
1-10-W25,Filchock pass incomplete to Millner.
2-10-W25,Baugh pass complete over middle to Andy Farkas to WAS 44 for 19 yards.
1-10-W44,Baugh pass to Johnston to CHI 49 for 7 yards.
2-3-C49,Baugh pass to Hoffman to CHI 48 for 1 yard.
3-2-C48,Baugh long pass incomplete to Johnston.
4-2-C48,Baugh pass complete over middle to Johnston to CHI 41 for 7 yards.
1-10-C41,PENALTY on WAS\, delay of game\, 5 yards\, enforced at CHI 41.
1-15-C46,Baugh long pass complete to Malone to CHI 5 for 41 yards.
1-5-C5,PENALTY on WAS\, delay of game\, 5 yards\, enforced at CHI 5.
1-10-C10,Baugh pass to Farkas INTERCEPTED by Osmanski at CHI 6. Half ends.
[/table]
Note: Judging from the newspaper stories, the Redskins were penalized for calling timeouts they didn’t have, not for taking too much time to get off plays. When you were out of timeouts in those days, you either faked an injury or took a five-yard penalty.
THIRD QUARTER
[table nl=”~~”],Bears kick 35 yards from CHI 40 to WAS 25. Malone to WAS 34 for 9 yards.
1-10-W34,Johnston right end to WAS 34 for no gain.~~PENALTY on WAS\, holding\, 15 yards\, enforced at WAS 34.
1-25-W19,Baugh flat pass to Johnson INTERCEPTED by Hamp Pool at WAS 19.~~Pool for 19 yards\, TOUCHDOWN.
,Plasman extra point is GOOD.
,CHIGAGO 35\, WASHINGTON 0.
[/table]
Note: No fewer than 11 players in the game — enough for a team — went on to be NFL or AFL head coaches. Pool (Rams) was one, along with teammates Scooter McLean (Packers), Bob Snyder (Rams), Joe Stydahar (Rams), Bulldog Turner (New York Titans), George Wilson (Lions, Dolphins) and, on the Redskins side, Sammy Baugh (New York Titans, Houston Oilers), Turk Edwards (Redskins), Frank Filchock (Broncos), Wayne Millner (Eagles) and Dick Todd (Redskins). Stydahar (1951 Rams) and Wilson (’57 Lions) even won championships.
[table ni=”~~”],Bears kick from CHI 40. PENALTY on CHI\, offside\, 5 yards\, enforced at CHI 40.~~Bears kick from CHI 35 to end zone. Ed Justice FUMBLES and recovers\, Touchback.
1-10-W20,Baugh pass to Malone to WAS 31 for 11 yards.
1-10-W31,Baugh flat pass to Masterson to WAS 38 for 7 yards.
2-3-W38,Baugh pass to Johnston incomplete.~~PENALTY on CHI\, Pass Interference\, Spot of Foul\, enforced at WAS 43 — No Play.
1-10-W43,Johnston up the middle to WAS 46 for 3 yards.
2-7-W46,Baugh pass to Justice to 50 for 4 yards.
3-3-W50,Baugh FUMBLES snap. RECOVERED by WAS-Johnston for -16 yards.
4-19-W34,Baugh long pass to Malone incomplete.
[/table]
Notes: Down 35-0, the Redskins went for it on fourth-and-forever in their own territory. This is how bad becomes worse. . . . Botched snaps by Washington in this quarter resulted in losses of 16 and 17 yards — and soon were followed by Bears touchdowns.,
[table ni=”~~”],,
1-10-W34,On reverse\, Nolting right end to WAS 23 for 11 yards.
1-10-W23,Nolting up the middle for 23 yards\, TOUCHDOWN.~~Plasman extra point is NO GOOD.
,CHICAGO 41\, WASHINGTON 0\, 2 plays\, 34 yards.
[/table]
Comment: Two plays, 68 yards. One play, 42 yards. Two plays, 34 yards. (And later: one play, 2 yards.) The Redskins defense sure got the ball back quickly for the offense.
[table ni=”~~”],Bears kick 60 yards to end zone\, Touchback.
1-10-W20,Seymour left tackle to WAS 20 for no gain.
2-10-W20,Roy Zimmerman pass INTERCEPTED by McAfee at WAS 34.~~McAfee for 34 yards\, TOUCHDOWN.
,Stydahar extra point is GOOD.
,CHICAGO 48\, WASHINGTON 0.
[/table]
Redskins quarterback Roy Zimmerman: “A nightmare [day]. I had two interceptions run back for touchdowns. On that one [by McAfee], I broke [teammate] Charley Malone’s ribs trying to make the tackle. I was coming at [McAfee] from an angle, Charley was coming up from behind, and I hooked [McAfee] with my arm and got swung into Charley and broke his ribs.” (You can see the collision at the end of the clip.)
Comment: Had the game had been played in the 1920s, the officials probably would have shortened the last two periods from 15 minutes to 12 or 10. Back then, the attitude was: No sense belaboring the obvious.
[table ni=”~~”]
,Bears kick 60 yards to end zone. Zimmerman to WAS 33 for 33 yards.
1-10-W33,Bob Seymour left guard to WAS 34 for 1 yard.
2-9-W34,Zimmerman pass to Seymour incomplete.
3-9-W34,Zimmerman pass to Masterson to WAS 49 for 15 yards.
1-10-W49,Ray Hare left end to CHI 44 for 7 yards.~~PENALTY on CHI\, offside\, 5 yards\, enforced at WAS 49 — No Play.
1-5-C46,Seymour right end to CHI 31 for 15 yards.
1-10-C31,Zimmerman sacked at CHI 43 for -12 yards.~~PENALTY on CHI\, roughing the quarterback\, 15 yards\, enforced at CHI 43.
1-10-C28,Zimmerman pass to Hare in end zone incomplete.
2-10-C28,Zimmerman pass to Masterson to CHI 16 for 12 yards.
1-10-C16,Seymour runs to CHI 16 for no gain.
2-10-C16,Zimmerman back to pass\, rushed\, throws it away.
3-10-C16,Zimmerman pass to Masterson incomplete.
4-10-C16,Zimmerman overthrows Dick Farman in end zone on guard-eligible play,
[/table]
Comment: A guard-eligible play. Imagine that. (And naturally, Farman was wide open.) Such trickery was possible, though, in the Redskins’ single wing, where the unbalanced line looked like this:
E G C G T T E
To make the guard eligible for passes, all you had to do was have the weak side end (in this case, Bob Masterson) line up as the wingback — and move the right halfback to the line of scrimmage (to give you the required seven linemen). This turned the guard into, technically, the end. Observe:
G C G T T E RHB
E
The Redskins had beaten the Eagles two years before with a guard-eligible play to 6-1, 247-pound Bill Young. Farman was a little more ambulatory at 219.
[table],,
1-10-C20,McAfee right tackle to CHI 24 for 4 yards.
2-6-C24,Osmanski right end to CHI 26 for 2 yards.
3-4-C26,McAfee halfback option pass to wide-open Plasman\, who drops it.
4-4-C26,McAfee punts 38 yards out of bounds to WAS 36.
[/table]
Comment: Things were starting to get chippy. In this series, Bears back Ray Nolting, who went 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, threw a punch at Redskins tackle Wee Willie Wilkin, a 6-4, 261-pound monster. Nolting was a tough nut. Bob Snyder once told me that in his first scrimmage with the Bears, he was lying on the ground after being tackled, thinking the play was over, only to have Nolting come along and unload on him. When Snyder complained about his new teammate’s lack of, uh, fraternity, Nolting was unmoved. “What did ya expect me to do,” he said, “kiss ya?”
[table ni=”~~”],,
1-10-W36,Zimmerman runs to WAS 38 for 2 yards.
2-8-W38,Bad center snap RECOVERED by WAS-Zimmerman at WAS 21 for -17 yards.
3-25-W21,Zimmerman pass over the middle to Seymour INTERCEPTED by Bulldog Turner at WAS 24.~~Turner for 24 yards\, TOUCHDOWN.
,Maniaci extra point is BLOCKED by Clyde Shugart.
,CHICAGO 54\, WASHINGTON 0.
[/table]
Comment: The Bears were having their jollies at this point, letting everybody but the trainer try a PAT. It wasn’t unusual in the single-platoon era for a club to use multiple kickers in a game, but the Bears used seven.
Bears quarterback Sid Luckman: “When the score got to be 54-0, somebody in the huddle said, ‘Ah, let’s take it easy on ’em. That’s enough.’ And you know, 10 guys jumped down his throat. This is not an exaggeration. This is a true fact.”
[table ni=”~~”],Bears kick 39 yards to WAS 21. Pinckert to WAS 31 for 11 yards.
1-10-W31,Zimmerman pass over middle to Hare dropped.
2-10-W31,Zimmerman flat pass to Seymour to 50 for 19 yards.~~PENALTY on WAS\, offside\, 5 yards\, enforced at WAS 31 — No Play.
2-15-W26,Zimmerman pass to Seymour to WAS 33 for 7 yards.
3-8-W33,Zimmerman pass to Sandy Sanford incomplete.
4-8-W33,Zimmerman punts 61 yards to CHI 6. Clark to CHI 15 for 9 yards.
[/table]
Comment: Zimmerman, the Redskins’ No. 3 quarterback, threw 12 passes in the game. That’s as many as he threw in any of his three seasons with the team. But Redskins coach Ray Flaherty was so desperate he was willing to try anybody. Zimmerman, by the way, developed into a fine passer-punter-kicker after he was traded to the Eagles in 1943. In fact, the three Washington quarterbacks were as good a group as you’ll find. Baugh is iconic, of course — even though he was dreadful on this day — and Filchock had a passer rating of 111.6 in ’39 (when he completed a stunning 61.8 percent of his throws). Frankie also took the Giants to the title game in ’46.
[table],,
1-10-C15,Clark right end to CHI 26 for 11 yards. Quarter ends.
[/table]
FOURTH QUARTER
[table ni=”~~”],,
1-10-C26,Gary Famiglietti left tackle to CHI 29 for 3 yards.
2-7-C29,Famiglietti off tackle to CHI 32 for 3 yards.
3-4-C32,Clark up the middle to CHI 42 for 10 yards.
1-10-C42,On end-around\, Bob Nowasky to CHI 48 for 7 yards.
2-3-C49,Solly Sherman left end to CHI 49 for no gain.~~PENALTY on WAS\, slugging\, 15 yards\, enforced at CHI 49 — No Play.
1-10-W36,Sherman sacked by Millner at WAS 44 for -8 yards.
2-18-W44,Clark runs to WAS 44 for no gain.
3-18-W44,Sherman to Famiglietti to Clark on reverse to end zone for 44 yards,
,Famiglietti extra point NO GOOD.
,CHICAGO 60\, WASHINGTON 0\, 7 plays\, 74 yards.
[/table]
Comment: The Redskins apparently didn’t like that end-around Chicago ran with a 54-0 lead. On the next snap, one of them slugged a Bear. Chicago responded by scoring yet another touchdown — on a third-and-18 reverse. You don’t see retribution like this anymore.
[table ni=”~~”],Bears kick 48 yards to WAS 12. Filchock to WAS 24 for 12 yards.
1-10-W24,Filchock pass to Millner to WAS 36 for 12 yards.~~PENALTY (unspecified) on WAS\, 15 yards\, enforced at WAS 27 — No Play.
1-22-W12,Filchock pass to McChesney incomplete.~~PENALTY on CHI\, Pass Interference\, Spot of Foul\, enforced at WAS 19 — No Play.
1-10-W19,Filchock sacked\, FUMBLES\, RECOVERED by CHI-Jack Torrance at WAS 2.
[/table]
Note: Torrance was nothing special as a tackle, but he held the world shot put record longer than any man in modern times — almost 14 years — after throwing it 57 feet, 1 inch, in 1934.
[table ni=”~~”],,
1-10-W2,Famiglietti left guard for 2 yards\, TOUCHDOWN.~~Sherman pass to Maniaci in end zone\, extra point is GOOD.
,CHICAGO 67\, WASHINGTON 0\, 1 play\, 2 yards.
[/table]
Note: After Famiglietti’s score, the referee informed the Bears that the Redskins had run out of footballs. So rather than kick the last ball into the stands, they passed on their final two PAT attempts.
[table ni=”~~”],Bears kick 55 yards to WAS 5. Farkas to WAS 40 for 35 yards.
1-10-W40,Filchock pass to Millner to WAS 48 for 8 yards.
2-2-W48,Filchock long pass off hands of Bears’ Chet Chesney\, INTERCEPTED by Maniaci.~~Maniaci to WAS 42.
[/table]
Note: That’s the same Chet Chesney who was elected to Congress from Illinois’ 11th District in 1948.
[table ni=”~~”],,
1-10-W42,Maniaci left tackle to WAS 37 for 5 yards.~~PENALTY on CHI\, offside\, 5 yards\, enforced at WAS 42 — No Play.
1-15-W47,Snyder sacked by Millner at CHI 43 for -10 yards.
2-25-C43,Snyder pass to Kavanaugh to CHI 45 for 2 yards.
3-23-C45,Snyder pass to Joe Mihal on tackle-eligible play to WAS 41 for 14 yards.
4-9-W41,Snyder pass to Maniaci to WAS 21 for 20 yards.
1-10-W21,Clark left end to WAS 13 for 8 yards.
2-2-W13,Maniaci right guard to WAS 6 for 7 yards.
1-6-W6,Maniaci right tackle to WAS 1 for 5 yards.
2-1-W1,Clark runs for 1 yard\, TOUCHDOWN.
,Snyder’s pass to Maniaci in end zone knocked down\, extra point NO GOOD.
,CHICAGO 73\, WASHINGTON 0\, 8 plays\, 58 yards.
[/table]
Comment: I’ve sometimes wondered whether Millner truly belongs in the Hall of Fame. After all, he caught just 124 passes in seven seasons and never led the league in any receiving category. But as this game shows, he was a terrific two-way end. He led all receivers with six grabs for 94 yards (depending on your source) and also had two sacks. This, after having a huge title game against the Bears in ’37 (nine catches, 160 yards, touchdowns of 55 and 78). The guy was clearly a prime-time player.
[table ni=”~~”],Bears kick returned to WAS 40.
1-10-W40,Filchock pass to Millner to CHI 48 for 12 yards.
1-10-C48,Filchock pass to Millner to CHI 39 for 9 yards.
2-1-C39,Filchock long pass to Millner INTERCEPTED by Maniaci\, laterals to Clark at CHI 35.~~PENALTY on CHI\, forward lateral\, 15 yards\, enforced at CHI 35.
[/table]
Note: Up 73-0, the Bears are LATERALING and trying to score again.
[table],,
1-10-C20,Snyder flat pass to Famiglietti to CHI 31 for 11 yards.
1-10-C31,Snyder fakes pass and runs up the middle to CHI 33 for 2 yards.
,GAME OVER.
[/table]
Comment: As if the lateral on the interception wren’t enough, the Bears called a pass and a fake pass on the last two plays. They basically taunted the Redskins the entire second half. Afterward, Washington owner George Preston Marshall accused his players of quitting, but then he thought about it some more and decided: “They simply lost their heads.” That sounds about right.
One final thought on the Biggest of Blowouts: The Bears were even better the next season, when Sid Luckman had another year of experience and they added Norm Standlee, a Nagurskiesque fullback. But a game like this, well, you only have one of those.
Sources: The Washington Post, The Official NFL Encyclopedia, The National Forgotten League, pro-football-reference.com.
Since the Grey Cup was in the news this week, I thought I’d post a photo I came across of Bud Grant, during his Winnipeg Blue Bomber days, not wearing a facemask. Before Grant led the Vikings to greatness, he was a heck of a receiver, just missing a 1,000-yard season (in 12 games) with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1952.
The cutline in the Sept. 28, 1953, Winnipeg Free Press reads: “Bud Grant, Blue Bomber[s] end, pushes Saskatchewan Roughrider Harry Lampman out of the way as he goes for one of many gains he made Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field. But his running went for naught when the Blue Bombers dropped a 21-15 decision.”
Passing (for 207 touchdowns) and running (for 4,928 yards) are what Randall Cunningham will be most remembered for in his NFL career. But what happened Dec. 3, 1989 — 25 years ago today — shouldn’t be overlooked, either. That’s when he got off a 91-yard punt, the fourth longest in league history, to help the Eagles beat the Giants, 24-17.
We’re not talking about a quick kick, either, though Cunningham was helped by a 25 mph wind that gusted to 35. As you can see in this photo, it was a conventional punt, with him receiving the snap just inside the field of play.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Giants almost broke the 17-17 tie when Erik Howard sacked Cunningham and drove him into the Eagles’ end zone. The officials spotted the ball on the 2-yard line, making it fourth down and 33 yards to go for a first down.
Usually, Max Runager would have punted for the Eagles. But Cunningham, an outstanding punter in college, told Coach Buddy Ryan of the Eagles he wanted to punt, and Ryan let him.
It was a good decision. The ball sailed to the Giants 39 and bounced to the 7 before an apparently baffled [Dave] Meggett picked it up and returned it 9 yards.
Two plays later, the Giants gave up the ball again. Golic sacked Simms and stripped the ball, and Mike Pitts recovered for the Eagles on the Giants’ 7-yard line. Three plays later, from the 2, Byars squirmed into the end zone for the winning touchdown.
And here’s how it looked in the play-by-play:
Cunningham was, as the Times said, a very good punter at UNLV, an All-American who averaged 45.2 yards for his career. But by the late ’80s the NFL had become so specialized — and rosters so large — that position players weren’t needed to punt. A pity.
There were, after all, quite a few passer-punters in pro football’s early days, including Hall of Famers Sammy Baugh, Sid Luckman, Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin. They grew up, remember, in the era of the single wing, and the best tailbacks were triple threats who could run, pass and kick. When Cunningham boomed his 91-yarder, though, the league hadn’t had a starting QB pull double duty since the Cowboys’ Danny White in 1984. We may never see another.
Oh, well. At least Randall reminded everybody of The Way It Used To Be. And if anyone needed a refresher course, he blasted an 80-yarder five years later. That one was a quick kick — out of the shotgun, on third and 12 from the Philadelphia 4.
Something just dawned on me: Cunningham’s 91-yard punt was exactly 90 yards longer than the one Redskins QB Joe Theismann shanked against the Bears in 1985. Washington’s regular punter, Jeff Hayes, had just gotten hurt, and Theismann — who hadn’t punted in college — volunteered for the job.
Wisely, coach Joe Gibbs never gave him another opportunity. The boot, from right around the goal line, veered out of bounds at the Washington 14. The Bears scored on the next play and went on to win, 45-10.
“They told me to kick it right,” Theismann said, “and I did. Dead right.”
Now that the NFL has revised its drug policy — and made punishments less penal — let’s revisit a piece Ira Berkow wrote for the Newspaper Enterprise Association in 1973 about pill popping in pro football’s early days. His source is Johnny Blood, the Packers’ legendary Hall of Fame back. I say “legendary” because there are sooooo many Johnny Blood tales (some of which might even be true).
The one and only Johnny Blood.
Blood played and partied with equal abandon. After Green Bay won the championship in New York in 1936, he must have really tied one on. “The last time I saw him,” a teammate once told me, “He was going around and around in the hotel’s revolving door.”
Another player from that period passed along this (second-hand) story: “One time some [NFL] players were at a whorehouse in St. Louis, sitting in the parlor. In walks the madam holding an armful of football equipment — helmet, pads, uniform, the whole bit. ‘Do you any of you guys know Johnny Blood?’ she asks. ‘He left this stuff the last time he was here.’”
That’s who Johnny Blood was — when he wasn’t, that is, scoring touchdowns for four title teams. In 1973 he talked with Berkow about, among other things, taking Benzedrine before games. It’s an amazing glimpse into a lost football world.
“He remembers popping Benzedrine pills, an ‘upper’ which reportedly has been in common use in the NFL, in 1935 or 1936,” Berkow writes. Blood’s explanation:
In the offseason I used to work as a feed salesman in Wisconsin. I’d have to make long drives at night across the state, from a client to my office. I remember reading in Time magazine about a drug that helped keep you awake — and made you feel good, too. I tried it, and it worked.
I thought, well, if it’s good enough for driving, maybe it’s good for football, too. So I experimented with the pill. I don’t think it had any effect on my play, but it sure did give a lift. Then I told some of the other players about it. One fella I remember telling was Clarke Hinkle, the great running back, when we both played for the Packers. After that, Clarke became known for taking pills.
In those days, nobody talked about drugs, nobody really took notice of them. Not like today. They were non-prescription drugs, available to most anybody.
Blood also talks about experimenting with opium during a visit to China but deciding it was “too risky.” Bennies were another matter, though. They “just kind of made you feel better.”
In the early days of football, with the light padding and the glove-sized helmets, as they were called, a player needed strong fortification to attain an ethereal frame of mind. Yes, some guys took a drink before the game to raise the spirits. And I guess I could drink with any man. I had the reputation, and sometimes I’d drink the night before a game. I was the manic type. And the next day I might show the effects, in my talk and responses.
After the 1932 season the Packers went on a barnstorming tour that included two games in Hawaii. Green Bay won the first — which it was supposed to do, of course. The night before the second, though, the Hawaiian players tried to give themselves more of a fighting chance by getting Blood drunk.
“They invited me to a luau,” he told Berkow. “That’s their big bash.
And they put me up against their toughest drinker, a big tackle for their team. We drank their national drink, okolehao, and we drank into the night and morning. I got an hour’s sleep, but I showed up at the game. Their big tackle didn’t. I remember I was not feeling too terrific as the game started. Then a shower burst through the sun. And I got my refresher, and then went on to score a couple of touchdowns.
I don’t know how I did it, but I know I paid for it. Games like that took a few years off my career.
Several years later, when he was working for The New York Times, Berkow went back to the Blood well. By then, Johnny had been sober for seven years.
“I thought I saw King Arthur’s Court,” he said, “and walked through a plate-glass window to get there. I decided then, either King Arthur had to go . . . or I was going. Some people can handle drugs better than others. But in the end, no matter how well you handle it, it ends up handling you.”
I just thought of one more Johnny Blood story. It’s from the late ’30s, when he was player-coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates (as they were called then). Seems Johnny had recently had his appendix removed, but he was determined to play in the big game against the Bears, fresh stitches or no fresh stitches.
George Halas’ ruffians didn’t usually treat opponents very tenderly, but on that day Papa Bear preached caution. “Be careful when you hit Blood,” he told his players. “I don’t want his guts spillin’ all over the field.”
Before 1960, few running backs had a season as good as Frank Gifford’s 1956. His 819 rushing yards were fifth-best in the NFL. His 603 receiving yards tied for seventh-best. His 1,422 yards from scrimmage were a league record for a back. He also threw two touchdown passes and, in his spare time, booted a field goal and eight extra points.
Not to go off on a tangent here, but I’ve always thought Gifford was a bit underrated. That might sound funny, him being in the Hall of Fame and all, but he wasn’t inducted until 13 years after he retired, and he was rebuffed five times as a finalist before the selection committee waved him through.
Frank Gifford was no New York Creation. Frank Gifford was a great, versatile football player — in the days when more of a premium was placed on such things. Aside from the aforementioned skills, he was a fine defensive back and played both ways early in his career. After the Eagles’ Chuck Bednarik sidelined him for more than a year in 1960, Frank reinvented himself as a (quite capable) wide receiver.
Did he have matinee-idol looks? Sure. But he was no pretty boy. Here he is playing without a facemask at Southern Cal:
OK, I’m done with my spiel. Anyway, late in that 1956 season, with Gifford en route to the MVP award and the Giants headed to their first championship since 1938, he appeared on the CBS game show “What’s My Line?” It was Sunday, Dec. 2, just a few hours after Giants had beaten the Redskins 28-14 at Yankee Stadium in a game that saw Frank account for all four New York touchdowns — two running, one receiving and one passing. You don’t see performances like that any more. In fact, nobody’s had a performance like that since — 58 years and counting.
What’s truly astounding, looking at this clip again, is that Gifford wasn’t instantly identified. After all, he’d already been to three Pro Bowls and was all-pro the season before. It just shows how much less visible the game was then, and how much less recognizable the players were. Frank was far better known for his work on Monday Night Football than he ever was as a footballer.
To try to throw off the panel a little, Gifford signs in as “F. Newton Gifford” from Bakersfield, Calif., his hometown. Bennett Cerf knows him on sight, but the others must not be very big football fans. My favorite line is when Arlene Francis says, “Well, it’s not Red Grange.”
No, it wasn’t Red Grange. (The Galloping Ghost was 53 at the time.) It was Frank Gifford, future husband of Kathie Lee.
Arlene was a hoot, wasn’t she? When she asked Frank, “Do you ever touch people that may come to you for services?” you just know she was hoping he was a masseur.
There were more reports over the weekend that the 49ers might trade Jim Harbaugh after the season — perhaps to the Raiders, perhaps to some other desperate team. If it happens, it’ll be fascinating to see what the going rate is for a top coach. After all, Harbaugh has guided his club to the NFL’s Final Four three years running; the list of guys who’ve done that isn’t very long.
I’ve dug up nine cases of head coaches being dealt for draft picks — all since the 1970 merger. The moral of the story seems to be this: If you think you’re going to get much in return for a coach, you’re kidding yourself. Pennies on the dollar is more like it. The coaches generally do well with their new teams, but the picks are another matter.
By my count, these nine coaches have been traded for a total of 19 selections — five first-rounders, five second-rounders, five third-rounders and four later-rounders. The vast majority of them are/were utterly forgettable players who did little to improve the club that drafted them. Indeed, only two were ever voted to the Pro Bowl — DE Shaun Ellis and KR Leon Washington, once each. (Ellis made it a second time as an alternate.)
A breakdown of the 10 deals:
● 1970 — Don Shula from the Colts to the Dolphins for a 1971 No. 1 (22nd overall). Shula took Miami, then a fifth-year franchise, to five Super Bowls, winning two. He’s now, of course, in the Hall of Fame.
Who the Colts drafted: RB Don McCauley, who rushed for 2,627 yards in his 11 seasons in Baltimore, many of them as a short-yardage back.
● 1978 — Don Coryell from the Cardinals to the Chargers for a 1980 No. 3 (81st). Coryell returned San Diego to relevance with his Air Coryell offense and led the Chargers to back-to-back AFC title games (1980-81). He’s been a semi-finalist for Canton the last four years.
Who the Cardinals drafted: LB Charles Baker, who spent his entire 8-year career with St. Louis and started 62 games.
● 1997 — Bill Parcells from the Patriots to the Jets for four picks. Parcells turned a 1-15 Jets team into an AFC finalist in two seasons.
Who the Patriots drafted:
1999 No. 1 (28th) — LB Andy Katzenmoyer: 13 starts in two seasons, 3.5 sacks.
1998 No. 2 (52nd) — WR Tony Simmons: nine starts in three seasons, 56 catches.
1997 No. 3 (61st) — RB Sedrick Shaw: one start in two seasons, 236 rushing yards.
1997 No. 4 (97th) — OG Damon Denson: four starts in three seasons.
● 1999 — Mike Holmgren from the Packers to the Seahawks for a 1999 No. 2 (47th). Holmgren guided Seattle to its first Super Bowl and fielded six playoff teams in 10 seasons.
Who the Packers drafted: DB Fred Vinson. Vinson spent one year in Green Bay, then was sent to Seattle (and old friend Holmgren) in exchange for RB Ahman Green. So if you want to look at it that way — that the Packers got Green for Holmgren — go ahead. Injuries kept Vinson from playing a single down for the Seahawks. Green, on the other hand, went to four straight Pro Bowls in Green Bay and set a franchise record by rushing for 1,883 yards in 2003.
(Note: Holmgren also was traded for a second-round pick in 1992, when the Packers hired him. But he was the Niners’ offensive coordinator then, not a head coach.)
● 2000 — Bill Belichick from the Jets to the Patriots for three picks (the Pats receiving two lower selections as change). In New England, Belichick has
Shaun Ellis
finished what Parcells started, transforming the Pats into the Team of the 2000s. Under him, they’ve won three Super Bowls, lost two and appeared in eight AFC championship games.
Who the Jets drafted:
2000 No. 1 (16th) — The Jets moved up to 12 to get Ellis, a mainstay at LDE for 11 seasons.
2001 No. 4 (101) — DB Jamie Henderson: three seasons, one start, one interception.
2001 No. 7 (206) — DE James Reed: five seasons, 32 starts, seven sacks.
● 2001 — Marty Schottenheimer from the Chiefs to the Redskins for two picks. Schottenheimer lasted just one season in Washington, going 8-8 (with eight wins in his last 11 games). Owner Dan Snyder fired him after trying — and failing — to get Marty to replace one of his assistants.
Who the Chiefs drafted:
2001 No. 3 (77th) — WR Snoop Minnis: two seasons, 34 catches, one touchdown.
2002 No. 3 (84th) — You’ll love this: They sent the third-rounder to the Rams as compensation for coach Dick Vermeil, who took the Kansas City job in ’01. So you had one pick being used two acquire two different coaches.
● 2001 — Vermeil from the Rams to the Chiefs for two picks. Vermeil posted a 44-36 record in his five seasons in K.C. but failed to win a playoff game.
Who the Rams drafted:
2001 No. 2 (42nd) — LB Tommy Polley: four seasons, 49 starts, four interceptions.
● 2002 — Jon Gruden from the Raiders to the Bucs for four picks and $8 million. With Gruden — complemented by a great defense — Tampa Bay went to its first Super Bowl in ’02 and blew out Oakland. He didn’t win another playoff game with the Bucs, though, and was dumped after seven seasons with a barely-over-.500 record (60-57).
Who the Raiders drafted:
2002 No. 1 (21st) — CB Phillip Buchanon (after trading up to 17): three seasons, 11 INTs.
*Returned to Raiders for two more seasons (2009-10) at the end of his career.
● 2006 — Herman Edwards from the Jets to the Chiefs for a 2006 No. 4 (117th). Edwards went due south in his three years in Kansas City – 9-7, 4-12 and 2-14.
Who the Jets drafted: Washington, who in four seasons rushed for 1,782 yards and returned four kickoffs for TDs.
And now there’s a chance Harbaugh may be on the market — though everybody’s denying, denying, denying at this point. The thing is, 12 years ago, the Bucs were insisting they wouldn’t give up draft picks for Gruden, as you can see here:
Make that five touchdowns this season for the Texans’ J.J. Watt, the defensive end with a nose for the end zone. His latest — and third TD catch — came Sunday on a 1-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick in Houston’s 45-21 win over the Titans.
How can I put Watt’s feat in perspective? Maybe this way:
RUNNING BACKS WHO HAD 350 TOUCHES IN A SEASON AND FEWER THAN 5 TDS
