Age: 29
7th season in pro
football, 4th with Eagles
College: Youngstown State
Height: 6’2” Weight: 196
Prelude:
Chosen in the second round
of the 1973 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, Jaworski saw little action in
his first three years, most notably leading LA to a playoff win over the
Cardinals in 1975. Dissatisfied with the lack of playing time, he refused to
accept a contract extension and was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for the
1977 season. Installed as the starting quarterback by Head Coach Dick Vermeil,
Jaworski developed along with the team, hearing plenty of boos from frustrated
fans but also showing a gritty determination and vocal leadership, as well as
ability. The Eagles reached the postseason in 1978 with a 9-7 record and again
in ’79 at 11-5 and Jaworski threw for 2668 yards and 18 TD passes.
1980 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16
games
[Bracketed numbers indicate
league rank in Top 20]
Passing
Attempts – 451 [12]
Most attempts, game – 36
at St. Louis
Completions – 257 [11, tied with Steve Bartkowski]
Most completions, game –
21 at New Orleans
Yards – 3529 [6, tied with Lynn Dickey]
Most yards, game – 331
at Dallas
Completion percentage – 57.0 [18]
Yards per attempt – 7.8 [5]
TD passes – 27 [6]
Most TD passes, game – 3 vs.
Denver 9/7, vs. NY Giants 9/22, at New Orleans
Interceptions – 12
Most interceptions, game – 3
at St. Louis
Passer rating – 91.0 [2, 1st in NFC]
300-yard passing games – 2
200-yard passing games – 12
Rushing
Attempts – 27
Most attempts, game - 4 (for
5 yds.) vs. Dallas 10/19, (for 9 yds.) at New Orleans
Yards – 95
Most yards, game – 19 yards
(on 1 carry) vs. Washington
Yards per attempt – 3.5
TDs – 1
Scoring
TDs – 1
Points - 6
Postseason: 3 G
Pass attempts – 105
Most attempts, game - 38 vs.
Minnesota , NFC Divisional playoff, vs. Oakland
Pass completions – 44
Most completions, game - 18 vs.
Oakland
Passing yardage – 572
Most yards, game – 291 vs. Oakland
TD passes – 2
Most TD passes, game - 1 vs.
Minnesota , NFC Divisional playoff, vs. Oakland
Interceptions – 7
Most interceptions, game – 3
vs. Oakland
Rushing attempts – 3
Most rushing attempts, game
- 2 vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
Rushing yards – 2
Most rushing yards, game - 2
vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
Average gain rushing – 0.7
Rushing TDs – 0
Awards & Honors:
NFL Player of the Year: Bert
Bell Award
1st team All-NFC:
UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
Eagles went 12-4 to finish first
in the NFC East and with the best record in the conference. Won NFC Divisional
playoff over Minnesota Vikings (31-16) and NFC Championship over Dallas Cowboys
(20-7). Lost Super Bowl to Oakland
Aftermath:
The Eagles got off to a 6-0
start in 1981 but slumped in the second half of the season and lost in the Wild
Card round of the playoffs. “The Polish Rifle” threw for 3095 yards and 23 TD
passes, but also saw his interception total rise from 12 to 20. The team slid
into mediocrity, Vermeil departed, but Jaworski lasted in Philadelphia Kansas City
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL,
AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper
Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell
Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).
[Updated 2/9/14]
[Updated 11/28/14]
[Updated 2/9/14]
[Updated 11/28/14]
I've always thought of Ron Jaworski as talented, but too often hot-and-cold. He performed much better when his supporting cast helped him out (particularly players like Wilbert Montgomery and Mike Quick), but got erratic when rattled (like his performance against the Raiders in Super Bowl XV).
ReplyDeleteI agree that Jaworski had his limitations, but I always admired his toughness and leadership qualities. I think that he and Phil Simms were cut out of the same cloth.
ReplyDelete