1979: Rams Beat Vikings on Fake FG in Overtime

The Los Angeles Rams had won the NFC West title for six straight years heading into the 1979 season, but the streak appeared to be in jeopardy. In their second year under Head Coach Ray Malavasi, there was still plenty of talent, but injuries had tested the club’s depth. In particular, QB Pat Haden had gone out with a broken finger ten weeks through the schedule, and inexperienced backup Vince Ferragamo had taken over. While he proved to be a good passer, the ground game that featured HB Wendell Tyler and FB Cullen Bryant was the key to resurgence, along with the rugged defense (when healthy).

On December 2 the Rams, having won two straight games and thus sporting a 7-6 record, hosted the Minnesota Vikings at the Memorial Coliseum. As the Rams had in the NFC West, Minnesota largely dominated the NFC Central under Head Coach Bud Grant, but was also experiencing difficulty in ’79. Many of the veterans who had contributed heavily to the club’s success over the years were either over-the-hill or gone, most notably QB Fran Tarkenton, who retired after 1978, his 18th season (and 13th, over two stints, in Minnesota). Tarkenton’s successor, 24-year-old Tommy Kramer, was performing capably but the running game was weak and the defense not nearly as strong as it had been during the team’s best years. However, the special teams had blocked 13 kicks during the season (punts, field goals, and extra point attempts), which would factor into the game’s outcome.

There were 56,700 fans at the Coliseum, and they saw the Vikings dominate the first half, although the score was 14-14 at halftime as the Rams took advantage of a blocked punt, muffed punt, and interception. In the first quarter, LB Joe Harris, a former Viking, returned the blocked punt 31 yards to put LA in front at 7-0. Later in the period, Kramer passed to WR Terry LeCount for a 36-yard TD to tie the score.

The Vikings went ahead on a second Kramer scoring pass, this time to WR Sammy White from six yards out. But Cullen Bryant’s two-yard touchdown run and the ensuing extra point resulted in the tied score after a half of play. It was fortunate for LA, for Ferragamo had been ineffective, completing just 4 of 10 passes for 22 yards with one interception.

With the LA offense playing poorly in the first half, Coach Malavasi chose to change quarterbacks for the second half. Ex-Viking QB Bob Lee, who had been signed by the Rams the previous month, came into the game. The move paid dividends when he completed a pass to WR Preston Dennard for a 41-yard touchdown and 21-14 lead. However, in the fourth quarter the Vikings struck once more as Kramer connected with WR Ahmad Rashad for a 22-yard TD and, with Rick Danmeier’s extra point, the score was again tied at 21-21 at the end of regulation.

Minnesota appeared to be driving for the win in overtime, but DB Eddie Brown intercepted a Kramer pass at his own 15 yard line and returned it 25 yards (it was Brown’s second pickoff of the game). Lee completed a throw to Bryant that gained 20 yards, and the Rams got 15 more added when DE Mark Mullaney was penalized for roughing the passer. Tyler ran for 17 yards to the Minnesota eight and then Bryant’s short three-yard carry set the Rams up for a field goal attempt on third down.

Frank Corral was lined up for an apparent 22-yard kick, but Jack Youngblood, the star defensive end who played blocking back in kicking situations and called the signals, was mindful of Minnesota’s success at blocking kicks and audibled for a fake. FS Nolan Cromwell (pictured at top), the holder, took the snap and ran around left end for a five-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 27-21 win at 6:53 into the overtime period.

The Vikings outgained LA (409 yards to 300) and had far more first downs (26 to 14). However, they had four costly turnovers, to three by LA, and Kramer was sacked five times. The Rams were hurt by 9 penalties, totaling 90 yards, to 7 flags thrown on Minnesota.

In relief of Ferragamo, Bob Lee completed 7 of 14 passes for 161 yards with a TD and an interception. WR Ron Smith caught three passes for 99 yards while Wendell Tyler added 17 yards on three receptions to go along with his 36 yards on 13 rushing attempts. Cullen Bryant paced the club with 44 yards on 14 carries that included a TD. Highlighting the difficulties encountered by the offense, Ken Clark punted 10 times over the course of the contest (40.4 avg.).

For the Vikings, Tommy Kramer went to the air 42 times and completed 21 for 297 yards and three touchdowns, as well as three that were picked off. Ahmad Rashad caught 6 of those passes for 102 yards and a TD. HB Rickey Young gained 70 yards on 16 carries and FB Ted Brown had 18 rushing attempts for 52 yards and caught 5 passes for 56 more. 16-year veteran FS Paul Krause accounted for both of the team’s interceptions, thus breaking a tie with Emlen Tunnell at 79 and giving him the NFL career record of 81.

“The plan was to run if they were set for a kick,” said Jack Youngblood of the climactic fake field goal. “Obviously, they were playing for a kick.”

“All we had to do was get three points,” said Ray Malavasi (pictured below). “If Cromwell puts it in, we win. We still had another shot if it failed. It was a play we worked on during the week.”


The Rams split their last two games to end up first in the NFC West once more, although with a rather ordinary 9-7 record. However, they won the NFC Championship, something that had eluded the team during its prior years of success over the decade (they lost four conference title games during the ‘70s), beating the Cowboys and upstart Buccaneers to advance in the playoffs. They lost a hard-fought Super Bowl to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Minnesota ended up at 7-9 to place third in the NFC Central, the team’s first losing record since Bud Grant’s initial year as head coach in 1967.

Despite the rough outing against the Vikings, Vince Ferragamo went 4-1 as the starting quarterback in the regular season and 2-1 in the playoffs, looking impressive in doing so. It was enough to ignite a quarterback controversy that was settled in the 1981 season-opening game when Pat Haden suffered another hand injury and Ferragamo put together a career year.

MVP Profile: Roman Gabriel, 1969

Quarterback, Los Angeles Rams


Age: 29
8th season in pro football & with Rams
College: North Carolina State
Height: 6’4” Weight: 220

Prelude:
Taken in the first round of the 1962 NFL draft, Gabriel was one of the biggest quarterbacks of his era and proved to be tough with an accurate throwing arm. However, he had to vie for playing time against, first, veteran Zeke Bratkowski and, later, a young challenger in Bill Munson. The arrival of George Allen as head coach in 1966 brought stability and success. Operating in a conservative offense, Gabriel passed for a career-high 25 TDs in 1967 as the team went 11-1-2 and made it to the postseason for the first time since 1955. He was selected to the Pro Bowl following both the 1967 and ’68 seasons.

1969 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 399 [3]
Most attempts, game – 40 at San Francisco 10/12
Completions – 217 [3]
Most completions, game – 21 vs. Minnesota 12/7
Yards – 2549 [6]
Most yards, game – 319 vs. San Francisco 11/9
Completion percentage – 54.4 [5]
Yards per attempt – 6.4 [14]
TD passes – 24 [1]
Most TD passes, game – 4 vs. New Orleans 10/5
Interceptions – 7 [20, tied with Earl Morrall]
Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. Dallas 11/23, at Detroit 12/14
Passer rating – 86.8 [3]
300-yard passing games – 1
200-yard passing games – 5

Rushing
Attempts – 35
Most attempts, game – 6 (for 20 yds.) vs. Dallas 11/23
Yards – 156
Most yards, game – 36 yards (on 4 carries) at Philadelphia 11/16
Yards per attempt – 4.5
TDs – 5

Scoring
TDs – 5
Points – 30

Postseason: 1 G (Western Conf. Championship at Minnesota)
Pass attempts – 32
Pass completions – 22
Passing yardage – 150
TD passes – 2
Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 4
Rushing yards – 26
Average gain rushing – 6.5
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, UPI, NEA, Bert Bell Award, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: Hall of Fame, AP, NEA, NY Daily News, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
2nd team All-NFL: PFWA, UPI
Pro Bowl

Rams went 11-3 to finish first in the Coastal Division of the Western Conference. Lost Western Conference Championship to Minnesota Vikings (23-20).

Aftermath:
Gabriel led the NFL with 407 pass attempts in 1970 as the Rams went 9-4-1, although they failed to make the playoffs. With the departure of Allen, the team stumbled further in 1971 and ’72 and Gabriel showed signs of being on the downside of his career. Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, he staged a comeback in 1973 as he led the NFL in pass attempts (460), completions (270), yards (3219), and TD passes (23) and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time. But injuries and ineffectiveness hindered his performance in his final four seasons, the last two of which were largely spent as a backup. Gabriel passed for 29,444 yards with 201 TDs and 149 interceptions – at the time, his percentage of INTs thrown (3.3) ranked lowest all-time in the NFL for a passer with at least 1500 attempts.

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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 2/11/14]

1952: Rams Hold Off 49ers to Win Key Division Battle

The November 30, 1952 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams featured two 6-3 teams that were in contention in the NFL’s National Conference, but appeared to be heading in different directions.

The 49ers, in their third season after coming over from the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), had gotten off to a 5-0 start. Head Coach Buck Shaw’s team had an exciting offense that was benefiting from the addition of rookie HB Hugh McElhenny. However, one play - a decision by veteran QB Frankie Albert to fake rather than punt from deep in his own territory that came up short against the Bears - led to the first loss of the year. It also led to bad relations between Coach Shaw and Albert and the whole season unraveled from there. They lost three of their next four games, including a 35-9 thrashing at Los Angeles the week before. Albert lost his starting job to Y.A. Tittle and there was open talk of dissension on the club. However, on this day they were motivated to try and win for their captain, FB Norm Standlee, who was hospitalized with a mild case of polio.

Meanwhile, the defending-champion Rams had fallen into disarray during the preseason. The defense was performing badly and Head Coach Joe Stydahar was feuding with assistant Hamp Pool. When LA lost its opening game to the Browns by a score of 37-7, Stydahar resigned and Pool was elevated to head coach. It didn’t pay immediate returns as the club fell to 1-3, but the defense finally jelled and, with the win over the 49ers the previous week, the Rams had reeled off five straight wins and were back in contention for another title. The quick-striking offense was still the team’s greatest strength, utilizing the quarterback tandem of Norm Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield, ends Tom Fears and Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, and a stable of fine running backs led by FB “Deacon Dan” Towler.

There were 51,000 fans in attendance at Kezar Stadium on an overcast day. The game was billed as a “grudge fight” between the two West Coast rivals, and both teams were fired up right from the start.

The Rams scored first, in the opening quarter, driving 59 yards in nine plays capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Van Brocklin to HB V.T. “Vitamin” Smith. San Francisco tied the game early in the second quarter, climaxing a 15-play, 55-yard drive with a five-yard scoring pass from Tittle to end Gordie Soltau. Waterfield kicked a 27-yard field goal to again put the Rams in front following a 75-yard possession and the halftime score was 10-7.


Waterfield kicked another field goal in the third quarter, from 32 yards, and then two interceptions of Tittle passes by DHB Jack Dwyer (pictured at left), a local product out of Loyola of Los Angeles, set up LA touchdowns

The first of the TDs was by Towler, who charged 29 yards down the middle of the field for the score following two outstanding passes, to Fears and Hirsch. The second pickoff gave the Rams the ball on the San Francisco 15 and “Vitamin” Smith scored on a two-yard carry. It appeared to be a runaway for Los Angeles at 27-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

However, Tittle brought the 49ers back in the final period. First, in a two-play possession he threw twice to end Bill Jessup, first for a 58-yard gain on the last play of the third quarter, followed by a 10-yard scoring pass to start off the fourth. Then, following an interception of a Waterfield pass by LB Jimmy Powers that gave the Niners the ball on the LA 22, Tittle fired a scoring pass to McElhenny in the end zone. The big lead was down to six points at 27-21.

However, the 49ers missed an opportunity to take the lead after recovering a fumble at the LA 13 on the following kickoff return when LB Hardy Brown knocked the ball loose from FB Jack “Moose” Myers, bringing the home crowd to a frenzy. However, in a key series, the defense held and San Francisco was forced to turn the ball over on downs.

The Rams capped the scoring late in the fourth quarter by keeping the ball on the ground, most notably on a 51-yard carry by HB Woodley Lewis. Towler pounded into the end zone from three yards out for the touchdown, giving LA a 34-21 win.

It was an impressive performance by the LA defense which held San Francisco’s top-ranked running attack to 67 yards in 27 carries – and most of that came on a 24-yard run by Joe Perry and 11-yard carry by McElhenny. The Niners had just nine rushing yards in the first half. Meanwhile, the Rams piled up 251 yards on the ground. Overall, they outgained San Francisco by 388 yards to 208 and had more first downs, 19 to 14. Both teams turned the ball over three times. LA sacked Tittle five times, but the 49ers weren’t able to dump either of the Rams’ quarterbacks for a loss.

Dan Towler rushed for 132 yards on 19 carries. Woodley Lewis, with his long run, gained 64 yards on just three attempts. Norm Van Brocklin completed 12 of 18 passes for 100 yards with a TD and an interception and Bob Waterfield added three completions in seven throws for 37 yards with one picked off. Tom Fears caught 6 passes for 45 yards while “Crazy Legs” Hirsch gained 47 yards on his 4 receptions.

For the 49ers, Y.A. Tittle went to the air 26 times and completed 10 for 155 yards with three TDs but also three interceptions. Joe Perry gained 53 rushing yards on 14 carries.

Six receivers caught two passes apiece, with Bill Jessup (pictured below) accumulating the most yards with 68. Jessup was available to the 49ers on a weekend pass from the San Diego Naval Station, although he exceeded his 150-mile limit and was disciplined by the Navy afterward.


The loss essentially knocked the 49ers out of contention - they split their final two games to end up in third place in the National Conference with a 7-5 record. Los Angeles won its final two contests to end up tied atop the conference with the Lions at 9-3. However, the Rams lost the resulting playoff game at Detroit, thus losing out on a shot at winning back-to-back titles.

Dan Towler led the NFL in rushing with 894 yards on 156 carries (5.7 avg.) and 10 touchdowns. San Francisco’s Joe Perry and Hugh McElhenny placed third and fourth with 725 and 684 yards, respectively. McElhenny topped the league by averaging 7.0 yards per carry and also had the most all-purpose yards with 1731.

2007: Cowboys Beat Packers in Battle of 10-1 Teams to Secure Playoff Berth

The matchup on November 29, 2007 at Texas Stadium featured two 10-1 teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, battling for the upper hand in the NFC. Both clubs featured outstanding offenses. The Cowboys, under first-year Head Coach Wade Phillips, had a solid core with QB Tony Romo (pictured at right), brash WR Terrell Owens, TE Jason Witten, and RB Marion Barber. Green Bay, coached by Mike McCarthy, had QB Brett Favre, in his sixteenth year behind center, throwing to wide receivers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings and handing off to RB Ryan Grant, who had become the team’s top runner down the stretch. There were injury concerns where the Packers were concerned, but they were a fundamentally sound team heading into the showdown in Irving, Texas.

There were 64,167 in attendance for the Thursday night contest and the Cowboys were wearing throwback uniforms harkening back to the ‘60s. The Packers received the opening kickoff and drove 40 yards in eight plays, capped by Mason Crosby’s 47-yard field goal for the early 3-0 lead. Following a 35-yard kickoff return by WR Miles Austin, Dallas responded in kind with a seven-play, 47-yard drive that ended with a game-tying 26-yard field goal by Nick Folk.

After a three-and-out Green Bay possession, the Cowboys followed up with another Folk field goal, this time from 51 yards, capping a drive highlighted by Marion Barber’s 16-yard run up the middle. The Packers gave the ball back on the first play following the ensuing kickoff as Favre’s poorly-thrown pass was intercepted by safety Ken Hamlin and Dallas capitalized when Romo immediately threw to Owens for a 34-yard gain to the Green Bay seven yard line and, two snaps later, connected with WR Patrick Crayton for a three-yard touchdown.

There was still just over a minute remaining in the first quarter as the Packers got the ball again. On a third-and-one play at the Green Bay 38, Grant took a handoff and broke away for a 62-yard TD. Dallas had a 13-10 lead after a period of play.

The Cowboys were quick to respond. On the first play of the second quarter, Romo completed a pass to Owens for a 48-yard gain to the Green Bay 28. Two plays later, he hit TE Anthony Fasano for a 26-yard touchdown and, with the successful extra point, Dallas was ahead by 20-10.

The Packers drove from their 16 to the 43 yard line on their next possession, but on a second-and-12 play Favre was again intercepted, this time by CB Terence Newman, giving the Cowboys the ball in good field position at the Green Bay 45. More significantly, the 38-year-old quarterback suffered a shoulder separation when hit by CB Nate Jones and was done for the day.

Dallas didn’t take long to score as a long Romo pass intended for Austin drew a pass interference penalty that moved the ball to the five yard line and, while a false start moved the ball back five yards, Owens caught a ten-yard pass for a touchdown. It was now a 27-10 game and the Cowboys seemed to be very much in command.


When the Packers went back on offense, it was third-year backup QB Aaron Rodgers behind center (pictured at left). While Favre had not been having a good day prior to his injury, completing just 5 of 14 passes for 56 yards with two of them intercepted, Rodgers was still a largely untested talent.

Rodgers’ first series was uneventful and the teams traded punts before Green Bay got the ball back again with 5:23 remaining in the first half. Following a loss on a busted play, Rodgers threw to Greg Jennings for a 43-yard gain into Dallas territory at the 32. Tossing short passes, Rodgers chipped away at the Cowboys defense and, in the final seconds of the half, hit Jennings again for an 11-yard touchdown. It was a ten-point game at 27-17 at halftime.

Austin returned the second half kickoff 38 yards to the Dallas 44 and the Cowboys quickly drove into Green Bay territory. But on a fourth-and-two play at the 30 yard line, RB Julius Jones was held to a yard and the Packers took over on downs. Rodgers was sacked for an eight-yard loss on the first play, but had back-to-back completions of seven yards to WR James Jones and 17 yards to Donald Driver. Rodgers completed four more passes during the drive, including one to TE Donald Lee that gained 22 yards, and showed off his mobility with a nine-yard run for a first down in a second-and-eight situation. Grant finished off the 12-play series with a one-yard touchdown carry and, with the PAT, the big Dallas lead was down to three points at 27-24.

The Cowboys came back with a long possession of their own, highlighted by a 35-yard completion by Romo to Crayton on a third-and-19 play from the Dallas 11. However, after getting to the Green Bay six yard line, Romo was intercepted in the end zone by CB Al Harris on a pass that was juggled by Owens.

The Packers were forced to punt, and the Cowboys moved the ball with Romo completing four passes to Jason Witten along the way. The seven-play, 75-yard drive ended with Romo tossing a four-yard touchdown pass to Crayton. The Cowboys were once again ahead by ten points with just under eight minutes left to play.

Rodgers completed two passes to Driver that covered 17 yards and, in between, ran for a 13-yard gain out of the shotgun formation. The Green Bay drive stalled at the Dallas 35 and Crosby booted a 52-yard field goal to make it a seven-point game. However, the Cowboys sealed the win by responding with a nine-play possession that ran four minutes off the clock and ended up with Folk kicking a 25-yard field goal. Along the way, Barber carried the ball seven times for 26 yards.

Getting the ball back with 1:03 on the clock, there just wasn’t enough time for Rodgers and the Packers. They ran out of both time and downs at their own 44. Dallas came away with a 37-27 win.

The Cowboys outgained Green Bay with 414 yards to 357 and also had the edge in first downs, 23 to 20. In addition, they recorded three sacks while surrendering none and had the one turnover, to two suffered by the Packers.

Tony Romo completed 19 of 30 passes for 309 yards with four touchdowns and the one interception. Terrell Owens (pictured below) caught 7 passes for 156 yards and a TD while Jason Whitten added 6 receptions for 67 yards. Marion Barber paced the running attack, carrying the ball 17 times for 81 yards.


In relief of Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers showed off his potential as he was successful on 18 of 26 throws for 201 yards and a touchdown with none intercepted. Donald Driver caught 7 passes for 66 yards and Greg Jennings accumulated 87 yards on his 5 receptions that included a TD. Ryan Grant, aided by the long touchdown run, gained 94 yards on 14 rushing attempts that included two scores.

The win assured the Cowboys of a playoff spot and put them in prime position for the top seed in the NFC. They lost two meaningless games to end up atop the NFC East with a 13-3 record. Green Bay went on to win the NFC North, also with a 13-3 tally. However, the postseason proved to be anticlimactic for both clubs as they were upset by the fifth-seeded New York Giants. The Cowboys lost to New York in the Divisional round and the Packers, after whipping Seattle in that round, lost the NFC Championship game to the Giants in overtime.

Tony Romo placed second in the league in TD passes (36), yards per attempt (8.1), and yards per completion (12.6). His 4211 passing yards ranked third and his 97.4 passer rating fifth, although he also tied for fourth (with Cleveland’s Derek Anderson) by tossing 19 interceptions. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl.

Terrell Owens was a consensus first-team All-Pro as well as Pro Bowl selection as he caught 81 passes for 1355 yards (16.7 avg.) and 15 touchdowns. Jason Whitten also was selected to the Pro Bowl, for the fourth straight year, as well as gaining consensus first-team All-Pro honors for the first time (it was the fifth such occasion for Owens) after pulling in 96 receptions for 1145 yards (both career highs) and seven TDs.

The injury to Brett Favre appeared to put his record string of 249 consecutive starts at quarterback in jeopardy, but he was back the next week and finished out the season (his last with the Packers). He finished right behind Romo in fourth place with 4155 passing yards while tossing 28 touchdown passes against 15 interceptions.

Aaron Rodgers played in just one other game in 2007, and after three seasons had a career total of 59 pass attempts and the one TD pass. Things would change dramatically in ’08 as he stepped out from behind Favre’s shadow. The fine relief performance against the Cowboys served as something of a preview of coming attractions.

MVP Profile: Ace Parker, 1940

Tailback, Brooklyn Dodgers



Age: 28
4th season in pro football & with Dodgers
College: Duke
Height: 6’0” Weight: 168

Prelude:
Chosen by the Dodgers in the second round of the 1937 NFL draft, Parker first tried his hand at baseball as well as pro football. In two seasons as a shortstop for the Philadelphia Athletics, he hit .137, but was much more successful with football. The multi-talented Parker saw limited action as a rookie but was a consensus first-team All-Pro in 1938 as the best player on a weak team. Small but an outstanding playmaker, he excelled on both offense and defense. A new head coach, Jock Sutherland, took over in ’40, which set the stage for improvement, although a broken ankle sustained while playing minor league baseball had Parker starting the season wearing a brace on the injured leg.

1940 Season Summary
Appeared in all 11 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 111 [7]
Completions – 49 [5]
Yards – 817 [6]
Completion percentage – 44.1 [5]
Yards per attempt – 7.4 [3]
TD passes – 10 [2]
Most TD passes, game – 2 at Washington 9/15, vs. Clev. Rams 11/17, at NY Giants 12/1
Interceptions – 7 [11, tied with Cotton Price, Eddie Miller & Arnie Herber]
Passer rating – 73.3 [2]

Rushing
Attempts – 89 [9]
Yards – 306 [13]
Yards per attempt – 3.4
TDs – 2 [13, tied with eleven others]

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 3
Yards – 139
Yards per catch – 46.3
TDs – 2 [12, tied with thirteen others]

Kicking
PATs – 19 [1]
PAT attempts – 22 [1]

Punting
Punts – 49 [3]
Yards – 1875 [3]
Average – 38.3 [13]
Punts blocked – 0
Longest punt – 59 yards

Interceptions
Interceptions – 6 [1, tied with Don Hutson & Kent Ryan]
Return yards – 146 [1]
TDs – 1

Scoring
TDs – 5 [7, tied with four others]
PATs - 19
Points – 49 [4]

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: Joe F. Carr Trophy
1st team All-NFL: League, AP, UPI, INS, Chicago Herald-American, Collyers, NY Daily News

Dodgers went 8-3 to finish second in the Eastern Division, the club’s best record since entering the NFL in 1930.

Aftermath:
Parker had another good season in 1941 as the Dodgers again finished in second place. After missing the next three years due to World War II service in the navy, he returned to the NFL with the Boston Yanks (the Dodgers having folded in the meantime). After a season of limited action in Boston, he moved on to the New York Yankees of the new AAFC and shared the tailback duties with Spec Sanders. Parker was the team’s primary passer while Sanders was more of a runner and the Yankees won the Eastern Division, losing to the Browns in the AAFC Championship game – his final pro football appearance. He returned to minor league baseball as a player and manager. Parker was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1972.

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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 2/11/14]

1926: Quakers Defeat Yankees to Win First AFL’s Title

There were some 15,000 fans present at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park on November 27, 1926 to witness the climactic showdown for the championship of the first entity to be called the American Football League in its first (and only) season.

The Philadelphia Quakers came into the contest at 6-2 and were ahead of the New York Yankees, who were 8-3. It was the third meeting of the two clubs, with the Yankees having whitewashed Philadelphia by a score of 23-0 in the first contest and the Quakers coming out on top by 13-10 in the second matchup just two days before on Thanksgiving at Yankee Stadium.

Philadelphia, coached by Bob Folwell (who had been the original head coach of the NFL New York Giants the previous year), had built a strong club around FB Al Kreuz, who was a star at Penn, and players lured away from the NFL such as tackles Century Milstead, previously of the Giants, and Bull Behman, who had played locally with the Frankford Yellow Jackets. Signed for the showdown with the Yankees was HB Doc Elliott, previously of Lafayette College and the Cleveland Panthers.

The Yankees were the centerpiece of the league, having been created (along with the AFL) by C.C. Pyle as a showcase for his client, the much-celebrated halfback Red Grange. The player known as “The Galloping Ghost” delivered, as did wingback Eddie Tryon, the league’s leading scorer. The team was coached by Ralph Scott.

Like the NFL at the time, the AFL did not have divisions and there was no postseason, so whichever team topped the regular season standings of the nine-club circuit would be the champion. The Quakers, who usually played their home games at Sesquicentennial Stadium (later Municipal Stadium and, still later, JFK Stadium), were one of the new league’s few good draws, as were the Yankees, who had use of Yankee Stadium as home venue. By contrast, several of the other clubs failed to last the season.

Both teams faced injury problems – New York was without its marquee player, Grange, for the entire contest due to a hip injury suffered in the previous encounter. Philadelphia lost Kreuz early in the game.

Five minutes into the first quarter, the Quakers took over at their 20 yard line following a punt into the end zone by New York’s Tryon. QB Johnny Scott ran for five yards and then Doc Elliott gained five more and a first down. Kreuz and Elliott had short carries that gained another five yards. Scott completed a pass and Philadelphia got a 25-yard boost thanks to a clipping penalty that put the ball on the New York 30. The Yankees stiffened, but the Quakers converted another third down thanks to some razzle-dazzle as wingback Adrian Ford lateraled to Scott who tossed the ball back and a forward pass to end George Tully gained 17 yards. Three plays later, Scott passed to Ford (pictured at top), who ran for a touchdown, knocking over Tryon along the way. Bob Dinsmore drop-kicked the extra point that put the Quakers ahead by 7-0.


Philadelphia was able to consistently stop the Yankees’ attack during the first three quarters and added to the lead when Dinsmore (pictured at left), filling in for Kreuz, booted a 15-yard field goal. Midway through the fourth quarter, however, New York began to throw the ball to good effect. The Yankees went 54 yards in just three plays, all passes, climaxed by blocking back George Pease scoring on a pass that he caught at the ten yard line. However, Art Coglizer missed the extra point attempt, leaving the score at 10-6.

With the late afternoon darkness settling in as the final period progressed, Dinsmore put the game away for the Quakers with another field goal, this time from 25 yards, that was set up by his own interception of a New York pass. The final score was 13-6 and Philadelphia clinched the league title.

The Quakers challenged their local NFL rivals, the Yellow Jackets, to a game that, when Frankford won that league’s championship, would have been an early version of the Super Bowl. While Philadelphia did get to play a NFL team, it wasn’t Frankford. Instead, they took on the New York Giants, who had finished seventh with an 8-4-1 record. In bad weather at New York’s Polo Grounds, the Giants soundly thrashed the Quakers by a score of 31-0.

It was the end for the Quakers. With most of the teams in bad financial condition (if they hadn’t thrown in the towel already), the league folded. However, the Yankees were taken into the NFL and lasted for another two years before going under.

Several of the players for Philadelphia and New York were recognized by All-Pro teams that were selected from both the NFL and AFL. Al Kreuz, George Tully, and Bull Behman were second-team choices by the Chicago Tribune. Red Grange was also a second-team selection, and Century Milstead a third-team honoree, by Collyer’s Eye magazine. Eddie Tryon was a first-team choice of both of those publications.

1989: Anderson Gains 336 Receiving Yards as Rams Beat Saints

The Los Angeles Rams had started off the 1989 NFL season with five wins, lost four straight, but were back on track with two consecutive wins for a 7-4 overall record as they faced the New Orleans Saints on November 26. The Rams had been known as more of a running team in six prior seasons under Head Coach John Robinson, and while they still could run the ball with RB Greg Bell, the passing game was especially effective. QB Jim Everett had the solid veteran WR Henry Ellard to throw to, although he was not available for the game in New Orleans due to a strained calf muscle. However, he also had fleet second-year WR Willie “Flipper” Anderson (pictured above), who had the ability to stretch the field – and would do so in record fashion against the Saints.

New Orleans, coached by Jim Mora, had gotten off to a slow start at 1-4 due to cracks in the outstanding defense – most notably the absence of linebackers Pat Swilling (holdout) and Rickey Jackson (auto accident) at the beginning of the season. However, they then won five of their next six, including a big 40-21 win at LA, and were 6-5 as they hosted the Rams. RB Dalton Hilliard was the featured player on offense, while QB Bobby Hebert was suffering through a difficult season.

There were 64,274 fans in attendance for the Sunday night game at the Louisiana Superdome. The Rams had the first possession and immediately came out throwing as Everett connected with Anderson for gains of 14 and 11 yards. But after penetrating to the New Orleans 26 yard line, a holding penalty backed them up to the 36 and the drive stalled, forcing a punt.

Starting at their nine, it was the turn of the Saints to move the ball down the field, and it yielded results. Hilliard ran the ball six times in the 13-play, 91-yard drive and gained 26 yards while Hebert scrambled for a first down in a third-and-three situation and completed four passes, the last for a 19-yard touchdown to WR Eric Martin. The score stood at 7-0 after one quarter of play.

New Orleans started off the second quarter with Hebert passing to TE Greg Scales for a 17-yard gain and an eight-play possession ended up with Morten Andersen kicking a 36-yard field goal to extend the Saints’ lead to 10-0. The Rams responded with a scoring drive as Everett threw to Willie Anderson for a 43-yard gain on a third-and-13 play from their own 17 yard line and then converted another third down on another Everett-to-Anderson pass that gained 17 yards. Mike Lansford kicked a 32-yard field goal and it was a 10-3 game.

There was no further scoring during the remainder of the half as neither offense was able to effectively move the ball. Los Angeles had been held to 10 net rushing yards, but Anderson had already gained 85 yards on his four catches. There was much more to come.

On the first play following the second half kickoff, Hebert’s deflected pass was intercepted by DT Shawn Miller, giving the Rams the ball at the New Orleans 16. However, after driving down to the five, Lansford’s 22-yard field goal attempt was partially blocked by NT Jim Wilks and was no good.

The Saints moved the ball to their 44, largely due to a 29-yard gain on a Hebert throw to Martin, but New Orleans again had to punt. Anderson caught a six-yard pass on LA’s possession, but the Rams had to punt from midfield. Once again starting deep in their own territory, the Saints got a big gain when Hilliard broke through the line for a 40-yard pickup to the Los Angeles 47. Two plays later, Hilliard reached the hundred-yard rushing mark with a seven-yard carry and two plays after that he took a handoff, headed to his right, and then threw an option pass that Martin gathered in at the three yard line for a 35-yard touchdown. With less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, New Orleans was up by 17-3.

The Rams took possession at their 20 after the resulting kickoff was downed in the end zone, and needing a big play, they got it when Everett connected with Anderson for a 50-yard gain. The period ended two plays later with the ball on the New Orleans 29, but on a third-and-nine play, Everett was sacked by LB Vaughan Johnson for a 10-yard loss and once again the Rams had to punt. The ensuing kick was muffed by WR Rod Harris and LA recovered at the New Orleans 8. But still the Rams’ offense failed to take advantage of an opportunity and found itself with a fourth-and-goal situation at the 11. Everett suffered his fifth sack of the game, this time by Swilling, and the Saints took over on downs.

Following a short possession that resulted in a punt, the Rams got the ball back at their 40. Anderson caught a pass for a 16-yard gain and Everett completed two more short throws before he was intercepted by CB Robert Massey. The play withstood a review and the Saints again had the ball, only to punt it back shortly thereafter. Again Everett came out throwing, hitting WR Aaron Cox for 23 yards down the middle and then Anderson for 14 and RB Robert Delpino for six to the New Orleans 20. However, a pass to Anderson in the end zone fell incomplete and on the next play RB Greg Bell fumbled and DE James Geathers recovered for the Saints.

With time running out for the Rams, the two-touchdown New Orleans lead looked increasingly safe, but the Saints couldn’t get out from deep inside their own territory and had to punt once more. Los Angeles took over at its 39 yard line and Everett, following an incompletion, threw to RB Buford McGee for 11 yards. He went to the air again on the next play, and it resulted in a completion to Anderson for a 46-yard gain to the New Orleans four. Despite two penalties, the Rams were not denied this time as McGee ran for a five-yard touchdown and, with the successful extra point, it was now a 17-10 score.

The Saints took possession with 2:36 left in regulation, but once more the offense moved backward rather than forward and they had to punt from their 11 yard line. Tommy Barnhardt’s kick went 32 yards and, following a three-yard return, LA had the ball at the New Orleans 40.

It appeared that the Rams were still snake bitten, however, as Everett was sacked for the sixth time and then had a completion wiped out by a holding penalty. With second-and-32 at his own 38, Everett completed a pass to Anderson for 26 yards and followed up with a seven-yard completion to TE Pete Holohan for a first down at the New Orleans 29. The next two passes went to Anderson, for 14 yards and then a 15-yard touchdown. The clock was now down to a minute and Lansford tied the game at 17-17 with the successful conversion.

The Saints went three-and-out and punted, and Everett fired a pass down the middle to Anderson for a 24-yard gain to the New Orleans 35. However, Lansford missed a 52-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the fourth quarter and the game went into overtime.

New Orleans won the toss to receive the kickoff for the OT period, but once more the offense couldn’t move the ball and punted. The Rams took over at their 15 and, as had been their pattern, were penalized half the distance on their first play. However, they got a break when a long pass by Everett that was nearly intercepted drew an interference call for a gain of 35 yards. Everett had to throw the ball away under pressure on the next play and Bell ran for four yards, setting up a third-and-six situation at the LA 47. Not surprisingly, Everett looked to Anderson and connected for a 14-yard pickup and first down in Saints territory. Again a holding penalty backed the Rams up, but Everett threw to Holohan for eight yards and, for the climactic time, to Anderson for a 26-yard gain to the New Orleans 14. At 6:38 into the extra period, Lansford kicked a 31-yard field goal and the Rams came away with a hard-fought 20-17 win.

Los Angeles outgained the Saints (472 yards to 301), although only 57 of those yards came on the ground, and had more first downs (23 to 14). They also turned the ball over three times, to two turnovers by New Orleans, suffered six sacks while getting to Hebert four times, and repeatedly hurt themselves with penalties, accumulating a total of 10 (the Saints were flagged nearly as often, with 8).


Willie Anderson set a single-game NFL record with 336 yards on his 15 pass receptions and scored a touchdown (the previous record of 309 had been set by Kansas City’s Stephone Paige in 1985). Jim Everett (pictured at right) completed 29 of 51 passes for 454 yards with a TD and two intercepted. Robert Delpino led what there was of a running game as he gained 28 yards on 7 carries; he also accumulated 33 yards on his 5 pass receptions.

Dalton Hilliard was the star for New Orleans as he rushed for 112 yards on 24 carries. Bobby Hebert, continuing to have difficulties, completed 12 of his 26 throws for 155 yards with a TD and an interception. Eric Martin caught 5 passes for 107 yards and two TDs while, defensively, Robert Massey accounted for two of the team’s interceptions and Frank Warren was credited with two sacks.

“It was the most exciting and the happiest, yet also the most frustrating football game, I've ever been in,” said John Robinson afterward. “I don't know how many times we had the ball inside the 40 and came away with nothing repeatedly. I wasn't sure we'd score another touchdown as long as I lived. Willie Anderson put on the greatest performance I've ever seen by a wide receiver.”

The Rams went on to win three of their last four games to finish at 11-5, good enough for second place in the NFC West and a wild card berth in the playoffs. They easily defeated the Eagles in the first round and beat the Giants in the second, but lost decisively to their powerful division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, in the NFC Championship game. New Orleans, with John Fourcade eventually supplanting Bobby Hebert at quarterback, finished third in the division at 9-7.

“Flipper” Anderson led the NFL in yards per catch with a gaudy 26.0 figure (over six yards higher than his teammate and league runner-up, Henry Ellard, at 19.7). He had 44 receptions for 1146 yards and five touchdowns. Anderson again led the league with 21.5 yards per catch in ’90, but his productivity dropped off after that.

Jim Everett ranked third in the league in passing (90.6 rating) while leading in touchdown passes (29) and placed second (by just eight yards) in passing yardage with 4310. While he went to the Pro Bowl following the 1990 season, like Anderson, his early promise would give way to declining performance as his career moved forward.