1969 Washington Redskins

i'd like to have a win of the first year if possible a winning season for a team that had not had one in 14 years a difficult goal how would vince lombardi do it it started with sonny jerkins reporting in the best condition of his career or lombardi it started with sam huff coming out of retirement for lombardi it started in the fire and haze sweat and sacrifice of summer where forty men learn to be tough mentally and physically to have a singleness of purpose a desire for excellence they were taught the basic approach to football by a different kind of coach a coach who did not want to make more of his plays but who wanted them to make more of themselves it wasn't easy and the results weren't guaranteed only the coming season held the answers and at the end of summer as the redskins prepared for their first game in new orleans they could be sure of only one thing there were no quitters left the 1969 washington highlight film is presented by national beer and colt 45 malt liquor in new orleans the saints fans had a message and the redskins defense went to work on it when the offense took over summer's well-learned lessons took wayne sonny jerkins zeroed in on the all-pro tight end jerry smith for one touchdown [Music] then teaming with number 42 charlie taylor he floated and bombed the saints right out of the game [Music] summer's sacrifices became a receding memory forgotten in the ecstasy of victory sweet victory nevertheless the first win was the sweat of summer [Music] next to cleveland washington led late in the game but the brown slipped in under the wire and the redskins record stood at one and one in san francisco the following week everything seemed ragged only great recovery efforts kept the redskins in the game but the 49ers led late in the last quarter and a ragged score was better than none as washington settled for a last minute time [Music] in the fourth week of the season the redskins finally came home thus far it had looked like any other of the past 14 years but filled with hope the washington fans came to see if this team with this coach was really any better as far as st louis was concerned the answer was quite plainly yes first number 37 pat fisher intercepted to set up a score by larry brown [Music] next sam huff pulled one down in a sideline conference coach and quarterback set the play and jerry smith made it look easy the cards had to throw to catch up but when they put the ball in the air the washington secondary tracked it down it was mike bass on this one which led to charlie taylor's score knight added four field goals and st louis was desperate but pat fisher again came up with the ball [Music] and the cards came up bloody bowed and beaten the second win was for the defensive secondary [Music] throughout the season pat fisher and mike bass were invaluable and helping them in the redskins secondary was number 23 brig owens a ball-seeking anti-touchdown missile in his own right [Music] number 46 safety ricky harris led the team in the deceptions and was the second leading punt returner in the league [Music] when the new york giants came to town they found out what made ricky run [Music] the giants led for most of the game but with the score tied in the last quarter ricky harris broke it open [Music] he broke it because in the lombardi system every man hustles on this play harris was caught and passed by his blockers [Music] the third win was desire hustle desire second effort under lombardi they mean one thing singleness of purpose get the ball get the yards get the victory [Music] the redskins learn that pain does not count and they desired for the ball the yards the victory [Music] they desire because they believe that no pain is greater than the pain of defeat [Music] in pittsburgh the steelers founded hard to stop sonny jerkinson who passed for one touchdown and weaved his way to a second that was all the redskins needed because the defense led by its hitters and crushers gave up only seven points like hounds after a fox they ran stila quarterback terry hanratty into the ground the fourth win was for the hitters [Music] under their new coach the redskins had become a team that punished throughout the season they were hitters who displayed one necessary quality they played with abandon dean of the hitters middle linebacker sam huff personified the lombardi credo [Music] when his wrecking ball style caught up with him it wasn't for long because big sam came back to play with little hurts linebacker chris hamburger has a unique style of punishing in the nfl he is known respectfully as the hangman and many opponents came to learn the black and blue ballot of big sam and the hangman when number 86 marlon mckeever became a starting linebacker there was no loss of speed or ferocity what the hitters didn't get to handle had already been doomed to the front line the crushers musgrove and bosch carroll camera and huffman crane and norton but even this power was sometimes harnessed by frustration in rainy baltimore the coats rolled over the redskins with seeming ease [Music] [Music] when the rams came to town their defense mauled the washington attack dallas came with rookie of the year calvin hill who proved his worth and the cowboys went home victorious when the two teams met in dallas the contest was closer but the result was the same frustration and defeat [Music] for the redskins the season's peak of frustration came at home on flag day [Music] inspired by sam huff's touchdown and charlie harraway score washington led philadelphia late in the last quarter 28-14 but the eagles charged back and with time almost gone they went to the desperation bomb which became the most controversial call of the season [Music] the truly disappointing last minute tie did not sit well with many people when the falcons visited the capital they brought a potent ground game however the real ground power belonged to the redskins number 43 larry brown ran wild behind the blocking of promuto rock and haws gaining 102 yards and scoring a touchdown when he found himself in trouble jurgensen went to number 31 charlie haraway and behind blocks by snowden and chenky charlie street 64 yards for the winning touchdown [Music] the fifth win was for the blockers and runners throughout the season charlie haraway rammed and churned his way goldwater [Music] in addition to his running he was also the sixth leading pass receiver in the nfl [Music] larry brown from kansas state had some problems in the beginning but once the first year man hit his stride he rushed for 888 yachts the most ever by a rookie [Music] he pushed calvin hill for rookie of the year honors and ended up fourth in the league in rushing [Music] after much concern the fans were happy to find that the redskins running game was alive and devastating land of pleasant living happy serene where all day long the shad roamed stroke stroke stroke and the frogs [Music] croaked [Music] speaking of old favorites anyone remember everyone knows that join in and follow the bouncing climb [Music] nationals [Music] i wrote every man [Music] in the return match with the eagles sonny was on his game and revenge was in the air [Music] but so was sleet and the astroturf became the astro rink on the slick surface washington's fire sputtered and went out [Music] with the departure of number nine and with the increasingly bad weather conditions the eagle attack struck what should have been the death blow but the redskins had learned to fight adversity to play with small hurts sunny returned to the game the offense crashed for one touchdown the defense crunched for another [Music] the golden arm fired and jerry smith came up with a miracle revenge sweet revenge and time ran out on the eagles argument the sixth win was for the passer and his receivers the nerve center of any team is the quarterback an on-the-field extension of the coach in sunny jurgensen vince lombardi has what he calls the best quarterback he's ever seen no one argues sonny's style of scrambling defies imitation [Music] but what he does best is throw that seed throw that seed well enough to lead the league in passing as the only quarterback to throw for over 3000 yards a passer needs good receivers and jerry smith was a touchdown machine in three of the last four years he's been the leading tight end receiver in the nfl wide receiver bob long could go long but his real value was in the short zones where he took the punishment and got the yards [Music] wide receiver charlie taylor always smiling because he knows you're not going to get him he'll get you style frenetic a cross between pinwheel and whirlwind [Music] moves uncanny and frustrating to most opponents but charlie just keeps smiling and [Music] whirling [Music] so the only way to beat him is to cheat him but if you cheat the nfl's second leading pass receiver then you'll watch him going away and as he leaves he'll turn to give you a farewell smile [Music] washington's last home game of the year was against the saints if they could win this one they could show their fans a winner for the first time in 14 years in the first half the secondary smothered the saints air attack [Music] [Applause] kurt knight kicked and the redskins were ahead [Music] [Applause] [Music] two scores by charlie harraway made it 17 to nothing at the half and the fans sensed a new day dawning in washington but in the second half the saints changed their plan of attack they went to the ground and they went to the end zone [Music] the game was slipping away and with it the redskins hopes for a winning season [Music] but as their coach has said if a man is running down the street with everything you own you better stop him [Music] and the redskins defense did just that [Applause] [Music] they made their own break and after 14 lean years they came up a winner [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the seventh win was for a man and a team [Music] as vince lombardi left the field the season must have echoed in his mind i'd like to have a win of the first year if possible a winner the first year if possible [Music] they had won they had won and in every way possible they had one with guts and sincerity [Music] they're one with grace and style [Music] they had one with courage and singleness of purpose in the end vince lombardi did not make more of these men but he did make them make more of themselves [Music] next year there will be more victories and perhaps a title because for this man and for this team all things are possible the 1969 washington highlight film was presented by national beer and coke 45 malt liquor [Music] you

Channel: Grey Beard

Views: 13,389

Keywords: NFL Films, Steve Sabol, Ed Sabol, Washington Redskins, Vince Lombardi, Sam Huff, Sonny Jurgensen, Jerry Smith

Id: 8uh_tjtJ_To

Length: 26min 7sec (1567 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 25 2020