A New Breed of Cats-1967 Detroit Lions

think of the detroit lions and you think of defense but in 1967 a new image was imprinted on opponents and fans alike along with their usual punishing defense a new breed of cats brought ground power into the picture number 24 mel farm is the newest lion in head coach joe schmidt's attack and it made little difference if he chose to run inside or outside he was equally adept at both [Music] lions finished the 67th season as the national football league's third leading rushing team with over 1900 yards to their credit each time they ran the ball they gained an average of four yards their per game average of over 136 yards was also the third best in the league [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] the season wasn't even 10 minutes old with number 20 rookie lem barney shocked the partisan packer backers with a 24-yard interception for the lions first score of the season the defense received a singular ovation from coach joe schmidt the packers were apparently still dazed by barney's blow when wayne walker executed a picture perfect on side's kick inside packer territory quarterback milk plum called on scrappy patch stud still [Music] mel farr follows number 75 john gordy's block to the air 15. [Music] immediately plumb goes for the strike in the midst of three defenders veteran ron kramer hauls in plum's bullet for an apparent score a holding penalty nullifies the effort green bay goes on the attack or so they thought in this one quarter star had more passes intercepted than in the entire 66 season including this touchdown saver by tommy vaughn it was the relentless lions rush that precipitated stars frustration number 53 mike lucci was the recipient of one of star's four misguided missiles [Music] it was caris rush clark lucci and company that handle the world champs like anything but world champs veteran bruce maher grabbed his first intercepted pass of the season and raced into packard territory with the die cast number 87 john henderson found himself in the packers midst with a first down a gaping hole is ripped into the packer defense and mel farr zips through to the five bar is nailed at the line of scrimmage but an obvious packer in discretion moves the ball closer [Music] from 3 yards out amos marsh slices into the end zone for the lion's 17th point after a third period packer score starr bombed the lions with his 53-yard hookup to jim grabowski [Music] charlie bradshaw takes a well-earned breather as the packers continue their offensive but it was this 84-yard star to pitt's pass play that almost put the pack in the win column only number 44 dick lebeau saved the day and the tie with less than a minute and a half remaining the packers settled for three points off the tall don chandler we had them on the hook and let them off said coach joe schmidt who left green bay satisfied but disappointed six foot four 250 pound larry hand anchors the lion's defensive line his aggressive head knocking style has become a trademark all his own [Music] against the cartons and became the league's first defensive lineman in five years to score on an intercepted pass [Music] with an assist from number 78 darris mccord larry han intercepted his second touchdown pass in two weeks a feat never before accomplished by a defensive lineman in the history of the national football league when defensive linemen are mentioned the conversation always centers on this man number 71 alex carrots plays his position as many say it has never been played before even double team carys is just too strong to be denied his prize [Music] [Music] tom nowotzky is watching the man who filled the shoes of roger brown it's number 82 jerry rush in his third year as a pro rush was everything his coaches knew he'd be as a starter [Music] when the cleveland browns came to tiger stadium they wasted little time in exposing their explosive attack with a first period ryan the warfield bomb bell far is cat quick andy lucy he plays with the little hurts like a broken nose suffered in the opening game against the packers [Music] in a perfect protective cup formed by bradshaw flanagan walton and shoals plum hits tommy watkins who displays his balanced form later in the season rookie bill cottrell will be called upon to replace the injured shoals no efficiency will be lost trump calls on watkins again this time up the middle 4-9 this is the first of two touchdowns watkins will score today as he'll enjoy his best day as a pro [Music] in the midst of the offensive heroics the defense continued to play their second effort type game down 14 to 10 at the half the lions will end today's game with more yards rushing than in any game in seven years milk plums past protection has been almost flawless he has ample time to hit number 25 pat stud still to start the second half barrage [Music] it's a screen to mel farm but the circle's on number 75 john gordon gordy obliterates the cornerback to further far's advance [Music] this is one of five receptions by number 81 bill malinchek alan check gained 88 yards against the bronze to equal his entire 1966 production from five yards out plum flips to farm who is uncontested in the right flat the lions lead for the first time 17-14 [Music] the browns will not score again today part of the reason is number 20 rookie lem barney [Music] tommy watkins will end the day with 115 yards gained rushing he gave the credit to his offensive line like any good runner does but his determination had something to do with it too [Music] farr and gordy's blocks enable watkins to dive inside for his second score of the day and an increased lion's lead the attack keeps rolling on a plum to far toss good for a first down deep in brown's territory [Music] up the middle for the final blow as the lions drop over the browns 31-14 [Music] after three successive losses the lions met the atlanta falcons no sooner did they have their helmets in place with lem barney picked off a knob singer pass and scampered 45 yards into the end zone [Music] we spotlight center ed flanagan he picks up the blitz by all pro middle linebacker tommy novice to give carl sweethearn plenty of time to hit setback tom nowatsky who easily outraces the pursuing falcons to the flag it's instant touchdown and this time bill malinchak goes between the two defenders for the lions 24th point and second victory of the season [Music] there may have been some alex harris fans in san francisco but john brody wasn't one of them rhodey got to see a lot more of the lions than he planned on [Music] under extreme pressure it was no wonder that mike lucci was able to put the lions into an early lead with this interception the offense was fine tuned to carl sweden speared ron kramer to get the first drive underway next it was gail cogdill loose on a down and out sweetheart's nifty fate freezes the defense as he rolls left to the [Music] bell twelve receives resistance at the goal but he's able to pull in for a 14 to nothing lead [Music] until today only willie mays was known for his one-hand grabs in san francisco lim barney won't be forgotten soon after this circus catch barney's interception set up a sweet and jim gibbons combination good for penetration to the 49ers 13. [Music] drags two 49ers the last four yards to widen the gap to 24-3 mike lucci's second interception of the day is a result of his mate's hard rush and his all-out effort sweetan takes advantage of the setup quickly by firing to tom nowatsky for the score number 63 chuck walton pulls left and leads the way for amos marsh who blows in for six more rookie steve spurrier is welcomed into the parade by number 44 dick lebeaut on the attack again sweetheart calls on number 45 bobby phelps who scoots to the five [Music] the slick faking sweet and crosses up the 49ers again as he bootlegs in for the final tally of the day the 45-3 run is the lion's largest margin of victory ever in a regular season game [Music] a 572 season has to have its moments of frustration this missed tackle against strong roman gabriel of the rams cost dearly [Music] head coach joe schmidt was the most successful first year coach in the league in 1967 the lions are a young team while a young team will supply thrills they'll also supply their share of surprises [Music] so [Music] it's doubtful if this flea flicker is even in the lions playbook the lions would like to forget [Music] the 67 lions were second in affording quarterback protection the few breakdowns hurt dearly however the lions were able to handle the minnesota vikings but they couldn't handle the pigskin to detroit felt the dubious distinction of tying a single game record of 10 fumbles two of those fumbles came on this one play alone [Music] so [Music] the lions reversed rolls when they visited new york tommy watkins put the offense in excellent field position by returning the opening kickoff 44 yards statistically carl sweden was far down the league's list of quarterbacks at the start of this game his play selection looks first rate on this call as he spots amos marsh for six and an early first period score it was perhaps tarkenton's longest day as a giant in the first half against the rush of charis hand walker and company the new york scrambler will complete only one of 11 passes for a net of minus 34 yards his final game stats will show 3 for 16 and a poultry 48 yards [Music] when the offense took control they match the defensive heroics convoyed by flanagan and walt mel farr moved into giant territory [Music] set back by penalties sweetheart directed a neat play action 52-yard bomb to gail cocktail lions 21 giants nothing at the half [Music] the third quarter found tarkington pursued by his blue tormentors sometimes he eluded their grasp but his flight was a portrait of looming errors like this interception by lem barney [Music] earl morrell entered in relief of the beleaguered talkington the results remained the same even a short swing pass went for a loss due to expert detroit diagnosis morrill couldn't run or pass and bruce barr sought to it that he didn't punt either rookie frank gallagher made what he thought was a six-point dive but the rep ruled the degree of difficulty to be only worth two points with less than nine minutes remaining all detroit wanted to do was run out the clock mel far tried to do just that on this one play this was the longest run of the day but unfortunately it went into the record books as a 13-yard loss ironically far finished the season just 12 yards short of the all-time detroit rushing record [Music] genuine longest run on this 18-yard sprint [Music] on the run switzan spots farm and marvelous mel legs it to the 10. [Music] watkins plunges in for the final score and the lions have beaten the giants for the first time in 14 years in yankee stadium 30 to 7. in the first meeting between these two teams in 67 mel farr gained an nfl season high of 197 yards rushing one yard short of the single game lions record in this game the total offense of both teams will be limited to just under 200 yards the second quarter started with lem barney as the star barney's first interception was the game's first score [Music] bruce maher's block at the 10 eliminated the last viking pursuers and barney scored [Music] unmolested barney's third interception of the game set up the final lion score lim picked off a total of 10 passes during the season which tied him for the league honor in that departure sweetan rolls left and hits tommy watkins at the goal and the lions finish their season with a 14-3 trial the circle and jarring block are on rookie linebacker paul newman despite the upending block pneuma makes the play and gets his man the detroit plans for the future are built around their rookies and young players this youngster lem barney was the surprise of the season to everyone except the coaches who drafted him off the campus of jackson state [Music] barney broke into the big time at what is considered the most difficult position to succeed cornerback [Music] when the word gets out to stay away from a rookie's area of coverage you know you have a special player [Music] the rookies rookie in 1967 was mel farm voted the rookie of the year farm carried the bulk of the lions attack in his smooth fluid strides hard tied as the lion's leading scorer with tom nowatski he led the lions in rushing and receiving and some say he was the league's best scrambler [Music] so in 1968 barr barney and newmark will return along with former notre dame all-american nick eddie the player draft yielded a nucleus of talent comparable to last year's picks the common denominator among the pros is leadership in coach joe schmidt the lions have more than their share you

Channel: Grey Beard

Views: 3,763

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: NFL Films, Steve Sabol, Ed Sabol, Detroit Lions

Id: wbeOV7pypks

Length: 25min 19sec (1519 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 24 2020