Four of a Kind-1976 Los Angeles Rams

[Applause] [Music] in 1976 rams owner carol rosenblum and head coach chuck knox face the season with eager optimism already since coach knox's arrival the rams had a winning record of over 80 percent and three consecutive division titles now a well-rounded squad of youngsters and veterans looked better than ever so in 1976 the first order of business was for the kings of the nfc west to go for four of a kind the season opener found the rams in atlanta georgia where with james harris injured ron jaworski was throwing aces to receivers ron jesse and harold jackson as the blue and gold rolled up 30 points to the falcons 14. [Music] running backs lawrence mccutchen number 30 and john capelletti number 22 were juggernauts both surpassing 100 yards rushing for the day a late game injury to jaworski brought on signal caller pat hayden and his very first nfl pass was most impressive on defense number 90 larry brooks and number 85 jack youngblood steamroller the atlanta quarterback has a preview to what was to be a rock fight in the granite quarry when the rams next journey to minnesota both capiletti and mccutchen again topped 100 yards as the battle raged for five full periods before ending in a 10-10 tie both teams came close to winning and only a clutch interception by number 52 rick k who was later lost for the season saved the rams throughout the grueling day both teams demanded much and both gave as good as they got [Applause] [Music] [Applause] when it ended there was no doubt that two mad dog defenses had ruled the day at season's end they'd meet again for 15 years defense in los angeles has meant number 74 merlin olsen in his last season the perennial all-pro anchored a line that was the best against the rush in the nfc with merlin's departure passes not only the last vestige of the legendary fearsome foursome but also a ton of heart courage and inspiration big shoes to fill and waiting to tackle the job is highly touted number one pick mike fanning in 1976 tackle larry brooks number 90 was back from injury better than ever and got some long overdue recognition when he became one of the ram seven pro bowl players at defensive end the flamboyant style of number 89 fred dreyer meant only constant harassment and embarrassment to the opposition at the other end number 85 jack youngblood again everybody's all everything as he spearheaded what many consider to be the top front four playing in the nfl today and the talent is deep with reserve lineman cody jones ready to battle fanning for olson's job [Music] in a home opener 24-10 win over the giants a high pressure rush directed hasty passes to a hungry secondary in 76 the deep backs of coach jim wagstaff led the nfl with 32 interceptions veteran safety's dave ellmendorf number 42 and bill simpson number 48 gave opposing quarterbacks a quick return on their bad investments [Music] the veterans were daring and dependable the newcomers were dazzling first year starting cornerback rod perry number 49 was third in the nfl and thefts with [Music] [Applause] eight [Music] cornerback marty jackson was an all-pro and the pride of the cat burglars in his first full year as a starter his accomplishments included an nfl leading 10 interceptions and some mad man in a maze return [Music] the deep defense they're young tough and talented and have designs on a permanent residence in the vicinity of the ball for years to come in week four dolphin power was soundly scouted by jack faulkner while offensive coordinator ken meyer signaled a james harris-led offense that would make the german blitzkrieg look like a powder puff derby with bombs bursting in air harris went flying for 436 yards the best rams passing performance since 1951 performing double immelmans and inside out barrel rolls the rams receivers buzzed into miami's end zone like a formation of blue angels despite this impressive display the game was tied at 28 with only two minutes left a clutch pass from harris to harold jackson put tom dempsey right between the uprights which is right where he put the ball to make the unbeaten rams record 3-0-1 los angeles fast start was due in large part to coach lee bennett and his expert receiving trio of whippet wide receiver harold jackson all-pro wide receiver ron jesse and big tight end bob klein [Music] in week five the first of the nfc western division showdowns took place before a monday night television audience but tv was not the rams cup of tea as harris was sacked 10 times los angeles tumbled 16 to nothing with the bears in town the rams needed to win to stay close to the 49ers an injury to james harris put pat hayden in the hot seat and he responded with california cool as he steered the rams to an early lead but the much improved bears clawed back took the lead and then sent hayden into forced hibernation when a scramble for the sidelines turned into a rendezvous with chicago's concussion core when ron jaworski came on the nfc rushing leaders went into overdrive and lawrence mccutcheon stormed in for win number four 20 to 12. in the new orleans superdome the saints almost made believers out of the rams nothing came easy and the teams were tied midway through the last quarter when in relief pat hayden unloaded a 40-yard touchdown toss to harold jackson which clinch victory number five 16-10 back home seattle was the visitor but in hospitality was the theme of the day as marty jackson's steel and sprint touched off a lopsided 45-6 route of the seahawks number 45 jim bertelsen ground out many tough yards that led to short and sweet los angeles scores james harris on his way to the nfc passing title through soft-nosed bullets to bob klein and harold jackson then entered pat hayden who completed the scoring with a strike to number 87 tom gerdin win number six much of the credit for the point production must go to ray prohaska and his rebuilt offensive line of first year starting tackle doug franz sagacious veteran guard tom mack first year starting guard dennis hara big tough veteran john williams and pro bowl center rich saul in the ditch where the dinosaurs grown and grumbled no team out muscled or outhustled the rams well-schooled wall of protection whether it was backups greg horton jackie slater and jeff reese or number 75 john williams riding his man out of the play to give those few extra ticks to the passer the line was sheer determination or when it was tom mack engineering a truck-sized tunnel the rams big front was a study in reliability no one appreciated those qualities more than running back john capoletti number 22. in his third year cappy became a starter who gained almost 700 yards and was instrumental to the rams claim as the nfc's top running offense [Music] all pro lawrence of los angeles number 30 was the rams top runner in 76 his season total of 1168 yards set a new ram record formerly held by a fella named lawrence mccutchen [Music] proud of his runners but also proud of his special teams was coach elijah pitts who saw number 32 cullen bryant lead the nfc in kickoff returns and finished second in punt returns other bomb squad standouts were karl ecker kevin mclean terry nelson rod phillips steve priest mel rogers rob scribner pat thomas and freeman johns a group of men who contributed much in 1976. in week nine the rams played a monday night game in cincinnati in which the tiger had them by the tail unable to generate any offense los angeles fell 20 to 12. at home against st louis with hayden now the quarterback the ram offense warmed up but st louis quarterback jim hart was too hot to handle and the cardinals won 30-28 in week 11 the rams journeyed to san francisco for what promised to be the nfc western title showdown defensive coordinator ray malavasi's attack plan was to the point and the point of attack was any 49er quarterback in sight marty jackson slashed in with this big play and the rams were never to be headed [Music] hayden to jesse sealed an important 23-3 victory a victory that doomed the 49ers to second place again and made los angeles a shoe-in for divisional crown number four in a row against the 49ers it was defense that won the day coach tom catlin's linebackers were big contributors all year in the middle was jack hacksaw reynolds number 64. flanked by all pro isaiah robertson number 58 and tough jim youngblood number 53. jim youngblood did all that could have been asked throughout the year in replacement for the injured rick k [Music] isaiah enjoyed his best year and was at home hitting or intercepting and while hacksaw would rather hit he rerouted his share of passes too [Music] in week 12 the rams hosted the new orleans saints and had things firmly under control from start to finish as they won their eighth of the season 33-14 in week 13 the falcons needed bicycles to keep up with the rams who set an nfl record for rushing touchdowns on their way to the most lopsided regular season score in league history [Music] this 80-yard harris to dwight scales touchdown play brought a merciful end to a 59 to nothing wrong in detroit in the seasons finale james harris in relief put the trailing rams on top 20-17 to close out their regular schedule with an excellent 10 3 and 1 record [Music] ahead loomed the playoffs the dallas cowboys and the hopes of a season in dallas owner carol rosenblum son steve and general manager don klosterman watched as pre-game tension thickened and became palpable the stakes revenge for last year's dallas loss plus a trip to the nfc title game from the outset the rams front board charged roger staubach drilling him hard and often [Music] cowboy running backs receive more of the same [Music] under his first playoff pressure pat hayden was cool and to the point a lofty rainbow to harold jackson put the rams in scoring position and i describe the action this way for kmpc radio third and one at the dallas floor hayden takes a snap good protection he keeps it around the left side he said the two he dives in the end zone for a touchdown staubach takes the handoff he's going back to pass he's under tremendous pressure he's it he's down the rams have another sack roger the dodger drops straight back pressure from young buddies after him steps up on loads over the middle intercepted by robertson [Applause] despite all the defensive heroics a blocked punt late in the last quarter threatened the rams narrow 14 to 10 lead the cowboys in a position to score rejoiced as victory seemed imminent on a crucial fourth down situation receiver ball ram defenders and first down marker all seemed to meet in one spot now only the measurement could decide if los angeles had turned back the threat the defense had held the rams were on their way to the nfc championship [Applause] [Music] only a pre-planned safety by rusty jackson to run out the clock remained before the rams earned their way to a rematch with the minnesota vikings good afternoon everyone and welcome to metropolitan stadium in cold bloomington minnesota the national football conference championship game between the los angeles rams and the minnesota vikings the rams slide underdogs against the vikings on this cold sunny afternoon the high today forecast at 15 degrees did you know these two teams battled to a 10-10 tie during the regular season the winner today goes on to the super bowl in pasadena on january 9. [Music] [Applause] [Music] right from the starting whistle the rams were clicking precisely relentlessly they drove on the minnesota gold everything seemed to work on an end around by ron jesse the rams were sure they'd scored but the ball was placed inside the one on a sneak by pat hayden the rams again thought they'd scored and were again denied then came the biggest play of the game a fourth down field goal attempt by tom dempsey was blocked picked up and hand delivered 90 long yards to the los angeles end zone it was a break that raised the rams blood and from that point on they played with an intense ferocity [Applause] [Applause] looking almost like the scrambling man himself pat hayden drove the rams back into contention [Applause] he hands it off to mccutchen up the middle he said he stopped no he's still on his feet he's in again he drives he's in the end zone for a touchdown [Applause] good job good job watch the run watch the run parkinson's dropping straight back he's looking he's looking he's looking he's going to run he's hit by a dryer he bubbles the falls free bouncing around young block scottish he's heading for the end zone to the ten to the eighth and he's out of bounds at the eight yard line [Applause] nice the rams are definitely back in business hayden takes a short drop looking in the end zone it's in the air jackson's open he's got a touchdown oh my the rams are fighting for their lives the score now los angeles 13. minnesota 17. and fans this one is far from over [Applause] [Music] but late in the fourth quarter as the rams drove for a take the lead score another viking big play ended their hopes for a trip to the super bowl and the vikings were the nfc champions once again grit and determination to improve marked the rams character in 1976 it was a year of many noteworthy accomplishments not the least of which was an 11 4 and 1 overall record for the future the rams are a young team with 21 players who have less than three years experience they are talented and developing blended with a strong core of veterans there is no reason not to have great expectations about what's in the cards for 77. in 76 the rams made it four of a kind in winning the nfc western division crown in 77 they planned to go for a bigger crown a super size

Channel: Grey Beard

Views: 3,206

Rating: 4.9298244 out of 5

Keywords: NFL Films, Steve Sabol, Ed Sabol, Los Angeles Rams, LA Rams, Chuck Knox, Ron Jaworski, James Harris, Jack Youngblood

Id: ZJxKDNPBPp8

Length: 24min 46sec (1486 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 06 2020