TWIPF NFL 1975 Week 01

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] they were bold from the first Bolden dreaming Bolden persistence but it was no mere boast because they made their dreams come true the words are Kathryn drinker Bowens and she used them in reference to those intrepid men and women who first settled the vast wild reaches of America and pet I think those words could just as well refer to the thirty-five rookies he opened this bicentennial year as starters in the NFL thirty-five and there's no doubt in my mind that every one of them possesses a boldness that places them in a cut above the average rookie and if this bonus is accompanied by persistence then these first-year men can make their dreams come true they'll one day become the experienced and respected old pros of tomorrow men who've really been there perhaps the boldest of 1975's rookie crop is done Hardiman number 30 of the Houston Oilers for every seven times I carry the ball I'll score twice boasted the rookie from Texas and I in his pro debut against the New England Patriots Hardiman carried 18 times and although he did not score he blasted his way for 96 yards [Music] each time I carry the ball he says it's a memorable experience just playing with Hardeman must be a memorable experience his Euler teammates have nicknamed him jaws in tribute to his verbosity [Applause] more subtle but just as effective was another oiler rookie named Robert Brazil number 52 Brazil played an active role in Houston's ball Hawking defense which held a period offense scoreless but the Houston offense could not store either and the game was won by defensive back would Germany who picked up Mack herons fumble and tallied the game's only touchdown to give the Oilers a 7 nothing victory [Music] another rookie standout on opening day was Oscar oon number 81 a six six tight end for the Cleveland Browns quarterback Mike Phipps found Rome a handy target and passed to him six times for 70 yard [Music] but Rowan was a hero and a losing cause as the Browns lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 24:17 a hero and a winning cause was little Ric Upchurch number 80 a rookie wide receiver for the Denver Broncos Upchurch teamed with veteran quarterback Charlie Johnson on a tight cake 90 yard scoring pass against the Kansas City Chiefs [Music] Upchurch 153 yards receiving and forced the Chiefs into overly cautious pass coverage in the fourth quarter Kansas City played deep been elusive end against the long pass and Charlie Johnson riddle their secondary with short completion Johnson rang up 300 yards through the air but it was these shorter passes in the fourth quarter that led the Broncos to a thrilling 37:33 come-from-behind victory I've been playing in the NFL for 15 years and in more than 150 games at Johnson number 12 but this is one Sunday I'll never forget it was also a Sunday that Steve Bartkowski number 10 of the Atlanta Falcons will never forget in January Bartkowski was the most publicized quarterback in college football and a number one draft choice of the NFL when he arrived in Atlanta to sign his contract the three TV channels interrupted their programming to announce that his jet had touched down last Sunday in his first game as a pro a Kowski skillfully manipulated the Falcon running attack [Music] but when the singles Cardinals stop the ground game Bartkowski was forced to pass and not as successful [Music] [Applause] the Furious pass-rush and sophisticated zones of pro football have long been the bane of talented young quarterbacks like Steve Bartowski every veteran quarterback who is whether the corrosive climate of NFL will explain that learning to decipher the defense is the most difficult task to master for me the toughest aspect was breaking in there's a pro quarterback was getting to know the defensive strategies getting to know what the defense was trying to do even if it was at that time just a few coverages man-to-man maybe was own one way and his own another way you still had to learn what they were trying to do to stop in what your receivers would have to do in order to go rare indeed are the rookie quarterbacks who achieved stardom in their first season and rarer still are those who excel in their first game [Music] in fact most veteran quarterbacks remember their first pro game is only a bittersweet memory I think it was about the third preseason game and up to that time through say seven weeks of training camp I was feeling pretty confident that I knew the man of man difference between man-to-man coverage and zone coverage and wig zone coverage we went up against the Packers down in Jacksonville Florida and I threw touchdown passes my first two but they were to the cornerback and Packers Jessica Whittington and the second one was to Willie wood the safety man they had they had been practicing and working on a new type of man-to-man coverage and they caught a rookie right at his weakest moment when he thought he really knew what it was going on he had no idea ironically the ability to read and to anticipate defensive strategy gave ten-year veteran Jim Hart of the Cardinals the chance to defeat the Falcons a safety blitz by Atlanta backfired when Hart anticipated the move and beat the Blitz with a timely toss to Earl Thomas Tomasz store added momentum to a Cardinal comeback that ended in a last-second victory when another veteran 35 year old Jim Bakken kicked a 25 yard field goal that spelled defeat for bartowski's Falcons 2320 but grant the coach of the Minnesota Vikings is another man who understands the value of experience the captain of his team is Jim Marshall number 70 a 37 year old defensive end who is proof that an athlete can be both old and bold at the same time Marshall has played in more consecutive games than any defensive player in the history of the NFL and he is still one of the most relentless pass rushers in the league Marshalls close friend and teammate for 12 years is 33 year old Karl eller number 81 like Marshall eller skills seemed undiminished by time and he still merits double team blocking and passing situation like most Viking veterans eller plays with the zest and gusto of a rookie and his determined pursuit and hustle make him one of the game's most unique defenders eller and Marshall are a prominent part of the most opportunistic defense in the NFC making a mistake against the Vikings is like bleeding in front of a shark the veteran Minnesota defense racked up one touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers then turn the scoring chores over to another seemingly ageless teammate Fran Tarkenton number 10 15 years ago when Tarkenton began his pro career with these same Vikings the experts of the NFL belittled his scrambling undisciplined almost haphazard style today the critics are silent at a time Tarkenton retires he will probably hold almost every passing record in the book eclipsing even those of John Unitas as usual on Sunday Tarkington exhibited his remarkable 'ti to always find the hot receiver as Minnesota calls the open man or the cheap receiver as San Francisco called him but there was nothing cheap about this beautifully executed play-action pass the Tarkenton fired to brint McClanahan to wrap up a satisfying 27 17 win for Minnesota's proud old pros the men of the special teams are special indeed they're sort of my kind of people that they play at least one-third of every contest and get about 1/10 of the credit their head busters and game breakers and they labor in the high velocity regions of the game time throughout the first Sunday there were men of the special teams who won games wreaked havoc can prove that the bomb squad can often be responsible for the victory explosion the impact of special teams is so important that George Allen once said you can foretell the outcome of the game on the opening kickoff what Allen meant was that the team that wants to win the most will hit hardest right from the first whistle [Music] the word filled position has become a tired cliché the usually a towering putt back by spirited coverage strangles an offense down beef [Music] conversely the return team can provide the game-breaking play if it holds up to pursuit for a water bug like the Bengals Lamar Parrish an expert in escape-and-evasion [Music] a blocked punt often determines the ebb and flow of team morale against the Vikings are blocked by the 49ers number 52 skip van der bunt resulted in six points by Dave Washington although the Blackman did not alter San Francisco's fortunes three blocked punt by the Detroit Lions ruined Bart Starr's debut as head coach of the Packers the Lions towed out and fired in our rookie punter Steve Broussard and they bruised his body and his psyche capitalizing on Broussard's first game jitters number 23 Levi Johnson flew in to snuff up hunt and recover it for the first Detroit touchdown [Music] for the luckless rookie lion lightning struck a second time when another perfect block by Johnson was turned into another six points by number 51 Larry ball [Music] balls touched down with the stepping stone in an eventual 3216 victory for second-year coach Rick Lozano while brilliant special team play resulted in a win for the Lions it was not enough to deny defeat for the fired up Philadelphia Eagles three times the Eagles beat the ball back into the face of giant hitter George hunt and all three times there was middle linebacker Bill Bergey number 66 who Quetta filleted over mass bodies to flag down certain scores [Music] usually such a Rolex result in victory at the New York Giants that of the firm hand of quarterback Craig Morton responded to adversity with big plays the biggest play came with less than a minute to go in New York leading 1614 with a third down at 11 Morton gamble with a 50-yard bomb to Ray Rhodes [Music] bill Bergey was a fierce competitor to the final whistle as witnessed by a futile try to block a meaningless extra point [Music] on a day when special teams decided minigames the most extra special performance by number 66 was obscured by defeat the Giants 23 to 14 triumph was spurred by unconditional call by the veteran quarterback Craig Morton who explained his reasoning to reporters Stewart Ross in the locker room right after the game Craig you're winning 16 14 about 30 or 40 seconds left in the game why are you throw the long bomb which could eventually end up in a disaster well because I anticipated blitz again they'd blitz this I knew they're trying to get the ball and so there was a rookie out there and Ray had been getting deep pretty well all day and I just you know I thought was time to try it again there was nothing loose and it you know with any kind of a past laid up in here I knew he'd get it and he made a great catch out of it to turn up you good play this must build the confidence of the New York Giants who opened the season with a win away from home their first game well it's been a long time since we wanted since I've been here and it's it's a great feeling uh it's we had a good preseason and it all paid off today certainly the wireless game of last week took place between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs Denver's Charlie Johnson with whom we spoken the first part of the show neither all of his veterans poised to keep the Broncos in the thick of it and you know Rick Upchurch Pat one of those bold rookies whom we also saw in the first part of the show started down that road toward making his dreams come true well Pat every week of every season produces some outstanding individual performances turned in by men who contribute above and beyond the call of duty and sometimes even beyond their own normal capacities they think last week's truly outstanding performers were Bert Jones Kenny Anderson and OJ Simpson three men who inspired their teams to impressive opening day winds started visions of grandeur dancing in their coach's heads Kansas City's rookie head coach Paul Wiggin had dreams - dreams based partly on the skills of eight year backup quarterback Mike Livingston the man who long ago broke most of dandy Don Meredith records at SMU [Music] number eighty-eight rookie tight-end Walter White made his first professional catch one for the book the Chiefs are on top early and when the veteran Charlie Johnson tried to play catch-up on the next series ubiquitous cornerback Emmitt Thomas was there [Music] Thomas put the Chiefs in position for a surprising second quarter lead [Music] runningback Oliver Ross number 30 finally got the Broncos moving when Charlie Johnson finally got himself unlimbered found Haven Moses with Denver's first successful pass of the season first and ten at the 13 the stage was set for the grand entrance of the five foot nine inch Ricky from Minnesota Rick Upchurch number 80 [Music] Upchurch stood out even more since he was the only player with a plain blue helmet the reason simply because he had split his regular helmet wide open during the first period kickoff [Music] dr. Johnson soon dissected the Chiefs with another rookie receiver number 82 Jack Dolan midway in the second quarter the Broncos had gone ahead of the Chiefs for the first time in the game Mike Livingston then proved that after eight years of sitting he hasn't forgotten how to run and scramble run [Music] Livingston's play-action pass - woody green put the cheese back in front with time running out in the first half play-action worked once more this time for Charlie Jetson who faked again and then found his tight end Reilly Odom's the Broncos got closer before the half but were forced to settle for three points and a half time stalemate [Music] on the third play of the second half Charlie Johnson threw about as far as his 36 year old arm would allow number 80 you remember him the rookie Rick Upchurch almost disappeared over the horizon and the Broncos had their biggest lead of the day Mike Livingston still had a trick or two left to try number 85 Barry Pearson alias the pretzel brought the Chiefs close enough for a field goal which again cut Denver's lead to four the following kickoff brought further unusual happening the recovery led to a score which again put the Chiefs on top then came another twist of fate this time with Otis Armstrong carrying the ball [Music] the recovery by Jim Marsalis again gave the Chiefs a field goal and a subsequent six point advantage on the next series things again would arrive for the Denver offense Mike Cenci boss interception led to still another three points for the Chiefs and early in the fourth quarter the hometown Broncos failed by 9 at 33 24 and then the old fro again went for the rookie Rick Upchurch once again oh this Armstrong came involved in a stranger than fiction type play number 82 Jack Dalton recovered Armstrong's fumble for a touchdown and the Broncos trailed by only three with time running out Denver needed the ball one more time and they got it after stopping the Chiefs next series a 30 yard punt return by Rick Upchurch set the stage for a 30 yard pass to well you know by now [Music] the rookie got him there and then it was up to the veterans on 3rd and goal from the 10-15 year pro Charlie Johnson found 8 year pro Billy Van Heusen and the Denver Broncos had pulled off one of the most thrilling opening day victories in pro football history it took the perfect blend of youth and experience and on opening day 1975 that is precisely what the Denver Broncos hand [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the expression is one of easy confidence in Billy Kilmer's case that means four touchdown passes on opening day the first couple win to number 42 Charlie Taylor who after last Sunday's contest needs but 46 more receptions to become the leading receiver in professional football history [Music] after charlie finished his acknowledgments the 35 year old kilmer was airing it out again this time - rookie number 36 Ralph Nelson [Music] then mr. Kilmer wrapped up the whole thing with a perfectly executed pitch to number 87 Jerry Smith and while the Washington passing game in particular was impressive last Sunday the running attack was given a needed boost with a return to action of number 43 Larry Brown making his comeback from knee surgery Brown debuted with the game's longest run and a couple of minutes later Brown slipped past defenders for the game's longest reception in all it was yet another courageous day in the remarkable career of Larry Brown [Music] also out to test an injury was saint quarterback archie manning who despite a broken left arm was the surprise starter that was about the last surprise of the day however as the Saints offense was all too predictable in the clutch [Music] besides betrayal by his receivers Archie's offensive line was porous at best and freelancing against the Redskins is no place for a convalescent quarterback no matter which direction Archie and company turned their strategy the elders countered with a cloud the burgundy and gold gang got better as the game wore on and that metal any of trouble for Saint Archie fittingly the defense administered the coup de Gras when Saint runningback number 27 rod McNeil was stripped of the ball and number 59 linebacker Brad ducek scooped up his first touchdown as a pro and completed a forty one-two-three Washington victory it was all just a sort of scenario that Washington head coach George Allen leaves for and at games in old George was chalking up his 10th consecutive opening a victory but for San Diego head coach Tommy Pro throw opening day only brought severe anxieties and the reason was obvious the psyched up Pittsburgh Steelers were in town and as young Chargers were assumed to be harshly shown the way of the world champions in all three charger quarterbacks were thrown into the pack of frenzied Steeler defenders and as you can see it was a terrifying experience for all of them [Music] [Music] so emphatically did the Steelers clamp down that at games in the Chargers had never had best be on the pittsburgh 40-yard line with the defense maintaining its shutout intensity throughout the game Terry Bradshaw was dealing unequally hot hand for the offense his game stats 21 for 28 for 219 yards forced to punt only twice during the game there was lots of time for Steeler touchdowns and the first one was airmail Bradshaw to Frank Lewis a repeat look at that play clearly shows the interference infraction and the beauty of a perfect play the second speed RTD came on a strained Frenchie fuqua who's in zone fumble was recovered by teammate Jerry Mullins for the score but there was nothing sloppy about the next score as Terry Bradshaw launched his second touchdown pass this one the number 82 John stalling the defending world champions wrapped up their gaudy 443 yards of offense when number 44 Mike Collier rambled into the San Diego endzone to punctuate a 37 to nothing declaration the Steelers are still number one or head coach Tom Landry 1975 will be a year spent blending his remaining established veterans with a wealth of young talent like his first draft pick defensive lineman Randy white and a starting rookie offensive guard from lawless a man with a name as rugged as any cowboy could have however the Rams have a front for which is about as lawless and tough as any around and throughout the afternoon of power quartet of dryer Youngblood Brooks and Olson pounded the cowboy offensive wall and then hounded quarterback Roger Staubach Starbucks pass pocket repeatedly collapsed under a fierce Ram assault and when the Cowboys turned to their ground attack the results fared little better the Ramsdens played tough football throughout the afternoon causing Tom Landry to change the face of his multiple offense Dallas mixed in a formation which they used at times during the preseason as Staubach shifted seven yards deep into the shotgun formation the purpose was to give the passer more time while spreading the defense out and Staubach was quick to exploit the open field left by the scattered Ram [Music] [Applause] [Music] Starbucks bursts up the middle kept la honest and the shotgun formation continually flooded the RAM secondary with wide open targets sometimes though perhaps too wide open after thinking about the opportunity blown rookie Scot Laidlaw bolted right back to redeem himself on a surprise run from the spread all afternoon the Cowboys penetrated deep in DRAM territory yet it was several Dallas miscues which kept the game close though estar back to Titan Billy Joe Dupree score was canceled on a holding penalty Dallas later regained the touchdown and took the lead [Music] however of 27 plays run inside the RAM 20-yard line the Cowboys could score only one touchdown relying on place kicker Tony fridge delivered four field goals for a winning margin made safe by a brutal performance by Dallas doomsday defense [Music] in an awesome display of pure brute strength doomsday levelled the RAM offense and allowed only 135 yards in total offense [Music] rookies like Randy white number 54 blended in quite nicely with young veterans like Harvey banks Martin number 79 and old vets like Jethro Pugh number 75 to gobble up turnover [Music] the spirit and enthusiasm of the young infected the old as the once emotionless Cowboys jumped for joy cheered flapped and laughed their way to their 11th straight season opening win Dallas played with confidence and poise steadily applying pressure on ram quarterback James Harris number 12 turnovers that were just barely out of reach were only temporary setbacks as 13-year veteran Leroy Jordan and the rest of the Dallas defense forced for RAM fumbles and three interceptions 11-year veteran mel Renfro number 20 collected two of the thefts and left the field displaying the new cowboy exuberance the cowboy bench once filled with matter-of-fact expressions now lauded every defensive move as doomsday closed for the kill to claim an 18 to 7 win [Music] with an emotional squad that averages barely three years of pro experience per man it may be too early for the Dallas Cowboys to claim that they are number one but it for only this week why not [Music] rookie head coach Ted marchibroda is Baltimore Colts rise and fall on the strong right arm of third-year quarterback Bert Jones last week against the Chicago Bears Jones added a new dimension to the cold attack [Music] Jones's wanderings from the pocket set up Baltimore's passing game nicely as wife alarm Burt drilled wide receiver Glenn dowdy in the Chicago end zone [Music] Jones completed 15 passes on the day for 177 yards in two touchdowns and his second story to us looked pretty much like the first [Music] the Jones to Doughty combination accounted for two touchdowns and some fancy spiky as Bert Jones led the young incoming Baltimore Colts to an opening day win in Ted marchibroda is head coaching debut [Music] in Cincinnati the number one Bengal as usual is quarterback Kenny Anderson who combined with speed merchant wide receiver Isaac Curtis to cover a whole lot of real estate [Music] one of the uh fellas most feared passing combinations anderson and curtis teamed up to route the young brown secondary for six completions and a hundred and twenty seven yards [Music] we're not advancing through the air anderson mixed in a bit of razzle dazzle as boobie clark powered to six points [Music] the shell-shocked Brown stage the second half rally as linebacker Charlie Hall capitalized on a mistake [Music] offensively the Browns got close often but scored infrequently they're versatile Gregg Pruitt wanted to throw an option pass but then decided to do it himself [Music] but Cincinnati survived two others second half Cleveland drives and though the Browns twice knocked on the door the Bingle defense hung on just long enough for the dynamic duo to do their thing again Jenny Anderson - Isaac Curtiss all the offense the Bengals needed to defeat their cross-state rival [Music] in Buffalo the bills let Joan Amos pass receivers empty-handed [Music] with the wind at his back joe namath went to his game plan who on this day was number 88 tied in rich castor [Music] looking for the quick kill Namath go into the injury-plagued Buffalo secondary this time sitting castor deep down the middle the result six points Joe Namath completed only 14 of 36 passing attempts but his two touchdown strikes kept the Jets close here Namath rifled a scoring pass to miniscule wide receiver Eddie Bell [Music] [Applause] [Music] but up in Orchard Park New York the Manatee are was OJ Simpson [Music] following his main man number 67 Reggie McKenzie the game's most exciting runner twisted by hopped over and carried jet tacklers for a hundred and seventy fjords and the early in FL rushing league [Music] Simpsons 173 yard performance didn't include 73 yards nullified by an assortment of penalties with the additional yardage Simpson would have totaled an incredible 246 yards rushing four yards short of the NFL single game record held by none other than you guessed at OJ Simpson [Music] here number 32 followed a fine trap block by joe de la mole or number 68 [Music] as if not enough the juice scored two touchdowns this one icing the game away bojay Simpson earned Player of the Week honors and leading the bills over the Jets in Buffalo the winning formula remains the same a healthy OJ [Music] you

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Length: 43min 22sec (2602 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 19 2018