 HISTORY! DEC 9, 1967---RAMS vs. PACKERS, BY MJR
& RAM 23 (Nov 15) |
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MJR---> I just bought Sports Illustrated's Football Classics: "Greatest Football Games of All Time: by Hank Hersch. I became a Ram fan in 1995 when they moved to St. Louis and so my perspective on the history of the franchise is very sketchy at best. My only three memories of note are (1) Harold Jackson's 4 td receptions, (2) Dallas vs. Rams in some NFC Title game where the Dallas wore its blue jerseys (1969?), and (3) Woody Ellison's 244 yd. rushing game. So, obviously, I do not share the treasure chest of memories that some diehards do, but the following text will undoubtedly be one which brings to mind many a fond memory of a Rams game of past. Enjoy. This is the entire passage word for word: The Rams needed wins in their final two games to reach the playoffs, and they weren't getting one of them. All of quarterback Roman Gabriel's heroics and coach George Allen's exhortations and the L.A. defense's fortitude were 55 seconds from meaninglessness as Donny Anderson of the Packers faded back to punt at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Packers led 24-20; the Rams had no timeouts remaining. Tickets to L.A.'s season finale "were being devalued faster than the British pound," wrote Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray. What Allen called his "special unit forces"---the special teams--- had done little to conjure up much hope for the home crowd of 76,637. The Packers' first touchdown, a 30-yard pass from Bart Starr to Carroll Dale, had come four plays after Lee Roy Caffey swatted Bruce Gossett's 46-yard field goal attempt, a maneuver that delighted Packers coach Vince Lombardi. "The game will become sophisticated beyond my wildest dreams," he said. "But desire will always be the larger part of football. To block a kick requires the maximum effort and desire." Said a Rams official, "Looks like the same old story. The Packers wait until we make a mistake---and wham." But Los Angeles had discovered more fight under Allen, who took over in 1966 and one year later had the Rams 9-1-2 and in the hunt for the Coastal Division title. The L.A. D held Starr and Co. to just three plays in a 13-minute stretch, while Gabriel dialed up wide receiver Jack Snow for a pair of touchdowns. The Rams led 17-10 late in the third quarter. Just when the Rams' defense and offense were clicking, however, the special unit arrived. For the most part, Gossett had squibbed his kickoffs out of respect for Travis (the Roadrunner) Williams, effectively bottling him up. At 6'1" and 210 pounds with legit 9.3 speed in the 100, Williams already had returned three kicks for TDs in '67, tying an NFL record. This time Gossett's boot traveled four yards past the Green Bay goal line. "We like to change our tactics on the kickoffs according to the situation," Allen said. "Anyway, we thought we could contain him." The Roadrunner exploded that strategy like a package from the Acme Company. He blasted out of the end zone and crashed into tackle Bob Nichols at the 15-yard line. While the collision knocked Nichols out of one shoe, Williams bounced three yards sideways and roared toward the sideline to go the 104-yard distance. The game was tied. Once again, L.A. refused to fold. Cornerback Clancy Williams's interception set up a Gossett field goal that made it 20-17 Rams. But after a defensive stop, Rams running back Dick Bass fumbled, and Starr directed a go-ahead, 57-yard TD drive to put the Packers in front 24-20. When L.A. failed to convert on a fourth down, Green Bay took over on its 44. Three runs for minus-three yards and three timeouts later, the left-footed Anderson prepared to take the deep snap from Ken Bowman. Many headed for their cars to beat the traffic. Lombardi's Packers had one again proved to be too poised, too much. The Rams had worked on their punt-blocking techniques at least once a week in practice. Special teams coach Marion Campbell deployed nine men on the line of scrimmage, rather than his usual seven. Some of them even the team's paymaster would be hard-pressed to identify. Flanked to one side was reserve defensive back Claude Crabb; substitute linebacker Tony Guillory lined up directly over Bowman. Both poured through the line, and up-back Tommy Joe Crutcher quickly moved to cut off Crabb. Guillory, surprised to come through clean, roared at Anderson. The next sound was one Anderson had never heard: The dull thud of his punt being blocked. Lunging with Lombardian effort and desire, his arms outstretched and crossed, Guillory snuffed it with his left wrist. The ball wobbled toward Crabb, who picked it up and sped toward the end zone surrounded by a herd of Rams - including Guillory, who nearly tripped him up. "I can't see without my glasses," he explained. "I didn't know Claude had the ball, and I couldn't read the numbers anyway." Somehow Anderson weaved in and tackled Crabb at the Packers' five. L.A. had 44 seconds left to score. After an incompletion the Rams lined up in a tight, running formation with end Bernie Casey just outside left tackle. Gabriel faked a handoff to Tommy Mason, and Casey came out as if to block cornerback Bob Jeter. When Jeter bought the run, Casey slipped into the corner of the end zone and hauled in Gabriel's feathery toss for the deciding score. But not the deciding play. That belonged to the Rams' anonymous special teams crew. "The touchdown was the frosting on the cake," defensive tackle Roger Brown said. "The blocked punt was the winner, man." In SI's Words: The Rams of course had expected something like this all along. They even expected to block Donny Anderson's punt. Marion Campbell, an assistant coach, sent the stratagem in. It is a system that the Rams, like all pro football teams, work on for a few brief moments each week, just so it will be available in an emergency. Instead of trying to hold up the opposing team at the line of scrimmage in hopes of a long punt runback, they station eight men on the line in gaps between the blockers. In Los Angeles' case, Tony Guillory, a substitute linebacker with good height and speed, plays head to head on the center, and goes whichever way he feels is open. "This time I went to my right," Guillory said after the game in a Ram dressing room that was tremulous with joy. "The center's got his head down for the snap, so you get a good jump on him and I got off right with the ball. My assignment on the play is really to draw a block from the fullback, so one of the outside guys can come in free. This time nobody touched me and I came right up the middle." Guillory hit the ball with the side of his left wrist and it wobbled into the hands of Crabb... -Tex Maule December 18, 1967 ********************** RESPONSE: I was at that game, Unreal Finish! By RAM 23 It was the coolest thing to be at that game when fans and the team went nuts! I think I was hoarse for two days after that. "LOL" Lets hope we are in store for some more of those great times. |
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