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emblem-333 · 5 years ago

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The Third Bronze Medal Game

Super Bowl VII

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Dallas Cowboys

What changes: Don Shula does not give the reins back to Bob Griese and sticks with Earl Morrall. The Dolphins offense continues to struggle against the Steel Curtain and fall 17-10, thus ending their perfect season. Another alternative for Pittsburgh is what-if Terry Bradshaw wasn’t knocked out of the game with a concussion?

For Dallas, Tom Landry turns away from Roger Staubach after his heroics versus the 49ers erased a fifteen-point deficit. Craig Morton held the job as starter even after the ‘71 Super Bowl season because he didn’t break away from the designed plays. Roger was a loose cannon and at times could not be trusted. In his two games against division rival Washington, Morton compiled a respectable for the time, 21 of 44 passing, 235 yards, two touchdowns and the same number of interceptions, and a rushing touchdown. Dallas also averaged 27 points in two games against the NFC’s best defense.

The Morton-Staubach controversy is one of those quandaries at the time you could’ve seen yourself on either side. With the hindsight of history, Staubach obviously is far and away the superior option. Except, even after his Super Bowl winning stint as Dallas’ starter, the reliability of Morton, the known quantity enticed Landry more than the high ceiling of Staubach. Morton was a carbon copy of previous Cowboys great Don Meredith. No really! Look at their statistical outputs:

Craig Morton ‘69, ‘70, ‘72

(Morton started just four games in 1971 before Staubach usurped him)

Win/Loss: 28-9-1

Yards: 6,834

TDs: 51

INTs: 42

Cmp%: 53.07%

Attempts: 846

Completions: 449

Don Meredith ‘66-‘68

Win/Loss: 27-9-1

Yards: 7,139

TDs: 61

INTs: 40

Cmp%: 52.4

Attempts: 908

Completions: 476

In ‘71, the ten-games Staubach spent as starter he threw the ball just 211 times. His throws were brilliant, long range and electrifying contrasted with the methodic Morton. But to put into context how little trust Landry had in Staubach, Colin Kaepernick in the 7 regular season games he took over for Alex Smith in 2012 he attempted 218 passes.

The Cowboys never fancied themselves a team who did their damage in the air anyhow. The speedy backfield tandem of Calvin Hill (1,400) and Walt Garrison (1,174) accumulated 2,574 yards from scrimmage combined. More yards than Miami’s Larry Csonka (1,165) and Mercury Morris (1,168) mark of 2,333.

Staubach laid the biggest - maybe his only - egg of his career against Washington in the NFC Title Game. George Allen’s “Over The Hill Gang” mercilessly punished Roger sacking him three times, Dallas offense completing just 8 first downs. Washington would go on to be Miami’s final victim in their 17-0 season in the subsequent Super Bowl.

Dallas arguably, with Morton win against Washington and we have a rematch of the previous year’s championship game. Staubach needed the setbacks of ‘72 and ‘73 as learning curves. Morton, however, was already experienced enough.

For Pittsburgh, it was the first year of the Steel Curtain reshaping the identity the Steelers had of being a bunch of bottom-dwellers. Chuck Noll was hired in 1969 the Steelers from their inception in 1933 up until that point made the playoffs just once, in 1947. Noll inherits the worst team in the NFL. Many fans wanted a quarterback heading into the ‘69 draft where Pittsburgh occupied the fourth pick. Cincinnati product Greg Cook was tagged by many as a Steeler in waiting. Instead, Noll opted not for a quick fix and selected linebacker from North Texas Joe Greene. Fans were irate. Greg Cook is a story for another day. For the sake of brevity, Cook was described by Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh as the greatest quarterback he’s ever seen. This is the man who worked with Joe Montana. Cook dazzled in his rookie campaign leading the NFL in passing. Playing the second half of the ‘69 season with a partially torn rotator cuff, Cook only played one more game after his rookie year before Paul Brown told him to “get on with your life.” Perhaps if Kansas City Chiefs defenseman Jim Lynch hadn’t tackled Cook his bust would be in Canton, Ohio today.

Greene is the first player drafted in the formation of the Steel Curtain. Mel Blount, Mike Wagner, and Jack Ham followed. In 1972, only Miami’s “No Name Defense” held opponents to fewer points and by the slim margin of 4. The Steelers created an aura of being a team of destiny after their miraculous last play victory over the Oakland Raiders, dubbed “The Immaculate Reception.” Heading into the forth and final period, the Steelers lead Miami 10-7 and were a quarter away from the Super Bowl. Bradshaw had left the contest giving control to Terry Hanratty, he completed and attempted the same as Bradshaw, 5 of 10, but for fewer yards, 57 to the Blond Bomber’s 80. Bradshaw did throw a touchdown, though he also tossed two interceptions. Hanratty put Pittsburgh’s kicker Roy Gerela had his attempt blocked, the score stayed 14-10.

Shula pulled the struggling Morrall and Griese lead the Dolphins downfield, thanks to a 52-yard completion to deep threat Paul Warfield set the stage for one of Jim Kiick’s touchdowns putting them back in the driver's seat. Bradshaw heroically returned in an attempt to resurface the fledgling Steelers. Down 21-10, Bradshaw completed four consecutive passes for 71-yards, hitting Al Young (who doesn’t have a Wikipedia page) for the touchdown. The ensuing Dolphins possession ended in a punt. Life was back in the Three Rivers crowd. Perhaps they really are a team of destiny.

Turns out, there’s no such thing. Bradshaw threw back to back costly interceptions icing the game for Miami.

The loss wouldn’t be the only thing weighing heavily in the hearts of Steelers fans. Later that day, Pirates all-time great Roberto Clemente in the prime of his life and career perished in a plain crash in route to Nicaragua. Through all the despair hope remained on the horizon. But outside of 1976, I’d say this is the one Pittsburgh fans who were fortunate to live through their era of dominance wish they hadn’t left on the table.

So what-if they haven’t? What-if we had a Steelers vs Cowboys Super Bowl three-years before we actually got it?

The makeup of both these teams are different, for one. There is no Lynn Swann or John Stallworth to throw to. Ron Shanklin was Pittsburgh’s leading receiver with 38 catches. Frank Lewis lead the wideouts in touchdowns with 5. Though unglamorous, the Steelers offense got the job done thanks to thousand yard rusher rookie Franco Harris.

The Cowboys most prominent receivers were their aforementioned running backs. Ron Sellers lead the wideouts with 37 receptions. Veteran stalwart Mike Ditka was at the end of his rope and only caught 17. 1972 was his final year in the NFL.

Dallas on defense were lead by Pro Bowlers Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro, and free safety Cornell Green. These two teams met earlier in the season back in October, a game Dallas won 17-13 thanks to Landry’s trickery. Calvin Hill threw to Sellers for a 55-yard touchdown for the go-ahead score. The Steelers offense did much of nothing that day. Excluding the 55-yard play, the Cowboys didn’t do much better.

The contest starts slowly, as expected. Neither defense budges one iota. Flashbacks to Super Bowl V replay in Landry’s mind as he watches Morton wear black and gold. The Cowboys offensive line can’t maintain themselves in the face of the Steel Curtain. The Cowboys are scoreless at the end of the first half of play.

Pittsburgh fares better. Bradshaw marches his team up the field twice for two Gerela short range field goals and right before the end of the first half, Harris punches it in from the 5-yard line to give his team a commanding 13-0 lead. Landry contemplates handing the reins back to Staubach. His stinginess wins out this time and he sticks with Morton.

His faith in his quarterback is rewarded when Morton hits Sellers for a 15-yard pass to give the Cowboys six-points. After a Steelers three-and-out, Morton picks up right where he left off. On a 3rd & 10 at the Steelers 38, Morton hits the aging Ditka for a 13-yard gain. Two plays later, riding high off the momentum, Morton again Hits Sellers for surrounded by Steeler defenders for a 14-yard gain. Hill accepts the handoff a play later in red zone territory and passes the goal line. A Toni Fritsch extra-point gives Dallas their first lead 14-13.

In desperate need of answers the Steelers are left puzzled as another three-and-out gives the ball right back to the surging Cowboys who waste no time in trying to deliver the decisive blow. The red hot Morton manages to hit Sellers for 22-yards positioning Dallas well in Pittsburgh territory. At the Steelers 15, it was all or nothing at this point for both sides. Landry knew the next few play calls would define this game. Garrison is stuffed on back to back rushes, and Morton finds little options rolling out before being tackled for a gain of just two. Fritsch manages to extend Dallas’ lead 17-13 meaning Pittsburgh would have to drive the length of the field in order to squeak out a win.

Accepting the ball with 6:18 left, the Steelers again go three-and-out. Angst defines the best of the Steeler sideline. On forth & 12 the length is too long to contemplate going for it. Noll elects to punt in hopes Dallas fails to both take time off the clock and score. Garrison gets the ball and runs up for twelve-yards near midfield. The Cowboys look ready to silence every demon they’ve ever conjured through past playoff failures. Instead, they come right back. Morton’s intended pass to Sellers is picked off by defensive end Dwight White, and just like that, the Steelers get the ball back with prime field position to boot.

Marching to Dallas’ fifteen, the pocket collapses on Bradshaw forcing him to scramble. He scurries for the score diving at the last second before Super Bowl V MVP Chuck Howley could stop him. The Steelers regain the lead for which they wouldn’t relinquish this time and capture their first world title.

2nd

PIT - Roy Gerela FG 37 yd

PIT - Roy Gerela FG 38 yd

PIT - Franco Harris 5-yd run TD

3rd

DAL - Ron Sellers 14 yd pass from Morton TD

4th

DAL - Calvin Hill 4 yd run TD

DAL - Toni Fritsch FG 32 yd

PIT - Bradshaw 15 yd run TD

Pittsburgh 20-17

Morton - 16-26, 176 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

Bradshaw - 15-20, 186 yds, 1 rush TD *Super Bowl MVP*

Pittsburgh: 286 total yards

Dallas: 283 total yards

In what would turn out to be Morton’s last stand as QB for the Lone Star team, Landry learned to make his peace with the rowdy Staubach and gave him full autonomy of the offense the following season and wouldn’t live to regret it. Meanwhile, jubilation overcomes the Steelers who scurry on the field embracing any person within arms reach. From the laughingstock of the NFL to becoming the envy of all, Pittsburgh overcame all of the odds mounting three straight come from behind victories en route to their championship.

#free coinage of silver #bronze #bronze medal game #alternate history #super bowl VII #Miami Dolphins #Dallas Cowboys #Pittsburgh Steelers

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shapesweets83-blog · 6 years ago

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In underdog role vs. Saints, Cowboys' DeMarcus Lawrence offers this: 'We don’t want you to believe in us now'

FRISCO, Texas — DeMarcus Lawrence knows what you’re thinking:

The Dallas Cowboys just can’t do it. They’re not capable of defusing New Orleans‘ high-powered offense. Nor do they have any chance of containing the Saints’ dynamic, MVP-caliber quarterback, Drew Brees.

Lawrence already knows you don’t think it’s possible. And that’s fine.

The Cowboys were written off weeks ago, deemed too dysfunctional, too inconsistent, too broken to contend for a playoff spot, let alone a Super Bowl. So, yes, Lawrence already knows the Cowboys have been left for dead (figuratively, of course) in the NFC East race. And that’s just the way he likes it.

“Leave us that way,” the Dallas defensive end told Yahoo Sports, issuing a defiant warning to the nonbelievers. “It’s like Lazarus. Lazarus rose from the dead. Nobody believed in him, so it’s like, don’t believe in us. We don’t want you to believe in us now. We’re doing fine all on our own.”

Cowboys sack leader Demarcus Lawrence (90) had a colorful take on what needs to be done to defeat the Saints on Thursday night. (Getty Images)

A three-game winning streak — which includes two victories over the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins — has the Cowboys (6-5) feeling extra confident these days. And, in the case of Lawrence, a little spicy too.

Asked if the Saints’ offensive line will be the toughest unit the Cowboys have faced thus far, the chirpy defender unleashed raw emotion.

“They’re gonna have to match our intensity for 60 minutes straight,” Lawrence said. “You hit a mother—— in the mouth and they’re not doing what they’re regularly doing, putting up 50 points. They start to get a little distressed. Now, you got them where you want them at, and then you f—— choke their ass out.

“We gotta do what we gotta do, man. S—. It’s life or death right here. Especially for me. Cause it means too much.”

At stake, personally, for Lawrence is a new contract. (Dallas franchise-tagged him this season at a $17 million price tag. And Lawrence, arguably their best defender, is anxious to get a big-money, multiyear deal in the not-so-distance future.) But there’s plenty on the line, collectively, for the Cowboys.

They’re about to face an offensive juggernaut in prime time — a Saints team that has won 10 straight and has a league-high 409 total points and 37.2 points per game. Not to mention, New Orleans (10-1) owns the No. 1 rushing defense (73.2 yards per game).

Oh, and their quarterback is pretty damn good too.

“I wore No. 9 my entire life,” Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith, a Fort Wayne, Indiana, native and Notre Dame alum, said of Brees, the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and completions. “… So I got a chance to watch him while he was at Purdue. It’s a great feeling, a great dream come true for me. But when we step on that field, it’s about getting a victory. I’m looking forward to it.”

A month ago, the Cowboys were a mere afterthought in a divisional race no team — not the new-coached New York Giants, the seemingly improved Redskins or the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles — seemed equipped to command. And their double-digit Week 9 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football (following their bye week) only helped to fuel speculation about Jason Garrett’s efficacy as their head coach and raised questions about Dak Prescott’s ability to be the face of their franchise. But fast forward a few weeks, and Dallas is back on track. And feeling like it can’t be stopped.

Said Smith: “We’re getting an opportunity to show what we’re about on a really big stage.”

Added fellow linebacker Sean Lee: “If you want to be an elite defense, you have to stop elite offenses and make big plays in these big games. … If we want to be considered the best we’ve got to play with them, stop them.”

Story Continues

Their unit finally is “clicking on all cylinders,” Lawrence said, adding that a showdown against the hottest team in the league is “a good test for us.”

Dallas is ready, he said. Even if the rest of the football world doesn’t believe it.

And now, “America’s Team” is rallying behind an us-against-the-world mentality.

“When you’re down and low and your back’s against the wall, you’re not going to be able to see the world behind you,” said Lawrence, who has 8.5 sacks through 11 games. “It’s like, man, if we touch this wall again, that’s it. There really is nobody behind you. So the main thing is staying focused on us, don’t worry about nobody else and we’ll be alright.”

More from Yahoo Sports: • LaVar Ball knows one school his son won’t be going to • Browns star isn’t done criticizing his former coach • Jon Jones admits he’s not sober heading into UFC 232 • NFL Power Rankings: Seahawks are soaring again

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/underdog-role-vs-saints-cowboys-demarcus-lawrence-offers-dont-want-believe-us-now-001810067.html?src=rss

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