Ian Allan
The NFL Network showed the original broadcast of Super Bowl XIII last night. One of the best ones ever -- when the Steelers beat Dallas 35-31 in the Orange Bowl.
A couple of thoughts on that game:
The Cowboys didn't use Tony Dorsett enough. They took the opening kickoffs (and the kicking is noticeably worse than what you see today) and Dorsett gained 10-plus yards on each of his first three carries. On one of them, he appeared to be very close to busting loose for a 60ish yard touchdown. But that drive ended with a fumble, and then the Cowboys inexplicably let fullback Robert Newhouse carry the ball more often than Dorsett for the rest of the first half. Huge mistake. Newhouse finished the game with 8 carries for only 3 yards. Dorsett averaged 6 yards per carry but carried the ball only 16 times. Dorsett was the fastest back in the league at the time. Giving him only 16 carries when he was definitely on his game was similar to what we've seen at times out of Brad Childress in Minnesota, who sometimes gives Chester Taylor too many carries when Adrian Peterson is underworked.
I always remembered Terry Bradshaw having a great Super Bowl. He threw the 2 TDs to John Stallworth, the one at the end of the half to Rocky Bleier, and the clincher to Lynn Swann. But he struggled early. He threw an ugly, ugly interception on the second series, then lost fumbles on each of Pittsburgh's next two drives (one of those fumbles was returned for a touchdown that gave Dallas a 14-7 lead).
I don't think Franco Harris was ever a "great" running back. Certainly at this point in his career, he was a very mediocre guy playing on a dominant team. If you're going to put Harris in the Hall of Fame, I don't know how you can keep out Terrell Davis and Kurt Warner. Harris ran for 158 yards in Super Bowl IX and was on the receiving end of the most famous catch in league history, but otherwise, he was just an ordinary guy with a long career. Davis has a 2,000-yard season on his resume and won two Super Bowl rings -- was the dominant player in one of them.
Quality of the broadcast was low. At one point, NBC showed a graphic showing that the Dallas offense was 1st in the NFC and 3rd in the NFL. While there are still plenty of buffoons on TV and plenty of errors, you would never see that kind of stat on the screen today. I like the sound of Curt Gowdy's voice, but too often he refers to players first by their number -- makes you think he's seeing the number, then looking down at a roster sheet to read the name (and usually then say what school he attended). Color guys John Brodie and Merlin Olsen didn't add much. At one point, when they were on camera, Brodie reaches over and playfully tugs on Olsen's beard, which appeared to make the former Rams tackle uncomfortable.
I like the simplier uniforms, without all the extra bells and whistles. No USA flags or warning stickers or green balls on the backs of helmets. No "NFL equipment" patches on the collars. No Nike or Reebook marks on the sleeves or chests.
- Comments [1]
Readers' Comments
Add a Comment
Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.
To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.
Posted by Duane Stay | Jan. 30 at 07:09 AM
As a Viking fan I can certainly agree with this comparison. Even though the Vikes had some success this year Childress is still reviled in Minn.