Dolphins-Redskins Superbowl XVII - 30 years ago today. | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Dolphins-Redskins Superbowl XVII - 30 years ago today.

Roman529

Roman529

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It is hard to believe how time flies....30 years ago today, the Washington Redskins defeated the Dolphins 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII at the Rose Bowl.

I was a junior in high school. Everyone has probably seen the video of John Riggins breaking the tackle of Don McNeal along the sidelines and running for a TD. We had so many chances to win this game. Fulton Walker returned the opening kickoff for a Touchdown to give us a quick 7-0 lead. Bokamper had a sure INT and TD slapped out of his hands by Joe Theisman. This game hurt me as much as any game I have ever watched.

Anyone else remember this game or how you were feeling?
 
It's scary how fast time goes. I wasn't alive for the game, but I remember as a kid people would tell me about it, and it was referred to as, "Well 10 years ago..." Hard to believe those days were 20 years ago for me!
 
I remember it well. I, too, was a junior in High School. That game was a crusher. We had it right in our finger tips and, as you alluded, to Theismann knocked it out of Bokamper's hands at the last second. That was the beginning of the end of the Killer B's. Team's started grounding and pounding on us in subsequent seasons. I always wondered if we would have been better off pulling Woodley in the second half and turning to the Strocker when it was clear Woodley wasn't moving us. It should have been our 3rd World Championship. Sigh! :crazy:
 
poppy said:
I remember it well. I, too, was a junior in High School. That game was a crusher. We had it right in our finger tips and, as you alluded, to Theismann knocked it out of Bokamper's hands at the last second. That was the beginning of the end of the Killer B's. Team's started grounding and pounding on us in subsequent seasons. I always wondered if we would have been better off pulling Woodley in the second half and turning to the Strocker when it was clear Woodley wasn't moving us. It should have been our 3rd World Championship. Sigh! :crazy:
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Woodley was never the same after this. I heard he started drinking heavily and he died of liver failure in his mid-40's. I think Shula should have put Strock in the game...one of those shoulda/coulda moments.
 
Remember it well. Of the three Super Bowls we lost, that was the only one I expected to win. I awoke that morning with the instant thought that the Dolphins would finally be Super Bowl champs by the end of the day, after a drought of 9 years. Nine years seemed like a long time in those days.

I thought our pass defense would carry the day. It was a truly great pass defense. Shut down Fouts a few weeks earlier, in the rematch of the overtime game from a year earlier.

At that point I knew about pass defense but not net differential. A little bit more than a year later I started getting engrossed in football stats and realized Washington had some edges in that game. But it wasn't until late summer 1987 that I found out about the overwhelming significance of yards per attempt, offensively and defensively. Almost immediately I grabbed my thick stats books and backtracked to this game. It was a stunner, almost like finding a DNA match. Washington had massive edges in the key areas. Theismann averaged more than 8 yards per attempt to 6 for Woodley. While our pass defense was superior to theirs -- 5.7 to 6.8 -- the net was heavily tilted toward the Redskins. I realized Washington should have been a huge play, particularly getting 3 points. If that game were played today, given greater knowledge of relevant categories, I'm convinced the Redskins would be the favorite.

I have the game on tape but didn't upload it to YouTube. The NFL is eager to pounce on any full game they find on YouTube, particularly a playoff game. But I did upload the key Bokamper/Theismann play a few years ago and so far it's still available:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6PbAF0lYOo
 
If memory serves, Walker's TD came after Washington tied the game 10-10. Despite the loss, I felt this was Don Shula's best coaching season ever. To get the Dolphins to the Super Bowl with David Woodley at quarterback and then to actually lead the game 17-13 in the 4th quarter was pretty remarkable. We didn't really match up well against the Redskins. Washington could stop the run and Miami really didn't have a passing game. Still, if Bokamper makes that play the Dolphins probably win.
 
If Woodley had completed a pass in the second half we probably would have won. In fact, any drive or production in the second half by our offense and the defense does not tire out. Unfortunately, Strock came in 1 series too late. One other pet peeve from this game... I never have been convinced of Washington's last TD. Out of bounds reception, ruled the defender pushed him out, TD... but I never thought he had a prayer of coming down in bounds, and they never really commented or replayed it in any way (still have not see a decent replay; I could be wrong, but it always bothered me). It was 3rd and goal, an incomplete and Washington kicks a FG to go up 23-17. Two minutes left down six, with Strock and at least a chance. SB losses are tough to swallow.
 
Wasnt this the one where Kim Bokamper was too much of a ***** to keep Joe ThEISman from recovering a fumble?
 
Thanks for making me feel old today. LOL! I was 10 years old and remember that game quite well. It sure makes me realize my twin 8 year old boys (fin fans) will have memories of these Dolphin teams they are seeing now. Hopefully for them things will be different! Go Fins!
 
Mike13 said:
Wasnt this the one where Kim Bokamper was too much of a ***** to keep Joe ThEISman from recovering a fumble?
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The incomplete pass? Theisman made a great play on the ball to break up the INT. It would have required a lot of luck to make that INT. It wasn't a typical Sean Smith dropped INT.
Marino420TD said:
If Woodley had completed a pass in the second half we probably would have won. In fact, any drive or production in the second half by our offense and the defense does not tire out. Unfortunately, Strock came in 1 series too late. One other pet peeve from this game... I never have been convinced of Washington's last TD. Out of bounds reception, ruled the defender pushed him out, TD... but I never thought he had a prayer of coming down in bounds, and they never really commented or replayed it in any way (still have not see a decent replay; I could be wrong, but it always bothered me). It was 3rd and goal, an incomplete and Washington kicks a FG to go up 23-17. Two minutes left down six, with Strock and at least a chance. SB losses are tough to swallow.
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I was 8 when it happened and all I remember is going from concerned into full tantrum mode after the last Skins TD! At some point in my teens I was watching it on a VCR tape collection of Super Bowl Memories (or something like that, the half hour highlights of each game) one day and was like hey he's out of bounds, replaying the catch again and again like SOB that focker was out of bounds.
 
Marino420TD said:
If Woodley had completed a pass in the second half we probably would have won. In fact, any drive or production in the second half by our offense and the defense does not tire out. Unfortunately, Strock came in 1 series too late. One other pet peeve from this game... I never have been convinced of Washington's last TD. Out of bounds reception, ruled the defender pushed him out, TD... but I never thought he had a prayer of coming down in bounds, and they never really commented or replayed it in any way (still have not see a decent replay; I could be wrong, but it always bothered me). It was 3rd and goal, an incomplete and Washington kicks a FG to go up 23-17. Two minutes left down six, with Strock and at least a chance. SB losses are tough to swallow.
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I too beleived we got screwed on the last TD. He was out of bounds.
 
I was very young, these were my early years watching the NFL. '81 is the first full season I could remember and while I didn't like Miami I did root for you guys in the SB b/c I always rooted for AFC teams in SBs. I remember falling asleep and waking up in the 2nd half. I was disappointed you lost at the time, I feel better about it now :)
 
roman529 you remember a play with like under 2 mins left where washington was inside our 20, riggins DEFINITELY fumbled the ball and i think larry gordon recovered. they were up 3 at that point. we wouldve gotten the ball back and still had a chance. refs sucked back then too.
 
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