I remember that game very well. Was never worried in the Orange Bowl stands. Our family was sitting in a much different section than typical. Instead of sitting on the north side near the east end zone we were on the north side close to the west end zone. Consequently all my mental images of that game are from a dramatically different perspective. I'm not sure how playoff tickets work now but at that point season ticket holders didn't automatically receive the same seats they held all year.
One week earlier we were sloppy against the Bengals, specifically before halftime. I haven't watched this tape but Gowdy and DeRogatis probably mentioned that. All week the players were annoyed at that lapse in concentration and there was a confidence it wouldn't happen again.
The '70s were easily my favorite football era. I despise passing. In that early '70s era I was an Oklahoma fan on Saturdays since the Canes played on Friday night. Oklahoma was in its early wishbone heyday. My dream scenario was the Sooners never attempting a pass on Saturday and the Dolphins nearly following suit on Sunday. I realized it was too much to ask for the Dolphins to never pass, but we smartly came reasonably close many times. Griese often saved the lowest number of attempts for the most meaningful games. He'd screw around against lesser opponents and sometimes threw the ball 20 times or more. That was disgusting but since I recognized the trend I was prepared for it.
Griese had lousy yards per attempt in 1973. Really bad for a team considered one of the all time greats. I wasn't aware of that at the time but once I heard about YPA in 1987 I back checked and was very surprised about some examples, notably this one.
The NFL changed the rules in the secondary largely due to this Dolphin team. A week earlier Miami cornerbacks Curtis Johnson and Tim Foley chopped Bengal star rookie Isaac Curtis at the line of scrimmage all day. Wiped him out before he ever got started. I loved it in the stands but fans across the country didn't appreciate it so there was a mini uproar. The so-called "Isaac Curtis Rule" was initiated in 1974. That was the beginning of the push to restrict pass defense so the less sophisticated fan would understand what they were looking at. That trend continued, notably in 1978 with further changes to pass defense rules.
IMO, the league had it right at that point. While I loved all-running I could see that more balance was needed to appease the video game generation, since that trend was already underway. The '80s and '90s were an ideal blend. You could run like the Cowboys or pass like the Marino Dolphins or Kelly Bills. There were Run N Shoot teams and West Coast teams and blue collar running teams like the Giants. Wonderful contrast, and so much anticipation when those varied styles faced each other.
All along I knew there was immeasurable danger of over rotation, of the league succumbing to the pantyhose fascination of simplistic fans. When Fantasy Football began to explode the feces aspect was inevitable. Only the commissioner position could keep that plug partially secure. Once a pure pantyhose like Roger Goodell got the job, the pathetic rationalization is drowned out by all the crap he unleashed.
That's why I appreciate the college game more and more. College football is still more than 50% running, believe it or not. Last year only one team in the country -- Washington State with the incredibly ignorant Mike Leach -- threw the ball more than 63% of the time. Even though there are 4 times as many major college teams than NFL teams, there were only 18 college teams with 55% or higher percentage of pass plays compared to 24 NFL teams. The happy adjusters will rush in to deflect and deny, pointing out that sacks count as running plays in college, skewing the stats. Chart the games instead of guessing and over adjusting. The percentages and bottom line changes very little.
I don't like college spread offenses but the best ones like Oregon and Auburn rely heavily on the run, often averaging 55+ rushes per game.
The NFL rules in this era produce woefully stupid football from teams with overmatched quarterbacks insisting on throwing the ball 40 or 45 times. I don't mind it from a betting standpoint. Those games can be easy pickings, like the Raiders with a rookie quarterback last year brilliantly running the ball only 21 times per game last season. It's beyond sad that those video game fans don't understand what is going on, and their solution is more passing. Goodell smiles.
