So here came Didier to assume the go-in-motion-and-then-block role that was normally Walker's. Sorry, true believers, the mood was not totally serene and cerebral in the huddle before "70 Chip," the fourth-and-one, off-tackle play that John Riggins broke for a 43-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XVII that gave the Redskins the lead for good in their 27-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.ĭidier was a rookie that year - and he was in the huddle at such a critical moment only because the regular tight end, Donnie Warren, had suffered a broken leg and the regular H-back, Rick "Doc" Walker, had taken his place. Or some crusty veteran, such as the Redskins' Russ Grimm, wants to make sure a rookie, such as Clint Didier, knows just what the stakes are on the play that turns out to be the most famous in the Redskins' history. Or the quarterback is furious at a receiver who has zigged when the play called for him to zag. Or the center's ankle is bulging from being stepped on in a mass of bodies. While leading the Kansas City Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl IV, Stram helped popularize the open-huddle alignment, which resembles a small choir, with the enormous linemen in the back row, the runners and catchers in the first row and the director - the quarterback - in the front.īad disposition is more common than bad breath in huddles, owing to the fact that some defender may have just twisted the left tackle's helmet halfway off. The huddle is football's version of the corporate boardroom, where even the traditional formation resembles men standing over an oval table and everyone wears exactly the same suit, although decidedly not from Brooks Brothers. "He said the bad breath in there was killing him," said Stram. Seems there was this running back who kept lining up just outside the huddle - and who would join the rest of his teammates in heads-down concentration only under a stern order from Stram. The last suggestion is prompted by an incident NFL analyst Hank Stram says happened while he was an assistant coach at Purdue in the early-1950s. We're moving into what former Washington Redskins center Jeff Bostic calls "the place people consider the most calm during a game but probably is the most erratic." That would be the huddle - and you can tag along under these conditions: The language will be sanitized, so add a naughty word to some of the livelier quotes, and please bring a little sweet for the guys.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |