Coldest game?

[camdenyard]

I believe it was the opening game of 1978 against Dallas on Monday night where Joned dislocated his right shoulder...Baltimore Colts were never the same.

Bert was pile-driven into the astroturf in Detroit...during the 1978 pre-season.

I remember that Monday night game in Dallas...the Colts were shut out 38-0 or something like that. Then they lost 42-0 to Miami at home the next week. Ouch.

I remember going to the Patriots game at Memorial that November. I was standing by thr baseball screen watching Steve Grogan and TE Russ Francis warm up. Grogan overthrew Francis, who was a monster at 6'6" 275 or so, and the ball hit the ground and one-hopped right into my arms. I was standing there looking at this ball when a towering figure said to me in a deep voice "Can I have the ball, son?". I looked up in awe and handed him the ball. My brother kicked me for that.

I also remember being glued to the radio during the Colts-Broncos game. We were up 7-6 and Denver was lined up for an easy chip shot FG with a couple seconds left. I can still hear Chuck Thompson say "there's the snap...BLOCKED!!!! The kick is blocked!". We won that game.

It was a 5-11 year I think, but lots of memories.

[Bez513]

LL Bean flannel lined or fleece lined jeans are another way to go
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/sto...781-ppxs&dds=y

I have the LL Bean fleeced-lined kakis....I had those one...very nice!

[Mista T]

Heres a Wiki link on Bert JOnes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Jones

Bert Jones was the best pure passer we have seen in the 50+ years of NFL football in Baltimore. Joe Flacco has the potential be as good as Bert.

[Galen Sevinne]

Bert was pile-driven into the astroturf in Detroit...during the 1978 pre-season.

I remember that Monday night game in Dallas...the Colts were shut out 38-0 or something like that. Then they lost 42-0 to Miami at home the next week. Ouch.

I remember going to the Patriots game at Memorial that November. I was standing by thr baseball screen watching Steve Grogan and TE Russ Francis warm up. Grogan overthrew Francis, who was a monster at 6'6" 275 or so, and the ball hit the ground and one-hopped right into my arms. I was standing there looking at this ball when a towering figure said to me in a deep voice "Can I have the ball, son?". I looked up in awe and handed him the ball. My brother kicked me for that.

I also remember being glued to the radio during the Colts-Broncos game. We were up 7-6 and Denver was lined up for an easy chip shot FG with a couple seconds left. I can still hear Chuck Thompson say "there's the snap...BLOCKED!!!! The kick is blocked!". We won that game.

It was a 5-11 year I think, but lots of memories.

That's right it was the preseason game where Jones was hurt.. I remember being allowed to stay up late to watch the Dallas game and I was in disbelief. I also remember the blocked field goal during the Broncos game. I remember it being foggy that day I think. I seem to remember Fred Cook on the block but I could be wrong.

[Beerracuda]

I remember Bert Jones in that 1978 season. I think it was the game against New England where he was still heaving the ball down the field, with his shoulder hanging halfway down to his ass.

To this day, I still don't know how he was able to throw a football with that shoulder like that. I've had a seperated shoulder before, and it's painful enough just trying to move your arm, much less flinging a football while getting tackled.

[RAVENOUS52]

Ah yea, I was there too and I'll tell you a funny story about how we lost.

John Madden said last year on MNF that game had everything - offense, defense and special teams. The game was in Dec, 1977.

As you say, we lost it on the Ghost to Post Play.

A few years ago Scott Garceau MCed Nest 1's Scholarship Banquet and Bruce Laird was there. He kidded Bruce that he saw that game on the Classics Channel and all you see is Bruce trailing The Ghost into the end zone as the game ended.

Bruce said wait a minute. I wasnt even supposed to be over there. I had my man covered. I was trying to help out after the linebacker forgot to pick up the TE going to the post. Bruce had a hell of a game himself with a 62 yd interception return, ala Ed Reed, for a TD. We led at halftime 10-7.

I asked Bruce afterwards if Stan White was that linebacker who forgot and he laughed and said yea.

Then I saw the game on the Classic Channel and you dont see Stan anywhere on the play as Bruce follows the Te into the endzone.

They would have won anyway because Madden said on MNF that it was 3rd down so they wanted to give it one more shot and then kick the FG to win the game if the played failed. They were in range.

For those too young to know, its called the Ghost to Post play because its a play where the TE cuts across the middle to get a mismatch on the linebacker and he heads straight to the goal post.

All teams have it. I think the Ravens call it the Post Play as most teams do.

OAK called it that because Dave Casper was the TE and principal of the play. His nick name was the Ghost after Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon series that were popular back then.

So when Madden put it in the play book he named it the Ghost to Post play.

Shannan Sharpe scored a TD on it in one of the Tenn games during our SB run.

The advantage is with the receiver because he's running to the goal post and sees it while the defender has to take his eye off the ball to look for the post so he doesnt run into it.

A split second is all a good TE needs to make his move and catch the ball as he did vs Stan and Casper was one of the best of that era and entered the HOF. That catch is one of the most memorable in NFL history .

It was a hi scoring game and the 2d longest in NFL history. Bert Jones would throw a TD then Ken The Snake Stabler came downfield with a TD. Then Bert threw another TD. Then The Snake came back down the field for another TD. Bellichek recently said Bert was the best pure passer he ever saw and it's rumored he could throw 100 yds. Ernie Accorsi, Giants GM of SB35 said he would have been the greatest QB ever under different circumstances, ie, a better team. Bert was 1 of 3 QBs in the 70s to get 100 plus rating. Stabler and Roger Staubach were the others.

I don't know what Madden meant saying there was defense. Both Ds took the day off.
Nearly 70 pts were scored in that game. Too bad we lost because we could have beaten Denver and won another SB trophy that year had we won.

Madden said it is one of the most memorable games of his career.

Bmore beat OAK in the PO for the SB5 trophy when the Colts won it, which btw was maybe the coldest game ever played in Bmore and in a snow blizzard to boot. The big bad Raiders got bombarded with snow balls and went into the tunnel and refused to come out until the cops cleared all the throwers out. The game was delayed 20-30 mins. They were scared to come out. When they did they never took their helmets off on the side lines. I was there too.

OAK beat us in 1977 but lost to Denver. They beat us but got the crap beat out of them.

Then the Baltimore Ravens beat OAK in our run for the SB35 trophy in 2000.

Revenge is sweet even if its with a new franchise and 3 decades later. LOL.

I love it when TRAP tells a good Baltimore Colts story...:respect

More of our elder statesmen should do the same-- It really gives those of us too young to remember a sense of connection with the Colts legacy in BMORE.

When I was growing up, Mike Pagel was our QB, which explains why so many younger posters are apathetic about the Colts now that we have the Ravens, not to mention Art Schlichter, who as a rookie had gambled away his entire signing bonus by midseason...:grbac: :(

[Mr OC]

Trap, you are quite the raconteur. I could listen to you all day long.

Thanks!

[RAVENOUS52]

Speaking of old stories, Barry Levinson is thinking of making a new movie about the old Baltimore Colts. He already made one which was critically acclaimed called DINER. You young ones should march right down to your favorite rental and get it. My bro saw it in Boston where he was going to school and said the people up there fell out of the seats laughing so hard when they playing the Baltimore Colts marching song instead of the Wedding March and the church was decorated in the Colts blue and white colors instead of the traditional all white.

BTW, Levinson wants to meet with old Colts fans for some of these stories that might work their way into his new movie. His agent sent an email to the Chamber of Ravens Nests and they sent it to all members.

Back to DINER, there was this funny scene where the couple was getting engaged and the guy put her in a closet to give her a quiz on the Colts. If she got 1 question wrong, they wouldnt get married.

They were questions like what were the original Colts colors and who was the original coach of the Colts. A friend said, I dont know that answer but the girl knew all of them and they got married.

I actually met the girl in that closet. Back in the 80s the hottest joint north of the beltway was a place called Wurlitzers. It played oldies from the 50s and 60s.

One of my best friends introduced me to the girl who was in that closet in the movie. Her real name was Roxanne. She was gorgeous and one of Levinson's best friends in high school.

I was slow dancing with her and asked if that was really true - about the quiz and she said it certainly was.

Then I asked why they got divorced.

She said he was too demanding. I laughed my arse off.

I mean, she couldnt figure out that a guy who locked her in a closet and gave her a football quiz and said they wouldnt get married if she missed 1 question would be too demanding to stay married.

Im still LOL.

Oh that Schlester. He was making bets in the paid phone by the club house. He was interviewed and said the worse thing he ever did was hock his wife's wedding ring to pay a bet out in Vegas.

Later he went back to buy the ring back and it was already sold.

Art might have been one of the best QBs ever in a typical Irsay blunder.

Always in Baltimore.

Makes me want to go out and rent DINER right now... Maybe I'll do it this weekend!

[Galen Sevinne]

Hey there is nothing wrong with someone's wife knowing about the local football team. My wife could probably name 80% of the starting 22 players each week. Kelly Gregg was her favorite player before it became popular to like him.

Last night, she was explaining to me that the reason Flacco wasn't so successful throwing the ball was because the Skins were running a zone defense when they hadn't shown that tendency on film before and Cam wasn't expecting it.

Now I wouldn't lock her in a closet but that was impressive to me.

[Dave Lap]

And you yankees are supposed to be used to that kind of weather.

-15 wind chill at noon on the last National Championship we won. If you go back and watch the game, I'm the purple-ish blob blocking the heater from everybody else.

What National Championship?

[RAVENOUS52]

Ditto on the broken shoulder. I had one too and it was painful and a couple of months before I could even drive. I couldnt even reach for the radio in the car.

Irsay also taught a valuable lesson that effects Ozzie Newsome to this day. Its called drafting the best available player on the board.

The Colts had a good RB named Lydell Mitchell so when a guy named Walter Peyton was on the board the Colts passed on him and took a guard. So we could have had the best 2 players ever under Irsay - Elway and Peyton.

When the 97 draft came up for the Ravens a great college RB named Lawrence Phillips was on the board but he had been in a lot of trouble for beating people up on campus including females. Even did some jail time.

Art wante him but Savage said, do you want a guy who will keep you up at nights or someone who will let you sleep. Art gave in and let Ozzie draft someone named Ogden and the rest is history.

Phillips was a bust and ended back in jail where he still might be while Ogden became perhaps the greatest tackle to ever play.

They learned they lessons from irsay. LOL.

Three great books to read on the Baltimore Colts are:

FROM COLTS TO RAVENS BY JOHN STEADMAN

FATSO BY ARTY DONOVAN

THE GREAT FOOTBALL WARS BY DENNIS HAND


BTW, Hand gives the best reason I ever heard why Tags the Fag blocked us out of the expansion derby.

Balto had a team in the USFL called the Stars and they were pretty good too. They probably could have beaten the bottom half of the NFL teams and their head coach was someone name Mora - remember him. He later became the Colts head coach in Indy and is now with Seattle, I think.

Anyway the USFL sued the NFL hoping for a merger - at least 3 teams and Bmore was one of the teams.

Tags the Fag was the lead atty for the NFL and won the case for them. Actually, the USFL won but the jury only give them the min award - $1 which was later raised to $3 so that ended the merger.

Hand says that Tags the Fag hated Bmore after that. Pete Rozelle, then Commish, reward him as his assistant and when Pete retired Tags the Fag got the job. He never forgave Bmore and did everything to keep us out. And I always thought it was a bad crab cake he got-lol. He even had a daughter who lived here so he screwed her too.

On a side not, Tags almost didnt get the job. The old guard like Art Modell, Rooney of the Steelers and Mara of the Giants wantd a guy who was the GM of New Orleans. His name was Finks who had an interesting Bmore history too.

He was an assistant coach under Lombardi when we played them in 65. That was the year both Unitas and Quozzo went down. Finks was up in the press box and noticed that Quozzo's shoulder was hurt and he was trying to hide it.

He kept calling down to the D coord to keep hitting the QB, hit the QB in the shoulder. He has a bad right shoulder. And they knocked him out too.

Enter Tom Matte with his wrist band of plays and he led the Colts to victory after victory until the final play in GB and a FG that beat us. Steadman's book has a pic of the ball missing the uprights by 10 feet and with the ref right under it with his arms raised - good. Even Chandler the kicker kicked his foot in the dirt because he knew he missed it but was shocked when he heard the crowd yelling and screaming.

They went to the championship game that year when we should have. The NFL clearly didnt want to show case a team with a 2d string RB as its featured QB.

So we went to the PO Bowl in Miami and Matte killed the Cowboys and Shula was severely criticized for running up the score on them and with a 2d string RB as its featured QB but Shula was pissed and got even with the NFL for rigging the GB game. He didnt care..

Oh, and Shula didnt even know Matte played QB at Ohio State. Woody Hayes told Shula Matte could play QB.

Baltimore did so much complaining about that phony FG that the NFL raised the goal posts to its current height. Insiders called it the Baltimore Extension as a joke because we complained so much.


They stole our team but not the memories.

Anyway, back to Jim Finks, he didnt get the Comish job because there were a lot of new owners and maverick owners like irsay. They rebelled vs the old guard and wanted a say on the new comish. Tags the FAg was their man and they got him in.

And even that effects us. Finks might not have blocked us out. The last thing Rozelle told the NFL wss - you got to get Baltimore back in so who know what would have happened. It didnt matter anyway. Finks died shortly afte Tags became the GM of cancer.

Tags also remembered who got him in. When Jimmy Irsay had drug probs and was running the organization down faster than his old man, Tags stepped in to help and got him counseling. He also advised him that the best owners were the ones who stayed out and hired the best football people to run their teams.

Jimmy was rehabed and hired Tags man - the guy who built the Panthers into a PO team - Poulen. He drafted someone named Manning and Harrison and the Irsay's got their first trophy beating us on the way on that rainy PO game in Bmore that started this discussion.

I think we got shafted royally, but having the Ravens and the great group of players and new memories constantly being produced by this franchise is more than I ever hoped for. Ray Ray and the boys have transformed me from a bitter young man into a Ravens diehard proud to display my colors anywhere in the world (Including Iraq and Afghanistan!).

[RAVENOUS52]

AMEN BRO and thanks for the compliments. Yea, Bmore got shafted all right. We had the most $$ on the table for a public funded stadium. Today, most of the new stadium are carbon copies - Philly, Cinci, Celve and Tampa Bay but none are as esquisite as ours. We still have the best football and baseball stadiums in the country.

Speaking of getting shafted, here's another true story I remember at the time. After buying the Os, Petey wanted an NFL team. He offered huge sums to buy the Rams and move them here but Georgia Rosenbloom declined.

Then Culverhouse who owned the Bucs died and Petey was all set up to make a deal for them. The son wanted to sell to Petey because he had the most $$ but his mother wanted to keep the team there.

Tags the Fag went down there forthwith and got Glazer to buy the team. So he even blocked us out there. There was quite a family squabble between the wife and son. Here, Tags rejected Glazer or anyone as the owner of Bmore expansion team but it was Ok for Glazer to own the Bucs and at a lower rate than Petey offered.

The executor of the estate put the screws on the son and told him they would tie up his inhereitance for years if he didnt agree to sell to Glazer. He quickly agreed to sell to Glazer who promptly said the buck stops here, not in Bmore.

Then something funny happened. Bmore got even with him. John Moag who stole the Browns could have had the Bucs. After saying that Glazer desperately wanted that Bmore stadium. He knew the $$ from trying to get a team here and Moag kept putting him off.

Bidwell also wanted to move here. He was sitll playing in the run down college stadium out there. Moag kept putting them off because the Browns were the best franchise to steal - a storied franchise and Art was a far better owner than Bidwell and Glazer put together. He ordered his secretary to say he was out when they called even when he wasnt but we would have had one of those teams if Art didnt move here.

Art of course turned out to be the best owner as Moag knew and as you say 52, the Ravens more than make up for what happened to us here. Ozzie gave Billick the tallent to win the SB within 4 years of coming here.

And now with Flacco and the new offense, we'll be making several more trips in the next 10 years if we can keep the great D together.

The Ravens havent even scratched the surface yet. Remember, theyre still an infant organziation. Oz was a baby GM when he won the SB. Then he had to gut the team in 01 and came within 8 plays of making the POs the next year with one of the youngest teams in history.

We're now just getting over the gutting and getting a good offense to go with our great D.

It was worth the wait.*Also, look at all Ozzie guys as GMs - Pialo in NE, Phil in Cleve and Shack in Jacksonville.

GO RAVENS.

God were we lucky that Bidwell didn't move his team here!!!

I may have been forced to move to Canada if that happened!!:(