TUESDAY TIDBITS: "We Have a Chance to Repeat"

By TJ Troup 

1989 NFCCG Rams at 49ers

Since the Packers proved they are a team to be reckoned with on the road, the significance that every year since the merger there has been at least one road victory in the NFL playoffs remains. 

We all can state our opinions on the six playoff games from this past weekend, and though was entertained by the Bills and Steelers, for me there was only one game that would be considered gripping drama. 

Are the Lions for real? Tampa Bay will be able to answer that question very soon, as the game last night demonstrated they can beat a team in freefall. 

The Buccaneers' victory over the Eagles brought out a historical stat that is riveting; 55 teams since the merger had won 10 of their first 11 games and only two did not make it to the divisional round! Norm Snead has left us, and he piloted the '68 Eagles—which for my money is the worst Eagles team in the last 75 years, but as bad as that Philadelphia team was in '68, the team that took the field last night could be called a "toxic dumpster fire".

 Are there going to be changes in the city of brotherly love? Will the sun come up tomorrow? When the Eagles beat the Bills in overtime on November 26th no one, repeat no one could have foreseen that Philadelphia would go 1-6 the rest of the season, and Buffalo would go 6-0. 

Are the Bills a team of destiny? The ghost of Tom Sestak lives! 

Bills great Tom Sestak

Since I mentioned the Rams losing on January 14th, that is a date on the calendar that has not been kind to Los Angeles, since they lost on January 14th, 1990. Our historical journey for today will take us back to the game played that day between Los Angeles and San Francisco for the right to go to the Super Bowl, yet first there is going to be a background story. 

Many summers from 1974 till 1990 was able to go to Rams camp to watch them practice, and while all of them were fun, and educational there is one that stands out. Summer of '89 and arrived at Rams camp wearing my Riverside City College coaching shirt, and as per usual there were no restrictions for me. 

Jim Everett, Norv Turner and John Robinson

Stood about 30 feet from the receiver drills conducted by Norv Turner, and watched one of my favorite receivers of that era demonstrate his all-pro ability; Mr. Henry Ellard. Later walked over to watch 7 on 7, and there sitting on the ground lotus style is Ernie Zampese. He has his #2 Ticonderoga pencils sharpened to a fine point in his plastic pocket protector, and his long legal pad to take notes. 

Jim Everett had a powerful arm and did not shy away from showing off. The Ram quarterback would take his 5-step drop and pat the ball for an extended amount of time, in fact so long that coach Zampese would start yelling, "Let it go" "let it go" and then verbally berate Everett for how long he held the ball before throwing. 

Quoting Peter King in Sports Illustrated, "Jim Everett has happy feet, as he was a confident 65% passer in the first five games. Now he's jittery; he's throwing off his back foot and is not seeing all his receivers. 

During the slump, he has completed only 46% of his throws. The key to beating Everett is pressure, even if that means single coverage on wide receivers Henry Ellard and Flipper Anderson". Los Angeles after the 5-0 start lost four straight, but rebounded to win six of seven to earn a wild-card berth. 

The Rams beat the Niners in San Francisco for the 6th time in the decade but lost the re-match on a Monday Night Game that was one of the most entertaining games of the year. Two impressive road victories in the playoffs and Los Angeles gets rewarded with another trip to the Bay Area to play their bitter rivals. 

Can Los Angeles beat San Francisco again and earn their first Super Bowl trip in a decade? The team they face has handled the transition from Walsh to Siefert very well, and quoting Joe Montana we have the title to our narrative. 

Lengthy film study of this 49er team tells us that this is one of the best teams from Steve Sabol's remarkable series "AMERICA'S GAME". The Niners have no weakness and if somehow they could have scored two more touchdowns during the year against the Rams and Packers they would have been the first 16-0 team. 

Remember the game like it was yesterday, and as per usual had my Dr. Peppers chilled and a big bowl of Smokehouse Almonds right in front of me on my coffee table. San Francisco goes three and out, and here comes Los Angeles quickly moving 44 yards in 10 plays as Lansford drills home his kick. The Niners' next possession ends on one of those strange plays where Wilcher of the Rams forced a fumble, yet guard McIntyre recovers, only he fumbles and Kelm falls on the ball at the thirty-three. 

Many people believe the key play of the game happens in this next series as Everett on 2nd and three at the Forty-Niner Forty has his pass to Anderson knocked away by all-pro safety Ronnie Lott. We see that Mr. Lott had the instincts and range to take the proper angle and deflect the ball away. Rams punt after another incompletion, and late in the first quarter, the Niners drive to the Rams forty-five. 

The impressive drive continues into the 2nd quarter and ends with Montana finding Jones open in the end zone for the 20-yard score. San Francisco mixed run and pass to go 89 yards in 13 plays, but more important was the systematic attack that had one of the best defensive coordinators in Fritz Shurmer looking for a way to stop Montana. Nine seconds remained in the half when Montana delivered an 18-yard timing strike to Taylor in the end zone for a 21-3 half-time lead. 

So much has been written about the 49er offense of this era, but for me, the stat that stood out in the first half is Greg Bell carried 7 times for 20 yards rushing with a long run of 5 yards, and since no one else carried the ball. 

You must ask yourself that one fateful question; where is the balance in the Ram offense? San Francisco gained 54 yards rushing, and Mr. Montana gained 198 on his 18 completions. Los Angeles must answer to begin the second half, and after three plays, punts the ball to John Taylor. His flashy return of 29 yards is negated by a penalty, thus the Niners begin at their own twenty-eight. 

The Niner offense is still balanced and results in a field goal, the first of three that Helton will boom through the uprights. When a team wins the right to go to the Super Bowl 30-3 against their most bitter rivals no doubt an already confident team feels they are invincible. Paul Lionel Zimmerman in his write-up of the victory over Minnesota in the divisional round has a quote from offensive tackle Harris Barton on a well-run counter play that picked up 10 yards."A key-breaker as we hadn't shown that".

 Offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick designed most of the running schemes and rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he watched the carnage "I mean, you expect some of the things to work, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect anything like this". Against Los Angeles, the scheme continued to produce yards on the ground as San Francisco gained 125 rushing in the second half. 

Bobb McKittrick

We all have players that we enjoy watching play, and for me, the man that stood out for the Niners was Tom Rathman as he gained 63 rushing, including his longest run of the season of 17 yards, his blocking for Roger Craig, ....yet his receiving skills were simply awesome, as he latched onto 6 Montana passes. Earlier in the season Rathman had a game where he caught 11 for 103 yards! 

Defensively every Niner contributed as they might have gotten only one sack, but pressure again gave Everett happy feet, and you saw proper pursuit angles, and a mixture of zone and man that limited Ellard and Anderson. 

Harry Kalas in doing the narration for the season highlight film stated that San Francisco had "balance and precison". This Saturday we will see if the Niners can stop a red-hot Packer team and continue on their journey to the Super Bowl.