Book review: 'The Juice, the Electric Company & an Epic Run for a Record'

 By John Turney

Have you seen the new book on the 1973 (Bills) season? This guy knows what he's talking about."

That was Hall-of-Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure's response when I spoke to him recently about Joe Zagorski's forthcoming book, "The 2,003-Yard Odyssey: The Juice, The Electric Company, and an Epic Run for a Record." He'd been given a copy of the book, released today, and to say he enjoyed what he read would be understatement.

Then again, who wouldn't be?

It covers in detail the 1973 record-setting season of Hall-of-Fame running back O.J. Simpson when he became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season and was the best football player on the planet -- leading the Buffalo Bills to a 9-5 record one year after they'd won four times with a starting quarterback who didn't throw for 2,000 yards.

The reason? Simple. O.J. It was his team, Zagorski argues.

In his 300-plus page treatise, Zagorski hits the high notes, the low notes and all the notes of that season. It's a week-by-week ... sometimes even play-by-play ... review, with details you won't find elsewhere through interviews with DeLamielleure, linemen Reggie McKenzie and Donnie Green, quarterback Joe Ferguson and even the late O.J. Simpson.

What I found most interesting was how the Bills built the offensive line that would become the legendary "Electric Company," choosing DeLamielleure and tackle Paul Seymour in the first round of the 1973 draft before converting Seymour to tight end. They also moved a collegiate tight end, Jim Braxton, to fullback. Then it was up to line coach and Hall-of-Fame center Jim Ringo to mold the group into something special.

Which he did.

Zagorski notes how Buffalo broke from tradition with its use of the two tight-end "I" formation, something uncommon then in the NFL. The "I" was just not a thing at that time. Teams more frequently used a single tight end with split running backs. But not the Bills. They featured guards who could pull, a tight end (Seymour) who blocked like a tackle and a fullback who blocked like a tight end.

Plus, they had unexpected help on the outside. Wide receiver J.D. Hill was as an accomplished blocker (among the best ever, according to his teammates), as was slender receiver (6-foot, 175-pounds) Bob Chandler who blocked down on defensive backs. All played contributing roles in an unforgettable season where Simpson accounted for 51 percent of Buffalo's offensive yardage and 50 percent of its offensive TDs.

That is not a misprint. Rookie quarterback Joe Ferguson, who started every game, threw for only 939 yards and four touchdowns.

One chapter explains why then-coach Lou Saban decided to lean so heavily on O.J. (he was the best player on the planet, remember?), while no fewer than 20 pages are devoted to the 1973 season finale vs. the Jets when Simpson ran for 200 yards to finish with 2,003 for the year, breaking the existing record of 1,863 set by Jim Brown in 1963.

Both marks were set in 14-game seasons. 

A member of the Pro Football Writers of America, Zagorski has written three previous football books: "The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football's Most Important Decade", "The Year the Packers Came Back: Green Bay's 1972 Resurgence" and America's Trailblazing Middle Linebacker: The Story of NFL Hall-of-Famer Willie Lanier".

Like DeLamielleure, I recommend this book not only for Bills' fans but for anyone who followed the NFL in the 1970s. It takes you inside the huddle with heretofore untold information and anecdotes about a great football player, a great season and a damaged and tragic legacy.

But don't take my advice. Listen to Joe DeLamielleure. He was there -- inside the huddle -- and he knows. Plus, he just told you what to expect.

"This guy knows what he's talking about."