PatsFanTX Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 1972: Namath & Unitas Engage in Epic Passing Duel as Jets Beat Colts By the 1972 season, QB Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts was 39 years old and in the twilight of his great career. Joe Namath of the New York Jets (pictured above) was ten years younger but had missed most of the previous two seasons due to injuries. After winning the Super Bowl following the ’70 season, the Colts had gone 10-4 in 1971 to make the playoffs as a wild card team, but were now in a transition under a new owner, Bob Irsay, and vice president and general manager, Joe Thomas. New York had fallen under .500 in both 1970 and ’71 without Namath, following the ’68 season that had resulted in an AFL title and Super Bowl victory over the Colts and a division championship in ’69. Age and injuries had taken their toll on both the teams in general and starting quarterbacks in particular. The Colts and Jets, division rivals since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, met at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium on September 24, 1972. New York had won its opening game the previous week at Buffalo handily, but more due to the running of second-year FB John Riggins (125 yards on 26 carries) than Namath’s passing (5 completions in 14 attempts for 113 yards with a TD and an interception). Baltimore, meanwhile, had lost dismally to the Cardinals – while Unitas passed for 257 yards, the Colts couldn’t get in the end zone and two passes were intercepted while PK Jim O’Brien misfired on three field goal attempts. Expectations could not have been great for a high-scoring passing display, but that is what the 56,626 fans in attendance got. Namath set the tone in the first quarter by connecting with diminutive (5’10”, 160-pounds) WR Eddie Bell for a 65-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was missed, and Unitas responded with a touchdown pass of his own that covered 40 yards to WR Sam Havrilak. O’Brien was successful on the PAT and the Colts held a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Baltimore tacked on six more points in the second quarter as O’Brien booted field goals of 14 and 32 yards. The pace of the scoring sped up as the Jets responded with a 67-yard touchdown pass play from Namath to Riggins that was quickly followed by Baltimore’s RB Don McCauley returning the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a TD. Namath struck again to knot the score at 20-20 with a 28-yard touchdown pass to WR Don Maynard. Broadway Joe’s fourth TD pass of the half, a mere 10-yard toss to TE Rich Caster, provided the Jets with a 27-20 lead at halftime. The tide receded a bit in the third quarter, which was marked only by Bobby Howfield kicking a 14-yard field goal to put the Jets ahead by 10 points. But in the fourth quarter, McCauley ran in for a Colts TD from a yard out to make it a three-point game. Namath followed with a 79-yard touchdown pass to Caster. Unitas connected with HB Tom Matte for a 21-yard touchdown, but Namath iced the cake by again throwing to Caster, this time for an 80-yard TD that provided the final score of 44-34. “I know it sounds dumb, but I’ve had better days throwing the ball,” said Namath afterward. While he completed just 15 of his 28 passes, they went for an astounding 496 yards with six touchdowns against one interception. Rich Caster gained 204 yards on six catches with three touchdowns. Eddie Bell added another 197 yards on 7 receptions with a score. Don Maynard and John Riggins each caught one pass apiece, for touchdowns of 28 and 67 yards respectively; Riggins also was the leading rusher with 87 yards on 21 carries. It all overshadowed an outstanding effort by Johnny Unitas (pictured at left), who completed 26 of 45 passes for 376 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Tom Matte was the leading rusher, with 42 yards on nine carries, and also caught the most passes, with 9 for 69 yards and a TD. The converted halfback Sam Havrilak gained 115 yards on four receptions with a touchdown, and TE Tom Mitchell was right behind with 114 yards on 8 catches. The game proved to be the last great performance for Unitas in Baltimore. While the Colts shut out Buffalo the next week, they proceeded to lose the next four games. After a 21-0 loss to the Cowboys in Week 5, GM Thomas fired Head Coach Don McCafferty, who had refused to bench Unitas – John Sandusky, the interim head coach, was ordered to do so and the nondescript Marty Domres started at quarterback ahead of the all-time great for the remainder of the year. It was the conclusion of an outstanding era for Unitas and the Colts. Baltimore ended up with a 5-9 record for third place in the AFC East. The Jets finished second in the division with a 7-7 tally. Joe Namath stayed healthy enough to start all but one game and led the NFL in passing yards (2816), touchdown passes (19, tied with Washington’s Bill Kilmer), yards per attempt (8.7), and yards per completion (17.4). Damn, that was the game!!!!!!!!! Thanks for finding this, brings back great memories! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexorcism Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Damn, that was the game!!!!!!!!! Thanks for finding this, brings back great memories! 15 completions for 496! No dinking and dunking...Holy shlt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexorcism Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Damn, that was the game!!!!!!!!! Thanks for finding this, brings back great memories! A kid goes to that game and is an instant Namath fan:yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatsFanTX Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 A kid goes to that game and is an instant Namath fan:yes: I was a Namath fan before that game. I begged my Dad to take me to a game to see him play. We had relatives living in Baltimore, that's why we went to that game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexorcism Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I was a Namath fan before that game. I begged my Dad to take me to a game to see him play. We had relatives living in Baltimore, that's why we went to that game. Haha...so what the hell happened? Shouldve stayed true to the green and white...You could have been on our side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexorcism Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I was a Namath fan before that game. I begged my Dad to take me to a game to see him play. We had relatives living in Baltimore, that's why we went to that game. The one that got away still haunts us...Life as a Jet fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section314 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Haha...so what the hell happened? Shouldve stayed true to the green and white...You could have been on our side But then this place would be so boring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJ Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 It's Joe's fault that I'm a jets fan. I should have been a Giants fan growing up near Yankee stadium, but Joe Namath was so friggin cool that I became a Jets fan. I got the same disease all the way out in Chicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnitedWhofans Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Why all the love for a QB who threw more INT's than TD passes? Because he was the first "superstar" QB. Without him, Tom Brady doesn't get married to Gisele or Peyton Manning doesn't do all those commercials. Brett Favre doesn't do movies. Its not really his stats that puts him in the HOF, it's his presence and influence on pop culture and football Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32EBoozer Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Giselle would have dumped Brady in a sec for a piece of Joe Willie BIG Hands! Joe didn't need to deflate footballs because of his teeny-Weeny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexorcism Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Because he was the first "superstar" QB. Without him, Tom Brady doesn't get married to Gisele or Peyton Manning doesn't do all those commercials. Brett Favre doesn't do movies. Its not really his stats that puts him in the HOF, it's his presence and influence on pop culture and football Read the rest of the topic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugg Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 15 completions for 496! No dinking and dunking...Holy shlt Was a totally different game. Bill Walsh ws just starting the WCO with the Bengals. If you threw you were throwing long. If you flop out Namath for Bradshaw around 1972 with that cast he rarely would've lost a game. But Eubank got cheap and allowed a good team to get old without paying for replacements , and dealing away Riggins, which was criminal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnitedWhofans Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Read the rest of the topic... Fair enough, it's just that's my opinion of that's why he's in the hall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexorcism Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Fair enough, it's just that's my opinion of that's why he's in the hall Tx was a huge Namath fan, was just bustin balls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBallhawk Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Has anybody watched the Revis one? Is it worth watching? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bachelors3 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Wow, that was probably the 44-34 shootout, Namath had 496 yds...I went to a few early 70's games also, too young to remember which games they were Yes! 496 yards on 13 completions. Mind blowing in todays dink and dunk world of NFL football. When Joe was on his game there was none any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage69 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Yes! 496 yards on 13 completions. Mind blowing in todays dink and dunk world of NFL football. When Joe was on his game there was none any better. And remember before 1978 with all the rule changes helping receivers DB's could mug them and get away with it.. Not to mention the QB's were fair game to hit.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bachelors3 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Before I get corrected, it was 496 yards on 15 completions, Still AWESOME! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage69 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Before I get corrected, it was 496 yards on 15 completions, Still AWESOME! 33 yards a pass not a bad avg,,LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexorcism Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Before I get corrected, it was 496 yards on 15 completions, Still AWESOME! 33 yards a pass not a bad avg,,LOL http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/videos/From-the-Vault---Namath-vs-Unitas/8db0a3b2-0911-43d4-9adc-5d6fe0f57da4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OuttaSightPF Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Yes. SAR I I could tell 5 minutes in. very disappointing, I was looking forward to this for a while. Pretty shady NFL network. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southparkcpa Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I could tell 5 minutes in. very disappointing, I was looking forward to this for a while. Pretty shady NFL network. This was the HBO piece shown about 2 years ago. All in all, wasn't bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southparkcpa Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Never saw it. I doubt it, this was Football Life, the NFL Network series. Exact same.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRONX DUDE Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Why all the love for a QB who threw more INT's than TD passes? Shouldn't you be praying that Tammy throws more more TD's than INT's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatsFanTX Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Shouldn't you be praying that Tammy throws more more TD's than INT's? When was the last time that happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage69 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 When was the last time that happened? 30-27 loss to the Jets last year 0 tds 1 pick..And that's without checking more games I happen to know that one..LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flushing Roots Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 also banged alot of hotties Made Wilt Chamberlain look like an altar boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatsFanTX Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 30-27 loss to the Jets last year 0 tds 1 pick..And that's without checking more games I happen to know that one..LOL Over the last 4 years, you do know that the Jets are 1-7 against Brady and the Pats? Stop busting my balls, I have a Super Bowl game to watch tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage69 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Over the last 4 years, you do know that the Jets are 1-7 against Brady and the Pats? Stop busting my balls, I have a Super Bowl game to watch tomorrow. In the last 4 years how many times did the Pats beat the Jets in the playoffs?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyjet Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 What I found even more amazing is how Joe Namath single-handedly beat the Baltimore Colts in that Super Bowl by calling almost all the plays at the line of scrimmage. they lined up left, he ran right, they blitzed, he threw. unbelievable that the quarterback back in the day was also the offensive coordinator calling every play - they don't get credit for that. Add in the fact that they took a beating every game and just think of what it would have been like for Joe Willy to play in today's NFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage69 Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 What I found even more amazing is how Joe Namath single-handedly beat the Baltimore Colts in that Super Bowl by calling almost all the plays at the line of scrimmage. they lined up left, he ran right, they blitzed, he threw. unbelievable that the quarterback back in the day was also the offensive coordinator calling every play - they don't get credit for that. Add in the fact that they took a beating every game and just think of what it would have been like for Joe Willy to play in today's NFL With 2 good legs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integrity28 Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 Exact same.... Okay, I guess I don't have to go find the HBO version then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackout Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Yea, that was probably the game as I do remember it was a high scoring game. I think Namath also threw 4 or 5 TD passes that day as well. this was back when you were a Jets fan, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeC36 Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 this was back when you were a Jets fan, right? It was around the time you were a giant fan homie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackout Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 It was around the time you were a giant fan homie i still am, I root for both teams. still remember that '05 Giants-Jets training camp like yesterday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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