By Paul Casey Gotham
****Remember, try this without research. That is, make like Wally and release your inner James Joyce. Show us your stream of consciousness as you try to decipher the answer.
From Lackawanna to Youngstown. Yeah, I should know a thing or two about steel. I did work some time in a steel mill during high school. My dad used the experience to teach me a lesson, but I never did learn much about that metal. Instead, I did my time with another metal: iron. The gridiron that is. Hah! Down. Set. Hike. Three yards and a cloud of dust and all that stuff. Well, not exactly with me. I liked to sling it. And sling it I did. I played my college career at Youngstown State. Not many guys from Youngstown State get drafted into the NFL. But I did. Second round in fact. I was known for my arm. I put into play those lessons from the hard-working people of those steel towns. I never took my talents for granted. I held the standard for durability at one time. You can say I came to work every day. All that work paid off. I had one season where I was at or near the top of some positive numbers. That’s not to say that I didn’t have some other good years. But that one year I made the Pro Bowl, and I played on the final Sunday of the season. We didn’t win. It was the organization’s first trip to the Super Bowl. They have made one since, but still haven’t come out on top. That was quite a while ago, but I still have an influence on the game. Yeah, I have a voice. I think that’s why I got my nickname.
Who am I?
Sure, I finally look at the computer early enough to compete with Wally, and baseball season ends a little earlier than expected. If Texas had won Monday night, would this be a baseball question?
Still, this one doesn’t seem like it should be too hard. A quarterback from Ohio whose team lost in their first Super Bowl appearance, who has a nickname for his big mouth, I guess.
Let me hop in the shower and run through the teams, division by division, in my head. Hopefully I can figure this out before Wally even wakes up. 🙂
I think I got it already. The Eagles lost their first Super Bowl, and have been back and still haven’t won it. That seems to be implied by the clue as well. And a nickname like “Jaws” seems to fit the “I have a voice..” clue.
So, is it Ron Jaworski?
It’s gotta be Jaws, aka “The Polish Rifle”.
Not bad for a baseball guy, Chas 🙂 Well done!
Smitty … you can quit showering, Chas has it. Smitty???
Doh … I thought that was Smitty in the shower. Oops. Couldn’t be.
JAWS is correct. the polish rifle. Saw him play at YSU.. RON Jaworski
Ron Jaworski was from Buffalo area, and played for Eagles I think in Super Bowl, but didn’t they win ? Oh well, my best guess.
Looks like I am with the majority.
Pete —
The Eagles lost to the Raiders with Jim Plunkett at QB and Marcus Allen the featured tailback that year. Allen had probably one of the most famous NFL runs in that game… and the game wasn’t close.
Was that the Vermeil 1980 Eagles?
Is Smitty out of the shower yet?
Oh wait…that was me. 🙂
Chas —
What threw me off was the short time between your two responses … only 3 minutes. Now i’m assuming your computer is not in your bathroom … so that was one lightning quick shower … not to mention time to think about the answer. How’d you do that?
Pete —
Yes … that season was Vermeil’s finest hour … until he came back and won it all with the Curt Warner St Louis Rams.
Wally – I came up with the answer before getting in the shower. Since I’m a New York Giants fan, my process of running through the teams in my head starts with the NFC East, so Philadelphia quickly came to mind.
What I should have done, though, is list all the possible answers that I could think of, like Wally does. So, that brings up an interesting question: For all the teams who have been to the Super Bowl more than once but never won, can we name the quarterback who led each team to their first.
Here’s what I came up with: Fran Tarkenton, Jim Kelly, Ken Anderson
Actually, I think all of those guys led their teams to all of their losing Super Bowls. The question definitely implied that the team returned without them.
Don’t forget Cliff Stout and ex penguin from YSU.played for Pittsburgh. don’t think he lost on last Sunday of the season..
Correction: It wasn’t Tarkenton who led the Vikings to their first SB … it was Joe Kapp? Tarkenton was the QB for losses 2, 3 and 4.
And of course there’s also the Philly Eagles … they lost 2 SB’s and Jaws was the QB of that first team
Was indeed Joe Kapp in first Vikes SB loss, with a backfield of Bill Brown and Dave Osborn, with Gene Washington and John Henderson at WRs and Beasley at TE. Clint Jones was a young kick returner/sub on that team. Their strength of course was the Purple People Eaters defense, led by Alan Page, ably assisted by Carl Eller, Jim Marshall (who used to hold the record for most consecutive starts until Favre – and someday P Manning – came along), and I think Gary Larsen. Paul Krause, one of my favorites and one of the best in career interceptions, was an integral part of that defense, as was safety karl Kassulke. One of the very interesting facts about that team defense was the no-name identity of the linebacking corps. I think Lonnie warwick was the MLB, but I can’t tell you for sure. Later Vikes SB teams would have outstanding backers. As you may guess, back in those years the NFL was relevant to me and Minnesota was my team.
While QBs changed ( I remember how exciting it was to have Tarkenton return from the NYG), the coach remained constant. Bud Grant, with so much success in the CFL, could never quite reach the pinnacle in the NFL. BTW, don’t know why I did not remember the corners at first; Earsall Mackbee and Bobby Bryant, ironically another of my favorites.
Chas knows football! Nice.
Will Kane welcome to the Pine. Come back often.
Wally and Pete – capturing the spirit of the WAI? and keeping the conversation going. Helmet Stickers for all.
Don’t let that deter you from continuing. 🙂
Pete —
Drew Pearson pushed off … that was sooooo offensive pass interference!! Still bitter about that one?
Yep … Every time i looked up, Paul Krause was catching yet another of the opponents passes.
Alan Page … Notre Dame great … and now a Supreme Court Judge, eh?
Drew pushed off in 1975. When I was talking roster, I was talking 1969. Like most Alzheimerians, I only remember the things farthest back, not the “recent” past. yes Pearson did push off, and yes it was a bitter pill to follow. To this day I blame pat Summerall, who had just awarded the Vikings the victory. Interesting that that team, which did not make SB, was very possibly the BEST Vikings team of them all. That was when the new LB corps was at it’s peak, led by Jeff Siemon. Aaah, the memories. I always had a knack for picking sports bridesmaids; the Vikings were my best bridesmaid ever, though an Indianapolis racer named Dan Gurney was a close second – hahaha.
Page spoke at an ND event in recent years, maybe a pep rally. He used the opportunity as a political platform, causing me disappointment regarding one of my true heroes of sport. Nevertheless, he remains in a stratosphere I reserve for such greats/personal favorites as Mickey Mantle, Bob Cousy, and Seabiscuit.
Race car drivers aren’t …. …. no, I’m not gonna go there 🙂
Seabiscuit is not ……………………… geez.
Wally, Wally, Wally! I never said athletes, I just said sports favorites. You must admit that horse racing and auto racing are sports. And let me add Muhammad Ali and Mario Andretti (those darn race drivers keep slipping in) to my list.
I remember seeing Mario on that old show “the Superstars” … remember that? I don’t think he was fit enough to finish the 100 yard dash. Yep … he’s some “sportsman”.
Give him some wheels and he’d beat ANYBODY over 100 yards/miles/whatever. It’s (wheeling) in our Italian blood!
I can attest to that after my recent trip to Italy. 🙂