1977-12-10 NFL Today Halftime Report
1977-12-10 NFL Today Halftime Report
Transcript
00:00George Allen changes quarterbacks and is Washington Redskins lead by three at the half.
00:13And so, Irv Krosh, what do you think of Billy Kilmer so far?
00:16He's about your age.
00:17Well, he's a year or two older than I am, but you remember the first offensive drive
00:20the Redskins had, he took them the length of the field and threw a touchdown pass at
00:24Calvin Hill.
00:25Then in the closing minute or so of the first half, controlled the clock very well to get
00:28the field goal.
00:29So, experience is coming through.
00:30Speaking of control today, the Cincinnati Bengals seized control of the race in the
00:34AFC Central as they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 17 to 10.
00:39It was a tough weekend for Chuck Noll.
00:41He slipped on the ice, broke his arm the night before the ballgame.
00:44His team started off this way.
00:45Bradshaw back to throw his first pass.
00:47Lamar Parrish swoops in, intercepts, and runs 48 yards for the touchdown.
00:52And Cincinnati moved ahead by seven points.
00:55Five turnovers by the Steelers.
00:57This next possession fumbled by Blier, recovered by Bacon.
01:00And it was Pat McAnally replacing the injured Isaac Curtis, who caught this pass by Kenny
01:04Anderson and got the Bengals to the one-yard line.
01:07Cincinnati gambled on fourth and goal.
01:09They went to Pete Johnson, and the Steelers held him right there and took over.
01:13Back they came.
01:14Bradshaw carefully driving the Steelers.
01:16What kind of a field condition was it?
01:18Look at the ice that Cunningham is knocked down on after a 26-yard gain.
01:22As they start the second quarter, Frank O'Harris broke across.
01:25The Steelers had tied it.
01:27Then it was Bradshaw.
01:28And where did that man come from?
01:30Who is that guy?
01:31No, Bradshaw.
01:32Bradshaw back to pass, looking for Lynn Swan, a very costly reception.
01:36Swan has got it, but he sustains a hip pointer, and he is out for the rest of the game.
01:41That set up a Pittsburgh field goal.
01:43The Steelers move ahead by three.
01:45Back comes Anderson, driving the Bengals, looking for Brooks this time.
01:49This is a 57-yard pass play, set up a 25-yard bar field goal, tied at 10.
01:54The cruel afternoon wore on.
01:56Jim LeClair out, frostbite.
01:58Then it was the Steelers who seized control, but then they fumbled the kickoff, and Cincinnati
02:02had a chance.
02:03Anderson going to McAnally, down the sideline, 43 yards, and Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh
02:0917-10, Bradshaw's last chance as time ran out.
02:13He overthrew Stallworth by about a yard, and you can see that Cincinnati and Pittsburgh
02:18are tied right now at 8-5, but because Cincinnati won by seven points today, if they beat Houston
02:26next Sunday, they would beat the Steelers by a single point.
02:29And the tie-breaking method, of course, that is saying that Pittsburgh will also beat San
02:33Diego.
02:34It is going to be that close in the AFC Central.
02:36Speaking of a race that was close, how about the one out in the AFC West, Denver and Oakland,
02:41and a special tribute to those Denver Broncos.
02:43Denver has surprised everyone this year.
02:45We have a nice music piece today with one of my favorite singers singing a terrific
02:49song that we all love.
02:50John Denver might have had Craig Morton in mind when he wrote this beautiful song about
02:54Colorado experience, Rocky Mountain High.
02:57After disappointing seasons in Dallas and New York, the Denver quarterback seems kind
03:01of revitalized with the Broncos, and after 12 games this season, his team has the best
03:06record in pro football, and he also has taken a lovely new bride named Susan.
03:11Craig Morton truly seems to be experiencing a Rocky Mountain High.
03:16George Allen rightly figured that he was going to have to score more points on this Saturday
03:20afternoon than he has recently.
03:22Mike Thomas taking a handoff from his new quarterback, Billy Kilmer, and he bolts down
03:26to the Cardinal 42.
03:28Then it was Clarence Harmon with a crushing block by Thomas on Arneson, and Harmon got
03:33to the 18-yard line.
03:35Billy Kilmer, five touchdown passes this year, four of them against the Cardinals.
03:40Here's Calvin Hill breaking across.
03:42It was 7-0 Washington, and it looked like it was going to be a rout for the grand old
03:47men when Scott stepped up, intercepted this pass by Hart, and got all the way to the St.
03:52Louis 25-yard line.
03:53But St. Louis' defense held.
03:56Mosley kicked a field goal.
03:57It was 10-0, and the Cardinals got their act together.
04:01Bakken then got them on the scoreboard with this field goal, and it was 10-3.
04:06Kilmer trying to rally the Redskins again, and here was a big turnover.
04:10It's Calvin Hill on that same pattern they ran for the touchdown, but this time Hill
04:14fumbles and Giblin recovers for St. Louis.
04:17St. Louis then went on a march.
04:19Two big plays.
04:20This is number one, draw play with Terry Metcalf.
04:23He gets down to the 25-yard line, but the Washington defense held.
04:27It was 2nd and 20, and it was Hart looking for Ike Harris, and he got him.
04:32And Harris got the first down as he got to the 5-yard line.
04:36Now watch third and goal from the one-foot line.
04:39Steve Jones and the officials say he crossed the plane.
04:42It was tied at 10.
04:44Then Billy Kilmer brought Washington back down, and Mosley kicked this 23-yarder, so
04:49we stand 13-10 at the half.
04:51And Irv Cross, when you were out in St. Louis this week, I understand that they say that
04:55losing record doesn't really belong to the Chicago Cardinals.
04:58What's that all about?
04:59This is what it's all about.
05:00Managing General Partner Bill Bidwell said that record in the record book of 29 consecutive
05:05losses of the Chicago Cardinals should not be there.
05:08What it should be is simply this.
05:09The losing streak in Chicago was 19 straight games, and then the team was combined into
05:13the shy Pitt team.
05:14At that point, they lost 10 consecutive games.
05:16So Bidwell is saying that there ought to be an asterisk in the record book, making it
05:2019 consecutive losses for the Chicago Cardinals, not 29.
05:22And if that's true, the record then is held today by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
05:26Send your text letters to Irv Cross, and he'll answer everything right to the point.
05:29Boy, did you just make John McKay's Saturday afternoon at the NFL today.
05:34We'll continue on CBS in just a moment.