after sonny led that amazing comeback against the world-champ dolphins in 74, roy jefferson gave this quote to the press: "unless coach allen started playing sonny, i was going to say to him, mind if i retire after this season."
by 1974 Sonny was past his prime. he should have been on a good team in 67...reguardless he was the best NFL QB of the 60s...PERIOD!!!!!! no one could thread the needle better!!!!
@NickPycks6 past his prime, but he still won the nfl passing title in 1974, at age 40. the arm was still golden, but the knees weren't holding up too well. who can forget the big comeback against the super bowl champ dolphins that year, taking the skins the length of the field with those bullet passes.
@yusufu9--- Sonny could still throw in 74...TRUE...it's a crime the his mid 60s teams were so lousy....Sonny in his prime on a good team...that would have been SOMETHING ELSE!!!!!
the highlights from the 1974 redskins-dolphins game is now up on youtube. look under "1974 NFL" -- pat summerall has some great lines on old sonny and his still amazing arm.
a wonderful quote from johnny unitas about the great number 9: "If I threw as much as Sonny, my arm would fall off, and if I could throw as well, my head would swell up too big to get into a helmet".
lends support to what vince lombardi said about sonny: "he may be the best the league has ever seen. he's certainly the best i've seen".
Yusufu9: you are dead on. I remember that game well. Allen blew it by not starting a healthy Jurgensen who had wone passing title. he also should ahev started Duane Thomas who had a big game against Bears in regular season finale. Early on in that game Charley Taylor broke free off the line in single coverage and Kilmer floated it resulting in 20-25 yard gain instead of a certain TD if the ball had been thrown properly. Sonny would have easily connected on it.
@speckman32 thanks for that detail on the Taylor play; i had forgotten it. all i remember is sitting there glued to the tv, watching the offense sputter, as billy k clearly wasn't able to pass well enough in the windy conditions to stop the rams from shutting down the run. thought for sure that allen would start sonny in the second half, but his stubborn streak let him down and he waited far too long. but if they had blocked merlin olsen, sonny would have hit brown for a big gain or TD.
sonny suffered a shoulder separation in the pre-season, in allen's first year. kilmer played well, and followed allen's preference for ball control and let the defense win the game. sonny came back big in 72, and allen started him after #9 pulled off a few late-game comebacks. then the red head suffered a torn achilles in giants stadium; kilmer led the team to the super bowl. sonny played the next 2 years, won some games -- beat miami in a thriller -- but was often injured.
I see, so then at some point Kilmer was the legitimate starter....even with a healthy Sonny .
Then at the start of the 72' season it was Jurgensen at the helm and only another injury got Kilmer the starting job again.
As I remember,in 73' and 74' it was mostly Kilmer as the starter right? He was the starter against the Vikings in the first round playoffs in 73'. Then again in 74' against the Rams until he was pulled in favor of Sonny. Thanks friend.
you can get all the game details by looking up sonny (or any other nfl-afl player) at the pro-football reference site. just type in sonny jurgensen on a search and it will come up. kilmer had been a starter with the saints earlier, and had a great college career. sonny had a knee problem toward the end, and kilmer damaged an ankle: they called the pair "hobble and wobble". had allen started sonny in the 2nd half vs the rams, rather than the 4th q, i think the skins win it all.
yes, i watched the skins lose to the rams that day. kilmer had a terrible game, and the rams tough D just smothered larry brown. the skins needed to pass, but allen waited too long to put sonny in. the big interception -- with robinson taking it back for the winning TD -- was caused by the great merlin olsen smashing sonny in the face just as he released the ball for an open larry brown way down field. from vid replays, it looks like center len hauss missed making the right block.
The shot in the face did in fact make Sonny misfire and cause the Robinson int. I see that play all the time on my 74' NFL Fims. I'll check for that Hauss missed block.
Thanks for posting video. Kilmer was my favorite qb. Guts, determination. Maybe 72 skins could have beaten Miami with healthy Sonny...... But Kilmer epitomizes what a true Redskin was and should be. He loved his team, its players and the fans and it showed in his good times. I mean, 26-3 over the might cowboys....... Kilmer is a name no Redskin fan should ever forget.
Sunny Jurgenson was clearly a better QB then Billy Kilmer. Kilmer was a solid QB but Sunny is a Hall of Famer & probably one of the top 3 QB's of his time & could still play Kilmer was an above average QB.
If Jurgenson was able to play in SB 6 then the Redskins might of ended the Dolphins perfect season because he would of hit those open receivers that Kilmer missed.
From what I've heard, this was apparent to everyone...except for George Allen, who liked a conservative offense and didn't like Sonny Jurgenson. He wouldn't let Sonny pass the football around, which is what he did best. If Allen weren't so stubborn, those 70's Redskins would've been the the team of the decade.
I don't know about "Team of the 70's" but they would of won more then 1 NFC Championship & probably a SB Title in that decade & I think they would of beaten Miami in SB 7 because I think they had a better team on paper & more of a balance offense.
You are not the only one who forgot about Sonny's injury. All the fools who have voted and all the other fools who also believe that the 1972 Miami Dolphins are (or anywhere close to) the greatest team ever all forgot about Sonny's injury as well-not to mention Larry Brown arriving to SB 7 crippled. Remember when George allen did his post-game"Hey-Hey-Hey" theme after beating Dallas 26-3? Every player joined in on it except for Brown.He came in beat up and in too much pain to participate.
If what? Sonny would not have thrown INCs at goalposts or gifts to Jake Scott. I still can't believe Miami got credit for that or for L. Brown limping around like a cripple before and during SB7. During '72 playoffs, Bradshaw was still in "terrible" stages,as described by Dwight White, with Swann & Stallworth still in college. Cleveland was running on fumes,about to miss playoffs for 7 years,and the entire AFC East was horrendous. The Dolphins of the early 1970s are the worst SB champion ever.
Sonny was the better QB. Roy Jefferson and most of the 1972 team often say that if George Allen let Sonny play the Redskins would have won Superbowl & against the Dolphins... Sonny is possibly the greatest passer ever.
I agree with you.... Sonny was the better quarterback & the Skins would have put more points on the Dolphins in the Super Bowl. If I remember right, Kilmer threw two or three key interceptions (one in the endzone) against the Dolphins in the 1973 Super Bowl. The next year in 74' this same Skins team guided by Sonny went to Miami and beat them 20 to 17 if I remember correctly! Billy was a gutsy player, but Sonny was a much better quarterback.
allen didn't have a choice in that super bowl, as sonny was still recovering from a ruptured achilles tendon. in the 74 season, sonny led the skins to a last second comeback win against the dolphins, then defending super bowl champs. allen's big blunder was not starting sonny against the rams in the 74 playoffs, putting him in only in the 4th quarter.
@yusufu9 I was at DC Stadium for that game vs The Dolphins, who had not lost a game the previous season, mind you (to include our loss in the "Garo Yepremian Super Bowl.") That 1974, 4th qtr comeback victory from down 19-0 was about the most exciting and sweetest W I've ever personally seen.
@newexteriors if Allen had LET Sonny play? Sonny was on crutches w/ a cast on his leg at the time of Super Bowl VII. probably best he sat the game out.
Who's the receiver catching the touchdown pass from Sonny Jurgensen at the 1:40 mark? Roy Jefferson was a very underrated WR. Aka Sweet Pea, he made it to the Pro Bowl 3 years and was the Baltimore Colts leading WR in the Super Bowl V win over Dallas.
I think this was the Bears game on 12/15/74 that Redskins won 42-0 (Sonny's last regular-season game). He threw a short TD to Charley Taylor (#42) so this isn't a TD -- and may not be since '74 was first yr with goalposts on endline, so he may not be in endzone. Boxscore for game lists only leading receiver (Frank Grant, #46 w/ 4 catches). Charlie Evans played that game and caught a 44-yd pass that season -- I'm guessing it was he. Harraway was in WFL in 1974.
@willismtn I did finally find a reference , which states that #31for the Redskins in 1974 was Charlie Evans, so that clip is from the last regular season game that Sonny played -- the guy really had a great arm, even at age 40
Nice hat. This guy was a man ahead of his time. LOL.
partyman6666 6 months ago
after sonny led that amazing comeback against the world-champ dolphins in 74, roy jefferson gave this quote to the press: "unless coach allen started playing sonny, i was going to say to him, mind if i retire after this season."
yusufu9 6 months ago
Lombardi said when he had Sonny in 1969 that if Sonny had been in Green Bay, "we'd have scored 75 points a game and never lost."
marquettefootball 10 months ago
by 1974 Sonny was past his prime. he should have been on a good team in 67...reguardless he was the best NFL QB of the 60s...PERIOD!!!!!! no one could thread the needle better!!!!
NickPycks6 11 months ago
@NickPycks6 past his prime, but he still won the nfl passing title in 1974, at age 40. the arm was still golden, but the knees weren't holding up too well. who can forget the big comeback against the super bowl champ dolphins that year, taking the skins the length of the field with those bullet passes.
yusufu9 11 months ago
@yusufu9--- Sonny could still throw in 74...TRUE...it's a crime the his mid 60s teams were so lousy....Sonny in his prime on a good team...that would have been SOMETHING ELSE!!!!!
NickPycks6 10 months ago
@NickPycks6 you know it.... love him... always good to hear his voice on Redskins radio..
irish89055 2 months ago
the highlights from the 1974 redskins-dolphins game is now up on youtube. look under "1974 NFL" -- pat summerall has some great lines on old sonny and his still amazing arm.
yusufu9 1 year ago
a wonderful quote from johnny unitas about the great number 9: "If I threw as much as Sonny, my arm would fall off, and if I could throw as well, my head would swell up too big to get into a helmet".
lends support to what vince lombardi said about sonny: "he may be the best the league has ever seen. he's certainly the best i've seen".
yusufu9 1 year ago 6
Yusufu9: you are dead on. I remember that game well. Allen blew it by not starting a healthy Jurgensen who had wone passing title. he also should ahev started Duane Thomas who had a big game against Bears in regular season finale. Early on in that game Charley Taylor broke free off the line in single coverage and Kilmer floated it resulting in 20-25 yard gain instead of a certain TD if the ball had been thrown properly. Sonny would have easily connected on it.
speckman32 1 year ago
@speckman32 thanks for that detail on the Taylor play; i had forgotten it. all i remember is sitting there glued to the tv, watching the offense sputter, as billy k clearly wasn't able to pass well enough in the windy conditions to stop the rams from shutting down the run. thought for sure that allen would start sonny in the second half, but his stubborn streak let him down and he waited far too long. but if they had blocked merlin olsen, sonny would have hit brown for a big gain or TD.
yusufu9 1 year ago
Question for you great fans. When Kilmer played , was it always because Jurgensen was injured??
As I recall, Kilmer was always the starter during the George Allen years.
6400az 1 year ago
@6400az
sonny suffered a shoulder separation in the pre-season, in allen's first year. kilmer played well, and followed allen's preference for ball control and let the defense win the game. sonny came back big in 72, and allen started him after #9 pulled off a few late-game comebacks. then the red head suffered a torn achilles in giants stadium; kilmer led the team to the super bowl. sonny played the next 2 years, won some games -- beat miami in a thriller -- but was often injured.
yusufu9 1 year ago
@yusufu9
I see, so then at some point Kilmer was the legitimate starter....even with a healthy Sonny .
Then at the start of the 72' season it was Jurgensen at the helm and only another injury got Kilmer the starting job again.
As I remember,in 73' and 74' it was mostly Kilmer as the starter right? He was the starter against the Vikings in the first round playoffs in 73'. Then again in 74' against the Rams until he was pulled in favor of Sonny. Thanks friend.
6400az 1 year ago
@6400az
you can get all the game details by looking up sonny (or any other nfl-afl player) at the pro-football reference site. just type in sonny jurgensen on a search and it will come up. kilmer had been a starter with the saints earlier, and had a great college career. sonny had a knee problem toward the end, and kilmer damaged an ankle: they called the pair "hobble and wobble". had allen started sonny in the 2nd half vs the rams, rather than the 4th q, i think the skins win it all.
yusufu9 1 year ago
@yusufu9
You can get mostly stats on those sites , sometimes they give you a little info on what happened but not too detailed.
That game against the Rams, the Skins lost it. Back int eh 70's they made it past the first round of the playoffs just once. Thank you.
6400az 1 year ago
@6400az
yes, i watched the skins lose to the rams that day. kilmer had a terrible game, and the rams tough D just smothered larry brown. the skins needed to pass, but allen waited too long to put sonny in. the big interception -- with robinson taking it back for the winning TD -- was caused by the great merlin olsen smashing sonny in the face just as he released the ball for an open larry brown way down field. from vid replays, it looks like center len hauss missed making the right block.
yusufu9 1 year ago
@yusufu9
The shot in the face did in fact make Sonny misfire and cause the Robinson int. I see that play all the time on my 74' NFL Fims. I'll check for that Hauss missed block.
6400az 1 year ago
Thanks for posting video. Kilmer was my favorite qb. Guts, determination. Maybe 72 skins could have beaten Miami with healthy Sonny...... But Kilmer epitomizes what a true Redskin was and should be. He loved his team, its players and the fans and it showed in his good times. I mean, 26-3 over the might cowboys....... Kilmer is a name no Redskin fan should ever forget.
boeingbrj1 1 year ago
Sonny All the way and still today!!
musicmatty67 1 year ago
When was the last time you heard an NFL QB use the word "invariably"???
JohnRG3 1 year ago
you spelled Jurgensen wrong its Jurgensen not Jurgenson
McCoySux 2 years ago
@McCoySux
WHAT!? One letter misspell!? Thats unacceptable!!!
ChazzyNazzy45 2 years ago
This never should of been a controversy.
Sunny Jurgenson was clearly a better QB then Billy Kilmer. Kilmer was a solid QB but Sunny is a Hall of Famer & probably one of the top 3 QB's of his time & could still play Kilmer was an above average QB.
If Jurgenson was able to play in SB 6 then the Redskins might of ended the Dolphins perfect season because he would of hit those open receivers that Kilmer missed.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
I think your right about the QB's,but it was SB 7,not 6
redskinman0 2 years ago
My bad thanks.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
From what I've heard, this was apparent to everyone...except for George Allen, who liked a conservative offense and didn't like Sonny Jurgenson. He wouldn't let Sonny pass the football around, which is what he did best. If Allen weren't so stubborn, those 70's Redskins would've been the the team of the decade.
dcbandnerd 2 years ago
I don't know about "Team of the 70's" but they would of won more then 1 NFC Championship & probably a SB Title in that decade & I think they would of beaten Miami in SB 7 because I think they had a better team on paper & more of a balance offense.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
What an interesting video -- did Jefferson make many more of these?
yusufu9 2 years ago
You are not the only one who forgot about Sonny's injury. All the fools who have voted and all the other fools who also believe that the 1972 Miami Dolphins are (or anywhere close to) the greatest team ever all forgot about Sonny's injury as well-not to mention Larry Brown arriving to SB 7 crippled. Remember when George allen did his post-game"Hey-Hey-Hey" theme after beating Dallas 26-3? Every player joined in on it except for Brown.He came in beat up and in too much pain to participate.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
Miami would have still beat Washington
robertmastroianni 2 years ago
If what? Sonny would not have thrown INCs at goalposts or gifts to Jake Scott. I still can't believe Miami got credit for that or for L. Brown limping around like a cripple before and during SB7. During '72 playoffs, Bradshaw was still in "terrible" stages,as described by Dwight White, with Swann & Stallworth still in college. Cleveland was running on fumes,about to miss playoffs for 7 years,and the entire AFC East was horrendous. The Dolphins of the early 1970s are the worst SB champion ever.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
Sonny was the better QB. Roy Jefferson and most of the 1972 team often say that if George Allen let Sonny play the Redskins would have won Superbowl & against the Dolphins... Sonny is possibly the greatest passer ever.
newexteriors 3 years ago 5
I agree with you.... Sonny was the better quarterback & the Skins would have put more points on the Dolphins in the Super Bowl. If I remember right, Kilmer threw two or three key interceptions (one in the endzone) against the Dolphins in the 1973 Super Bowl. The next year in 74' this same Skins team guided by Sonny went to Miami and beat them 20 to 17 if I remember correctly! Billy was a gutsy player, but Sonny was a much better quarterback.
jam5bryce 2 years ago
The game in 1974 was in Washington. I thought in 1972,jurgenson was lost for the year with a torn achilles' heel in Week #4.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
Appreciate the correction of the game taking place in Washington D.C. I had forgotten about Jurgenson being lost in 72' for an achilles heel injury.
jam5bryce 2 years ago
I thought Sonny was lost for the year with a torn achilles heel or tendon after week #4.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
@newexteriors
allen didn't have a choice in that super bowl, as sonny was still recovering from a ruptured achilles tendon. in the 74 season, sonny led the skins to a last second comeback win against the dolphins, then defending super bowl champs. allen's big blunder was not starting sonny against the rams in the 74 playoffs, putting him in only in the 4th quarter.
yusufu9 1 year ago 7
@yusufu9 I was at DC Stadium for that game vs The Dolphins, who had not lost a game the previous season, mind you (to include our loss in the "Garo Yepremian Super Bowl.") That 1974, 4th qtr comeback victory from down 19-0 was about the most exciting and sweetest W I've ever personally seen.
whupass95 1 year ago
@newexteriors if Allen had LET Sonny play? Sonny was on crutches w/ a cast on his leg at the time of Super Bowl VII. probably best he sat the game out.
BillHanke 1 year ago
@BillHanke He couldn't play because he tore his achilles tendon so he was done for the year. Before he tore it he couldn't run as it was.
rjam1974 1 year ago
Who's the receiver catching the touchdown pass from Sonny Jurgensen at the 1:40 mark? Roy Jefferson was a very underrated WR. Aka Sweet Pea, he made it to the Pro Bowl 3 years and was the Baltimore Colts leading WR in the Super Bowl V win over Dallas.
willismtn 3 years ago
Charlie Harraway wore #31, but I don't think that was him. I'm really not sure.
devils950003 3 years ago
I think this was the Bears game on 12/15/74 that Redskins won 42-0 (Sonny's last regular-season game). He threw a short TD to Charley Taylor (#42) so this isn't a TD -- and may not be since '74 was first yr with goalposts on endline, so he may not be in endzone. Boxscore for game lists only leading receiver (Frank Grant, #46 w/ 4 catches). Charlie Evans played that game and caught a 44-yd pass that season -- I'm guessing it was he. Harraway was in WFL in 1974.
fourier9 3 years ago
@willismtn I did finally find a reference , which states that #31for the Redskins in 1974 was Charlie Evans, so that clip is from the last regular season game that Sonny played -- the guy really had a great arm, even at age 40
fourier9 1 year ago
I liked Billy but I was young and relly can't remember Sonny at his best.
boomac62 3 years ago
They were both good, but Sonny was the better QB.
No question.
George Vreeland Hill
GeorgeVreelandHill 3 years ago 2
wonderful clip from the past -- can you load up any more sonny jurgensen videos?
yusufu9 3 years ago