goes to show how savvy the modern day nfl marketing machine is. you'll never see a modern day game in any city without the majority of the fans in the stands wearing some type of nfl merchandise.
@BatmanFan1966 4 o'clock game. Wasn't on TV in the New York area so I remember listening to it on Baltimore radio which came in a lot better once the sun went down.
I remember sitting in a frigid (10 degrees & windy) Schaefer Stadium watching the Pats beat the Dolphins 14-10. If the Colts beat the Lions that day, the Colts-Pats winner the next week would win the AFC East. The Colts LED the Lions 10-6 with seconds remaining & punting. Frankly, the Colts had no incentive whatever to win the game, so what happened? Punt blocked, TD Lions, Pats out of playoffs. I still to this day believe the Colts threw the game. And then the Bert Jones fumble... Disgraceful!
Growing up during that time I was a huge Dolphins fan, but I always had a special respect for the Colts. For one thing, Miami never seemed able to beat them when it mattered. Too, they had a lineage back to Unitas and Shula and the championship Colts of the 60's, and they had that something special about them. Looking back, I wish the Colts and Vikings had managed to win Super Bowls at the expense of the Steelers and Raiders.
Thank goodness the referees bailed out the Colts, because the Colts got a second chance and scored the winning touchdown that put them in the NFL playoffs for the 3rd year in a row.
I remember watching this game on NBC back in '77. I was a huge fan of Bert Jones, The Colts were one of the best teams of this era NOT to win a championship,
Well let not forget that old Baltimore colts fans don't like the current Colts. there is still hate on the Irsey here in Baltimore. some of the old Baltimore Colts fans are now Ravens fans but still have hated for the current colts.
For 3 or 4 seasons they were in the Top 5 Offensively & Defensively & when their Top WR Roger Carr went down before the 77 Playoff game against Oakland they still almost won that game because they still had an excellent Defense, Bert Jones, Ray Chester, Lydell Mitchell, Don Mccauley etc. You need depth to be able to have that complete of a Team for that length of time.
But they were NOT good on special teams. ST is 25-30% of the game. There was no WR to complement Carr,or replace Carr when he was injured in 1977. So they were NOT deep. At the beginning of "NFL's Greatest Games-Raiders vs. Colts 1977-Ghost to the Post" Bert Jones said "we had a buch of average players". While I know that they really did have a bunch of great players in key areas, there were not enough good players in others such as ST,or WR opposite Carr,and McCauley was somewhat ordinary.
OK,maybe I am selling WR Glen Doughtrey short (#35). But they still were not good on special teams. Also, while the greatness of Pittsburgh may have made Colts look bad in those two playoff losses before that thriller against Oakland in 1977, it really seems like the Colt OL back then was alot better at run blocking than they were at pass blocking. Even in playoff game against Oakland,Colts only scored two offensive TDs. They were missing Carr,but Oakland was missing Villipiano and Atkinson.
I'm not say they were great. That group never even won a Playoff Game & hosted 3. But went Carr went down other Players stepped up which is why they came close to knocking off the the Defending SB Champion Raiders in 77. Had they had Carr they probably win that game.
The plain truth is had other players truly stepped it up as you may think they did after Carr was injured,then the injury to Carr would have been overcome vs. Oakland. Again, a couple of important Raider defenders were injured and lost for that 1977 season and playoff games,such as Phil Villipiano and George Atkinson. The Colts scored just two offensive TDs despite playing against what was a declining Raider D-line as the Raiders were about to miss the playoffs 2 years in a row after that.
Like I said they weren't great but they had other players to could come in otherwise they might of gotten whipped by Oakland. Bert Jones missed a wide open Ray Chester that would been a TD & that game wouldn't of gone into OT.
That INC was in OT.Pressure from Willie Hall made it so Jones could not have waited any longer to throw it or he would have been sacked.Hendricks's long arms helped obscure the passing lane.They started out with good field position on 38 yard-line,but were not good enough to do anything with it. NFL Game of Week's version of OT "There is growing suspicion that the Colts might never have scored. For on 12 OT plays,3 were punts,2 were INCs,and 7 were runs that gained a total of 12 measily yards".
But had he waited, LB Willie Hall would have gotten him. This reinforces what I said about the Colts OL being better at run blocking than pass blocking. At the end of the show of "NFL's Greatest Games Gost to the Post", Colts DB Bruce Laird finally admitted that it took years for him to believe that the Colts should not have won that game.
I take Bert Jones view because he was involved in the whole play. All he really had to was lob the ball to Ray Chester & with Chester's speed he would of scored. Chester averaged over 20 yds per TD REC that year & he scored like 8 times. That should give you a pretty good idea about his big play ability.
how about just looking at the view of NFL's Greatest Games? You can see LB Willie Hall is closing on Bert Jones. Had he waited any longer,hall would have sacked him. Regarless of what Jones says today, you can see on the play that Jones had to throw the ball when he did.
I'm not arguing that Jones was under pressure all I'm saying is that he should made a better throw & completed the pass after all all he was a very gifted & athletic QB who could of stepped up or moved to the side. John Elway was compared to Bert Jones. I could rest my case their. In that situation you have to make the play & Bert Jones didn't as he admitted. Now Ray Chester still has to catch the ball but he probably does & there's your game & there's no such thing as "Ghost to the Post".
Well if he was not good enough to make the throw there,then he was not good enough. There is where the case should be rested. If he should have completed it,then he would have.
You know could of should of are 2 different things. He's not the only All Pro QB to miss wide open WR but hopefully you already know that. He's not even the only QB to miss wide open WR in critical situations.
Of course I know the difference. He could have completed the pass,but it is incorrect to say he should have. Had he should have,he would have. I am not ripping on Bert Jones at all. It was not his fault fopr the INC pass there. Had he had more time to throw,he would have. But he did not have more time to throw. That offensive line was better at run blocking than pass blocking. That is all part of the big picture of that team not being as good as they appeared to be.
Again I'm not debating whether he was under pressure or not I've seen the game 3 or 4 times. I'm saying he should of completed the pass considering the situation & the options he had as Jones stated. He could of stepped up or to the side & then he has a very easy pass to make to his Wide Open & dependable TE that a QB of his caliber normally makes.
You see the problem was if you see that play on youtube,Part 6 and freeze it exactly at 6:41,you will see any type of attempt by Jones to side step away from the rush would have resulted in willie Hall,who was in full stride at taht point, running him down for a sack. Otis Sistrunk was sort of holding his own,to take away some running room and Hendricks was obscuring the passing lane. Those factors contributed to the INC pass.
I just saw the play. Jones had at least another second & he also had room to move to his left so he could make a better throw. There was also overall pretty good Pass Protection on that play. Jones probably had 3 secs or more to throw the ball. You give a QB the Caliber of a Bert jones that much time to complete a pass he'll normally kill you. Jones didn't get it done their. Without Bert Jones the Colts don't get to that game though.
But did you pause it at 6:41? Did you see how you can pause it FOUR different times at 6:41? Did you see how much ground Willie Hall covered in less than a second? Jones barely got that pass way. Yes Sistrunk was taken care of,but even on a play were there was mostly good pass protection there was one guy that got through. I mean in less than a second,you can see by pausing the thing 4 different times at 6:41 how much ground Willie Hall covered inless than a second. The result-INC pass.
I get back to my same point he had other options, he had good Pass Protection, room to scramble so as I said before he didn't have to throw the ball when he did. Listen to Jones or Colts HC Marchibroda they were both their. Jones saw a Wide Open Ray Chester & hurried his throw.
The camera was there too.Willie Hall closed in and covered so much ground in less than a second. It is a tendency of everybody,including I guess Marchibroda and Jones,to ignore what pass rushers do to cause INC passes and hguried throws. As far as taking Jones' view on a few things, do you take his view on the Colts "having a bunch of average players'? Of course not. When you wrote "without Jones the Colts do not make it to that game",it shows that the colts made it as far as they could go.
They wouldn't of been on the show if NFL Films didn't think they would speak freely. You interview the people who were their who can explain the story on both sides plus if you watch the game you can see what their saying. Its pretty obvious to me.
...especially if you watch part 6 of Ghost to Post at 6:41 and pause it four times at 6:41,and see how much ground Willie Hall covered in less than a second. It really is a tendency of fans,and in this case Bert Jones, of overlooking what pass rushers do to create INC passes. You don't agree with Bert Jones when he says,"if you look at our roster we had just a bunch of average players",so there is no point in being selective when to hold what Jones says in high regard,and when to disregard it.
Dude Johnny Unitas didn't played his football Indy, his played his football in Baltimore, some of the old Colts players don't even want to be around with the current colts after Irsey moved the team. So shut the f*ck up and BTW my Ravens will give the Colts there first lost on Sunday, GO RAVENS!
Yeah, as I grew up in S Fla I thought the Dolphins winning would just be a normal thing. Then came the bad defense in the 80s, the inability to beat the Jets or the Bills in meaningful games. Then the Pats came alive. They kind of stole a division title last year but I'll take it. I don't really care too much about it anymore but when I was a kid it was a huge part of my life. I hated Bert Jones back then. He was a heck of a player. it is a shame he ran into all the injuries.
As an eleven year old Dolphins fan this game broke my heart. The Fins finished 10-4 like the Colts but due to tiebreaker they didn't make the playoffs. I have never gotten over the Bert Jones fumble. And it was a fumble. Great video - Thanks!!!
the week before the detroit lions beat the colts with 16 seconds left by a blocked punt for a td. lions had only 6 wins that year but they sure were powerful.
Isn't that Raymond Clayborn returning the 2nd half kickoff for a score? I wonder why he isn't yet in he Hall of Fame. He and Mike Haynes were a tandem for a time in New England.
goes to show how savvy the modern day nfl marketing machine is. you'll never see a modern day game in any city without the majority of the fans in the stands wearing some type of nfl merchandise.
raratunga 4 months ago
Was this a night game, or was it just a really dark, dreary late afternoon?
BatmanFan1966 4 months ago
@BatmanFan1966 4 o'clock game. Wasn't on TV in the New York area so I remember listening to it on Baltimore radio which came in a lot better once the sun went down.
ctyankfan7 4 months ago
Fred Silva is still on my poop list.
ryanwolf06 5 months ago
I get teary eyed just like Bill Curry ....outdoor insane asylum
vitoduval 6 months ago
Looks like the spitting image of Elway. Right down to the #7 on his back.
5Be4Funk 10 months ago
the music is awesome
PotholesInMyLawn 1 year ago 2
7:05 was that a dude kissing another dude?
AlfredRusselWallace 1 year ago
Bert Jones was the shit,and once his legs got beat up,it effected his longevity.
jay55also 1 year ago
I remember sitting in a frigid (10 degrees & windy) Schaefer Stadium watching the Pats beat the Dolphins 14-10. If the Colts beat the Lions that day, the Colts-Pats winner the next week would win the AFC East. The Colts LED the Lions 10-6 with seconds remaining & punting. Frankly, the Colts had no incentive whatever to win the game, so what happened? Punt blocked, TD Lions, Pats out of playoffs. I still to this day believe the Colts threw the game. And then the Bert Jones fumble... Disgraceful!
alanrdowney 1 year ago
Growing up during that time I was a huge Dolphins fan, but I always had a special respect for the Colts. For one thing, Miami never seemed able to beat them when it mattered. Too, they had a lineage back to Unitas and Shula and the championship Colts of the 60's, and they had that something special about them. Looking back, I wish the Colts and Vikings had managed to win Super Bowls at the expense of the Steelers and Raiders.
2010Drine 1 year ago
1977 was the last Colts AFC East Championship in Baltimore
FrsBigeasy 1 year ago
The best NFL films are from the 70's. The recent NFL films, you cant tell if they happened yesterday or ten years ago.
eme456 1 year ago 2
Thank goodness the referees bailed out the Colts, because the Colts got a second chance and scored the winning touchdown that put them in the NFL playoffs for the 3rd year in a row.
khidak1 1 year ago
I remember watching this game on NBC back in '77. I was a huge fan of Bert Jones, The Colts were one of the best teams of this era NOT to win a championship,
raglind 2 years ago
@raglind I don't think the Colts special teams came together until 1978, when the rest of the team had fallen apart.
plntntvzn 1 year ago
On that 99 td drive Bert Jones did a John Elway
generationll 2 years ago
@generationll Some have said that Bert Jones was the John Elway of his day.
fatcatsathat 1 year ago
@fatcatsathat good comparison ... they really were similar
jerryg1964 10 months ago
I remember there was a torrential rain up until just before the game started.
While the game was sold out only about 42,000 showed up.
berg64 2 years ago
@gandil408 Hey i hope the Ravens beat the Colts on Saturday, get a payback after that theIrsey done to used.
AgentRaven77 2 years ago
@gandil408
Well let not forget that old Baltimore colts fans don't like the current Colts. there is still hate on the Irsey here in Baltimore. some of the old Baltimore Colts fans are now Ravens fans but still have hated for the current colts.
jackful6 2 years ago 2
The Colts had 3 real good teams from 1975-77 but the could never get pass the 1st round of the Playoffs.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
The Colts had great first string players, but their roster was not deep. The Colts' special teams were really lackluster as well.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
For 3 or 4 seasons they were in the Top 5 Offensively & Defensively & when their Top WR Roger Carr went down before the 77 Playoff game against Oakland they still almost won that game because they still had an excellent Defense, Bert Jones, Ray Chester, Lydell Mitchell, Don Mccauley etc. You need depth to be able to have that complete of a Team for that length of time.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
But they were NOT good on special teams. ST is 25-30% of the game. There was no WR to complement Carr,or replace Carr when he was injured in 1977. So they were NOT deep. At the beginning of "NFL's Greatest Games-Raiders vs. Colts 1977-Ghost to the Post" Bert Jones said "we had a buch of average players". While I know that they really did have a bunch of great players in key areas, there were not enough good players in others such as ST,or WR opposite Carr,and McCauley was somewhat ordinary.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
OK,maybe I am selling WR Glen Doughtrey short (#35). But they still were not good on special teams. Also, while the greatness of Pittsburgh may have made Colts look bad in those two playoff losses before that thriller against Oakland in 1977, it really seems like the Colt OL back then was alot better at run blocking than they were at pass blocking. Even in playoff game against Oakland,Colts only scored two offensive TDs. They were missing Carr,but Oakland was missing Villipiano and Atkinson.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
I'm not say they were great. That group never even won a Playoff Game & hosted 3. But went Carr went down other Players stepped up which is why they came close to knocking off the the Defending SB Champion Raiders in 77. Had they had Carr they probably win that game.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
The plain truth is had other players truly stepped it up as you may think they did after Carr was injured,then the injury to Carr would have been overcome vs. Oakland. Again, a couple of important Raider defenders were injured and lost for that 1977 season and playoff games,such as Phil Villipiano and George Atkinson. The Colts scored just two offensive TDs despite playing against what was a declining Raider D-line as the Raiders were about to miss the playoffs 2 years in a row after that.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
Like I said they weren't great but they had other players to could come in otherwise they might of gotten whipped by Oakland. Bert Jones missed a wide open Ray Chester that would been a TD & that game wouldn't of gone into OT.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
That INC was in OT.Pressure from Willie Hall made it so Jones could not have waited any longer to throw it or he would have been sacked.Hendricks's long arms helped obscure the passing lane.They started out with good field position on 38 yard-line,but were not good enough to do anything with it. NFL Game of Week's version of OT "There is growing suspicion that the Colts might never have scored. For on 12 OT plays,3 were punts,2 were INCs,and 7 were runs that gained a total of 12 measily yards".
plntntvzn 2 years ago
Bert Jones admitted he missed the Pass & should of waited a second. The Colts had chances to put the game away.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
But had he waited, LB Willie Hall would have gotten him. This reinforces what I said about the Colts OL being better at run blocking than pass blocking. At the end of the show of "NFL's Greatest Games Gost to the Post", Colts DB Bruce Laird finally admitted that it took years for him to believe that the Colts should not have won that game.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
I take Bert Jones view because he was involved in the whole play. All he really had to was lob the ball to Ray Chester & with Chester's speed he would of scored. Chester averaged over 20 yds per TD REC that year & he scored like 8 times. That should give you a pretty good idea about his big play ability.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
how about just looking at the view of NFL's Greatest Games? You can see LB Willie Hall is closing on Bert Jones. Had he waited any longer,hall would have sacked him. Regarless of what Jones says today, you can see on the play that Jones had to throw the ball when he did.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
I'm not arguing that Jones was under pressure all I'm saying is that he should made a better throw & completed the pass after all all he was a very gifted & athletic QB who could of stepped up or moved to the side. John Elway was compared to Bert Jones. I could rest my case their. In that situation you have to make the play & Bert Jones didn't as he admitted. Now Ray Chester still has to catch the ball but he probably does & there's your game & there's no such thing as "Ghost to the Post".
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
Well if he was not good enough to make the throw there,then he was not good enough. There is where the case should be rested. If he should have completed it,then he would have.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
You know could of should of are 2 different things. He's not the only All Pro QB to miss wide open WR but hopefully you already know that. He's not even the only QB to miss wide open WR in critical situations.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
Of course I know the difference. He could have completed the pass,but it is incorrect to say he should have. Had he should have,he would have. I am not ripping on Bert Jones at all. It was not his fault fopr the INC pass there. Had he had more time to throw,he would have. But he did not have more time to throw. That offensive line was better at run blocking than pass blocking. That is all part of the big picture of that team not being as good as they appeared to be.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
Again I'm not debating whether he was under pressure or not I've seen the game 3 or 4 times. I'm saying he should of completed the pass considering the situation & the options he had as Jones stated. He could of stepped up or to the side & then he has a very easy pass to make to his Wide Open & dependable TE that a QB of his caliber normally makes.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
You see the problem was if you see that play on youtube,Part 6 and freeze it exactly at 6:41,you will see any type of attempt by Jones to side step away from the rush would have resulted in willie Hall,who was in full stride at taht point, running him down for a sack. Otis Sistrunk was sort of holding his own,to take away some running room and Hendricks was obscuring the passing lane. Those factors contributed to the INC pass.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
I just saw the play. Jones had at least another second & he also had room to move to his left so he could make a better throw. There was also overall pretty good Pass Protection on that play. Jones probably had 3 secs or more to throw the ball. You give a QB the Caliber of a Bert jones that much time to complete a pass he'll normally kill you. Jones didn't get it done their. Without Bert Jones the Colts don't get to that game though.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
But did you pause it at 6:41? Did you see how you can pause it FOUR different times at 6:41? Did you see how much ground Willie Hall covered in less than a second? Jones barely got that pass way. Yes Sistrunk was taken care of,but even on a play were there was mostly good pass protection there was one guy that got through. I mean in less than a second,you can see by pausing the thing 4 different times at 6:41 how much ground Willie Hall covered inless than a second. The result-INC pass.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
I get back to my same point he had other options, he had good Pass Protection, room to scramble so as I said before he didn't have to throw the ball when he did. Listen to Jones or Colts HC Marchibroda they were both their. Jones saw a Wide Open Ray Chester & hurried his throw.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
The camera was there too.Willie Hall closed in and covered so much ground in less than a second. It is a tendency of everybody,including I guess Marchibroda and Jones,to ignore what pass rushers do to cause INC passes and hguried throws. As far as taking Jones' view on a few things, do you take his view on the Colts "having a bunch of average players'? Of course not. When you wrote "without Jones the Colts do not make it to that game",it shows that the colts made it as far as they could go.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
They wouldn't of been on the show if NFL Films didn't think they would speak freely. You interview the people who were their who can explain the story on both sides plus if you watch the game you can see what their saying. Its pretty obvious to me.
FrsBigeasy 2 years ago
...especially if you watch part 6 of Ghost to Post at 6:41 and pause it four times at 6:41,and see how much ground Willie Hall covered in less than a second. It really is a tendency of fans,and in this case Bert Jones, of overlooking what pass rushers do to create INC passes. You don't agree with Bert Jones when he says,"if you look at our roster we had just a bunch of average players",so there is no point in being selective when to hold what Jones says in high regard,and when to disregard it.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
Dude Johnny Unitas didn't played his football Indy, his played his football in Baltimore, some of the old Colts players don't even want to be around with the current colts after Irsey moved the team. So shut the f*ck up and BTW my Ravens will give the Colts there first lost on Sunday, GO RAVENS!
jackful6 2 years ago 2
Though I was born after the Colts were gone, I really enjoy the old Baltimore Colts videos.
HillValley85 2 years ago
legal schmeegal.. damn greedy corporate fools
tracyterry 2 years ago
That's crazy. Woodley was atrocious. Don Strock may have beaten the Redskins.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
thanks for posting this,i love to watch vintage football.a time when player didnt cry about money...
wisdomstar1981 2 years ago
Yeah, as I grew up in S Fla I thought the Dolphins winning would just be a normal thing. Then came the bad defense in the 80s, the inability to beat the Jets or the Bills in meaningful games. Then the Pats came alive. They kind of stole a division title last year but I'll take it. I don't really care too much about it anymore but when I was a kid it was a huge part of my life. I hated Bert Jones back then. He was a heck of a player. it is a shame he ran into all the injuries.
40isthenew40 2 years ago
As an eleven year old Dolphins fan this game broke my heart. The Fins finished 10-4 like the Colts but due to tiebreaker they didn't make the playoffs. I have never gotten over the Bert Jones fumble. And it was a fumble. Great video - Thanks!!!
40isthenew40 2 years ago
the week before the detroit lions beat the colts with 16 seconds left by a blocked punt for a td. lions had only 6 wins that year but they sure were powerful.
jamezpackerfan 2 years ago
them baltimore colts teams from the 70s were incredible. if only they didnt move in the dead of night.
psufan001 2 years ago
Isn't that Raymond Clayborn returning the 2nd half kickoff for a score? I wonder why he isn't yet in he Hall of Fame. He and Mike Haynes were a tandem for a time in New England.
fatcatsathat 2 years ago 2
Great call. Raymond Clayborn was as great as his name.
plntntvzn 2 years ago
Is there any more footage of Bert Jones and the Colts from this era?
fatcatsathat 2 years ago
In this game, Bert Jones led a Johnny Unitas like comeback. It's a pity that injures shortened his career.
fatcatsathat 2 years ago