DEFENSE CARRIES EAGLES INTO CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Brick walls, mountains, steel tanks, bulldozers, and sledge hammers are just a start to describe the play of the Philadelphia Eagles defense tonight. The Miami Dolphins weren’t too shabby themselves in the defensive department. It was a night in which both defenses came to play and with each and every hit a message was sent. That message was quite simply, “you better strap that helmet on good because if you don’t it won’t be on your head long”. The hitting was so fierce that Miami put the ball on the ground 5 times after one jarring hit after another. In fact on Miami’s second series alone, Dan Marino was blindsided Reggie White so hard that Marino said afterwards “I wasn’t even sure I had any teeth left much less the ball” as he fumbled but Miami was fortunate enough to get the ball back. One play later, Woody Bennett after receiving a two yard pass from Marino received another Eagle vicious hit that jarred the ball lose but one again the fortune was on the Dolphins side. The 3rd play though in this series the Dolphins wasn’t as fortunate as Reggie White and his counterpart was bearing down on Marino causing him to release the ball early and right into the hands of Eagles Rich Miano setting the Eagles up at the Miami 21. The Eagle offense though being led by backup QB Brad Goebel (14-22-4-203) who was starting due to a thumb injury to Jim McMahon sustained in last weeks San Diego win, wasn’t able to even get a first down.

Roger Ruzek would kick a 22 yard FG to give the Eagles the early 3-0 lead. On Miami’s next possession, the fumble bug would once again hit the Dolphins. “The ball felt like it was slick as grease” said Tony Nathan. Nathan would take in a short pass from Marino and the ball would pop out as DE Reggie White put a bone crushing hit on him. The ball would once again stay with the Dolphins though as Marino would fall on it. Marino on the next play would hook up with James Pruitt for 9 yards but even Pruitt couldn’t hang on to the ball, but again the Eagles did not get the ball. Marino on the next play would be sacked for a 7 yard loss by Seth Joyner and it would only mark the second time in this tournament that the Dolphin offensive line had allowed a sack. The first came earlier in the game when Reggie White got the sack. The hit must have affected the all pro QB as on the next play once again he was intercepted this time by Otis Smith and he would go untouched all the way for the touchdown. Bam, the defense was shining and put the Eagles up 10-0.

In the second quarter on Philadelphia’s 2nd possession the Eagles would start at their own 37 and six plays later after Goebel found Calvin Williams for a 40 yard connection to the Dolphins 26 it looked as if they would increase its lead. This time though it was time for the turnover bug to hit Goebel, Roy Green would make the pick at the Dolphins 14 yard line and give its offense a spark. After 2 straight incomplete passes, Marino went to work. 17 yards to Clayton, 35 yards to Moore then a 26 yard strike to Mark Clayton to put the Dolphins on the board and trailing 10-7. “That drive gave us confidence” said Marino. On Philadelphia next possession, Goebel once again must have thought he was suppose to throw to the opposing team as he was picked again, this time by Mike Kozlowski. Starting at the Eagles 32 and in great scoring possession the Eagles sent the blitz package again and Marino for the 3rd time found himself looking up into some of the Eagles defenders eyes. “That is the toughest pass defense that I have ever faced” said Marino later. They would end up settling for a Reveiz 53 yard FG and just like that the 10 point lead had been erased. “We have got to be able to do better than that when we get the ball that deep in the Eagles territory” said Miami’s offensive coordinator and coach George Stanton. “ All game long we had some great calls against the aggressive defense but never seemed to get any good results out of them.” When the Eagles got the ball back, offensive coordinator and coach Bill Vogt said “ I was almost afraid to let Goebel pass anymore since the last two times he threw INT’s.”. Even though the Eagles offensive ground game was being productive as Joseph (9-43) and Byers (9-48) a decision had been made to try to catch the Dolphins off guard and call a play action. “I just about was ready to ask coach if he wanted to put in White at QB” said Goebel as it appeared that for the 3rd straight time the Dolphins would pick him off. A stupid roughing the passer penalty would erase the INT, and give the ball back to the Eagles. Ruzek at the 00:22 second mark would attempt a 56 yard FG that would fall short and the Dolphins then just took a knee to go in at halftime tied at 10. “With our early fumbles this game could have gotten ugly real quick’ said Marino.

After a exchange of punts in the 3rd quarter the next 3 series of this game was as bizarre as it gets. It all started at the 9:20 mark when Brad Goebel would throw his 3rd interception as Blackwood would give Miami the ball at the Eagles 35. You could hear the fans in the stands hollering “Hey GOOBER, those aren’t your receivers”. Marino would then go long for Mark Clayton and his 1st play after the turnover and it would be the Eagles turn to get the interception as Hopkins would go up and get it. I can’t repeat what words were mouthed by Marino here, but you get the picture. Not wanting to be out done, Goebel returned the favor 4 plays later as Blackwood got his 2nd int of the day setting Miami up at Philadelphia’s 26 yard line. “I wanted to find a rock to climb under” said Goebel. A rock was also what some fans was thinking about, but not one for Goebel to hide under but some to throw at him. Evidently Miami just didn’t feel right about what they had just done so in a kind gesture they give the ball right back to the Eagles when Jerome Brown recovered a Davenport fumble. “Strange series of events” said McMahon from the sidelines.

With the way the game was going, both coaches knew that it would be the big turnover or big play that would decide this game. It would be the Eagles who would get that big break when Marino was forced to scramble and the ball was knocked loose on his way to the ground. Clyde Simmons would put Phi in business at the Dolphins 36. At his point the coaching staff of Philadelphia was thinking about just running the ball and some clock and giving Ruzek the opportunity to kick a FG which would give them the lead. Instead the staff decided to gamble knowing that the worse that could happen would be for Goebel to throw his 5th int of the game. On play action they caught Miami in a run defense and Goebel hit Barnett in stride for 36 yards to put them up 16-10. Ruzek ( some fans have been heard as calling him, MR guaranteed to miss 1 XP a game dork) did exactly that. It marked the 3rd straight game that a XP being missed could have cost the Eagles the game. With over 11 minutes still left to be played the Eagle fans were worried as they always are. The Dolphins would put together a nice drive but after a 52 yard FG attempt failed the clock was starting to run against them. The icing on the cake came during the Eagles next possession as they drove deep into the Dolphins side of the field using almost 6 minutes of the clock and Ruzek redeemed himself by hitting the 38 yard game clinching FG. Turnovers killed both teams and neither team played well enough to win. Someone had to win though and the SAT gods shined on the Eagles.



-contributed by Bill Vogt-