Dolphins
Blasted by Namath, 29-7
Herald Sportswriter
NEW YORK- No wonder Joe
Namath is allowed to stay out until 3 o'clock in the morning.
Sonny Werblin’s premier quarterback
displayed Sunday that he knows how to operate on the field as well as off
by passing the Dolphins to distraction while handing them a 29-7 pasting before
61,240 at Shea Stadium.
This was the largest
turnout ever to watch the Dolphins play, if that is what they were doing
while bewitched, bothered and bewildered by Namath's fantastic display.
When it was over, the
Pennsylvanian out of Alabama with headquarters off Broadway had amassed a
personal high of 415 yards while completing 23 of 39 passes for 17 first downs
and three touchdowns.
He retired in the fourth quarter
before he could shatter the American Football League record of 464 yards,
owned by George Blanda.
Until Miami’s only interception, by cornerback Jimmy Warren in the
fourth quarter, halted his string, Namath had toted up another record by
compiling 398 passing yards without a pickoff.
“The only way we could have
stopped him,” admitted Dolphin Coach George Wilson afterward, "was, keep
him out of the ball park. He sets up and releases better than any quarterback
I’ve ever seen.”
In the other dressing room,
meanwhile, Namath was fielding the press with his usual aplomb.
“The records would be nice
to have,” said Joe, who was not completely satisfied with his performance.
"But I really couldn’t care less."
When informed of Wilson's compliment,
Namath grinned appreciatively. “If I set up faster than any quarterback he’s
ever seen,” said Joe, “It's because I’m the most frightened quarterback he's ever seen.”
Before Namath grew
frightened, the Dolphins threw a scare into the Jets by scoring, the first
touchdown. Fullback Sam Price went in from the six early in the second quarter
to finish a 70-yard assault in seven plays.
The march began with Bob Griese
and ended with Rick Norton at the controls. Griese had a rough beginning,
literally. While completing one of three passes for four yards and having
his first one intercepted by cornerback John Sample, the blond rookie took
a physical blistering. Sample knocked him against the New York bench later
in the quarter, but this was not the incident that injured Griese's right
shoulder and forced his withdrawal.
“That Biggs (defensive end
Vernon Biggs) sat on me near the end of the quarter and that's what did it.
It's a little sore but I’m sure it will be all right.”
The Dolphins had moved
seven yards from their 30 when Biggs used Griese for a couch. Norton came in at
the start of the second quarter and hit tight-end Doug Moreau with a neat
31-yarder on his first pass in a third-down situation.
Halfback Joe Auer set up the touchdown with a
slanting 29-yard gallop and Gene Mngo's kick gave the Dolphins a 7-0 lead.
Namath responded like a
wounded lover. He set up the tying touchdown with passes of 62 and 25 yards to
flanker Don Maynard before fullback Emerson Boozer scored the first of his
three touchdowns from the one.
Namath fired four straight
completions and moved 68 yards on his next opportunity before settling for Jim
Turner’s 19 yard field goal. Turner had missed a 21 yarder early in the game,
eliciting a chorus of catcalls from the gentle souls in Shea, and missed two of
four conversions. One was messed up by holder Jim Hudson, the other blocked by
linebacker John Bramlett.
In the last minute of the
first half, Namath struck with Boozer for 49 yards and a 16-7 lead. Boozer
seized the pass down the middle, simply ran over Pete Jaquess and had
clear going the rest of the way.
“That missed tackle seemed
to take the heart out of us,” said Wilson. “After that we went downhill.”
Namath helped them down
with his second and third touchdown pitches in the third quarter, one a 13-yard
screen pass to fullback Mark Smolinski, the other a five yarder to the
ubiquitous Boozer.
The Smolinski score was
made ridiculously when Namath caught the Dolphins blitzing and dumped the pass
to Smolinski, utterly alone on the other side of the field.
Boozer’s score followed a
typical passing show after Norton was hit by end Gerry Philbin while throwing
the ball. Rick’s toss landed in the arms of linebacker Ralph Baker at the Miami
36. Namath hit tight-end Pete Lammons for nine and Sauer for 17 to set up the
toss to Boozer.
Sauer and Maynard, the wide
receivers, enjoyed a field day at the expense of Warren and Dick Westmoreland,
the Dolphins’ beleaguered
cornerbacks. Sauer seized nine for l00 yards, Maynard five for 141 yards.
Boozer also got five, for 109 yards, as Namath kept the football afloat.
The last straw was delivered
when Turner replaced Namath in the final minutes and hit two passes for 25
yards that had the Jets goal-ward bound again when the timer mercifully ended
it all.