Griese Comes Back in Great Big Way As Major Hope to Curb Dolphins Skid
Monday October 23, 1967
One may well doubt that John Bunyan
had the Miami Dolphins in mind four centuries ago when he wrote of the “slough
of Despond.” It nonetheless fits the team which now has lost five straight games by staggering margins.
A single factor in Sunday's 33-14 loss to New York brought Dolphin heads a couple of inches up out of the melancholy bog. The name is Bob Griese, who is back in a great big way and hopefully to stay.
Griese was just easing his sore shoulder
into a dress shirt Sunday night when Coach George Wilson said flatly:
“Bob’s my starting quarterback
now. I’ve got to go with him after what he did today.”
Griese didn't even enter the game
until the second half, by which time the Dolphins were floundering around on
the wrong end of 24-0. Once in, though, he was the berries.
He completed 17 of 21 passes for
an 81 per cent average. No other Dolphin ever came close to that figure. He hit
seven straight passes in one stretch. And his touchdown heaves to Frank Jackson
(eight yards) and Karl Noonan (five yards) were as flawless as those delivered on
the other side by Joe Namath.
“Felt pretty good in there,” said
Griese after his first action in three weeks. I’ll have to admit, it's easier going
in the second half when the other team is a little tired, rather than starting
the way Rick Norton had to.”
Norton hit only four of 17 passes
and was frank to say he had a poor day. “I think the first series, when I looked
so bad, sort of put the damper on me for the afternoon,” he said
disconsolately.
Griese was unhappy about two
interceptions that broke up promising drives.
“On the first one,” said Griese, “Jack
Clancy was open and I tried to lay the ball over his head. I must have pulled
the string on it.
"The other time, I saw the linebacker
close to my receiver and tried to throw over him. It just didn't go as far as I
meant it to.
“We thought we could pick them
apart on short passes since they play off the line a lot. But when we finally
got going, it was too late.”
Jackson’s touchdown reception was
a belated maternity gift for his wife Mary Nell, who gave birth last Tuesday
to their second son, Eric. But Jackson had occasion early to wonder if this
was to be his day.
Already wearing special protection
for a broken nose, he collided with Bob Neff in a pre-game drill and had to
have four switches taken in his right eyebrow.
The off-week will be a blessing
for Jackson and others. “We can get people like Frank and Griese back in top shape,”
said Wilson, “and if we're lucky, we might have Willie West back at free safety
and Tom Nomina back at defensive tackle for the Buffalo game.
“That really would give our defense
a lift. We need West desperately although Dick Westmoreland did a good job at
free safety after switching over from cornerback.
“I'm feeling fairly good about our
offense now. At least we're moving the ball... 251 yards today to their 335,
which isn't terribly one-sided. It's the defense that has to be put together
again.”