I was only 8 years old at the time, and wasn't into football. Was the field REALLY as big a mess as they say?
I was 13. Shula ordered the field left uncovered to slow down Freeman McNeil and his cutback running style. There were puddles everywhere.
Absolutely. I really thought the Jets were going to the Bowl that year but once the game started that feeling just vanished. Jets got slaughtered.
I was 7 and I remember it pretty well, I have a good memory from 1981 on. The field was in terrible condition but it's hard to whine, Miami beat us THREE times that year and it didn't matter what condition the field was in. Richard Todd was awful and we got screwed on a bad call where Gastineau recovered a fumble but they gave it back to Miami- Miami would score their only offensive TD on that drive.
we didn't get slaughtered, it was 0-0 at halftime. Miami had one offensive TD drive and then Todd threw the pick to Duhe in the 4th. Until that INT we were very much in that game.
I was 12 at the time..........that was my first real Jet heartbreak. Actually at that point I was both a Cowboys & Jet Fan.............and that was a particularly shitty championship Sunday, because The Cowboys also lost to the Redskins. After that day though I became soley a Jet fan, and couldn't wait for the next season.......I remember taping the opening game the following season against San Diego. The Jets were vastly superior to Miami, despite being beaten by them twice that season.......the muddy field definitely neutralized all the team speed, not just McNeil.
Did Miami play ont he same field or did they have good footing? They earned the right to host the game based on beating us TWICE in the regular season and they had a big homefield edge that day.
I heard Olsen say 'by NFL rule, the field is supposed to be covered'. If that's the case then the complaint is valid.
One of my earliest football memories. I was 9 years old and cried after that game - the week before the game I told everyone in my 4th grade class that the Jets were going to the Super Bowl. Yes, the field was a disgrace and Freeman was unstoppable the two playoff wins prior to that game!
You're avoiding my point. The field was left uncovered on the orders of Shula in an effort to hurt the Jets running attack, which as you know, had put up over 200 yards the previous week in Cincy. So is the uncovered, flooded field - which was done intentionally to give an advantage to the fins - a reason to complain about the game and its outcome, yes or no?
I had just turned 16, was a sophomore in high school. The reason the Dolphins did it was that our strength on offense was Freeman McNeil, a cutback RB who had led the league in rushing, and speed on the outside with Wesley Walker, always a Dolphin killer, and Lam Jones. On defense Gastineau was also a speed rusher, Klecko was out with a knee. As junc mentioned, the game was closer than people recount it, a one-posession game until late, scoreless at the half. In hindsight we could have tried to use our FBs like Augustyniak or Crutchfield in that game, but it's hard to go away from the NFL's leading rusher in the title game. The December game at Miami was anybody's game, we lost 20-19 because Pat Leahy was awful that day.
The Cincy game was 2 weeks earlier, the previous week they were in LA and Freeman had 101 yds. Everyone has the right to complain but that's not why we lost. Why did we lose twice on good fields in the reg season? The excuse has always been the tarp but both teams played on the same field.
The field sure didn't help but we could have played better on offense. The D played really well, the game wasn't a blowout by any stretch. Miami with Aundra Franklin, #2 in rushing that year, was much more suited to play in the slop. They didn't leave the field uncovered by accident, you can bet if Marino, Duper and Clayton were around then they would have "remembered" to cover it.
Just in case anyone wants to suggest that leaving the field uncovered: - Wasn't done in violation of league rules - Wasn't part of the Fins' plan to slow down the Jets Here's a clipping from the Pitts. Post Gazette, 24 January 1983: http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...g=5891,4769725&dq=shula+field+uncovered&hl=en
This is as close as you'll ever come to saying 'I'm wrong'. Small victories folks. Remember people, next time you see, 'Thats Great', that means 'I can't really argue that point'
Bad weather equalizes talent. Flooding the field took away the Jets best weapon. We didn't execute in conditions we weren't prepared for, because we had the expectation that we wouldn't be playing in a pig wallow, but guess what? Shula had his guys practicing in the mud. Wonder why?
We lost during the regular season because the Dolphins were better during the regular season. The playoffs are the playoffs As you point out McNeil had run for 300+ yards in two road playoff wins, in freezing cold and in sunshine, but not on a sloppy field. Read the clipping - the FINS practiced on a sloppy field BECAUSE SHULA KNEW THAT IT WAS GOING TO RAIN THAT WEEKEND AND THAT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE THE FIELD LEFT UNCOVERED. That's not gamemanship - that's rigging the outcome. That's not being better. That's violating league rules, better known as cheating. Your move, junc.
