Waning moments - SB IV

[Bryan]

I am watching the last two minutes of Super Bowl IV for the first time. Interesting stuff:

*KC's ball...first play after the two minute warning is a play action rollout by Dawson (not sure why KC is passing), Eller trips up Dawson, and while Dawson is lying on the ground Alan Page comes in very late to deliver a kill shot. 15 yard penalty. EJ Holub shoves Page...Warwick shoves Holub...both benches empty. Order eventually restored.

*Next play...Dawson remains in the game (!)...McVea tackled after a short gain. After the play, Page and Ed Budde mix it up.

*Next play, Stram finally takes Dawson out of the game for Mike Livingston. Holub and Hilgenberg have words.

I always thought that Stram took Dawson out so that fans could applaud his effort. In fact, it was so the Vikings wouldn't injure him with a late hit. The bad blood was interesting to see.

[Brian wolf]

A great win for KC, Dawson was sharp in the first half going up 16-0. Loved when it went to color the last few minutes after Kapp was injured. Wish I could find a copy of the whole game like that. The Vikings in hindsight should have played RB Clint Jones more, they needed all their speed on the field against that defense.

The Vikings had to have been frustrated after a memorable season but they just were to basic on offense to move on the Chiefs. Kapp showed good arm strength trying to loosen up the secondary but they couldnt get the big catches for first downs to keep drives alive ...

[vikingsfan1963]

The Charlie West fumble on the kickoff after KC went up 9-0 pretty much was the point where it was obvious Minnesota was in trouble. What continues to confound me -- as a Vikings fan -- is that 8 months later Minnesota turned the tables on the Chiefs w/o Kapp at the helm of the offense. Maybe it was because Grant showed the team the Super Bowl highlight film of Stram making all sorts of observations???

[Jay Z]

The Charlie West fumble on the kickoff after KC went up 9-0 pretty much was the point where it was obvious Minnesota was in trouble. What continues to confound me -- as a Vikings fan -- is that 8 months later Minnesota turned the tables on the Chiefs w/o Kapp at the helm of the offense. Maybe it was because Grant showed the team the Super Bowl highlight film of Stram making all sorts of observations???

I thought it was during the drive for the second FG, KC only up 3-0 at that point, that it became apparent to me that the Vikings were in big trouble. From there it was a slow motion butt kicking.

I think Bud just did not 'get' the Super Bowl. He could just never find an approach at all and became a black hole of vanilla. No excuse for that sort of lifelessness four times. Crappier teams have been in the SB and at least tried something other than blocking punts.

[SixtiesFan]

In the four Super Bowls Bud Grant's Vikings lost, they never scored a point in the first half of any of them.

[RichardBak]

In the four Super Bowls Bud Grant's Vikings lost, they never scored a point in the first half of any of them.

I knew the Vikes sucked in the SB, but that's simply amazing.

[rhickok1109]

The Charlie West fumble on the kickoff after KC went up 9-0 pretty much was the point where it was obvious Minnesota was in trouble. What continues to confound me -- as a Vikings fan -- is that 8 months later Minnesota turned the tables on the Chiefs w/o Kapp at the helm of the offense. Maybe it was because Grant showed the team the Super Bowl highlight film of Stram making all sorts of observations???

I think Bud just did not 'get' the Super Bowl. He could just never find an approach at all and became a black hole of vanilla. No excuse for that sort of lifelessness four times. Crappier teams have been in the SB and at least tried something other than blocking punts.

I think part of Grant's problem was that he took a very cold-blooded approach to football and really didn't grasp the emotional impact that the Super Bowl has on players.

[Brian wolf]

Despite a heralded offensive line with Yary and Tingelhoff making the HOF, these guys could never get going in the SB, with Kapp getting hit repeatedly in SB IV ...

[vikingsfan1963]

Just before Taylor took the sideline hitch pass for a TD, KC tossed a first down incompletion but Minnesota was tagged with a 15-yard personal foul (I believe it was roughing he QB). Instead of 2nd and 10 from their 39, KC had 1st at 10 at the Vikings 46. This all happen soon after Minnesota had cut it to 16-7

[74_75_78_79_]

As HOF-worthy Bud Grant is, his weakest point as a HC would have to be how he did in the Super Bowl. If he was an overall better HC than his two fellow 0-4 Super Bowlers, at least Dan and Marv had leads in SBs! I always did know that the Vikings never led in a SB, but this recent factoid brought to attention on this thread about the Vikes never having even scored in a first half...I never even thought that either! Pretty haunting!

Bud admitted that if he felt his gameplan couldn't be improved even further, he'd happily take it easy there on out. He'd go out hunting the Saturday prior or what not. No Mike Tomlin waking up in the middle of the night, can't get back to sleep, watching some film, and seeing that in practice whenever someone would make an INT, no "convoy" of blockers coming to the interceptor's aid, etc. Pretty content, Bud seemed to be.

Makes me wonder if there would have been no Super Bowl after the '69 campaign - the NFL Championship being the "final" game. Then again, how can a 27-7 win turn all the way into a loss of any kind?? Really can't imagine the Vikings losing in such an event. Yes, at least give a game, but a real great Stram Chiefs team, '73 Dolphins, Noll's Steelers, '76 Raiders...yes, again, should have given some challenge. But is it really a total disgrace?