BD Sullivan wrote:Hadl's breakdown for 1973:
First seven games: 70-113, 1,048 yards, 13 TD's, 4 INT
Last seven games: 65-145, 960 yards, 9 TD's, 7 INT
The '73 Rams were another team who got screwed by the playoff scheduling of that period that ignored records. They had to play in Dallas despite a 12-2 record that included a 7-0 mark in the Coliseum.
Dallas was a slight favorite and jumped out to a 17-0 lead before the Rams got within a point. With just under 10 minutes left in the game, the Cowboys had 3rd-and-14 at their own 17 when Staubach and Pearson connected for an 83-yard TD pass. Like the Bradshaw to Stallworth play that gave the Steelers the lead for good (also against the Rams) in SB 14, Staubach's pass had to be perfect to reach Pearson at midfield and it was. L.A. never recovered and lost 27-16.
This is one of those you never knows . . .but I am glad you pointed out the 1st half.2nd half breakdown of Hadl. Because of that I didn't think he deserved to be All pro and NFC POY . .. both should have been Gabriel Hadl's 1st pass passer rating was 115.9, the second half it was 67.7.
and Rams fumbled things away in that 73 Cowboy game and gave up the long play due to lack of speed at the free safety position, so maybe the Vikings and Dolphins, in hypothetical matchups do the same?
I know the Rams defense matched well in the front seven, but their secondary was not as good as Steelers, Dolphins, Vikings. McMillian was a rookie, Elmendorf was good player, Preece a fill-in and Stukes was tall, but slow, not good in man-to-man.
But the Rams front 7 was all Pro Bowl-worthy, including lesser knowns like Brooks.
On offense, I guess if they could hit Harold Jackson a couple of times the could beat anyone, but after first half of season, it seems the rams deep passing game was figured out by the league. Hadl's arm wen south and we was not effective in 1974, and Rams unloaded damaged goods for a kings ransom.
The Rams oline was as good as anyone, Dolphins and Raiders included. Their stable of running backs was very good, but no real gamebreaker.
McCutcheon was solid, and was excellent from 1973-77, but in that time OJ, Franco, Lydell Mitchell, Chuck Foreman were all better. Those guys where more like "All-Pro level" and Clutch was a "pro Bowl level. Bit in 1973 it was the stable that was effective . . . if there were an all-pro short yardage specialist for 1973 it would have been Tony Baker. Bertleson was a solid back, Larry Smith was still okay . . . but their only game-breaker was Harold Jackson.
So, even though Rams were 12-2 and #1 in offense and #1 in defense, I think they had thier vulnerabilities taken advantage of.
Landry found the weakness and exploited it. I tend to think Shula and Grant would have, too, Knox was a rookie head coach, Malavasi a rookie DC. Ken Meyer was a rookie NFL offesnive coordinator.
I think the Rams were better than a 6-7-1 team in 1972 and the jump to 12-2 wasn't as big a jump as folks thought, and though Knox would become a good coach and Malavasi's 1973-77 defensive performances were as good as anyone, 1973 they were a year away and Minny and Mia both beat them in hypothetical.