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AJ McKenzie
  • 2 days ago
Basically the story of Doug Williams
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Twitter: AJMckenzie94847
Transcript
01:30The political climate was just as turbulent for its football team.
01:35The 1987 Redskins overcame it to win their second Super Bowl in six seasons.
01:44In order to appreciate their story, one must learn the struggles of two of their main characters before they became
01:51Redskins.
01:53Quarterback Doug Williams and cornerback Darryl Green.
02:01Well, in high school, I was a little small kid, about 140 pounds, decided I wanted to play football around
02:07the time I was in the 11th grade.
02:09This one guy started laughing at me and, you know, calling me a little guy and, you know, what are
02:14you doing out here?
02:15And I never forgot that. It was a great motivation for me.
02:19And so through speed, through mental preparation, athletic skills, something I wanted to get their attention.
02:26They say, hey, who's that kid?
02:28And what I call be prepared for that right now moment.
02:32Okay, son, what's your name?
02:34Green. Okay, you're up right now.
02:36And in that right now moment, you need to be ready to perform.
02:40I was able to fight and make the varsity my senior year, which was a great feat for me, battling
02:45through all the other guys who were ahead of me.
02:48Now, from there, it didn't get me a scholarship.
02:50You know, I got a map out and traveled five hours and, you know, following the roads to get to
02:57Texas A&I University, which I'd never visit.
03:00And so I wasn't the sought-after kid, but at least they was going to give me a chance.
03:04They would give me a chance if I showed up.
03:06And I showed up.
03:09While Daryl Green was overlooked because of his size, Doug Williams' struggle for proper recognition was because of the color
03:17of his skin.
03:22I was not a highly recruited quarterback out of high school.
03:25I went to a small high school.
03:27And at that particular time, it was just the beginning of integration in the South.
03:31And a lot of the SEC schools really wasn't recruiting African-American quarterbacks.
03:36Williams elected to go to Grambling.
03:39Despite finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy with Coach Eddie Robinson.
03:44Balloting his senior year, Williams received little attention from the NFL and was preparing for life without football.
03:52I was doing student teaching at Carroll High School in Monroe, Louisiana.
03:57I've got a bunch of kids running up and down the gym.
04:00All of a sudden, Coach Jones told me that somebody was there to meet me.
04:03And I asked him, who?
04:04And he said, Joe Gibbs from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
04:08So we went to McDonald's out of all places.
04:12He was the only guy to see me.
04:19Coordinator Joe Gibbs.
04:21The Buccaneers made Williams their first round pick in the 1978 draft.
04:30Prior to the...
04:42Prior to the arrival of Williams, the third-year franchise had won just two games.
04:47And that came after losing 26 in a row.
04:53In Williams' second year, the Buccaneers won the NFC Central.
04:57Defeated the Eagles in the divisional playoffs and were one victory away from playing in the Super Bowl.
05:06Midway through the NFC Championship game, Williams tore the bicep on his throwing arm.
05:13There was no way that I could come back to win the game.
05:17From there, it seemed like the whole team lost confidence and the Rams prevailed 9-0.
05:25In 1981, the Bucs returned to the playoffs.
05:30The Cowboys pummeled the Bucs and punished Williams.
05:34But it was what he received in the mail after the game that hurt him the most.
05:41I got a nice wrapped box.
05:45It was a rotten watermelon.
05:46The note said, if it wasn't for you, Joe Black, A-S-S, we would have won the football game.
05:54The worst for Williams was still to come.
05:57In a contract dispute with Tampa Bay, his wife of less than a year died of a brain tumor.
06:04That particular time, it wasn't important to me, it wasn't that, you know, I played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
06:11or anybody.
06:12I didn't think Hugh Coverhouse, who was the owner, cared whatever happened to me along with his general manager.
06:18They didn't care.
06:18And that was the end of history with Tampa Bay.
06:22In 1983, Doug Williams was out of the NFL.
06:27That same year, Darryl Green was preparing to enter it.
06:32The 1983 NFL draft was pretty eventful with John Elway deciding not to go to Baltimore and going to Denver.
06:41Dan Marino, he was an incredible player.
06:44I trained with Eric Dickerson in Texas.
06:45I knew him.
06:46It was an incredible group, particularly for me, because going to the Combined in my Texas A&I jersey, a
06:55shirt, they didn't know me from a chicken.
06:58They didn't know our school.
07:00And so Bobby Becker says, if you are there, we're going to draft you.
07:05Yeah, right.
07:06I'm thinking in the back of my mind.
07:07Yeah.
07:07Okay.
07:08Thanks.
07:08The Washington Redskins complete the first round with their choice of cornerback, Darryl Green, Texas A&I.
07:17Sure enough, they took my name.
07:20Williams' name and quarterbacking skills were called upon to help launch the USFL in 1984.
07:31But two years later, the league folded.
07:34Once again, Williams was left feeling unhappy and unwanted.
07:42Just like what happened eight years earlier, it was Joe Gibbs, now the head coach of the Redskins, who tracked
07:48him down.
07:49He called me to let me know that they were interested.
07:54But the most important thing was, could I come to Washington to be a backup quarterback?
08:00I said, Coach, I don't have a job, so I can be any backup or first up or whatever up
08:06you want me to be.
08:12That game, we was getting beat up bad.
08:16I can remember when Jay got hit and, like to me, was completely out.
08:21And Joe Gibbs called me to the sideline and gave me a play and said, go in there.
08:26We're on my way in.
08:27It's about 600 pounds on top of Schrader.
08:29I got waved off.
08:30They put Doug Williams into the game and Schrader waved him off and said, get out of here.
08:35That was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life because, number one, I thought the coach should have
08:43went on taking him out because he was sending me in.
08:46But for him to stand there and wave me off and nobody say, go on and get him out of
08:53there, I thought that was embarrassing.
08:55So I came back and that stuck with me for a long, long time.
08:59And it still sticks with me.
09:03Jeff Bostic, the team's longtime starting center, received the brunt of the blame for the offensive line's failures in the
09:10Redskins' 1986 NFC Championship loss.
09:15The Redskins began 1987 by making a change.
09:20Well, it's kind of shocking.
09:21I go to training camp and Joe Bugle put up a depth chart.
09:25And all of a sudden, the guy that had typically been our left guard, Russ Grimm, was at center, which
09:31meant I was out.
09:33Size was the biggest reason because going against Philadelphia, he's going to have to line up against Reggie White, who's
09:37300 plus.
09:38So we need matchups. We just need a little bit bigger pivot man in there.
09:42I think the Redskins probably should have handled this a little bit differently.
09:46Going into training camp, they had to have known that this was what they were going to do.
09:50They should have informed me and they should have informed the media because I was besieged after the morning practice.
09:57And I really had no answers for them.
09:59I don't make decisions.
10:00I just have to deal with it the best way I can.
10:07Joe Gibbs next considered a change at the backup quarterback position.
10:13Joe Gibbs said, I got.
10:19I said, you traded me.
10:21So, yeah, he said, we traded you to the Raiders.
10:23I thought that was the greatest news of all time because, you know, when you when you when you think
10:29about the Raiders, you think about cast off.
10:32And after having been cast off by the the Buccaneers and the USFL folded and not being a starter, I
10:40thought I was a perfect cast off.
10:42Joe told me to come back around noon.
10:44He's going to give me all the particulars.
10:46I said, OK, coach.
10:47Went into his office and he looked at me.
10:51He said, Douglas, that's what he called me.
10:53He said, I changed my mind.
10:55I looked at him blank.
10:57I said, coach, you can't change your mind.
10:59He said, I got a feeling.
11:01And this done is God true.
11:04He looked at me.
11:05He said, I got a feeling that somewhere along this season, you're going to come in here and you're going
11:09to win this thing for me.
11:11I looked at him.
11:12I said, coach, I said, I understand what you're saying.
11:14I said, but I got an opportunity to start.
11:16He said, I got a feeling that you're going to be the one to help us win this thing.
11:20And it's unbelievable.
11:23That was his word.
11:24But I left that room.
11:25It didn't matter what he said.
11:27At that particular time, I wasn't feeling Joe Gibbs.
11:31Just four minutes into the season.
11:33Four passes, four completion, touchdown.
11:36The celebration was short lived.
11:38After Williams' first touchdown as a Redskins, kicker Jess Atkinson dislocated his ankle on the extra point.
11:45It was emotional because the guy was so well respected and loved among us.
11:51We all ran out there like, it's like our little brother got injured.
11:55And I remember us holding his hand and praying for him.
11:58The injuries continued to mount.
12:00In the first half of the first game, they would not only lose their starting quarterback and kicker,
12:05but also their starting running back, George Rogers, and starting center, Russ Grimm.
12:11The good news for Jeff Bostic was that he would now be called upon to play.
12:15The bad news was he'd frequently be lined up against Reggie White.
12:23I went back to pass, and all of a sudden, I see this big green shirt just put his arms
12:28around him.
12:29He literally took the ball and turned and ran 70-some yards with that football like a running back.
12:35Reggie White pulled the ball away and took off for a touchdown.
12:39He just takes the ball away from him.
12:41How did Doug Williams let the ball go?
12:46The game was back in a position where anybody could win it.
12:50The very next play, Art Monk was running down the middle of the field again.
12:55Looking in the end zone, got a man, close it, touchdown, Washington Redskins.
13:00Oh, he threaded the needle right there.
13:03Backup kicker Steve Cox sealed the win with a 42-yard field goal.
13:09I just think that's really what sort of characterized our whole season.
13:13It was at the right time and the right moment, something went well for us, and different guys had to,
13:19as Joe Gibbs would say, step up.
13:24I've never been a protester.
13:27I've never been any part of a riot.
13:30But I would say that that's as close as it came.
13:33I remember when they brought the replacements in by bus, Daryl Grant actually broke the windshield on one of the
13:42buses.
13:44Not only were there players from the 87 Redskin team, their wives, their children were outside the gates at Redskin
13:52Park.
13:53I remember R.C. Tillman's wife, Justine, up on his shoulders yelling out obscenities to players that were on the
14:01field.
14:01We're all laughing at you, pal.
14:0394, you're scabbed.
14:05You're supposed to catch that thing.
14:09This thing could have really gotten out of control.
14:12But Gibbs calls the team together and says, guys, I've got a job to do.
14:16I'm going to try and win as many games as we can while you guys are out.
14:21Gibbs discouraged his regulars from crossing the picket line until the strike was over.
14:26He talked about staying unified, which basically says, I don't want you in here.
14:30I want you to stay out there.
14:32If you're sitting in the player's seat, it was almost unfair for him to say that.
14:38Because the reality is, what about that guy that just really needs to come in?
14:42Man, I'm broke.
14:43You know, I need to play.
14:44But it still was the best wisdom.
14:47He took a big risk.
14:48But that's why he's a Hall of Fame coach, because he's able to take risks.
14:53And that's why he's also considered a great leader.
14:57Of the many accomplishments in Gibbs' career, his handling of the 1987 strike may rank near the top.
15:04The Redskins were the only team not to have a regular cross the picket line.
15:08And the replacements won all three of their games.
15:11The last victory came against a Dallas team with seven veterans, including two future Hall of Famers.
15:23When the strike was over, the Redskins were unified in first place and primed to make a run at a
15:29championship.
15:30It helped us to become a team that ended that season.
15:34We didn't have the best talent.
15:36But I think togetherness and unity, a sense of purpose that the 87 Redskins was the best football team in
15:45the National Football League that year,
15:46simply because we stuck together.
15:54I had a tough time snapping that year.
15:56I feel like I cost ourselves an opportunity to at least go to an overtime against Atlanta.
16:01We could beat 21-20.
16:02And I had a couple balls that I rolled back on the ground that day.
16:09Bostick's problems in dealing with a demotion have translated to his on-field performance.
16:14He is now relegated to snapping on punts.
16:17And the Redskins won't keep a guy around who can only do one job.
16:21Coach Gibbs probably made the biggest mistake of his coaching career.
16:25He called my house and got my wife.
16:29And my wife goes, are you calling to tell me that you're cutting him?
16:34And he says, oh, no, no, no, we're just going to take him off a long snapping.
16:38And I think for the next hour, my wife absolutely chewed his ear off.
16:45And if you'll ask Joe Gibbs to this day, which wife has chewed you out the most of anybody, of
16:52any player you've ever coached,
16:54I'll be willing to bet it's Len Bostick.
16:57Although his wife was furious, a resigned Bostick accepted his latest demotion.
17:04I kept telling myself, I've always been a team player.
17:07I'm going to say the right things, I'm going to do the right things, and I'm going to prepare as
17:11if I were playing.
17:12But there was one thing that absolutely burned me up that season.
17:16The coaching staff decides to plug in Derek Brills as a starter, a guy that was cut during training camp,
17:24that was part of the replacement squad, that they kept on the roster and was starting in front of me
17:31now that one of the front five had gone down.
17:33And I remember going to Joe Gibbs' office and told him, you've got to trade me.
17:38This is not right.
17:39And his response was, just be patient.
17:41He says, Buggs, Joe Bugle feels a little bit more comfortable with this guy.
17:46I said, I need to get out of here, Joe.
17:49I said, I think our time is about run out here.
17:53He says, just be patient.
17:56Gibbs' patience.
18:05The controversy was fueled by comments from Bobby Mitchell.
18:10In addition to being the assistant general manager, Mitchell had also been the first black player on a Redskins team
18:16that was the last to integrate.
18:19Bobby Mitchell went on a radio show and stated that some of the players felt like Doug Williams should be...
18:27Stunned quarterback, and Joe Gibbs is a no-controversial type of guy.
18:33And he was really, really mad.
18:36Joe did not like those comments, but the bottom line was, they was truthful.
18:40I think the difference between Doug and Jay Schrader,
18:45Doug really appreciated the offensive line,
18:48and Jay never really noticed it or mentioned it.
18:53It was the me, my, and I syndrome for Jay Schrader.
18:59Jay wasn't popular with nobody in the locker room, basically.
19:03Because as a quarterback, you know, I always felt like you got to have a team to rally around you.
19:08And I think Jay thought maybe he was a lot better than most people because he was starting quarterback of
19:14the Redskins and didn't have to stoop down to be like the other guys.
19:20And basically, that's how he carried himself, that he was the man and nobody else mattered.
19:26With the Redskins 6-2, for the first time in his coaching career, Gibbs benched his starting quarterback in the
19:33middle of a game.
19:34I think Joe was smart enough to realize that I can't afford to not only lose the football game, I
19:40can't lose my team.
19:41And he felt that the players rally around Doug Williams.
19:45And he saw it, and it happened that way.
19:49Williams entered in the second quarter with a score tied at three, and immediately threw two touchdowns.
19:58That stadium would crave the fans, start jumping and stomping and rocking.
20:03Redskins defense now facing the front.
20:05As if by cue, the crowd comes alive.
20:08Long turns around, or the bed drive that says he can't air.
20:11He's coming over to the Redskins bench.
20:13Joe Gibbs took off his head, now he's coming out.
20:15I've never seen a coach do that.
20:18Now, here come the Lions, and the Redskins are ready for it.
20:22Here goes the staff.
20:24He's back.
20:25He's going to get rushed.
20:26Oh, he's picked off by Daryl Green.
20:28Now, I'm trying to quiet the crowd.
20:30If you've never been to RFK Stadium, I think you missed a treat.
20:33Because it's the only stadium I know that rocks.
20:36Are literally rocks.
20:38It was 55,000 seats, one of the smallest stadiums in the NFL.
20:42It was dirty.
20:43It was old.
20:44And nobody ever understood what was so special about that dump.
20:49They didn't know.
20:50That was our dump.
20:51We felt at home there.
20:54And they won there.
20:56Fastest time in the world, just prior to me getting drafted.
21:00And then I went on through the draft and got out of track.
21:02I just think that there are fast guys, and then there are fast guys, and then there are fast guys
21:07that can play football, and then there are fast guys that can't.
21:10I really consider myself ultimately a football player that can play football.
21:20I really consider myself a football player that was fast.
21:41And we were going to kick it to him, and we were going to kick it to him, and we
21:44were going to kick his butt all week long.
22:09This guy was a Olympian in the four-by-one relay.
22:15So I don't feel as bad about not catching him, but that really was a big play for them.
22:20And we knew the Rams had only won two games, and we couldn't afford to let the Rams come into
22:26Washington and defeat us at that particular time.
22:30Williams rallied the Redskins from 21 down to within four.
22:33I raced a couple defenders to the end zone, and at the end of that play, I felt something pop
22:39in my back.
22:40But I wasn't coming out at that particular time.
22:44The end of the game, Hendrick hadn't really set in.
22:47So I was able to finish the football game.
22:49In the game's closing moments, Williams had two chances to score the go-ahead.
22:54How many times was he going to say that particular time?
23:00Touchdown.
23:02First one hit off Mark Hand and went out of bounds.
23:05The second one hit off his hand and was intercepted.
23:11It was a very, very bad game for us.
23:15Williams told Gibbs his back injury was too severe to be able to play in the next game.
23:20One thing about myself, I know me.
23:24And pain was something that I never worried about.
23:28I played through pain all my life.
23:29If I could have played any way, any shape, or form, there's nowhere in the world I would have relinquished
23:34and started a quarterback job to Jay Schrader.
23:38While Williams vowed out to Schrader, an injury to starting center Russ Grimm presented an opportunity for Jeff Bostic.
23:46And it's kind of funny.
23:47They decided at that point, they're going to plug me back into the starting lineup.
23:52And the team that we're playing, the next week, were the New York Giants.
23:57The game began just like the 86th NFC Championship.
24:00If you're going to plug your guy in the starting lineup, in like the worst possible re-entry opponent, the
24:10big, bad, scary, big, blue Giants of the 80s?
24:16No.
24:21The Giants' defense dominating and the Redskins trailed 16-0 at the half.
24:27And then all of a sudden, the tides turned, and Jay's playing pretty well and was able to bring us
24:34back.
24:40I'm thinking, what is Joe going to do?
24:44Even though Williams was now healthy, Gibbs named Schrader the starting quarterback for the future.
24:52I was always disappointed because, you know, you hold a man to his word.
24:58And his word was, if you're injured, you can't lose.
25:02That's one of the first times I felt like Joe Gibbs had let me down.
25:07I remember talking to him.
25:08I said, Doug, this is probably not what's best for our football team.
25:12I said, it certainly hasn't been the year that neither you nor myself want to remember.
25:18I said, but the thing I can tell you, I've been patient all year long, and you've been patient.
25:23And you're going to continue to be patient, and you'll have another opportunity.
25:27He didn't like it.
25:28Members of our team didn't like it.
25:31I didn't like it.
25:32And fortunately for Doug Williams, and fortunately for the Redskins, he had another opportunity to play.
25:40Three weeks after clinching the NFC East, Schrader struggled in the season finale, and Williams got another chance.
25:49And I came in and played well.
25:53I was able to hit Ricky Sanders a couple times.
25:57One time, when he was one-on Solomon, and late in the game, we came back with a hitch.
26:05He took the ball all the way down towards the end zone, and we scored.
26:09And we was able to kick a field goal and win that game.
26:13After the game, Gibbs announced that Williams would be his starting quarterback heading into the playoffs.
26:19Here we go, man.
26:20Here you go, Doug.
26:21Here you go, let's go.
26:25We went out there, and we went down early, 14 to nothing.
26:31All of a sudden, we started rallying back.
26:33Before you know it, we were back in the football game.
26:41With the game tied in the third quarter, Joe Gibbs decided the time had come to try to get a
26:46big play on special teams.
26:49And you knew it was a big moment in a game when Joe Gibbs put Darryl Green back as a
26:54returner.
26:55Darryl Green was not used very often during his 20-year career as a kick returner.
27:00I had my hands in my warmers.
27:02I didn't pull my hands out until the ball got there.
27:04It was really that cold.
27:06That was that right-now moment.
27:07And I was very fortunate in that I developed these habits as a young man of being ready for that
27:13right-now moment.
27:14Green driven back to midfield on the far side.
27:16He's gotten the ball up to the 45, far side 40, a seam to the 35, vaults a man to
27:21the 30, breaks it to the near side, 25.
27:23Watch out to the 20, near side 10.
27:26He's gone.
27:26Touchdown, Washington Redskins.
27:28Darryl Green returns the putt 50 yards.
27:31I made one cut up the field and at the vault, one guy.
27:38When I landed on my feet, I had to make an immediate left-hand turn.
27:42That's when I pulled the rib cartilage and just took my other hand and gave pressure right to that spot.
27:47I didn't play anymore because that rib injury was pretty tough.
27:52Green's punt return propelled the Redskins to the NFC Championship game, a game Green did not think he'd be healthy
27:58enough to play in.
28:00He said, you know, I need to know if you can play.
28:03I'm in preparation to put our game plan together.
28:06And I need to know where you stand.
28:08And I said, I don't know where I stand.
28:10And he kind of pressured me and said, well, hey, I need to know where you stand.
28:13I said, well, as far as I'm concerned, just consider me not playing.
28:17This injury in my ribs is pretty substantial.
28:21So we were talking to Darryl Green about you need to take the shot of Novocaine and play.
28:27And I initially said, no way.
28:28I'm not going to let anybody shoot me right in my ribs and numb anything.
28:32And kind of got a little bit, you know, a little heated, you know.
28:36He was not real fond of needles.
28:39And the more we talked to him, he said, you know, Darryl, this is a NFC Championship game.
28:44This is a chance to go to a Super Bowl.
28:48You need to be out there.
28:50And went back to the coach and said, hey, I'm going to play.
28:53I can get this shot.
28:55I feel good about it.
28:56Sunday afternoon, just before kickoff, he took that shot.
29:01And I bet it's the only shot he ever took in his NFL career.
29:05On the Redskins opening drive, Doug Williams took his shots downfield.
29:09And Washington seized the early lead.
29:16Seemed like everything was going pretty easy.
29:19For the first quarter and a half.
29:21And we kind of hit a wall.
29:23And the Vikings started rallying.
29:25And then eventually tied the game 10-10.
29:30And the next time we had the ball, we realized that we had to do something.
29:34Back is Williams.
29:35Looking right.
29:36Fires it into the end zone.
29:38Touchdown.
29:39Washington Redskins.
29:40Gary Clark.
29:41The Redskins lead was seven.
29:43But there was still plenty of time for one last Vikings drive.
29:48Well, I'm on the sideline at roughly the six-minute mark.
29:53My shot is worn off.
29:55I'm not getting another shot.
29:56You know, I've already made that decision.
29:58But the pressure of the game, the, you know, just the adrenaline.
30:08I just ran back out there because I just felt that, you know, this is a moment.
30:16With less than a minute to play, the Vikings had one last chance from the Redskins' six-yard line.
30:24Fourth down and four.
30:25One down to the Super Bowl.
30:29John Gibbs down on one knee where he can see.
30:32Down on both knees where he can see.
30:34So he can say a prayer.
30:37I know myself, I had everything I can cross, crossed.
30:40And my position was always that the game will go through the man that brought them to the dance.
30:56So my attitude was, I'm ready to cover Anthony Carter.
30:59They were thinking, clear everything out, try to get a one-on-one situation.
31:03With Darren Nelson, the ball has come in here.
31:07It's on.
31:08Wilson takes the step.
31:10Looking left.
31:10Throws it into the end zone.
31:13Down in the lane.
31:14Incomplete.
31:15Redskins are going to the Super Bowl.
31:17That was a thrill.
31:18I remember jumping up and running down the field.
31:20I'm thinking, I'm going to the Super Bowl.
31:24Joe Gibbs looks like he's ready to collapse.
31:29What excitement, Frank.
31:31I can actually tell you what happened on that last play.
31:35Anthony Carter actually was supposed to go outside.
31:39Anthony didn't really clear the field out the way he really should have.
31:43He kept me in the vicinity of the ball and I was able to see it.
31:46So he just played the ball and knocked the ball down.
31:52It was the most electrifying situation I've ever been in.
31:58And so that was the one.
32:01That was the one I always remember.
32:06But he handled the media well.
32:09Joe Gibbs, by the way, Jack King Cook didn't bring Doug Williams to San Diego to show off a black
32:14quarterback.
32:15We know why we came here.
32:16We came here to work hard and win the Super Bowl.
32:18So Coach Gibbs demonstrated his faith in Williams by revealing to him his plan to give a rookie his first
32:24start at running back.
32:26He told me that I'm going to start Timmy Smith.
32:30I looked at him.
32:31I said, Timmy Smith?
32:32He said, yeah.
32:33He said, no, nobody knows.
32:35I said, but I'm telling you.
32:37And what I want you to do is not tell him, but just stay on him all week and just
32:45make him work.
32:47And Timmy and I, we was pretty close.
32:49And I used to mess with him all the time.
32:51And that week, you know, I just talked to him and said, hey, man, you got to be ready to
32:55play.
32:55If you get in this game and you screw up and you fumble, I said, I'm kicking your ass.
33:00I said, because this is my first time in the Super Bowl.
33:03He said, I hear you, old man.
33:05He'll start laughing.
33:06I said, I'm not booking what you can get in.
33:09And then he realized that I was serious.
33:12And he said, OK, old man, if I get a chance to play you, I'll show you.
33:17I didn't have any clue that Timmy Smith was going to start until he showed up in the huddle the
33:21first series.
33:21I think they must have told Timmy just before kickoff.
33:27The Super Bowl was Timmy Smith's right now moment.
33:30On the Redskins' first drive, there was nothing to indicate anything special would come of him.
33:36While Denver's offense enjoyed the ultimate fast start.
33:41Boom, first play, John Elway throws this 400-yard bomb over Barry Wilburn for a touchdown.
33:47Can you believe that? In one play, the Broncos are up.
33:52He beat Barry Wilburn on it.
33:53Now I remember clearly, to this day, taking a beeline toward Barry Wilburn and saying, forget that play right now.
34:06The hits kept coming.
34:09The Redskins' deficit grew to 10, and then disaster appeared to strike.
34:14I was in there towards the end of the...
34:16He slips and like does, I don't know, a cheerleader split almost.
34:22Fumbles the ball without being touched.
34:25It was a disaster.
34:28First quarter, went back to pass.
34:31And for some reason or another, that turf kind of slipped from under my feet.
34:35And I went back and hyperextended my knee.
34:37Oh.
34:40And I'm laying there, and I saw the trainers come on.
34:43I just put my hand down, telling them not to touch me.
34:49Now, really won the respect as the single leader.
34:54You know, in the beginning, it was him and Jay Schrader.
34:57But now, you really are the guy, and we really do expect you to do it.
35:01And if you don't do it, it won't get done.
35:09At that particular time, I'm thinking in my mind, if I'm able to get up and walk,
35:15at that particular time, that I was going to have a game, pain or no pain.
35:23And I remember Joe Gibbs walking over to me.
35:25He looked at me.
35:26He said, you can go.
35:27I said, I'm ready, coach.
35:31A torn bicep once prevented Williams from going to a Super Bowl with Tampa.
35:36A sprained knee wasn't about to stop Williams from winning a Super Bowl with Washington.
35:43Washington Redskins offense is back on the football field, and so is number 17, Doug Williams.
35:49On his snap, Williams threw an 80-yard touchdown to Ricky Sanders.
35:54The play ignited the greatest offensive explosion in Super Bowl history.
35:58Come back.
35:59Like five touchdowns in the second quarter for like 4-2-0 the rest of the game.
36:05We're going to do it.
36:06Williams to pass, lobs it up.
36:08He's got Clark at the goal line.
36:10He's got it.
36:11Touchdown, Washington Redskins.
36:15He'll hand off to Smith, and he's back.
36:17Good hole.
36:17Midfield.
36:18Horse race to the 40.
36:19Far side, 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5.
36:24Touchdown, Washington Redskins.
36:28Oh, it's fake this time.
36:29Fake down, everybody.
36:30He's got Sanders in the clear.
36:32It's a 10.
36:33Touchdown, Washington Redskins.
36:38She also performed it.
36:45This is history in the making.
36:47Get another one right here.
36:59The second quarter, we only ran 18 plays, and we scored 35 points.
37:07When we went in at halftime, Joe Bugle walked up to me, and he said, Stud, I think we got
37:12this and wrapped up, he knew my knee had swollen up, and he said, you don't have to play the
37:19second half.
37:20And there was no way that day that Jay Schrader was going to play.
37:27The offensive line knew I was hurt, and they knew that the most important thing was not to
37:33let anybody touch Doug Williams.
37:36I've never seen an offensive line dominate the front like our offensive line did.
37:47And I'll never, ever forget what they did for me on that particular day.
37:52They should definitely get word to Joe Gibbs on the bench.
37:56Tell him how close Timmy Smith is to that record.
37:59Here comes Timmy Smith again over the left side.
38:01Good hold.
38:02That should just about do it.
38:04He's got to go over 200 yards.
38:06He'll be the single-game rushing leader in Super Bowl history.
38:09That's got to do it.
38:10Timmy Smith, you're talking about a one-game wonder.
38:14I don't think I've laid eyes on him since that day.
38:16I don't remember seeing him again after that season.
38:21He was the starting running back the next year.
38:24He wasn't good, but he started.
38:27I don't know where he is, and he had an incredible...
38:34...through those holes.
38:35Those holes were huge.
38:37They weren't big.
38:38They were huge.
38:40You could have driven trucks through them.
38:43Pickup trucks.
38:44I thought it was just the most incredible game to watch,
38:48because basically that's what I did.
38:50I watched the game.
38:51I didn't get any passes.
38:53I didn't get to run any punts.
38:55I was just there, and I'm glad to be there.
38:58The most valuable player of Super Bowl XXII is quarterback Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins.
39:05The first black quarterback to start the Super Bowl, the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
39:10I'll tell you what I hope Doug Williams does.
39:12I hope he puts to bed once and for all about the black athlete in professional football.
39:19I can remember Joe Jacoby walking up to me, Doug Williams, he said, black, red, green, or yellow, you're our
39:27quarterback.
39:29There was a lot of African Americans that was proud of Doug Williams that day,
39:33but I also think there was a lot of fans as a whole that was proud of Doug Williams that
39:39day.
39:40You love a guy like Doug Williams.
39:45I mean, it brings chills to me right now just thinking about it.
39:48I mean, the guy is a special guy, and I couldn't have been happier for anybody on that team.
39:55Walking off the field after the Super Bowl, my helmet in the air, I thought about from which I've come,
40:03from the rocky roads of Zachary, Louisiana, through Grambling, through Tampa.
40:09Losing my wife, the USFL, and then finally I get an opportunity to play in Washington.
40:18So many things that went through my mind walking off that field.
40:22When people ask you to describe what it feels like to win a Super Bowl,
40:26I don't know that anybody can adequately describe that.
40:3087 was unquestionably the most frustrating, disappointing, thrilling, and satisfying season all in one.
40:44As a guy that probably has had more adversity than anybody on this team, this must be a sweet victory.
40:49I just can't wait until we have to get our rings fitted for that Super Bowl ring.
40:54After the Super Bowl, we had an opportunity to go to the White House and present President Ronald Reagan with
41:00a football in New Jersey.
41:02And I was on crutches, and I had a chance to get to the podium.
41:08I have a total appreciation also.
41:10I'm going to give it to the president.
41:11I'm going to run in one circumstance that he run the right play.
41:14And the play is trips right, fake, zoom, Larry Crisscross.
41:18And he got to throw it.
41:21He got to the mic and he said, where's Ricky Sanders?
41:25Where's Ricky Sanders?
41:27And all of a sudden, Ricky Sanders ran, crawls, and he threw a perfect pass.
41:31And the crowd went wild.
41:37Washington is a town of power.
41:40Washington is a town of politics.
41:43You got Democrat, Republican.
41:45You got white, you got black, you got conservative, you got liberal.
41:49The only thing that brings that whole city together are the Redskins.
41:53And during that season,
41:56I think Doug Whale
41:59together.
42:04Are you laughing at me now?
42:08To be on stage with the president of the United States
42:12coming from a little small town in Zachary, Louisiana,
42:16that's big.
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