PDA

View Full Version : Chiefs How 65 Toss Power Trap became a signature play in NFL history


Hammock Parties
08-26-2011, 06:46 AM
LEGENDARY STUFF BROS :clap:

http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2011/08/24/20/54/1jjlM.St.81.jpg

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/25/3096517/how-65-toss-power-trap-became.html#ixzz1W8eXk2bn


It was the eve of Super Bowl IV, and Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson and safety Johnny Robinson sat in their room at the Fontainebleau in New Orleans sizing up their opponent, the Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota, the dominant power in the established National Football League, went 12-2 during the regular season, scoring the most points and allowing the fewest. After whipping Cleveland 27-7 in the NFL championship game, the Vikings were 13-point favorites over the American Football League champion Chiefs in the final game between the leagues.

“Johnny asked me about their defense,” Dawson recalled. “He asked, ‘How good are they? Can you score any points against them?’

“I said, ‘Yeah, we’re going to score some points. We have the right offense, we’ve got the right play selections against what they have … our strengths against their weaknesses … we’re going to put some points on the board.’ ”

Then Dawson asked Robinson about the Chiefs’ defense. Could they stop Minnesota quarterback Joe Kapp and the Vikings’ running game?

“I’m going to tell you something,” Robinson told Dawson. “I’ve looked at them all week long, and we might shut them out.”

• • •

Dawson’s offense put points on the board against the Purple People Eaters defense with three Jan Stenerud field goals in the Chiefs’ first four possessions, and Robinson’s defense shut down the Vikings, forcing three punts and a fumble, recovered by Robinson, in their first four possessions.

With the Chiefs leading 9-0 midway through the second quarter, it was time for the right play at the right time.

65 Toss Power Trap.

There have been plenty of famous plays in pro football history. Alan Ameche’s overtime touchdown run in the 1958 NFL championship game … Bart Starr’s quarterback sneak in the 1967 Ice Bowl … The Catch by Dwight Clark in the 1981 NFC championship game.

But few people, other than the participants, know the names of those plays.

However, 65 Toss Power Trap became one of the game’s signature plays. It represented the power of the Chiefs and bravado of coach Hank Stram. And it was captured and perpetuated by NFL Films, which had outfitted Stram with a wireless microphone.

The Chiefs faced a third-and-goal situation at the Minnesota 5, and a pass appeared in order.

“But Hank Stram was something …” Chiefs left guard Ed Budde said. “He was ahead of his time. He’s the one who saw something that would make it work.”

Stram sent wide receiver Gloster Richardson into the game with a running play designed for halfback Mike Garrett.

“Gloster, tell (Dawson), 65 Toss Power Trap,” Stram said. “It might pop right open.”

Dawson, who normally called his own plays, was surprised at the coach’s selection.

“I said, ‘Wait, Gloster. We haven’t run that play in weeks. Are you sure?’ ” Dawson recounted.

Richardson repeated: “65 Toss Power Trap.”

Dawson shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

“Hank Stram always said, ‘You don’t have to run what I call. You can call your own play, but it had better work,’ ” Dawson thought to himself.

“So I decided to try it.”

• • •

Dawson took the snap from center E.J. Holub and spun toward fullback Robert Holmes, who appeared to be running wide left. Left tackle Jim Tyrer pulled left, convincing Minnesota end Jim Marshall that was the direction of the play. Right guard Mo Moorman pulled to the left, trapping tackle Alan Page and clearing the path for Garrett, who took the ball from Dawson and headed up the middle.

“There was a whole lot that went on with that play,” Moorman said. “First of all, Jim Tyrer had to get an influence on the defensive end and get him going the right way. Ed Budde had to come down and block a linebacker. E.J. had to block the guy I was (facing), and I was supposed to block Alan Page.”

Garrett bolted through the line of scrimmage, waited for tight end Fred Arbanas to wipe out middle linebacker Lonnie Warwick and, for good measure, safety Karl Kassulke as well, and pranced to the goal line.

“I told you that baby was there! …” Stram chortled on the sidelines. “65 Toss Power Trap … The coach pumped one in there!”

Stram simply took advantage of an aggressive Vikings defense that had allowed just 10 points per game in the regular season.

“It’s really a sucker play,” Garrett said. “It only works against real good defenses. If the defense you’re playing is not very good, if you run a sucker play, you’re dead meat. But if they overreact, it works very well. It’s a great play against a team like the Minnesota Vikings. The only person who really has a shot is the middle linebacker, but it hit so quickly …”

The touchdown gave the Chiefs a 16-0 lead.

“It gave everyone a lift on our team going into halftime,” Dawson said. “Not only the offense but the defense as well. A 16-0 lead with our defense? No way they come back.”

• • •

A depiction of 65 Toss Power Trap was carved in stone in the sidewalk in front of the Founder’s Plaza at the refurbished Arrowhead Stadium, where fans can follow Garrett’s footsteps to the end zone and to where he jumped into the arms of wide receiver Otis Taylor.

Every year when the Super Bowl rolls around, Garrett’s wife, Suzanne looks forward to seeing the NFL Films’ production of Super Bowl IV.

“She’s the first to say, ‘They’re going to run that trap play, aren’t they?’ ” Garrett said. “I say, ‘Honey, they’re going to run it.’ After all these years, that play still rings in peoples’ minds. I never expected that to be the case, but Hank was so colorful, and with him yelling out ‘65 Toss Power Trap,’ it crystallized it in everybody’s mind.”

Because the Chiefs were such underdogs, Stram was not NFL Films’ first choice to be miked for the game, but Minnesota’s staid Bud Grant declined. So Ed Sabol of NFL Films and his son, Steve, pitched the idea to Stram, who agreed to wear the microphone for a small fee and as long as he had final approval on the final product. And no one else on the team was to know about it.

Stram’s candid — and in some cases, orchestrated — dialogue with his players, assistant coaches and referees was a watershed moment in showing the power video had in selling the NFL and recording its history.

“If you look at NFL Films as the film arm of the league, Hank was our Errol Flynn,” said Steve Sabol, whose father was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this month. “He was the first swashbuckler, the first coach who really understood, more than any other coach, that football was also entertainment.

“That film did more for NFL Films, and in a way, for the Super Bowl, than any subsequent film we ever did, and it was because of Hank’s personality. … That’s the game that made the Super Bowl.”

• • •

The Vikings managed to draw to within nine, 16-7, with a third-quarter touchdown, but the Chiefs pulled away with another signature play captured by NFL Films — Dawson’s quick hitch to wide receiver Otis Taylor, who shook off cornerback Earsell Mackbee and high-stepped his way 46 yards down the sidelines as Stram chattered to anyone within earshot, “That’s it boys, that’s it!”

The Chiefs’ 23-7 victory legitimized the power of the AFL, squared the series with the NFL at 2-2 and showed that the New York Jets’ upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III was not a fluke. Super Bowl IV was the final game featuring an AFL team, as the leagues merged the following season.

“I think the Jets and the Raiders could have won that game against the Vikings,” Dawson said. “Minnesota’s defense was really good. But take a look at the Jets defense and the Raiders’ defense. They were outstanding. I’m an offensive player but I know defense wins ballgames.”

As did the right play call at the right time.

“Otis’ touchdown was memorable,” Budde said, “but the touchdown that made everybody look at us that we were really a competitor was 65 Toss Power Trap.”

teedubya
08-26-2011, 06:58 AM
Awesome read.

Rasputin
08-26-2011, 07:09 AM
:rockon::arrow:

big nasty kcnut
08-26-2011, 07:26 AM
That was Awesome.

mlyonsd
08-26-2011, 07:27 AM
Steve, pitched the idea to Stram, who agreed to wear the microphone for a small fee and as long as he had final approval on the final product.:LOL: @ Stram.

Sofa King
08-26-2011, 07:36 AM
Goosebumps.

Someday, when i'm really old, i'm going to look back on a Chiefs Superbowl win and say "i remember when Jackie Battle broke the famous 80 yarder and Jon McGraw sealed the win with his 4th pick of the day"

It's gonna be awesome. You're all invited.

wazu
08-26-2011, 07:42 AM
Goosebumps.

Someday, when i'm really old, i'm going to look back on a Chiefs Superbowl win and say "i remember when Jackie Battle broke the famous 80 yarder and Jon McGraw sealed the win with his 4th pick of the day"

It's gonna be awesome. You're all invited.

See. You had to go and ruin it.

WilliamTheIrish
08-26-2011, 07:42 AM
Beautiful.

So many great names, nay, legendary names.

"Kassulke's runnin' around out there like a it's a chinese fire drill".

If you watch the hitch pass to Otis, you'll see Earsoll Mackbee wasn't shaken off by Otis Taylor. Mackbee put a shoulder to Otis and O.T. caused him to have a stinger. Mackbee would later say his "whole shoulder went numb". You can see this as he doesn't even attempt to get up after O.T. trucked him.

Sofa King
08-26-2011, 07:47 AM
See. You had to go and ruin it.

I think i improved it.

reschief
08-26-2011, 08:42 AM
“That film did more for NFL Films, and in a way, for the Super Bowl, than any subsequent film we ever did, and it was because of Hank’s personality. … That’s the game that made the Super Bowl.”

The NFL Network series on the AFL history made some good points about Superbowl IV - but the media always puts more emphasis on Namath and his prediction to win Superbowl III. Sure, it was the first AFL win but it would always be considered a fluke if the Chiefs hadn't won IV. Maybe the merger would have never happened. Think about the NFL dominating the AFL for several Superbowls in a row at the beginning. . . exactly.

How about some t-shirts? "Super IV The Game that made the Superbowl" I guess only the old timers would buy it - never mind.

RockChalk
08-26-2011, 09:04 AM
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d80130073/Hall-of-Fame-Dinner-Segments-Hank-Stram

frankotank
08-26-2011, 09:28 AM
that is great. my flying saucer buddy put 65 Toss Power Trap on his first plate which is now hanging in the middle of his "Chiefs wall". I didn't know what it was until he told me about it. pretty cool.

I see "The Catch" mentioned in this article. I gotta admit, in the scheme of things, with all the really great plays out there, why why why is this play so frigging great? I don't get it. It's not that great a catch really.....is it?? he jumps up and the ball hits him in the hands....so he should catch it. beginning of a dynasty....OK, still not a GREAT catch. I mean sheesh, the Franco Harris catch...now THAT''s a catch!

The Franchise
08-26-2011, 09:35 AM
Goosebumps.

Someday, when i'm really old, i'm going to look back on a Chiefs Superbowl win and say "i remember when Sippio caught that famous 80 yard TD from Stanzi and Piscatelli sealed the win with his 4th pick of the day"

It's gonna be awesome. You're all invited.

FYP

The Franchise
08-26-2011, 09:36 AM
that is great. my flying saucer buddy put 65 Toss Power Trap on his first plate which is now hanging in the middle of his "Chiefs wall". I didn't know what it was until he told me about it. pretty cool.

I see "The Catch" mentioned in this article. I gotta admit, in the scheme of things, with all the really great plays out there, why why why is this play so frigging great? I don't get it. It's not that great a catch really.....is it?? he jumps up and the ball hits him in the hands....so he should catch it. beginning of a dynasty....OK, still not a GREAT catch. I mean sheesh, the Franco Harris catch...now THAT''s a catch!

:spock:

The Catch was fucking awesome.

frankotank
08-26-2011, 09:43 AM
:spock:

The Catch was ****ing awesome.

OK.....WHY? wtf is so great about it. I can jump in the air and catch a football with two hands.... I don't get it. there's tons of one handers that beat that all to hell. there's tons of runs that are mind boggling. but this catch, to be mentioned all the time as one of the greatest plays....I don't get it.

The Franchise
08-26-2011, 09:45 AM
OK.....WHY? wtf is so great about it. I can jump in the air and catch a football with two hands.... I don't get it. there's tons of one handers that beat that all to hell. there's tons of runs that are mind boggling. but this catch, to be mentioned all the time as one of the greatest plays....I don't get it.

It wasn't just a fucking catch. You have to look at everything that went into it.

1. It was the winning TD reception in the 1981 NFC Championship Game.
2. Montana rolled right and had three dudes in his face.
3. I'd love to see you catch that ball.....it was basically with his fingertips in the back of the end zone.

<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0V1Dx_McGrw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

frankotank
08-26-2011, 09:57 AM
It wasn't just a ****ing catch. You have to look at everything that went into it.

1. It was the winning TD reception in the 1981 NFC Championship Game.
2. Montana rolled right and had three dudes in his face.
3. I'd love to see you catch that ball.....it was basically with his fingertips in the back of the end zone.



oh...OK... one of the greatest plays ever. now I get it...

ModSocks
08-26-2011, 10:05 AM
Next time Haley is mic'd up he should call 65 toss power trap to JC just to appease us.

How fucking cool would that be if Charles broke it open?

Jizz In my Pants.

Dayze
08-26-2011, 10:20 AM
is that sidewalk with the play etched into it at Arrowhead? I typically head right to my seats, but if it's there I'd love to get a picture of it.

AirForceChief
08-26-2011, 11:57 AM
Sweet read on a pre-season game Friday...just freakin' sweet!

Titty Meat
08-26-2011, 11:59 AM
So did the checkdown which was created by Marty but I don't see that play on the sidewalk at Arrowhead.

Stewie
08-26-2011, 12:01 PM
is that sidewalk with the play etched into it at Arrowhead? I typically head right to my seats, but if it's there I'd love to get a picture of it.

A depiction of 65 Toss Power Trap was carved in stone in the sidewalk in front of the Founder’s Plaza at the refurbished Arrowhead Stadium, where fans can follow Garrett’s footsteps to the end zone and to where he jumped into the arms of wide receiver Otis Taylor.

Baby Lee
08-26-2011, 12:09 PM
that is great. my flying saucer buddy put 65 Toss Power Trap on his first plate which is now hanging in the middle of his "Chiefs wall". I didn't know what it was until he told me about it. pretty cool.

I see "The Catch" mentioned in this article. I gotta admit, in the scheme of things, with all the really great plays out there, why why why is this play so frigging great? I don't get it. It's not that great a catch really.....is it?? he jumps up and the ball hits him in the hands....so he should catch it. beginning of a dynasty....OK, still not a GREAT catch. I mean sheesh, the Franco Harris catch...now THAT''s a catch!

It's not just the catch part of it. It's the cool as ice QB, the genius HC, the opposition and the situation.

Under a minute to go, in the playoffs, against an 'America's team' that was probably better than any of their string of SB teams in the 70s, and the coach has the QB scramble to the sidelines, draw in 3 rushing defenders, then throw the ball where only one player on earth can get it [I'm not saying he was the only guy capable of the route, I'm saying no one else could possibly catch, or even defend, that particular pass at that particular time].

Plus is started one dynasty and killed another.

Where Montana releases, with 3 defenders in his face, then where Clarke catches it.

AirForceChief
08-26-2011, 12:22 PM
It's not just the catch part of it. It's the cool as ice QB, the genius HC, the opposition and the situation.

Plus is started one dynasty and killed another.

Where Montana releases, with 3 defenders in his face, then where Clarke catches it.

Agreed, Baby Lee. Just saw a NFL channel spot on this play a couple of days ago. Montana emphasized the fact that up to this point, Clarke was not a big part of the offense. So this is a turning point for the West Coast offense as far as TE utility goes, as well. One I'm sure all Gonzales and Moeaki fans can appreciate!

Baby Lee
08-26-2011, 12:29 PM
Agreed, Baby Lee. Just saw a NFL channel spot on this play a couple of days ago. Montana emphasized the fact that up to this point, Clarke was not a big part of the offense. So this is a turning point for the West Coast offense as far as TE utility goes, as well. One I'm sure all Gonzales and Moeaki fans can appreciate!

Plus, Clarke was the 2nd target, primary target fell down on crossing route. The presence of mind Montana had to process that his primary was nowhere to be seen, then pick out Clarke with those 3 linemen bearing down is amazing.

frankotank
08-26-2011, 12:34 PM
all right, all right! dang it. the Franco catch is better.....

Baby Lee
08-26-2011, 12:39 PM
all right, all right! dang it. the Franco catch is better.....

I've stated numerous times that Roethlisberger to Holmes in SB XLIII is the new gold standard.

Dayze
08-26-2011, 12:50 PM
A depiction of 65 Toss Power Trap was carved in stone in the sidewalk in front of the Founder’s Plaza at the refurbished Arrowhead Stadium, where fans can follow Garrett’s footsteps to the end zone and to where he jumped into the arms of wide receiver Otis Taylor.

cool thanks.

is that on the N side of the Stadium?

Sweet Daddy Hate
08-26-2011, 01:23 PM
What will be the name of the Stanzi to Baldwin passing play that wins us our second Super Bowl?

Sofa King
08-26-2011, 01:33 PM
What will be the name of the Stanzi to Baldwin passing play that wins us our second Super Bowl?

The Moment: Just Before You Wake Up Vol: 2

Sweet Daddy Hate
08-26-2011, 01:37 PM
The Moment: Just Before You Wake Up Vol: 2

LMAO

"ShitMyPantserception":

"What is the Cassel play that COST us our second franchise Super Bowl, Alex"!

Ebolapox
08-26-2011, 03:54 PM
Agreed, Baby Lee. Just saw a NFL channel spot on this play a couple of days ago. Montana emphasized the fact that up to this point, Clarke was not a big part of the offense. So this is a turning point for the West Coast offense as far as TE utility goes, as well. One I'm sure all Gonzales and Moeaki fans can appreciate!

dwight clark was a WR.

Hammock Parties
08-26-2011, 04:08 PM
Who the fuck is "Clarke"

Ebolapox
08-26-2011, 05:33 PM
Who the fuck is "Clarke"

dwight clark: WR for the san francisco 49ers
dwight clarke: TE for the san francisco 49ers

WilliamTheIrish
08-28-2011, 01:59 AM
Still the one.

Dante84
08-28-2011, 02:10 AM
WE RAN IT TWICE

milkman
08-28-2011, 07:39 AM
“That film did more for NFL Films, and in a way, for the Super Bowl, than any subsequent film we ever did, and it was because of Hank’s personality. … That’s the game that made the Super Bowl.”

The NFL Network series on the AFL history made some good points about Superbowl IV - but the media always puts more emphasis on Namath and his prediction to win Superbowl III. Sure, it was the first AFL win but it would always be considered a fluke if the Chiefs hadn't won IV. Maybe the merger would have never happened. Think about the NFL dominating the AFL for several Superbowls in a row at the beginning. . . exactly.

How about some t-shirts? "Super IV The Game that made the Superbowl" I guess only the old timers would buy it - never mind.

The merger was already agreed to in 1964, and the AFL-NFL championship game, which became known as the Super Bowl was a part of that agreement.

This game was going to be the last game played between two teams from separate leagues, regardless of the outcome.

WhiteWhale
08-28-2011, 11:11 AM
Agreed, Baby Lee. Just saw a NFL channel spot on this play a couple of days ago. Montana emphasized the fact that up to this point, Clarke was not a big part of the offense. So this is a turning point for the West Coast offense as far as TE utility goes, as well. One I'm sure all Gonzales and Moeaki fans can appreciate!

Dwight Clark had the only 1000 yard season of his career in 81. Being their leading WR, he was a HUGE part of their offense.

What people are forgetting is that the singular play also represented a changing of the guard in the NFC. The Cowboys would not win a SB for 15 years and the 49ers would dominate the 80's.

That play is poetry in motion.