HOF Golden Era Results

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Ted I grew up in Washington, DC area. Jurgensen was phenomenal, an incredibly accurate passer. It is still incredible to me that George Allen started Kilmer over him at the end of his career when he could still play. The Redskins teams until the very end of Jurgensen's career were horrible. God only knows how far he could have gone with a decent team. The man could flat out throw. There is a story, probably apocryphal, that he was asked if he could hit a receiver in the eye at 40 yards. He asked, which eye?

PS After Sonny retired, when he was an announcer (a beloved one at that, a fixture of Redskins radio coverage for decades), my Dad had the good fortune of sitting next to him on a cross country flight out of DC. Sonny, shall we say, had a few, and apparently had some very choice things to say about being demoted to second string in favor of Billy Kilmer. I wish I had been there.

Peter

In 1973 and '74, I switched to following the REDSKINS (with Namath's injuries, the Jets were no longer a contender) to see Sonny Jurgensen play.

And, yes Kilmer was usually the starting QB then. However, by the 4th Q Kilmer would be in trouble and George Allen would send in Sonny. And invariably, Sonny would turn the
game around and save the day. Sonny's stats confirm this in that Sonny played in all 14 games in each of the '73 and '74 seasons.

Sonny would conduct his 5 - 15 minute drill in which he would zing to the left and to the right and down mid field the most precise screen passes to Larry Brown, Charley Taylor,
Roy Jefferson, Jerry Smith, etc.

Peter....I haven't seen the likes of Sonny and his passing accuracy in the NFL since those days. The REDSKINS were 20 - 8 in '73 and '74.

I would have given my T206 Wagner to have sat next to Sonny Jurgensen on a 6 hour flight


TED Z
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