25th Anniversary of "The Quarter"

25 years ago today, Doug Williams and company ambushed the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl XXII with 35 unanswered points in the scond quarter and the Skins would go on to win their second Lombardi trophy by the score of 42-10.

HAIL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWsidn3VHjc

I'll never forget listening to this game on Armed Forces radio in the wee hours of the morning while living in Germany. My first great moment as a Skins fan, and one I'll always hold dear.

My favorite moment as a Redskin fan. I promised my mom I would do my homework during the game, she gave up by the second touchdown of the quarter.

My hatred of the Giants was at an all time high. Wore my Redskins sweathshirt (and sweatpants) with pride to school the next day. Taunt City

This is the only Redskins Super Bowl I saw from start to finish. My cousin had the VHS saved. I knew we were going to win, but it was still fun to watch the whole game not know exactly what happened.

This is the only Redskins Super Bowl I saw from start to finish. My cousin had the VHS saved. I knew we were going to win, but it was still fun to watch the whole game not know exactly what happened.

All three of our SB games in full are out on DVD. I bought all of them and can watch the actually game disc any time.

What a wonderful quarter of football. 10-0 down and Williams with a gimpy knee. It seems like only yesterday.

I remember being so dejected after the first quarter. I was trying to hide my 10-year old disappointment by making jokes (I covered the "1" in Denver's score to try to make my parents laugh). But man, I was steaming that we had come that far just to lay down. When Sanders caught that pass and then we erupted on the "Orange Crush" I was elated.

All three of our SB games in full are out on DVD. I bought all of them and can watch the actually game disc any time.

Can I get a copy

Can I get a copy

You can get the set, which is what I did. Sorry I don't have anything to copy them.

http://www.idatasports.com/prodsphp/iddv703.php?gclid=CIL_k4DFk7UCFQ-e4AodBhAAbw

Watching it right now.

My favorite Redskins Super Bowl. 35 points in a quarter is one of the most ridiculous things ever. Especially considering they were all offensive scores. No kickoff or punt returns. No pick 6. No strip sack taken to the house. Just good ole fashioned offense.

That was so sweet considering the quick score Denver put up, the sputtering of the offense the whole first quarter and the fact that Doug just went down with what looked like a really bad knee injury.

Oh yeah. "No team that has trailed by 10 points at any point has ever won the Super Bowl."

Hah!

I remember being so dejected after the first quarter. I was trying to hide my 10-year old disappointment by making jokes (I covered the "1" in Denver's score to try to make my parents laugh). But man, I was steaming that we had come that far just to lay down. When Sanders caught that pass and then we erupted on the "Orange Crush" I was elated.

My dad and I were at my friends house, his dad and grandparents were all big Skin's fans. The first quarter was really deflating, but then.... all hell broke loose and my friend and I were running back and forth between the two rooms the game was on in, jumping up and down, high fiving erveryone in sight. It was the first SB that I remember and what a great one it was. Just watched it again lastnight.

I remember at the start of halftime we all (family and friends) just looked at each other with a big grin and said "WE WON!" During halftime I was just thinking of all the Denver fans who could care less about the halftime show at that point.

Here's something to read while you're waiting for the DVD to be delivered...

Super Bowl Sundays – Doug Williams

After making two starts and earning a couple of key saves during the 1987 season, if Doug Williams had been a baseball pitcher, he would have contended for the Cy Young Award. Fortunately for the Redskins, he was a quarterback. And even more fortunate for them, he was under center in Super Bowl XXII against Denver.

But it was not going to be easy. Because late in the first quarter and trailing 10-0, Williams suffered a hyperextended knee and was forced to the sideline to be examined and treated by the team’s medical staff. “The only thing that was going through my mind was I was hoping I wasn’t hurt bad enough to leave the football game,” Williams said. “That was the number one priority. I hyperextended it, and it was bad. I got some treatment. You do what you have to do.”

The treatment that Williams received did the trick, and he returned to the game with 14:17 left in the first half. Shortly after that, bum knee and all, he and his teammates began to make Super Bowl history.

Fifty-three seconds into the second quarter, and with a first down from his own 20-yard line, Williams put the ball up against the right sideline. Ricky Sanders snared the pass and raced 80 yards for Washington’s first touchdown.

“That pass basically was supposed to be a seven-yard hitch. The defense dictated what we did on that play,” said Williams. “It wasn’t a called 80-yarder. It was a called hitch pass just to try to get things rolling. The defensive back played it a different way. He came up to press and jam and he missed the jam. Ricky got by him and it was easy.”

At the 4:45 mark and with the score 10-7, Williams put the Redskins ahead with a 27-yard scoring pass to Gary Clark.

“Actually, Gary shouldn’t have been the receiver. When we sat there and watched it, the ball should have went in the flat to the back, Kelvin Bryant. It was a ‘hot’ situation, which means they had a blitz on, but the linebacker didn’t get there. Even if he’d got there, he wouldn’t have got there in time to stop me from throwing the football. Gary was wide open.”

Following halfback Timmy Smith’s 58-yard touchdown run to put Washington up 21-10, Williams and Sanders connected along the right sideline again. This time, Sanders found the end zone from 50 yards away.

“Remember, we were running the counter and they had to respect Timmy Smith,” Williams said. “And basically, it was just a play-action off the counter. The free safety came up to make the play, and Ricky got behind him and it was a cake-walk.”

Washington’s record-breaking fifth touchdown of the quarter came after cornerback Barry Wilburn intercepted Broncos quarterback John Elway, giving the Redskins the ball at their own 21-yard line. Williams then engineered a 79-yard drive which was capped off when he spotted tight end Clint Didier in the back corner of the end zone from eight yards out with 1:04 left on the clock before halftime. Washington went into the break with a 25-point lead.

“Clint ran a corner route, and with Gary and Ricky on the ends, you’ve got to be more concerned with those guys than you are with Clint Didier. He just slipped out there,” Williams said.

The Redskins set a record with 35 points in a quarter and held Denver scoreless in the second half, winning 42-10. Williams, who completed 18-of-29 passes for 340 yards and four touchdowns, was named as the game’s MVP.

“That wasn’t big. You know why? Because there were so many other people out there who were MVPs,” said Williams. “Let’s talk about 204 yards [rushing] by Timmy Smith. Ricky Sanders had 193 yards in receptions. The offensive line blocked their asses off. And I think Barry Wilburn had what, two interceptions? So there could have been a number of people been MVP in that game, I just happened to be one of them.

“When we went out there, we didn’t have any doubt that we were going to win that football game. Maybe the people in Vegas and most of America who were caught up in [my being the first] black quarterback [to start in a Super Bowl] did. But we went out there and had the best week of practice we ever had in our life. We knew what we were going to do! I mean, man for man, pound for pound, we had the best football team.”

Excerpt from: "Then Gibbs Said to Riggins..."

I remember so well. My birthday then, and my birthday today. My husband and I had just got engaged, he was active duty in the UK and my boss had started to introduce the firm to American Football, hardly heard of in the UK and I pull the Redskins out of the hat as my team to support that year. The rest is history and here I am still a diehard Redskin fan, and if the Red Cross would take my mad cow British blood I would prove that I bleed burgundy and gold. Won GBP300 on the win and we bought our wedding bands with the proceeds. Fond, fond memories.

Very nice post Jim Gehman. Appreciated reading Doug Williams' thoughts on the remarkable quarterback. I didn't realize some things happened by accident like Sanders was supposed to run a hitch on the first TD and Clark wasn't the hot read on the second.

Ok guys...

How awesome is this?

http://frontrow.espn.go.com/2013/01/rgiii-narrates-sunday-nfl-countdown-feature-on-doug-williams-historic-super-bowl-xxii-performance/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NdCbiXkTNEU#!

Ok guys...

How awesome is this?

http://frontrow.espn.go.com/2013/01/rgiii-narrates-sunday-nfl-countdown-feature-on-doug-williams-historic-super-bowl-xxii-performance/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NdCbiXkTNEU#!

That was awesome.

I saw this in the comment section....

s curry 16 hours ago

ESPN decided to revisit that moment on its Super Bowl Sunday edition of Sunday’s NFL Countdown — focusing on how Williams changed the perception of black quarterbacks — they asked RGIII to provide narration. He agreed; the seven-minute piece, with Griffin’s narration, will air this weekend.

25 years ago? It cant be 25 years already!!! That would make me, like, old. Oh wait ....

I was in a roomful of people rooting for the Broncos...

When williams went down, they were in my face. Hooting, hollering, telling me to go home... it got even louder when Schroeder came in and promptly was sacked.

(One friend was MUCH louder.. he had bet me that Schroeder would play.. I gave him his 20 bucks.)

I saw Doug warming up on the sideline, throwing the ball, and something about the look on his face..

After the punts and we got the ball back, williams trotted out, and I stood up in front of the TV.. it was nice, very dramatic,, there was a pause, and i said "Everybody.. it's HERO TIME."

It's one of my favorite personal memories of watching the Redskins. "It's HERO TIME".

I kept repeating it every time we scored.. HERO TIME! HERO TIME!

It was lovely.

~Bang

I remember watching this game on AFKN (Armed Forces Korea Network) when I was stationed in Korea on Osan AFB. That first quarter I thought,.."well, it's gonna be a long game". Doug hurts his knee. Then comes back in and has the game he has along with Timmy Smith. Just incredible. You could see Doug favoring that knee too.

Timmy Smith Cabbage Patching is classic -- haha!

Good gravy, that means I moved to Florida twenty five years ago. wow.

The most vivid memory I have of "the quarter" was seeing the back of Denver's white safety's jersey.....Lilly, 22. Tony Lilly was in every highlight we had that quarter and he was chasing an uncatchable Redskin every time. It was pathetic in some ways. I can only imagine that Joe Gibbs and company, when breaking down film, saw how slow Lilly was and knew there would be big plays to be had.

Poor Tony Lilly, he never had a chance.

I remember so well. My birthday then, and my birthday today. My husband and I had just got engaged, he was active duty in the UK and my boss had started to introduce the firm to American Football, hardly heard of in the UK and I pull the Redskins out of the hat as my team to support that year. The rest is history and here I am still a diehard Redskin fan, and if the Red Cross would take my mad cow British blood I would prove that I bleed burgundy and gold. Won GBP300 on the win and we bought our wedding bands with the proceeds. Fond, fond memories.

Happy Birthday! Mine is on the 26th. We beat the Bills 37-24 on my 24th Birthday.

The most vivid memory I have of "the quarter" was seeing the back of Denver's white safety's jersey.....Lilly, 22. Tony Lilly was in every highlight we had that quarter and he was chasing an uncatchable Redskin every time. It was pathetic in some ways. I can only imagine that Joe Gibbs and company, when breaking down film, saw how slow Lilly was and knew there would be big plays to be had.

Poor Tony Lilly, he never had a chance.

To this day, I feel so sorry for that guy. He had cleat marks, grass stains and tire tracks on his back after that game. He was literally their Madieau Williams that day.

I watched the game in my dorm room on a 13" Color TV. I was a Sophomore in college. Had about 4 of my friends with me that were neither Broncos or Redskin fans. They were trying to cheer me up after the 1st quarter. I was so pissed. I was thinking this was SB 18 (Raiders) all over again. By the time the 4th quarter started, they wanted to go out. I stayed until the end.