Are We Waiting to See the Real Dieter Brock?
If they let Gil Scott draw up the game plan, he promises you would see some real fireworks from Dieter Brock Saturday when the Rams face the Dallas Cowboys.
Scott, of Toronto, is Brock’s agent.
“Believe me, you haven’t seen the real Dieter Brock yet,” Scott told Jack Sheppard of the Dallas Times Herald. “You’ve seen flashes of him in the St. Louis and San Francisco games, but not much other than that. He can really dominate a game with his passing ability. He just hasn’t had much of an opportunity to do that this year the way that the Rams’ system works.”
Scott admits he’s disillusioned.
“Last year,” he said, “the Rams ranked 27th in passing offense, and they told us they wanted to improve their passing game. We felt they wouldn’t be coming after Dieter unless they were serious.
“I remember a conversation with John Robinson when he said they’d like to run the ball 30 times and pass it 30 times a game. But if you look at his statistics this year, it seems he’s averaging around 20 a game. If he was allowed to throw as much as the other guys, he’d have 4,000 yards this year and the touchdowns that go along with them.
“He keeps getting asked if he’s having trouble adjusting to NFL defenses. But I promise you, that isn’t the problem.
“He just hasn’t been given a chance.”
Add Brock: The Rams list his height at 6-1, but Jim Dent of the Dallas Times Herald, speculating that Too Tall Jones will provide a giant roadblock, wrote: “Brock stands 5-10 and throws the ball with a sidearm motion.”
Said Jones: “I think I can get to his passes, but I’ll have to take a different path. With him slinging the ball, he can sometimes get it around you. So you’ve got to go in at an angle, hoping to get your hands on the ball.”
Trivia Time: Following the 1969 season, the Rams beat the Cowboys, 31-0, their biggest win in the series. What playoff game was it, and where was it played? (Answer below.)
For What It’s Worth: Dallas fans, shrugging off losses of 44-0 to Chicago and 50-24 to Cincinnati, recall that the 1970 Cowboys lost to Minnesota, 54-13, and St. Louis, 38-0, and still made it to the Super Bowl. There, they lost to Baltimore, 16-13.
The Prophet: A month after last year’s Super Bowl, John Madden told Dick Young of the New York Post: “There is no way the 49ers will repeat. Winning takes away your hunger, and hunger cannot be manufactured.”
The Dreamer: Says Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls, when asked about his future: “I’ve already made up my mind. I’m going to play until I’m 31. At the age of 32 I’m going on the PGA Tour. You can make some money there.”
Maybe he should check first with John Brodie. Or Ken Harrelson.
Trivia Answer: The Playoff Bowl in Miami. This was a game they used to play between the runners-up in the National Conference and American Conference playoffs. Vince Lombardi, claiming it was an embarrassment, called it, “The hinky-dinky bowl.” Apparently the NFL agreed. It no longer lists the results in its records.
Quotebook
Ed (Too Tall) Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, recalling his brief boxing career: “I have never been around so many crummy people in all my days.”