A Blast From The Past

Nowadays, the witty exchanges between players at the Super Bowl – to the extent that there are any –occur on Twitter or social media. In the good old days, insults had to be reported in the newspaper or on radio first, and then responded to the following day.

Yeah, it was a little slower pace than we’re accustomed to now.

My all-time favorite remains the quip from Super Bowl XIII, my first one as a reporter. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson offered some insight into the intelligence (or perceived lack thereof) of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw in a shot heard round the media world.

Bradshaw, Henderson told reporters, “is so dumb that he couldn’t spell cat if you if you spotted him a C and an A.” Steelers coach Chuck Noll’s response later in the week, when asked about Henderson, was direct and funny: “Empty barrels make the most noise,” he said.

Bradshaw threw four touchdown passes in that Steelers’ victory, which then led Henderson to observe: “I didn’t say that he couldn’t play, just that he couldn’t spell.”

Joe Namath’s guarantee of a victory in Super Bowl III for the New York Jets predates my time as a writer, but it set off all sorts of future guarantees that were, of course, backed by nothing. You guarantee a win? Great. Or what? My money back?

When the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons were getting ready for Super Bowl XXXIII, Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe offered this about Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanan, who wore a dog collar to media sessions to emphasize his team’s underdog role: “If I see Ray in a snowstorm and his truck is broken down and mine is running perfect, would I pick him up? No.”

Enigmatic running back Duane Thomas left TV analyst Tom Brookshier speechless, and provides our exit notes, with his drollery at Super Bowl VI. Asked about taking part in the ultimate game, Thomas responded: “If it’s the ultimate game, how come they’re playing it again next year?”

And when Brookshier asked Thomas in the postgame interview if Thomas was really as fast as he seemed in the game, Thomas gave him this: “Evidently.”

Enjoy the ultimate game on Sunday. Again.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman