The First Three Monday Night Games

The First Monday Night Game

New York Jets vs. Cleveland Browns

September 21, 1970

21 PENALTIES FOR 262 YARDS

Officials, Not Stars, Move Ball in Professional Game

CLEVELAND (AP)- Joe Namath and Leroy Kelly were supposed to be the offensive stars for millions of television viewers in the inaugural game of pro football's prime time telecasts. But the guys who moved the ball the best were the guys in the striped shirts.

The guys in the striped shirts- the officiating crew headed by Norm Schacter- moved the ball so well that they played a key role in Cleveland's 31-21 victory over the New York Jets arid may have played a key role in the important ratings battle against Liz, Dick and Lucy.

For the first game of the heralded Monday night series on ABC-TV launched an attempt by pro football to increase its audience in direct competition with regularly scheduled programming that offered Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Lucille Ball.

An estimated 35 million viewers, including many women supposedly tuning in and turning on with pro football for the first time, were expected to be drawn by the glamour of the spectacle the sport has become. But they may not have been impressed by the spectacle the game became.

In all, 21 penalties were called with a total of 262 yards marked off- more than the yardage gained by the Browns in winning the National Football League opener. The most damaging penalties were assessed against the Jets. They were tagged with 13 infractions for 161 yards- a club record that obviously bothered Coach Weeb Ewbank. But, despite prodding, the roly-poly coach of the Jets refused to put any blame on the officials.

"Don't put words in my mouth," Ewbank said. "You're trying to put words in my mouth. We had some adversities, but we met a fine team and got licked. We can't do what we did and expect to win."

What the Jets did was amass 455 yards offensively, 299 as Namath completed 19 of 32 passes. But among the penalties were three for pass interference, three for holding and one for piling on plus. And there were three interceptions of Namath passes, a fumble by running back Matt Snell and a mistake in judgment by return specialist Mike Battle.

Pass interference penalties by Jim Hudson and rookie Steve Tannen in the first quarter enabled the Browns to score their second touchdown for a 14-0 lead. Then, after the Jets made 14-7, holding penalties by John Schmidt and Randy Rasmussen blunted a drive that ultimately ended with Walt Summer's interception at the five.

After Homer Jones made it 21-7 Cleveland by taking the second half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, the Jets closed again with a touchdown before Paul Crane's piling on penalty contributed to a Cleveland drive that resulted in Don Cockroft's 6-yard field goal.

The penalties stopped at that point, and the Jets took it the rest of the way. Snell fumbled on the seven-yard line to kill one drive but Namath still closed the gap to 24-21 with a 33-yard touchdown pass to George Sauer.

Then the Jets got another opportunity when Cleveland was forced to punt. Battle, however, failed to grab the punt on the New York 30. It bounced past him and he was downed at the four, where Namath tried to get something started. One completion brought the ball to the 18, but a second went into the arms of linebacker Mike Andrews, who returned 25 yards for the final touchdown as a dejected Namath stood at the five-yard line, his head bowed before the earsplitting noise of a record 85,703 fans. (Video)

Despite the mistake by the Jets and the penalties that tended to disrupt action, Cleveland owner Art Modell, head of the NFL's television committee, viewed the inaugural event as a success.

"The game had the ingredients for being very dramatic," Modell said. "We had a monitor in my box and it was a great telecast. It probably was one of the most exciting games I've seen in a long time."

The Second Monday Night Game

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Colts

September 28, 1970

Kansas City Hands Colts a Humiliating Setback

BALTIMORE (AP)- The Baltimore Colts had suffered worse defeats, but none seemed quite so humiliating. Even the rabid Baltimore fans were streaming out of Memorial Stadium long before the world champion Kansas City Chiefs administered a 44-24 pasting Monday night.

"We stunk out the place in the first half," said Baltimore's rookie head coach, Don McCafferty. "That includes all phases of the game- offense, defense, the special teams ... and even the coaching."

The first half ended with the Chiefs on top 31-7 and they increased the bulge to 41-10 before Baltimore added two meaningless fourth quarter touchdowns.

The time was ripe for a good showing by Baltimore. After posting the best record in the NFL during the past 12 years, 112-48-4, the Colts were one of three old guard teams shifted to the American Conference under the realignment.

In their first home game against a team from the old American Football League, the Colts were taking on the Super Bowl champs. The Chiefs had lost their 1970 opener to Minnesota the week before, and Baltimore had beaten them in an exhibition 17-3.

The Chiefs exploded. They were tricky, elusive and explosive on offense and running back kicks. They were devastating on defense.

Quarterback Lenny Dawson of the Chiefs picked apart the Colt defense for nine pass completions in 12 attempts for 152 yards and four touchdowns. Frank Pitts caught three passes for 62 yards and two TDs. Place kicker Jan Stenerud booted three field goals and scored 14 points.

Safety Johnny Robinson grabbed three of Kansas City's five interceptions, setting up 10 points with his runbacks of 14 and 24 yards. He also scored a touchdown after running 46 yards with a Colt fumble.

The massive Chiefs also crashed through to toss John Unitas and Earl Morrall a total of seven times for 73 yards in losses.

Unitas, who didn't play the last 35 minutes, undoubtedly had the worst day of his 15 year storied career. He had five completions in 15 attempts for a net of just 28 yards after his three losses behind the line were subtracted.

Morrall, dumped four times for 43 yards, wound up with 200 yards net on 17 for 36 and had three scoring passes. Ed Hinton caught 11 Baltimore passes for 190 yards and one TD.

"I could read their keys," Unitas said if the Kansas City defense, "but I just didn't have the proper amount of time to throw. Our guys were picking them up, but couldn't hold them. They just kept coming."

Meanwhile, the fans kept going, and by game's end not many of the 53,911 remained.

The Third Monday Night Game

Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears

October 5, 1970

DETROIT (AP) - "I thought maybe they'd boo us off the field but they stayed with us," smiled Detroit Lions quarterback Bill Munson.

And in response to the confidence from the capacity crowd of 58,210- plus a national television audience- the Lions put on a second half show for the viewers by overcoming a 7-0 deficit to maul the Chicago Bears 28-14 Monday night.

The victory gave Detroit sole possession of first in the Central Division of the National Football Conference with a 3-0 record. Chicago, Green Bay and Minnesota are all 2-1.

Munson, who completed 13 of 19 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown, indicated luck was a partial reason for the second half spurt.

The Bears continually adjusted their defense after Detroit broke its huddle to come to the line of scrimmage. However, "We wound up calling the right plays more than not in the second half," Munson said. "In the first half they (Bears) shifted a little more and every time we seemed to run right into them."

Detroit's running game got bogged down to just 18 yards in the first half, plus only 72 passing on six completions. There was brief booing of Munson and company until the final two quarters when things opened up and the Lions nailed Chicago for a 21-point third quarter. They ended up with 350 yards total offense.

"We've been running most of the year but in the second half and we decided to open up a little with passes," Munson said.

Wide receiver Larry Walton caught four of his tosses for 70 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown. Tight end Charlie Sanders and halfback Altie Taylor each snared three for 77 and 59 yards respectively.

Chicago bounced back from the 21-7 third quarter score with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Jack Coneannon to Dick Gordon on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the Bears back in the game. But a key interception by Lion cornerback Dick LeBeau ruined Chicago and set up Detroit's final insurance touchdown. The 33-year-old 12-year veteran picked off the pass at the Lions 26 and ran it back to the Bears 31. A 15-yard penalty by Chicago for pulling a face mask put the ball on the 20 and on the first play fullback Mel Farr sprinted inside left end for one of his two touchdowns with the aid of a great block by Sanders.

"LeBeau's interception probably turned the tide for us," said Detroit coach Joe Schmidt in the happy Lions dressing room.

"In the first half we played without mistakes," said disappointed Bears coach Jim Dooley. "It was errors  in the third quarter and the pass interceptions that hurt."

On the second play after Farr's 20-yard burst, LeBeau nabbed another Concannon offering, this time at the Detroit six, and Chicago only had the ball four more plays the rest of the way.

"Everyone was pretty mad at himself for how each played in the first half,” Munson said.

Other Lions felt the same.

I think we have a great  young team and the only way someone will beat us is if we beat ourselves," Sanders said. "We were beating ourselves in the first half with mistakes."

"We knew when we went out there in the second half we'd have to score three touchdowns," Farr added. "Each individual toughened up."

"This is always a tough ballgame," mumbled Schmidt. "I knew it was going to be a struggle."

When Gordon scored in the first quarter on a 20-yard pass from Concannon it was the first time anyone scored a touchdown against the Lions in their last five regular National Football League games. Chicago hasn't beaten the Lions in three years.

Detroit, No. 1 in defense in the league, gave up just 38 yards rushing in a 177 total. The Bears got just two of their eight first downs in the second half while the Lions got 17 of their 22 then.

A three-yard TD by Farr at 4:09 of the third quarter was the Lions' first score and climaxed an 85-yard drive.

Concannon fumbled two plays after the ensuing kickoff and Mike Lucci recovered for Detroit at the Bears 38. The Lions drove to the seven when Altie Taylor eluded two tacklers and got a block from Sanders on the right side for another TD.

Walton's score came with a minute and 22 seconds left in the third period as Munson's pass threaded defender and former University of Michigan star Bennie McRae's outstretched hands.

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