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MISFIT continued

a pro football player alive who doesn't
know that the game is won or lost in
the line, but who writes about the line?
It's always the quarterback. "Starr lead:;
Packers to Super Bowl." "Len Dawson
Engineers Upset." "Tarkenton Scram-
bles to Victory." Bull! It's a joke! When
our British Columbia Lions won every-
thing in the Canadian League in 1964, I
made a speech that the line had won it.
When we lost everything in 1965, I made
a speech that the line had lost it. People
thought I was kidding. I wasn't.
Look at the quarterbacks who over-
night went from bad to good, or good
to bad. Did they change? No, their lines
did. Y. A. Tittle didn't win for San Fran-
cisco, but he was sensational for New
York. Bill Nelsen never did much at
Pittsburgh, but when he went to Cleve-
land and started performing behind a
strong line he won the Eastern cham-
pionship. Earl Morrall had always been
a second-stringer, but when he went to
Baltimore he became the most valuable
player in the league. Was he really the
most valuable player, or was he just the
same old competent quarterback that
he had always been? Or take Don Mer-
edith. When he was playing at Dallas,
the cliche was that Meredith couldn't
win the big ones. So he retires and Craig
Morton takes over and they still don't
win the big ones. Now the idea is be-
ginning to reach the Dallas fans that
there are 39 other players on the team.
But that concept is slow to take hold.
Even sportswriters who should know bet-
ter place far too much emphasis on quar- HI S B LOCKERS MASSED IN F RONT, KAPP S QUIRMS FOR A RUN A GAINST TH E RAM S
terbacking. This attitude reached some
kind of new height of absurdity at this terbacking-and about myself-that I'd hokum and corn if you want, but that's
year's Super Bowl game. While we were almost think there's nobody else involved exactly how I felt. I walked back to my
working out at New Orleans, getting in pro football. At the end of last season seat and left the trophy up there. For all I
ready for the game, reporters learned they had a big dinner in the Twin Cities know, it's still up there.
that my son, J.J., age 6, was staying and they named me our most valuable of- I keep on reading stupid things about
with his grandparents in Sacramento. fensive player and Jim Marshall our most quarterbacking, like the Ray Nitschke
They went out and interviewed him. valuable defensive player. Well, Jim ac- quote to the effect that it annoys him
" Who's your favorite player, J.J.?" cepted his award graciously and said that that I think I'm a great quarterback.
"Dave Osborn." it could just as easily have gone to any Where in the world did he ever get an
"Why?" other member of the front four-which idea like that (or was it some writer's
"Because he took me fishing." was true. Then I went to the head table idea)? I don't think I'm great, but I
That actually saw print. But nobody and accepted the offensive award, and think I'm competent. What the hell, I'm
was out interviewing the sons of Grady just after I sat down they announced the playing in the National Football League,
Alderman and Mick Tingelhoff and Jim a ward for the most valuable Viking of all, right? And on a pretty good team, right?
Vallone and Doug Davis and all the and it was me again. As l walked back to- Didn't I already say that every player
other fine linemen who watch over me ward the front I felt like the world's big- in pro football is good? Well, that in-
like den mothers. No, it's always the gest phony, and I knew I had to do some- cludes me. Of course, you'll read how
quarterback, and if they can't find the thing. So I took th~ microphone and I I'm clumsy-I throw off balance or on
quarterback they'll go interview his 6- said, "There is no most valuable Viking. the wrong foot, my passes wobble and
year-old son. There are only 40 most valuable Vi- sometimes go end over end, I run like a
I wind up reading so much about quar- kings." You may chalk that up as pure tank, etc., etc. None of this bothers me.

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