The DUMBEST Moment in Monday Night Football HISTORY | Steelers @ Dolphins (1973)

Howard Cosell had no idea what was going on. Frank Gifford had no idea what was going on. Don Meredith had no idea what was going on. Even though Don Shula was about to do something blatantly obvious that everyone could spot from a mile away, the three announcers had no clue what was happening. This is the story behind one of the dumbest moments in the history of Monday Night Football from a broadcast standpoint
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#mondaynightfootball #mnf #nfl

[@JayDogTitan-he6wo]

I don't care what anyone says, The 70s Monday Night Football era was the best in pro football and sports programming, It was golden with Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Don Meridith along with the guests who would stop by, I grew up on '70s MNF and I truly miss it, Compared to what we have today and and in recent seasons, Don't make me go there.

[@bearmunger787]

M

[@leftykoufax7084]

Amen

[@NuisanceMan]

Howard Cosell was a pompous ass, but very smart and strangely entertaining.

[@JayDogTitan-he6wo]

@@NuisanceMan Cosell was definitely unique, After the opening game of the 1974 season on a Monday night with the Raiders losing to Buffalo he really pissed John Madden off by telling him that he gave them a great show and Madden yelled back "Show!!? To you it's a show to me it's a goddamn game we just lost!!! Cosell was so frightened he jumped in his limo and got outta there, I read that in Madden's first book in 1985.

[@patrickmanley9876]

Sure miss those guys, Howard was one in a million. That being said Al Michaels is right up there with them!

[@kenp7814]

I met Dandy Don at a convention back in the mid 80's I was in an elevator with my kids wearing my Browns polo and hat He walked in and said "Hey Cleveland" and just had a casual conversation with my family Later that day during the golf tournament I got to the hole he was at and I hear a loud call "Hey Cleveland" I was amazed he not only remembered me but was still in a chatting mood. 4 years later at another convention of which he wasn't a part of, he was just at the same hotel. I hear that call again, 4 years later ... "Hey Cleveland" .... he came looking for me when he saw me. The Dandy one was just that, everyone must have been his friend R.I.P. to a great human being.

[@andygossard4293]

Wonderful story.

[@z-z-z-z]

ken p - great story...dandy don was just an ol' country boy from east texas.

[@kevincostello3856]

A truly heartfelt shout out to Dandy Don, thank you extremely well said

[@davidheilman1928]

I never knew he was that down to earth. Kudos Good Sir, to you and Him

[@opieutt9038]

Cool story, ty for sharing it.

[@huskerjpg]

I am always amazed at how condescending and know it all superior people today act about people from earlier eras. I was sitting in a bar in NYC with dozens of guys watching this game live. Everybody there was just as surprised as the announcers and we all thought Shula was an idiot or had some super duper trick play. No one then and there saw an intentional safety. So take it easy with your super advantage of hindsight.

[@rubberneckinc.8937]

Thank you for your comments. Hindsight is 20/20 & just because someone didn't know something that didn't happen or was very rare doesn't make you a genius & 2 guys that know more about football than most of us. (I'm not including Howard as he was a boxing guy)

[@kcjive]

Growing up I never thought of old people as being stupid, instead I looked up to them as people who knew a lot more than I. You couldn't be more right about younger people today though, they truly think they know it all and are so much smarter than everyone else. Just because one can use a smart phone or any other so called smart device does not make one smart!

[@kurtolson6065]

THANK YOU!

[@Tony-Plinkett]

I think part of the equation has to do with the QB taking the snap under center, instead of getting into the punt formation... Either way however, nobody was thinking 'safety' except for Don Shula, and the Miami Dolphins

[@Stonecrow25]

This

[@mitchfitz4259]

Love how Cossell immediately acknowledged he'd been wrong. Most gracious.

[@joemag6032]

I love how, in another game, a sad & angry Houston fan flipped off the camera, and Don Meredith quipped "That's right, fans, we're number 1" .

[@yeeeoldfather4615]

Shula should have gone for it!

[@bronxboy1952]

I have not seen such a play since!! I don't blame the broadcasting vrew for not realizing the genius of Shula!

[@TheHaratashi]

@@bronxboy1952 I've watched a lot of football and I've never seen a play like that until now.

[@blindandwatching]

@@TheHaratashi less grand standing back then.

[@dougmorgan309]

I really miss Don Meredith he was my all time favorite. He had such a great sense of humor. He was just a real down home guy.

[@erikrupp692]

As has been mentioned, taking an intentional safety was a rarity back then. Shula was ahead of his time in a lot of ways. These days it's a common tactic, but in 1973 it was rare.

[@siberianhusky5874]

Umm...you weren't even close. With anything you said.

[@bobgrob4]

yeah I cant remember the last time I saw an intentional safety......

[@siberianhusky5874]

@@bobgrob4 The original commenter didn't know what he was talking about. Neither does the clown who does these videos. Happened numerous times in the years before that game, and happened as recently as November 2020 in the Chargers-Jets game.

[@analogboi]

@@siberianhusky5874 Do you know it happened "numerous" times before 1973, can you give 5 examples or are you just talking out of yr ass like the rest of us.

[@GorillaGrodd420]

True. Hardly obvious. Maybe if you were a die-hard Football fan. But for the rest of us it was not obvious

[@daveycrocket4873]

Am I the only one that's not hearing the announcers? After he says take a listen to this nothing but silence till he comes back on

[@kylebandy3677]

The announcers are only in one of the stereo channels (left or right, not sure which). Use a stereo test video on KZbin to figure out which channel isn’t working for you.

[@flounderpounder5839]

I didnt hear the announcers either, and i just played a few test videos and both channels work.

[@emr6153]

I bet he somehow had the video discovered by the nfl and scrubbed it from his channel?

[@meaninglesscog]

@@emr6153 Just watched it and everything worked fine for me.

[@darrellhall6622]

Didn't hear it too. And here's where I thought he was going to be where Howard Cosell call the player something when he was running for a touchdown. Which lead ABC to fire him

[@82dorrin]

To be fair, the intentional safety wasn't a common play back then.

[@1983jblack]

It's completely fair, Shula was always an innovative coach and your absolutely right - this was not a common thing to do in the 1970s or before then. Only other time I can remember an intentional safety back in this time period was the 1976 NFC Divisional Playoff between Dallas and L.A.

[@jonburrows8602]

@@1983jblack LOL, the intentional safety was part of the game since the NFL began in the 1920s. What wasn't common was having your offense and QB take it, rather than the punting unit and punter.

[@guysmalley]

Spoken like a pup

[@generatorx]

@@jonburrows8602 Exactly. Most coaches would not want to risk their QB getting hurt on a play like that. Having your punter do that is more common since he is at a greater distance from the line of scrimmage when receiving the ball and is less likely to get hit by an opposing player.

[@sicfrynut]

@@1983jblack the only difference is that the Rams game , i believe, is it was the last play of the game as well.

[@railroad9929]

My favorite exchange between Cosell and Meridith was during a game when a player sustained a leg injury. Cosell described the injury with technical medical terms. Meridith chimed in with "What Howard's trying to say folks is that the old boy can't put one foot in front of the other because he has a hitch in his get along."

[@stevenpeek8842]

As others have mentioned, I was watching my beloved Dolphins that night. The intentional safety totally blew my mind. Even my father said he'd never seen that before. I think it was a stroke of brilliance by coach Shula!

[@PikesvilleAl]

Another game against the Bengals-Shula called for onside free kick after taking a safety-recovered and won the game.

[@FernandoL75314]

I was there, as a kid, in the stands of that (west) end zone of the Orange Bowl. I had never seen or heard of an intentional safety before and I actually believed that Don Shula had invented the concept of the intentional safety, right then and there. 😅

[@CynicalCharlatan88]

As a 35 year old I envy the fin fans who have seen this team be successful 😂

[@jimwoodle2626]

The reason the announcers didn't know what was happening was because they hadn't seen it before. Shula started a lot of trends we all take for granted now. Taking a safety wasn't always a part of the game and, at that time, wasn't the no brainer it is now.

[@Kylora2112]

Like the "Miracle At The Meadowlands" where a QB kneeldown wasn't an accepted play until about a decade later later.

[@radar0412]

Yeah you stole my thunder. What the Narrator of the video isn't aware of, is that nobody had ever seen an intentional safety. It might have happened before, but sports announcers are typically Sports Historians. And Gifford and Crew were just as amazed at the play as the average fan was.

[@ironcity4182]

I agree

[@davidking4838]

You are correct. It's like watching an old movie and accusing it of using "that same tired plot" not realizing that this was the movie that started that plot and it was completely original at the time.

[@jrljr69]

Completely wrong. Couldn't be more wrong. It actually was a bonehead move by Shula. It had been part of the game prior and was nothing new. What made it boneheaded was that Shula used his offense to pull the maneuver off. Fumble the snap and you lose the ball either by fumble or downs. That's why they didn't recognize it. Not that it was not part of the game yet because it certainly was and had been. The punt team should have been used not the offense. Even a bad long snap would go out of the endzone for a safety instead of being turned over on downs or recovered by the Steelers.

[@dvd11811]

I remember watching this game (I was a 14yo Dolphin fan). This play is a great example of why Don Shula was such a great coach and is the winningest coach in NFL history ... R.I.P. Coach Shula!!!

[@mayduck1]

I was 13 at the time and a big Dol-Fan but Joe Gilliam the Steelers QB who threw to the Dolphins Dick Anderson a lot was a local hero in my hometown Nashville as he played in college at Tennessee State University and several in my household were pulling for Gillliam and the Steelers. The Steelers made a big comeback after they benched Gilliam and the Steelers rooters in the house were so loud I did not hear the comments from the Monday Night crew but I do know Cosell who I was a big fan of praised Shula after the play and I was one happy 13 year old in a room of quiet Steeler backer grownups.

[@davidking4838]

The man.....the myth......The Legend......He was a legend, there is no myth.

[@michelyannakopoulos8924]

I was 13 too great game still a dolphin

[@Kzin_Kzinti]

I was 13 also and remember that game for all the interceptions by Anderson and Scott

[@orcuser]

Ur old

[@ninline2000]

I like how they immediately admitted Shula got them. The best way to play it is just say it like it is. I loved this crew, they really were good. The constant back and forth with Howard and Don was funny too.

[@donaldcummings8407]

Ah, yes..The beauty of almost 50 years of hindsight.This might be the "genesis play" of this strategy...SOMEONE had to be the first to do it..Shula just might have been that coach ..Something the uploader should have thought of

[@cmreap]

As I recall, intentional safeties were rarer back then than they are today, so the booth may have been genuinely unable to fathom it.

[@jonburrows8602]

@@cmreap They weren't that rare, they were just almost exclusively handled by the punting unit. Having The offense and Griese do it, is what threw the booth off.

[@thebigm4]

Howard Cosell hade great back and forth moments with Bob Uecker on some baseball telecasts sometimes.

[@siberianhusky5874]

​@@donaldcummings8407 There was no "genesis" of anything, intentional safeties had been taken numerous times before. But this one was unnecessarily reckless, with a QB under the center. And THAT'S why the three had no idea what Shula was doing, because it made no sense. A bad snap and/or fumble could happen at the line of scrimmage. But from punt formation, a bad snap will go out of the end zone. And if the punter muffs the ball from the snapper, he can instead kick the ball on the ground through the end zone for a safety.

[@omegaman1409]

RIP Shula. He was a fixture of the game. A lot of memories throughout the 80s and 90s growing up.

[@sammyvh11]

He was the main cog of the fix of SB 3

[@SunnyHippies]

Rest In Peace Chuck Noll Kicking Shulas ass up in heaven, respectfully

[@spikeman68]

YUP CRUSHING MY PATS YEARLY.........MAD RESPECT FOR HIM

[@stevenw7623]

I was in elementary school during the 70’s and MNF was the one thing that all of us boys had in common. We had to watch the halftime show to see who had won on the non-televised Sunday games. My dad would let me sneak out of bed after my little brother fell asleep and watch with him in the family room. One time my mom started coming down the stairs and my dad mouthed “hide” to me and pointed at the TV. I hid behind our big box RCA while my mom delivered a milkshake to my dad and left (my mom ALWAYS brought snacks when we watched games!). Dad and I could barely keep from laughing as we split the milkshake. My parents were the best and growing up in the 70’s and 80’s was so much fun.

[@donaldholderdoc2910]

Still the best MNF Three man booth in football history. The constant "bickering" between Cossel and Meridith was on its own almost enough to tune in. And Gifford was the best play caller in the game till Al Michaels joined in 1986 from main man on Baesball/Olympics.

[@cmichaelhoover8432]

Agree! We uses to call it the Don and Howie show!

[@garylsorrell]

Best MNF crew ever. Howard was the best. With Frank and Don, this was my favorite crew.

[@mattslupek7988]

I absolutely couldn’t STAND Howard Cosell. He was the most annoying, egotistical sports announcer I’ve ever heard. UGH!! 🤬

[@beatler11]

Your right , they were!

[@mattslupek7988]

@@nancydenton7496 It eventually came to the point that my dad turned down the sound and turned on Hank Stram on the radio for play-by-play. Turned out that a lot of other people were doing the same thing.

[@joelteague2008]

I love the way Howard did the halftime highlights of Sunday's games it was pretty cool

[@dredbud9272]

I fuckin hated him . He was a racist pig. Remember why he was fired?

[@deepcosmiclove]

The safety is one of the oldest rules in football dating back to the 19th century. It was in place not to penalize the offense but to gave them the option to play "safe" and give away 2 points for a free kick.

[@thejils1669]

EXACTLY!!

[@stevefirst1512]

Right on! And as I commented elsewhere, my dad was a college fullback and later coached both high school and semi pro more or less for fun- he was an attorney and real estate developer by profession. I can remember as a ten year old my father discussing with his assistant coach pals a rules change that would make the "strategic safety" less valuable but still of some import. Back then, mid 60s at high school level following a safety the team scored against on the safety got kicked off to. The rule change provided what is basically the case here- you kick off but not under any pressure like if you had punted. I think most coaches of any ability had this in their toolbox. It's utility just became a lot more subtle after that rule change.

[@buckbuchanan4902]

Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Don Meredith were the greatest commentary team in sports history! I miss the glory years of Monday Night Football.

[@gm1984foshan]

Agree completely. This guy doing this video is unaware of that.

[@HowToHaveFunOutdoors]

I think everyone is missing the other genius. Shula was a genius. Great call. Howard was a genius. He knew the play, but unlike today, back then it was entertainment and drama. Howard baited the audience to think what is going on, suspense and drama, then quickly highlight how smart Shula was. That MNF crew and the MNF were miles ahead of anything we have seen since. Clearly the best team in NFL broadcasting. Plus football is outdoor activity. If you love the outdoors, RV reviews, Cruise Reviews, Fishing, boat review, and more check out How to Have Fun Outdoors!

[@sensiblemusician4859]

Definitely a stretch calling this the dumbest moment in MNF. Especially for the time seems like an understandable point of view. Idk my memory of MNF dumb moments isn't very good so I could be wrong.

[@rusty1491]

Especially when the Dolphins had the QB take the snap instead of the punter.

[@crystalgiddens7276]

@@rusty1491 gave them more time to burn

[@bullwinklemoose8291]

How about Cosell's 'monkey' moment, for one?

[@johnjr757]

@@bullwinklemoose8291 Wasn't 1 moment. He said that all the time about many players.

[@bullwinklemoose8291]

@@johnjr757 Cosell said alot of stupid things, but he only called a black player a ( can't repeat it ) one time on the air...as the player was streaking along the sideline on the way to a TD...he said something to the effect of 'man that ( xxx ) can run'. He got in huge trouble for that comment and it made national headlines. Cosell had to apologize publicly for it. But to be fair and factual about it, he didn't routinely call players that one word on air as your response implies. Perhaps it happened more than once, but not all the time.

[@londonwerewolves]

In 1973 announcers didn't understand the benefits of a Shotgun formation. Almost 50 years of hindsight doesn't make you smart, and immediately admitting the skepticism of innovation was wrong should not be labeled DUMBEST.

[@dc7236]

Thank you so much... We sit on our high horse these days.. Which is disrespectful to the innovation that was occurring at the time

[@someperson8151]

The single wing formation used direct snap similar to the shotgun. Most coaches preferred an under center snap, because the offense was more of a ground game at that time utilizing the tailback.

[@bradb3248]

My parents would let me stay up to watch game highlights at halftime, no where else to watch then. Hard to understand now, but was a big deal back then.

[@SSHitMan]

Yes it was, it was the only way you could see video clips of all the other games back then. It was much the same when ESPN came along and you could watch the highlights of the day's games on Sunday night, but instead of just a few minutes you got a whole hour of highlights. Then along came the Sunday Ticket, and you could watch almost any game live and even all of them at once in a sports bar. those who came along later will never know the magic that was MNF's Halftime Highlights or the early days of Sportscenter on ESPN.

[@JayDogTitan-he6wo]

My Mom would allow me to stay up when I was as young as 10 to watch MNF as long as I got up for school the next morning and I said DEAL!, I actually learned the game as a youth watching Monday night football in the 70s, To me no other sports programming will ever come close to it.

[@bradb3248]

@@JayDogTitan-he6wo I said I’d go to bed after the highlights, but didn’t until forced to. MNF will never be the same for me, as much as Cosell would annoy me. Still remember hearing him announce John Lennon’s murder.

[@JayDogTitan-he6wo]

@@bradb3248 I remember the Lennon announcement as well, Also Lennon visiting the MNF booth along with Burt Reynolds and Spiro T Agnew and others, I remember when Alex Karras and Fran Tarkenton would fill in along with Lynn Swann, I know a lot of people criticized Howard Cosell but to me he was iconic when it came to sports broadcasting, MNF tried to bring back his image with the likes of Dennis Miller and Tony Kornheiser but it didn't work, I always thought he got a raw deal on the Alvin Garrett thing (Little monkey) Cosell meant nothing by that, Gifford, Meridith and Cosell along with Keith Jackson in the inaugural season in 1970 to me were legendary and they can't be replaced, MNF today is pitiful.

[@bradb3248]

@@JayDogTitan-he6wo I remember Cosell interviewing Lennon, but Reynolds, Agnew and Lennon, wow, If I remember Nixon administration was trying to deport Lennon. Do you remember Karras in Blazing Saddles as Mongo, Richard Pryor wrote that part.

[@billsanders5067]

I was watching the Monday night game between the Oilers and the Raiders in the ASTRO Dome. By the fourth quarter the Raiders were ahead by about forty. There was a camera shot of someone sitting in the upper level seats. Howard started to make a comment about a dedicated Oiler fan at the same time the guy flipped the bird. Howard got so frustrated he couldn't talk and Dandy Don was laughing so hard he couldn't get up off the floor.

[@garyposthuma9607]

There was another Monday night game years ago with somebody sitting partway up in enzone had a sign say Howard cassel socks ever time kick field goal or extra point they would hold up sign Don said to Howard you must have some fans over there but then I think security took it away cause then you didn't see it anymore

[@jamesanthony5681]

When the guy gave them the finger, didn't Meredith say something like, 'Howard, he's telling us we're number 1', or something like that?

[@billsanders5067]

@@jamesanthony5681 Knowing Dandy Don, you could quite possibly correct.

[@SunnyHippies]

“Look at that dedicated fan!” “Get the camera out of my fucking face!” 😂😂😂😂😂

[@mdarrenu]

@@jamesanthony5681 yes he did. It's in Cosell's book. Cosell and Don were terrific together.

[@imjinrat2325]

It’s easy to look back 50 years and call somebody dumb. I remember watching that game and intentional safeties hadn’t been done at a long time. I don’t think anybody watching knew what he was going to do.As soon as it happened they all gave him all the credit and admitted that he had outsmarted them. So why not lighten up a little and not be so self righteous.

[@Jim_Fries]

My father played for the Dolphins during this year. He was cut during the pre-season and I never saw him watch a dolphins game because of that, but they became by younger brothers favorite team, because our father would talk about the stories and players he met and played with during this time.

[@siberianhusky5874]

I think your father may have been playing fast and loose with the facts while trying to impress his kids.

[@robertrodes1546]

@@siberianhusky5874 What motivates you to insult a stranger's father, I wonder.

[@tontoepstein6860]

@@robertrodes1546 Huh?

[@gauravagochiya4218]

@@siberianhusky5874 Fatherless activity

[@243wayne1]

@@robertrodes1546 Wrong. Siberian Husky is correct.

[@the7thword]

Dumbest moment aside from the entire Dennis Miller season.

[@ronnieyoung7510]

Yeah you're right buddy Dennis Miller sucked as an answer it's all they could have thought at the time I guess

[@tyroberts2261]

I watched that game live. That kinda thinking was rare then. It surprised everyone. I believe it’s when people started thinking about these situations. Not coaches, they always did, but everyone else.

[@toms3664]

Been a football fan for 47 years. Don Shula was the best coach in pro football, along with Landry

[@Sweet--Richard.4981]

Lombardi

[@cuda426hemi]

​@@Sweet--Richard.4981 If you go by all time playoff victories and Super Bowl titles, or just go by the modern era, it's Belichick. 🏈

[@Sweet--Richard.4981]

@@cuda426hemi that football isn't full just spying

[@cuda426hemi]

@@Sweet--Richard.4981 LOL crybabies will cry, but scoreboard is the final say. 🎬

[@cuda426hemi]

@@Sweet--Richard.4981 LOL Keep crying, son. And while you are crying keep sucking on the Scoreboard. Scoreboard doesn't lie.😭

[@williamstalvey6920]

Monday Night Football in the 70 s was incredible..... The absoloute Best!!!

[@timk8079]

And it hasn't come close since. Those were the days!

[@jamesanthony5681]

It was entertainment. Roone Arledge recognized that, and was a genius for pairing Howard Cosell with Don Meredith.

[@michaelbirke6050]

MNF back then was must see television. Pretty much invented sports bars. Costello, Gifford and Meredith knew what they had. They had prime time and the entire sports world watching. Not every broadcast or game was perfect, but Monday nights were electric. Lucky enough to have experienced it back then.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

I’ve had a few people tell me they’re having issues hearing the audio on the play in question, and others tell me everything is fine. Everything’s fine on my end; I could hear it when I exported it, and when watching on my phone and computer, I had no issues. Is anyone else experiencing this technical difficulty?

[@thereilneid2868]

Always good stuff but also audio problem

[@drsfrazier1985]

Yeah I can't hear the call

[@philipmccullars1650]

Yeah just light static in the background when it switches to the call... Good content overall but does make the whole thing pretty anti-climactic

[@davidrainey2344]

No sound when it's needed most

[@strongereveryday2302]

No sound at all on the play

[@loyevangelists]

i used to love watching monday night football back in those times. Dandy Don Meredith Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford. they had great chemistry together. i can still hear Dandy Don singing Turn out the lights the partys over when it was obvious who was going to win the game. i was a young teenager watching this in the 1970s. my dad would let me stay up late and we would watch the game together. it was definitely an event at my house

[@dttruman]

Yeah, Meredith was so easy going and Gifford was spot on calling the game. I hate to say this, but Cosell reminds me of Stephen A Smith

[@bobloblaw2958]

Yep, the finest MNF crew ever.

[@cameronhamilton7439]

@@dttruman Howard was much more versatile, could broadcast just about any sport and make it sound exciting. Heck, he could have probably made GOLF MATCHES SOUND EXCITING!

[@dttruman]

@@cameronhamilton7439 It was probably Cosell that made Ali super famous, otherwise he would probably be just another good boxer.

[@cameronhamilton7439]

@@dttruman Do u really believe that?

[@toddlee2571]

Boy is this KZbinr reaching. No, this was not a common play and no, this wasn't a dumb moment. This was easily the best booth in MNF history and a Top-5 All Time booth. Hindsight is 20/20

[@trevortuttle8832]

yes i agree he was reaching.

[@AZDC99]

Amen, the snowflakes are getting mad at anything now, and have been for decades. Just as trained by their social engineering governments. What a bunch of LAMO followers they are!

[@borismedved835]

Way more lame than simply reaching. (From the stupid thumbnail I was expecting Cosell's "look at that little monkey run!") What did Cosell say? "I don't get it either." whoa

[@toddlee2571]

@@borismedved835 > me too actually. Definitely would have (should have) gotten Cosell fired a decade later. Cosell had become rather insufferable in the latter days of MNF. He always needed a credible 3rd man in the booth to keep him in check (Meredith and Simpson were the best at that - yes, that Simpson)

[@MyName-pl7zn]

You want a dumb moment show the one that got Cosell fired

[@parrsnipps4495]

It may seem weird, but back then this may have been one of the first times a safety had been done in that situation. By now we've seen it so many times. What got weird later on MNF was when they had OJ Simpson & he'd mumble something that no one understood. Once in a while Cosell would say, "What do you mean?" and OJ would mumble an answer that was even less understandable.

[@kevinriley2261]

He said, "I killed my wife and a waiter."

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

How many people out there were thinking of Cosell's infamous "Look at that little monkey run" quip.

[@geezler4083]

I was thinking about what he said about Terry but yours is better.

[@centuryrox]

I remember a similar play in Super Bowl 47. The Ravens were up by 5 with 12 seconds left, lining up to punt from deep inside their own territory. Before the snap, I was yelling for the punter Sam Koch to take a safety, but not one of the announcers even mentioned it. After Koch took the safety, all the announcers said how genius of a move it was. What??? It was obviously the best play in that situation, and even an idiot like me was calling for it!

[@stevemendel8173]

@Daryl Mixan And i got F@#@# out of my pool because of it lol

[@lynnpoint6395]

I remember watching this with my dad and talking it over with friends and teachers including the football coach at school the next day (I was in the 10th grade at the time). None of us expected the safety, mostly because safetys just did not seem that common then. Seeing a safety was like seeing a $2 bill. It was legit, you sort of knew they were out there, but they just didn't seem to be part of the game anymore. The rare nature of the safety at the time also led to uncertainty about what happened after, which further made the move unexpected. When you score a touchdown, you have to kickoff the ball to the other team after. When you score a safety you...well, uh, hm, you what again? So the advantage of conceding a safety and being able to get a good, unpressured kick on the ball from the 20 yard line and pinning Pittsburgh deep in their own territory, was not that apparent either. One can argue that Cosell & Company - or at least their producers yammering away in their headsets - should have seen this coming, but I'll give them a bye on it. In fact, that they could occasionally be surprised like the rest of us made MNF just that much more entertaining.

[@davidbrentwood1070]

I watched this game with my dad as well. What I remember was thinking my dad was going to have a heart attack right in front of my eyes. I don't recall if it was because he knew that Shula would call the safety or because he thought Shula would actually try to advance the ball. Thanks for a memory relived so many decades later. RIP Dad.

[@lynnpoint6395]

@@davidbrentwood1070 Thanks for sharing, David. I can just imagine the consternation across America at that moment.

[@claudiocorleone7856]

Best description of the moment and you are so right on all counts. Two people stand out here. Don Shula and Howard Cosell .

[@lynnpoint6395]

@@claudiocorleone7856 Those were the days!

[@randyacuna3248]

Before frank , I believe the first Monday night game calling the game was keith Jackson between the jets and the browns.

[@jamesanthony5681]

I believe you're right. Keith left in '71 to do college football, and Frank came over from CBS, if my memory is correct.

[@TyyTheFlyGuy]

Dolphins fan in my early 30’s here (89 baby) just dropping by to read comments and give respect to you old folks as I enjoy the history.

[@kevinriley2261]

I feel sorry for young Dolphin fans. You have no idea what you missed.

[@michaelbrooks2670]

I’m not a Dolphins fan, but as a 10 year old at the time, and having played my first year of football as a cornerback, I was amazed by Dick Anderson grabbing four interceptions in that game.

[@Dvishnu61]

After the intentional safety, Larry Seiple punted the ball 72 yards and pinned back Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers deep in their territory...

[@jtmcnasty]

Buddy , they were notorious for knocking back a few adult beverages during the game

[@mfdixon1985]

Was gonna say, this late in the game, the combined BAC of the 3 announcers was probably higher than the combined score of the 2 teams. Can't be surprised by the confusion.

[@emt5330]

Don Meredith was known to blaze up in the booth as well.

[@sooperb]

I'm the only one here that cant hear anything? The audio is gone when you switch to the commentary.

[@mattkuhn7182]

Once I turned off my Bluetooth it played fine

[@craigfazekas3923]

I believe the audio got pulled here from the original broadcast.... Damn.

[@eliov6425]

As a young kid in the 70’s I couldn’t wait for mnf , I remember when miami was playing the pats and howard cosell mentioned that john lennon was shot , plus that at the time was the only way to see your teams highlights from sundays game

[@bufnyfan1]

when Mr. Cosell was on MNF you either "loved him or hated him". The story goes that many viewers of MNF would turn off the audio on their TV sets and get the play-by-play of the game from Westwood 1 (CBS)-usually Jack Buck and Hank Stram. Personally, I have come to really appreciate how talented and knowledgeable Mr. Cossel really was

[@dannystranahan1004]

My dad would always turn off the TV volume when Howard cosell was on and we turn on the radio and watch the raiders on Monday night football in Oakland.

[@dickkeenan9225]

Jack Buck and Hank Stram are still my favorites. No BS. Just call the game.

[@davidseymour6447]

I was in my twenties during the MNF era with Cosell, Gifford and Dandy Don. Football isn't like baseball. Sometimes it ain't over, but it's over. 38-0 at the two minute warning, and it's over. Meredith always knew when that was, and every time he would sing Turn out the lights, the party's over. Years later when Meredith was no longer on the broadcast, late in the game Cosell said, "That''s the play that would cause the Texan to break out in song.".

[@PAGoTribe1963]

I thought this was going to be Cosell saying "Look at that little monkey run!" Big OOF there Howie.

[@curtisconrad3668]

#metoo

[@larrybigtimestokes]

😂

[@GetRidOfCivilAssetForfeiture]

I thought so as well. I was actually watching that game and couldn’t believe Cosell said that. But congrats to another network’s staff that had unearthed a college game video from 10 years before that game in which Cosell was announcing and he said about a White RB (Mike Adamle, I believe) the same thing. It was not easy to find such things back then and you had to literally watch the recording of the entire broadcast and hope you had the correct one. It was something Cosell would say about anyone. What was forgotten in that whole affair was that he was always championing civil rights and equality and was one of the few who supported Muhammed Ali when he fought the draft.

[@ssweeps]

I remember that game.

[@GetRidOfCivilAssetForfeiture]

Here is a link where Cosell called Mike Adamle a little monkey back in 1973: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2qTfKCVhd90qaM

[@gottabighit1]

I was 13 in 1973. A few years before, I played YMCA 6 man football, and my dad was the coach. During one of my games, my dad had our QB do the same thing. Totally caught the 3 guys officiating our game off guard. I remember the line judge coming over to my dad when we went out and lined up at the 3 yard line on 4th and forever, telling my dad, like 8 times, that it was 4th down. We ran the play, held the other team on the ensuing kickoff, and we won the game by 3 points. I sure do miss my dad. He was a great guy, and smart and savvy as well.

[@fredpendergrass6960]

This is How- word Co- sail. Love him or hate him, he left a big void when he left the national sports scene. I too, remember this game. It stood out to me because of the genius of Shula's play calling by taking the intentional safety.

[@tekay44]

ahh, man, you had to love him. I was at a Monday Night game at Schaefer effing Stadium as a kid. I think they arrested half the crowd that night. He was leaning out of the booth and the crowd was going wild. lol. I was with my dad and 4 brothers. bitter sweet for sure.

[@deputay]

I'm really enjoying your videos, please don't get me wrong, but if you think THIS is the dumbest moment in Monday Night Football history, you haven't been watching it over the last 10 years

[@russs7574]

MNF has really sunk into the toilet since the "world leader" got their hands on it. But hey, they're "woke," and that's all that matters in Bristol.

[@deputay]

@@russs7574 Biggest problem is they treat it as any other sporting event they cover: forced "humor" with minimal insights and way too many internal promos.

[@kevinashby3784]

If that’s the dumbest moment in NFL history you’ve probably not watch much NFL

[@tannertuner]

He sounds pretty young

[@ajkendro3413]

He's talking about the announcers, which I didn't get to hear, not Shula making one of the greatest calls of all time.

[@miless.9429]

He knows about 200 times more about football than you do lmao

[@vaseevol]

I would venture that almost everyone on my high school team knew what was coming because we had an intentional safety in our playbook in at least 1964 because we actually practiced it. In our version the QB ran as long as possible to take as much time off the clock as possible. We only ran it once for about a 9 second runoff.

[@tannertuner]

I was on a peewee team about 5 years after this and we took an intentional safety like that. And we weren’t all that close to the end zone. So the quarterback had to run quite a ways to get to the back line. I followed the safety with the best kickoff I had made all season. Kicked it over their heads. I almost got to recover the ball before they did. That was the last game I ever played in other than spring my sophomore year in high school. I was offensive center, middle linebacker and place kicker that last year I played. I never came off the field, even when I got the wind knocked out of me.

[@pisces363]

Dandy Don singing “Turn Out the Lights” was my favorite thing about Monday Night Football.

[@ProdigyBowlersTour]

The reason it didn't occur to Frank, Don or Howard is because it wasn't so obvious back then. This was the first time I can recall ever seeing a pro football team sacrifice an intentional safety at the end of a game. The only other time I saw it happen in the '70s was during the Rams at Cowboys Divisional Round playoff game in 1976. In 1973, it was unheard of. Yes, Shula was a step ahead of us all. In retrospect, it seems pretty obvious. But in 1973, nobody had ever seen such a thing. I guess in the years since, I've seen maybe three or four other intentional safeties surrendered. But it's still not that common. And in 1973, there's a good reason why it wouldn't have dawned on anyone what he was up to. I don't believe it had ever been done up to that point. It certainly hadn't happened in any football game I'd ever watched up to that time.

[@John-xz4ib]

Hands down, and not because of this play, Don Shula was the greatest coach of all time. RIP Coach...I’ll be able to tell me grandkids I witnessed the greatest Coach AND team of all time! STILL THE ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM ! 1972 lives on !

[@SoftDrinksOfChoice]

They only had to play a 14 game season so it was much easier in those days.

[@John-xz4ib]

@@SoftDrinksOfChoice Ah....Make that 17 games...UNDEFEATED...So easy it hasn’t happened again in 50 YEARS!

[@davidsilverstein7509]

In 2007 patriots went 18 and 0 but could not win number 19

[@paysonfox88]

It was kind of fitting that the dolphins were the team that destroyed the 1985 bears chance at a perfect season. Marino exposed the bears defense and their only weakness.

[@cletusspucklerstablejeaniu1059]

@@SoftDrinksOfChoice .... It only happened once, so explain how easy it is.

[@charlesfoutch1132]

this was the best MNF trio of all time.

[@michaelbglovier1116]

- Cosell

[@charlesfoutch1132]

@@michaelbglovier1116 he was great for his part.

[@charlesfoutch1132]

@@MitchMitch77-77 did you ever watch these guys? I've watched all of them.

[@brucekilby9957]

Great Play by Shula. Howard Cossell became more famous after he Appeared in a Woody Allen Movie. Go 49s 🏈

[@larrywoodruff7530]

Back when football was worth watching

[@bconni2]

i love these old games from the 1970's, but i'm also a realist. that said, todays game is played at a level never seen before. the average player in todays game is bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic and more skilled. take the Jets or Jags of last season and put them in a time capsule back to the 1970's , and these Dolphins & Steelers would get annihilated.

[@jimbotc2000]

Indeed, the good old days of the NFL.

[@tommylove9270]

@@mrg8581 Actually they started taking a knee too call attention! To the fact that cops, all over this country are killing people. Black people, I know you don't care but not everyone black is a criminal. Just because a cop say that they are . Are you for that matter. Facts are better than frauds!!!

[@Wolf_3125]

@@mrg8581 For sure. I'm sick of this woke culture. I miss the 90's.

[@datsko6339]

Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw had been out since week 7 against Cincinnati when he suffered a broken collarbone. His replacement for this game, Joe Gilliam, started the game by going 0/7 with 3 picks, 2 to Dick Anderson, including a pick-6. This awful performance forced Chuck Noll to play Bradshaw, who threw 3 picks of his own, 2 of them also to Dick Anderson, including a pick-6. Both quarterbacks threw 3 interceptions with two of them going to Dick Anderson and Anderson returned one pick from each of them for a touchdown. The last time one player recorded 4 INTs and 2 pick-sixes in a game before this one was in 1961 when Jerry Norton did so, also against the Steelers. Fun fact: the Steelers actually won that game 30-27.

[@billny33]

I remember in 2003 watching an MNF game where the Patriots took an intentional safety to help them beat the Broncos. At that time, I thought that was the first team/coach to ever employ such a strategy and it made me think how crafty and gutsy Belichick must be. It stuns me that somebody way back in the 70s did this, but I gotta give credit to Shula who was a genius. I think the idea of doing such a thing just could not have been on the radar of the MNF crew and maybe this was the first time anyone had ever done this. So I don't think this was a dumb broadcasting moment at all. Just a brilliant coaching moment that changed the game.

[@landmansid]

Long before KZbin, an MNF game was a blowout. In the 4th QTR, Dandy Don commented that many of the fans had left the stands. In an obvious moment of macho competitiveness, Cosell responded, "I don't see any fans who have left." A great moment!

[@kevinclarke8647]

I must say Cosell,Gifford & Dandy Don combined to make the best and most entertaining broadcast team in NFL history.

[@Physics_Dude]

your whiteness is showing

[@Radioman7600]

Madden and Summerall were fun too.

[@markcook3570]

Lived down in N.Miami Bch for 30 yrs. I remember watching this game live as it happened...Shula didn't win all those games on luck, one of the best coaches ever,,,R.I.P. coach, ..thanks for all the thrills and spills

[@matthewmehegan3475]

"Why didn't I think of that?" The number to times I've said this during my life I couldn't count. LOL!

[@plertisdibble1504]

I remember a fan holding a sign that read "will Roger's never met Howard cosell"

[@classicsports5057]

The intentional safety was rarer back then for some reason. But also it seems like a lot of times you use a punter or long snap already in the end zone instead of running backwards like the Dolphins did in this game. But using shot gun snaps to QB wasn't common either. I think the Jets used it some because Namath's knees. Cowboys would use it a lot a couple years later.

[@fredleeland2464]

The best thing would be what the Ravens did where they held and ran out the clock

[@GetRidOfCivilAssetForfeiture]

Classic Sports: Tom Landry would bring back the shotgun into a sort of regular use. He would use it on 3rd down passing situations and occasionally on 2nd down obvious passing situations so as to give Staubach more time and to take better advantage of Staubach’s running ability. The Chiefs would actually use the shotgun in 1969 on rare occasions. But no one would use it in such a situation as in the video back then.

[@mattosullivan9687]

A long snap could miss & game over

[@classicsports5057]

@@mattosullivan9687 Nah the could just snap it out of the end zone.

[@mattosullivan9687]

@@classicsports5057 nice

[@davidkreutzer4778]

Monday Night Football , in the 70's , was a weekly National Holiday !!! Truly you had to be there 🙂

[@normanwhite6677]

I'll tell you the dumbest comment ever in the history of televised sport: Tim McCarver once stated that a pitcher's fast ball sped up as it approached the plate! The play-by-play guy was incredulous, pointing out the laws of physics prevented that from happening, but McCarver stuck to his guns.

[@johnellizz]

Laws of physics can change.

[@tannertuner]

I’ve definitely seen fastballs rise (I’ve been on the receiving end), which makes absolutely no sense when you bring up the laws of physics.

[@bananaspartan2234]

@@tannertuner It's that such a fastball doesn't fall as much as a typical fastball, or more obviously fall like a breaking pitch. I think you're talking about receiving it as a catcher. I've also experienced it as a hitter. There is a natural swing plane each hitter has, and if you're a good hitter, your swing naturally adjusts to the slight dropping of a typical pitch. So when that "high hard one" comes, which doesn't sink as much, as a hitter, you feel that you can never get on top of it because it's not a pitch you typical swing at (especially in batting practice).

[@brucefredrickson9677]

They admitted their error..."no harm, no foul."

[@barrvason5431]

My fave Costello Meredith I counter on MNF happened after Costello went on and on about a pass that wasn’t caught. Howard could not get over what a beautiful pass it was and after letting Howard go on and on with a word, after a perfect pause Dandy Don said, “yeah Howard, it spiraled all the way”.

[@ILoveOldMedia]

The half-time highlights by Cosell were legendary.

[@rodd7]

Hell yeah I couldn't wait for halftime and Howard that was the best ever,, ,,,,man those were the days

[@Seemsayin]

Yes. They were. I also couldn't wait till half-time. Sometimes I'd be pissed if my game wasn't important enough to be highlighted. I was only 9 years old when this game was played, and shouldn't even have been awake at half-time. But Monday night was something special. Loved it. Marveled at the graphics, as they got better every year. As Rodd said... Those were the days.

[@Ianmccor]

I have seen taking an intentional safety actually be a stupid decision by a coach. One time the high school I graduated from was down 2 midway through the 4th quarter and took an intentional safety, which meant they were now down 4. And sure enough, they got the ball back and got into FG range at the end but had to go for the end zone now and couldn't get in.

[@billbergendahl2911]

I watched the first Monday Night Football game in 1970. If memory serves me correctly Cleveland defeated the New York Jets.

[@TheHive616]

I'm glad the entire point of the video is now inaudible. Was that a copyright thing? Kinda ruins it when you can't hear what was said

[@stevensmith8666]

My father broke a lot of shit, throwing it at the walls while screaming at the TV for Howard Cosell to shut the fuck up. I hated football till I started playing it myself. MNF inspired me on a weekly basis.

[@Boomhower89]

With that old MNF crew they all might have been three sheets to the wind.

[@jamesfields2916]

Four sheets. Don was drunk enough for two.

[@russs7574]

And they were still better than the journalistic wannabes at ESPN

[@Boomhower89]

@@russs7574 yeah no crew has captured that magic since.

[@TravJam317]

You could bet on it.

[@teekay_1]

MIGHT? lol

[@nsr60ster85]

I always thought this was when Shula invented this technique. If anyone had done this before in the NFL, it flew under the radar of the entire MNF staff.

[@nicklengyel6710]

The best times of football and broadcasting

[@chrisweidner4768]

Dandy Don describing a Joe Montana play. Calling him “Johnny Joe Idaho” is one of my most favorite moments from any broadcasting crew. Ever.

[@tomlippi7763]

I remember when the black running back made a long run and Howard said, " Look at that little monkey run"!! He got fired.

[@kwmusic4560]

Hard to believe there was a time when the goal post was right in the middle of the endzone. How players didn't end up crippled because of it is a mystery.

[@tannertuner]

They still throw right at it and players get hurt from time to time. Oddly enough, they weren’t moved back for safety reasons. The goalposts were in the way if you were trying to run or defend a play in the middle of the end zone, so teams took more field goals if they got down close. They were moved back to encourage offenses to go for touchdowns.

[@johneratcliff]

Yet they can run away from people trying to kill them. Awareness!!!

[@David_7-n3q]

1973 was the last year the NFL had the goalposts on the goal line. They should have changed it years, if not decades, earlier.

[@DNSKansas]

@@David_7-n3q The goal post should be on the goal line. The game is too stilted to the offense. It would be fun to see receivers have to work around the post again.

[@encycl07pedia-]

@@DNSKansas That's a bold take. If you want to see players run into goal posts, why don't you just watch the Three Stooges?

[@dttruman]

Is it me, or is this narrator the Monday morning armchair quarterback of all-time?

[@SoftDrinksOfChoice]

He's the Joe Montana of armchair quarterbacks for sure.

[@petehiggins3582]

@@SoftDrinksOfChoice this guy mumbles crazy as shit

[@SoftDrinksOfChoice]

@@petehiggins3582 😅

[@Rockhound6165]

Lighten up, Francis.

[@dttruman]

@@Rockhound6165 This narrator seems to be the one to lighten up.

[@TheErick6616]

Couldn't hear the audio

[@redsns1957]

What's crazy is that I'm old.enough to remember this game live.....I was 15...damn I got old

[@kevinriley2261]

Didn't we all. :(

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

Man that sound quality is amazing! Almost like I'm in the booth with them.

[@pronkb000]

This video might already be inaccurate because it's not the story of a drunken Cosell lighting Keith Jackson's pants on fire with his cigar. Edit: There was no "seeding" in the NFL playoffs until 1975. Playoff HFA was determined on a rotational basis. The only seeding is that wild card teams couldn't host games.

[@russs7574]

The other "seeding" the NFL did originally was that the wild-card team and the winner of their division could not meet in the first game.

[@larryehrlich57]

In the early 1980's I was flying Lear jet charters and we flew the Monday night crew 3 or 4 times.

[@sillambretta]

TBH this was pretty forward thinking for 1973. Naturally it's Shula paving the way. I grew up in 70's & game was much different back then. Pi's had to be pretty blatant, Victory formation was considered cowardly. Franco Harris took lots of crap for running out of bounds to avoid contact. more rushing plays, fewer penalties & delays.

[@mH8675309]

In fairness - as many people have already pointed out - the game was way different back then. It was the golden age of football and the Monday night football broadcast was something we hardly ever missed. It was a great time to grow up in America.

[@AndrewBarrett1122]

Why is there no audio when we are supposed to be listening to what the announcers said?

[@Dick_Z_Normas]

I was at this game, sitting in the "closed end" end zone seats.. Being from Pittsburgh and living in Florida, my bother in law and I took alot of razzing from the fans. We left at halftime, as it was obvious Miami had it in the bag. We went to a local bar to watch the rest, but the game was blacked out, so we bought a couple of six packs and left. When we got to the parking lot, we were blocked in, as it was basically someone's yard where they charged for parking. As the Steelers crept back into the game, we were pissed that we left, but it was too late to go back in. Never forgot that night long ago, when the Dolphins, at the top of their game, were almost upset by a young team that would themselves begin their glory days the next year.

[@wfew]

great story

[@cheaplaughkennedy2318]

The seventies were a really great time for watching football and Shula had a great team . I remember hearing what the Dolphins players thought about four practices a day 😄

[@pulsarlights2825]

The Dolphins were the best team of the 70s, they lost their dynasty when their top players went to the WFL in 1975. That allowed Pittsburgh and the Raiders to come to power in the AFC. The NFC was weak at that time...

[@Jodyrides]

Frank Howard and don were the best announcers for any football game ever. They were the show most of the time. Anyone under age 50, you missed it

[@steveperry1344]

i used to enjoy the mnf games in the 70's and enjoyed the banter between the broadcast team of howard, giff, kieth jackson and the dandy one. always good entertainment and shula knew how to win a football game.

[@ericstewart9499]

Love Howard and these guys . The good old days

[@benjaminwilson4875]

Haha. . . nearly 50 years ago, and I remember that specific instance. And no. . . I wasn't expecting an intentional safety either!

[@daveyboy_]

Howard's halftime report of Sundays games were awesome

[@jamesanthony5681]

Yes they were.

[@erict7867]

I loved it when Don Meredith used to goof on that knucklehead Howard Cosell.

[@erict7867]

Loved Dandy Don, Howard Cosell not so much

[@rmartin7558]

No sound at 4:00. No idea what the announcers said.