Kilmer72 wrote:I was really too young to remember although I was watching the games then. Perhaps one of you guys can explain exactly what Kilmer brought to the table. My understanding was he was the coach's preference. Why? Did he hate Sonny for a reason? I never understood it. Wasn't Sonny coming off an injury too?
Remember my comments in the Cousins is Better thread? Kilmer ran the play that was called. Allen liked that. Jurgensen, unfortunately, understood defenses. He'd saunter up behind center, put his hands on his hips, and scan the field... and, often, audible to a pass. It didn't matter that it resulted in a touchdown... Allen called the plays. While both Billy and Sonny were not averse to party hardy, Sonny didn't care who knew about it. Billy, on the other hand, was far more discrete (even though, half the time, he was out with Sonny. The bottom line, Billy appeared to be disciplined, respectful, and the model of a team leader. He was also tough as nails, and couldn't pronounce "quit". There were times when he simply willed the team to win. Sonny... was Sonny. If he thought something was stupid, he had no problems saying so (refer to any Redskins broadcast when Sonny is offering his opinion for validation... I remember when he famously told his audience that something the revered Joe Gibbs did was not the smartest thing he'd ever seen... ummm... yeah).
George Allen wanted obedience. George Allen wanted predictability. George Allen had no sense of humor... and Sonny was disobedient, unpredictable, irreverent, and loved a good joke.
Therefore, Allen loved Kilmer. It didn't hurt that Billy was pretty effective. If you followed the Redskins, you loved both of them... unless you were George Allen. The Superbowl was moot. Jurgensen was injured, and unable to suit up... but, had he been playing, I have no doubt that the Dolphins would have ended the season 14 and 1.
Care to weigh in, Welch?