The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

I was not born when they played the Dolphins in the super bowl. I remember Bugel saying a few weeks ago that he ran it 9 straight times behind Jacoby.

50 Gut is when John Riggins runs left and looking for a hole between Bostic and Grimm or Grimm and Jacoby. They run this play 9 times againts Randy White.

What Formation was this ran out of. And did anyb one pull.

In that magical SB 17 series tt was run from the standard Joe Gibbs formation: two wide receivers, H-back a step behind the linemen, H-back in motion right or left or, as Doc Walker did on the immortal 4 & 1, right, stop, turn, then back left.

Otherwise, a much simpler play than the counter-trey.

IIRC, it was all straight-ahead blocking with the back going left (50 gut).

Here's a great excerpt from the Post's Redskins book:

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Chapter 4, Page 148
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And, again, there was Riggins and the Hogs, who dominated Dallas' defensive front, including Randy White. Riggins had 36 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Many of those yards came on a play called 50-gut, where Riggins ran left, looking for a hole between Bostic and Grimm or Grimm and Jacoby. As Gibbs tried to run out the clock, Bostic remembers running 50-gut nine straight times.

"After three or four, in the huddle I said to Russ, 'Play along with me,' " Bostic said. "I got to the line, and I said to Randy White, 'Our coaching staff loves you. We're going to run it over you again.' Then the next play Russ told him. Randy wasn't very happy, but after three or four times, he didn't say a word."
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Reading about the 50 Gut just brings a big smile to my face! Smash mouth football is back in D.C. Watch out Pukes were coming for ya!

Bostic remembers running 50-gut nine straight times.
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That is my biggest memory of the playoffs leading to SB 17, and to most of the Redskins offense in the second half of the Bowl itself

As I remember it, the Dolphins defender who was "shadowing" Walker slipped when Walker reversed direction before The Play...he was about a step too late, and going parallel to the line of scrimmage when Rigghins hit. Without the slip, the Dolphins would have "held" Riggins to another 5-yard crusher. Which The Redskins would have repeated seven or eight times for the TD. The NFL Films highlight gives a hint at just how overwhel;ming the Hogs/Riggins were, but watching it real-time was one of the great Washington sports experiences.

In all of those games, the Redskins would get the ball with the lead and with about ten minutes left...and the other team would never see the ball again, except in Riggins hands as he ran over them.

By contrast, they used to talk about "the elegant' counter-trey, when there would be about five 290 pound guys pulling, stopping, turning...like a tightly choreographed ballet, where all the ballet dancers happen to be almost 300 pounds.

I'm not sure that gives an adequate feel for the counter-trey, but it has an lot of VERY big guys moving in many directions at the same time in very tight spaces.

Yeah, The Play...I still get all shrivery when I see that on highlights. The defensive player shadowing was cornerback Don McNeal. What a pathetic effort. I though he was shadowing Warren though. In any event, the best part about it was not the actual play itself, but the way Riggo was just standing up and looking around confidently just before getting set. The look was like, "you think THAT defense is gonna work?" Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY knew what play the Redskins were going to run and who was going to run it. As they were lining up for The Play, I can even remember Frank Herzog saying "Here comes the diesel. Here comes the diesel. John Riggins right up the middle". (we turned off the Pro Miami TV announcers at the beginning of the game when they predicted "I don't think Washington will score today" to listen to Frank and Sam and Sonny on the radio broadcast). No one was going to deny that first down.

The counter trey play where the Redskins pull about eighteen lineman also had it day in SB XXII. The Redskins beat the crap out of the Broncos with it. They just kept running and running it and Denver could not stop it.

Good memories, Welch.

40/50 Gut is the INSIDE ZONE play, which John Riggins (with the HOGS in front of him) ran better than anyone I have ever seen. There were no puillers, as the "Hogs" surged off the LOS to get movement (allowing Riggins to "run to daylight").

"60/70 Counter" was a counter to the "Gut" plays, as Riggins took the same first step as on the "Gut" (to MISDIRECT the LBers), & countered back to the opposite side. The Counter involved pulling the backside Guard (to trap) & Tackle (to leads thru the hole) thus seperating the defense at a given point.