Coffin Corner (May/June 2016 Vol 38; #3)

[TanksAndSpartans]

I really enjoyed the new issue. Had some questions for the authors or other folks on the board:

I. 1901 Quakers article (Ken’s article):

1. In the game against Lafayette college an “Ernst” is listed as RG. Could this be an older relative of Jack Ernst who went to the same school and played in the NFL for teams including the 25 Maroons?

2. Another longshot, but I noticed a Poe played RE for Homestead. Neilson Poe, relative of Edgar Allen was a senior football player at Princeton in 1896. He was also one of 6 brothers - wondering if there is any connection here.

3. Just a comment, I went to Pitt, so I was definitely curious about the location of the Homestead game - here’s what I found on Exposition Park: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expositio ... ittsburgh)

II. Passing Thoughts (Bert Gambini)

Once I realized this article was about games with little to no passing, the first game I thought of was the second 1950 Eagles/Browns game which I was glad was mentioned in the article. I had always read that the Browns intentionally didn’t throw a pass to prove a point. I had always accepted it as fact until I read a Greasy Neale interview where he said “I also had a special defense for Otto Graham and he didn’t complete a single pass that afternoon. That’s the only time that ever happened to him.” So what do people think is the truth here? It was a close game (13-7), so was Paul Brown really so stubborn that he would risk losing the game to prove a point? Maybe in the locker room all week he told the players “we won’t pass” or something to motivate them that it was going to be physical game and he believed they could win a game like that? And what about Neale - this is from Bob Curran’s book so I tend to trust it as an accurate quote. It’s not like Graham was 0-17 passing (he was officially 0-0-0-0-0) - ideally there would have been a follow up question to that statement (a question that maybe at least gently hinted at the fact Graham didn't even attempt to pass), but there’s not.

Hope some others enjoyed the two articles too.

John

[Ken Crippen]

I will handle the Gambini stuff first. I have the game film from that game. Graham did attempt two passes, but both were negated.

There is a possible connection between the Ernst's and the Poe's as you mentioned. I did not dig deep enough to answer those questions.

Thanks for the info on Exposition Park.

I am glad you enjoyed the issue!!

[BD Sullivan]

II. Passing Thoughts (Bert Gambini)

Once I realized this article was about games with little to no passing, the first game I thought of was the second 1950 Eagles/Browns game which I was glad was mentioned in the article. I had always read that the Browns intentionally didn’t throw a pass to prove a point. I had always accepted it as fact until I read a Greasy Neale interview where he said “I also had a special defense for Otto Graham and he didn’t complete a single pass that afternoon. That’s the only time that ever happened to him.” So what do people think is the truth here? It was a close game (13-7), so was Paul Brown really so stubborn that he would risk losing the game to prove a point? Maybe in the locker room all week he told the players “we won’t pass” or something to motivate them that it was going to be physical game and he believed they could win a game like that? And what about Neale - this is from Bob Curran’s book so I tend to trust it as an accurate quote. It’s not like Graham was 0-17 passing (he was officially 0-0-0-0-0) - ideally there would have been a follow up question to that statement (a question that maybe at least gently hinted at the fact Graham didn't even attempt to pass), but there’s not.
John

The weather conditions played a major role in the play-calling. After the game, Neale was quoted in the Cleveland Plain Dealer as saying, "With the rain and slippery field, it was no day to get behind. That run did it." Neale was referring to the third play of the game, where the Browns' Warren Lahr had a pick-six for the early lead. Interestingly, the Browns only had one first down for the entire game and during the first half, they were punting on third down.

The PD mentions that the field was "a slow track and on a day that definitely not suited to offensive football," refers to a "stadium rainstorm" and notes that there were approximately 3,000 no-shows. The miserable weather came about 8-9 days after a massive snowstorm that had paralyzed most of the upper Midwest. Go on YouTube to see footage of that year's Ohio-State-Michigan game to get an idea of how bad THAT storm was.

[TanksAndSpartans]

Thanks Ken and BD! I wasn't able to find anything on Poe/Ernst. My instinct is telling me the Ernst connection is more likely, but the gap is a bit large to be an older brother. Two football players at the same small college with the same last name would be a coincidence, but its not a really uncommon last name either - I knew an Ernst once.

The weather issue with the Browns/Eagles game is great info - I never knew that. I guess the truth is someplace in the middle.