Miami Dolphins legendary kicker Garo Yepremian dies at 70

Miami Dolphins legendary kicker Garo Yepremian dies at 70

He was a helluva kicker, but most people remember him for the time he tried to throw a pass in the Super Bowl. (It was actually scored as a fumble rather than a pass interception). That resulted in an opposition touchdown, but the Dolphins were so good that year (they never lost a game in either the regular season or the post-season) that it didn't really matter.

The box score of that January, 1973 game is worth volumes of exposition about the very different nature of the NFL game forty years ago. The Dolphins' passer, Bob Griese, threw 11 passes for 88 yards. In contrast, the 'Phins ran 37 rushing plays, with three different backs getting ten or more attempts. The Dolphins accumulated 88 yards passing, 184 rushing. Of Griese's eleven passes, only five went to receivers. Three went to running backs, one to the other team, and two hit the ground.

The losing Redskins passed more, 28 times, but they also ran more than they passed (36 attempts), and they probably passed too much, given that three of the passes resulted in interceptions. The Redskins passed for 104 yards, rushed for 141. Of Billy Kilmer's 28 pass attempts, eight went to receivers, six to running backs, three to the other team, and eleven hit the ground.

Running backs were the true center of those teams. Both teams ran more than they passed and when the QBs did pass, they often went to their running backs. The winning QB in the Super Bowl completed only eight passes. Oh, how times have changed.