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Bengals head coach Forrest Gregg never spoke to Bill Walsh in the aftermath of the 49ers' 26-21 victory over Cincinnati in Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac (Mich.) Silverdome on Jan. 24, 1982. "It was just so hectic," Gregg said from Colorado Springs on Monday. "We just shook hands. That was about as far as it went. "I saw him a lot after that and we shared our thoughts about the game. He was one of those guys who, when he won a game, he didn't brag. He didn't push it in your face. He said he felt fortunate and so forth." Gregg was stunned at Walsh's death Monday. "We weren't what you'd call close friends," Gregg said. "I knew him for a long time and we coached against each other. I have tremendous respect for him as a man and a coach."
'The Genius' Fatal snub When Paul Brown chose Bill "Tiger" Johnson as his successor in 1976, tight end Bob Trumpy wasn't surprised because "Tiger" mirrored Brown's stern, disciplinary style. The shocker came when Walsh, devastated by the snub, bolted to San Diego as an assistant. "When we heard a few weeks later that Bill Walsh was leaving, Chip Myers and I called Walsh and said, 'Don't do it. Stay here. Help us,' " Trumpy said. "Walsh's line was, 'Look, I've got to think about myself and my family.' We realized that he was right. "We knew that if Bill Johnson was named the head coach, everything would remain the same, so Paul could sit upstairs, watch from afar and still be somewhat connected to what's going on. If Bill Walsh had been named head coach, we would have rewritten record books when it came to passing." Greg Cook's devastating shoulder injury in 1969 left the Bengals searching for answers. So they acquired Virgil Carter in a trade with Buffalo during 1970 training camp. Carter was the bridge between Cook and Kenny Anderson, a third-round draft pick in 1971. "I had an opportunity to work with Bill Walsh," Carter said. "Because of that, I got a lot of recognition and had my best years in the league. But it was really just following the directions and design Bill Walsh put in place, knowing that Paul Brown wanted to control the offense, even when I moved out of the pocket.
"Bill's legacy is seen throughout the league — the designing of plays to make it easy on the quarterback where all you had to do was know the play and execute it. It led to the Dwight Clark catch (in the 49ers' 1981 NFC title victory over Dallas). He knew the zone he was supposed to fill because that's what they practiced." 'Step on toes' Center Bob Johnson, the first draft pick in Bengals history, called Walsh "a very creative, fun-loving offensive coach and that creativity never left him. His philosophy was, 'How wild could you design an offense?' "He'd tell the receivers to run up and step on the defensive backs' toes because there's no way the defensive back could react and close the cushion once the receiver made his break. Then he'd demonstrate it. He'd run right up and try to step on the defensive backs' feet." Talkin' smack Bengals safety Marvin Cobb was an 11th-round draft pick out of USC in 1975. "Coming from USC and practicing every day against Lynn Swann, I was confident I could hold my own," Cobb said. "At the first rookie camp, I had a really good one-on-one workout against the rookie receivers, and Coach Walsh was not pleased. The DB coach (Chuck Weber) was giving Coach Walsh a good ribbing.
"Coach Walsh called over to the other field for Isaac Curtis, who was involved in a separate veteran workout. Coach Walsh wanted to shut up (Weber). Isaac was an All-Pro receiver with world-class speed, I was terrified, and when 'Ike' made his first move to the post, I was left spinning. So when he came back to me on the second move to the corner, I was in perfect position to intercept the ball, and Walsh never heard the end of that. "That one play helped me make the team. When we got into the locker room, Isaac came by my locker, leaned over and in that mellow voice said, 'Rook, if he had thrown the post, I'd still be running.' He was right, and I remember always being happy that Isaac Curtis was on my team." Good ol' days "Bill always had a systematic approach to everything," defensive end Gary Burley said. "I can still see him drawing Xs and Os with Kenny and Isaac, explaining why this will work — a play called the 'Hitch & Lateral,' "I'll always have fond memories of Bill Walsh as a creative asset to the sport we all love." Dayton Daily News http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/bengals/2007/07/31/ddn073107walshside.html |
