Word: giffords
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...showman. At 37, Quarterback Y. A. Tittle of the New York Giants is only two years younger than Jack Benny; he wears high-button cleats, laments his departed hair, and eats meatball sandwiches before each game because he thinks they bring him luck. At 33, Giant Halfback Frank Gifford is the man in the collar ads, the face that launched a thousand razor-blade commercials. Each has a special talent: Tittle throws a football better than anybody (60% completion average, a record 36 TD passes this year), and Gifford catches it better than most...
...Potato. The first routine was purest comedy-a sort of take-off on that old kids' game, hot potato. With a first down on the Pittsburgh five, Tittle pitched back to Gifford, who started around left end. Oops! Too many Steelers. So Gifford lateraled to Center Greg Larson, who looked at the ball and lateraled to Y. A. Tittle, who looked at the Steelers again. Now, Tittle is no coward, but there are no 37-year-old fools in pro football, either. Back it went to Gifford, who was now over on the right sideline looking for someplace...
...halftime, the Giants had a 16-3 lead, but Tittle, being a nut on insurance (he even sells it in his spare time), buttonholed Gifford in the locker room. "What do you think you can do with that guy?" he asked, meaning Glenn Glass, the Steeler defensive halfback. "He's playing me to go outside," answered Gifford. Aha, thought Tittle-and stored the information away for emergency use. The emergency came early in the third quarter: the Steelers had closed the gap to 16-10, and the Giants faced a third down and eight on their own 23-"third...
...Circus. Gifford never was very fast, and after eleven seasons he may even have lost a step or two. But he does have one advantage over defensive halfbacks who run the 100 in 9.5 sec.: "I know where I'm going-they don't." Daintily, he trotted out to the flank in his sneakers. The ball was snapped, and he ran straight up to Glass, dipped his right shoulder as if to cut toward the sideline, then whirled and streaked across the field-leaving Glass with his legs hopelessly crossed. Tittle threw-and for a long instant...
...plays later (another pass to Gifford, a pass to Fulback Joe Morrison), the Giants had their insurance touchdown. The final score (33-17) was immaterial: the Giants had won-and it was Gifford's catch that did the job. "That was the turning point," moaned Pittsburgh Coach Buddy Parker. "It would have been a different game if Gifford hadn't caught the ball...