Word: namaths
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When he slipped quietly out of New York last May, he was, at 34, an aging wreck who couldn't even ramble, a gimpy-kneed quarterback who had been literally buried by tacklers for two successive 3-11 seasons with the hapless New York Jets. Joe Willie Namath's departure for the Los Angeles Rams as a waived free agent was the exit not of a sun-kissed superstar, but of a tarnished jewel. The glory of the 1969 Super Bowl victory and his Broadway Joe image could still sell popcorn makers and aftershave lotion, but there...
...Rams Owner Carroll Rosenbloom and his shrewd general manager, Don Klosterman, felt Namath was worth a gamble. After all, the Los Angeles team had won the Western Division title for four straight years-with four different quarterbacks-only to get knocked off each time in the playoffs. Pat Haden, the baby-faced Rhodes scholar, performed inconsistently as last year's starter. So Namath, who was available for $150,000 a year-a pittance compared with the $450,000 he got at the Jets-seemed well worth a try. Joked Rosenbloom: "If we don't get to the Super...
...Namath, for his part, was delighted to be with the powerful Rams. Unlike the Jets, they offered both talented running backs and a veteran offensive line that could assure him of time to throw. Said he: "There's a great deal of difference knowing your guys are better than the other guys. These Rams give a passer confidence as well as time." As for the Rams, they seemed to feel that Joe's swaggering self-confidence was something that might rub off on them, like his aftershave lotion. Said Linebacker Isiah Robertson...
Rosenbloom took special care to see that his investment in Namath would pay off. At summer training camp, the Rams' doctor persuaded Joe to stop running and take up swimming, a radical regimen for football. The aim was to expand his cardiovascular endurance without risking his fragile knees. Soon Namath was doing 1,600 yards a day in the pool-and becoming known among his teammates as "Tarzan" or "Spitz." Namath did not seem to mind: "I can't say swimming is better than other exercises, but I know I feel as strong as I ever...
Casually dressed, easy of manner, Arledge exudes the smell of success the way Joe Namath exudes Brut. Arledge is a restless competitor (when Son of Sam was caught, Arledge spent the night at police headquarters). He is also a confident gambler. He gambled millions on the 1976 Olympics, and made that sprawling assortment of track meets, wrestling and swimming contests a prime-time commercial success. Chronology and coherence may have been sacrificed as he zeroed in on the flashiest contests and concentrated on popular favorites, switching relentlessly from one arena to another, but the result was exciting television. Arledge liked...