Best of the Best – Pass Rushers

Clyde ‘bodybagged’ a few QBs on his hits. I don’t take delight that he injured another player, but that huge wingspan coming in from the blindside in a contact sport was great to watch. KATHUMP!!!

RE: Bill Bergey

T-Law:

Bergey came to the Eagles in one of Mike McCormack’s terribly lopsided attempts to emulate his coaching mentor, George “The Future is Now” Allen. McCormack was Allen’s OL coach and shared playing time with with the great HOF coach Chuck Noll as Paul Brown’s “shuttle” guard, bringing in the plays called by Brown for Otto Graham.

Before diving into Bergey, though, some background on what Allen and McCormack found when arriving in Washington and Philadelphia. Because I think all the history will put my view of Bergey, versus B&E and Trott, in context.
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When Allen took over the Redskins in 1971, he — unlike McCormack — had a ready-made set of “Triplets”: HOF QB Sonny Jurgensen, HOF WR Charlie Taylor, and All Pro HB Larry Brown. Allen’s offensive inheritance also included Pro Bowl TE Jerry Smith; the great FB Charlie Harraway; and on an O-line that included perennial Pro Bowl C Lenny Hauss, former All Pro OT Walker Rock, and OGs Ray Schoenke and Paul Laaveg. (Nonetheless, Allen traded the Saints for their gutsy QB Billy Kilmer in exchange for 1971 4th and 8th rounders, 1972 3rd and 4th rounders, and a 1973 2nd rounder, plus LB Tom Roussel. For reasons never explained, Allen did not like Jurgensen — who from time to time bailed out the ‘Skins with Geoge Blanda-like 4th Q victories, including one in 1974 against the Eagles.)

On defense, Allen had HOF OLB Chris Hanburger, CBs Pat Fischer and Mike Bass, and S Brig Owen. That was it.

So, to build up his defense, Allen traded a series of trades, giving up his 1971 1st, 3rd, and 4th round picks, 1972 5th and 6th rounders, 1973 5th rounder plus MLB (and future Eagle) Marlin McKeever, to the Rams for DT Diron Talbert, OLBs Jack Pardee and Maxie Baughn, MLB Miron Pottios, SS Richie Pettibone (and OG John Wilbur). Allen traded a 1971 5th rounder and 1973 2nd and 3rd rounders to Buffalo for the legendary AFL All Pro DT Ron McDole. Allen also gave up the ‘Skins 1972 No. 1 picks to the Jet for Pro Bowl DE Verlon “Big Verlon” Biggs and the Skins’ 1972 2nd rounder and 1973 1st rounder to the Colts for Pro Bowl WR Roy Jefferson, who’d both had sat out the 1971 season. [The draft picks may be off a bit -- but not by much.]

In Allen’s first year, he had the ‘Skins in the playoffs as a wildcard — when only 4 teams from each conference qualified. In year 2, Allen took the ‘Skins to the Super Bowl and started a run of 3-straight NFC East Titles, always beating out the Cowboys. Under Allen, the Skins were a playoff team for 5 of 7 years, never losing more than 6 games in a season (only once).

Eventually, as the story goes, Redskins’ part-owner and president, the great lawyer Edward Bennett Williams, couldn’t stand Allen’s legendary paranoia, power struggles, and profligacy. Williams is said to have remarked about Allen, “I gave Allen an unlimited budget, and he exceeded it.”
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Back to Mike McCormack. And a comparison between what ‘Skins had in 1971 when Allen arrived to what McCormack found in the cupboard on arriving in Philadelphia in 1973.

The Eagles had one . . . ONE . . . quality offensive player in All Pro WR Harold Jackson. That’s it.

On the bench, though, was an angular 3rd-year receiver named Harold Carmichael, who’d started a total of 11 games in 2 years (5 at TE, 6 at WR). Carmichael — in McCormack’s view — made Jackson expendable.

On defense, the Eagles had All Pro S Bill Bradley. No one else. That was all.

But McCormack also thought he could pull a “future was now” trick.

So he traded the Eagles’ 1st round picks in 1974 and 1975, a 1975 3rd rounder, plus All Pro WR Harold Jackson and FB Tony Backer to the Rams for 12th-year QB Roman Gabriel . . . who would lose his starting job 2.5 years into his Eagles career. A 5-for-1 deal that lost its bloom after just two seasons, when Gabriel was benched in McCormack’s last year as Eagles’ coach.

McCormack traded the Eagles 1973 4th rounder and 1974 2nd and 6th rounders to the Colts for FB Norm Bulaich — who was gone after just 2 season.

He also traded the Eagles 1975 2nd rounder to Buffalo for a third-year DT named Jerry Patton. Patton lasted just one season with the Eagles and was out of the NFL after 1975.

Then came what had to be the worst — if not the dumbest — trade in Eagles’ history, and possible NFL history.

Right after the 1974 draft, McCormack traded the Eagles’ 1976 1st rounder plus their 1975 6th rounder for . . . the Bengals’ 4th Round pick in the ’74 draft: QB Mike Boryla. The kid had just selected in ROUND FOUR (4), and McCormack was giving up a No. 1 for him (albeit 2 years away). A truly mystifying move.

There were more trades before Eagles Owner Leonard Tose finally put us out of our misery and fired McCormack after a 2-11-1 record in the ’75 season.
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None of these moves amounted to much — except stripping the Eagles bare of draft picks.

It was so bad that in McCormack’s last draft in1975, the Eagles had NO choices — ZERO — in the first 7 rounds. (Imagine T-Law doing an Eagles’ draft preview if that happened now . . . “PREDICTION: The Eagles will draft no one because the team’s traded all 7 picks in this years’ draft.”)

In 1976, in Dick Vermeil’s first draft, his first selection came in Round Four. In 1977, his first choice came in Rd Five. In 1978, Vermeil’s first choice came in Rd Three.
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Okay, for those still bearing with me.

McCormack’s “Future is Now” approach was not over.

So . . . ON TO BILL BERGEY!!!
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Bill Bergey had been a 2nd round pick out of Arkansas State by the Bengals in 1969. He was an immediate, high impact player making the Pro Bowl as a rookie when it actually meant something.

His competition in the AFL/AFC at MLB back then, before coming to the Eagles, were the likes of Dolphin HOF Nick Buoniconti, Chief’s HOF Willie Lanier, and the Colts All Pro Mike “the Animal” Curtis.

Bergey was 6’4 245 lbs — as big as some D-linemen back then.

But he was nimble. Powerful. Quick. Had great instincts. And he was a great leader. He played like Dick Butkus, trying to destroy opposing players.

Imagine a bigger version of Ray Lewis.

But after the 1973 season, Bergey wanted more money from the Bengals. So owner Paul Brown called his old shuttle guard, Mike McCormack, and offered him Bill Bergey. But . . . as it’s been said, “For a price, Ugarty. For a price.”

By now, the Eagles had already traded their 1st round picks in 1974, 1975, and 1976 for just two players: QB Gabriel and QB Boryla — neither of whom contributed anything after 1977, once Dick Vermeil installed Ron Jaworski at QB. Gabriel was a backup through ’78. Boryla was out of the NFL in 1977, played in 1978 for the Bucs, and then never played again. MADDENING!!!!

So McCormack — who obviously was no where near as good as Geo. Allen at this “future is now” crap — gave the Bengals the Eagles’ 1st rounders in both 1977 and 1978, and the Eagles 2nd round pick in 1978.
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So there’s the back drop. From 1973 – 1975, while McCormack was in charge, the Eagles traded FIVE 1st round picks, for just three players. Of those three, only Bergey gave the Eagles more than 2 years as a starter.

And . . . what GREAT years those were.

Bergey was a consensus All Pro in 1974 and 1975. He made the Pro Bowl (when it mattered) from 1974-1978, blowing out his knee in 1979.

He could control a game from the MLB position like no one the Eagles have had since 1979.

Until 1978, when Vermeil’s program really took hold, Bergey never have nearly the support in front of him that Byron Evans certainly had and which even Trotter had in his prime. Plus, there’s no question the offenses on Bergey’s Eagles were not very good.

Maybe most important, both Evans and Trotter played under very good to great D-Coordinators in Buddy Ryan, Bud Carson, and Jim Johnson.

Bergey played under Walt Michaels, later the Jets head coach, while McCormack was the coach. Then Jerry Wampfler in Vermeil’s first year in ’76. And then finally Marion Campbell for 2.5 years, before a knee injury that caused him to retire after the 1980 Super Bowl Run.

Maybe Bergey’s best game came on MNF in the Eagles upset of the Cowboys in game 2 of the 1974 season. Bergey absolutely dominated the Dallas offense, accumulating 18 tackles. He tossed around the Dallas O-linemen like they were rag-dolls.

The Eagles won that game 13-10 on CB Joe Lavendar’s 97 yard fumble return for a TD on a goal line turnover caused by great hit by Bergey on Doug Denison as he ran a sweep to the right.

(here’s the entire game, with the play starting at the 2:11.00 mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R43n59w4GiQ)
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Given the talent around Bergey for the better part of his prime in Philadelphia, and having seen every Eagles MLB starting with Ron Porter 1970, I don’t think it’s even close.

Put a healthy Bill Bergey on this Eagles defense . . . he’d even be an upgrade on DeMeco Ryan circa 2009.

(To those who made it to the end of this post, I say that hard work is its own reward)

2 men, one pudding cup.

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