During the 1987 season, a labor strike turned the league on its head. Players refused to take the field. Tensions flared. The NFL said the show must go on. Every team faced the same challenges, but no one rose to the occasion like Washington. What the Burgundy & Gold did during the strike period was nothing short of spectacular.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now for the scores and highlights, so we are compelled
to show them to you because the owners say these
count towards the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Please get yourself a roster.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
What we have here is a group of athletes living
out a dream, a fantasy to play in the National
Football League.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
I don't got everyone, and welcome to Texas Stadium for
this is the final replacement game of the NFL season.
Speaker 5 (00:19):
This will definitely be a Sunday to remember around the
National Football League.
Speaker 6 (00:23):
Just want to see a football game?
Speaker 7 (00:26):
How the world do.
Speaker 5 (00:27):
These guys get ready for a team in which they
know virtually nothing about the other players?
Speaker 8 (00:31):
I want to make the back to the You can't
call them for that, No, you can't.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
You're dealing with people's dreams.
Speaker 9 (00:37):
There's some exciting young players on his redskin team.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
You just don't know their name.
Speaker 9 (00:40):
It's signing on this sidelines. As Joe Geff is being
carried off by a bunch of gungsters, a bunch of
people you I'm sure do not know very.
Speaker 10 (00:49):
Much about, he has whooped them into quite a football team.
Speaker 11 (01:02):
On the outset, Washington's nineteen eighty seven regular season matchup
against the Saint Louis Cardinals looked rather typical one pm
kickoff at RFK Stadium, an ideal October day. Joe Gibbs
is the head coach, the home team is wearing those
crisp white jerseys with the striped sleeves, urgundy pants with
(01:25):
the stripe. And none of Washington's players were professional football
players the week before. Huh yep, not a single one
of them. This is Hail Tails Stories from Washington Football History,
(01:50):
Episode four, The Replacements. Why exactly were none of these players?
The quote Washington regular It started with a strike.
Speaker 6 (02:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (02:03):
My name is Ted Kluck, a journalism professor at Union
University and former writer for ESPN the magazine and author
of several books, including a book on the nineteen eighty
seven NFL strike.
Speaker 11 (02:15):
The nineteen eighty seven strike was primarily driven by disputes
over a key issue.
Speaker 7 (02:20):
In the NFL world of nineteen eighty seven. You know,
you had teams signing players to these long term contracts
and there was no free agency, right. So the choices
that you and I get to make when we graduate college,
like where we want to live and who we want
to work for, and some of these things weren't on
the table for NFL players in that their original teams
(02:43):
had always the right to keep them in house, right,
So they were striking for free agency. They were striking
for the kind of player movement that we see now,
and that's commonplace and we're used to it, and in fact,
you know, the league has leveraged it as a part
of their storytelling. You know, it helps keep the league
hot year round from a storytelling standpoint. So the NFL
(03:07):
in nineteen eighty seven looked a lot different. The aesthetics
of the game were different. There was less player movement.
I think there was more of an opportunity to really
know the players on your team because they stayed for
a long time, and that's something we've lost. But the
players have gained a lot in terms of obviously compensation
and the free agency piece.
Speaker 11 (03:27):
Players wanted more rights. NFL owners resisted to maintain control
over player movement and to keep costs down, So players
across the league took a stand and refused to play.
Week three was outright canceled. Then the NFL said the
show must go on. Then Washington's assistant general manager, Charlie
(03:48):
Casserly remembers the situation unfolding.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
The league made a decision, led by Tech Shram, the
president of the Dallas Cowboys, and a very unfillenttion of
the league. We want close in as we were going
to play games. We were going to have replacement players
and play games. We're going to stay on television. We
weren't going to be forgotten.
Speaker 11 (04:06):
Every team is faced with the same challenges. Players are striking.
A team needs to be put out there for games
right off the bat. Washington is one of the only
teams to have all of its players unified for this cause.
So Charlie Casserly and Washington's personnel staff have got to
fill positions, and they've got to do it quick.
Speaker 12 (04:28):
It kind of dawned we're going to have to do this.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
So, you know, Bobby Bethid was doing his job, which
was to you know, take care of the work, worry
about the strike, the labor negotiations and all those things.
So I jumped on starting to sign players. That's Wednesday,
and then the weekend. Kirk me Or director of Pro scanning,
Billy Devaney, you know, one of our great scouts. They
(04:50):
come in and work Saturday and Sunday sign the players.
Speaker 6 (04:53):
It's funny because I watched the last game. I think
it was a Monday night game, and I watched, and
I was with some of my friends and they were
talking on the TV broadcast about the strike. The league
was going to go on strike the next day, and
the intention was to try to sign players and play games.
(05:17):
And I remember my friend saying to me, you think
you'll get a call? And the place where I was
at emotionally was no. I said, why would anybody call me?
Speaker 11 (05:27):
Defensive tackle? Anthony Sagnella wouldn't even let himself entertain the thought.
He was in training camp with Washington in nineteen eighty six,
got cut with the Jets for the nineteen eighty seven
training camp that didn't end well. He had pivoted to
working and construction. Dropped twenty five pounds after not working out.
Speaker 6 (05:47):
I was emotionally trying to separate myself from football, because
you know, in my eyes, I had failed at my dream.
So I was trying to figure out what the next
step in my life.
Speaker 11 (06:01):
Then the strike happened.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
When I got home. As I pulled into the driveway,
my little brother came running outside and told me that
Charlie Casserly had called the house. So I went inside,
I looked at the phone number. I recognized the exchange,
and I called him and I kind of remember the
gist of the conversation. He asked how I was doing.
(06:24):
He told me. I remember his words were, Bobby, Joe
and I are serious about this and we're trying to
put together the best team that we can.
Speaker 12 (06:36):
Number one numbers.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
We're going to practice next week, okay, and we better
have enough players to go practice with. So we got
to get numbers. So where are we going to go? Well,
Kirk had some contacttion I did with the CFL.
Speaker 13 (06:51):
One of his administrative assistants called me and at the
time she was laughing really offensive.
Speaker 11 (06:57):
Lineman Willard System had played in the CEA when the
strike happened. He was living with his mom and working
as a security guard at a seven to eleven in
Southeast DC.
Speaker 13 (07:07):
At the time that she called, I was I think
I was hanging a picture, a portrait or something for
my mom, doing something, doing some chor for my mom.
And she said, this is so and so from the
Washington Redskins, and I'm thinking, Yeah, how did y'all get
this number?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
I'm just I'm really thinking there's a prank. From a friend.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I thought, to win, you're gonna have to play in
ten days offensively, you got to have players that can
play in ten.
Speaker 12 (07:34):
Days in a system on offense. So what do you do.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
You signed players that had played in Washington and knew
the Gift system, even guys hadn't played in a year. Okay,
we're searching for bodies.
Speaker 14 (07:45):
I was a manager at a Stemen's Furniture. They're no
longer in existence, but I guess similar to like a
Bob's Discount furniture at the day. So I was a
manager at that location and my mom called me to
inform me that someone named Charlie Cassley was trying to
(08:06):
get in contact with me.
Speaker 11 (08:08):
Wide receiver Kieren Bigbie a model replacement in the eyes
of Casterly and co. He had just been in Washington's
nineteen eighty seven training camp. The replacement squad is coming together,
and they're coming from all kinds of places.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
One of our coaches is, this is my was a
point we had to get players. He says, I know
four guys who are playing minor league football in Richmond, Hey.
Speaker 12 (08:30):
That's great. They were in a halfway house. Get him here.
Speaker 11 (08:37):
Casserly is relentless. The calls keep going out even when
practices started back up, and Washington is one of only
a few teams in the league that had fifty players.
He ends up signing arguably Washington's best replacement at the airport.
Guys joined the team mid practice, meeting their coaches for
the first time in a huddle. There's this excitement around
(08:58):
a dream revived, a chance to play pro football and
get this paycheck. Then this other reality smacksim in the
face on.
Speaker 6 (09:08):
The way down. Then I started the process. Holy cow,
I'm going to play football again. And that was a
really cool feeling for me because I thought it was
over and I thought that I would never play again,
and so emotionally, I was kind of like a little kid.
I was all happy. Then I got there and then
(09:29):
I saw it and I was like, oh, what am
I doing? Like I did not envision that kind of turmoil,
Like I really wasn't paying attention to that on television.
And then it started to make sense to me. I
was like, oh my god, yeah, what.
Speaker 12 (09:42):
Are we doing.
Speaker 15 (09:43):
Definitely, temperatures was right race, you know, because you know
you're not getting paid, you know.
Speaker 11 (09:49):
Two time Super Bowl champion Gary Clark, he was striking.
Speaker 15 (09:55):
It's not like today where you know you needed your
paycheck back then, so you know you this in paychecks,
you know, you know, temperature sures running high, you know,
especially here in Washington on.
Speaker 12 (10:07):
The first day, very explosives.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
As I remember, Darryl Grant stood in front of the
bus and punched the window and I ain't the window.
Both you can talk about intimidating those guys on the
bus hopefully, cow what am I doing here?
Speaker 12 (10:20):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (10:21):
And they were saying, well, you never play in the
NFL A game, you'll be there.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
What we have here is a group of athletes living
out a dream, a fantasy to play in the National
Football League.
Speaker 6 (10:31):
Folks, let me make a suggestion.
Speaker 5 (10:33):
When you watch Sunday's games, whether it's at the stadium
or on TV, please get yourself a roster.
Speaker 8 (10:39):
Many bands turned away, but when the strike is settled,
will they come back?
Speaker 5 (10:43):
This will definitely be a Sunday to remember around the
National Football League.
Speaker 11 (10:50):
There's immense tension NFL players. Those who are picketing are
trying to mobilize a movement. They're trying to put on
the pressure so changes in their favor have to be
made and then you've got people in the eyes of
certain folks harming those efforts. But these replacement players are
just trying to do their job in the stressful, strange
(11:11):
circumstances before them.
Speaker 14 (11:13):
We were told pre coming into camp, prior to these
games that you know, hey, you're going to be the
representative of the Washington Redskins. We have three very important
games that can you know, tilt the balance of whether
or not we get into the playoffs and we're able
to make a run. Yes, you know, the guys are
(11:35):
going to be outside, and you know they're going to
express themselves in various ways, but it's important that you
remain focused because we do have a job to do
and you know, though they are on the outside, we
have to coach the team that we have in front
of us, and you, guys, for the foreseeable future, are
the Washington Redskins, and we want you to perform as such.
Speaker 11 (11:58):
The emotions we're running high, and serious issues were on
the line. There was also a ridiculousness to the strike period.
Speaker 16 (12:07):
I know where you're going.
Speaker 11 (12:08):
Go ahead, Yeah, you know where I'm going. You know
what Christine Brennan told me.
Speaker 16 (12:12):
Wish you'd tell you.
Speaker 17 (12:14):
The one thing that players were not supposed to do, obviously,
is go back into the building because it was a
picket line and the strike was on. Well, Dexter Manley
had forgotten to clean out his locker before the strike,
even though everyone else did. So we're all standing outside
on the sidewalk. I could picture this to this day.
It's the first or second day of the strike. So
(12:36):
Dexter parks on this on the street, and then he
somehow works his way around the side of the building.
I know I saw him, another saw m and the
TV camera saw him, but it really wasn't noticeable. He
was trying to sneak into the building. Okay, so did
some people missed it. Others saw it out of the
corner of their eye. But you know, it's like, we
(12:56):
think Dexter just went in the building, totally breaking in
seeing the picket line.
Speaker 12 (13:01):
So okay.
Speaker 17 (13:03):
So a few minutes later, the front door of the
park opens and there's a big guy with a towel
over his head or a big towel over his head,
and it's got like shoes and stuff in his hands,
and he's coming out the door. But the towel or
(13:24):
the robe or whatever it was, it was over his
head got caught in the door. So as he's running,
it all falls off, and of course there's Dexter Manley
standing there running out and it kind of laughs and giggles,
and then kept running, running out of the building having
crossed the picket line. Now crossing the picket line again
with his shoes and other stuff that he forgot.
Speaker 16 (13:47):
Christine said it, I guess it is so.
Speaker 11 (13:49):
And on the replacement side, there were many moments that
couldn't help but make people chuckle.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Joe Bagle was our offensive line coach and I said, Joe,
how's it go? He says, well, you know, he says,
He says, I wanted to show this offensive lineman you
know how to punch. So I took my fist and
I punched him in his stomach, but my hand disappeared.
In all the fact, hey, we can't worry about things
(14:15):
like that. Nobody's going to be in shape. So we
only had eight offensive lineman. The eighth guy was a
substitute teacher in Leesburg. He was a long snapper.
Speaker 18 (14:24):
We have on the night before the game, we have
a snack. It's at ten o'clock and it's after our meetings.
Speaker 11 (14:32):
The man, the myth, the legend, Joe Gibbs.
Speaker 18 (14:39):
The other thing that the players I'll get is per Diem.
Speaker 12 (14:44):
Okay, Now, the veteran.
Speaker 18 (14:45):
Guys, the veteran guys, you know, per Diem's not a
big deal to them.
Speaker 6 (14:51):
They're going out.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
They eat.
Speaker 18 (14:52):
Yeah, they got steaks and stuff there this, you know,
and so predamn.
Speaker 12 (14:58):
Yeah, it gets lost.
Speaker 18 (14:59):
Brilliant the deal.
Speaker 6 (15:01):
So the very.
Speaker 18 (15:02):
First the very first time that we have the replacement
guys in, they get pretty m handed to them. And
you know, we go to the snack Now the favorite
thing for me on Saturday night, the night before I'm
finally I'm the last one to normally come into the
(15:26):
snack area because I finished the quarterback meetings and I
finished speaking to the team, and man, I am shot.
You know at that point, I'm tired, and what I
want is a burger. I want fries, okay, and so
and normally we come in there with the regular team
(15:48):
and they it's plenty.
Speaker 6 (15:50):
Of food and everything.
Speaker 18 (15:51):
So I go walking in to the Saturday night, the
first time we have the replacement guys, I come into
the snack area. It looked like there was not a
fry left there was not burgers left. Those guys had
pocketed the pretty em and they were eating that snack, okay.
Speaker 19 (16:15):
And so I look around to Bobby Mitchell, who's always
there kind of working with us and everything.
Speaker 18 (16:21):
And so I was kind of, you know, I just
kind of said.
Speaker 6 (16:24):
I said, Bobby versus the burgers, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (16:28):
And they said.
Speaker 18 (16:28):
He went back there to and opened the door where
the cooks were and said get those.
Speaker 19 (16:36):
He was screaming at these at the cooks. I always
remember that. I mean, those guys. It was like the
locusts cleared the thing out. They ate every single thing
that was there.
Speaker 11 (16:46):
The replacement guys, Washington's replacement players, were also hungry to win.
Those in the building gave this group the confidence and
all the tools at their disposal to help them succeed.
That pays off. In Week four, Washington's first game with
the replacement players, the team beats the Cardinals twenty eight
(17:06):
to twenty one at home. Replacement wide receiver Anthony Allen
had eight touches for two hundred and fifty five yards
in three touchdowns, which is still a franchise record.
Speaker 8 (17:19):
We're worrying where didn't hurt roll the matter little book
here here at the moment, eight are and the louver
from Louisville to any Allen release Julier Aletta Belt.
Speaker 13 (17:40):
Honestly, I was a low surprise. I was surprised because
we just had two weeks to get ready. I think
we were only in pads maybe six or seven times
before we played them, and they had, uh EJ.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Jr. That crossed the line. He was an all pro.
Speaker 13 (18:04):
They had they had I think eleven players total off
their regular squad that we're playing in the game, and uh,
of course Gene Stalins was their head coach. And you know,
so I'm I never I've never in my life going
into a game thinking we were gonna lose. I've never
(18:25):
done that. But I did think this is gonna be
a tough time. You know, this is gonna be you know,
we're gonna have to play. We're gonna have to play
really hard to beat these guys. These are veterans, you know,
and we're all young guys.
Speaker 11 (18:39):
That first win caused a shift in the locker room.
Speaker 6 (18:43):
I don't remember it being fun in the beginning. You know,
you're hated by the regular players, and then at practice
it everybody was competing and trying to use this as
their goalden opportunity, And there wasn't a lot of camaraderie
because we didn't have the time to really get to
know each other. And I just remember being in a
(19:06):
lot of you know, confrontation and fighting and practice in
the beginning. And then we played our first game and
we wanted and that's when it kind of eased a
little bit. Like then all of a sudden, you're on
the bus saying where are you from? Where did you play?
What was your experience like? And that was really the
only time we really had to do that was when
(19:27):
we were traveling to and from the facility to back
to the hotel. We were kind of encouraged to stay
in the hotel not to really go anywhere. And you know,
we didn't have cell phones, you know, so you were
kind of severed from home. You didn't talk to your
(19:49):
people at home. The media wasn't very kind to us,
because every time you turned on the news, they weren't
saying nice things about us, the regular players outside picketing,
And you know, at some point we had to turn
to each other and I think once we started playing
games and we were winning, that just made it so
(20:09):
much easier.
Speaker 11 (20:10):
Next up the New York Giants, the defending Super Bowl
champion New York Giants.
Speaker 13 (20:17):
Just watching the film on them, they didn't look like
the New York Giants that won the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
They didn't look like that.
Speaker 13 (20:27):
Uh, you know, Lawrence Taylor was not there, you know,
and all those all those guys you know that made
up that that awesome defense that they had, a lot
of them weren't hadn't crossed the line yet. And I
thought that was probably our our the least best opponent
(20:50):
that we played. I think we just we just torched them.
We beat them pretty bad. And I've read I didn't
know this at the time, but I've read since that they,
you know, the players and maybe even some of the
coaches didn't take it as seriously as three scans did,
(21:10):
and they were I didn't think they were very well prepared.
Speaker 11 (21:14):
Washington handles New York, winning thirty eight to twelve. Meanwhile,
as the days go on, Washington's regular players, thrown out
of their routines and losing paychecks, are trying to keep fit,
stay sharp, and they're continuously asking themselves hard questions.
Speaker 7 (21:34):
You know, athletics is everything's so structured and regimented for you, right,
you wake up in the morning and you know you're
going to waits and then you're going to taping, and
then you're going to film, and then you're going to practice.
And NFL players having their lives that structure. To go
from all that structure to no structure immediately, you know,
they were meeting up in parks, trying to run through plays,
(21:55):
trying to have practices. There was talk of, you know,
putting on exhibition games and trying to pull that together
in three weeks. But these were guys by and large
who were used to taking orders, not organizing things, you know,
So I think the organization was pretty scattershot, and you
know a lot of time was spent I think deciding
(22:17):
whether a cross or not because you know, again, in
the NFL world of eighty seven, the dollar amounts weren't
as massive as they are now, So like losing one
game check or two game checks or three game checks
if you had kids, or if you had somebody sick
in your family that you were providing for. I remember
Seattle had a Hall of Fame receiver Steve Largent, who
(22:38):
was kind of a legend in the league, and he
crossed because he had a son with a rather serious
disease and medical bills were high and he needed the
game checks. And everybody kind of understood that from him.
So every guy was weighing his situation against you know,
what he could or couldn't do, and there were a
lot of pressure on him.
Speaker 16 (22:59):
And immediately, I'm the kind of guy I always know
that what's important is that I stayed in condition I
would run at George Mason, I run here, run the track.
Had a track guy worked me out, and so I
stayed in conditioning. I think for a while we got
together as a team, we went to rest the south
Lake High School, did throw some football around. But overall
(23:23):
that I think that some groups stayed together, some groups
decided to go off on their own and stay in conditioning.
I did it all the time.
Speaker 11 (23:33):
In addition to working out. Some players raise their voices
loud for workers' rights.
Speaker 20 (23:38):
We were out at the old Redskin Park marching around
in a circle.
Speaker 11 (23:43):
Three time Super Bowl champion Jeff Boston.
Speaker 20 (23:46):
We're just doing our thing, and we've had signs that
stayed in what we want and guess what, the media
helped push it day to day activities.
Speaker 11 (23:59):
Very players individual situations had their nuances, but Washington's regular
players stuck together. That wasn't always easy. Former guard Rollie
Mackenzie remembers.
Speaker 21 (24:12):
You know all kinds of characters now, you know, from
from a high upstanding art monk to somebody's the rally
is dexter.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Mandly, you know.
Speaker 22 (24:23):
So so we had, you know, we had to control
a lot of things during that time.
Speaker 6 (24:29):
And and uh.
Speaker 23 (24:31):
So it's that that in that turn, you can tell,
I saw a lot of respect being shown and thrown
around that that normally didn't see, uh, you know.
Speaker 22 (24:46):
Collectively, and uh that's when I really knew that this
team was special. And uh, you know, just the way
you know, we had our we got together and had
our meetings and talked about the whole situation.
Speaker 18 (25:00):
I said to him, just make sure you stick together.
That's what we want to stay together. And they did.
Speaker 11 (25:08):
Not every team could say the same. Several players who
had first said they wouldn't play change their mind.
Speaker 14 (25:16):
Yeah, there was trickling going on from week one, right,
But the most famous trickling was when Dallas believe Tony
Dorr said, I believe Randy White and I believe had
too Tall Jones. I believe when they crossed, those were
the most prominent players that had crossed. And of course
at that time they said it was a financial decision.
(25:39):
Was the reason why most of those guys did.
Speaker 11 (25:41):
Ahead of Week six, which would end up being the
last game of the strike, Washington ready used to face
its bitter rival Dallas at Texas Stadium.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I'm sitting there thinking, we got no chance in this game.
Monday night football in Dallas. And who's playing? Tony dor
said Hall of Fame Randy White, Hall of Fame, Too
Tall Jones, the number one pick in the draft, All
Pro playing Danny White quarterback, not in the Hall of Fame,
(26:11):
but you know he had taken him to the championship games.
Speaker 12 (26:14):
He's what the best quarterbacks in the league. So who
are they playing with?
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Well, you know, we don't have any of those players playing, okay,
So I'm thinking.
Speaker 12 (26:22):
We got no chance in this game. None.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
What I remember.
Speaker 13 (26:34):
More than anything else was being interviewed by local DC
reporters and on the before getting on the airplane, and
the question whether, well, are you going to handle two
tall domes? And and you know, are you nervous? And
(26:56):
you know and and I'm young and and you know,
I have a lot of faith in my abilities. And
I think I said something like, well, I'm not afraid
of too told. He puts, it depends on just like
I do. You know, a couple of the reporters like, boy,
you're gonna get You're in for.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
A rude awakening.
Speaker 13 (27:14):
You know, they're thinking you, yeah, yeah, you're young and stupid.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
You know.
Speaker 13 (27:19):
The whole way there on the plane, I thought about
my college teammates and about all the gut checks that
we went through in college, you know, and practices, all
the tough practices that we went through it, all the
workouts that we went through in the summer with our
strength coach Al Miller.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
And I'm thinking, I'm.
Speaker 13 (27:38):
Not gonna let these guys now you know, I'm a
product of them, and uh, you know they're they're not
gonna see they're not gonna watch Monday night football and
see you know that my nickname was Big Will in college.
They're not gonna watch Monday night football and see Big
Will getting deep.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
I'm not gonna do that.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Joe Gibbs gives his talk for the games, so he
gets up and they got it. It's over. These guys'
dream is over. They're played in the National Football League.
Speaker 12 (28:06):
It's over.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Monday night television. The whole league is watching. Okay, it's Dallas.
Nobody gives us a chance. Sent I get a bo
show at this one. But he says to the team,
he says, listen, this is what you came to do.
You came to prove you could play in the National
Football League. This is what you want. You want Dallas
to have their best players out there. You want to
(28:28):
have everybody in the country and every team in the
country watching you tonight. This is what you came for.
This is your time. Okay, Now let's go play the game.
Speaker 4 (28:40):
Hollo again everyone, and welcome to Texas Stadium for this
the final replacement game of the NFL season and tonights
the Washington Redskins down the Dallas.
Speaker 9 (28:48):
Cowboys and Dorset as the quest and could have come stopped.
Speaker 24 (28:51):
The football and there the Redskins are saying they have
the football at Dwards headed, not fumbled.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
They got it.
Speaker 9 (28:56):
First Down's Gold to Gold the botticle sixteen yard line
of the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
By tell again no a foot.
Speaker 24 (29:01):
Play a hand off of Wilson and Wilson brings it
around takes.
Speaker 12 (29:06):
It in Dallas, caught completely.
Speaker 9 (29:08):
By surprise, and Washington finally.
Speaker 23 (29:11):
Gets to the promised plans.
Speaker 24 (29:13):
Robinson fact complete over the medals in Mtkewen and.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
Dallas Arts or inside the forty five.
Speaker 9 (29:21):
Yard line of the Kewen has been a.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Big play receiver tonight.
Speaker 9 (29:25):
Seven seconds in, the Convoys stop the clock with their final.
Speaker 24 (29:28):
Tonna Herbach and Rentro to the right, Edwards to the left,
intend for Edwards incomplete. Two seconds remaining, and the Red
Scans will take a.
Speaker 9 (29:40):
Half a payment of any playoff games I've involved.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Look at the.
Speaker 9 (29:44):
Simon on this sidelines as Joe Gibbs is being carried
off by a bunch of gunsters, a bunch of people
you I'm sure do not know very.
Speaker 10 (29:52):
Much about by the football.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Team Stiel today.
Speaker 13 (30:07):
I think that's probably one of the best games I've
had from high school to the NFL. I think that's
probably one of the best games I've ever played.
Speaker 6 (30:16):
We were all focused and everybody was dialing in and
people were stepping up. You know, we lost our quarterback
early in the game, and Tony Robinson came in and
just made some remarkable plays. I just remember Craig mcew
and the catches he was making and Joe Caravello, you know,
watching those guys compete when we were on the sideline
(30:36):
was just tremendous. And you know, the game came down
to the end that Dallas had one last drive and.
Speaker 19 (30:45):
I can't remember, I can't remember the guys in the
press bocks. Bobby is screaming his brains out. He was
so wound up in the fourth quarter, you know where
we gonna be able to hold him.
Speaker 18 (30:57):
There was so much emotion on that It was really
a very emotional game.
Speaker 6 (31:03):
It was exhilarating. You know what's interesting is I remember
Joe Bugle and he climbed on our bus and he
had a big smile on his face and he said,
we'll see you in four years meeting, Like I guess
that's when the next contract was going to expire. And
I just remember everybody cheering and laughing, and I was like, yeah,
(31:23):
I won't be around. You know, I don't think i'll
be in shape. I'm not in shape now. I don't
think i'll be in shape. Then it just was it
was just a you know, just a crazy time, it
really was. And then it ended like abruptly, like the
next day we had a meeting, and I was in
my car heading back to Connecticut. You know. Twenty four
(31:46):
hours later it was it was just and the and
then you put it in the back of your head
and you move on.
Speaker 11 (32:00):
The strike was over. The NFLPA didn't gain the free
agency rights they sought, agreeing instead to renegotiate with the
owners at a later date. The replacement players scattered, settling
back into the lives they had before those castly calls.
A couple, including Anthony Allen, were signed for the rest
(32:21):
of the season, and the regular players returned to their jobs. Washington,
who won all three games during the strike period, was
the only team in the league to not have any
players cross the picket line.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
What is the implication of all this? Okay, I mean,
it's a great story, but what did it mean. The
Giants didn't take it seriously. They're zero to five now,
they were the defending Super Bowl championship. They've beaten US
three times the year before. Philadelphia Buddy Ryan supposedly had
a book Football for Dummies and sat on the bench
during practice. Okay, they're one and four, so we got
(32:59):
a five game lead over the Giants. Okay, a four
game because we're four and one and a three game
lead over the Eagles. Okay, it'd be hard to catch us.
Speaker 11 (33:08):
The wins put the Burgundy and Gold in a great
spot for the rest of the nineteen eighty seven season,
and replacement players were watching with baited breath.
Speaker 14 (33:17):
Well, it's pretty much you know, you're you're now dying
on every game, right because now you've played the three games,
you're eligible for all the spoils that come within a season,
making the playoffs and potentially financial gain from that, making
a Super Bowl, potentially financial gain from that, and ultimately
(33:40):
being able to gain the ultimate prize and being able
to stay that you had a part in that here.
Speaker 13 (33:46):
Yeah, I wanted them to win, and I'm thinking this
could be a ring. You know, I'm thinking if they win,
we're going to get a ring too, man. And I
just wanted them to win because I you know, I
had emotional times by that time to Redskins, you know,
the same emotional ties I had, similar to you know
(34:08):
my college, you know, you where you bleed and sweat
and ache and stuff for a team.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
And you do it together and then you're tied to them.
You know that ties you to them.
Speaker 11 (34:20):
Washington of course, goes on to win the Super Bowl
that year. The replacement players, however, did not receive rings.
Why well, one can speculate that the same tensions visible
and vocalized during the strike likely played a factor in
twenty eighteen. Over thirty years later, after an ESPN thirty
(34:40):
for thirty and to use the words of reporter John
Kyme a quote, thawing of opinion from the regular players,
Washington's replacement players were recognized for their contributions in nineteen
eighty seven with Super Bowl rings.
Speaker 14 (34:57):
Football takes a toll, and you know, seeing some of
the guys in the conditions that they were in at
this point, you know, it likens you know, to you saying,
give people their flowers while they're while they are alive,
so that they can enjoy it. And so for me personally,
I was very happy that, you know, everybody was able
(35:20):
to be recognized for the tremendous accomplishment that we were
able to put together in that five to six week
span with practice and with games, to be able to
help the big club get to the promised Land. But
that you know, it's difficult, you know, because you can't help,
(35:43):
but you know, you see it on television where you
see an older person and then there's a flashback to
their younger self. And I'm sure all of us were
doing that as we sat in that room when they
went up. You know, you were just recalling what they
looked like, you know, from nineteen eighty seven right some
(36:05):
thirty one years right, thirty one years later. You know
a lot of people had hair, don't have hair. You know,
people you know a little bit heavier than what they were.
Speaker 6 (36:18):
But yeah, I think it was nostalgic.
Speaker 14 (36:22):
Because I know as each person came up, I was
able to say, Okay, yes I remember him, Yes, I
remember him, Yes, I remember him, and see that younger
self walking up and being presented by Charlie with Doug
and Gary Clark there the light.
Speaker 15 (36:40):
So you know, I was one of the first people
say they definitely deserved a ring, you know, one harvest.
And I was so glad when they finally gave them
the Super Bowl ring that they deserve because you know,
good or bad, those games counted, and when the games count,
you know they don't win those three games, we might
not even be in the playoffs.
Speaker 17 (36:58):
I've got to believe that the most hardened anti replacement
person out there, whoever that might be softened just a
bit when they realized the magnitude of what those young
players did.
Speaker 6 (37:13):
Kind of conclusion to the whole story is that it
changed lives. You know, it changed a lot of lives.
It gave me an opportunity to reconnect in a positive
way to the game that I loved so much, because
I got to admit, you know, when I got caught
by the Jets, I was down. I was depressed, and
you know, I didn't want to really think about the game.
(37:35):
And it gave me an opportunity to reflect and to
miss it and say, you know what, I need to
be a part of this. And I was able to,
you know, go back and learn how to coach from
my high school coach and get involved in the game.
And I've been doing that, like I said, for thirty
five years.
Speaker 18 (37:54):
So the replacement guys, just the players knew, those replacement
guys knew that this was it, and they literally laid
it on the line or they played their hearts out.
Speaker 11 (38:15):
This episode was narraed, produced, and researched by me Hannah Liechtenstein,
senior copywriter for the Washington Commanders. It was produced and
edited by Jason Johnson. Executive producers are Rail and Teen,
Ryan Yoakam and Kevin Klein. Graphics designed by Roman Schumann
and Rakim Smith. Social media by Maggie Antulis and Rebecca Solzbach.
(38:36):
Alumni relations help comes from Tim high Tower and Caroline Decio.
Thank you to all of our guests for their contributions
and thank you for listening. Have a favorite franchise moment
you think should be featured on Hailtales, Let us know
and we just might cover it in our next season.
Now for the scores and highlights, so we are compelled
to show them to you because the owners say these
count towards the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Please get yourself a roster.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
What we have here is a group of athletes living
out a dream, a fantasy to play in the National
Football League.
Speaker 4 (00:13):
I don't got everyone, and welcome to Texas Stadium for
this is the final replacement game of the NFL season.
Speaker 5 (00:19):
This will definitely be a Sunday to remember around the
National Football League.
Speaker 6 (00:23):
Just want to see a football game?
Speaker 7 (00:26):
How the world do.
Speaker 5 (00:27):
These guys get ready for a team in which they
know virtually nothing about the other players?
Speaker 8 (00:31):
I want to make the back to the You can't
call them for that, No, you can't.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
You're dealing with people's dreams.
Speaker 9 (00:37):
There's some exciting young players on his redskin team.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
You just don't know their name.
Speaker 9 (00:40):
It's signing on this sidelines. As Joe Geff is being
carried off by a bunch of gungsters, a bunch of
people you I'm sure do not know very.
Speaker 10 (00:49):
Much about, he has whooped them into quite a football team.
Speaker 11 (01:02):
On the outset, Washington's nineteen eighty seven regular season matchup
against the Saint Louis Cardinals looked rather typical one pm
kickoff at RFK Stadium, an ideal October day. Joe Gibbs
is the head coach, the home team is wearing those
crisp white jerseys with the striped sleeves, urgundy pants with
(01:25):
the stripe. And none of Washington's players were professional football
players the week before. Huh yep, not a single one
of them. This is Hail Tails Stories from Washington Football History,
(01:50):
Episode four, The Replacements. Why exactly were none of these players?
The quote Washington regular It started with a strike.
Speaker 6 (02:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (02:03):
My name is Ted Kluck, a journalism professor at Union
University and former writer for ESPN the magazine and author
of several books, including a book on the nineteen eighty
seven NFL strike.
Speaker 11 (02:15):
The nineteen eighty seven strike was primarily driven by disputes
over a key issue.
Speaker 7 (02:20):
In the NFL world of nineteen eighty seven. You know,
you had teams signing players to these long term contracts
and there was no free agency, right. So the choices
that you and I get to make when we graduate college,
like where we want to live and who we want
to work for, and some of these things weren't on
the table for NFL players in that their original teams
(02:43):
had always the right to keep them in house, right,
So they were striking for free agency. They were striking
for the kind of player movement that we see now,
and that's commonplace and we're used to it, and in fact,
you know, the league has leveraged it as a part
of their storytelling. You know, it helps keep the league
hot year round from a storytelling standpoint. So the NFL
(03:07):
in nineteen eighty seven looked a lot different. The aesthetics
of the game were different. There was less player movement.
I think there was more of an opportunity to really
know the players on your team because they stayed for
a long time, and that's something we've lost. But the
players have gained a lot in terms of obviously compensation
and the free agency piece.
Speaker 11 (03:27):
Players wanted more rights. NFL owners resisted to maintain control
over player movement and to keep costs down, So players
across the league took a stand and refused to play.
Week three was outright canceled. Then the NFL said the
show must go on. Then Washington's assistant general manager, Charlie
(03:48):
Casserly remembers the situation unfolding.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
The league made a decision, led by Tech Shram, the
president of the Dallas Cowboys, and a very unfillenttion of
the league. We want close in as we were going
to play games. We were going to have replacement players
and play games. We're going to stay on television. We
weren't going to be forgotten.
Speaker 11 (04:06):
Every team is faced with the same challenges. Players are striking.
A team needs to be put out there for games
right off the bat. Washington is one of the only
teams to have all of its players unified for this cause.
So Charlie Casserly and Washington's personnel staff have got to
fill positions, and they've got to do it quick.
Speaker 12 (04:28):
It kind of dawned we're going to have to do this.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
So, you know, Bobby Bethid was doing his job, which
was to you know, take care of the work, worry
about the strike, the labor negotiations and all those things.
So I jumped on starting to sign players. That's Wednesday,
and then the weekend. Kirk me Or director of Pro scanning,
Billy Devaney, you know, one of our great scouts. They
(04:50):
come in and work Saturday and Sunday sign the players.
Speaker 6 (04:53):
It's funny because I watched the last game. I think
it was a Monday night game, and I watched, and
I was with some of my friends and they were
talking on the TV broadcast about the strike. The league
was going to go on strike the next day, and
the intention was to try to sign players and play games.
(05:17):
And I remember my friend saying to me, you think
you'll get a call? And the place where I was
at emotionally was no. I said, why would anybody call me?
Speaker 11 (05:27):
Defensive tackle? Anthony Sagnella wouldn't even let himself entertain the thought.
He was in training camp with Washington in nineteen eighty six,
got cut with the Jets for the nineteen eighty seven
training camp that didn't end well. He had pivoted to
working and construction. Dropped twenty five pounds after not working out.
Speaker 6 (05:47):
I was emotionally trying to separate myself from football, because
you know, in my eyes, I had failed at my dream.
So I was trying to figure out what the next
step in my life.
Speaker 11 (06:01):
Then the strike happened.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
When I got home. As I pulled into the driveway,
my little brother came running outside and told me that
Charlie Casserly had called the house. So I went inside,
I looked at the phone number. I recognized the exchange,
and I called him and I kind of remember the
gist of the conversation. He asked how I was doing.
(06:24):
He told me. I remember his words were, Bobby, Joe
and I are serious about this and we're trying to
put together the best team that we can.
Speaker 12 (06:36):
Number one numbers.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
We're going to practice next week, okay, and we better
have enough players to go practice with. So we got
to get numbers. So where are we going to go? Well,
Kirk had some contacttion I did with the CFL.
Speaker 13 (06:51):
One of his administrative assistants called me and at the
time she was laughing really offensive.
Speaker 11 (06:57):
Lineman Willard System had played in the CEA when the
strike happened. He was living with his mom and working
as a security guard at a seven to eleven in
Southeast DC.
Speaker 13 (07:07):
At the time that she called, I was I think
I was hanging a picture, a portrait or something for
my mom, doing something, doing some chor for my mom.
And she said, this is so and so from the
Washington Redskins, and I'm thinking, Yeah, how did y'all get
this number?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
I'm just I'm really thinking there's a prank. From a friend.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I thought, to win, you're gonna have to play in
ten days offensively, you got to have players that can
play in ten.
Speaker 12 (07:34):
Days in a system on offense. So what do you do.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
You signed players that had played in Washington and knew
the Gift system, even guys hadn't played in a year. Okay,
we're searching for bodies.
Speaker 14 (07:45):
I was a manager at a Stemen's Furniture. They're no
longer in existence, but I guess similar to like a
Bob's Discount furniture at the day. So I was a
manager at that location and my mom called me to
inform me that someone named Charlie Cassley was trying to
(08:06):
get in contact with me.
Speaker 11 (08:08):
Wide receiver Kieren Bigbie a model replacement in the eyes
of Casterly and co. He had just been in Washington's
nineteen eighty seven training camp. The replacement squad is coming together,
and they're coming from all kinds of places.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
One of our coaches is, this is my was a
point we had to get players. He says, I know
four guys who are playing minor league football in Richmond, Hey.
Speaker 12 (08:30):
That's great. They were in a halfway house. Get him here.
Speaker 11 (08:37):
Casserly is relentless. The calls keep going out even when
practices started back up, and Washington is one of only
a few teams in the league that had fifty players.
He ends up signing arguably Washington's best replacement at the airport.
Guys joined the team mid practice, meeting their coaches for
the first time in a huddle. There's this excitement around
(08:58):
a dream revived, a chance to play pro football and
get this paycheck. Then this other reality smacksim in the
face on.
Speaker 6 (09:08):
The way down. Then I started the process. Holy cow,
I'm going to play football again. And that was a
really cool feeling for me because I thought it was
over and I thought that I would never play again,
and so emotionally, I was kind of like a little kid.
I was all happy. Then I got there and then
(09:29):
I saw it and I was like, oh, what am
I doing? Like I did not envision that kind of turmoil,
Like I really wasn't paying attention to that on television.
And then it started to make sense to me. I
was like, oh my god, yeah, what.
Speaker 12 (09:42):
Are we doing.
Speaker 15 (09:43):
Definitely, temperatures was right race, you know, because you know
you're not getting paid, you know.
Speaker 11 (09:49):
Two time Super Bowl champion Gary Clark, he was striking.
Speaker 15 (09:55):
It's not like today where you know you needed your
paycheck back then, so you know you this in paychecks,
you know, you know, temperature sures running high, you know,
especially here in Washington on.
Speaker 12 (10:07):
The first day, very explosives.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
As I remember, Darryl Grant stood in front of the
bus and punched the window and I ain't the window.
Both you can talk about intimidating those guys on the
bus hopefully, cow what am I doing here?
Speaker 12 (10:20):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (10:21):
And they were saying, well, you never play in the
NFL A game, you'll be there.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
What we have here is a group of athletes living
out a dream, a fantasy to play in the National
Football League.
Speaker 6 (10:31):
Folks, let me make a suggestion.
Speaker 5 (10:33):
When you watch Sunday's games, whether it's at the stadium
or on TV, please get yourself a roster.
Speaker 8 (10:39):
Many bands turned away, but when the strike is settled,
will they come back?
Speaker 5 (10:43):
This will definitely be a Sunday to remember around the
National Football League.
Speaker 11 (10:50):
There's immense tension NFL players. Those who are picketing are
trying to mobilize a movement. They're trying to put on
the pressure so changes in their favor have to be
made and then you've got people in the eyes of
certain folks harming those efforts. But these replacement players are
just trying to do their job in the stressful, strange
(11:11):
circumstances before them.
Speaker 14 (11:13):
We were told pre coming into camp, prior to these
games that you know, hey, you're going to be the
representative of the Washington Redskins. We have three very important
games that can you know, tilt the balance of whether
or not we get into the playoffs and we're able
to make a run. Yes, you know, the guys are
(11:35):
going to be outside, and you know they're going to
express themselves in various ways, but it's important that you
remain focused because we do have a job to do
and you know, though they are on the outside, we
have to coach the team that we have in front
of us, and you, guys, for the foreseeable future, are
the Washington Redskins, and we want you to perform as such.
Speaker 11 (11:58):
The emotions we're running high, and serious issues were on
the line. There was also a ridiculousness to the strike period.
Speaker 16 (12:07):
I know where you're going.
Speaker 11 (12:08):
Go ahead, Yeah, you know where I'm going. You know
what Christine Brennan told me.
Speaker 16 (12:12):
Wish you'd tell you.
Speaker 17 (12:14):
The one thing that players were not supposed to do, obviously,
is go back into the building because it was a
picket line and the strike was on. Well, Dexter Manley
had forgotten to clean out his locker before the strike,
even though everyone else did. So we're all standing outside
on the sidewalk. I could picture this to this day.
It's the first or second day of the strike. So
(12:36):
Dexter parks on this on the street, and then he
somehow works his way around the side of the building.
I know I saw him, another saw m and the
TV camera saw him, but it really wasn't noticeable. He
was trying to sneak into the building. Okay, so did
some people missed it. Others saw it out of the
corner of their eye. But you know, it's like, we
(12:56):
think Dexter just went in the building, totally breaking in
seeing the picket line.
Speaker 12 (13:01):
So okay.
Speaker 17 (13:03):
So a few minutes later, the front door of the
park opens and there's a big guy with a towel
over his head or a big towel over his head,
and it's got like shoes and stuff in his hands,
and he's coming out the door. But the towel or
(13:24):
the robe or whatever it was, it was over his
head got caught in the door. So as he's running,
it all falls off, and of course there's Dexter Manley
standing there running out and it kind of laughs and giggles,
and then kept running, running out of the building having
crossed the picket line. Now crossing the picket line again
with his shoes and other stuff that he forgot.
Speaker 16 (13:47):
Christine said it, I guess it is so.
Speaker 11 (13:49):
And on the replacement side, there were many moments that
couldn't help but make people chuckle.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Joe Bagle was our offensive line coach and I said, Joe,
how's it go? He says, well, you know, he says,
He says, I wanted to show this offensive lineman you
know how to punch. So I took my fist and
I punched him in his stomach, but my hand disappeared.
In all the fact, hey, we can't worry about things
(14:15):
like that. Nobody's going to be in shape. So we
only had eight offensive lineman. The eighth guy was a
substitute teacher in Leesburg. He was a long snapper.
Speaker 18 (14:24):
We have on the night before the game, we have
a snack. It's at ten o'clock and it's after our meetings.
Speaker 11 (14:32):
The man, the myth, the legend, Joe Gibbs.
Speaker 18 (14:39):
The other thing that the players I'll get is per Diem.
Speaker 12 (14:44):
Okay, Now, the veteran.
Speaker 18 (14:45):
Guys, the veteran guys, you know, per Diem's not a
big deal to them.
Speaker 6 (14:51):
They're going out.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
They eat.
Speaker 18 (14:52):
Yeah, they got steaks and stuff there this, you know,
and so predamn.
Speaker 12 (14:58):
Yeah, it gets lost.
Speaker 18 (14:59):
Brilliant the deal.
Speaker 6 (15:01):
So the very.
Speaker 18 (15:02):
First the very first time that we have the replacement
guys in, they get pretty m handed to them. And
you know, we go to the snack Now the favorite
thing for me on Saturday night, the night before I'm
finally I'm the last one to normally come into the
(15:26):
snack area because I finished the quarterback meetings and I
finished speaking to the team, and man, I am shot.
You know at that point, I'm tired, and what I
want is a burger. I want fries, okay, and so
and normally we come in there with the regular team
(15:48):
and they it's plenty.
Speaker 6 (15:50):
Of food and everything.
Speaker 18 (15:51):
So I go walking in to the Saturday night, the
first time we have the replacement guys, I come into
the snack area. It looked like there was not a
fry left there was not burgers left. Those guys had
pocketed the pretty em and they were eating that snack, okay.
Speaker 19 (16:15):
And so I look around to Bobby Mitchell, who's always
there kind of working with us and everything.
Speaker 18 (16:21):
And so I was kind of, you know, I just
kind of said.
Speaker 6 (16:24):
I said, Bobby versus the burgers, you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (16:28):
And they said.
Speaker 18 (16:28):
He went back there to and opened the door where
the cooks were and said get those.
Speaker 19 (16:36):
He was screaming at these at the cooks. I always
remember that. I mean, those guys. It was like the
locusts cleared the thing out. They ate every single thing
that was there.
Speaker 11 (16:46):
The replacement guys, Washington's replacement players, were also hungry to win.
Those in the building gave this group the confidence and
all the tools at their disposal to help them succeed.
That pays off. In Week four, Washington's first game with
the replacement players, the team beats the Cardinals twenty eight
(17:06):
to twenty one at home. Replacement wide receiver Anthony Allen
had eight touches for two hundred and fifty five yards
in three touchdowns, which is still a franchise record.
Speaker 8 (17:19):
We're worrying where didn't hurt roll the matter little book
here here at the moment, eight are and the louver
from Louisville to any Allen release Julier Aletta Belt.
Speaker 13 (17:40):
Honestly, I was a low surprise. I was surprised because
we just had two weeks to get ready. I think
we were only in pads maybe six or seven times
before we played them, and they had, uh EJ.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Jr. That crossed the line. He was an all pro.
Speaker 13 (18:04):
They had they had I think eleven players total off
their regular squad that we're playing in the game, and uh,
of course Gene Stalins was their head coach. And you know,
so I'm I never I've never in my life going
into a game thinking we were gonna lose. I've never
(18:25):
done that. But I did think this is gonna be
a tough time. You know, this is gonna be you know,
we're gonna have to play. We're gonna have to play
really hard to beat these guys. These are veterans, you know,
and we're all young guys.
Speaker 11 (18:39):
That first win caused a shift in the locker room.
Speaker 6 (18:43):
I don't remember it being fun in the beginning. You know,
you're hated by the regular players, and then at practice
it everybody was competing and trying to use this as
their goalden opportunity, And there wasn't a lot of camaraderie
because we didn't have the time to really get to
know each other. And I just remember being in a
(19:06):
lot of you know, confrontation and fighting and practice in
the beginning. And then we played our first game and
we wanted and that's when it kind of eased a
little bit. Like then all of a sudden, you're on
the bus saying where are you from? Where did you play?
What was your experience like? And that was really the
only time we really had to do that was when
(19:27):
we were traveling to and from the facility to back
to the hotel. We were kind of encouraged to stay
in the hotel not to really go anywhere. And you know,
we didn't have cell phones, you know, so you were
kind of severed from home. You didn't talk to your
(19:49):
people at home. The media wasn't very kind to us,
because every time you turned on the news, they weren't
saying nice things about us, the regular players outside picketing,
And you know, at some point we had to turn
to each other and I think once we started playing
games and we were winning, that just made it so
(20:09):
much easier.
Speaker 11 (20:10):
Next up the New York Giants, the defending Super Bowl
champion New York Giants.
Speaker 13 (20:17):
Just watching the film on them, they didn't look like
the New York Giants that won the Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
They didn't look like that.
Speaker 13 (20:27):
Uh, you know, Lawrence Taylor was not there, you know,
and all those all those guys you know that made
up that that awesome defense that they had, a lot
of them weren't hadn't crossed the line yet. And I
thought that was probably our our the least best opponent
(20:50):
that we played. I think we just we just torched them.
We beat them pretty bad. And I've read I didn't
know this at the time, but I've read since that they,
you know, the players and maybe even some of the
coaches didn't take it as seriously as three scans did,
(21:10):
and they were I didn't think they were very well prepared.
Speaker 11 (21:14):
Washington handles New York, winning thirty eight to twelve. Meanwhile,
as the days go on, Washington's regular players, thrown out
of their routines and losing paychecks, are trying to keep fit,
stay sharp, and they're continuously asking themselves hard questions.
Speaker 7 (21:34):
You know, athletics is everything's so structured and regimented for you, right,
you wake up in the morning and you know you're
going to waits and then you're going to taping, and
then you're going to film, and then you're going to practice.
And NFL players having their lives that structure. To go
from all that structure to no structure immediately, you know,
they were meeting up in parks, trying to run through plays,
(21:55):
trying to have practices. There was talk of, you know,
putting on exhibition games and trying to pull that together
in three weeks. But these were guys by and large
who were used to taking orders, not organizing things, you know,
So I think the organization was pretty scattershot, and you
know a lot of time was spent I think deciding
(22:17):
whether a cross or not because you know, again, in
the NFL world of eighty seven, the dollar amounts weren't
as massive as they are now, So like losing one
game check or two game checks or three game checks
if you had kids, or if you had somebody sick
in your family that you were providing for. I remember
Seattle had a Hall of Fame receiver Steve Largent, who
(22:38):
was kind of a legend in the league, and he
crossed because he had a son with a rather serious
disease and medical bills were high and he needed the
game checks. And everybody kind of understood that from him.
So every guy was weighing his situation against you know,
what he could or couldn't do, and there were a
lot of pressure on him.
Speaker 16 (22:59):
And immediately, I'm the kind of guy I always know
that what's important is that I stayed in condition I
would run at George Mason, I run here, run the track.
Had a track guy worked me out, and so I
stayed in conditioning. I think for a while we got
together as a team, we went to rest the south
Lake High School, did throw some football around. But overall
(23:23):
that I think that some groups stayed together, some groups
decided to go off on their own and stay in conditioning.
I did it all the time.
Speaker 11 (23:33):
In addition to working out. Some players raise their voices
loud for workers' rights.
Speaker 20 (23:38):
We were out at the old Redskin Park marching around
in a circle.
Speaker 11 (23:43):
Three time Super Bowl champion Jeff Boston.
Speaker 20 (23:46):
We're just doing our thing, and we've had signs that
stayed in what we want and guess what, the media
helped push it day to day activities.
Speaker 11 (23:59):
Very players individual situations had their nuances, but Washington's regular
players stuck together. That wasn't always easy. Former guard Rollie
Mackenzie remembers.
Speaker 21 (24:12):
You know all kinds of characters now, you know, from
from a high upstanding art monk to somebody's the rally
is dexter.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Mandly, you know.
Speaker 22 (24:23):
So so we had, you know, we had to control
a lot of things during that time.
Speaker 6 (24:29):
And and uh.
Speaker 23 (24:31):
So it's that that in that turn, you can tell,
I saw a lot of respect being shown and thrown
around that that normally didn't see, uh, you know.
Speaker 22 (24:46):
Collectively, and uh that's when I really knew that this
team was special. And uh, you know, just the way
you know, we had our we got together and had
our meetings and talked about the whole situation.
Speaker 18 (25:00):
I said to him, just make sure you stick together.
That's what we want to stay together. And they did.
Speaker 11 (25:08):
Not every team could say the same. Several players who
had first said they wouldn't play change their mind.
Speaker 14 (25:16):
Yeah, there was trickling going on from week one, right,
But the most famous trickling was when Dallas believe Tony
Dorr said, I believe Randy White and I believe had
too Tall Jones. I believe when they crossed, those were
the most prominent players that had crossed. And of course
at that time they said it was a financial decision.
(25:39):
Was the reason why most of those guys did.
Speaker 11 (25:41):
Ahead of Week six, which would end up being the
last game of the strike, Washington ready used to face
its bitter rival Dallas at Texas Stadium.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I'm sitting there thinking, we got no chance in this game.
Monday night football in Dallas. And who's playing? Tony dor
said Hall of Fame Randy White, Hall of Fame, Too
Tall Jones, the number one pick in the draft, All
Pro playing Danny White quarterback, not in the Hall of Fame,
(26:11):
but you know he had taken him to the championship games.
Speaker 12 (26:14):
He's what the best quarterbacks in the league. So who
are they playing with?
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Well, you know, we don't have any of those players playing, okay,
So I'm thinking.
Speaker 12 (26:22):
We got no chance in this game. None.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
What I remember.
Speaker 13 (26:34):
More than anything else was being interviewed by local DC
reporters and on the before getting on the airplane, and
the question whether, well, are you going to handle two
tall domes? And and you know, are you nervous? And
(26:56):
you know and and I'm young and and you know,
I have a lot of faith in my abilities. And
I think I said something like, well, I'm not afraid
of too told. He puts, it depends on just like
I do. You know, a couple of the reporters like, boy,
you're gonna get You're in for.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
A rude awakening.
Speaker 13 (27:14):
You know, they're thinking you, yeah, yeah, you're young and stupid.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
You know.
Speaker 13 (27:19):
The whole way there on the plane, I thought about
my college teammates and about all the gut checks that
we went through in college, you know, and practices, all
the tough practices that we went through it, all the
workouts that we went through in the summer with our
strength coach Al Miller.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
And I'm thinking, I'm.
Speaker 13 (27:38):
Not gonna let these guys now you know, I'm a
product of them, and uh, you know they're they're not
gonna see they're not gonna watch Monday night football and
see you know that my nickname was Big Will in college.
They're not gonna watch Monday night football and see Big
Will getting deep.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
I'm not gonna do that.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Joe Gibbs gives his talk for the games, so he
gets up and they got it. It's over. These guys'
dream is over. They're played in the National Football League.
Speaker 12 (28:06):
It's over.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Monday night television. The whole league is watching. Okay, it's Dallas.
Nobody gives us a chance. Sent I get a bo
show at this one. But he says to the team,
he says, listen, this is what you came to do.
You came to prove you could play in the National
Football League. This is what you want. You want Dallas
to have their best players out there. You want to
(28:28):
have everybody in the country and every team in the
country watching you tonight. This is what you came for.
This is your time. Okay, Now let's go play the game.
Speaker 4 (28:40):
Hollo again everyone, and welcome to Texas Stadium for this
the final replacement game of the NFL season and tonights
the Washington Redskins down the Dallas.
Speaker 9 (28:48):
Cowboys and Dorset as the quest and could have come stopped.
Speaker 24 (28:51):
The football and there the Redskins are saying they have
the football at Dwards headed, not fumbled.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
They got it.
Speaker 9 (28:56):
First Down's Gold to Gold the botticle sixteen yard line
of the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
By tell again no a foot.
Speaker 24 (29:01):
Play a hand off of Wilson and Wilson brings it
around takes.
Speaker 12 (29:06):
It in Dallas, caught completely.
Speaker 9 (29:08):
By surprise, and Washington finally.
Speaker 23 (29:11):
Gets to the promised plans.
Speaker 24 (29:13):
Robinson fact complete over the medals in Mtkewen and.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
Dallas Arts or inside the forty five.
Speaker 9 (29:21):
Yard line of the Kewen has been a.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Big play receiver tonight.
Speaker 9 (29:25):
Seven seconds in, the Convoys stop the clock with their final.
Speaker 24 (29:28):
Tonna Herbach and Rentro to the right, Edwards to the left,
intend for Edwards incomplete. Two seconds remaining, and the Red
Scans will take a.
Speaker 9 (29:40):
Half a payment of any playoff games I've involved.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Look at the.
Speaker 9 (29:44):
Simon on this sidelines as Joe Gibbs is being carried
off by a bunch of gunsters, a bunch of people
you I'm sure do not know very.
Speaker 10 (29:52):
Much about by the football.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Team Stiel today.
Speaker 13 (30:07):
I think that's probably one of the best games I've
had from high school to the NFL. I think that's
probably one of the best games I've ever played.
Speaker 6 (30:16):
We were all focused and everybody was dialing in and
people were stepping up. You know, we lost our quarterback
early in the game, and Tony Robinson came in and
just made some remarkable plays. I just remember Craig mcew
and the catches he was making and Joe Caravello, you know,
watching those guys compete when we were on the sideline
(30:36):
was just tremendous. And you know, the game came down
to the end that Dallas had one last drive and.
Speaker 19 (30:45):
I can't remember, I can't remember the guys in the
press bocks. Bobby is screaming his brains out. He was
so wound up in the fourth quarter, you know where
we gonna be able to hold him.
Speaker 18 (30:57):
There was so much emotion on that It was really
a very emotional game.
Speaker 6 (31:03):
It was exhilarating. You know what's interesting is I remember
Joe Bugle and he climbed on our bus and he
had a big smile on his face and he said,
we'll see you in four years meeting, Like I guess
that's when the next contract was going to expire. And
I just remember everybody cheering and laughing, and I was like, yeah,
(31:23):
I won't be around. You know, I don't think i'll
be in shape. I'm not in shape now. I don't
think i'll be in shape. Then it just was it
was just a you know, just a crazy time, it
really was. And then it ended like abruptly, like the
next day we had a meeting, and I was in
my car heading back to Connecticut. You know. Twenty four
(31:46):
hours later it was it was just and the and
then you put it in the back of your head
and you move on.
Speaker 11 (32:00):
The strike was over. The NFLPA didn't gain the free
agency rights they sought, agreeing instead to renegotiate with the
owners at a later date. The replacement players scattered, settling
back into the lives they had before those castly calls.
A couple, including Anthony Allen, were signed for the rest
(32:21):
of the season, and the regular players returned to their jobs. Washington,
who won all three games during the strike period, was
the only team in the league to not have any
players cross the picket line.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
What is the implication of all this? Okay, I mean,
it's a great story, but what did it mean. The
Giants didn't take it seriously. They're zero to five now,
they were the defending Super Bowl championship. They've beaten US
three times the year before. Philadelphia Buddy Ryan supposedly had
a book Football for Dummies and sat on the bench
during practice. Okay, they're one and four, so we got
(32:59):
a five game lead over the Giants. Okay, a four
game because we're four and one and a three game
lead over the Eagles. Okay, it'd be hard to catch us.
Speaker 11 (33:08):
The wins put the Burgundy and Gold in a great
spot for the rest of the nineteen eighty seven season,
and replacement players were watching with baited breath.
Speaker 14 (33:17):
Well, it's pretty much you know, you're you're now dying
on every game, right because now you've played the three games,
you're eligible for all the spoils that come within a season,
making the playoffs and potentially financial gain from that, making
a Super Bowl, potentially financial gain from that, and ultimately
(33:40):
being able to gain the ultimate prize and being able
to stay that you had a part in that here.
Speaker 13 (33:46):
Yeah, I wanted them to win, and I'm thinking this
could be a ring. You know, I'm thinking if they win,
we're going to get a ring too, man. And I
just wanted them to win because I you know, I
had emotional times by that time to Redskins, you know,
the same emotional ties I had, similar to you know
(34:08):
my college, you know, you where you bleed and sweat
and ache and stuff for a team.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
And you do it together and then you're tied to them.
You know that ties you to them.
Speaker 11 (34:20):
Washington of course, goes on to win the Super Bowl
that year. The replacement players, however, did not receive rings.
Why well, one can speculate that the same tensions visible
and vocalized during the strike likely played a factor in
twenty eighteen. Over thirty years later, after an ESPN thirty
(34:40):
for thirty and to use the words of reporter John
Kyme a quote, thawing of opinion from the regular players,
Washington's replacement players were recognized for their contributions in nineteen
eighty seven with Super Bowl rings.
Speaker 14 (34:57):
Football takes a toll, and you know, seeing some of
the guys in the conditions that they were in at
this point, you know, it likens you know, to you saying,
give people their flowers while they're while they are alive,
so that they can enjoy it. And so for me personally,
I was very happy that, you know, everybody was able
(35:20):
to be recognized for the tremendous accomplishment that we were
able to put together in that five to six week
span with practice and with games, to be able to
help the big club get to the promised Land. But
that you know, it's difficult, you know, because you can't help,
(35:43):
but you know, you see it on television where you
see an older person and then there's a flashback to
their younger self. And I'm sure all of us were
doing that as we sat in that room when they
went up. You know, you were just recalling what they
looked like, you know, from nineteen eighty seven right some
(36:05):
thirty one years right, thirty one years later. You know
a lot of people had hair, don't have hair. You know,
people you know a little bit heavier than what they were.
Speaker 6 (36:18):
But yeah, I think it was nostalgic.
Speaker 14 (36:22):
Because I know as each person came up, I was
able to say, Okay, yes I remember him, Yes, I
remember him, Yes, I remember him, and see that younger
self walking up and being presented by Charlie with Doug
and Gary Clark there the light.
Speaker 15 (36:40):
So you know, I was one of the first people
say they definitely deserved a ring, you know, one harvest.
And I was so glad when they finally gave them
the Super Bowl ring that they deserve because you know,
good or bad, those games counted, and when the games count,
you know they don't win those three games, we might
not even be in the playoffs.
Speaker 17 (36:58):
I've got to believe that the most hardened anti replacement
person out there, whoever that might be softened just a
bit when they realized the magnitude of what those young
players did.
Speaker 6 (37:13):
Kind of conclusion to the whole story is that it
changed lives. You know, it changed a lot of lives.
It gave me an opportunity to reconnect in a positive
way to the game that I loved so much, because
I got to admit, you know, when I got caught
by the Jets, I was down. I was depressed, and
you know, I didn't want to really think about the game.
(37:35):
And it gave me an opportunity to reflect and to
miss it and say, you know what, I need to
be a part of this. And I was able to,
you know, go back and learn how to coach from
my high school coach and get involved in the game.
And I've been doing that, like I said, for thirty
five years.
Speaker 18 (37:54):
So the replacement guys, just the players knew, those replacement
guys knew that this was it, and they literally laid
it on the line or they played their hearts out.
Speaker 11 (38:15):
This episode was narraed, produced, and researched by me Hannah Liechtenstein,
senior copywriter for the Washington Commanders. It was produced and
edited by Jason Johnson. Executive producers are Rail and Teen,
Ryan Yoakam and Kevin Klein. Graphics designed by Roman Schumann
and Rakim Smith. Social media by Maggie Antulis and Rebecca Solzbach.
(38:36):
Alumni relations help comes from Tim high Tower and Caroline Decio.
Thank you to all of our guests for their contributions
and thank you for listening. Have a favorite franchise moment
you think should be featured on Hailtales, Let us know
and we just might cover it in our next season.
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