I have often written how much I appreciate the entire NFL Films experience…..cuz in the many years and thousands of sports production programs that I have watched on my path to becoming Sportsphile # 2…I can honestly say that at the top of the ladder of those who have produced films regarding sports…..the gold standard is still the entire crew at NFL Films….starting with legendary producers Ed and Steve Sabol….and what about Harry Kalas as a narrator of many of their productions….cuz Harry provided the viewers of film an insight into the game of professional football….much like Pat Summerall and John Madden through television….in that they both have taught multiple generations of professional football fans the game.
NFL Films did not just focus on the stars of the sports that they covered….like so many NFL film productions have done….for these folks taught us the game from the inside out…..as they covered the entire game from the guts to the glamore…..what it was like to be down in the trenches of the defensive line…..how it felt being the special teams professsional…..what is meant to be a referee / umpire of the game….how an NFL franchise “war room on draft day” looked and felt…..and they covered the NFL like no other…..at least in this lil ole chiweenie Sportsphile’s opinion.
One of my favorite NFL Films series was their “The Men Who Played The Game” productions that focused on player that might not have had the most talent…..who rather used their talents to be significant players for many years…..players like DT Jim Marshall, FB Walt Garrison, QB / PK George Blanda and so many others…..cuz all these men were cut from a different bolt of cloth…..for they all had what is called the “It factor”…..for it wasn’t just glaring talent that made these players worth producing a piece about…..and I am glad that I will be able to provide NFL fans all over the world…..footage of the men who played the game…..QB Earl Morrell…cuz this man deserves to be remembered…..for he was something special….he had IT.
QB Earl Edwin Morrall played the NFL position that takes more punishment than any other for twenty-one seasons as a starter and backup….who also occasionally punted….who became known as one of the greatest backup quarterbacks in NFL history.…when during the 1968 Baltimore Colts season….he filled in for an injured Johnny Unitas by leading his team to an NFL championship shutout victory and an appearance in Super Bowl III….then he followed up that backup stint with a 1972 Miami Dolphins season (both Colts and Dolphins teams were under coach Don Shula)….when he filled in for an injured Bob Griese…leading Miami to Super Bowl VII and the only perfect season in NFL history…..for Morrall made Pro Bowl appearances following the 1957 and 1968 seasons….I mean….can you imagine a basically career reserve quarterback making the Pro Bowl twice….and eleven years apart…..come on…..regardless, Earl Morrell deserves his place in NFL history….and I am happy to share this NFL Films tribute to his spectacular career.
