Tag: Super Bowl XXII

Commanders season opener in 34 days: Washington’s best No. 34

The franchise history of jersey No. 34 is lean. But there are some players who had their moments. So we gladly recognize those moments.

Commanders Wire continues a countdown to Washington’s season opener for 2023 in 34 days. Who was the team’s best player wearing No. 34?

The Washington history of jersey No. 34 is rather lean. But there are some players who had their moments. So we gladly recognize those moments.

Martin Bayless (1994) came to Washington following 10 NFL seasons and four different teams. The safety out of Bowling Green at age 32 became a Redskin, played in 16 games, starting 15, and picked off a career-high three interceptions. Bayless also recovered a fumble, returning it 60 yards for a touchdown against the NY Giants at RFK. He also might be remembered for a nice hit he put on Jerry Rice on a slant pattern at RFK. Bayless then played two seasons in Kansas City and retired after the 1996 season.

Tony Green (1978) was drafted by Washington 159th in the 1978 draft. The former Florida Gator running back was the last running back on the depth chart to make the roster, having missed much of the reps due to a hamstring issue. Yet Jack Pardee kept Green and they assigned him to return punts and kickoffs though he had little experience doing so. Green dropped a punt against the Eagles, picked it up and 80 yards later had his first NFL touchdown. Green averaged 10.5 yards on punt returns and 25.6 yards on kickoff returns including a 99-yard touchdown return. But the Redskins released Green in the 1979 preseason. He spent that season with the NY Giants and Seattle Seahawks and it was his last season in the NFL.

Mack Brown (2016-17) was an undrafted running back out of Florida. Released by the Texans, he signed with Washington was released, signed to the practice squad, released and signed again to the squad in 2015. In 2016 Brown rushed for 149 yards in the preseason against Tampa Bay, yet was again released, signed to the practice squad then promoted to the active roster. In Chicago, Brown enjoyed his career highlight, a 61-yard touchdown run against the Bears. The Redskins released Brown in 2017. He was claimed by the Vikings, back to the Redskins in 2018 on the practice squad before being waived a final time.

Brian Davis (1987-90) was drafted by Washington 30th overall in the 1987 draft. Davis did not start any games his rookie year as Washington started Darrell Green and Barry Wilburn. However, being the fifth defensive back, Davis impressed, intercepting a pass in a playoff win at the Bears and in Super Bowl XXII. In 1989 Davis intercepted a career-high four passes but in 1990 was beaten out by Martin Mayhew. He would only start two more games in the NFL (1992 for San Diego).

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On This Day: 33 years ago, QB Doug Williams made NFL history in Super Bowl XXII

January 31st, 1988 will live on as a historic day in Washington as the anniversary of Doug Williams’ groundbreaking performance in Super Bowl XXII.

On this day in 1988, Washington quarterback Doug Williams made history that would change the landscape of the NFL for the rest of eternity. With an otherwordly performance in Super Bowl XXII, Williams became the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl in the NFL, defeating the Denver Broncos, 42-10.

It was a surprising outcome to some, considering that the Broncos were favored entering the game, but after falling behind 10-0 early on, Williams helped the team rattle off 42 unanswered points, scoring 35 points in the second quarter and running away with the sweet victory. It was the franchise’s second Super Bowl victory.

Williams put on an incredible performance, accounting for four of Washington’s five touchdowns in the game, all of which came in the first half. He finished throwing 18-for-29 with 340 yards, 4 TD, and 1 INT. RB Timmy Smith added 204 yards on the ground, with 2 TD, while WR Ricky Sanders had 9 catches for 193 yards and 2 TDs as well.

Today, Williams remains with the team, and he serves as the Senior Vice President of Player Development, helping to transition players into the league. No matter what he does with the team going forward, he will always be remembered fondly for his historic acts on this day, 33 years ago.

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Looking back at the Denver Broncos’ 5 best Super Bowl plays

The Denver Broncos have appeared in eight Super Bowls. Here are their best plays from those games.

Super Bowl LIV is about ready to kick off. Yes, it is the Kansas City Chiefs facing the San Francisco 49ers so the Denver Broncos and their fans will have to wait at least another year to be on this stage.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t relive some of the team’s best Super Bowl moments.

Last year, I counted down the team’s best individual performances in a Super Bowl.

The Broncos have played in eight Super Bowls, creating a lot of memories in them. Many of those memories haven’t been all that pleasant as the Broncos have been on the wrong end of some of the biggest blowouts in the history of the Big Game.

But the team has won three Super Bowls and there were several great plays that had to be made in order to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Not all of these plays came from Super Bowl victories. These were just the five best plays ever made by the Broncos in a Super Bowl game, though most of them were instrumental in the team’s ultimate success.

No. 5: Cam Newton stripped for the second time: Super Bowl 50

As dominant as the Broncos’ defense was against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, the team clung to a 16-10 lead with just over four minutes to play in the game. The Panthers had the ball and faced a critical 3rd-and-9 from their own 24-yard line.

That’s when Von Miller, the game’s eventual MVP, came through to wreak some more havoc.

Miller knocked the ball from the hands of Newton and after it bounced around, T.J. Ward eventually scooped it up and set the Broncos up with a 1st-and-goal which would lead to the game-sealing touchdown.

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Former Redskin greats share stories about the meaning of Super Bowl rings

With 3 Super Bowl victories in franchise history, there are a number of former Redskins who have stories about what the ring means to them.

Though young fans may not have memories of it, the Washington Redskins used to be a dominant team in the NFL, and they have several Super Bowl championships to show for it.

Ahead of the Kansas City Cheifs and San Francisco 49ers matchup in Super Bowl LIV in a couple of weeks, ESPN put together a montage of stories from each Super Bowl in the past 53 years, centering around the rings that were handed out to players, and what was done with those rings in the years following. For the Redskins, who won Super Bowl XVII, XXII, and XXVI, there are some great anecdotes that came out.

For wide receiver Alvin Garrett, who won his ring in 1982, the prized possession ended up becoming more of a piece of jewelry that served a greater goal in the end. According to the ESPN piece, in 1989, Garrett sold the ring via an ad in The Washington Post to fund his desire to become a minister.

“I flew to La Guardia in New York and the guy paid me cash for it,” Garrett said. “My life was so screwed up I needed God.” In 2016, someone who worked in the jewelry business in New York was picking through a box of items. The person found Garrett’s damaged ring with the diamonds missing and contacted the Redskins, who located Garrett, living in Huntsville, Alabama.

For quarterback Doug Williams, who became the first-ever black QB to start and win a Super Bowl in 1987, the ring signifies so much more than it’s worth in gold. Williams told ESPN that he still keeps it in the case, and he plans to hand it down to his family one day.

“They all want to touch it; they all want to put their hands around it and they all say, ‘Wow, what a great day. Man, I prayed for you.’ It’s bringing back memories for them because it was such a history-making day. The people from where I grew up, it’s almost like they wear that ring. That day will never happen again in the history of football; there will never be another first African American quarterback to win.”

For running back Brian Mitchell, who won his ring in 1991, a close call almost left him without his prized possession that was won in Super Bowl XXVI. It was years later when Mitchell wore his ring on a night out drinking and woke up the next morning without it.

“When it’s real cold, your fingers seem smaller,” he said. That’s why he guessed: Maybe it’s still in the limousine. He called the driver, who opened the door and found it stuck in the door jamb.

It’s understandable why Mitchell says that he rarely wears his ring anymore, especially when he is going out with friends.

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