I just watched the Ice Bowl at
, which was the most complete replay of that game I found. Some interesting things on the last minute TD play that I did not know.
- The Cowboys were expecting a pass. It was 3rd down, 16 seconds to go, no time outs left, and they had stopped 2 runs already, so they figured Starr would throw for the end zone or out of bounds if no one was open, and they'd still have one play left. There's almost no way they'd have gotten another play off had they not scored on 3rd down. So the Dallas linemen weren't as entrenched as you might have thought. In fact Pugh was a little more upright so he could try to bat down a pass.
- The play Starr called with actually a fullback dive, but he had decided he could get to the hole more quickly himself, so he kept it. He had discussed it with Lombardi on the sidelines during the time out, but told nobody in the huddle, and their fullback, Chuck Mercein, was surprised to not get the ball. In fact he had to hold up and make sure he wasn't penalized for pushing Starr in, which was illegal back then.
- Jerry Kramer, who made the key block (along with center Ken Bowman), actually jumped the snap a bit, which may have given him the advantage needed to beat Jethro Pugh. It should've been called an off-sides penalty, with no play. Who knows what would've happened then? Maybe the Packers would've thrown for a TD on 3rd and 6th. Maybe they tie it with a FG and the game goes to overtime and they all spend even more time out in that cold. Or maybe Dallas wins in regulation with an interception or a missed FG.
- Kramer, btw, noticed during the week that Pugh stood up pretty high and suggested that play (with the FB carrying). Lombardi looked at the film a few times and agreed, and they had it in mind for that type of situation.
One more funny thing, in the post game interviews they take a break and one of the announcers reminds fans that tickets still remain for the Super Bowl. I burst out laughing, since that would never happen today, but I don't think the Super Bowl even sold out.