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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

ROMAN GABRIEL: A Career in Three Acts



ROMAN GABRIEL:  A Career in Three Acts
Article coutesy of: PFRA

Reprinted from: The Coffin Corner Vol. 36, No. 5 |
Bratkowski was entrenched as the starter, and it seemed
to Gabriel the new coach had little interest in him.
Gabriel sat most of the season, playing in only two
games, until Week 10. The Rams were 1–9. The week before,
an unheralded Ron Miller got the start and went 2
for 11 and threw a pick. So, perhaps desperate, Waterfield
started Gabriel. The Rams tied the Vikings and
Gabriel went on to start the final three games, all Rams
losses. But the stats pointed towards improvement. The
Rams offense averaged 254 yards in the first 10 games
and 331 yards per game with Gabriel starting. It was a
trend that continued through Gabriel’s early years.

But the Rams chose quarterback and Heisman winner
Terry Baker in the first round in 1963, perhaps
because they had little faith in the quarterback they
had chosen in 1962. Baker started the first game but
Bratkowski received the nod the next four weeks. With
the Rams offense averaging 9.2 points a game and 211
yards of total offense, their record stood at 0–5. Gabriel
started the final nine games and the Rams went 5–4 in
that span, the offense doubled its output in points and
averaged over 50 yards a game more in total offense.

Again, it failed to impress the Rams, who took Bill
Munson, another quarterback, in the first round of the
1964 NFL draft. And this time, when the season began
Munson was the starting quarterback. Gabriel also injured
a knee in preseason and started the season on the
injured list. Munson began well, winning two games,
tying one, and losing none. In Week 5, however, the
Bears picked Munson off four times and Gabriel finished
the game. Gabe started the next six, winning
three before giving way to Munson for the rest of the
season. With Munson as starter, the Rams were 2–4–2
and averaged 16 points a game and 235 yards in offense.

With Gabriel, the Rams were 3–3, averaged 23
points and just under 300 yards of offense a game.
Still, in 1965 Harland Svare noted that Gabriel was
not accurate as a passer and named Munson the
starter. He lasted 10 games, and the Rams record was
1–9. The offense was averaging 272 yards and 16 points
a game. Finally Svare handed the keys to the offense to
Gabriel. His first opponents were the Green Bay Packers,
who would end the season as NFL champions.
Gabriel passed for 255 yards and the defense clamped
down on the Packers as the Rams won, 21–10. The following
week the Rams rolled up 380 yards of offense
on the Cardinals for another win. The next week the
Rams faced the Cleveland Browns, who would face the
Packers in the NFL Championship Game a few weeks
later, and Los Angeles beat them handily. They lost to
the mighty Colts in Week 14, 20–17, in a game Baltimore
had to win and were forced to play Tom Matte as quarterback.
In the games Gabriel started, the team
averaged 27 points and 365 yards of offense.

So when is average better than that? From 1962
through 1965, Gabriel started 23 games, and in those
games the Rams were 11–11–1, exactly .500. In the 33
games not started by Gabriel, the Rams were 4–26–2 for
a winning percentage of .133. Moreover, in the games
started by Gabriel in that span the Rams averaged 21
points a game and 304 yards of offense; in the others,
the Rams averaged 15 points and 256 yards of offense.
In addition were the number of “quality wins” such
as the win over the eventual conference champions in
1965. In three previous years there were two other wins
over the Packers and wins over contending teams like
the Colts and Lions. Over the four-year period of
Gabriel’s role as an understudy, his passer rating was
74.0 at a time when the NFL–AFL average was 64.0, and
the other Rams quarterbacks combined for a 57.3 rating.

ACT II: The Spotlight
In May 1966, the Raiders offered Gabriel a $100,000
contract for the 1967 season. Head coach George Allen
promptly declared Gabriel the starting quarterback,
and he remained the Rams starter through 1972. It was,
according to Gabriel, Allen’s assurances that he’d play
that kept Gabriel from hopping leagues.

The Rams, under Allen, Gabriel and the Fearsome
Foursome defense, were winners for the first time since
the 1950s, and Gabriel proved himself to be one of the
best quarterbacks in football and a star player during
that span. The Rams were 8–6 in 1966. Allen brought in
running back Tom Moore for that season, and under
the system installed by Ted Marchibroda, Moore set a
record for catches by a running back with 60. The offense
was especially proficient in Week 10 versus the
New York Giants when the Rams set a record for most
first downs in a game (38) that stood until 1988.
In 1967 the Rams were division champs, going 11–
1–2, and Gabriel threw for 2,779 yards and 25
touchdowns. In the final two weeks the Rams beat
Green Bay and Baltimore to secure the division title,
and both weeks Gabriel was named the AP Offensive

Player of the Week for his contributions.
In 1968 the Rams were 10–1–1 after 12 weeks but
two close losses cost them the division crown. A year
later, Gabriel was voted the NFL MVP by the AP, UPI
and NEA when he threw for 24 touchdowns and only
seven interceptions. He was also a consensus first-team
All-Pro selection. That three-year run was the “peak” of
Gabriel’s prime seasons. From 1967 through 1969, no
quarterback in the NFL won more games as a starter
(32), and he had the highest winning percentage (.821)
in the NFL as well, and only the AFL’s Darryl Lamonica
had more wins in pro football (36). Lamonica, Fran
Tarkenton and Sonny Jurgensen were the only quarterbacks
who threw for more touchdowns in those three
seasons. And while Rams receiver Jack Snow was a fine
player, he wasn’t in the category as some of those Lamonica,
Tarkenton and Jurgensen were throwing to,
players such as Charley Taylor, Fred Biletnikoff and
speedsters like Homer Jones and Warren Wells. Clearly,
Gabriel had arrived at the top of his craft.

The prime of Gabriel’s career, from 1966–1975, was
full of such successes. In that decade-long span, only
Fran Tarkenton completed more passes and started
more games as a winning quarterback (77 to 74), and
only Tarkenton and John Hadl threw for more yards
and more touchdowns than Gabriel.
Gabriel suffered knee injuries and had a chronic
elbow condition in the early 1970s. In 1970 and 1971 he
played through it, but the Rams finished second both
seasons, losing each year on the final Sunday to the
49ers in the NFC Western Division race. Gabriel was
ranked in several passing categories both seasons and
appeared on lists of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, but he
would soon be leaving the spotlight in Los Angeles.
With a change in ownership and a desire to go in a
new direction, the Rams traded Gabriel to Philadelphia
in 1973. Los Angeles had traded for quarterback John
Hadl earlier and Gabriel was not happy about it. Offered
a king’s ransom for Gabriel, the Rams pulled the
trigger on a trade with the Eagles, acquiring star wide
receiver Harold Jackson, running back Tony Baker, two
first-round picks and a third-round choice.

Gabriel went on to help an Eagles team that had
gone 2–11–1 the previous season improve to a 5–8–1
record, leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns.
He was named the NFL Comeback Player of the
Year and was voted to his fourth Pro Bowl.
The following season the Eagles won four of their
first five games, and in the one loss, which came in
Week 1 versus the Cardinals, Gabriel just missed on four
passes near the goal line in the closing seconds. The Eagles
were inches from victory. In Week 6 they lost by a
touchdown to Dallas in a classic hard-fought game, then
went on to lose the next five in a row, taking their
record to 4–7. For the first time in his career, Gabriel
was benched, and the Eagles won their last three under
Mike Boryla. Boryla did to Gabriel what Gabriel had
done to Rams quarterbacks in his early years.

In 1975, the Eagles were still in transition, going 4–
10 with Boryla beginning and ending the season as a
starter and Gabriel starting nine games in between.
Neither quarterback played great, but Gabriel’s passer
rating was 67.8 while Boryla’s was 52.7.

ACT III: The Fade Out
Gabriel was a backup for the next two seasons as
the curtain started to close on his career. In 1976 Dick
Vermeil took over the Eagles head-coaching position
and went with the younger Boryla as the starter.
Gabriel hadn’t even been sure he’d play after 1975, but
he rehabbed his aching knees and stuck around as the
backup to Boryla that season. The Eagles were 3–7 after
ten games and Vermeil went with Gabriel as the starter
for the final four, which included consecutive games
against three of the best teams in the NFL: the Raiders,
the Redskins, and the Cowboys. All beat Philadelphia
and beat up on Gabriel and the Eagles. Gabriel finished
the season with his final NFL start against the expansion
Seahawks, notching his final win.

In 1977 the Eagles acquired Ron Jaworski from the
Rams and Gabriel was the backup, seeing the field almost
exclusively as the holder for placekicks. He did fill
in briefly during the first game of the season after Lee
Roy Selmon sacked Jaworski and shook him up. Gabriel
came into the game to finish the series, completing a 15-
yard pass to Vince Papale, which was short of the first
down. Jaworski, with the cobwebs out, came back the
next series and finished the game. A few weeks later, for
the same reason, Gabriel entered the game versus the
Lions and threw his final two passes, both incomplete.
One of Gabriel’s fans is Jerry Kramer, who has stated
that the Packers always respected Gabriel and prepared
hard for him. When asked what player deserved Hall of
Fame consideration, Bob Lilly indicated Gabriel, saying,
“He’s got as good a set of numbers as anyone in there.”
The Cowboys were a team that Gabriel always seemed
to play well against. The Rams beat Dallas in 1967 and
1969, and lost a close one on Thanksgiving Day in 1971.
Then, when Gabriel was with Philadelphia, he engineered
upsets in 1973 and 1974. In 1974 and 1975, in the
games the Eagles lost to Dallas, the Eagles kept it close
to one of the NFL’s powerhouses.

Gabriel’s arm strength was his calling card in his
early years; he could step into the pass and fire it downfield.
He was a noted runner as well. From 1966 though
1972, no Rams running back rushed for more touchdowns
than Gabriel, and only 16 running backs in the
NFL rushed for more. From 1966 to 1969, Gabriel
rushed for 18 touchdowns, which was 11th best in the
combined AFL–NFL. Gabriel was the short yardage
runner for the Rams.

Said his coach Dick Vermeil:
I had the pleasure of being on the L. A.
Rams staff in 1969 when Roman was in his
prime. He was as good as the very best at that
time. Great competitor, a leader, tougher than
any QB playing. He had a very strong arm and
was a real worker. No one at that time was
preparing to play each week with more effort
than Roman was at that time, he was a real student
of the game. In 1971, I went back to the
Rams with Tommy Prothro as his offensive coordinator
and QB coach, a position I did not
have the experience to do real well at that
time; Roman was always respectful, very helpful
and patient with me. I learned a lot from
him! He was a true pro. His arm went dead on
him during that period, 1971 or ’72, but he
hung tough and did the best he could without
making excuses. I will always admire this guy,
and consider him a player that impacted my
career and life. I’m a better person for having
had the opportunity to coach Roman.

Phil Olsen remembers Gabriel for his toughness:
He was remarkably athletic and, even
though this was a time when few athletes
trained year round, he was consumed with a
desire to be physically fit. He was big and very
strong for a quarterback and on many passing
plays, he would refuse to go down until two or
three defenders had pounded on him. Gabe
would simply stand in the pocket and absorb
punishment just like a boxer taking body
punches from an opponent. He completed a lot
of passes while dragging defenders with him.
I was rehabbing a knee following surgery in
1971 and spent lot of time in the training room
so I saw a lot of Gabe. Week after week, he
would come in for treatment following games.
He’d have bruises all over his body from the
pounding he’d taken. Some weeks, it looked
like someone had been beating on him with a
sledge hammer. In spite of all the pounding he
absorbed, I never heard him complain or
grouse about it. He was simply one tough dude.
Gabriel was always proud of his ability to avoid interceptions.

When he retired after the 1977 season, he
held the NFL record for the lowest interception percentage,
and held it until Joe Montana broke it. The advent
of shorter passes and the West Coast types of offense
prevalent now reduce that statistic to an afterthought.
At the time, however, it was a remarkable achievement,
even when he was compared to his peers such as Unitas,
Tarkenton, Jurgensen, Brodie and other great quarterbacks
of the time. Gabriel is now tied for 63rd in lowest
career interception percentage at 3.3 percent and none
of the players ahead of him were active when Gabriel
played. To find another person from his era, you have
to drop to the 111th spot, to Joe Thiesmann at 3.8 percent.
To find a true peer of Gabriel (anyone who played
in or before 1970) you have to look down to two who
are tied for 124th and 132nd, respectively, to find Bill
Munson at 4.0 percent and Fran Tarkenton at 4.1.

From 1965 until early 1972, Gabriel started 89
straight games, tops until both Ron Jaworski and Joe
Ferguson surpassed it in 1983, with Jaws setting the
mark with 116 in 1984. Brett Favre blew the numbers
away with his massing 297-game mark, but nothing
was made of Gabriel besting the mark of 88 set by
Johnny Unitas. Currently, Unitas's 88 games rank tenth
and Gabriel’s 89-game streak is rankded ninth.

Gabriel’s NFL accomplishments followed a stellar college
career at North Carolina State University, where he
was voted All-American twice and as well as being twice
voted the ACC Player of the Year. He was voted to the College
Football Hall of Fame in 1989 and was on the ACC’s
50th Anniversary Football Team announced in 2003.
Gabriel left North Carolina State in 1961 as the
school record holder in rushing touchdowns (he still
ranks 15th), passing yards (also currently ranks 15th),
passing completions (currently 14th), and touchdown
passes (currently tied for ninth). His 60.4 percent completion
rate is a single-season record was not bettered
until 1988 and still ranks as eighth best in N. C. State
history, remarkable given where college football has
gone in the passing game since 1961. His 34 touchdowns,
both running and passing, is still eighth in
school annals in that category.

Gabriel left the Rams as the leader in virtually every
passing category and even after 40 years, he is still the
team record holder in career touchdown passes, the
Greatest Show on Turf teams notwithstanding. His five
touchdowns in a game is also still a record he holds
with Van Brocklin, Waterfield, Vince Ferragamo, Jim
Everett and Kurt Warner.

Gabriel’s career, like any great performance for an
athlete or an actor, is worthy of our applause and adulation.
It certainly has stood the test of time.

JOHN TURNEY is a business owner and colorization artist in
Alamogordo, New Mexico. He is the author of The All-Pros: The
Modern Years 1960–1999 and enjoys defensive football research
and NFL artwork. He also coaches semi-pro football and is editor-in-chief
for Pro Football Journal.

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