Joe Namath Talks About Leaving The Jets and Going to The Rams on Carson Tonight Show - 01/07/1976

Joe Namath Talks About Leaving The Jets and Going to The Rams on Carson Tonight Show - 01/07/1976 #joenamath #johnnycarson #jets #rams

Video Script:: 

my first guest this evening is a gentleman who you've seen frequently on television in the past few years selling cologne sport shirts popcorn poppers pantyhose aside from these other activities I think Joe Namath is considered by all of his peers and professional football players as probably the most brilliant quarterback playing the game today would you welcome Joe Namath you know that well of what happened the Rams last Sunday yeah well they played a hot football team as Dallas Cowboys have been playing good for about five weeks all of us who watch that game and the people out here and maybe you could say what all of us and they say how can a team play that well especially during their last three or four games get to the playoffs coming in me Dallas which is a super game and enough absolutely everybody says what happened nobody seemed to know what happened well everyone know that says what happened naturally or the Dahlia or the Rams fans yeah but uh Dallas as I mentioned it played really good football the last five or six weeks and once Los Angeles got behind it was over I saw about four minutes of the game and it was 14 nothing and right away you can smell it that it was over I we played the New York Jets played Dallas the last game of the regular season and prior to the game I had a chance to watch Dallas's three games before that and they were terrific they just kept improving each game and when we played him we almost beat him but of course they were at a low emotional web you know they'd not bench their championship a division and they got against Minnesota won that game and I really felt like they had a good chance of winning against Iran but I never never expected a 37 to 7 game no I you wonder sometimes and I suppose it there's that old saying that on any given Sunday any professional football team of a few breaks here they get demoralized and all of us so that was like a steamroller effect so that's - any any team even during the regular season John the athletes you know you have 40 guys on each team and every year you have 1500 football players come out of college so the 26 NFL teams really have fine athletes so if one team gets hot on a given Sunday they can beat any other team when it gets down to playoff time if a team gets ahead of the other team they're all outstanding defensive teams that are in the playoffs right and once a team gets on top it's very difficult to come back you want to make a prediction I remember you the night 68 67 was it down in Miami when you went down to play the Colts and you said the night before that the Jets were gonna beat Baltimore everybody wanted ads Namath spouting off again and you went out in wiped out Baltimore the next day was one of the big upsets of all time well that was a cinch I took the Baltimore Colts out that night before let me ask you this what I noticed when is your worse key went out and then he threw a couple of passes that seemed to be dropped or it's probably not fair their receivers have a little anxious or something but they look like catchable passes I always wondered what the quarterback says that the poor guy when he misses it goes you know and he practically goes through the little kid thing and jumps up and down and rolls on his back what does the quarterback say when that poor guy has to make that long walk all the way back to the huddle when you've laid the ball right there in the hands and before a hundred and five thousand people did you ever say anything at all or no first I usually say get off me get off please leave me alone watch the knees and a lot of the time you don't get to see what happened at the end of the past but it's not that frustrating because the quarterback goofs up more times than the receivers dropped the ball and any football player when alignment misses a block or a running back fumbles you know working with these guys they're not trying to mess up right it just happens that way you know and say all right we'll get him the next play yeah but Dallas just didn't or excuse me the Rams just didn't have enough offensive punch to come back against Dallas I don't know if anybody would have had enough offensive power to come back against I want to make a guess who's gonna take the Steelers or right Dallas Super Bowl time well Johnny I haven't decided yet who's gonna win that game that depends team you're gonna take out Steve you're gonna take out that night I I didn't get to see any of the games except for about seven minutes of the Dallas Rams game I was voting didn't the Bahamas for a while and we really now yeah anyway I'm gonna look at the films in a few days and try and decide who I think that's a chance to win okay now I want to come back and find out if you're gonna play next year there's all kinds of rumors let's put some of them to rest tonight yes or we'll put them to bed they came to play that's the way you got a top you interviews more people we'll be back in a moment after this message Thank You doc we're back we're talking with Joe Namath Valerie Brian will join us Fernando Lamas and David Horowitz first of all thank you for coming tonight cuz I know you're out here and you're currently in rehearsal with a Tony Orlando and Dawn show right yes over there to do the guest shot when's that gonna be Shawn you don't I believe on about the 13th and we're doing something that it's a little strange to me I'm singing with Tony you're going to sing and well I hope it works well jimmy connors what you know sang on on on Cosell show yeah well Jimmy took Cosell off the air is he gonna do a little singing yeah now are you gonna play football with the Jets that the rumors are all over as they always are in the sports were they gonna be traded there was a rumor that you were gonna go Carole rosenbloom will try to get you out here to go with the LA Rams are you at liberty to to talk about oh sure Carole Rosenbloom should try to get me out here with [Laughter] I'm for that hi where do you stand on these Mageau she ations on their way are you a free agent I'm free oh no no I have a contract with the New York Jets but after last season they may be wearing free to let me move elsewhere the the Jets of course are getting a new coach next year and it's going to be a rebuilding system and you know I don't know how much longer I'm gonna play maybe 1 2 3 4 years but I can't see why they'd want me in their plans to rebuild all right it's something that we'll have to sit down and talk about but I'm definitely gonna play next year's right now in other words if I was Carroll rosenbloom and I came to the night today Joe will get you out of the the contract in New York will you come with the Rams I would certainly talk to him but clothes of course mr. Rosenblum you know he doesn't have good sense sometime [Laughter] probably watch this tonight you'll get the call from Carol tomorrow well I think it's great if you came out here so do i great weather and a great team or a good team that can be better yeah something somebody said you were gonna retire and you're gonna be up in the booth on Monday Night Football that was another rumor what's going around I don't think there's enough room in that booth that's a busy booth you know that's a busy place up there they would only talk about football occasionally once in a while once in a while mentioned there's a football game going on a Gifford gets back to it every now and then but the other two guys Frank really tries to call a game and says hey guys there's a football game going on out there but Howard's talking about a dancing bear he has Bob and the famous Hungarian marching ducks will be our guest how do you get along with Cosell great do you yes we don't see each other I've known Howard you know since I've gotten the New York or started with like Jets and and that was the trip just meeting Howard the first time coming from Alabaman and meeting Howard Cosell in New York Oh God he's something he uh I like to watch him when he's not talking about football because he doesn't know much about football and I said it before and he got a little upset with it but that's the truth Howard doesn't know football he's telling it and they have another guy Alex Karras doing the color with Sheree night thing and Alex said sure Alex and I talked one time and it was after a play that he knocked me down and he was a little rough on old Joe and I didn't like it and so we had a few words between each other that's the only time I ever talked to him and I figured out then that he should be a defensive lineman because he wasn't very bright these guys it's fortunate the Frank Gifford is on that Monday night show how are the knees by the way now people know that you've had the knees and I know what you go through before a game you have to get those knees drained that they do they go in with a needle and they drain fluid out of there and they wrapped them you wear a steel brace and all of that press doesn't that really were you when you stand there and you're standing back to pass and you hear the footsteps is the quarterback say and you know that somebody's gonna Glen I mean maybe if you really get hit badly it could really you know jeopardize the rest of your your life I worry about weenie here weenie is a bad nester bad this one Eric Sweeney yeah and my left knee is a good date know you don't have time to worry about it go back and get hit try to get back up sometimes it's no fun at all out there in the football field when the guys hit you just they add a little extra you know they kind of rub your head in the dirt a little bit and whenever they get up they push your face in there and help themselves up off yet and then they always kind of reach down and help you up after they've done all that it's remarkable to me I mean it almost killed me he helps me and I say thank you like a jerk yeah thank you that was nice too hope we meet again he comes in and gives you another pop ha now what's this story I've known you for a few years ever since Sonny Werblin brought you to New York right you spent a few evenings together as your clubs up you remember oh yes those were my formative years and those were formative years - we had a few nights now and I thought well Joe's growing up now and he's gonna come in on time and all of a sudden I read last week they had a couple of weeks ago they'd find you because you missed a bed check no what was all that about well actually I didn't turn my clock back come on Joe come on it's me what am I went to sleep early and got up earlier bed check are you trying this out on me first time right I don't buy that at all now who was it I don't know I've some football right here and I'm in a book I think he's retired now said admitted to being homosexual that's true it was sorry about that and he said there were at least I'm gonna quote there at least three other quarterbacks in the NFL of a like persuasion now would you care to comment on comment on that at all listen I don't know [Applause] trying to ask a serious question I haven't seen you in a couple of years doesn't make them bad don't see okay I guess that answers that question not gonna pursue it at all oh good to see you again enjoy watching you play you are superb out there you really are good to be here we'll take a break we're coming right back with Valerie pariah [Applause]