• The Saints played the G-men tough which surprised the 14-point favorites and their fans since New Orleans had lost their first three contests by a combined 99-30.
• For the first time in their brief history, the Saints led going into the fourth quarter, 21-20.
• If they had held on, the game would be remembered as the franchise's first triumph. Instead, the contest conjures images of the fight that broke out as the teams left the field.

The visitors matched the Giants touchdown for touchdown in the first three periods, the difference being a blocked PAT kick after New York's third six pointer.

• After Ernie Koy culminated a 60y, eight-play drive on the Giants' first possession with a 1y plunge. The key play was a patented Tarkenton scramble out of the pocket on third-and-four at the NY 46 for 8y. Two plays later, Fran rifled one down the middle to Aaron Thomas, who made a leaping catch at the 10 and continued to the two.
• A roughing the passer penalty allowed Gary Cuozzo to lead the Saints 69y for the tying score. The flag negated Carl Lockhart's interception. WR John Gilliam caught a 9y pass and also rambled 15y on an end around when the Giants were massed in the middle on a third-and-one. The touchdown came on a 13y strike to Danny Abramowicz on a post pattern. Charlie Durkee booted the tying point.
• The Black and Gold took the lead early in the second quarter following an interception by Ray Hart, activated the previous week from the taxi squad. Starting at his 31, Cuozzo connected on a big third-and-ten play to Vern Burke, another taxi squad product, for 21y to the NY 37. Another third down play followed when Abramowicz coralled a pass down the sidelines and cut back to the middle to complete a 27y gain to the one. Gary sneaked across to make it 14-7 after another Durkee extra point.
• DB Dave Whitsell repelled the Giants' next thrust when he blocked a field goal attempt and ran the ball to the NO 41. But Tarkenton came right back on the next possession, engineering an 80y march in 10 plays to tie it up. As usual, a third down conversion played a key role, Tark throwing to Homer Jones to the NO 28. Seven plays later, Tucker Frederickson ran around right end from the two to make it 14-14.
• The G-men had a great chance to take the lead right before the break. The opportunity was set up when NO punter Tom McNeill, under a heavy rush, ran for his life but failed to get a first down at the 37. Tarkenton then hit Thomas to the 11 with 0:02 on the clock. But Les Murdock's easy field goal try sailed wide.

• The Giants took the kickoff and traveled 78y in 10 plays to score on Fran's 34y pass to Jones. But Whitsell struck again on the PAT attempt, blocking Murdock's boot.
• Cuozzo answered right back with a 70y march in eight plays. On the touchdown, Gary imitated Fran, running out of the pocket and hitting Gilliam when the Giant defensive back came up to stop the run. The play covered 19y. Durkee converted for a one-point lead.
• Perhaps the key play of the afternoon occurred after NY punted on a fourth-and-six on the NO 47. But the Saints had 12 men on the field. So the Giants decided to go for it. Tark handed off to the 230lb Koy. A Saint hit him behind the line, but he bounced off and reached the 40 to move the chains. Saints coach Tom Fears said afterwards that he thought the whistle blew after the first hit. A few plays later, Fran connected with Tucker Frederickson to the 11. Then the Human Eel escaped a collapsing pocket and threw to former Ole Miss star Bobby Crespino for the go-ahead touchdown with 7:53 remaining. The PAT made it 27-21.
• The Giants got the ball again three minutes later. They moved smartly from their 32 to the NO 11 before bogging down. So former LSU Tiger Wendell Harris came in for the clinching field goal. But, incredibly, for the third time of the afternoon, Whitsell broke through and blocked the kick.
• That gave the Saints 55 seconds to try to pull the game out. Cuozzo moved the ball to the NY 45 with 0:05 left. Facing a prevent defense, Gary ducked a hard rush and fired long to a speeding Abramowicz. The ball was deflected by a defender into the hands of DB Carl Lockhart who was a few feet from Danny.

The play that triggered the fisticuffs occured on the Saints' final drive.

• Tom Hall snagged Cuozo's pass and ran out of bounds on the NY 45 in front of the Giants bench. Hall collided with Gregg Larson who was standing 5y deep on the sideline. Larson appeared to smash his former teammate at the University of Minnesota with an elbow.
• Enraged by what he considered a cheap shot, LB Steve Stonebreaker ran clear across the field from the Saints sideline to confront Larson. He lunged at the 250 lb center and yelled at him. But the officials corraled Steve and sent him back to his bench so they could mark the ball ready for the final play.
• Stonebreaker told DE Doug Atkins: I'm going to get that guy after the game. You with me? Atkins recalls: I was worn out, but I couldn't say no.
• Sure enough, as soon as the game ended, Steve told Doug, Just follow me. So the two of them looked for Larson as the teams crossed paths heading to their dressing rooms. By the time Stonebreaker blindsided Larson, most of the players had disappeared into the bowels of the stadium or else the ensuing melee might have been far larger.
• Atkins: Stoney and I were the only ones over there for a while, and they were just working on us. We were in the hornets' nest. I swatted one this way, and one that way. I think we fought all the way from the 20y line down to the 30. At the end of it, I was so tired I didn't know what happened to Stonebreaker. About three or four of them had a hold of me. I was so weak ... I couldn't pick my arms up. I was at their mercy. Some old defensive halfback for them was standing about five or six feet from me and was just hitting me with his headgear like he was beating on a drum. ... At 37 I'm getting too old for this kind of thing.
• Finally, DT Dave Rowe came to Doug's rescue. He hit that whole pile and knocked them all off of me. I was never so glad to see a man in all my life.
• One of the helmet swingers was Jones. I was just protecting myself, he said afterwards. They were coming across the field at me so fast. I just started swinging my helmet.
• Even Saints owner John Mecom got involved in the scuffle after viewing the game from the sideline. Somebody took a punch at me and I lost my cool. I threw a punch at Number 81 [DB Freeman White] but I missed and hurt my arm.
• The brawl spilled into the exits and even into the stands before the coaches and stadium police finally got control. Saints radio color analyst Norm Van Brocklin called it the best fight in Yankee Stadium in years.
• Stonebreaker told the press: It was worse than a cheap shot. He had no excuse.
• But Larson had a different take: He was coming right at me. I couldn't get out of the way. That's all I'm going to say.
• After reviewing films of the game, William Wallace of the New York Times wrote a column vindicating Larson. The film showed it was much ado about nothing. Larson, standing too near the sideline with less than a minute to play, pushed Hall ... and it was a good push. But no elbow was swung.
• Giants coach Allie Sherman: That was no cheap shot. It was just a collision. Poor Larson feels terrible about what happened.

Postscripts

• Times-Picayune Sports Editor Bob Roesler had a suggestion: Someone can make a sack full of money if he could talk Steve Stonebreaker into taking up boxing, polishing up his left hook and entering him in the heavyweight eliminations. The Saints linebacker has everything, a good right hand, speed, size and guts. He proved that on the floor of Yankee Stadium last Sunday.
• On October 26, Fears named Stonebreaker as one of the team's permanent captains. Stonebreaker is a hard, tough football player. He works himself up for every game and this gives us leadership. He's a man with battlefield experience ...
• Five days later, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle informed Stonebreaker that he had been fined for his role in the altercation in New York. Steve: I'd rather not say how much the fine was. But you can take my word for it, it was what you might call substantial. No, I haven't paid it yet because I don't have that much "mad money" hanging around. One source pegged the levy at $2,500.
• Several Saints fans started a fund to help Steve pay his fine. Dozens of checks came in. But Rozelle got wind of the scheme and, perhaps fearing a bad precedent being set, called Saints GM Bert Rose to advise Stoney against using the donations for the fine. So Steve announced that all contributions would be turned over to charity and that he would pay the entire fine himself.
• Still, Stonebreaker endeared himself to Saints fans, some of whom draped a huge banner over the upper deck railing in the south end zone of Tulane Stadium proclaiming themselves Stoney's Sinners.

• The Capital Division also included the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
• So New Orleans played Washington twice, hosting the opener and visiting the Redskins for the second-to-last game of the season.

Continued below ...

• A win would guarantee Washington their first winning season since 1955 when they went 8-4 under Joe Kuharich.
• QB Sonny Jurgensen led the league in both completion % (62.7) and passing yardage (2729). WR Charley Taylor tied for second behind the Saints' Danny Abramowicz in receptions. RB Larry Brown ranked fifth in rushing (795y).
• It was a different story on the other side of the ball. The defense gave up more yards than Jurgensen's O gained. Opponents also ran more plays than the Skins.

The Saints stood at 4-8.

• After three straight wins, they had lost at Atlanta 45-17 the week before traveling to Washington.
• Abramowicz continued to be a bright spot for the franchise. The WR had become the third receiver in league history with 50 or more catches in his first three years along with Mike Ditka, still playing with Dallas, and Saints' coach Tom Fears.
• Fears' two big backs, Andy Livingston and Tony Baker, who had given Washington so much trouble in the first game, led the team with 640 and 558y respectively. Andy ranked eighth and Tony, eleventh, on the NFL rushing list.

The weather and the turf combined to create a drab atmosphere at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium.

• The temperature was 35° but the 10 mph wind and 72% relative humidity lowered the wind chill to 28 for the 50,354 in attendance. The remains of the Washington Senators' infield was now frozen mud.
• Lombardi came out in a pair of rubbers, which hardly fit his hardy image. He expected the Saints to run the ball just as they had done for 217y in New Orleans nearly three months earlier.

The game was a Tale of Two Halves, the home team winning the first by a bigger margin than the visitors won the second.

• QB Billy Kilmer had gone to a hospital that morning for treatment for a stomach virus. In addition, he suffered from a bad shoulder. In retrospect, Fears would regret starting Billy as offensive errors contributed to a 17-0 Redskins margin that backup QB Edd Hargett couldn't overcome.
• Neither team showed much offensive punch early. After an exchange of punts, Washington capitalized on a poor, low punt by Ollie Cordill that former Saint Walt "Flea" Roberts returned 23y to the N.O. 38. Six plays later, RB Charlie Harraway scored from the 11 with 5:14 on the clock. The key play was a third down Jurgensen pass to TE Jerry Smith for 11y to the 20.
• The Redskin D came alive at that point and held the Saints without a first down the rest of Q1 and most of Q2. Sam Huff & Company forced a three-and-out, but this time Cordill boomed a 52-yarder to the 1.
• The Saints nearly got a break when Harraway fumbled but, after a scramble, recovered himself at the 7. (No doubt he feared Lombardi's wrath when he returned to the sideline.) Still, N.O. got good field position on the subsequent punt.
• But that's when Kilmer made his first mistake. Trying to hit WR Al Dodd on a turn-in, Billy overshot him. Mike Bass intercepted at the 30 and returned the ball 21y to the Saint 45.
• On third and one at the 36, Jurgensen went for the long ball, throwing deep to Taylor over the middle. But Gene Howard appeared at the last moment to bat down what seconds before looked like a sure touchdown pass. Curt Knight then missed a 44y field goal.
• After an exchange of punts, Kilmer moved the Saints to a long-awaited first down. But Kilmer threw for Dodd again, but Al and the ball took different paths. DB Rickie Harris snagged the errant pigskin and set sail down the sidelines until Kilmer ran him out of bounds at the 28.
• Two plays later, Jurgensen hit Smith slanting over the middle to the 15. But the Saints tightened and forced a 19y field goal to fatten the lead to 10-0 with 4:14 left in the half.
• Fears sent in Hargett on the next series, but the rookie couldn't dig out of a hole created by a 15y penalty. So Cordill punted to the Redskin 47.
• With time waning in the half, Jurgensen needed only four plays to make it 17-0. Passes to Harraway and Bob Long put the ball on the 30. After Bo Burris dropped a sure interception, Sonny hit Harraway out of the backfield, and the 215-pounder rambled into the EZ with 1:12 left.
• Hargett managed to get the offense moving. The Saints found themselves on the Washington 37 with nine seconds remaining. Fears opted to pass up the field goal but, in keeping with the way the half went, the decision backfired. Hargett hit Baker over the middle, and Tony broke two tackles before being hauled down at the 5. Unfortunately, the gun went off before the Saints could stop the clock. The loss of a possible 3 points would come back to haunt them.

• They began Q3 with a six-minute drive that fell 4y short of a first down at midfield. Mike Bragg came in to kick but, when Elijah Nevett charged in from the outside, decided to run around RE. LB Les Kelley tackled him 1y short, giving the Saints excellent field position.
• Hargett went to his running game, and Baker and Livingston responded by moving the ball to the 24 on two first downs. Andy gobbled up another 14 on a power sweep. After an incompletion, Hargett tossed to Don Shy who was stopped inches short of the goal. Don carried it in over the right side on the next play to finally break the Saints' scoring drought. Tom Dempsey's conversion made it 17-7 with 4:35 left in the period.
• With Jurgensen not nearly as sharp as he was the first 30 minutes, the Saints defense stifled the Skins on their next possession but roughing the kicker and piling on penalties enabled Washington to move from their 20 to the 43 but no further. Bragg atoned somewhat for his earlier mistake by punting 47y to the 3.
• Not playing like a rookie on the road, Hargett proceeded to move the Saints 97y. A pass to WR Dave Parks and a reverse by Shy picked up a pair of first downs to the 35. Then Baker took a short pass and ran hard to the Washington 39. Livingston ripped off 15 on the next play, and Ernie Wheelwright tacked on 19 more on the next for a first down at the 5. Huff came in to lead a goal-line stand, and the Skins stuffed Shy twice, Sam leading the charge the second time. But on third down, Ernie weaved through the middle to score standing up. 17-14 with 12:05 left in the game.
• Lombardi needed his offense to come back to life and it did briefly. Sonny hit Taylor for 20y to the midfield stripe. After another first down on the ground, the Redskins faced third-and-1 at the 30. Jurgensen handed to Harraway. The official fished around for the ball in the pile-up and put it back at the line of scrimmage, a misplacement in the eyes of booing Washington fans. Knowing that a field goal would still leave him vulnerable to a Saints touchdown, Lombardi decided to go for it. But LB Johnny Brewer stopped Harraway short.
• 5:20 gave the Saints plenty of time to run as well as pass. Baker and Living­ston alternated carries to midfield. Faced with fourth-and-one and a half, Har­gett sent Andy behind RT Errol Linden for 5 to keep the drive alive. Another 3y Livingston gain brought the clock down to the two-minute warning. When play resumed, Edd went back to pass but didn't see Baker in the clear in first-down territory. Instead, he failed to connect with Shy. On third down, DE Marlin McKeever blitzed, forcing Hargett to unload the ball far short of Dodd. On fourth-and-seven, the Redskins again mounted a rush, forcing Edd out of the pocket. It appeared he could run for the first down, but he paused to pump the ball before realizing his best bet was to keep running. LB Harold McClinton knocked him out of bounds at the 42, far short of the marker. Jurgensen ran out the clock with the help of a third-down pass to Taylor.

Despite failing to score in the second half, the Redskins left the field with the ugly win and their first winning season in fourteen years.

• Reporters questioned the Saints about the final play of the first half.
  Fears: I was pleased with Hargett. We just ran out of time in the first half. We should have come away with some points, but we didn't.
  Hargett: If he [Baker] had been tackled where he was supposed to, we would have been able to kick a field goal. But he made a great run. It's just too bad we couldn't get some points at that time. I guess I should have thrown the ball out of bounds to stop the clock so we could have kicked the field goal. ... I knew I had to be ready. I knew he [Kilmer] was sick. Even both of his shoulders were hurting him.
• As to the Saints' last offensive play when he failed to get the first down, Hargett said: I guess it was just a little indecision on my part. I probably could have made the first if I had run with the ball but I hesitated. If I hadn't hesitated, Baker would have been able to throw a block on the LB and would have sprung me loose.
• Lombardi praised Hargett. He's a helluva kid. He came in an settled down their offense and got it moving. He'll be all right.
• Washington reporters asked Vince about Jurgensen's daring pass to Taylor in the last minute. What the hell am I going to do? What do you suggest we do on third down? Hell, the way we were moving the ball we might as well pass. We needed the first down. We didn't do much all day. I don't know why. I'll have to wait for the films. Why the hell Bragg ran with that punt I'll never know. Hamburger had the guy coming in blocked. No way he could have got to the punter. But, hell, Bragg's a pro. He must have known what he was doing. He was out there to make the judgment, not me.
• Another questioner asked the coach if he was disappointed in the season. I feel good about a winning season. I thought we could have one. I've never had a losing season. A reporter's voice rang out, You haven't been here long enough. Who said that? demanded Vince. You really have a lot of faith, don't you? Jesus! Thanks a lot.

It was a good that the Redskins held on against the Saints because they ended the season the next week with a 20-10 loss at Dallas to finish 7-5-2. New Orleans beat the Steelers in their finale to end 5-9 after 4-9-1 in '68 and 3-11 on their maiden voyage in '67.

1969 turned out to be Vince's only season with the Redskins. He died of cancer September 3, 1970.

• Dobler started his NFL career with six fine seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, making the Pro Bowl in 1975-6-7.
• GM Joe Sullivan took a great deal of flak in St. Louis when he traded Con­rad to the Saints before the 1978 season. I trade Conrad Dobler, and all of a sudden the town turns upside down, Sullivan moaned. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll found more than two-thirds of respondents disapproved the deal.
• Conrad hated to leave what he considered the best offensive line in the league. But any resentment dissipated when he signed his contract with John Mecom. As Dobler explained in his autobiography: I couldn't have been happier about my contract with the Saints. Counting the signing bonus of $60,000 (very modest by today's standards, but a lot of bread for an offen­sive lineman at the time), the $175,000 I made in that first year with New Orleans was more than I had made in six with St. Louis.

Dobler tried to bring the same unity the O-line had in St. Louis to New Orleans.

• I tried to be a leader, employing the same methods that did so much to create the incredible bonding - such as the fine system, which required members of the offensive line to throw five dollars into a kitty for each sack they allowed or assignment they missed. At the end of the season, we'd use the money to give ourselves a party. ... As it turned out, the fine system was as big a suc­cess in New Orleans ... as it was in St. Louis.
• The Saints responded positively to their new leader.
  C John Hill: Conrad has a certain persona about him that emanates. Eve­ryone picks it up, the way he talks, the way he acts ... it's a tough, aggressive attitude.
  QB Archie Manning: I'll admit it, I'm a Conrad Dobler fan. There is some­thing special about the guy. Wherever he's been, he's made a contribution. I know I've never been so inspired by another football player. Conrad is the only man I ever met who wears his game face 365 days a year.
• The Saints O line improved in Dobler's first year with the team, even though a knee injury finished his season after just three games. The Saints went from 3-11 in '77 to 7-9 in '78, the most wins in their 12-year history. In '79, when Conrad played in all 16 games, they reached the .500 mark for the first time. The O-line surrendered only 17 sacks that season, second lowest in the league and 20 fewer than in '78. They were dubbed "Archie's Bunker."

The morning he was to leave for his third Saints training camp, Dobler received a call from head coach Dick Nolan.

• Conrad, I just wanted to let you know that we have worked out a trade, and you'll be going to the Buffalo Bills.
• Conrad recalls: I couldn't believe my ears. ... I was really looking forward to helping the Saints finally get over the hump, finally become a winner. And be­sides all that, we owned a beautiful home in New Orleans. We loved it there. The fabulous restaurants. Bourbon Street. It was my kind of town.
• After explaining that the Saints had placed Dobler on waivers and the Buffalo had claimed him - although the Saints could have recalled him, Nolan told him: We truly appreciate all that you've done for us over the past two years.
• Conrad, who didn't think much of Nolan, wanted none of that. Save it. I just want you to know that you're making the biggest mistake of your life. You're not going to win without me.
• Nolan: Well, Conrad, I'm sorry you feel that way.
• The Saints had drafted Stan Brock with their #1 pick and felt they had enough depth at G.

Bills coach Chuck Knox took advantage of Dobler's knowledge of the Saints as Game 3 approached.

• Dobler: A week before the game, Knox came up to me and asked, "What can you tell us about these guys?" I didn't hesitate one second before giving him everything I knew, right down to what Nolan ate for breakfast each morning. ... He even had me lecture the Bills' defensive linemen about the Saints' of­fensive line. The players in the meeting room gave me a big hand when I was introduced as Coach Dobler. I made certain to keep the language as simple as possible so I wouldn't lose any of them. [Conrad didn't have high esteem for the intelligence of NFL players in general and D-linemen in particular.]
• The biggest thing I looked forward to in the Saints' game was the chance to play for keeps against the defensive lineman I had only practiced against for two years. I wasn't practicing real hard at that point in my career. I would let people get by me all the time in one-on-one drills and they would be very proud of themselves.

The Buffalo line improved with Dobler while the Saints' front got weaker.

• The Bills had allowed no sacks in their first two games, both victories. Knox pointed to the 30-year-old Dobler as a stabilzing force. Conrad has done a fine job for us; he's an inspirational guy, a tough guy, and he's playing well. We're a better offensive team this year. I think the offensive line is doing a better job of blocking.
• The Saints, on the other hand, had lost both their contests, scoring only 3 points in Game 2 against the Bears.
• Brock started at RT while Robert Woods moved from that spot to Dobler's old RG position. Nolan admitted that Stan was having trouble adjusting to the NFL. He's had his problems. He's been caught holding and clipping. But he's going to be really good in a year or so.
• Stan acknowledge his difficulties:This is 100 percent different than anything I've seen in college. It's a different game. I'd call it a learning experience.

Dobler would wage a personal vendetta that Sunday on the Dome floor.

To be continued ...