Red Right 88: Stunning turn still vivid to 2 key players
1981 — would be forever remembered for the single play that decided its outcome: Red Right 88.
The Raiders had reached the playoffs as a wild card, led by coach Tom Flores and resurgent quarterback Jim Plunkett. The Browns had crafted an exciting 11-5 campaign built largely on late-game comebacks, leading to their nickname, “The Kardiac Kids.” Quarterback Brian Sipe led their cause, alongside head coach Sam Rutigliano.
The stage was set for a classic matchup of two powerful teams. But Mother Nature intervened, creating the coldest NFL game conditions since the famed Ice Bowl of 1967 between the Packers and Cowboys.
Both teams played tentatively, as if on skates, striving to survive as much as thrive. With the Raiders holding on to a 14-12 lead with less than a minute to go, Sipe maneuvered the Browns into scoring position at the Oakland 13-yard line. Things looked bleak for the Raiders. But after a timeout, taken on second down, the Browns chose to run one more play from scrimmage, putting off a field-goal attempt.
That play was Red Right 88. Sipe tried to hit Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome in the end zone with a pass. Raiders strong safety Mike Davis stepped in front of the throw for a game-saving interception.
The game was decided. A rivalry was defined. History was made.
The Raiders went on to win Super Bowl XV that season, defeating the Eagles. The Browns never really recovered. All these years later, they are still seeking their first championship of the Super Bowl era.
The Chronicle contacted the two principals involved in that famous play, Oakland’s Davis and Cleveland’s Sipe.
Both men had plenty to say about a day that will link them ... forever. Here’s their story, in their words: Davis: All week long, the topic was the weather. ... Our trainers even met with the Department of Defense on Treasure Island, asking, “How does the military cope with cold weather?” Sipe: It got cold so fast that water would percolate up through the mud and there were mushrooms of ice. Davis: Before the game, I was sitting next to (Raiders cornerback) Lester Hayes and asked, “Do you think they’re going to call the game off ?” He said: “I don’t think so, roommate.” Sipe: Back then, we had helmets with liquid suspension in them. Several times, I felt the liquid freeze. I had to thaw my helmet out on the sidelines. Davis: In my mind, I always said if ever I was lucky enough to play in the NFL, it would be super to play in Cleveland Municipal Stadium because of the history. Jim Brown, the (NFL) championships, the mystique of it all. The fans were always going crazy. You could feel the greatness of all the ghosts, just tapping you on the shoulder.
Sipe: It was a frozen field. Just a brutal, brutal game. When I was forming the huddle, I’d always look around and see what kind of ground I was on to throw the ball on. Davis: With the playoffs and Super Bowl on the line, two great teams played for it all. They brought their “A” game. We brought our “A” game.’ It all came down to man-on-man football. Davis: On the “Red Right 88” play, they ran a basic formation that puts the tight end about 3.5 yards from the tackle. That was Ozzie Newsome. They ran that formation two times before in the game. Each time, he ran a 12yard out. What I didn’t know was that Ozzie had an option on that play. Now, we’re at the end of the ballgame and they come with the same formation. If you look at the replay, I am playing him at least a yard and a half outside because I’m saying, “There’s no way this guy is going to get a TD on me.” And that’s when he ran a skinny post (pattern). Sipe: I think Sam Rutigliano gave me the highest compliment he could that day. We called timeout and talked about what to do. He, in a sense, said the best chance of winning was for me to throw the ball. He paid me a high compliment that day. I appreciate that. I regret I didn’t come through for us. Davis: The motto of the Raiders secondary, was: “When the game is on the line, you want the ball to come your way.” That was the mentality of our group.
Sipe: I remember that we were running (Browns receiver) Dave Logan on a shallow crossing route. That’s who we talked about throwing the ball to. I saw the safety come down and (Raiders defensive end) Ted Hendricks come off the end. All season long, if there was pressure my way, I’d look for Ozzie on the post. And that’s what I did. Davis: When Ozzie broke to the middle, I said a quick prayer: “Shoes don’t fail me now.” I made that cut and my trusty Nikes were with me. Sipe: I couldn’t set my feet. I knew when it left my hand, I hadn’t put enough on it. Davis: The ball looked like it was coming 100 mph, then the spiral loosened up and I literally saw the pebbles on the football. That’s how intense it was. It was surreal. When I catch the ball, when it hits me ... it felt like a medicine ball hit me in the chest. Sipe: I give Mike (Davis) all the credit in the world, but I didn’t put enough on it. Davis: There was no noise. I was about 30 yards from our sideline. Then I hear our guys saying, “We got the ball!” That’s how quiet it got in that stadium. I literally heard comments from our bench standing in the end zone. Davis: Cleveland made the right call. There’s no way they could kick a field goal in those conditions. That’s what bugs
me. It was no mistake on the lake. None of that. It was the Raiders against the Browns, and the Raiders came out on top. Luckily, I was the guy who made the play.
Sipe: I reconciled that (game) a long time ago. I had a sportswriter come up to me three days after the game, asking for an interview, when I was in New York to receive my MVP award. I wasn’t much in the mood for it. He told me that over time I would see it as something like a blessing. That wasn’t making much sense to me at the time.
Sipe: But something really caused that team to be special in a way that I’ve never known. To this day, we’re still treated like royalty (in Cleveland). It was such an emotional year and ended in such dramatic fashion. ... I think that New York sportswriter had it right. Red Right 88 turned out to be a blessing. I wouldn’t change anything. Davis: It was a remarkable day to play in a remarkable game. When you looked in the eye of every Raider and coach, you saw a relentless look. Coach Flores always said, “Thirty minutes of Raider football in the first half. Thirty minutes of Raider football in the second half.” That was the intensity level we were operating at.
Epilogue
Mike Davis, 59, lives in the greater Phoenix area, running a chain of restaurants. Brian Sipe, 66, returned to his native San Diego, where he coached football and designed homes.
All these years later, Davis and Sipe have never crossed paths. They’ve never talked about the play. Sipe has watched it only once, about 10 years ago. Davis has watched it plenty.
But both men reserve the utmost respect for each other, earned on a frozen field decades ago. You can hear it in the way they talk about each other.
The third key player, Ozzie Newsome, became the general manager of the Ravens after the original Browns moved to Baltimore. It was there that the Hall of Famer finally earned a Super Bowl ring.
Evidently, Newsome still carries chilly memories from that cold day in Cleveland.
“I sent him a picture of the play once, asked him to sign it,” Davis said. “He sent it back and said he couldn’t. It was too painful.
“Ozzie, he still carries that thing. If you ask him today, he would probably refuse to talk about it, or start flapping about how he should’ve caught that pass. I don’t see how. I would’ve been in his shorts.”