Werndl gives fun peek into Eagles history
Former Eagles Allen, McMahon reminisce on Werndl’s radio show
It’s not the size of the signal, but the quality of the guests that make afternoon radio so compelling on The Sports Chatter of Chester County (WCHE 1520AM).
It’s the interaction with host Billy Werndl, who grew up in Sharon Hill and spent much of the last 54 years covering sports around here on every level for the local TVs before switching to radio that brings out the personalities. Werndl is a walking encyclopedia of Philly area sports who comes at you like a dark blend Wawa coffee, no cream or sugar.
The temptation is to say Werndl has kicked it up a notch during the coronavirus pandemic with a parade of iconic guests, including Wednesday’s show.
From his small station mic, Werndl has been filling it up for years with the likes of Pete Rose and other national sports figures, along with players, coaches, executives and media members surrounding Philly’s pro teams, who have appeared on multiple shows. Tom Brady’s new head coach, Bruce Arians? Sports Chatter asked him about the challenge ahead with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But back to Wednesday when Werndl filled his hour long, 2 p.m. slot with a lineup of former Phillies executive Bill Giles, longtime Penn and Temple basketball coach Fran Dunphy, and former Eagles Eric Allen and Jim McMahon.
You need to appreciate the history of this area’s sports to make your guests comfortable and talkative, and that’s the area Werndl rules.
The dual Allen-and McMahon segment Wednesday left everyone on the phone lines and in the studio laughing about 30 seconds into their recollections of the Fog Bowl, the NFL divisional playoff game pitting the Eagles against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 31, 1988 at Soldier Field.
Allen, a Hall of Fame-worthy
cornerback with the Eagles from 1988-1994 and McMahon, who won a Super Bowl with the 1985 Bears and became the Eagles’ starter when Randall Cunningham got hurt in 1991, both said the game began innocently enough before morphing into an episode of the Twilight Zone.
“I just remember how beautiful it was in the first half,” said McMahon, still the Bears starter nearly three years after that Super Bowl XX. “The sun was out. It wasn’t that cold. I thought Philly actually outplayed us in the first half. I think Keith Jackson dropped a touchdown pass or two for them. I just remember going in at halftime and I started seeing the mist. There was a fog coming over the stadium. I just thought it was from people out there tailgating. You know, barbequing sausage and stuff like that. Then we come out 15 minutes later and you can’t see a thing. I remember the referee, Jim Tunney, he was standing on the 50yard line. He looked both ways and he said he could see both goal posts. And that was a flat-out lie. You couldn’t see 20 or 30 feet. “Man, it was crazy.” Allen, after gathering himself, told McMahon “You’re exactly right.
“I thought we were going to suspend the game,” Allen said. “The rules were if the referee stood at the 50-yard line and looked both ways, and he couldn’t see one of the goal posts they would have to suspend the game. He looked one way and he could see the top. The other way it was completely fogged-out. I thought, “Hey, let’s go back to the hotel and try to redo this thing tomorrow.’”
The Bears prevailed, 2012, thanks in part to three Cunningham interceptions and a solid running game. McMahon added insight to a hilarious story, describing the spiteful relationship between Buddy Ryan and Mike Ditka.
When Ryan was defensive coordinator of the Bears, he barely spoke with Ditka, and vice versa. The Bears’ defense carried Ryan off the field after the Super Bowl title. The next year Ryan, who had been brought to the Bears in 1978 by late owner George Halas, became head coach of the Eagles.
“I think it was because Buddy thought he was going to become the head coach and then all of the sudden Ditka appears out of nowhere (in 1982),” McMahon said. “I don’t think he had any respect for Mike early on. Whether or not he did at the end, who knows? But yeah, (Ryan) took advantage of the fact that (Halas) had told him he had a lifetime deal there. He knew he couldn’t get fired and he took really good advantage of it.”
McMahon also took advantage of his relationship with Ryan. Recalling the only loss during the Bears’ Super Bowl season, at Miami, McMahon said the late Walter Payton was within range of a 100-yard game that would have added to a record when Ditka called a pass play. McMahon instead handed the ball to Payton, infuriating Ditka, who called time.
When Ditka called another pass, McMahon said he went back to the huddle and told his teammates “it’s really going to hit the fan now but we ain’t going to throw it. I’m giving it to this guy here.
“Ditka tried to throw his clipboard, his headphones at me and Walter gets another 15 yards,” McMahon said.
McMahon was a fan favorite in Philly, even though he was at the end of his career. He was 9-3 as the starter in parts of two seasons with the Eagles, a time in his career when he was always in pain.
The defensive players noticed.
“What we all enjoyed about Jim was he just loved the game of football and wanted it to be played right,” Allen said. “That’s why we all respected Jim and still love him today.”
Allen hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves after establishing himself as a shutdown corner with the Eagles. He intercepted 34 passes in just seven seasons, a chunk of those after the late Reggie White and the pass rush exited in free agency. Allen took five of those picks to the house. He played seven seasons after leaving the Eagles, including four with the Oakland Raiders.
“With our Eagles teams, the ‘88 team from the start was very talented but we were always missing a little bit of something,” Allen said. “Maybe the running game wasn’t effective. Maybe the offensive line. From ‘88 to ‘94 there was never a team from the Eagles’ perspective that had it all. Offensively we were never hitting on all cylinders. And defensively you lose Reggie White and then Seth (Joyner) and Clyde (Simmons). … It was just a situation where we had great players but we were just missing something.”
Not so Wednesday over the airwaves from West Chester. Allen, McMahon and Werndl were all still on their game.