Paper Lion (1968) Movie Script

MAN ON PA:

Under sponsorship of

Sports Illustrated magazine,

George Plimpton will

pitch to the entire

National League

and American League

All Star lineups.

The team which gets

the most hits will share

a cash prize.

MAN ON PA: In black trunks,

sports writer, George Plimpton

on assignment for

Sports Illustrated magazine,

will box three rounds with

the middle weight champion

of the world,

the great Sugar Ray Robinson.

(INAUDIBLE)

WOMAN ON MACHINE:

Mr. Plimpton, please call

Oscar Barnes

at Sports Illustrated.

(BEEPS)

MAN: George,

football game on Sunday.

Sheep's Meadow,

Central Park.

Elevenish.

OSCAR: George, Oscar.

Have to talk to you.

Call me.

(BEEPS)

WOMAN: George,

please call Jeanie

at Murray Hill 14654.

That's, Jeanie at

MU 14654.

George, this is Oscar!

For God's sake,

return your calls.

Oscar.

This place looks

like a disaster area.

(CLEARS THROAT)

GEORGE: Did you call

the printer?

Yeah, I told him

we'd have the dummy

for next month's edition

ready first thing

in the morning.

All right. I want to use

the Frank Conroy story.

Okay.

Arthur's article on NATO.

Yeah?

The Baldwin interview.

Foreign?

Bernadette's poem.

Which one?

This one.

Okay. Anything else?

Yes.

(LAUGHS)

Scrub my back.

Theron, throw me a shovel

pass to the right.

Let's go.

MAN: Hike.

Go! Go!

(ALL YELLING)

Where the hell were you?

You were supposed to be

blocking him.

Oh, yeah.

No, no, George.

Six, that's the magic number.

That's how many articles

you still owe us.

I know, I swear

I'm thinking every minute.

Oh, yeah, more about

editing your magazine

than writing for mine.

Hey, how about sky diving?

We could use a piece.

You know, how it feels

to float from 10,000 feet.

Especially on the first jump.

No, thank you, Oscar.

ALL: Hey, come on, let's go!

Come on. Run it stiff.

Kate, it's touch football,

touch!

Two hands below the waist.

I know.

I just got carried away.

All right, let's go,

let's play.

George, I've got it.

Something with a little

circus color, see?

Like standing up for

a knife-thrower. Huh?

No. Come on, it's our down!

All right, now, now.

Ann, you go down

about 10 yards and

cut into the center.

Okay?

Oh, listen. Now some guys

ride the backs of sharks.

They say

it's a hell of a thrill.

And not too dangerous at all.

You just sneak up

behind the shark,

and grab hold

of the dorsal fin.

Oscar, you're the left guard.

Sure. Sure.

MAN: Come on, let's go.

Hike!

(ALL SHOUTING)

Let's go.

(CHATTERING)

All right, now, listen.

Oscar, I think

I can beat Kent.

Why don't you send

the shovel pass

to the left, okay?

Let's go.

Ready? Hike!

George, I've got it.

Pro football.

You're a rookie quarterback

trying to make the team.

(CROWD CHEERING)

Kate, the play is over.

I scored.

I like tackling you.

Oh, yeah?

Okay, come on.

Now, look. Listen, George.

No kidding.

There's a lot of interest

in pro-ball.

It's damn near

the national sport.

I can see the whole

six articles on it.

That would get you off the

hook with me completely.

Come on, Oscar,

he'll get bombed.

Oh, I don't know

about that.

He got in the ring

with Sugar Ray, didn't he?

It's not a guy with gloves.

It's 11 with bare knuckles.

Yeah, he'd get destroyed.

I don't think so.

George has a certain

amount of natural ability.

OSCAR: Right, he pitched

to the All Stars, didn't he?

ANN: You bet your life he did.

What a game that was.

Strike!

I still say, it's not

just a matter of him

getting out there by himself

and throwing the ball,

you know.

Yeah, he'd have

to learn the plays,

he'd have to work out

with the team.

No club would let him.

Well, that's

Sports Illustrated's job.

And I think we can set it up.

(CHUCKLES) Yeah, I still think

he's gonna get killed.

And I've got a

grand to back it up!

OSCAR: Yeah, well I say

he'll do all right.

Maybe even damn good,

and I've got a grand

to back that up.

Now, let's go over to my

house and have a drink.

George?

I didn't say anything.

Aren't you a little old

for stunts?

Well, it's better

than riding a shark.

Personally, I think you ought

to have your head examined

which should be easy.

You'll be holding it in

your hands.

(LAUGHS) Is that so?

Go on out for a pass.

No, thank you.

I've hung up my cleats.

Pro football from the inside,

is that what you really

want, George?

That's the idea, Coach.

In other words,

you want the fans

to get a real good look

at the head knocking,

the training, et cetera,

that goes into the making

of a professional

football team?

That's it and then at the end,

I go into a real game

and run off a few plays

at quarterback.

A real game?

You've got to be kidding.

No, that's what the whole

thing is leading to.

And you mean

to tell me that

you went three rounds

with Sugar Ray Robinson?

Pitched to the All Stars, huh?

(CROWD CHEERING)

Well, I will say

it's an interesting idea.

A real interesting idea.

But, you know, George,

we carry four

quarterbacks now,

and to ask us to carry five,

I think that would be

a real headache.

I just don't think

it will work.

Have you tried the AFL?

Didn't Mr. Reeves

get my letter

explaining everything?

No.

No, no, you see

the idea is for me,

an amateur, to go through

the Rams training camp.

It's all explained

in my letter. It...

Oh, never mind. No.

No, no, it's all right.

No, thank you very much.

Goodbye.

Kate, get off a letter

to the Colts, the Bears

and the Lions.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

Thing is I haven't been

able to get any club

to go along with me yet.

I was kind of hoping you'd

put in a good word for me

with the Giants.

I've got a good word

for you George.

Forget about

being quarterback.

Just stay out

of the pit, George,

whatever you do,

stay out of the pit.

Hiya, honey?

Hi.

Frank, I appreciate

what you're saying,

but it has to be

quarterback,

that's the nerve center

of the team.

George, you're crazy.

Why don't you just forget

this whole idea?

These guys are big.

6'5", 6'6".

250, 260 pounds.

What if they make a mistake?

Remember Y.A. Tittle

in the Pittsburgh game

in 1964?

One shot,

we missed one block.

Zip, he's out for the season.

John Baker hit him a shot

you would not believe.

And I know you saw

the Baltimore, L.A. game

a couple of years ago.

What they did to

Johnny Unitas was

inhuman.

These are well conditioned,

professional athletes.

They're big.

If they make a mistake,

something goes wrong

and they hit you one time,

it is all over.

Forget about it, George.

Come, George,

come dance with me.

And, George, if a club

does say yes,

remember,

stay out of the pit.

FRANK: Boy,

he's off his rocker.

George!

Kate!

GEORGE: What?

I can't hear you.

Kate, what is it?

What's what?

All the stuff,

what is all that?

Oh, that. The Detroit Lions.

What about them?

Oh, we got a call.

They said maybe.

GEORGE: Well,

what do you think?

(LAUGHS)

I like it.

I like the idea.

Of course,

playing on the team is

up to Coach Schmidt.

George, there is something

about pro-football

you have to understand.

It's hitting.

That's what it's all about.

Oh, sure, Coach.

I know that.

George is very athletic,

you know.

He mixed it up pretty well

with Sugar Ray Robinson.

(BELL RINGING)

And he also

pitched in the All Stars.

(PEOPLE CHEERING)

Did you ever think about

split end instead of

quarterback?

No, that's the

whole idea, Coach.

Rookie quarterback

trying to make the team.

I wouldn't want any special

treatment or privileges.

I wouldn't even want

the players to know

I'm a writer.

Even have the cover worked

out for myself.

That I've been playing

semipro in Canada.

Well, the coaching staff

would have to know.

Oh, sure, the staff.

And of course, the doctor.

Okay, but that's all.

Look, Coach,

if it's not working out,

you can always cut me.

All right, you have

yourself a deal.

Thank you, Joe.

Thanks a lot.

I really appreciate this.

I have a few errands

to take care of, George.

We'll see you

in training camp.

I hope you're going

to be in shape.

Okay.

See you.

Okay, Joe.

Oh, George,

I have some papers here,

I'd like you to sign.

Releases for the club

in case of mishap.

Merely a formality.

Listen, have you done

anything about insurance?

What?

Lloyds wouldn't touch it,

I asked.

I have a friend in Detroit.

You can pick up $25,000

in case of death,

dismemberment,

or loss of sight.

Here sign this

last page on the bottom.

Bill, what do you think

of our running back situation?

I think that's our

strongest point in

the whole ball club.

I say that especially

because of Eddie

and Farr coming in,

the two top rookies.

Karl, you saw a lot

of Farr last year.

What did he do

in the 40 yard dash?

KARL: Farr has got

real good speed.

He ran the 40 yard dash

in 4.5.

BILL: That's fast enough.

JOHN: How about Jim Getzke?

How big is he?

KARL: He's 6'1", 195.

JOHN: What school

did he go to?

He's a free agent from

Santa Barbara College

in California.

JOE: How about Tim Jones?

He has a chance

at quarterback, Joe.

But, I still think it'll be

between Sweetan and Plum.

Hey, speaking of

quarterbacks,

here comes your last string

quarterback now.

JOE: Put him on

the chart, Bill.

Plimpton.

BILL: Yeah, this ought to do,

Super Bowl team.

Dorm's right through

that door.

Across the lawn.

(MAN CHATTERING ON RADIO)

Go!

Gee, man, you must play

with Roger Brown.

He'll make mince meat

out of you, baby.

Hi.

How are you doin'?

My name is Plimpton.

George.

Oh, yeah!

What position do you play?

Quarterback!

I'm trying out for

quarterback.

Oh, yeah, man, everybody

loves a quarterback.

Call my number, baby,

so I can shine.

You know Roger Brown,

he's human like

everybody else.

MAN: They're all so big

I'm not sure any of them

are human.

You know, we had a guy

that weighed 320 pounds

in college?

He needed two chairs

to sit on.

Uncoordinated.

Yeah, he couldn't

chew bubble gum and

walk at the same time.

Over here, George.

This side is for vets.

(CHATTERING)

You're kind of old

to be a rookie, aren't you?

I've been playing

semipro ball.

Semipro?

Who did you play with?

The Newfoundland.

The Newfoundland Newfs.

The Newfs?

Newfs!

Newfs?

What's a Newf, man?

It sounds like a bug to me.

I don't know.

(LAUGHING)

Here you are!

MAN 1:You can't say a thing

about my game, Roger.

MAN 2: I've heard

all about it.

That big guy with

the red shirt on.

Huh?

That's Roger Brown.

He sure is big, isn't he?

Yeah.

Sometimes I play golf.

Hey, Roge, is that all

you gonna eat?

They fine me $10

for every pound over 300.

Man, this is all my appetite

can afford.

Don't worry, Roge.

They'll give you a choice.

They'll either bleed you

or fine you.

Sure, Roge, you eat anything

you damn please.

Just don't swallow.

You've done

a lot of things, right?

But Eva Braun was a woman,

how come you got...

That was a woman, baby.

I looked good, though.

The ugliest woman I ever saw.

Are you kidding?

I looked great. I had

blonde hair, big charlies.

And I have leather boots

all the way up to my...

(ALL LAUGHING)

That's Alex Karras

over there.

Hey, Alex,

tell us about Hitler.

You two are quite a pair.

That was a front,

I'll tell you something.

You really wanna

know about Hitler?

He was a broad.

What?

Broad.

(ALL LAUGHING)

No, I'm not kidding.

Do you know who he really was?

He was my mother-in-law

from Clinton.

Excuse me.

Hey, rook,

up on a chair.

Your hand over your heart,

let's hear it

for your Alma Mater.

Alma Mater.

* Fight on tonight, boys,

fight on to win

* Fight on tonight, boys,

fight on to win

* You do your best now,

we'll do the rest

* I'll fight on for victory

Yeah, yeah. You're next.

* Zumba, zumba, zumba

* I ziggy zumba, zumba, zay

* I ziggy zumba, zumba, zumba,

I ziggy zumba, zumba, zay

* Roll along, you BG warriors

* Roll along

and fight for BGSU *

Yeah!

No, I hear you, Kevin.

* Cheer, cheer for

old Notre Dame

Oh, here comes my bonus, baby.

Half a million dollars

for that kind of singing.

(BOOING)

You kidding me?

Sit down!

It's funny,

he can't sing.

* Notre Dame

will win over all

* While her loyal sons

are marching

onward to victory *

Take your truck

and go home!

(PEOPLE BOOING)

Spend some of that

money on singing lessons.

* Hail to the Victors valiant

* And hail to

the conquering heroes

* Hail! Hail! To Michigan

Not Frank Sinatra but...

What are you saying?

* Go, you North Western

* Break right

through that line

* With the colors flying,

we will tear you all apart

* Rah, rah, rah

Great, he got great feeling,

this guy.

He plays better

than he sings.

(LAUGHING)

* Crimson in triumph flashing

* Through the blue obscurity

* We'll fight for

the name of Harvard

Harvard?

* Till that last

white line is past *

White line.

That's horrible!

Who's that guy?

Some rookie quarterback

from Harvard.

From Harvard?

I didn't know the guy

was from Harvard.

You didn't play

football there?

How many rookies do you

think will make it this year?

None of 'em.

(ALL LAUGHING)

First rule

I'd like to talk about

governs the play book.

Now, a lot of time

and effort in the off season

has gone into

compiling the information

in this book.

A lot of classified

information.

It doesn't belong to anyone

else but the Detroit Lions.

So if you lose a book,

it's $500.

All right. Meetings.

Everybody is to be on

time for your meetings.

If you're not on time,

it results in a $50 fine.

Plus a dollar a minute.

All right, if you're

late for a practice,

that's $100.

All right, if you

miss a practice,

that is $200.

Now if you're late

for a meal, that's $25.

If you miss, it's $50.

Transportation, $200 bucks,

if you miss a plane.

If you're late for a bus,

it's $100.

All right, curfew will be

at 11:00.

Lights out at 12.

Now, when I say 11:00,

I want you in your room,

not in the john,

and not in the hall,

milling around with the rest

of the ball players.

But in your room.

Now, if you're not

in your room,

you'll be marked absent.

Now that's $200 right there.

If I catch you with

any women in the dormitory

or in your room,

that's a $500 fine.

$500.

So she'd better be worth it.

(ALL LAUGHING)

All right, a few words

to you rookies.

A little advice.

You're here for one reason,

to make this ball club.

Everything you do

should go to that end.

On the 29th, that's our

first big scrimmage.

And right after that,

we have a cut.

Starting to get down

to our 40-man roster.

So you better be on your toes

every time you step

on that football field.

How do you feel, Mike?

I guess all right.

That's good. That's you.

How about a hand, Ernie?

There you go.

Are you okay, Ernie?

Fine, Friday.

Nick, all right?

Fine, Friday.

You still wear 40 long, Roger?

Right, Friday.

There you are.

(MEN CHATTERING)

How's the knee, Mickey?

Real great!

Good, baby, good.

What's the matter?

My ears are folded under.

There, is that better?

I think I'm stuck in here.

You'll get used to it.

Feels like

I'm talking in a cave.

George!

It goes on

the other way around.

(CHATTERING)

All right, let's start out

with a good workout.

All right, let's go,

side straddle. Beginning!

ALL: One, two,

three, four,

five, six,

seven, eight,

nine, 10, 11, 12,

13, 14, 15.

On your backs, now.

Stretch those legs there.

All right, now,

we're going to make

men out of you guys.

Stretch it back,

stretch it back.

Down! Left leg up.

Stretch it way back.

Down! Right leg up!

Right leg up

and stretch it back.

Down!

Left leg up. Yeah!

All right, on your stomachs.

Rock and roll position.

Rock and roll.

There we go,

rock and roll

(ALL GRUNTING)

All right, push up position.

All right, let it up.

Push ups!

Push ups now.

Down! Up! Down!

Up, down, up, down,

up, down!

Up, down, up, down!

Everybody up.

Up and running.

Hit the deck. Up!

Down!

Up! Down!

Up! Up and ready!

Down!

Up! Down!

Up and running. Down!

Hey, Alex.

Yeah.

Come here.

See that skinny guy up there?

Yeah.

Well, he's here on

special assignment from

Sports Illustrated.

He's going

to write an article,

something to do

with pro-football.

I didn't think you'd give

a draft choice up

for him, Coach.

Well, keep it quiet,

but just keep an eye

on him, will you?

Yeah, I will.

Okay.

COACH: Every block,

every block, every block!

Higher, higher!

Okay, but six weeks of this.

MAN 1: Come on,

sorry about that.

MAN 2: All right.

COACH: Nice there, nice.

Faster, pick 'em up.

Higher, both feet.

Take your time.

Pick 'em up, pick 'em up,

that's it.

Every other one.

Every other one, come on.

A good one.

That's a good one.

(ALL GRUNTING)

MAN 3: That's right, baby.

You're getting light,

now, ain't you?

Take your time.

Ready, go!

(CHATTERING)

Come on, come on.

Come on, Charlie!

Move the train.

Come on, Charlie!

Five point three.

Charlie Bradshaw,

five point four.

COACH: Go!

PLAYER: Let's go. Come on.

Jerry Rush,

five point three.

Roger Brown, five three.

COACH: Go.

Sweetan ran a,

let's see, five two.

Plimpton, five point eight.

Man, that's just

what we need.

A quarterback that runs like

the front end of a giraffe.

Let's see you work

on that opponent.

All right, turn around.

Come on.

All right. Drive good.

Come on now.

Good work, watch it.

All right. Right.

Hit it hard.

Hit it right, come on.

Hit it!

Hike! Hike!

Two, ready, go!

Everybody in.

How do you feel, pal?

Oh, great! Great!

That's good, 'cause Joe's

real easy the first day.

TWEETY: Walton.

246.

Good shape, Charlie.

Barney.

All right!

190.

Karras!

(PEOPLE LAUGHING)

(IMITATING PIG GRUNTING)

267.

Always in great shape.

Nice shape.

Gordy.

MAN: Take off your

raccoon coat, John,

you'll lose 10 pounds.

250.

MAN: What a big bear.

Shoals.

There goes Shoalkey.

Beach ball with arms.

275.

Plimpton.

BARNEY: Mr. Harvard.

LUCCI: He's not from Harvard,

he's a Newf from Newfoundland.

175.

George, my boy,

you're really in trouble.

(ALL LAUGHING)

Roger Brown.

Take him

to the stock yard.

305.

305, Roger, huh?

That's five pounds over

50 bucks, my boy.

Fifty bucks?

That's right.

How's your knee?

It's okay.

All right, buddy,

at the end of training camp,

I want you down to 285.

Four, six, three, 80.

Hike, hike!

MAN 1: I got it!

Hike, hike!

Now, we're moving.

Ninety!

Hut, hut, hut!

MAN 1: All right, come on,

cone on, let's get back.

And get sling here.

MAN 2: Let's go, let's go.

Right, Plimpton, you're up.

Let's have a huddle,

let's go!

All right, Plimpton,

here's your play.

Opposite right. Brown, left.

X in nine center on two.

COACH: Ready.

ALL: Hike!

Opposite left!

BILL: All right, don't be

bashful, George,

get your hands in there.

Snap it up hard!

MAN 1: Get your hands

in there.

COACH: Now, come on, come on,

come on, come on!

Four, six!

Three, 88. Hut!

(GROANS)

What's that?

I don't know.

One of Joe's ideas.

MAN 3: Opposite left.

Left!

Opposite left!

Five, six, three.

Eighty-eight. Hut!

MAN 1: Pick him up.

Pick him up.

What the hell's going on?

That's all for today,

Plimpton.

He's got it all right.

Super rook

written all over him.

COACH: All right,

give me another huddle.

Hey, rook, want a tip?

Pro ball has got

a certain feel about it.

If I were you I'd hold

on to one all the time

until I got the hang of it.

Oh, thank you, Karl.

You bet, buddy.

Hiya!

MAN: How you doing, buddy?

Hiya, rook.

Hut! Hut!

Hiya, rook.

Alex, look at this.

That's blood, Alex,

that's real blood.

I guess the guys just

didn't want to waste a good

nose blood, buddy.

Hey, pal, let me

tell you something.

These guys are on to you.

Now, you just can't

come down the field

like you're comin'

down a field,

screwin' around and expect

these guys to believe it.

Oh, look, Sugar Ray, huh?

You want to know somethin'?

This mixing amateur

with pro, man, it's nothin'.

You're trying to tell

the guys that a guy from

Park Avenue could

come down here

and make our ball club

like it's nothin'.

No, Alex, it's a job.

That's all, I'm doing a job.

Hey, George,

I read your baseball book.

It wasn't that much.

I mean, you give some

guys some bread,

go throw a few balls,

they take a few swings

and that's that.

And your Sugar Ray thing,

you go out, you get flattened.

Hey, I give you a

lot of credit for going

in the ring with him.

He flattened you.

You're by yourself.

George, this is a team effort.

Everybody has to know

what everybody else is doin'.

Or somebody can get hurt.

I've had a good life

in pro football.

I'd like to keep it that way.

I don't want to be

messin' around with somebody

like you and get hurt.

Like a ligament.

Ligaments don't heal, George.

Well, what I'm trying

to say to you is this,

why should I play for you?

So you can get some kicks?

I've got to lay it

on the line.

If I were you, pal,

I'd start thinking

about packing up.

Contact work starts tomorrow.

COACH: Come on, Al,

come on now.

Take him on.

Get him!

Make your move,

make your move.

Get him out, get him out.

Take him out, keep movin'.

Let it go.

(GRUNTING)

(ALL SHOUTING)

COACH: Come on, Billy.

Come on, here.

Save it, save it.

Come on, Ernie.

Let's go, Bill.

All right, you two are up,

let's get after it now.

Well, George, now that

they're onto you,

what are you going to do?

What I came to do.

To see and to do.

Well, you'd better take

care of yourself.

(WHISTLES)

COACH: All right,

let's go live.

(CLAPPING)

(ALL YELLING)

MAN: One, ninety. Hut, hut.

Keep coming.

Hey, hey, no go.

COACH: All right,

that's the way

to get them.

COACH: Track back, Ernie.

Okay, I got it, Beav.

Fifty.

You okay, Mick?

Yeah, I'm okay, Coach.

Sure?

Yeah, I'm okay.

All right, take a little rest.

Hey, George, you're up!

Let's have a huddle now,

come on.

Come on, now, George.

Get back.

Here we go,

split right,

white and left.

Eight post on two,

that's a pass.

Ready? Break.

Okay, baby,

short and sweet.

PLAYER 1: Here we go, George.

Smile, baby.

Three, 88.

Hey, Newfy!

PLAYER 2: Hey, Newf?

COACH: Get in there, now,

come on. Come on.

MAN 1: Come on, get him.

ALL: Come on, George.

All right, opposite right,

34 on two.

That's a hand-off

to your fullback,

get around quick

so you don't miss it.

Ready, break.

Now, let's break the huddle

and get out there.

MAN 2: Okay, let's go, rookie.

MAN 3: Come on, George.

MAN 4: Come on,

throw one, baby.

MAN 5: Come on, check.

Three, 88.

MAN 6: Come on, baby.

Hut!

Come on, come on.

COACH: Come on, up, up.

All right, George,

that's enough for today.

You've had a big day.

No, you keep it and go

practice taking some snaps.

He laid you down,

now we just got to start

all over again.

MAN 7: Four!

All right, now,

pop it in there,

make those hands bleed.

Four, six,

three, 25.

Hut! Hut! Hut!

Go, go, go.

Put it on there.

Go for 20.

Go for 30.

Go, go.

Wait, come back.

Come back with the ball.

The ball.

Lights out.

(SHOUTING)

(SCREAMING)

It's Lucci...

I know it's you, Lucci.

I'll get you, I'll get you.

Lucci!

Lucci.

Lucci!

I know it's you.

(YELLING)

(ALL SCREAMING)

GEORGE: I'll get one of you.

MAN 1: Hut! Hut!

MAN 2: Way out!

Way out.

COACH: Let's go, rookie.

Way to hand it off.

Set, hut!

MAN 3: Come on, let's go.

Let's go Mickey Mouse.

Now, let's play out your pass.

All right.

Don't get lazy back there.

Set, hut!

MAN 3: Now put her here,

put her here.

Set, hut!

(ALL CHEERING)

MAN 4: Good pass, good pass.

Set, hut!

Hey, you know

that Newf is getting better.

Yeah, but not much.

This ought to slow George

down a little tomorrow.

GEORGE: My feet feel

kind of heavy.

MAN: Hey, fellas,

George got himself

a case of heavy feet.

They're muscle spasms,

Georgie.

ALL: Break!

ALL: Open, open,

open, open!

Three, 39. Hut, hut!

(PLAYERS GRUNTING)

Hut!

Let's go!

Hut!

(CHATTERING)

COACH 1: Come on, George!

COACH 2: Keep goin', George.

Hey, Newf, are you cryin'?

PLAYER 1:

Come on, come on!

PLAYER 2: Man, he sure does

move good, don't he?

PLAYER 3: Keep it up.

See you on the field

tomorrow, George?

Oh, sure, I wouldn't miss

it for anything.

I'll have Tweety shoot me

full of Novocain.

George, this ought to cure

your heavy feet for you.

(ALL LAUGHING)

Look at that.

I guess that'll give you

heavy feet, won't it?

Hey, George, if you

need any help,

you know,

in technique or something?

Thanks, Karl.

Oh, what the hell,

we quarterbacks have to

stick together, right?

Right.

Hiya, George.

How do you feel?

Fine.

That's good.

Do you still want to play

in a real scrimmage?

Well, I want you to drop by

and see Coach McPeak.

And he'll give you

four or five plays.

Okay?

All right.

Good boy!

GEORGE: Then I would start

with a 45 blue lead.

BILL: Right.

Okay.

Then the next thing

I'll do is come back

with a 19 keeper, right?

Now, what about

the pass plays?

With your first pass

you go split left, green left.

Come back.

That'll be against Erasmus.

Well, I've noticed

in practice I've been

passing better to my right.

Listen, what about

a long one?

What about a bomb?

No, they'd never

expect a bomb from me.

I think I could beat

the Beaver long

on the next corner.

I mean,

if my protection holds up.

KATE: Oscar, you heard

from George yet?

OSCAR: No. Not a word.

I think he's been

swallowed up.

He hasn't even wired you

for money yet.

Does that sound

like George?

Oh, that's all right,

I understand.

As a matter of fact,

I don't mind not sending

George money.

Well,

what about pictures?

No. I don't think so.

Well, don't you need

an outline for the article,

or, you know, something?

No. No, George

can handle this.

He'll do just fine.

Well, I was just trying

to be helpful, you know.

Well, now.

Wait a minute.

Listen.

I've got an idea

that maybe...

No, no. I don't suppose

that you'd want to go

to Detroit

and see

what was going on.

Oh, no. You know...

George would think...

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Still, if I could

help you...

Yeah, that's what

I thought, too.

Well, if you insist.

I'll go.

Me, me, me, me.

COACH: Come on, Tommy,

take a lap.

Me, me, me, me.

George!

Hold it!

(CHUCKLES) Kate.

Hi. Oscar wanted

some pictures.

What?

Pictures. You know,

pictures for your articles.

So he sent me.

I told him,

"Look, you want a real pro."

You don't want me down here.

I certainly didn't

want to come.

Oh.

Hey, look at that gal

with George.

Beautiful. Hey, John,

call a play that way.

JOHN: All right, spilt right.

49 EGO on two, ready?

ALL: Ready!

JOHN: Let's go.

You okay? You broken

or anything like that?

It's Oscar, he's very

worried about his writers.

MAN 1: Hey, George!

MAN 2: Yeah, George.

(WHISTLE BLOWING)

Let's go. Let's get back

in that huddle.

I'm at the Kingsley Inn.

Beautiful suite.

Look, Kate.

You can't hang around here.

I'll have to go now,

you have a good trip back.

Thanks a lot.

All right. Forty-three

outside split, right.

What's your assignment?

Eye to eye on the guard.

Four, three

over opposite left.

Nose to nose

on the center.

Four, three under split, left.

Ear to ear on guard.

Good.

Twenty blitz.

Shoot the gap.

Well, it was never

like this in college.

Forty blitz.

George, what do you say

we hit the town tonight?

No, I can't...

Hey, George.

What do you say

you and I make

the scene tonight?

Little night life.

I was here first.

Well, let me tag along

with you guys.

All right, let's go.

No. No, wait a minute.

I can't go out tonight.

Sure you can go.

I have to work on

the play book tonight.

Well, you should work

on the play book, George.

You're gonna be

a great athlete.

Not too much work,

though, George.

Okay, you finks,

so we don't get into

any trouble tonight.

Georgie, you put this

Lion blazer on, baby.

Look, I'm not going out.

George.

What hotel you say

she was stayin' at?

I didn't.

Oh, but you will, George.

You will.

No, fellows.

Hey, wait a minute.

Oh, yes.

Hey, no, wait a minute.

Would you wait a minute?

Now, listen,

I'm not going out,

so you'd better

put me down.

I'm not going.

I'm not going out tonight!

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

Hey, come on, Plimpton,

let me dance awhile.

Okay.

I'm telling you, John,

this is a hell of a chance

for us, baby.

Look at this thing,

isn't it beautiful?

It feels good, Alex.

It's from Germany,

feel how heavy it is.

I'm telling you,

it feels good. All right?

Does it have any attachments?

I don't know about

attachments but, John, let me

tell you something.

We can get the franchise

for the whole United States.

You know what that means?

It means that we

could sell a hundred,

thousand of these,

and we could make

a million bucks.

A million.

How much does

a franchise cost?

I don't know,

but let's call Pete Largo.

Call him right now. Yeah.

Last year it was

the Gordy burger.

The year before,

sauna baths.

The only body that took

a bath was Alex and John.

That's very good.

Hey, George,

you got an apartment

in New York, beautiful pad.

A ready list

as long as your arm.

What the hell

are you doing here?

It's my job.

Your job, huh?

Look, I got an idea.

Instead of you coming here

for the summer

let me come to New York.

I'm gonna get another

pitcher of beer.

May I have another

pitcher of beer please?

Lion, eh?

Yes.

Where do you figure

to finish this year?

Oh, we'll go

all the way.

Yeah, all the way down.

No. I don't know about that.

We have a lot of mean

looking animals out there.

Bodies, Mac.

That's what you got

out there, bodies.

Oh, really?

You want to see

some animals?

You come to Chicago,

it's the home of

the Chicago Bears.

There you'll see animals.

That's wonderful.

What do you play?

What does he play?

He plays towel collector,

that's what he plays.

Now, just a minute

I don't think you have

to be so rude.

Rude? Isn't that

a sweet word, rude?

Listen, I'm not interested

in being exposed to your

antediluvian aggressiveness.

What did you say?

Are you some kind of

expert on football

from Chicago?

Let me tell you

something, Charlie,

another word out of you

and I'm gonna knock

you right on your keyster.

With what?

With these.

Oh, I'd like to see that.

Apologize, George.

Apologize for what,

damn it,

I didn't do anything.

George, you're swearing.

I don't care.

He was badmouthing the club.

He apologizes, okay?

I don't apologize

for anything.

Hey, George,

got something for you.

A jersey for

this afternoon's scrimmage.

JOE: Let's have it quiet.

And give me your attention.

Now today's scrimmage,

we're gonna try to play

everybody we can.

I know you don't enjoy

hitting against your own

ball players,

but we have to get

this work in.

I want 100 percent

from everybody.

You know if we go 100 percent,

we don't have the injuries.

Now, it's gonna be

a 60-minute scrimmage.

I want 60 minutes

of all out football.

Eye train will be

shooting the film.

Now, another thing,

first opportunity

coaching staff has to see

some of you rookies

under game conditions.

And you know,

immediately after a scrimmage,

there is a cut.

So you'd better

play accordingly.

All right, Plimpton,

you run the first series.

It's time I get an opportunity

to see my last string

quarterback under fire.

(ALL LAUGHING)

You know your plays?

I have them written

on my wrist, Coach.

A bit of warning,

stay away from that

quarterback sneak.

It gets mighty tough

up that middle.

Now, any questions?

No questions, let's go

on that field.

Let's go!

(CHATTERING)

Don't give anything

away, George.

Watch your eyes.

Not me, Ron.

They'll be shut tight.

Confidence, kid.

Split right,

45 blue lead.

Ready?

Four, set!

Four, 26.

Hut. Hut!

(ALL SHOUTING)

(WHISTLE BLOWS)

Okay, that was a good run.

Good call, George.

Hey, now you're

taking charge.

Let's go.

Let's go have a huddle!

Come on, huddle.

Split left, 19, keeper.

(WHISTLE BLOWING)

PLAYER: Let's play.

Four, set!

Thirty-three.

Hut. Hut. Hut.

(ALL SHOUTING)

(PEOPLE CHEERING)

Who's that?

Plimpton, George.

Where's he from?

I don't know.

Harvard.

MAN: Hey, that's

not a bad call.

Twelve yards!

I made us a first down.

Great change up, George.

Okay, come on, let's go!

Let's go.

Opposite right, brown left.

Fan X and nine center.

Brown's a pass, George.

I know it's a pass.

Then get it to me.

I'll get it to you, baby.

You just hang, on.

Yes, sir.

On three. Ready?

George, you're marvelous!

Nice going, Georgie.

Four, six!

Thirty-three.

Hut! Hut!

Great! Good pass, George.

Go!

(WHISTLE BLOWS)

We did it.

That's the way, pal.

That was great, George,

that's threading the needle.

Okay, let's go.

Come on, come on.

Come on.

(PEOPLE APPLAUDING)

Split right. Fake eleven pass.

Wait a minute, George,

that's up the middle.

Who's calling the plays?

Okay. It's your problem.

On one. Ready?

GEORGE: Four, six! Three!

Thirty-two! Hut!

(ALL CHEERING)

Nice going, rookie.

Really, it was wonderful.

Thank you.

JOE: Go take a shower.

Thank you.

Hey, George, how come

you have a zero

on your shirt?

MAN: Nice going, George.

George!

Kate!

Come here.

Kate!

Did you see that?

Did I see it?

Did you see that?

You were fantastic?

I was very hot.

You were great.

And I've got pictures

to prove it.

Now, aren't you

glad I came?

Yes, yes.

You know, I couldn't

do anything wrong.

I mean, there are

days like that.

You know, every ball player

hits his streak.

And you just have to ride it.

Play it out.

What are you

laughing at, chink?

Oh, nothing, George.

MAN 1: You're beautiful.

George, you're beautiful.

MAN 2: Fantastic run, George.

MAN 3: You were light-footed.

All right,

let's play football.

I've been had, huh?

Just a little, man.

George.

All right, look.

My deal with Oscar

was to get in the game

and write some articles

about my experiences.

That's all.

I never said

they'd take me seriously

as a player, did I?

No.

Rookie show's tonight.

I'll cover that.

Tomorrow, we'll go

back to New York.

Okay.

I'm going to shower

and get dressed.

Can I scrub your back?

George.

There's always next week.

Next week?

The Saint Louis Cardinals.

(HULA MUSIC PLAYING)

(MAN WHISTLING)

(ALL LAUGHING)

All right, now,

before we go any further.

I thought we should take

first things first.

And in that order,

we should hear a word

from our beloved coach,

Joe Schmidt. Joe!

(ALL CHEERING)

Good evening, Schwein.

Tonight I want to talk

a little bit about discipline.

I want discipline.

The board wants discipline,

my assistants

want discipline,

and I'm gonna get discipline.

(ALL LAUGHING)

I want to talk about

some of the pleasantries

on our ball club.

Fines!

I love fines.

Pat Studstill, $23,

for making love

to your wife after Friday.

What about Thursday?

I love fines.

Ron Kramer,

23 cents for only

making love to your wife

once every six weeks,

whether she needs it or not.

(ALL LAUGHING)

And John Gordy, $193,

just for not ever making love

to anybody in the world.

(CROWD WHOOPING)

BOTH: * Well, I got two lovers

* And I ain't ashamed

* Two lovers and I love

them both the same

* Let me tell you

about my first lover

* She's sweet and kind,

she's mine all mine

* Treats me good

like a lover should

* And it makes me love her

* I really, really love her

* Whoa

* I love her so

* And I'll do everything

* I can to let her know

I have great news!

Tonight I unveil

our secret weapon.

$800,000, no cut,

no trade bonus baby.

Never played.

He can run, kick,

do everything great.

You'll love him.

I love him.

Curtains, please.

George Plimpton.

(ALL APPLAUDING)

Look at him.

Look at the legs.

Look at those legs.

A hundred yard dash.

Nine, one.

A bundle of muscles.

Strong, but most

of all, shoulders.

Tremendous shoulders.

And with that

we'll win the Super Bowl

and have it locked up.

Completely and...

GEORGE: It was a put down,

I know.

MAN: How would you know?

I know,

I was there, wasn't I?

You played

a hell of a run.

Forget about it, will you?

Don't get so excited.

It was probably

your idea too.

What was?

Why, to have the

defense lay down for us.

George, we enjoyed

having you at camp.

It broke the monotony.

Oh, well, the hell with that.

That's not what I'm

talking about.

Besides you're learning

to swear real good.

So you see,

you can't be all bad.

Really?

ALEX: We're just trying to

make you feel good, George,

so you can take memories

back to New York with you,

that's all.

It was a put down.

Say, why don't you drink

your beer?

What do you want to do,

ruin the whole party?

How do you know I couldn't

really have done it?

'Cause you'd have

gotten killed,

that's why I know.

Says who?

Me.

Oh, you guys are so tough.

Nobody's as tough

as the pro football?

Right?

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

Well, let me

tell you something.

You want to know something?

You want to know

what tough really is?

You want to know

what Percy Haughton did

when he was

coaching football

at Harvard?

Percy?

KARRAS: Haughton? Haughton?

Percy Haughton at Harvard.

You know what he did

to get the guys up

for the Yale game?

He took a bulldog

and he strangled it

with his bare hands.

(GROWLING)

(ALL LAUGHING)

George!

(BOTH LAUGHING)

All right, all right.

ALEX: Okay, chugalug.

Chugalug all the way.

Chugalug.

Chug away. Chug away.

All the way. All the way.

All the way.

(ALL CHEERING)

ALEX: Beautiful.

Come on, George.

For Harvard.

Do it for Harvard.

(COUGHING)

All right. All right,

then you do it.

Let me see you do it.

Come on, come on, Lucci.

All right, Lucci, ready?

ALEX: Here we go.

ALL: * Zuba, zuba, zuba,

zuba, zuba, zuba

* Roll along,

you mangy waters

* Roll along

Come on!

Hey, wait a minute.

Shut up. Shut up.

Wait a minute.

Hey, Ron, wait a minute!

Just wait around.

I'm gonna put you out

of business.

I could have done it.

I could have beat 'em!

I could've done it.

I could've beat 'em

right out...

* Zuba, zuba, zuba, zuba

* Zuba, zuba, zuba,

zuba, zuba, zuba

* Roll along,

you mangy waters *

Hey, come on, Pat,

we're gonna show them.

Come on.

Opposite right.

Brown left,

X and nine center.

On two. Ready?

All right. Great.

Here we go.

Four. Hut!

Thirty-two.

Hut! Hut! Hut! Hut!

Go, Pat.

Go. Go.

(MAN EXCLAIMING)

All right, that's enough.

I'm fed up.

I'm really sick and tired.

I'm gonna tear you guys apart.

I'm losing my patience.

Now, stop it!

I'm gonna really tear you...

I'm not kidding.

I'll destroy you.

(ALL LAUGHING)

I'll break you in half!

I'll get you.

I'll tear you

piece by piece apart.

CHARLES: Now, this is

the Cardinal over-gap now.

Appears on offenses,

a weak safety blitz.

You can tell how Wilson

comes right up about

three yards from the line

of scrimmage.

They really tell you

when they're coming.

They come anyhow.

JOE: Okay, run that again.

Look at that crazy blitz.

What kind is it?

That's a Cardinal blitz.

Everybody comes, coaches,

everybody, man.

CHARLES: All right,

look at Wilson, now,

on defense.

Right up there on the crack

on the weak side,

it's gonna be a blitz

and he came that time.

Safety blitz. Just keep

your eye on number eight,

he'll tell you.

Most every defense as to what

is gonna be coverage wise.

How about 72?

He's got 50 pounds on me.

If I was him

playing against you,

I'd bust out laughing.

Hey, Pat. Shut up!

(ALL LAUGHING)

CHARLES: Safety up there

playing tight.

Misses more often than not.

Just watch the position

of that weak safety.

Position, 37.

Plays it real close.

What do you think

you can get on him, Pat?

I'll be able to get

deep on him.

COACH: The halfback,

you can see Hart hit

the receiver

right on the money.

Real fine throw.

Kid releases the ball

very quickly.

BILL: You know,

he's just a rookie. We can

probably shake him up

throwing a little

combination in his zone.

JIM: We plan to blitz him too.

CHARLES: Now, here's

the slot formation.

Now we're gonna use

this against them.

The Bears didn't use it

very effectively.

They're missing

the block to keep...

Hey, George.

I thought you

were leaving today.

Why? I haven't been cut,

have I?

Not that I know of.

All right, lights!

All right, quiet down,

quiet down.

You see here in the film

that St. Louis is

a fine football team.

Both offensively

and defensively.

Now, in order to win,

we have to be at our

very best.

Now, this week we're gonna

concentrate on techniques,

and execution.

Now, this is

a pre-season game,

but I want to win.

We have to set

that pattern for winning.

It's very important

that we do this.

Now, if there are no questions

pertaining to St. Louis,

we'll see you on the field

at 10:00 tomorrow morning.

All right, hold it,

hold it, hold it!

Some of you may know it

and some of you may not,

we traded Roger Brown

to the Los Angeles Rams.

(ALL MURMURING)

Jerry...

Jerry, you'll take

Roger's part at

defensive tackle.

Joe, I don't think

I'm being unreasonable.

One series,

that's all I want.

I mean, if we get

far enough ahead,

so I can't do any harm.

Say, two touchdowns.

Say, we get

two touchdowns ahead,

and there's not enough time

for St. Louis to catch up.

What about then?

Joe, if it's okay with you,

we'll play for George.

Yeah, if it's safe,

give him a try.

A real game, huh, George?

Now, say if we get

three touchdowns ahead,

21 points.

What harm could it do?

Well, George, we're just

gonna have to see.

Look. You haven't

been out drinking with

the St. Louis Cardinals.

They're no big buddies

of yours or anything.

I know.

That's the whole idea.

George, they don't know

you're George Plimpton,

super writer.

They think

you're George Plimpton,

super rookie.

Good. That's better.

You really think

you can do it.

Don't you?

Do what?

Be the high school

football hero.

Oh, I do not.

You do so.

I don't. That's silly.

I don't think so.

I think you'd better

come back to New York

with me and see a shrink.

(CHUCKLES) A shrink?

Don't be ridiculous.

You do so.

You really think

you could do it.

Well, I have been

in training, you know?

George!

Come on,

you'd better get out.

This is liable to cost me

a $50 fine if we stay here

any longer.

Better than you

should get killed.

(CHATTERING)

Just keeps droppin' like hell.

I don't know

what's going on.

Don't worry about it, Tommy,

just watch the ball

into your hand,

and once you get it,

just play with it.

That's the thing about it,

I got to catch it first,

but to think about it,

I've been dropping it...

I am. I really am.

(LAUGHING)

BILL: Third down

and over four.

We'll go slot right,

green right, X stop.

We should catch a safety zone,

or a combination zone on that,

if they're not blitzin'.

Even if they are blitzing

we can release to the...

We can release

to the fullback

in a quick circle.

So we'll go slot right,

green right, X stop.

That's your first

three plays right there.

All right,

just in general now.

St. Louis is a blitzing team.

We've told you all week long

and as you've seen in films

that we've looked

at here from last year.

This ball club blitzes

60 to 70 percent

of the time.

This is high in the NFL.

The only possible exception

would be the Bears.

They are the only team

that blitzes anywhere.

BILL: This is the name

of the game.

This is the essence

of the whole defense.

And they do it off a number

of different alignments,

so we've got to be alert

to recognize

what those alignments are.

Okay, now the only

two reminders that you have

to be aware of at all times

is that we're in our

opposite formations,

with one brown left

or brown right.

You've got to key

the strong safety.

All right, now,

we're in split backs.

Split backs,

we're using green protection.

The only thing we can't

pick up off their blitzes

is their weak safety blitz.

So, on this you watch

for the weak safety,

and your split end

is watching as well.

If he comes on a blitz,

you come to the split end

on the quick post.

It's one of those games,

you don't have to use

any check offs.

You can use all kinds

of over, over stacks,

under, under stacks,

gap defenses.

If you try to

check off this game,

you can spend the whole game

masterminding the ball game,

so don't use any audibles.

(INAUDIBLE)

Give me your attention.

I want everybody hustling.

Covering the punts,

kick offs, on returns.

Let's form their wall,

give the runners

a chance to run.

When you receive,

let's take that ball

right up the field.

The wedge, I want everybody

to form their wedge,

and give us

an opportunity to run.

Offensively, been working

on our running game,

we have to establish

our running game right

off the bat.

Now, anytime

that we lose the ball,

fumble, interception,

I don't want anybody

losing their poise.

Because we gotta come

right back and start

all over again.

Defensively, we have to

get out there,

and get after that

quarterback

right off the bat.

And I want everybody

giving 100 percent.

Everybody contributing

to this team.

Starting out to get

a mental attitude

that is going to carry us

throughout the season.

It's a big ball game

for us, even though

it's a pre-season game.

It's important that we win.

And it's important

that we do our job.

So, let's go.

Our ball game,

our ball game.

(WHISTLE BLOWING)

(ALL SHOUTING)

Let's go, offense.

Move 'em on the field.

Let's go.

Let's hustle.

All right, all right.

MAN 1: Come on, baby.

Let's go!

Go baby, go.

MAN 2: Get up, get up,

get up, get up.

(WHISTLE BLOWING)

MAN 3: How do we get some

field room in there?

MAN 4: Come on,

get it up, baby.

MAN 5: Keep driving, baby,

keep driving. Keep driving.

MAN 6: Go, go, go.

COACH: What's the matter?

You okay?

MAN 7: Come on, let's go.

Come on, come on, come on,

come on, come on.

MAN 8: Come on now.

All right, nice,

nice, nice. Go!

Yeah, yeah.

The guy stripped him.

(CHATTERING)

Try to concentrate.

MAN 9: It's all right,

it's all right. Get the ball.

(CROWD CHEERING)

(PLAYERS YELLING)

Good job.

PLAYER 1: You've got

to be kidding.

PLAYER 2: I feel like

I'm gonna throw up

all over you.

PLAYER 3: Don't let them

knock the piss out of you.

(PLAYER 2 VOMITING)

Don't give in.

COACH: Come on, come on,

let's get to 'em.

Let's get to 'em.

Twenty-nine!

Twenty-five!

MAN 1: What you say?

What you say?

Hey, rookie, what you think?

PLAYER 1: Hut!

ANNOUNCER: Here they come,

here they come,

it's a screen.

And it's good.

PLAYER 1: Ready! Hut!

(CROWD ROARING)

COACH: Come on, get him.

Put him on the ground!

Let's go. Let's go.

Come on, let's go.

Watch that pass.

He stepped on me.

Come on, Alex

PLAYER 2:

Let's get him,

let's get him.

(CROWD CHEERING)

(WHISTLE BLOWS)

Come on, come on,

come on, let's go!

No, please don't,

please don't. Please.

Jim Hart,

young rookie quarterback,

hits Jackie Smith

for about 30 yards,

and it's the Cards ball,

first in goal with the three.

Get one in there,

come on, baby.

COACH: Hustle, hustle,

hustle, hustle, hustle.

We're in trouble now, baby.

MAN 1: They're walking in,

Bernie.

MAN 2: Come on, Ralph,

come up there.

MAN 3: Don't let them score.

MAN 4: Come on,

get that son of a gun.

COACH: Don't let them score,

now, don't let them score.

PLAYER 1: Six!

(PLAYERS CHATTERING)

PLAYER 1: Thirty-two!

Four!

Twenty-five!

Sixty-eight!

Hut! Hut! Hut! Hut!

(PLAYERS GRUNTING)

(WHISTLE BLOWING)

PLAYER 2: Bull, so tired

about the quarterback.

Every team we ever play,

it's the quarterback,

the quarterback.

(PLAYERS CHATTERING)

PLAYER 1: No support

from the inside.

PLAYER 2: Yeah, Weger should

have been up there.

COACH: All right, easy.

Just settle down.

PLAYER 3: Four, three, 88!

PLAYER 1: He came into me.

He was holding.

All move, all move.

All right.

(CROWD MUTTERING)

MAN 1: Look at Ron Kramer.

Kramer is wide open.

Not even thinking.

He's not even looking.

They're doubling out there,

and he didn't even...

And Kramer was

open right now.

Come on, get those

guys together.

God. Hell, if he doesn't

start thinking any better

than that,

we'd better get him

the hell out of there.

MAN 2: A lot

of pressure on him.

(WHISTLE BLOWING)

Nobody even covered me.

Nobody.

You stay right around

here now,

where we can get you.

I don't know what the hell's

wrong with him.

MAN 3: Why sure,

all he had to do

was take a look.

He's hurrying to score,

too much.

He gets back there

and he's pushing away.

Okay.

(PLAYERS CHATTERING)

Four.

(PLAYERS CHATTERING)

MAN: Over gap. Over gap.

Come on, Karl.

(ALL GRUNTING)

What the hell

is he thinking of?

MAN: Cut in, cut in.

Here he comes.

Almost done.

All right, boy,

he gets the first.

All right, baby.

All right.

Ninety!

Hut! Hut!

PLAYER: Run, run,

run, you mother...

(PEOPLE CHEERING)

COACH: That's the way,

that's the way to go.

Almost. Almost.

MAN: Touch down.

Touch down.

(CHEERING)

All right, now we're movin'.

Good work.

We got it.

First time out,

first time in.

All right. Kick off.

Thank you.

All right, we got a taste

of a little blood now,

we're all right.

They're gonna come

after us, now, boy.

Tough as hell.

We'll bury these guys.

We'll bury them, now.

Oh, yeah.

They might kill us.

Put up defense, you guys.

(CHATTERING)

Hut!

(CROWD ROARING)

There's a clipping

MAN: There's a penalty

for who?

There's a clipping

against them.

Think so?

Should be a red.

There he is lying

on the ground. Fifty...

Yeah, hey, John.

Fifty-two should get it.

Communication was

bad there.

Yeah, 52 should get it.

It should be a penalty

against them.

Oh, against us?

(CROWD GROANS)

Oh, he got it.

He got it, he got it!

Oh, he got it.

He didn't trap that ball.

They were coming at him, Bart.

They didn't have much time.

He didn't have much time.

Golly, looks like

he got a couple inches

off the ground.

Yeah, good pressure.

COACH: Good block.

Good block.

That's good.

All the way.

All the way!

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

I thought we was

gonna break it one time.

Very good, Tommy.

Very good, Larry. Good.

Run, run, run,

you mother...

That's it. Fold it up.

All right, go get it,

go get it. Atta, baby.

(CROWD CHEERING)

That's right.

That's the way to do it.

He took it out.

He had grass to grab in.

Good cross. Hustle down.

Atta, baby.

Hut!

(WHISTLE BLOWS)

Atta boy. All right.

Bring it in.

I hit my hand.

There's something

wrong with my hand.

I was gonna have it x-rayed

but what the hell,

you know?

A little pressure

on quarterback.

Now let's go.

Here we go. Come on.

Come on, we can get

these guys, man.

Come on, Larry.

Larry, get tough now, baby.

Hut! Hut! Hut!

Okay. Here we go, baby.

No excuses, come on.

Hut!

(PLAYERS CHATTERING)

All right,

let's pick up the pace.

PLAYER:

Hit the son of a bitch.

ANNOUNCER: Charlie Long

intercepts for the Lions.

Back to the 35, the 30,

the 25, the 20, the 15,

all the way. Touchdown!

Little bit more.

COACH: I think we're getting

a little bit more pressure.

I could move much more.

Just a little bit off.

Just that much off,

just half a second.

You were that close,

just getting rid of that.

I was trying to twist them,

we can open on the twist.

All right.

First chance we get,

we'll throw a twist.

We'll use a defense.

(PLAYERS CHATTERING)

Let's go defenses.

Let's go.

PLAYER: You hold me again,

I'll punch your head off.

You hear what I said?

You hold me again,

I'll punch your head off.

Hut!

(WHISTLE BLOWS)

(MAN GROANING)

(PLAYERS CHATTERING)

(GROANS)

You know what you

can do to beat this wrap.

Run the ball.

Run it out, baby.

Just keep running.

Give us a vacation.

Don't pass it, Mel.

MAN: Come on. Come on!

Don't give 'em

any breaks.

Who's this fellow

you were talking about?

George Plimpton.

Number zero.

Did you say number zero?

Zero.

Who did he play with?

He was a heavy

with the Newfoundland Newfs.

What's the position

that he plays?

He's a quarterback.

Quarterback?

COACH: Let's go. Now,

let's see you go in there.

(CHATTERING)

You wanna get in there?

All right, don't get fancy.

Straight handoffs,

and get out of the way.

Now, let's go. Come on.

Wait a minute.

There goes your boy, Bill.

Good luck, George!

Hey, John, look who

they're sending in, man.

We just got a score.

GEORGE: Okay. Okay.

All right,

let's huddle up.

Come on.

PLAYER 1: Just call a play,

George.

What's the matter, George?

My plays have rubbed off.

What?

Rubbed off?

My plays have

rubbed off.

PLAYER 2: Oh, come on, George.

PLAYER 3: You've gotta be

kidding, George.

Call a play,

will you please?

PLAYER 4: George, the play.

GEORGE: All right.

All right. All right.

What's he doing?

PLAYER 4: George!

All right, I got it.

Split right!

George, you want them

to hear the play?

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Split right, 45, blue lead.

On two. Ready?

ALL: Break!

ANNOUNCER: My, God,

he's over the guard.

Get over there, will you?

Come on. Come on.

Let's go. Hurry up.

Come on.

Let's go. Come on.

(WHISTLE BLOWS)

(CROWD MUTTERING)

I don't believe it.

(LAUGHING)

ANNOUNCER: Detroit's ball.

First and 15, now,

and it's on 36.

He played for Harvard.

It figures.

(CHATTERING)

Way to go!

So what's five yards,

huh, George?

All right, it was an

honest mistake. All right?

One butt looks same as

the other from that angle,

huh, George?

Come on, huddle up.

Run the clock out, will you,

George?

GEORGE: Huddle up. Huddle up.

Let's go. Huddle up.

All right.

Settle it down.

GEORGE: All right.

I've got it. I've got it.

Split right.

Ten fake draw.

On two. Ready?

ALL: Break!

Well, he's over

the center this time.

That boy's a learner.

(ALL SHOUTING)

Four, six!

Six, three, two!

Hut! Hut!

What happened?

MAN: What else?

He lost eight yards.

Oh, George.

(PEOPLE LAUGHING)

Fancy, George.

Real fancy.

I don't know what happened.

My legs just gave up.

MAN: Trick knee, huh?

PAT: Yeah, both of them.

I was on the bench so long,

my feet fell asleep.

Come on, George,

call the play,

will you please?

All right. All right.

Nineteen, roll out.

Ready?

JOHN: Break! Hold it. Hold it.

We gotta have

a snap count.

Now, John, stop rattling me,

all right?

We have to know

when to go, don't we?

GEORGE: Stop bugging me,

all right?

We do need

a snap count.

You're driving me crazy,

you know that?

Come on, rookie, let's go.

On two. Ready!

ALL: Break.

ANNOUNCER:

It's Detroit's ball.

Second down and 24, now.

There come the Lions

out of the huddle.

Plimpton brings them up

and he gets down behind the

center.

Oh, my God,

what's he gonna do now?

Ten, three, 88! Hut!

(CROWD SIGHING)

(WHISTLE BLOWING)

What happened?

What else?

He lost eight more.

Longest damn last minute

I ever saw.

PLAYER: George, you're

covering a lot of ground

tonight.

PAT: Yeah,

it's all backwards.

Keep it up

or you'll be in the stands.

GEORGE: All right. All right.

MARSH: Third down

and a short 32 to go.

JOHN: Come on.

The play, please,

the play, George.

All right.

Split right.

Green right.

RON: Hey, wait, that's a pass.

I know it's a pass,

but they won't expect it.

George, we're on

our own 15 yards.

I know where we are.

I got us there, didn't I?

PAT: All by your lonesome.

And I'll get us out, too.

Thirteen seconds.

What can happen?

MARSH: Joe can kill you,

that's all.

JOHN: George, the play!

Oh.

JOHN: Will you call

the play, George?

All right. All right.

Split right.

What's he doing out there?

Can you tell what he called?

Four, six!

GEORGE: Thirty-two!

MAN 1: Let's get 'em.

Let's get 'em.

Oh, my God,

he's gonna run for a pass.

He's gonna pass?

MAN 2: Hit, George.

I'm in the clear.

(CROWD WHISTLING)

Throw the damn ball,

George. George!

(GROANS)

(CROWD SHOUTING)

(COUGHING)

DOCTOR: Take a couple

of whiffs of this.

A couple of few deeps.

Atta, boy.

What's your name?

Plimpton.

What city are you in?

I'm in St. Louis.

I want you to start with 100

and count backwards for me.

One hundred, 99, 98...

I think you're

coming good, George.

How is he, Doctor?

George is gonna be all right.

But, Joe, I don't know

how those goal posts

are gonna be.

How do you feel?

Like I had my pants

taken down in front

of 60,000 people.

Well, you did all right.

Oh, yeah.

I must have set some

new kind of record.

Three plays and

I lost 41 yards.

I made an ass of myself.

Oh, the important thing is

that you hung in there.

Hey, George, I hear

you're leaving us.

Yeah, they traded me

for Johnny Unitas.

That's a bum deal, Joe.

The front office should have

their head examined.

(CHUCKLES) I'll see you,

George.

Hey, George,

guys on the team voted

you the game ball.

We couldn't take it away

from you anyway.

Listen, George,

you've got that apartment

in New York,

and all those girls,

that's not such

a bad deal, is it?

Don't forget to come back

to camp next year.

Thank you.

Don't try out

for flanker, George.

Paper Lion (1968) - full transcript