Washington Redskins By the Numbers: #13

Joe, I am disappointed in you. You indicated that at #13, it was Ed Justice or nothing. For shame! How could you overlook one of the greatest ball-hawking safeties and original badasses of the 70's:

#13 Jake Scott

He was more of a Miami Dolphin than a Redskin career-wise. I will grant you that. In fact, as a Dolphin he was the Super Bowl MVP of Super Bowl VII, a 14-7 victory over the Redskins. He had two picks in that game. The following year he factored in the Dolphins' second straight Super Bowl victory. If you recall, that defense was pretty stingy. And that 1972 team was of course the only undefeated team ever (suck it Patriots.)

But Jake Scott basically divorced himself from the Dolphins. Him and Don Shula had some terse exchanges. The story goes coach Don Shula wanted players to attend a banquet after the 1975 season. Scott informed Shula he would not be there. They fined him and he requested a trade. He refused painkillers in a preseason game later that summer and was shipped to Washington the next day.

He was a tough guy. As a rookie for the Dolphins, he was not asked to sing his college fight song...because nobody messed with him. He was famous for playing through injury. He broke his wrist in Super Bowl VI (if you're keeping track, he played in three straight Super Bowls.) He played with a broken hand and wrist, and even returned punts in that game. In his rookie season, he played the last 11 games with a separated shoulder.

He came to the Skins and paired with Ken Houston for three seasons. We have gone here before already in this series with another former Dolphin, Reggie Roby, but it bears revisiting. A great player comes to town and then...lives up to expectations. He played in every game for the three seasons he was in D.C. Actually, he started in every one of those games. They didn't keep tackle stats at that point, but he was no slouch in bringing down opponents. He had an uncanny ability to be in position for turnovers it seems--he had 5 fumble recoveries in 1976, leading the league. In 1978, he led the NFL in interceptions, with seven. Not exactly Adam Archuleta folks.

It is rumored that he drank 43 beers in one sitting, and got more girls than Joe Namath. All of his trophies and plaques gathered over his career full of accolades collect dust at his mother's house--an indication that they mean very little to him. He lives in a remote area of Hawaii most of the year and sits in the same barstool every day at 5 PM (according to the article I pulled that from, it is the third barstool in.)

I was a little concerned about #13. I did not know 95% of this stuff about Jake Scott before scouring the internet during the Cavs-Magic Game 5. I am pretty confident that if Jake Scott played for the Magic, Lebron would be in a hospital. Seriously, all those Chuck Norris rules could easily have been written about Jake Scott.

I could lie and say I tried to contact Jake Scott for an interview. I could lie and say I didn't try because I am 100% certain he can only be found by somebody he wants to be found by. The truth is that in my heart of hearts, I think that if I was successful in reaching one of the few phones on his island and he found out it was me asking for him, he would track me down and kill me. (By "me", I mean Kevin, since I would leave his name and address on the message.)

If that doesn't get you on this list, what does?

Sorry Ed Justice.

#13 Jake Scott

I am too young to have watched him play. If any of you out there have any Jake Scott stories, please for the love of God share them in our comments.