The NFL's Top 10 Tragic Moments (7-10)
Football can give you memorable moments, but not all of them are good. Fans can recall the thrill of victory for at least a year, but they remember the agony of defeat all their lives.
This is the start of the top ten most tragic moments in NFL history, from a particular fan's point of view. As the Super Bowl approaches, we will give you more of these moments.
Enjoy, and try to forget.
10. Doug Brien, Wide Left.
I have to hand it to the "New York" Jets, they know how to lose. As I noted recently, the Jets would blow a golden opportunity to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers last week...they couldn't score.
But an anemic offense would force the Jets to trot out troubled placekicker Doug Brien twice near the end of the game, with him missing both kicks. Brien's first kick, a 47 yard attempt, would clang against the goalpost and bounce off.
Had the Jets just gained one more yard, it would have been good.
In overtime, the Steelers would march down the field and kick a winning field goal, proving that JETS stand for "just end the season".
9. The Homerun Throwback.
It was January 8, 2000. The Rob Johnson era in Buffalo had started. He was about to become a Buffalo legend. Johnson would lead the Bills on an inspiring, go-ahead field goal drive that would advance the Bills to the divisional round of the playoffs with a 16-15 lead.
All they had to do was kick it off and kill the remaining 16 seconds off the clock. Steve Christie, the Buffalo kicker, high kicked it to the center of the field, straight to fullback Lorenzo Neal, who then hands it off to tight end Frank Wycheck.
Thus began the "homerun throwback" trick play. The Bills' coverage team converged on Wycheck, thinking he would just run up the gut as far as he could. The right side of Buffalo's coverage team left their lanes, and Wycheck threw a 30-yard "sideways lateral" -- Bills fans know it was an illegal forward pass -- out to wide receiver Kevin Dyson.
Dyson would run untouched for 75 yards and the winning touchdown with three seconds remaining.
I am a huge Bills fan, and I've had nightmares about this play. The truth is, however, I didn't see the whole play live. I was watching the game at Brother Jimmy's Bait Shack, along with about 300 other Bills fans, and we thought the game was over. So while a waitress was on the bar dancing and giving us shots, Dyson ran down the sideline.
I drank my shot, and looked at the TV and wondered why the Titans were celebrating. I was dazed and confused.
I still am about that play.
8. Mark Gastineau's Roughing the Passer Penalty
In 1987, the Jets benched starting quarterback Kenny O'Brien in favor of longtime backup Pat Ryan. With Ryan at center, the Jets would win a wild card game, setting up a divisional game against the Cleveland Browns on January 3, 1987.
The Jets appeared to be on the way to the AFC Championship game with a 20-10 lead with 4:14 left in the game. Yet on a second-and-24 play from the Browns' 18, Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau was penalized for roughing the passer on Bernie Kosar's incompletion, giving the Browns a first down at their 33. It was Gastineau's second roughing the passer penalty that game. Cleveland went on to score a touchdown with 1:57 left, kick a tying field goal with seven seconds left.
The Jets, would receive another chance in OT when Mark Moseley missed a 23-yard FG, but his 27-yard FG, 2:02 into the 2nd OT sent the Browns to the AFC championship game. It was an amazing way to lose.
7. The Drive
On January 11, 1987, the Browns had just pulled ahead of the Broncos and looked like they would make it to their first Super Bowl. Bernie Kosar had just tossed a 48-yard TD pass to Brian Brennan to put the Browns ahead of the Broncos, 20-13, with 5:43 left in the game.
Some quarterback named John Elway, who really hadn't done much in the game, was given the ball on the Broncos two yard line. If the Browns could stop him, they would go to the Super Bowl.
Elway engineered a 98-yard game-tying drive after passing and scrambling the Broncos down to the Browns' 14-yard line. After a nine-yard run by Elway moved the ball to the five, on third-and-one he completed a touchdown to Mark Jackson with 37 seconds left. Rich Karlis' extra point tied the game.
The game went into OT. The Broncos stopped the Browns on the first possession, took over, and Karlis kicked a 33-yard field goal for the win.
The very words "the drive" can give a person in Cleveland flashbacks. It's not pretty.
Next week, I'll give to you more moments from my top 10 list. Have a great weekend!
More sports.
This is the start of the top ten most tragic moments in NFL history, from a particular fan's point of view. As the Super Bowl approaches, we will give you more of these moments.
Enjoy, and try to forget.
10. Doug Brien, Wide Left.
I have to hand it to the "New York" Jets, they know how to lose. As I noted recently, the Jets would blow a golden opportunity to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers last week...they couldn't score.
But an anemic offense would force the Jets to trot out troubled placekicker Doug Brien twice near the end of the game, with him missing both kicks. Brien's first kick, a 47 yard attempt, would clang against the goalpost and bounce off.
Had the Jets just gained one more yard, it would have been good.
In overtime, the Steelers would march down the field and kick a winning field goal, proving that JETS stand for "just end the season".
9. The Homerun Throwback.
It was January 8, 2000. The Rob Johnson era in Buffalo had started. He was about to become a Buffalo legend. Johnson would lead the Bills on an inspiring, go-ahead field goal drive that would advance the Bills to the divisional round of the playoffs with a 16-15 lead.
All they had to do was kick it off and kill the remaining 16 seconds off the clock. Steve Christie, the Buffalo kicker, high kicked it to the center of the field, straight to fullback Lorenzo Neal, who then hands it off to tight end Frank Wycheck.
Thus began the "homerun throwback" trick play. The Bills' coverage team converged on Wycheck, thinking he would just run up the gut as far as he could. The right side of Buffalo's coverage team left their lanes, and Wycheck threw a 30-yard "sideways lateral" -- Bills fans know it was an illegal forward pass -- out to wide receiver Kevin Dyson.
Dyson would run untouched for 75 yards and the winning touchdown with three seconds remaining.
I am a huge Bills fan, and I've had nightmares about this play. The truth is, however, I didn't see the whole play live. I was watching the game at Brother Jimmy's Bait Shack, along with about 300 other Bills fans, and we thought the game was over. So while a waitress was on the bar dancing and giving us shots, Dyson ran down the sideline.
I drank my shot, and looked at the TV and wondered why the Titans were celebrating. I was dazed and confused.
I still am about that play.
8. Mark Gastineau's Roughing the Passer Penalty
In 1987, the Jets benched starting quarterback Kenny O'Brien in favor of longtime backup Pat Ryan. With Ryan at center, the Jets would win a wild card game, setting up a divisional game against the Cleveland Browns on January 3, 1987.
The Jets appeared to be on the way to the AFC Championship game with a 20-10 lead with 4:14 left in the game. Yet on a second-and-24 play from the Browns' 18, Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau was penalized for roughing the passer on Bernie Kosar's incompletion, giving the Browns a first down at their 33. It was Gastineau's second roughing the passer penalty that game. Cleveland went on to score a touchdown with 1:57 left, kick a tying field goal with seven seconds left.
The Jets, would receive another chance in OT when Mark Moseley missed a 23-yard FG, but his 27-yard FG, 2:02 into the 2nd OT sent the Browns to the AFC championship game. It was an amazing way to lose.
7. The Drive
On January 11, 1987, the Browns had just pulled ahead of the Broncos and looked like they would make it to their first Super Bowl. Bernie Kosar had just tossed a 48-yard TD pass to Brian Brennan to put the Browns ahead of the Broncos, 20-13, with 5:43 left in the game.
Some quarterback named John Elway, who really hadn't done much in the game, was given the ball on the Broncos two yard line. If the Browns could stop him, they would go to the Super Bowl.
Elway engineered a 98-yard game-tying drive after passing and scrambling the Broncos down to the Browns' 14-yard line. After a nine-yard run by Elway moved the ball to the five, on third-and-one he completed a touchdown to Mark Jackson with 37 seconds left. Rich Karlis' extra point tied the game.
The game went into OT. The Broncos stopped the Browns on the first possession, took over, and Karlis kicked a 33-yard field goal for the win.
The very words "the drive" can give a person in Cleveland flashbacks. It's not pretty.
Next week, I'll give to you more moments from my top 10 list. Have a great weekend!
More sports.
posted by Nominal Me | Friday, January 21, 2005
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1 Comments:
The Jets, more so than any other franchise, have a talent for losing big. You really have to feel bad for Jets fans.
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