Situation: Second and 15 from the Arizona 41-yard line. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers to Jeff Janis vs. "Unfortunately, when we play it, it's a victory for the other team.”Ħ. Saints head coach Mike Ditka, whose team had given up a Hail Mary touchdown to end the first half the previous week, was incredulous: “ a prevent defense, but if it’s played with a certain technique, it’s called a victory defense," he said. Before the play, Cleveland defensive tackle Darius Holland was resigned to another loss: “I had my shoes untied, my shirt untucked." he told the Akron Beacon Journal. On the final play, Couch sprinted right to avoid pressure and heaved a ball that was tipped in the air and caught by Johnson just inside the front pylon for a touchdown. Cleveland was on its way to a hard-luck defeat in New Orleans, trailing 16-14 with two seconds left and 56 yards to go. The Browns had an 0-7 record, losing five games by double-digits, in their first year back in the NFL since the original Browns moved to Baltimore. Situation: First and 10 from Cleveland's 44-yard line. Cleveland’s Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson vs. It is still one of the most hotly-debated plays in (American) football.“That was the Lord … that was the Lord,” said McCartney. In the latter case, it would be a valid reception in the former, the penalty would be for “Illegal Touching” and the game would be over. The “Immaculate” moniker is questionable the play was ruled a touchdown because none of the referees could determine whether Fuqua has touched the ball, or whether it had bounced off his defender. Probably not enough evidence to go on.Īside to kanicbird: the Immaculate Reception was Franco Harris, snatching a Terry Bradshaw pass intended for “Frenchy” Fuqua from inches above the ground in the final seconds of the AFC Championship game (Steelers vs. With the big game in the balance, your pass in the air, and a mob of defenders and receivers in the end zone, you may as well pray–you’re going to need it!Īs for who coined it, Google gives one decent cite that it was Roger Staubach vs. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. The Lord is with thee.īlessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. The massive hang time is long enough for the receivers to get downfield under his pass, long enough for the defenders to set up coverage, and long enough for the quarterback to say the complete Hail Mary prayer, to wit: He throws long and high, knowing that the time left on the clock will expire no matter what kind of play is run. Nonetheless, the quarterback’s hand (and arm) is forced. Normally when a defense knows what you’re going to do, you try to do something else, but in this situation, it is the only possible play, and defending against it is pretty easy. Everyone in the stadium–offense, defense, fans, the hot dog guy, even the ref–knows what’s coming, because there’s really no other choice. The QB, desperate for more than three points but nowhere near scoring, with only a handful of seconds left on the clock, throws the ball in a long, high arc, aiming for the end zone. I seem to remember my father’s explanation going something like this…
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