In the week running up to the Super Bowl, Mike & Mike did a "Greatest Moments in Super Bowl History" list. It was pretty terrible, if only for two reasons. First, they would include stuff like "Joe Montana's game-winning drive in Super Bowl 23." Yeah, that's not a "moment." (ESPN always does this sort of thing; they'll have "Plays of the Day" and #4 will be, like, three dunks. Just pick one, jackasses.) Second, and much worse, one of the top five "moments" (it was either 2 or 3) was Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian's blooper interception (Damn!) that was returned for Washington's only score of the game in Super Bowl 7. Not only was it a bad play, it didn't affect the outcome: the Dolphins still won (and finished 17-0, as we are forever reminded). So, in the spirit of making a better list, and with the unbelievable play from last night's game still fresh, I give you The Ten Greatest Plays in Super Bowl History. The only rules are: it has to be great (no Leon Lett-Don Beebe plays here, no Scott Norwood either) and it has to be a play. I'll put it in context, and plays more meaningful to the outcome get more weight, but it has to be a single play.
(It helps if you imagine these being read by John Facenda.)
The Ten Greatest Plays in Super Bowl History (now with 10% less Yepremian)
1. Mike Jones's tackle of Kevin Dyson at the one-yard line to preserve the Rams' 23-16 win over the Titans in Super Bowl 34. A simple play, but great because of its importance. Mike Jones initially tracked the tight end coming down the seam, but peeled back to tackle Dyson as he caught the ball.
2. David Tyree's catch after Eli Manning's escape in Super Bowl 42, on the way to the winning touchdown. One could make a pretty good case for this being number one. Eli Manning eludes a couple of Patriots, then fires the ball downfield to Tyree, who catches the ball against his helmet, then keeps it from hitting the ground by what looked like centimeters, all while Rodney Harrison tries to wrestle the ball away. Only reason it's not number one is the Giants still had to go down and score.
3. Joe Montana's game-winning pass to John Taylor in Super Bowl 23. See? One play. By itself, not spectacular, but it distilled the essence of the '80s 49er teams. Who I hate, by the way.
4. John Riggins 43-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1 against Miami in Super Bowl 17. The Redskins were down 17-13; they not only convert, they take a lead they never give up. And Sandra Day loosened up a little.
5. Dan Bunz tackles Charles Alexander on a swing pass at the one-yard line on 3rd-and-goal to preserve the 49ers' 20-7 lead over the Bengals in Super Bowl 16, part of a defensive stand that began at the three-yard line. The Bengals went for it on fourth and failed to score. They did eventually make it 20-14, but the stand blunted their momentum and they couldn't catch up.
6. Lynn Swann's catch (at 6:27) in Super Bowl 10 in the Steelers' win over the Cowboys. It should be remembered that the Steelers didn't actually score after this catch. But it was a spectacular catch, and it got the Steelers out from deep in their end on a third down.
7. Jim O'Brien's 32-yard kick to win Super Bowl 5. O'Brien was a rookie, and had made 56% of his kicks that year. The league average was 59.4%, so field goals were not gimmes, not even 32-yarders. And it was the first last-minute game-winner in Super Bowl history, so that's pretty cool.
8. Max McGee's 37-yard touchdown catch in Super Bowl 1. It was the first touchdown in Super Bowl history, McGee was legendarily hung over, and it was an excellent one-handed catch. Way to go, old drunk guy!
9. Marcus Allen's 74-yard touchdown run in Super Bowl 18. It's a pretty good run, and it makes Todd Christensen all verklempt (we miss John Facenda too, buddy), but on the other hand, the Raiders were already destroying the Redskins, so this was just icing.
10. Ken Norton Jr. stuffs Kenneth Davis in Super Bowl 27. Okay, this game was a blowout. And I'm a Cowboys fan. But hear me out. Dallas led, 14-7, but the Bills had 3rd and goal from like six inches away. Davis had a clean hole to the end zone, Jim Kelly had his arms up celebrating, and Norton flat stoned Davis. The Bills went for it on 4th and goal, and Thomas Everett intercepted Kelly in the end zone. If Davis scores, maybe it's a different game. I think I've been pretty restrained with the Cowboys here, so give me this one.
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1 comment:
What about the whole "Hand of God" play? I mean, it was crap, and Maradonna's a bastard, but I don't see how you can have 10 best football plays list without it.
Clearly, you do not know your football.
(How about that Clemens, though, huh? Such a great guy. Hate to see his reputation tarnished like this. Good football player, too, I hear.)
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