Take your pick, and remember: no whining after the game.
Food poisoning from game-day breakfast: With 13 of 22 starters confined to the locker room with diarrhoea and severe abdominal pain, Miami is forced to start many players we’d forgotten were even on the roster. In the third quarter, Jimmy Wyrick draws a delay-of-game penalty for vomiting in the end zone.
“I have to give our team a lot of credit for playing against guys they hadn’t seen on film,†Bill Belichik says following the 24-21 victory. “Nobody got rattled when Matt Turk threw two touchdowns. It’s preparation that wins games like this.â€Â
Injured Fin writhes in pain, gets flagged for taunting: With 12 seconds on the clock, the Patriots’ go-ahead field goal attempt from 47 yards away sails wide right, but Junior Seau dislocates his shoulder on the play and draws a 15-yard penalty for taunting as he gyrates and screams in pain. Moments later Adam Vinateiri puts the game-winner through from 32 yards away as time expires.
“At first we thought he was faking it since Miami was out of timeouts,†the referee says afterward. “We could have called unsportsmanlike conduct for that, but once it became clear he was really injured we changed the call. I guess we’ll never know for sure if it affected the outcome.â€Â
Instant replay system malfunction: The Patriots’ game-winning drive includes a 15-yard sideline completion on fourth down. Although replays from three different angles reveal that Troy Brown got neither foot in bounds and never controlled the ball, Dave Wannstedt is denied a challenge of the play when the replay system malfunctions.
“You could see it clearly on the Jumbotron, but the referee said if he couldn’t use the official equipment then he couldn’t review it,†said a still-furious Dave Wannstedt after the game. “Not to take anything away from New England, they’re a heck of a football team.â€Â
Frozen ball explodes on Fins field goal attempt: Olindo Mare misses another overtime game-winner when the football, weakened by sub-zero temperatures, explodes on impact. Three alert Patriot players collect the leather scraps and return them to the Miami 20 before being tackled, incidentally making NFL history during the first play in which six players are credited with the tackle.
“Coach runs exploding-ball drills in practice all the time,†says Rodney Harrison in a post-game interview. “I just hope this shuts up McMichael. He can keep his eight catches and two touchdowns. I’ll take the win any time.â€Â
Pats’ pass retrieved from snowdrift, ruled complete: Once again displaying an uncanny knack for knowing the rules, the Patriots score the game’s final touchdown when Tom Brady’s pass lands just behind the end zone atop a pile of snow. Christian Fauria reaches over the end-line to retrieve the ball and appears stunned when a linesman awards him a touchdown. The NFL’s subsequent clarification that all such passes should be deemed incomplete will become known as the ‘snowdrift rule,’ but comes too late for the Dolphins.
“I, um, well, I knew that, y’know, you play until you hear a whistle,†Furia mumbles to reporters after the game. “Of course, I had to make it look like I was just casually grabbing the ball to hand it to the ref, so Sam Madison wouldn’t catch on. Yeah, that’s it. Write that down. This team just finds ways to win.â€Â
Food poisoning from game-day breakfast: With 13 of 22 starters confined to the locker room with diarrhoea and severe abdominal pain, Miami is forced to start many players we’d forgotten were even on the roster. In the third quarter, Jimmy Wyrick draws a delay-of-game penalty for vomiting in the end zone.
“I have to give our team a lot of credit for playing against guys they hadn’t seen on film,†Bill Belichik says following the 24-21 victory. “Nobody got rattled when Matt Turk threw two touchdowns. It’s preparation that wins games like this.â€Â
Injured Fin writhes in pain, gets flagged for taunting: With 12 seconds on the clock, the Patriots’ go-ahead field goal attempt from 47 yards away sails wide right, but Junior Seau dislocates his shoulder on the play and draws a 15-yard penalty for taunting as he gyrates and screams in pain. Moments later Adam Vinateiri puts the game-winner through from 32 yards away as time expires.
“At first we thought he was faking it since Miami was out of timeouts,†the referee says afterward. “We could have called unsportsmanlike conduct for that, but once it became clear he was really injured we changed the call. I guess we’ll never know for sure if it affected the outcome.â€Â
Instant replay system malfunction: The Patriots’ game-winning drive includes a 15-yard sideline completion on fourth down. Although replays from three different angles reveal that Troy Brown got neither foot in bounds and never controlled the ball, Dave Wannstedt is denied a challenge of the play when the replay system malfunctions.
“You could see it clearly on the Jumbotron, but the referee said if he couldn’t use the official equipment then he couldn’t review it,†said a still-furious Dave Wannstedt after the game. “Not to take anything away from New England, they’re a heck of a football team.â€Â
Frozen ball explodes on Fins field goal attempt: Olindo Mare misses another overtime game-winner when the football, weakened by sub-zero temperatures, explodes on impact. Three alert Patriot players collect the leather scraps and return them to the Miami 20 before being tackled, incidentally making NFL history during the first play in which six players are credited with the tackle.
“Coach runs exploding-ball drills in practice all the time,†says Rodney Harrison in a post-game interview. “I just hope this shuts up McMichael. He can keep his eight catches and two touchdowns. I’ll take the win any time.â€Â
Pats’ pass retrieved from snowdrift, ruled complete: Once again displaying an uncanny knack for knowing the rules, the Patriots score the game’s final touchdown when Tom Brady’s pass lands just behind the end zone atop a pile of snow. Christian Fauria reaches over the end-line to retrieve the ball and appears stunned when a linesman awards him a touchdown. The NFL’s subsequent clarification that all such passes should be deemed incomplete will become known as the ‘snowdrift rule,’ but comes too late for the Dolphins.
“I, um, well, I knew that, y’know, you play until you hear a whistle,†Furia mumbles to reporters after the game. “Of course, I had to make it look like I was just casually grabbing the ball to hand it to the ref, so Sam Madison wouldn’t catch on. Yeah, that’s it. Write that down. This team just finds ways to win.â€Â
:rofl:
