NFL

[njbill]

In this day and age, as a scoring play, the play would’ve been reviewed. There would’ve been multiple angles, high DEF, frame by frame slo-mo. You would have been able to see both aspects of the play clearly. There could well have been conclusive video evidence. If so, we wouldn’t have had this great, historic play to debate for all these years. In all likelihood, it would’ve been long forgotten. And certainly no statue in the Pittsburgh airport.

[Brooklyn]

^ That is so true. Imagine using all that tech during the Cal-Stanford game which ended with the rugby style play. One of the players had his knee down on the ground and the video replay would have shown it:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfebpLfAt8g


click at 19 secs -


Had the proper call been made we would not be able to talk about today. What a loss that would be!

[ardilla secreta]

In this day and age, as a scoring play, the play would’ve been reviewed. There would’ve been multiple angles, high DEF, frame by frame slo-mo. You would have been able to see both aspects of the play clearly. There could well have been conclusive video evidence. If so, we wouldn’t have had this great, historic play to debate for all these years. In all likelihood, it would’ve been long forgotten. And certainly no statue in the Pittsburgh airport.

Former NFL ref and CBS analyst Gene Steratore reviewed the play on CBS Mornings today and said it would not be overturned.

[njbill]

Read or heard something yesterday or today that if Tatum touched the ball, whether before or after Fuqua, Franco could legally have caught it. It would only have been an illegal catch if Tatum never touched it. Assuming that is what the rule did say in 1972, just looking at the physics of it, it's hard to see how the ball would bounce back like that if Tatum didn't touch it.

So then the issue is whether the ball hit the ground before Franco caught it. I appreciate the ref's opinion, but without a very good, high quality video, you simply can't say if the ball hit the ground. At least I've never seen a still photo or video that is clearly definitive.

Calls get overturned with some frequency these days if video clearly shows the ball did or did not hit the ground, contrary to the call on the field.

Now if you are going by the statute in the Pittsburgh airport, the ball didn't hit the ground.

Franco played his high school ball a couple of towns over from me. His HS and mine were Thanksgiving Day rivals back then. He was a bit older than me, and I don't recall ever having seen him play in HS.

For my money, I hope he caught it. Never have been a Steelers fan, but I've always liked Franco. Probably the best NFL player ever to come out of South Jersey. Dave Robinson from my alma mater is a pretty close second.

[44WeWantMore]

Agree that the ball had to (mostly) hit Tatum's shoulder pad to bounce back so far. Also agree that there is no video evidence that Franco caught the ball on a short-hop. He might have, but there is no video of it. The only video evidence that Raider fans can use is a possible clip. If the refs called it, it would have been a reasonable call, but since they did not, I do not think the video of the clip is definitive enough to overrule the call on the field.

[DMac]

This doesn't provide indisputable evidence as it's just too far away but if you watch just Franco on this play it doesn't appear to me as if he picks the ball up on a hop. He'd have had to be bent over farther or the ball would had to have bounced way in front of him in order for him to pick it up like that. I think the play is legit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1grVgWug20

[44WeWantMore]

I never saw that video, and I agree, it does not look like he picked it up on a short hop.

BTW, the "clip" is at around the 14 second mark.

[Brooklyn]

I never saw that video, and I agree, it does not look like he picked it up on a short hop.

BTW, the "clip" is at around the 14 second mark.

Clean catch all the way. And I am not a Pittsburgh fan. The only problem with the final call was the possible clip that freed him to run all the way across the goal line. But I've seen worse calls that were missed over the years and nobody ever felt it was a big deal - just a missed call. Harris deserves all the kudos in the world for his quick reflexes and resourcefulness. So sad that we lost him just before that 50th anniversary.

[njbill]

I don't recall having seen that angle either and agree that it looks like a clean catch on that video. Also looks even more definitive that Tatum hit the ball.

Saw an interview with the Raider "clippee" who of course says he was clipped. But from this video, while it looks like there was contact by the Steeler from behind, the contact didn't really knock the Raider off balance and, it seems to me, was pretty close to incidental contact.

[Brooklyn]

The original "immaculate reception" - Notre Dame defeats the heavily favored Ohio State in 1935:


FB Tony Mazziotti (Catholic) to,
HB Bill Shakespeare (Protestant) to,
WR Wayne Milner (Jewish)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYSZfz-5cbE



The game was also called the original "Game of the Century".

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

From the original broadcast:

[Brooklyn]

I have seen that replay so many times over the years and have never gotten tired of seeing it. To this day I rue the fact that the Giants did not take him in the first round as I had said back then (they could easily have traded up for the rights to him had they chosen to do so). With him in the lineup they could well have become contenders. Sadly, it wasn't to be as their management was such shtt.

[njbill]

Not Franco related, but applicable to the Steelers, I saw something on the famous Hollywood Henderson quote that Terry Bradshaw couldn’t spell cat if you spotted him the C and the A. Obviously, we’ve all heard that one. But what I hadn’t heard was that after the game which Pittsburgh won, Henderson said, I never said he couldn’t play. I said he couldn’t spell.

[Brooklyn]

^ +100 !

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Joe Greene relates a story about the integrity of former Steelers coach Chuck Noll.



https://youtu.be/Mug8g6JhsgQ

0:36 clip

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Insane effort and play by former New England Patriots placekicker Adam Vinatieri in tackling Herschel Walker.

https://youtu.be/WooPp3UVCp8

https://twitter.com/HonestLarry1/status ... EHIfh1CVAw

[cradleandshoot]

The most horrible thing I have ever witnessed in any game in any sport. Damar Hamlin you are in my thoughts. This is no time to try and ask these players to play football.

[youthathletics]

The most horrible thing I have ever witnessed in any game in any sport. Damar Hamlin you are in my thoughts. This is no time to try and ask these players to play football.

https://twitter.com/outkick/status/1610 ... GV8PfInbEw


Commotio cordis, possibly?

[Brooklyn]

The most horrible thing I have ever witnessed in any game in any sport. Damar Hamlin you are in my thoughts. This is no time to try and ask these players to play football.

https://twitter.com/outkick/status/1610 ... GV8PfInbEw


Commotio cordis, possibly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-G9mziXL9w


Was it the hit that caused it or did his body just suffer organic failure? Let's hope for the best.

[Brooklyn]

from a different angle:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb1i8a-ox5M



scary - let's hope for the best