Celebrating What Is: Favorite Iconic Moment

[TheoShmeo]

So like a lot of fans I’ve been soaking up the highlight videos, both of the glorious two wins in these playoffs and of past glory.

The thing I keep coming back to is how freaking lucky we are to have our team in the SB four out of five years. For fans who saw this team pre-Parcells, we still have to pinch ourselves. We’re just so fortunate.

I started thinking about what my favorite iconic moment has been. An obvious pick would be the Butler pick. But in truth that play was a blur. It’s probably the most amazing single play in Boston sports history for me. I guess the “ground ball to Foulke/under hands to first” was more emotional but amazing as a play, it was not.

And I’m not sure the Butler play was so iconic or symbolic. One can make the argument, of course.

For me, it’s the Ty Law pick 6. Just the beauty and majesty of it. On a personal level, I said to my buddy right before it happened at the game that the Pats needed to score on D. I was not making a prediction. But the offense was dormant to that point. And then bam. There are other reasons but if I have to pick a play that symbolizes the dynasty, that would be my choice.

That Tom Brady is not part of it is huge demerit, I know. Still the iconic heart wants what it wants.

I’m on my phone and can’t upload a pic for some reason, which is a fail. But damn, who can’t picture Ty with his arm in the air running to the goal line?

What’s yours?

 

[Ale Xander]

Adam V kicks
I go back and forth between snow bowl and SBXXXVI as most iconic. Probably snow bowl.

 

[Ale Xander]

Scroll to 4:35

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[Preacher]

Adam V kicks
I go back and forth between snow bowl and SBXXXVI as most iconic. Probably snow bowl.

That's what I was going to say. To me, it was the first one that tied it. It looked so low like it wouldn't carry the crossbar but it just kept going. Going from the fumble/tuck and certain loss to playing for overtime was a big swing.

 

[InstaFace]

The Sherman-esque march down the field to drive the stake through the heart of the Falcons in overtime. You talk about the Butler play seeming like a blur? That entire overtime drive lasted something like 7 minutes of real time, but I was on the edge of my seat basically holding my breath, so the whole thing really felt like a single moment.

The one distinction that will elude Brady and Belichick, in all likelihood, is the undefeated season that they lost at the last moment in 2007. But the closest thing to that particular flavor of immortality is the epic comeback in SB 51 that has forever etched terror into the hearts of every opponent he faces. Frankly, given the stage it was on, that comeback makes the Frank Reich game look like a frivolous curiosity rather than the ultimate tribute to guts and focus.

Like the 2004 Red Sox, the spirit of the 2016 Patriots will be summoned at the bleakest of moments. Every insurmountable deficit will be compared to the one they overcame, especially when it happens in front of the entire country during a Super Bowl. Every coach whose team is trailing will use them as the example by which to believe in themselves, every coach who's leading will use them as the reason to not let up even for a second, every broadcaster trying to put a lopsided score into context will say that nobody has ever overcome this big a deficit - except those Patriots.

That drive was his march to an even greater immortality and we all knew it was coming. I think that anticipation of "holy shit this is really happening", drawn out over a long span of time, makes it both my most memorable and favorite point in time.

 

[Was (Not Wasdin)]

This one. To win SB 36. The snow bowl was great, but they still had to get through Pittsburgh (at Pittsburgh) to go to the SB. This was for all the marbles. Pats' D was completely gassed, if the game went to OT and the Rams got the ball they would have won. This was just money. And we cant really play "what if", if Vinatieri missed it. He made it, and they have gone on to two decades of dominance. This may not have triggered it, but it certainly didnt hurt.

I'm just out of camera range on this shot, probably 3-4 rows back of the people along the left upright (s/humblebrag).

 

[Saints Rest]

Mo Lewis hit of Bledsoe?
Vinatieri leaping with arms raised after the Super Bowl XXXVI FG?

But in a way, the moment that might be the most perfect, is Brady calmly catching the ball after he clocks it at just before the Vinatieri FG. The moment in and of itself says nothing, but it perfectly encapsulates how cool Brady was in that moment and for so many, many more over the next 17 years (and counting).

 

[bankshot1]

It was funny. about an hour ago, I saw the Pats SB prediction thread, with a gazillion things to predict, and I thought to myself, (but did not post-too many predictions) Pats 34 Rams 23 AND that Gilmore (#24 Law's #) picks Goff for a pick 6 and completes a circle, and we start again.

But as to iconic moments I think AV's fluttering ball fighting its way through the wind and snow that somehow made it over the crossbars, might have been my favorite Pats moment. The championships have been great but that kick changed the Pat's world.

 

[Hendu for Kutch]

There are a few Tedy Bruschi moments that are starting to fade away just due to the length of the dynasty and how much has come after it. It's hard to pick just one, so I'll give three (all conveniently found in a single video):


1:08 - The interception and quick TD return near the end zone against Miami at home. Not so much for the interception itself, but for the snow fireworks that happened in the stand afterwards. One of the coolest visual things I've ever seen at a sporting event (and sadly not in the video).

1:14 - Bruschi rips the ball right out of Dominic Rhodes' hands and just takes it away from him by force. The sideline cameras pick up Bruschi yelling "This is what they're looking for. They ain't got it! They ain't got it!".

0:06 - After the same game as the #2 moment, Bruschi's post game interview: "You want to change the rules? Change em. We play and we win, that's what we do."

 

[TheoShmeo]

Mo Lewis hit of Bledsoe?
Vinatieri leaping with arms raised after the Super Bowl XXXVI FG?

But in a way, the moment that might be the most perfect, is Brady calmly catching the ball after he clocks it at just before the Vinatieri FG. The moment in and of itself says nothing, but it perfectly encapsulates how cool Brady was in that moment and for so many, many more over the next 17 years (and counting).

That little spike, catch and hold for an extra beat is a big one for me too. I almost went with that.

I’m a little surprised that it occurred to anyone else as it’s a largely unfocused on moment.

You must be as demented as I am.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

I’m on my phone and can’t upload a pic for some reason, which is a fail. But damn, who can’t picture Ty with his arm in the air running to the goal line?

What’s yours?

Outside of the obvious, one of my favorites in this category was the 2003 goal line stop with Willie McGinest high stepping down the field with his helmet off after major goal line stop. It's not in the category of greatest moment ever, but one that I love.

In terms of the one that sticks out to me the most was Walt Coleman:

"The quarterback's arm was moving forward and it's an incomplete pass"

I think the reason it sticks out was being at that game, with shitty screens for replays, no idea what was really going on and went from "oh shit this game is over and there goes the season" to the fans rocking Foxboro Stadium. That was really the first moment when everything changed and everything that followed was amazing, but talk about a turning point.

Almost had the same feeling with the offsides call last week.

 

[JokersWildJIMED]

The Butler play was the greatest play in football history, perhaps in sports history....searching for something more iconic than that is simply trying too hard.

 

[Ralphwiggum]

Mo Lewis hit of Bledsoe?
Vinatieri leaping with arms raised after the Super Bowl XXXVI FG?

But in a way, the moment that might be the most perfect, is Brady calmly catching the ball after he clocks it at just before the Vinatieri FG. The moment in and of itself says nothing, but it perfectly encapsulates how cool Brady was in that moment and for so many, many more over the next 17 years (and counting).

That Brady play is one of the first things I thought of for exactly the reason you note.

There are so many that I can't conceive of picking one over many others, many have been mentioned in the thread already.

One other that popped up, the FG block, lateral to Antwan Harris returned for the TD against Pitt.

 

[Ralphwiggum]

The Butler play was the greatest play in football history, perhaps in sports history....searching for something more iconic than that is simply trying too hard.

Tough to argue with this logic.

 

[Bergs]

That little spike, catch and hold for an extra beat is a big one for me too. I almost went with that.

I’m a little surprised that it occurred to anyone else as it’s a largely unfocused on moment.

You must be as demented as I am.

+1

 

[BuellMiller]

That's what I was going to say. To me, it was the first one that tied it. It looked so low like it wouldn't carry the crossbar but it just kept going. Going from the fumble/tuck and certain loss to playing for overtime was a big swing.

I was already halfway up the stairs to bed after Woodson forced a fumble an incompletion, and then a few plays later when he attempted the kick, it looked like there was no way it would be good. And you could barely see it in the snow...so I still couldn't believe it when Gumbel said it was good.

 

[Buck Showalter]

Butler's goal-line pick against Seattle

Adam's Snow kick against Oakland

#11's catch just off the turf against Atlanta

An underrated play was #11's throw to #80 against Baltimore.

 

[wilked]

Agree with Butler, but it's not the scene of the interception that will stay most permanent in memory, it's this image (edit - go to 8:53 in the vid)


Guy is so overwhelmed he can't stand, you can go a lifetime and not have that feeling

 

[jmcc5400]

Edelman to Amendola. After the severe disappointments of 2005-2013, including being owned by the Ravens twice, this was a stand up and shout moment that began Chapter 2 of the dynasty.

 

[dynomite]

The Butler play was the greatest play in football history, perhaps in sports history....searching for something more iconic than that is simply trying too hard.

This is petty, but one of my favorite codas to that play was at the next ESPY Awards, when they gave “Play of the Year” to the Odell Beckham one-handed catch instead of the Butler Play. Who cares, right? The next time I watch the ESPYs will be the first.

Still, I just found that such a perfect embodiment of everything silly and backward about sports media. The Giants lost that game! The catch was in the 2nd quarter! Meanwhile, the Butler pick literally decided a Super Bowl on a single play — extending one dynasty while snuffing out another one before it started, cementing Brady’s legacy as the GOAT, etc.

The Butler Play is the “Play of the Century,” up there with the Immaculate Reception, The Catch, The Helmet Catch (ugh), and the Packers Ice Bowl TD for the most iconic plays in NFL history.

 

[brandonchristensen]

Edelman's Catch for me. It was the "Holy shit it happened for us!?!" moment.

EDIT: Shit, this is the wrong thread. Adding my own moment.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

I was going to say the Vinatieri kick when I first read the post at the top, but then I think the thread convinced me about Butler.

Here's an embarrassing fact about myself. I didn't even notice Malcolm was in the game during the game, and at the moment of the interception I had forgotten who he was. My immediate thought when they said "Butler" was "Darius hasn't been on this team for years."

It's not iconic but the play that will always stand out to me as indicative of what it's like to be a fan of this team is Troy Brown's catch and run out of bounds. For all the talk about the spike, the kick, and the rest of the drive, that was the play that won the championship. If you had to pick one.

Troy Brown represents everything to me about two decades of the Patriots. He is do your job personified.

 

[TheoShmeo]

I was going to say the Vinatieri kick when I first read the post at the top, but then I think the thread convinced me about Butler.

Here's an embarrassing fact about myself. I didn't even notice Malcolm was in the game during the game, and at the moment of the interception I had forgotten who he was. My immediate thought when they said "Butler" was "Darius hasn't been on this team for years."

It's not iconic but the play that will always stand out to me as indicative of what it's like to be a fan of this team is Troy Brown's catch and run out of bounds. For all the talk about the spike, the kick, and the rest of the drive, that was the play that won the championship. If you had to pick one.

Troy Brown represents everything to me about two decades of the Patriots. He is do your job personified.

When Troy went out of bounds, I said “they just won the game.” Now the Wiggins play was another 7 yards and the kick was not a gimme. But does anyone think the 7 yards would have changed the outcome? Yep, that Troy play was pivotal.

 

[BigSoxFan]

Not the "biggest" play but the Edelman catch against Atlanta was when I felt like the worm had officially turned in the Pats' favor. That was a throw that should have been picked off but, like Beasley in the end zone, Alford was a little off balance and tipped it upwards. Even without making the play, the odds were that a Falcons player was going to come down with it given the trajectory of the ball. Instead, Edelman makes the most ridiculous catch, we finally had our Tyree moment, and you really started to feel that Brady was actually going to pull it off.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

When Troy went out of bounds, I said “they just won the game.” Now the Wiggins play was another 7 yards and the kick was not a gimme. But does anyone think the 7 yards would have changed the outcome? Yep, that Troy play was pivotal.

The Redmond play to get out of bounds was great too on his third catch of the drive. How often have we seen those tackles at the sideline get called in bounds and the ref waives the clock to keep going? He dove for the sideline like it was the end zone and downed the football out of bounds like it was a rugby try. It was a bang-bang play and if the ref had judged his knee down first the play likely would never have been reviewed if it was even reviewable and they would have lost 15 seconds at least.

 

[JokersWildJIMED]

The Redmond play to get out of bounds was great too on his third catch of the drive. How often have we seen those tackles at the sideline get called in bounds and the ref waives the clock to keep going? He dove for the sideline like it was the end zone and downed the football out of bounds like it was a rugby try. It was a bang-bang play and if the ref had judged his knee down first the play likely would never have been reviewed if it was even reviewable and they would have lost 15 seconds at least.

That play was beyond huge (BTW it could have been called either way as it was on the STL sideline and super close)...I can't remember if it was BB or Weiss, but one of them said later that if Redmond doesn't get out on that play they let the clock run to go to OT.

 

[MillarTime]

All already mentioned but the

(1) Ty Law pick 6
(2) Butler INT
(3) Edelman catch
(4) Edelman to Amendola

all came to mind immediately

 

[Mooch]

David Givens TD, one foot on the football, flapping his arms then flexing against the Eagles in the Super Bowl.

 

[InstaFace]

Agree with Butler, but it's not the scene of the interception that will stay most permanent in memory, it's this image (edit - go to 8:53 in the vid)


Guy is so overwhelmed he can't stand, you can go a lifetime and not have that feeling

Try 9'30" in that video, too. Much closer, and a personal moment with Patricia.

 

[tims4wins]

Wrong thread

 

[lexrageorge]

Lonnie Paxton reprising his snow angel from the Snow Bowl after Adam kicked the Field Goal down in New Orleans against the Rams.

 

[DaveRoberts'Shoes]

It's silly, but Martellus Bennett dancing with the cheerleaders after the 2016 AFCCG to Whitney Houston's "I Want to Dance With Somebody" was such a moment of unfettered joy.