Until he turned up playing for the Panthers in SB XXXVIII, and catching passes against us. I didn't know, or had forgotten that until I watched that SB highlight this weekend. Aw what the hell, the "East-a Bost" guy has to put food on the tableJermaine Wiggins AKA 'Wiggy'…..just a great story.
Troy Brown on defense needs to be on the shortlist.Mike Vrabel on offense. Unstoppable in the red zone.
Edelman too.Troy Brown on defense needs to be on the shortlist.
Julian Edelman too. It's one of those things, given his stature now, that seems like some weird fever dream. However, back before he was a star, he had more tackles than receptions in the 2011 playoffs. Dude even forced a fumble and injured Ladanian Tomlinson.Troy Brown on defense needs to be on the shortlist.
I forgot all about that. Fantastic.Julian Edelman too. It's one of those things, given his stature now, that seems like some weird fever dream. However, back before he was a star, he had more tackles than receptions in the 2011 playoffs. Dude even forced a fumble and injured Ladanian Tomlinson.
He also forced the Ricky Proehl fumble right before the half that led to the Patten TD.Antwan Harris.
The OTHER Patriot drafted in the 6th round of the 2000 draft, 12 picks before Brady. (Isn’t that INSANE!?!)
Definition of anonymous special teamer, only started 2 games in his 4 years with the Pats (and then washed out of the league). But in the 2001 AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh, when we blocked that FG and Troy Brown picked it up and started to run it back, Harris could have just been excited and tried to block for him and celebrate the recovery. Instead, he did this:
Totally a forward lateral. Never called on such plays though, in practice.Antwan Harris.
The OTHER Patriot drafted in the 6th round of the 2000 draft, 12 picks before Brady. (Isn’t that INSANE!?!)
Definition of anonymous special teamer, only started 2 games in his 4 years with the Pats (and then washed out of the league). But in the 2001 AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh, when we blocked that FG and Troy Brown picked it up and started to run it back, Harris could have just been excited and tried to block for him and celebrate the recovery. Instead, he did this:
I have always loved this moment from this camera angle. It's like all the Steelers' hopes and dreams were shoved back in their faces in an instant.Antwan Harris.
The OTHER Patriot drafted in the 6th round of the 2000 draft, 12 picks before Brady. (Isn’t that INSANE!?!)
Definition of anonymous special teamer, only started 2 games in his 4 years with the Pats (and then washed out of the league). But in the 2001 AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh, when we blocked that FG and Troy Brown picked it up and started to run it back, Harris could have just been excited and tried to block for him and celebrate the recovery. Instead, he did this
Probably because of Givens’ Thanos-sized bicepsThat’s wild.
I think of Givens as being a bigger WR and Amendola as a little guy. But DG is 6’-0” while DA is 5’-11”.
I'll always remember him for likely saving the season while unconscious and half out of bounds on the sideline in Buffalo. He alertly remained motionless and nullified a change of possession.David Patten, even just for the Snow Game.
I'd forgotten about that.I'll always remember him for likely saving the season while unconscious and half out of bounds on the sideline in Buffalo. He alertly remained motionless and nullified a change of possession.
Anyway, my nomination is Ben Watson, for the playoff chase-down that was definitely a fumble and touchback.Referee Mike Carey determined by a video review that Patten’s head was out of bounds while the ball remained loose under his leg.
Antowain Smith broke the game open on the ensuing play, bouncing off the pile and down the sideline before he was pushed out of bounds at the 3, setting up the game-winning kick.
“It’s their job to make the calls,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “We can just control how we play. If we got a break on the call, great.”
Patten couldn’t comment on the call. Carpenter’s hit knocked him unconscious.
“I didn’t know where I was. I could have been in Czechoslovakia,” Patten said. “I thought I let the team down, but the replay was one thing that went our way.”
Situational football.I'll always remember him for likely saving the season while unconscious and half out of bounds on the sideline in Buffalo. He alertly remained motionless and nullified a change of possession.
That made me irrationally happy.I have always loved this moment from this camera angle. It's like all the Steelers' hopes and dreams were shoved back in their faces in an instant.
It’s weird because it’s an optical illusion of sorts. Relative to each player, it’s totally backward. Relative to the yard markers on the field, it’s clearly forward.Totally a forward lateral. Never called on such plays though, in practice.
Not to take anything away from Givens' streak, and growing up it felt like one of those automatic things I took way too much granted, to say nothing of the insane reception TD in SB36. But if had Gronk scored against KC last week, he would tied Givens, and have a chance at tying the NFL record in that department tomorrow (8 straight games, with 1978-84 John Stallworth). The fact this had a chance of happening again, over 10 years later, same dynasty, is absolutely insane.I’ll nominate Givens. TD catch in 7 straight postseason games. Not likely to be repeated by a Pats player in my lifetime. So clutch.
Ack, thanks much for correcting.The catch you’re referring to in SB36 was Patten, not Givens.
Unless I'm missing something, Gronk also went without a TD against Jacksonville last year. He did have a streak of 6 straight games with a TD (the game before the streak started was Houston after the 2012 season, when he was knocked out of the game in the 1st quarter after just getting one target), and from the Baltimore game in 2014 to the Philly game last year (8 games), he had 9 TDs. Still mighty impressive.Not to take anything away from Givens' streak, and growing up it felt like one of those automatic things I took way too much granted, to say nothing of the insane reception TD in SB36. But if had Gronk scored against KC last week, he would tied Givens, and have a chance at tying the NFL record in that department tomorrow (8 straight games, with 1978-84 John Stallworth). The fact this had a chance of happening again, over 10 years later, same dynasty, is absolutely insane.
I think the biggest JR Redmond moment still gets overlooked a bit, relative to how necessary it was. The Rams appeared to have figured out the Pats' defense and were moving the ball effectively in the 4th quarter, the Pats had no timeouts and a long drive to FG range. Redmond's run after the catch to get out of bounds was, in my mind, the single biggest play of that entire drive, even compared to the Brown catch and run. If he doesn't cut inside of that first tackler, he doesn't get enough yards to set up the rest of the drive, and maybe that hole for Brown isn't open down the middle (possibly due to the Rams finally adjusting to cover the check down pass to the RB?). If he doesn't drag that final tackler exactly far enough to the sideline, we know that the Patriots would have run out the clock until OT, at which point we would have been down to a coin flip for that Super Bowl.Self explanatory
Nominating:
JR Redmond
Jermaine Wiggins
Antawn Harris
I'll give props to Akeem Ayers as well. Hightower got the official tackle on the stop of Lynch on the play prior to Butler's interception however Ayers pulled him to the ground and finished off the play. If not for Ayers, Lynch may have been able to extend across the goal line and there would have been a far different outcome to the game.Lastly, in regards to someone who had one specific moment, Brandon Browner. Stonewalling Kearse off the line in SB49 and allowing Malcolm to make a clean break for the ball. That interception doesn’t happen without him.