Greatest play in Patriots History?

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
24,386
Curran ranks the top 20 plays in NFL history for the NFL's 100th season

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/nfls-greatest-play-heres-20-them-tom-e-curran

He has Butler as the #1 play in NFL history. I agree with him.
I get the argument that without the snow kick, none of the rest happens. But then, without anything that came before THAT, none of the rest happens. Each play has to be looked at on its own. And I cannot think of a more impactful play than Butler's pick.

1. The win probability swing was off the charts.
2. It came out of nowhere, really.
3. It came after the deflate gate nonsense.
4. It cemented Brady's personal legacy.
5. It ended 10 years of no Pats titles, despite NE being the dominant team in the NFL during that time.
6. It ended the presumptive Seahawks' dynasty and led to them crumbling.
7. It set the table for another Pats' dynastic run.
 

JokersWildJIMED

Blinded by Borges
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Oct 7, 2004
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Of course the Butler play is the greatest in Patriots history, since as Curran rightfully suggests it is the greatest play in NFL history. I find it interesting that some here contort themselves into not seeing this, and I wonder what is the correlation of those ranking the Butler play below other Pats plays is to those who agree with the decision to bench Butler in SB 52.
 

lexrageorge

Member
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Jul 31, 2007
18,100
I think some of the disagreement here is that the term "greatest" is a subjective term. For some fans, it means most impactful. For others, it may mean most memorable, or the one with the greatest story behind it. And, for others, it may mean the play with the greatest degree of difficulty to pull off.

Yes, the Stolen Base will remain one of the most talked about plays in Boston sports history. But there were a whole bunch of plays that had to happen before and after that play to make that play have the significance it did.

So, I can see why people would vote for any of the Field Goals. Even the 23 yarder in OT in the Snow Bowl probably deserves some mention, as the weather and field conditions were certainly not getting any better by the time overtime rolled along.

My own personal thoughts: While I was amazed when Vinatieri's kick actually went through, at the time it seemed more of a reprieve. They still had a long way to go, and I was under no illusion that they would beat either the Steelers or the unstoppable Rams. But when the clock went to 0:00 in the Super Bowl with Adam's kick sailing through the uprights, I was absolutely stunned. I was like: did I just see the Patriots, aka the very definition of a laughing stock clown circus since their founding, just win a freaking Super Bowl? No, that can't be right. The field goal had a certain bit of a Bobby Orr moment to it, even if it was far less exciting (Lonnie Paxton's snow angel doesn't come close to Orr sailing through the air).

But, having said all that, the Butler INT checks a lot more boxes. Most impactful to game outcome by far, completely unexpected, almost infinitesimal probability (that's a play that is 99.99% of the time a catch or incompletion; usually goal line INT's happen when the QB forces something into traffic near the middle of the end zone), amazing execution and preparation, an improbable series of plays leading up to it (Kearse catch, followed by Hightower's tackle), and some compelling back stories to boot (rookie UDFA that most Pats fans never even heard of before the play; Pats win one after a couple of disappointments; Brady cementing his reputation as the GOAT despite Collinsworth's faux outrage during the game commentary about ball deflation).

So, yeah, it's the INT. But I'm OK with anyone voting for the Field Goals.
 

Myt1

educated, civility-loving ass
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Mar 13, 2006
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I think it’s the Butler pick but I have a soft spot for the Edelman catch against Atlanta. Holy shit, what a play.
 

SMU_Sox

queer eye for the next pats guy
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2009
8,878
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Of course the Butler play is the greatest in Patriots history, since as Curran rightfully suggests it is the greatest play in NFL history. I find it interesting that some here contort themselves into not seeing this, and I wonder what is the correlation of those ranking the Butler play below other Pats plays is to those who agree with the decision to bench Butler in SB 52.
I'm on the first page with why I think the Butler play is the greatest. Definitely in Patriots history. In terms of an in-game moment for NFL history? If it isn’t #1 I’m not sure what is. The kick to beat the Rams when they were double digit dogs as time expired is a great moment too. I would imagine top 5 of all time. Game winning kick for the am underdog to begin an all time dynasty? Not bad for #2 on a franchise list.

I’m not going to beat a dead horse but while I am not sure I agree with the decision to bench him my argument is Butler playing would not have changed the outcome of that game. Edit: given how they lost, Butler’s play this year, and more light being shed on how bad and out of place he was in 2017, I’m surprised that Butler not being an issue didn’t gain more steam here.