MIAMI - The story is so perfect, so beyond belief, that it has to be apocryphal. Joe Montana, standing in the huddle with his team needing to drive 92 yards in three minutes to win the Super Bowl, about to call a play, when he suddenly looks up into the stands and says "Hey, isn't that John Candy?" His nervous teammates had a laugh, calmed down, and proceeded down field for the most famous drive in Super Bowl history.
Of course, the story is all the more better because it's true. It's the moment that officially cemented Montana's legend as Joe Cool, the unflappable leader who was impossible to beat when it mattered most.
The Bengals had just taken a 16-13 lead when the 49ers took over with just more than three minutes to play, and Cincinnati figured Montana would try to throw passes toward the sideline so his receivers could get out of bounds to stop the clock. With the Bengals defending the sideline, Montana's threw his first three passes down the middle of the field. The drive off to a good start, Montana had the 49ers down to the Bengals' 35-yard line three plays later.
An incomplete pass and an offensive penalty seemed to stall the drive, but Montana found Jerry Rice for a 27-yard catch and run on second and 20, putting the ball at the Cincinnati 18. An 8-yard pass to Craig came next, followed by Montana's famous slant route to John Taylor for the winning touchdown with 37 seconds left.
Rice was named the MVP for his 215 receiving yards, but it could have gone to Montana just as easily. Montana threw for a Super Bowl record 357 yards and two touchdowns, both coming in the fourth quarter. Craig ran for 81 yards and became the first running back to have more than 100 receiving yars in a Super Bowl. And while the game-winning score was Taylor's only catch of the game, he had 56 yards returning punts.
But maybe the true MVP was John Candy, who by merely showing up helped calm the nerves of the 49ers players, and who went down forever into Super Bowl lore.
HONORABLE MENTION:
January 22, 1973: KINGSTON, Jamaica - "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!"
Showing posts with label San Francisco 49ers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Francisco 49ers. Show all posts
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
January 10, 1982: Montana to Clark
SAN FRANCISCO - One play, so much on the line. Third and goal from the 6, 58 seconds to play, Cowboys leading 27-21. Joe Montana calls the play in the huddle: Red Right Tight, Sprint Right Option. The 49ers had scored on that play earlier in the game when Montana had found Freddie Solomon. They were trying it again.
Montana took the snap and rolled to his right, as designed. This time, Solomon was covered. Montana is running out of space, getting close to the sideline. Ed "Too Tall" Jones was closing in on him. Then, the pump fake. A short fake pass that cased Jones to jump, rather than keep chasing Montana out of bounds. That short fake bought Montana just enough time to be able to fire the ball out of the back of the end zone and move on to the fourth-down play.
Except he wasn't throwing it away. That's a common misconception about the play, that it was intended to be a throw away. No, Montana was doing what the 49ers had practiced a lot - if Solomon was covered, throw it to the back of the end zone for Clark. So he did. He couldn't see Clark - he couldn't see the end zone at all because of Jones - but he knew where his receiver would be, so he threw it.
Clark knew the ball was coming, too. Running along the back of the end zone, he jumped high, as high as he possibly could, and reached up, reaching as high as his arms would allow. He caught the ball with this finger tips at the height of his jump, came down with both feet in the end zone, then non-chalantly spiked the ball behind his head.
Tie game. The extra point made it 28-27.
And it almost didn't matter. On the ensuing possession, Dallas' Drew Pearson appeared to have broken free on a long pass play. San Francisco's Eric Wright caught him from behind and pulled him down by the collar - a play that's illegal now, but was perfectly legal then. Wright's tackled saved the game, and after Dallas fumbled on the next play, the 49ers were going to their first Super Bowl.
The touchdown would have been famous enough standing on its own, but it's also famous because of what it stands for. It marked the end of the Dallas Cowboys' dynasty of the 1970s, and the beginning of the 49ers' dynasty of the 1980s. Take the clutch nature of the catch, the pure athletic ability needed to make it, and the historical significance, and you have a catch turning into The Catch.
Montana took the snap and rolled to his right, as designed. This time, Solomon was covered. Montana is running out of space, getting close to the sideline. Ed "Too Tall" Jones was closing in on him. Then, the pump fake. A short fake pass that cased Jones to jump, rather than keep chasing Montana out of bounds. That short fake bought Montana just enough time to be able to fire the ball out of the back of the end zone and move on to the fourth-down play.
Except he wasn't throwing it away. That's a common misconception about the play, that it was intended to be a throw away. No, Montana was doing what the 49ers had practiced a lot - if Solomon was covered, throw it to the back of the end zone for Clark. So he did. He couldn't see Clark - he couldn't see the end zone at all because of Jones - but he knew where his receiver would be, so he threw it.
Clark knew the ball was coming, too. Running along the back of the end zone, he jumped high, as high as he possibly could, and reached up, reaching as high as his arms would allow. He caught the ball with this finger tips at the height of his jump, came down with both feet in the end zone, then non-chalantly spiked the ball behind his head.
Tie game. The extra point made it 28-27.
And it almost didn't matter. On the ensuing possession, Dallas' Drew Pearson appeared to have broken free on a long pass play. San Francisco's Eric Wright caught him from behind and pulled him down by the collar - a play that's illegal now, but was perfectly legal then. Wright's tackled saved the game, and after Dallas fumbled on the next play, the 49ers were going to their first Super Bowl.
The touchdown would have been famous enough standing on its own, but it's also famous because of what it stands for. It marked the end of the Dallas Cowboys' dynasty of the 1970s, and the beginning of the 49ers' dynasty of the 1980s. Take the clutch nature of the catch, the pure athletic ability needed to make it, and the historical significance, and you have a catch turning into The Catch.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
January 5, 2003: A bad snap, a bad pass, and three penalties
SAN FRANCISCO - There were so many things happening on that final play. Penalties were called that shouldn't have been, other penalties were missed that should have been called, a bad snap led to a players' retirement - pure chaos.
But first, we had to get there. And with 4:27 left in the third quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game, it didn't look like there would be any kind of drama. The Giants were leading the 49ers 38-14 at that point. Of course, this game wouldn't be a noteworthy game if the 49ers didn't mount a dramatic comeback in the last 19 minutes of the game to ensure there was final-play drama at Candlestick Park.
The main weapon in San Francisco's comeback was the Jeff Garcia to Terrell Owens combination. Long before he became better known for his mouth rather than his hands, Owens was a very good receiver, especially when it came to playoff games. San Francisco's opponents knew he'd be getting the ball in key situations, but he still came through. The first time in this game happened near the end of the third quarter when he capped a 70-yard drive with a 28-yard touchdown catch, then followed that with a two-point conversion catch. It was 38-22.
After forcing a Giants punt, then getting a long return and a facemask penalty, the 49ers only had to drive 27 yards for their next touchdown, which Garcia scored himself on a 14-yard run. The two-point conversion to Owens made it 38-30. Game on.
Another long 49ers drive followed, this one ending in a field goal. After the Giants missed a field goal with three minutes left, Garcia led the 49ers downfield for the go-ahead score. Owens didn't score this touchdown, but he helped by getting into a shoving match after the touchdown with Giant safety Shaun Williams, after which Williams was ejected for throwing a punch. After the fracas, a failed two-point conversion gave the 49ers a 39-38 lead.
But this game wouldn't be complete unless the Giants got another shot, and they drove down to get into position for the game-winning field goal. Then, the chaos happened.
Trey Junkin had retired the previous season after an 18-year career. The Giants lured him back from retirement, though, after their normal long snapper got injured. This playoff game against the 49ers was the only one that Junkin played in for the Giants. He had been mostly invisible throughout the game, which is good for a long snapper, until the final field goal attempt, when his poor snap forced the Giants to scramble to attempt a pass. In the chaos that followed, players not used to going downfield were heading toward the end zone, calling for the ball. The desperation pass fell incomplete. Even if it hadn't, the Giants were called for having an ineligible man downfield, meaning that even if completed, the pass wouldn't have counted.
There's where the problems kick in. It turns out that the player penalized, Rich Seubert, had reported into the game as an eligible receiver, meaning he was free to go downfield on the pass. The NFL didn't realize this mistake until after the fact. The league also admitted that Seubert had been interfered with on the play, and that a different Giants player had been illegally downfield. Had the rules been called properly, the two penalties would have offset each other, giving the Giants a second chance at the field goal.
As it was, the 49ers won 39-38. Junkin took all the blame for the loss, even though he hadn't been on the field while the defense collapsed. He retired again after the game, this time for good. San Francisco's good fortune didn't last long, as they lost 31-6 to Tampa Bay in the next round.
But first, we had to get there. And with 4:27 left in the third quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game, it didn't look like there would be any kind of drama. The Giants were leading the 49ers 38-14 at that point. Of course, this game wouldn't be a noteworthy game if the 49ers didn't mount a dramatic comeback in the last 19 minutes of the game to ensure there was final-play drama at Candlestick Park.
The main weapon in San Francisco's comeback was the Jeff Garcia to Terrell Owens combination. Long before he became better known for his mouth rather than his hands, Owens was a very good receiver, especially when it came to playoff games. San Francisco's opponents knew he'd be getting the ball in key situations, but he still came through. The first time in this game happened near the end of the third quarter when he capped a 70-yard drive with a 28-yard touchdown catch, then followed that with a two-point conversion catch. It was 38-22.
After forcing a Giants punt, then getting a long return and a facemask penalty, the 49ers only had to drive 27 yards for their next touchdown, which Garcia scored himself on a 14-yard run. The two-point conversion to Owens made it 38-30. Game on.
Another long 49ers drive followed, this one ending in a field goal. After the Giants missed a field goal with three minutes left, Garcia led the 49ers downfield for the go-ahead score. Owens didn't score this touchdown, but he helped by getting into a shoving match after the touchdown with Giant safety Shaun Williams, after which Williams was ejected for throwing a punch. After the fracas, a failed two-point conversion gave the 49ers a 39-38 lead.
But this game wouldn't be complete unless the Giants got another shot, and they drove down to get into position for the game-winning field goal. Then, the chaos happened.
Trey Junkin had retired the previous season after an 18-year career. The Giants lured him back from retirement, though, after their normal long snapper got injured. This playoff game against the 49ers was the only one that Junkin played in for the Giants. He had been mostly invisible throughout the game, which is good for a long snapper, until the final field goal attempt, when his poor snap forced the Giants to scramble to attempt a pass. In the chaos that followed, players not used to going downfield were heading toward the end zone, calling for the ball. The desperation pass fell incomplete. Even if it hadn't, the Giants were called for having an ineligible man downfield, meaning that even if completed, the pass wouldn't have counted.
There's where the problems kick in. It turns out that the player penalized, Rich Seubert, had reported into the game as an eligible receiver, meaning he was free to go downfield on the pass. The NFL didn't realize this mistake until after the fact. The league also admitted that Seubert had been interfered with on the play, and that a different Giants player had been illegally downfield. Had the rules been called properly, the two penalties would have offset each other, giving the Giants a second chance at the field goal.
As it was, the 49ers won 39-38. Junkin took all the blame for the loss, even though he hadn't been on the field while the defense collapsed. He retired again after the game, this time for good. San Francisco's good fortune didn't last long, as they lost 31-6 to Tampa Bay in the next round.
Monday, September 13, 2010
September 13, 1992: Go for it!
SAN FRANCISCO - It's called "football" for a reason. Sure, there's a lot of passing and tackling, and it doesn't really resemble the sport the rest of the world calls football, but American football still has "foot" in its name, and there's at least some kicking.
Since the NFL debuted in 1920, there had always been kicking. Specifically, punting. A team gets stopped offensively and they kick the ball away, hoping to gain field position. It's so common that it's taken for granted.
Until September 13, 1992. That day, Buffalo's Chris Mohr and San Francisco's Joe Prokop didn't step on the field in Buffalo's 34-31 victory over the 49ers. Since those two are their respective teams' punters, that was a milestone. The game between the two high-powered offenses was the first in NFL history to not feature a punt. The two teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense and six turnovers, leaving no time for an appearance by the punters.
Since the NFL debuted in 1920, there had always been kicking. Specifically, punting. A team gets stopped offensively and they kick the ball away, hoping to gain field position. It's so common that it's taken for granted.
Until September 13, 1992. That day, Buffalo's Chris Mohr and San Francisco's Joe Prokop didn't step on the field in Buffalo's 34-31 victory over the 49ers. Since those two are their respective teams' punters, that was a milestone. The game between the two high-powered offenses was the first in NFL history to not feature a punt. The two teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense and six turnovers, leaving no time for an appearance by the punters.
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