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Watching Super Bowl again - was "Philly Special" best play in SB history? (1 Viewer)

modogg

modogg

Footballguy
i know there are 10 different ways to define "best", but this play was certainly important to the outcome of the game, ballsy as all hell, and well executed. I guarantee i am bias with this, but i can't think of a better play. they talk about the helmet catch with the Giants, but those were more of luck, or an individual skill play. This was a coach hanging his balls out the window, and a few back-up players executing a trick play wonderfully on a huge stage. 

if not "philly special" what play and why?

 
identikit said:
Best play call and execution.

Best play was helmet catch to me.
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I'd agree with the helmet catch. Sure they may have been luck involved, but that is part of what made it so special. Tyree probably couldn't have made that catch like that in practice against air, it was arguably the most difficult catch ever, and on the biggest stage it happened.

 
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modogg said:
i know there are 10 different ways to define "best", but this play was certainly important to the outcome of the game, ballsy as all hell, and well executed. I guarantee i am bias with this, but i can't think of a better play. they talk about the helmet catch with the Giants, but those were more of luck, or an individual skill play. This was a coach hanging his balls out the window, and a few back-up players executing a trick play wonderfully on a huge stage. 

if not "philly special" what play and why?
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Saints onside kick to start 2nd half I'd say was even more ballsy and fits all these criteria.

 
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Best call and execution....certainly the ballsy-est call by a coach ever.....second would be saints on side kick to start the 2nd half

 
Ghost Rider said:
Not even close.   First one I thought of were:

-Tyree helmet catch
-Malcolm Butler INT 
-Mike Jones tackling Dyson at the 1
 

The Philly Special is certainly one of the ballsiest calls, but not the greatest. 
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I don't know. All those were players making plays they're expected to have a chance to make. The Philly Special had a crazy lineup, a QB having to catch it and a TE having to throw it. All nailed it.

 
First play that came to mind - Beebe!.  But that wasn't a great call, just great play by Beebe and a mistake by Leon.

 
Slider said:
I don't know. All those were players making plays they're expected to have a chance to make. The Philly Special had a crazy lineup, a QB having to catch it and a TE having to throw it. All nailed it.
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Foles catching might be a surprise but Burton is expected to be able to throw an accurate short pass. 

 
-OZ- said:
Foles catching might be a surprise but Burton is expected to be able to throw an accurate short pass. 
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It was 4th down and with a lot of pressure at the goal line.

The backup TE should be expected to throw a pass across the field to his QB? 

 
Slider said:
It was 4th down and with a lot of pressure at the goal line.

The backup TE should be expected to throw a pass across the field to his QB? 
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When the backup TE played QB in college (even if not full time), yes he should be expected to throw an accurate pass at that range. 

The call itself and foles catching it were far more surprising than Burton executing his part.

 
-OZ- said:
When the backup TE played QB in college (even if not full time), yes he should be expected to throw an accurate pass at that range. 

The call itself and foles catching it were far more surprising than Burton executing his part.
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We'll just agree to disagree.

 
Slider said:
We'll just agree to disagree.
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Ok. 

Honestly though, if you didn't think Burton could make that pass, you didn't know much about him.  Which isn't surprising or insulting, but we've all seen certain players like randle El, Tomlinson, and others, throw passes on occasion. 

He wasn't even the only non QB to attempt a pass that game. But he was more capable and foles actually caught it.

 
Philly Special was indeed a great, gutsy playcall that was well-crafted and executed, but agree that the Saints onsite kick resonates with me as ballsier of a trick play.

Homerism may have something to do with it -- personally I think Marcus Allens' cutback 74-yard TD took the heart out of the heavily favorite Redskins on the Raiders way to a rout in SBXVIII ranks up near the top, but have to agree that objectively,The Philly Special, the helmet catch, even The Tackle (Mike Jones on Kevin Dyson saving the Rams SB victory in SBXXXIV) could be seen as more exciting.

But as far as best play ever? Maybe it's because I'm old and nostalgic, but noticed the The Catch (Montana to Taylor) is nowhere in this conversation so far, and should be. Bengals left too much time on the clock for Cool Joe and he made them pay dearly with 35 seconds left in SBXXIII, clinching their 3rd SB win while denying the Bengals their first. 

 
Ridcully said:
Going for it on 4th and goal doesn’t seem as ballsy as the Saints onside kick, IMO
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yeah they are close. I see tons of people referencing individual performances like Harrison, etc., but i guess i don't see them the same as the "best play". i know the whole issue is the semantics, because they are all great plays. I was thinking top to bottom though, where a coach and team make a choice, execution is there, and it makes a huge statement in the game

 
travdogg said:
I'd agree with the helmet catch. Sure they may have been luck involved, but that is part of what made it so special. Tyree probably couldn't have made that catch like that in practice against air, it was arguably the most difficult catch ever, and on the biggest stage it happened.
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Plus Eli Manning, of all people, inexplicably breaking tackles and moving around enough to buy time to throw that ball in the first place.

 
Stompin' Tom Connors said:
Philly Special was indeed a great, gutsy playcall that was well-crafted and executed, but agree that the Saints onsite kick resonates with me as ballsier of a trick play.

Homerism may have something to do with it -- personally I think Marcus Allens' cutback 74-yard TD took the heart out of the heavily favorite Redskins on the Raiders way to a rout in SBXVIII ranks up near the top, but have to agree that objectively,The Philly Special, the helmet catch, even The Tackle (Mike Jones on Kevin Dyson saving the Rams SB victory in SBXXXIV) could be seen as more exciting.

But as far as best play ever? Maybe it's because I'm old and nostalgic, but noticed the The Catch (Montana to Taylor) is nowhere in this conversation so far,
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"The Catch" wasn't the Super Bowl. It was a playoff game against Dallas.

 
Stompin' Tom Connors said:
Philly Special was indeed a great, gutsy playcall that was well-crafted and executed, but agree that the Saints onsite kick resonates with me as ballsier of a trick play.

Homerism may have something to do with it -- personally I think Marcus Allens' cutback 74-yard TD took the heart out of the heavily favorite Redskins on the Raiders way to a rout in SBXVIII ranks up near the top, but have to agree that objectively,The Philly Special, the helmet catch, even The Tackle (Mike Jones on Kevin Dyson saving the Rams SB victory in SBXXXIV) could be seen as more exciting.

But as far as best play ever? Maybe it's because I'm old and nostalgic, but noticed the The Catch (Montana to Taylor) is nowhere in this conversation so far, and should be. Bengals left too much time on the clock for Cool Joe and he made them pay dearly with 35 seconds left in SBXXIII, clinching their 3rd SB win while denying the Bengals their first. 
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“The Catch” is Montana Tom Clark against my Cowboys. 

 
The Philly special was an awesome play/playcall because the Patriots called a similar play earlier. 

With that said, it shouldn’t have even happened because it was an illegal formation. 

 
STEADYMOBBIN 22 said:
The Philly special was an awesome play/playcall because the Patriots called a similar play earlier. 

With that said, it shouldn’t have even happened because it was an illegal formation. 
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Nope. It was a judgment call by the official. Jeffery checked beforehand and was given the OK to line up where he did. If the official had told him differently, he would have just shifted. No way Philly would have been penalized either way. (Also worth mentioning that Jeffery's positioning had zero impact on the play.)

OTOH, if you want to talk about plays that should have been called back due to penalties, check out the multiple holds by the Giants OL giving Eli time to complete the Helmet Catch (by my count, they could have flagged #66, #60 and #69, also possibly #67 right before Eli throws it). I'm not a Pats homer, and I don't really mind that the no-call allowed us to see one of the greatest plays in SB history, but that was pretty blatant.

 
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Snorkelson said:
I mean the fact that Leon lett was taking it to the house twice in his career is pretty good, fumbling it twice inside the 5 is a legacy.
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The Miami game wasn't him returning a fumble. Cowboys partially blocked an attempted game-winning FG and it went past the line of scrimmage, meaning all they had to do was not touch it and they'd get the ball back and run out the clock. Lett inexplicably tried to recover the ball in the snow, and in the ensuing scramble Dolphins got it back and were able to try again, this time successfully, from the 1.

 
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