February 3, 2008: 18 and 1

February 5, 2008: The New England Patriots had the chance to have the greatest season in NFL history, 19-0. And they couldn't do it.

This time, the cheating didn't work.

The Patriots had won Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX. For this season, to a team that already had quarterback Tom Brady, they added receiver Randy Moss and linebacker Junior Seau. They won all 16 regular-season games, and only 4 teams came within 4 points of them. Interestingly, one of those came in the last game, a 38-35 win over the New York Giants at the Meadowlands.

They had little trouble dispatching the Jacksonville Jaguars and then the San Diego Chargers to get to 18-0, and reach Super Bowl XLII, at University of Phoenix Stadium (now State Farm Stadium) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.

It would be a rematch with the Giants. They were an inconsistent team: They lost their 1st 2 games, won their next 6, then went 4-4 for the rest of the way, to finish 10-6. They didn't even win their Division: The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East.

If they wanted to get to the Super Bowl, they would have to win 3 games on the road. They did: The beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-14 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa; the Dallas Cowboys, 21-17 at Texas Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas; and the Green Bay Packers, 23-20 in overtime at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

I was at the Prudential Center in Newark, watching the New Jersey Devils beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2, on the day of the NFC Championship Game. Devils management let us stick around, and watch the rest of the Championship Game on the big scoreboard. Since most Devils fans are also Giant fans, the arena was still half-full. We were nice and toasty warm, while the Giants were playing in typical Green Bay weather: Cold, windy, and snow blowing all over the place. But Lawrence Tynes kicked the overtime field goal to send the G-Men to the Super Bowl.

The Patriots were favored by 12 points. A book about the 19-0 perfect season, by the sports staff of the Boston Herald, was getting set. All it needed were the photographs and the basic details of the Super Bowl (score, MVP), and they would print the last few pages, and ship out the next day.

I wonder what happened to those books.

The Giants had won Super Bowls XXI and XXV, under coach Bill Parcells, the latter being his masterpiece, with the Giants keeping possession for 40 minutes. And he had coached the Patriots into Super Bowl XXXI, although they lost it to the Packers. For all 3 of these games, Bill Belichick was his defensive coordinator. Now, Belichick was getting ready to go 4-0 in Super Bowls as a head coach.

Well, wherever "the Big Tuna" was on the day of Super Bowl XLII, he had to love the opening drive of the game. The Giants broke the record of 9 minutes and 29 seconds they set in Super Bowl XXV, with a drive lasting 9 minutes and 59 seconds, 16 plays, and 63 yards. It included 4 3rd-down conversions. But the Pats forced them to settle for a field goal. Tynes kicked from 32 yards out, and the Giants led, 3-0.

But on the 1st play of the 2nd quarter, the Patriots took the lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Laurence Maroney. The rest of the 1st half, and the entirety of the 3rd quarter, would be scoreless: It remained Patriots 7, Giants 3.

The main reason for this is that the Giants' "Big Blue Wrecking Crew" defense, led by ends Michael Strahan in his last game (he'd already announced his retirement) and Osi Umenyiora, had figured out how to handle Brady: Break through his offensive line, and knock him on his ass. Sometimes, he got a pass off in time; sometimes, he didn't.

But, for the first time, I saw a look in Brady's eyes. A "deer in the headlights" look. A look I'd previously seen on other quarterbacks, including John Elway, Jim Kelly and, in the 1st Super Bowl the Patriots won, Kurt Warner: The look a quarterback gets when he knows he's going to lose the Super Bowl.

The 4th quarter would belong to Giant quarterback Eli Manning -- and, secondarily, to wide receiver David Tyree. Just 2 years after his brother Peyton Manning finally won a Super Bowl, Eli went to work. That would included a 17-yard catch by Steve Smith on 4th down, and ended with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Tyree. With 11:05 to go, it was 10-7 New York.

The teams then traded punts. Then the Patriots got the ball back, and, thanks to a slip by cornerback Corey Webster, Moss got left wide open, and Brady threw him a 6-yard touchdown pass. With 2:42 left, it was 14-10 New England.

Sure, there was plenty of time left. Sure, the Giants had all 3 of their time-outs left, and the 2-minute warning. But the Patriots don't lose. Brady doesn't lose. And we knew why: This had been the season that "Spygate" was revealed, the 1st indication we had that the Patriots were a bunch of cheaters. So for people who rooted for the Giants, and people who rooted against the Patriots, and people who just don't like cheating, things were gloomy.

Eli started from his own 17, needing a touchdown, as a field goal would only have made it 14-13 New England. He threw to Amani Toomer for 11 yards and a 1st down. Ball on the Giant 28. Throw to Plaxico Burress, incomplete. Another to Burress, incomplete. Another pass to Toomer, good for only 9 yards.

4th & 1 on the Giant 37. 1:59 left. No time to punt and hope the defense holds Brady again. Gotta go for it. Eli handed off to Brandon Jacobs. He gained 2 yards, but that was enough.

1:34 left. Ball on the Giant 39. Eli runs the ball himself, for 5 yards. Time-out. Pass intended for Tyree, incomplete. 3rd & 5 on the Giant 44. What happened next was one of the most epic plays in NFL history.

Eli took the snap. Adalius Thomas nearly sacked him. He got away. Jarvis Green and Richard Seymour converged on him. He got away again. He saw Tyree -- not quite open, as Rodney Harrison, one of the best defensive backs of that era, was covering him. Eli saw no choice by to throw, and hope Tyree got it.

Tyree jumped, caught the ball, and then held it against his helmet as he fell to the ground. Talk about "using your head." It was a 32-yard gain, and a 1st down at the Patriot 24.

No matter what either Manning brother has otherwise done, and no matter what they do in the future, that near-sack and pass to Tyree will live forever. A "signature play" not just for one guy (well, two, you gotta count Tyree) but for an entire era of Bigbluedom.

There were 59 seconds left, and the Giants took their 2nd time-out. Thomas sacked Eli, and the Giants took their last time-out. Eli threw for Tyree, but it fell incomplete. Then he hit Steve Smith for 12 yards. 1st & 10 on the Patriot 13. There were 45 seconds left in the game.

Eli found Burress alone in the corner of the end zone, and threw it to him. Touchdown. Tynes' extra point was good. Giants 17, Patriots 14, with 39 seconds left.

Tynes' kickoff gave the Patriots the ball on their own 26, with 29 seconds left, and all 3 time-outs. If Brady could get 40 yards, it would put Stephen Gostkowski in range for a 51-yard field goal. And, knowing Brady, every TV viewer figured he could do it.

But this was the Strahan-led Giant defense. They were ready to stop Brady one last time. Brady threw for Jabar Gaffney, but it was incomplete. Brady faded back, but was sacked for a 10-yard loss by a rookie, Jay Alford. 1st time-out. Brady threw deep for Moss, but Corey Webster knocked it away. 2nd time-out.

4th & 20. Ball on the Patriot 16. 10 seconds on the clock. Theoretically, there was time for a pass play of 20 yards and maybe a little more, and then one more shot, a bit closer, at the end zone. So here was Brady, the most-heralded quarterback of the era, with Moss, the most-heralded receiver at that point, both at their career peaks, ready to win the Super Bowl on one throw.

Brady made the throw. Moss was ready for it. But so was Giant safety Gibril Wilson, who knocked it away. One second remained. Eli took the snap, and dropped to a knee, and it was over. Final score: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14.

It is the greatest victory in Giants history. Sure, the 1934 NFL Championship Game, "the Sneaker Game" win over a previously undefeated Chicago Bears team, is legendary. So is their 47-7 demolition of the Bears in the 1956 NFL Championship Game. So were their 2 previous Super Bowl wins. But this was special: They had prevented the perfect season, a slightly more perfect season than the 1972 Miami Dolphins had at 17-0.

And don't think the New York-New England rivalry didn't come into it, either. Sure, Jet fans, having to play the Patriots twice a season as AFC Eastern Division rivals, hate the Patriots more. But most Giant fans are also Yankee Fans, and their hatred of the Red Sox had spilled over to other New England teams. Not hard, since most Giant fans are also Ranger fans, and the rivalry with the Boston Bruins long predated those with the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils. And most Giant fans are also Knick fans, and they hate the Boston Celtics.

All those books, all those newspaper special editions, all those T-shirts, all those anything else that said "19-0"... all of it had to go, just as the Patriots' legacy went down the drain. There had been blowout losses in the Super Bowl, including 1 by the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. And the Patriots didn't play badly in this one. But this may be the single most humiliating loss in Super Bowl history. As well it should be, given all the trash the Patriots and their fans were talking.

At the time, I was living within walking distance of the Brunswick Circle, an interchange in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey. The intersection of the highways, U.S. Route 1 and New Jersey Route 18, made me think of this game, and so, ever since, I have called it "Patriot Circle." 18 and 1.

In 2019, a poll ranked this game 5th on a list of the 100 Greatest Games of the NFL's 1st 100 years, the highest-ranking Super Bowl.

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February 3, 2008 was a Sunday. It was the only football game played that day. Baseball was out of season. There were 2 games scheduled in the NBA: The Detroit Pistons beat the Dallas Mavericks, 90-67 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan; and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Washington Wizards, 103-91 at the Verizon Center (now the Capital One Arena) in Washington.

And there was only 1 game scheduled in the NHL: In an "Original Six" matchup, the New York Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens, 5-3 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The Habs blew a 3-0 lead, and the Broadway Blueshirts got goals from 5 different players: Michal Rozsival, Brandon Dubinsky, Scott Gomez, Chris Drury and Martin Straka.

February 1, 2015: Pete Carroll Calls a Pass

February 1, 2015: Super Bowl XLIX is played at University of Phoenix Stadium -- now named State Farm Stadium -- in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. Over 114 million viewers tuned in to NBC to watch it, making it the most-watched television program in American history.

The defending Champion Seattle Seahawks had a 10-point lead with 8 minutes left in regulation, and blew it. The New England Patriots took a 28-24 lead with 2:02 left. Quarterback Russell Wilson drove the Hawks to the Patriot 1-yard line with 26 seconds to go.

With the ball there, the call seemed obvious: A running play. Possibly Wilson on a quarterback sneak, like Bart Starr to win the 1967 NFL Championship Game, the Ice Bowl, for the Green Bay Packers. Or a handoff to Marshawn Lynch, the running back known as "Beast Mode," a 5-time Pro Bowler, who had already scored a touchdown in the game, and had gotten the ball 4 yards to the 1-yard line on the previous play.

Instead, Seahawk head coach Pete Carroll called for a pass, from Wilson to Ricardo Lockette. Patriot cornerback Malcolm Butler correctly figured out that Lockette was the target, and intercepted the pass. The Patriots won the game.

It's hard to imagine now, with Ohio State University having had Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks and winning National Championships with a great passing game, but there was a time, in the 1960s and '70s, when their head coach was Woody Hayes. Famous for a running game described as "Three yards and a cloud of dust," he was known for hating the forward pass enough to say, "There are three things that can happen when you throw the ball, and two of them are bad." Meaning an incomplete pass and an interception.

Malcolm Butler clinched victory for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX with the most famous interception in football history.

Cris Collinsworth, a 3-time Pro Bowler who had played in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII for the Cincinnati Bengals, was broadcasting the game for NBC, and spoke for so many people watching:

I'm sorry, but I can't believe the call... You've got Marshawn Lynch in the backfield. You've got a guy that has been borderline unstoppable in this part of the field. I can't believe the call...

If I lose the Super Bowl because Marshawn Lynch can’t get it in from the 1-yard line, so be it. So be it! But there is no way.

He was absolutely right: You tell the other team, "Here he comes. Try to stop him." If they can't, that's expected, and you win. If they can, then they've earned their victory. To use an analogy from another sport, they've hit your best pitch.

Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, analyzing the game for CBS, called it "one of the worst calls in Super Bowl history." Peter King, the main football writer for Sports Illustrated, and a winner of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Dick McCann Award for writers, used the exact same words: "one of the worst calls in Super Bowl history." Hall-of-Famer Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, went even further, calling it "the worst play call in the history of football."

So that's, effectively, 3 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 3 guys who really know football -- one on offense, one on defense, and one watching from above -- saying it was a bad call, essentially blaming Pete Carroll for throwing away back-to-back wins in the Super Bowl, a rare achievement, and possibly Carroll's own eventual election to the Hall -- and maybe also Wilson's.

Is there any way to defend the call? Not really. Is there any way to say that Carroll shouldn't be blamed for the loss? Yes. Can any such way be taken seriously? Well, Wilson could have said, "This is a bad call. I'm calling a different play in the huddle." He could have shown the leadership that a great quarterback would show. He didn't.

We can also give Butler credit for pulling off the key play. Then there's the Seahawks' offense. Their 20 1st downs wasn't that bad, compared to the Pats' 25. But they were only 3-for-10 on 3rd down, compared to the Pats' 8-for-14. They also committed more penalties, 7-5, for twice as many yards, 70-36. And had less time of possession, 26:14 to 33:46.

It took them 20 minutes and 13 seconds to get their 1st score. Their last score came with 19 minutes and 54 seconds to go. They blew a 10-point lead, and they blew it with 8 minutes to go. Blowing a 10-point lead tied what was then a Super Bowl record. It would be eclipsed 2 years later by the Atlanta Falcons -- also against the Patriots. Hmmmm...

Did they cheat in this game? There has never been a serious accusation of it. But think of it this way: We have more proven instances of Belichick and/or Brady cheating, and the other benefiting from that cheating, than we have proven instances of them not cheating. So which is more likely: That these were the only times they cheated, or that they cheated in many more games?

In 2019, a poll ranked this game 8th on a list of the 100 Greatest Games of the NFL's 1st 100 years.

UPDATE: Lynch retired after the 2019 season. He became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025. Carroll and the Seahawks parted ways after the 2023 season. He is eligible for the Hall of Fame, but is not in. During the 2024-25 Playoffs, he was named head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

In Seattle, he outlasted Wilson, whom he traded to the Denver Broncos in 2022. It was a disaster, and he was released after 2 years. For the 2024 season, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was 7-2 in postseason games before Carroll called that pass, but has been 1-6 afterward.

On February 12, 2023, Super Bowl LVII broke this game's record for highest U.S. television audience: 115.1 million watched on Fox. The next year, on February 11, 2024, Super Bowl LVIII broke the record: 123.7 million watched on CBS. Both times, it was almost certainly due to the fact that millions of women and teenage girls, who wouldn't ordinarily have wanted to watch, wanted to see clips of singer Taylor Swift in the luxury boxes, cheering on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, tight end for the victorious Kansas City Chiefs.

The Patriots have a team Hall of Fame. From their 2010s dynasty: Quarterback Tom Brady, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, receiver Julian Edelman, assistant coach Dante Scarnecchia, and cheerleading director Tracy Sormanti.

Bill Belichick, who coached the Patriots to all 6 Super Bowl wins, is not yet in this Hall of Fame. Nor is tight end Rob Gronkowski.

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February 1, 2015 was a Sunday. Baseball was out of season. There were 2 games played in the NBA. The New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 92-80 at Madison Square Garden. And the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics, 83-75 at the TD Garden in Boston.

And there were 4 games played in the NHL:

* The Arizona Coyotes beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-2 at the Bell Center in Montreal.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Washington Capitals, 4-3 at the Verizon Center (now the Capital One Arena) in Washington.

* The Nashville Predators beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-0 at the Consol Energy Center (now the PPG Paints Arena) in Pittsburgh.

* And the Minnesota Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-2 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

And in English soccer, Arsenal beat Birmingham team Aston Villa, 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium in North London.

January 8, 2007: The University of Florida's Unique Double

January 8, 2007: Florida beats Ohio State 41-17, at the University of Phoenix Stadium (now State Farm Stadium) in Glendale, Arizona. The Gators win the National Championship.

In so doing, the University of Florida becomes the 1st school ever to hold the National Championship in football and basketball at the same time.

Urban Meyer had become coach the season before, replacing the much-mocked Ron Zook, who had succeeded UF's greatest figure, Steve Spurrier. Cliché Alert: You don't want to be the guy who succeeds the legend, you want to be the guy who succeeds the guy who succeeds the legend.

Meyer's quarterback was Chris Leak, who was frequently spelled by a lefthanded freshman, Tim Tebow. Leak and Tebow passing to All-American receiver Percy Harvin gave the Gators the top offensive attack in the country. They had a defense that featured linebacker Brandon Siler, cornerback Ryan Smith, and safety Reggie Nelson.

In the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game, Ohio State scored first, leading 7-0. But Florida scored the next 3 touchdowns. Ohio State got to within 21-14, but did not score again, and Florida pulled away.

To take it a step further, less than 3 months later, Florida repeats as National Champions in basketball. The team they beat in the Final? Ohio State.

Meyer went on to lead Florida to another National Championship in 2008. In 2014, he won another National Championship -- with Ohio State.

*

January 8, 2007 was a Monday. Baseball was out of season. The NFL was between rounds of its Playoffs. There were 3 games played in the NBA:

* The Houston Rockets beat the Chicago Bulls, 84-77 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, 100-90 at the Ford Center (now the Paycom Center) in Oklahoma City. As a result of their having to vacate New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, they made a deal to play most of their home games in Oklahoma City for 2 years.

* And the Denver Nuggets beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 104-92 at the Pepsi Center (now the Ball Arena) in Denver.

There was only 1 game in the NHL: The Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. Jan Heida scored the winning goal, with 3:46 left in overtime.

January 4, 2010: College Football's "NIT"

January 4, 2010: The Fiesta Bowl is held, at the University of Phoenix Stadium -- now named State Farm Stadium -- in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. This game is not for college football's national championship. But there were those who believed it should have been.

Boise State University, home of Albertsons Stadium and its garish blue artificial field known as the "Smurf Turf," were the Champions of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). They were 13-0, having beaten then-Number 16 Oregon at home, Miami University of Ohio at home, Fresno State away, Bowling Green away, the University of California at Davis at home, the University of Tulsa away, Hawaii away, San Jose State at home, Louisiana Tech away, arch-rival Idaho at home, Utah State away, Nevada at home, and New Mexico State at home.

They had risen to Number 6 in the country. However, the WAC was not one of the "Power Five Conferences" that tended to get its teams admitted to the Bowl Championship Series: The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Big Ten Conference, the Big Twelve Conference, and the Pacific-Twelve Conference (Pac-12). And, with only 1 win over a ranked team, it was decided that the Broncos weren't worthy of the Playoff.

Texas Christian University, a.k.a. TCU, had one been a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC), one of college football's "major leagues." But that league had folded in 1996, and so the Fort Worth-based Horned Frogs moved on, eventually landing in the Mountain West Conference, a school that had grown out of the WAC.

In the 2009 season, they had beaten Virginia away, Texas State at home, Clemson away, arch-rival Southern Methodist University (SMU) at home, the Air Force Academy away, Colorado State at home, then-Number 16 Brigham Young University (BYU) away, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) at home, San Diego State away, then-Number 16 Utah at home, Wyoming away, and New Mexico at home. They had risen to Number 3, and they did have wins over 2 ranked teams, 1 more than Boise State.

There were 3 other undefeated teams heading into the bowl games. Alabama was ranked Number 1, and Texas Number 2, and so they were sent to the BCS National Championship Game, to be held in the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. Number 3 TCU and Number 6 Boise State would have to settle for the Fiesta Bowl. The University of Cincinnati also had to settle: They faced Number 5 Florida in the Superdome in New Orleans.

Since neither the WAC nor the MWC, which grew out of the WAC, is a "Power Five" conference, this was a consolation prize: Whoever won was still going to be undefeated, but wouldn't get to be called National Champions. It was, essentially, college football's version of the NIT. As far as I know, no one publicly called it it that at the time, but among the taglines used were the Separate But Equal Bowl, the Quarantine Bowl, the Fiasco Bowl, and the BCS Kids' Table.

Boise State took an early lead when Brandyn Thompson intercepted an Andy Dalton pass, and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown. Kyle Brotzman added a field goal in the 2nd quarter. In the last minute of the 1st half, Dalton threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Clay, bringing the Frogs to within 10-7. Late in the 3rd quarter, Ross Evans tied it with a 29-yard field goal.

Midway through the 4th quarter, the score was still 10-0. Bosie State had 4th down on their own 33-yard line, but pulled a fake punt: Brotzman threw a 30-yard pass to Kyle Efaw. The drive continued until Doug Martin ran the ball in from 2 yards, and Boise State won, 17-10.

Despite remaining undefeated, the Broncos only rose to Number 4 in the polls. Alabama beat Texas, 37-21, and were crowned National Champions. All Boise State could do was complain.

Florida ended Cincinnati's pretentions to the National Championship, 51-24. Still, Boise State fans thought they deserved a shot at Alabama -- a team with 6 All-Americans, including the Heisman Trophy winner, running back Mark Ingram.

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January 4, 2010 was a Monday. That was the only bowl game played that day. There was no Monday Night Football game in the NFL. Baseball was out of season.

There were 4 games played in the NBA:

* The Miami Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks, 92-75 at the American Airlines Center (now the Kaseya Center) in Miami.

* The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Chicago Bulls, 98-85 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The New Orleans Hornets beat the Utah Jazz, 91-87 at the Delta Center (then known as the EnergySolutions Arena) in Salt Lake city.

* And the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 105-95 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.

Two games were played in the NHL. In an "Original Six" matchup, the New York Rangers beat the Boston Bruins, 3-2 at Madison Square Garden. And the Los Angeles Kings beat their arch-rivals, the San Jose Sharks, 6-2 at the SAP Center in San Jose. (The Anaheim Ducks' arch-rivals are the Kings, but not vice versa.)

This was also the day that the Burj Khalifa opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, shattering the record for the tallest building in the world. I have a separate entry for that event.