Football history is made
If you watched today's Chargers-Steelers game, I am 99.9 percent sure you saw football history, certainly at the NFL level, but I would imagine also the college and high school levels.
In the third quarter of the game, the Chargers ran one play. It was a pass, tipped at the line of scrimmage, and then intercepted by the Steelers.
I am a relative youngster, but I have been watching football games since 1947 or so, and I have never seen anything like that. I was damned impressed when, in the 1955 Texas Class AAAA state high school championship, the Tyler Lions only got off five plays in the first quarter against the Abilene Eagles for a net gain of 11 yards.
Tyler was a great team, undefeated, and I am sure the Lions players remember that first quarter to this day. I don’t doubt the Chargers players, and a number of their fans, will remember the third quarter against Pittsburgh, 2009 playoffs, for a long time. There may not even be a category in the NFL record book for minimum plays run in a quarter. There is now. In San Diego, we'll be talking about this for a long time, even after the Chargers win the 2010 Super Bowl.
There is an interesting twist. Minimum offensive performances typically are categorized in the defense side of the record book. Not this time. The Steelers' offense was totally responsible for this rarity. The best offense is a good defense, the old football saying goes. Not this time. In this record book, it will show the best defense was a good offense.
In the third quarter of the game, the Chargers ran one play. It was a pass, tipped at the line of scrimmage, and then intercepted by the Steelers.
I am a relative youngster, but I have been watching football games since 1947 or so, and I have never seen anything like that. I was damned impressed when, in the 1955 Texas Class AAAA state high school championship, the Tyler Lions only got off five plays in the first quarter against the Abilene Eagles for a net gain of 11 yards.
Tyler was a great team, undefeated, and I am sure the Lions players remember that first quarter to this day. I don’t doubt the Chargers players, and a number of their fans, will remember the third quarter against Pittsburgh, 2009 playoffs, for a long time. There may not even be a category in the NFL record book for minimum plays run in a quarter. There is now. In San Diego, we'll be talking about this for a long time, even after the Chargers win the 2010 Super Bowl.
There is an interesting twist. Minimum offensive performances typically are categorized in the defense side of the record book. Not this time. The Steelers' offense was totally responsible for this rarity. The best offense is a good defense, the old football saying goes. Not this time. In this record book, it will show the best defense was a good offense.
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