NFL game report: Jacksonville Jaguars 31 - Pittsburgh Steelers 29 (2007 playoffs)

• Date played: January 5, 2008
• Broadcast Network: NBC
• Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden
• Who I rooted for when this game originally took place: I thought it was the Jaguars, but apparently not (see below)
• Who I now wish had won: Jacksonville
• What happened: Pittsburgh was trailing 28-10 at the start of the fourth quarter but scored three touchdowns and came back to take a 29-28 lead. Jacksonville kicked a field goal with thirty-seven seconds left to win the game.

• Notable players who appeared in this game for Jacksonville: David Garrard (see photo directly above), Maurice Jones-Drew (see photo at very top) , Fred Taylor, Vince Manuwai
• Notable players who appeared in this game for Pittsburgh: Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Santonio Holmes, James Farrior, James Harrison, Troy Polamalu
• Controversial aspects of this game: None really-- the officiating could have been a bit better
• Connection between this game and Todd Marinovich: None
• Unusual things about this game: Maurice Jones-Drew returned a kickoff 96 yards without scoring a touchdown.
• Turnovers in this game: Three interceptions by Ben Roethlisberger (two by Rashean Mathis-- one of which was returned for a touchdown-- and one by Derek Landri, a defensive lineman); two interceptions in the second half by David Garrard; one fumble by Ben Roethlisberger on the second-to-last play of the game.
• Important plays in this game: The Steelers scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it 28-23. They successfully completed the two-point conversion, but it was called back on a possibly non-existent holding penalty. They tried again from the twelve yard line but failed. 
• Other important plays in this game: When Pittsburgh scored another touchdown to make it 29-28, they once again failed to make the two-point conversion. This time no penalties were involved.
• The most famous and important play in this game: With under two minutes left and trailing 29-28, Jacksonville faced fourth down and two at the Steelers 43 yard line. The Jaguars called a quarterback draw and David Garrard ran the ball all the way down to the 11 yard line. (See video below)

• Things I remembered incorrectly about this game: I clearly remember watching this game at a pizza place. The Jaguars were wearing their home blue jerseys (not true) and their quarterback was Byron Leftwich (not true-- Leftwich has been cut by Jacksonville before the start of the season). I also clearly remember having secretly rooted for the Jaguars because certain people I was eating with were Steelers fans. A check of my journal entry from the next day, however, reveals the following sentence-- "All four NFL wildcard round playoff games went against me." Other than the eating pizza part, I am not sure what is true anymore.

Below: Byron Leftwich pictured on the Jaguars 2007 schedule

• What happened next: Jacksonville lost in the next round of the playoffs to the New England Patriots. The following season, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl.

NFL game report: Titans 22 - Bills 16 (1999 playoffs)

• Date played: January 8, 2000
• Broadcast network: ABC
• Broadcasters: Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire
• Who I rooted for when this game originally took place: Titans (I think)
• Who I now wish had won: Titans
• What happened: Tennessee led 12-0 at halftime. Buffalo came back to take a 13-12 lead early in the 4th quarter. Titan's kicker Al Del Greco kicked a 36 yard field goal with under two minutes left. Steve Christie kicked a 41 yard field goal with :20 left to give Buffalo the lead back. Tennessee returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards to win the game. (Video below-- not the ABC announcers, however)

• Notable players who appeared in this game for Buffalo: Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Steve Christie, Andre Reed, Peerless Price
• Notable players who appeared in this game for Tennessee: Steve McNair, Eddie George, Jevon Kearse, Samari Rolle, Al Del Greco
• Controversial aspects of this game: The final play; Bill's coach Wade Phillips's decision to start Rob Johnson (pictured below) at quarterback instead of Doug Flutie.

• Connection between this game and Todd Marinovich: Prior to this game, there had been only three other occasions when a quarterback had started every game of the NFL season except the last game and then not started in the playoffs. One of the other times was in 1991, when Marinovich replaced Jay Schroeder as Raiders quarterback in back-to-back games against Kansas City.
• People associated with this game who resemble Bob Newhart: Wade Phillips
• Things I remembered incorrectly about this game: I thought that the game was played on astroturf, not grass. I also remembered there being a bit of snow on the field.

• How this game would be remembered in an alternate universe: As the Rob Johnson shoe game, rather than as Music City Miracle. Johnson, who had been playing rather badly all game, led the Bills to a seemingly-victorious final drive as time wound down. At one point, Johnson had lost one of his shoes, but rather than spike the ball and stop the clock, he completed a crucial pass to bring Buffalo into easier field goal position.
• What happened next: Tennessee won their next two playoff games before losing in the Super Bowl. (Video below) Steve McNair was killed by his girlfriend in 2009. The Bills have only had one winning season since this game and have not made the playoffs once in that time.

• A poem written around the time this game originally took place:

TITANS BEAT BILLS

The television sets

are filled

with terrible news!

Football players

act like houses

on wheels—

they look busy

and blame their troubles

on an angry God!

Abandoned books and/or movies #4-- more information about false memory #2?

Black and Honolulu Blue: In the Trenches of the NFL by Keith Dorney

In 1979, the Detroit Lions went 2-14, tying them for the worst record in the NFL that year. 1980 was a much better year for Detroit - during the offseason they drafted Billy Sims and started off the season 5-1. In the middle of this, veteran defensive back Jimmy "Spiderman" Allen recorded and released his own version of the popular song "Another One Bites the Dust," in which he explained how the Lions were going to defeat all their opponents. The lyrics included such statements as, "Come and watch the Detroit Lions that no one seems to beat," and "Last year's team was 2 and 14, but this is the year for New Orleans" (ie, Super Bowl XV, played in New Orleans). The song was a fan favorite in the Detroit area.

Despite the fact that Detroit finished the season 9-7, tying for first in the NFC Central Division and just barely missing the playoffs, the Lions were ridiculed for years to come because of Allen's song. According to Keith Dorney:

• That stupid song was rubbed into our faces time and time again and was played by our opponent's band after every away loss we suffered for years to come. How humiliating it was to hear Bamp, bamp, bamp. Another one bites the dust! as we walked off the field after a loss. (page 37)

Click here to find a link to the song. It is at the bottom of the article, before the comments section.

Click here to find out more about false memory #2?.

False memories #2?: Detroit Lions versus St. Louis Cardinals

What I remember: It was December 1980. Ronald Reagan had just been elected president in a landslide over Jimmy Carter.

My father took me to see the football Cardinals play the Detroit Lions. I don't remember anything about the game. The Big Red won, though, and the pep band played Another One Bites the Dust, which was popular at the time.

On the car ride home, as we pulled up to the house, the same song came on the radio, this time in the more commonly-heard original version by Queen.

What actually happened: The Cardinals beat the Lions, 24-23. Cardinals quarterback Jim Hart threw for 99 yards and two touchdowns, and Roy Green ran a punt return back in the 4th quarter for the winning score. The Big Red defense held Lions running back Billy Sims (pictured above) to only 43 yards. The Cardinals raised their record to 5-9, and the Lions fell to 7-7.

Below: Roy Green returning some sort of a kick

Below: Somewhere a high school band is playing "Another One Bites the Dust"

False Memories #1 - Roy Green's Five Touchdown Catches

What I remember: On November 13, 1983, Grandpa Nussbaum took me with him to see the St. Louis Cardinals play the Seattle Seahawks. Cardinals receiver Roy Green (pictured below) caught five touchdown passes to tie an NFL single-game record.

What actually happened: Roy Green caught four touchdown passes in the first half, and we spent the entire second half desperately hoping that he would catch another one to tie the record. He did not.

For probably twenty years I went around telling people that I had seen Roy Green catch five touchdown passes that day. Only recently did I try to look it up, and then I found out the truth.

Below, Busch Memorial Stadium