Flashback: Hail Mary to beat Rams in 1986 (video)

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

I found an "Alcoa Fantastic Finishes" clip on youtube that shows the "Big Ben Right" Hail Mary pass that beat the Rams in 1986.

One of my favorite single plays in Patriots history. Enjoy.

Regards,
Chris

 

[Bill B.]

I was at that game. It was amazing to hear the Rams fans screaming then the entire stadium going to dead silence after that play, except for a few pockets of Pats fans who were there. Probably the biggest highlight of Tony Eason's career.

 

[SoCal Bong]

I completely forgot about that. That was great to re-live. Thanks for posting.

 

[WhiZa]

Interesting they decided on a 30 yard hail mary instead of spreading it out more.

 

[sieglo]

Isn't 30 yards a bit short to be considered a hail mary?

I'd call that more of a simple jump ball.

 

[PaulThePat]

Did he get both feet down

 

[FortressX]

Props to Eason for that and the play before that,where(as I recall with my fuzzy memory)he scrambled downfield and got out of bounds with time still on the clock(unlike Hugh Millen a few years later) to set up the game winner!

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

Props to Eason for that and the play before that,where(as I recall with my fuzzy memory)he scrambled downfield and got out of bounds with time still on the clock(unlike Hugh Millen a few years later) to set up the game winner!

It was the play before that where Eason scrambled out of bounds. The Pats also converted a 4th down on that drive...might have been the Eason scramble. I forget.

Regards,
Chris

 

[RayClay]

Stanley Morgan, Irving Fryar, Eason, Grogan, Hannah, Clayborn, Tippet, Lippet.....

That's a lot of talent Bob Kraft put on the field. What did we ever do before he took over?

 

[reflexblue]

Stanley Morgan, Irving Fryar, Eason, Grogan, Hannah, Clayborn, Tippet, Lippet.....

That's a lot of talent Bob Kraft put on the field. What did we ever do before he took over?

Chuck Fairbanks held the fort down for him (Kraft) as long as he could.

 

[RayClay]

Chuck Fairbanks held the fort down for him (Kraft) as long as he could.

Yeah, Kraft had some pretty good teams in the late 70's too.

I think naming Mike Holovak coach was what got the franchise going though. Plus he was smart to pick up some great vets like Parilli, Cappelleti and that great DLine.

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

Take it to the other thread.

Regards,
Chris

 

[SaCaCh]

I want to say that this was Jim Everetts first game? Am I right, he was killing us all game I think.

 

[Ring 6]

That was a bizarre season.
We went to the SB the year before with a tremendous running game. Craig James ran for something like 1400 yards and 4.7 a carry and Collins added 7-800 too.
In the playoffs we basically had Eason only throw the ball when he really, really had to.
2006 comes along (and its still not really the passing era. some teams are throwing a lot but not most of them) and we have maybe the worst running game in NFL history. We cannot even muster 3 yards per rush. (I think it ended up like 2.6) But all of a sudden Eason is throwing the ball all over the field (when he isn't taking one of his 50+ sacks) and in one seaosn we go from a great running team that struggles to throw (although for the half dozen games of the season when Grogan played we threw it pretty well in 1985) to a terrible running team that throw it well, and end up with the exact same 11-5 record, and this time win the division after the 1985 wild card took us to the SB.
Then we go to Denver and cough up a horrible performance and lose. "F Rulon Jones".
Really ironic. We run the ball and go the SB win a wc team, then become a throwing team, have the same record, win the division, and are bounced in the first playoff game. From there it was a steady roll downhill to the 1990 debacle that was talked about yesterday.

 

[shakadave]

I found an "Alcoa Fantastic Finishes" clip on youtube that shows the "Big Ben Right" Hail Mary pass that beat the Rams in 1986.

One of my favorite single plays in Patriots history. Enjoy.

Regards,
Chris

Great find, Chris!

Whenever this play comes up, I always point out that the catch was made in nearly the same spot where Dave Henderson's famous home run cleared the fence two months earlier. I only heard this Rams game on the radio, but I was at the Henderson game.

 

[BadMoFo]

Well, where there's a good there is also a bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FLpzaToSIU

 

[RayClay]

Take it to the other thread.

Regards,
Chris

I'm sorry, we were a laughing stock and never had any good teams before 2001.

I forget sometimes.

 

[RayClay]

Well, where there's a good there is also a bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FLpzaToSIU

OOps. Some great secondary talent really screwed up on that play.:bricks:

 

[captain stone]

Props to Eason for that and the play before that,where(as I recall with my fuzzy memory)he scrambled downfield and got out of bounds with time still on the clock(unlike Hugh Millen a few years later) to set up the game winner!

IIRC, Eason was running down the sideline, made a motion to run OOB, then kept running for another 5-10 yards when the Rams defender relaxed. Similar in a way to Todd Collins v. Kordell Stewart in the '97 PO loss at 3 Rivers.

The Hugh Millen play you remember occured on 10/27/91, in a 9-6 loss v. Denver. That was the last pro football game I have attended. And, man, were we pissed at Millen for staying in bounds.

 

[PYPER]

I found an "Alcoa Fantastic Finishes" clip on youtube that shows the "Big Ben Right" Hail Mary pass that beat the Rams in 1986.

One of my favorite single plays in Patriots history. Enjoy.

Regards,
Chris

Thanks Chris,

That's the era where I became a Patriots fan. The Super Bowl run in '85 started me off but it wasn't until the '86 season where the addiction kicked in.

I lived in upstate NY when that Rams game was on. I remember anxiously waiting for all the in game updates. The game was going back and forth and it was a really big game for the Patriots.

To this day, that is the one game I would most like to get my hands on. I've been waiting and waiting for NFL Films to start selling dvd's of past games. If or when they ever do, this will be the first game I buy.

Thanks for the stroll down memory lane...