Tom Curran's Top 100 Plays of the Belichick Era

Great stuff as usual by Tom Curran ...
Guess he knows we need Patriot's material in this the slowest of time periods.

Top 100 plays of Belichick Era: Numbers 100-86

Thanks, Tom. What a great present for the off-season!

Thank you, God!!!!!!!

I only got to the opening of Curran's piece, and the David Patten hat trick (run, catch and pass for touchdowns in a single game) - against Peyton and the Colts for good measure - is only #100.

This is going to be a whole lot of fun.

Interesting how he includes the plays that went against us too. I like how he puts each one into context and gives it a bigger picture.

#97 with the Houston varsity jackets is great. I didn't know the W/L record of the Texans before and after that game, but it's shocking. Pats don't just win, they destroy franchises!

Number 88 has a gem that I had forgotten about.

Hypocrisy trumping integrity has been standard operating procedure for long before framegate. Changed a rule after the fact rather than before.

Link from play #88: NFL Changed the Push Rule AFTER They Called It Against the Patriots

Reasonable choices. Even the logic for having a random good AHern play makes sense. Anyhow, what comes to mind for people as choices for the list? Mine include but are not limited to, in no particular order:

• The Vinateri Super Bowl & Raiders FGs.
• The Tuck Rule play.
• The Tyree & Kearse Superbowl catches.
• The Butler INT and the Hightower tackle on the play before.
• 4th & 13 or whatever it was in the Super Bowl when BB didn't let Gost kick. (But if he put Gost's recent PAT miss so low, Curran may not put that on the list.)
• 4th & 2 to Faulk.
• Patten's unconscious catch.
• Both ST TDs vs. Pitt in the AFCC.
• One or more plays getting out of bounds on the final drive vs. the Rams.
• Drew's injury.
• Drew's TD pass as backup QB.
• Welker's drop.
• Asante's drop.
• Reche's bug-eyed drop.
• Edelman's pass to Amendola.
• Edelman's catch/concussion/run play in the Super Bowl and/or his go-ahead TD in that Super Bowl.
• Lonie Paxton's intentional safety.
• Dan Connolly's kick return, just for the fun.
• Maybe also the drop-kick PAT, on the theory that it shows a respect for the players and a flexibility BB doesn't always wear on his sleeve. (Well, actually, BB doesn't wear sleeves at all. But I digress ...)
  
• One or more of Bruschi's INT TDs. Probably the one that started the "snow globe" celebration.
• The goal-line stop vs. the Colts that McGinest engineered.
• The sack to push Houston out of FG range in OT.
• The play where Gronk somersaulted on the sideline onto the forearm that had metal in it and re-broke it.
• One of Vrabel's receiving TDs.
• At least one amazing catch by Gronk.
• At least one amazing catch-and-run by Gronk.
• Troy's forced fumble vs. SD.
• The ineligible receivers play that pissed off Harbaugh.
• Ben Watson's chasedown of Champ Bailey.

Fencer said:

Reasonable choices. Even the logic for having a random good AHern play makes sense. Anyhow, what comes to mind for people as choices for the list. Mine include but are not limited to, in no particular order:

• Sie Vinateri Super Bowl & Raiders FGs.
• The Tuck Rule play.
• The Tyree & Kearse Superbowl catches.
• The Butler INT and the Hightower tackle on the play before.
• 4th & 13 or whatever it was in the Super Bowl when BB didn't let Gost kick. (But if he put Gost's recent PAT miss so low, Curran may not put that on the list.)
• 4th & 2 to Faulk.
• Patten's unconscious catch.
• Both ST TDs vs. Pitt in the AFCC.
• One or more plays getting out of bounds on the final drive vs. the Rams.
• Drew's injury.
• Drew's TD pass as backup QB.
• Welker's drop.
• Asante's drop.
• Reche's bug-eyed drop.
• Edelman's pass to Amendola.
• Edelman's catch/concussion/run play in the Super Bowl and/or his go-ahead TD in that Super Bowl.
• Lonie Paxton's intentional safety.
• Dan Connolly's kick return, just for the fun.
• Maybe also the drop-kick PAT, on the theory that it shoes a respect for the players and a flexibility BB doesn't always wear on his sleeve.
• One or more of Bruschi's INT TDs. Probably the one that started the "snow globe" celebration.
• The goal-line stop vs. the Colts that McGinest engineered.
• The sack to push Houston out of FG range in OT.
• The play where Gronk somersaulted on the sideline onto the forearm that had metal in it and re-broke it.
• One of Vrabel's receiving TDs.
• At least one amazing catch by Gronk.
• At least one amazing catch-and-run by Gronk.
• Troy's forced fumble vs. SD.
• The ineligible receivers play that pissed off Harbaugh.
• Ben Watson's chasedown of Champ Bailey.

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Refresh me on Patten's unconscious catch?

Joey007 said:

Refresh me on Patten's unconscious catch?

Click to expand...

The 2nd BUF game in 2001.

Patten catches the ball and gets absolutely BLASTED. He's knocked cold and fumbles. BUF player picks it up and returns it for a TD (or at least a long gain).

However, on review you clearly can see his unconscious head touching the sideline and his unconscious foot -- well in the field of play, mind you -- touching the football. Since players "conduct" out-of-bounds-ness, the ball was OOB and thus dead -- just as if Patten had fumbled it and it rolled OOB. Pats retain possession, go on to win in OT.

Amazingly, Mike Carey was the ref that day and made the correct call.

Joey007 said:

Refresh me on Patten's unconscious catch?

Click to expand...

Is that question the reason you rated my post Dislike?

Anyhow, I see it's been answered in more detail than I actually remembered.

Number 1 has got to be Butler's interception right? Maaaaaaaybe Vinateri in SB 36?

While cannot argue with a 1st Super Bowl-winning kick, I will bet that Vinateri's favorite kick was the "Snow Bowl" one. That was an amazing kick. We had 1st and 10 on the 28 on that drive and 3 plays got us no closer. Even after the tuck play, I thought we had blown it. I thought there was no way he could make that kick. He kicks that 20 times - he makes 1 or 2. Remember, before the Butler INT, a poll of Patriot fans rated THAT kick the single greatest play in Patriot history.

Fencer said:

Is that question the reason you rated my post Dislike?

Anyhow, I see it's been answered in more detail than I actually remembered.

Click to expand...

Ahh man I'm sorry about that! Meant to push a like. Actually appreciate you recalling that. That was a play that was way lost in the back of my head.

Joey007 said:

Ahh man I'm sorry about that! Meant to push a like. Actually appreciate you recalling that. That was a play that was way lost in the back of my head.

Click to expand...

No harm, no foul.

bormio said:

While cannot argue with a 1st Super Bowl-winning kick, I will bet that Vinateri's favorite kick was the "Snow Bowl" one. That was an amazing kick. We had 1st and 10 on the 28 on that drive and 3 plays got us no closer. Even after the tuck play, I thought we had blown it. I thought there was no way he could make that kick. He kicks that 20 times - he makes 1 or 2. Remember, before the Butler INT, a poll of Patriot fans rated THAT kick the single greatest play in Patriot history.

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I agree. It was do or die, rather than do or keep playing in a tied game, as some of his other kicks were.

And of course, as you point out, it had a much greater degree of difficulty.

One of the top ones has to be that intentional safety in Denver that resulted in a win at a stadium where they seldom won.

That safety in Denver for the win was what flashed in my mind when I saw the thread. What an amazing out of the blue right call for the win in Denver.

Butler's interception has to be number one, especially as it seemed we were heading for our third straight superbowl loss on a freak last minute catch.

Tom E. for the win.

I read this yesterday, cool to go back and revisit those plays. Remember them so well.

jmt57 said:

Number 88 has a gem that I had forgotten about.

Hypocrisy trumping integrity has been standard operating procedure for long before framegate. Changed a rule after the fact rather than before.

Link from play #88: NFL Changed the Push Rule AFTER They Called It Against the Patriots

Click to expand...

I had forgotten about the details of that play, other than the Jets committing the same penalty earlier in the game and the officials missing it.

Can anyone imagine the uproar if these events played out in the Patriots favor? A penalty is called on the Jets, giving the Patriots a second chance at a game-winning FG. This penalty was never called in a game before and would never be called again. According to the league's rules available online, what the Jets did was legal. There was even a video of Blandino explaining the rule that matched the Jets understanding of it. After the game, the rules are updated to show that the call was correct and it was a penalty. The torches and pitchforks would be out. There would be claims of game-fixing and calls for a congressional investigation. Since the call went against the Patriots, though, the reaction is a shoulder shrug and the incident is quickly forgotten.

Malcolm's int was an all-time great play. But the play by Hightower before it was greater for 2 reasons: 1. If hightower doesn't make the play-game over! So the stakes are exactly the same as MBs int. 2. W/o question, High's was a much more difficult play to make- the more I see it the more mind-boggled I get. How many guys in the NFL could've made that play? One arm while lying on the ground with a torn shoulder stopping beastmode, who had a full head of steam. Sorry, High's play was better.