- Joined
- Oct 16, 2007
- Messages
- 1,819
- Reaction score
- 2,007
That's the first thing I think about in that game, NOT the Drieth call. It was by FAR the worse call. There could be a least a whiff of controversy on the roughing call, the non-call on Francis was SO blatant and obvious, it was a crime that it wasn't called.
There was one other play that affected that game that no one really remembers anymore. It was on that final Pats drive that ended in the Francis non-call. It was on 1st down, Sam Cunningham ran around end and stepped out of bounds 9 yds later. It was a play that, if he wanted to, he could have easily lowered his shoulder and gotten that extra yard. No one thought much about it then, because it it was 2nd and 1, and the Pats had been running well all game. IIRC the Pats got a penalty the next play and now it was 2nd 6 and everything had changed, ending in the Villiapiano mugging of Francis
It wasn't something you blamed Cunningham for, and I don't recall it ever being used as a reason for why we lost, but still I wonder .....IF.
BTW- Compared to the felony that occurred that game, the "snow bowl" was hardly even a mistormeanor. Raider fans should be ashamed of themselves to complain when they were given such a blatant gift of MULTIPLE calls
Ken -
Cunningham had a shoulder injury that limited him to eight carries over the last five games. You might recall that his backup was a former Buffalo Bill (10th round pick in 1974) named Don Calhoun. So dominant was the Patriot offensive line that the little used Calhoun had four 100 yard rushing games during the five weeks he pinch hit for Sam Bam. For the season, Calhoun amassed 721 rushing yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
Most atttributed Cunningham's unwillingness to take the hit on that critical play to his aching shoulder.