Hogan pass right Q4 SBLI

[Tony2046]

The Hogan and Edelman throws/catches were tremendous. But, the precision, touch and accuracy of the sideline pass to Amendola were jaw-dropping to me. I was incredulous, but having seen Brady in clutch moments since 2001, I suppose I shouldn't have been. But, I was.

The touch pass to Bennett was similar. imo. Both were dimes.

 

[JJR4884]

That pass to Edelman in OT was a bullet... one of my favorites.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Reliving these plays scares the sh!t out of me remembering how incredibly close we were to losing.

 

[patfanken]

I think the most impressive part about those last 2 drives was that IIRC, only the Hogan throw mentioned in the OP was a third down play. Maybe it was 2.

When you think about it, to have only 1 third down play on the final 2 drives is extraordinary. Even though they started that drive in 4rd down territory on the 8 yd line, they rarely had to get to 3rd down, let alone 4th down.

I don't know, for some reason that stat has stayed with me as a exemplar of just how good they were on those 2 drives. Even the Edelman catch was a 1st down. I knew they were going to score, you knew they were going to score, and the Falcons knew they were going to score. It was excting, but there also was a sense of inevidablity that permeated the game. If there was any question that Pats could tie the game, they went right out the window once they won the toss.

And while you knew the Pats were going to win, the fact was the Falcons were closely contending almost EVERY pass. So many passes had to be just perfect for the comeback to be complete. Almost 3 months later and sitll WHAT A GAME;

 

[Kdo5]

It was the most important play of thr game in my opinion.

Honestly there were a lot of majorly important plays late in that game. The Hogan catch, the Amendola fourth down conversion, Trey Flowers final sack, Chung's pass break up, both two point conversions. But the HT strip sack will always be the most important IMO. That momentum swing was massive.

Before that the comeback had started but there were still times where it sputtered on offense. Afterwards the offense was absolutely surgical. The shift in momentum and superior conditioning is what won us the game.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

You know, the Squirrel Miracle Catch overshadows the fact that Alford really, really, really should have intercepted that pass. Thank god he didn't.

 

[PatsBoy12]

You know, the Squirrel Miracle Catch overshadows the fact that Alford really, really, really should have intercepted that pass. Thank god he didn't.

Alford played lights out defense, but his performance was overshadowed by a few really great plays by Edelman and the loss overall.

 

[wolverinejoe80]

in the last drive, i was just happy as hell. i said something like 'i don't even care if we lose. i'm so damn proud of this Fin team.'

 

[brdmaverick]

Great thread, because I agree 100% that there were passes made that had very little margin for error.

Appreciation for pass timing is an underappreciated quality by most fans (including myself). After all, on TV you just see the ball, so you see the QB throw it. You see a WR open who catches it and you just assume that he was alwasy open and just waiting for the ball to be thrown to him (which couldn't be further from the truth).

When things go wrong (a player zigs instead of zags) it can lead to easy interceptions in which it's natural to think "What was Brady thinking?" when the reality is that most of the time he is throwing to a spot and trusting that his receivers will be there.

(Just look at the Neil O'Donnel interceptions from Super Bowl XXX. Those make it look like O'Donnell must have been paid off, but the reality is that a player probably 'cut in' instead of 'cutting out' or something like that).

Agree though, these plays had a tremendous degree of difficulty but the Pats pulled it off in the most crucial of times.

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

This is why Atlanta took a lot of underserved heat for "blowing" SB51. The secondary in particular never quit. Brady simply was amazing...

...Against tight man coverage.

...Without his best man coverage beater in Gronk.

...With his favorite remaining receiver blanketed all game by Alford who played outstanding.

Regards,
Chris

 

[Wheelman]

You know, the Squirrel Miracle Catch overshadows the fact that Alford really, really, really should have intercepted that pass. Thank god he didn't.

Yup, but that's why Alford doesn't play receiver.

 

[K. Dog]

This type of play happens every Sunday. I love Brady too, but other QB's work on this kind of timing route with their receivers quite regularly. The QB throws it to a spot and the receiver must run a precise route to get to it. Very few times does the WR make eye contact with the QB on this type of play.

I disagree. Anytime someone says on a message board "oh this is so common" and then doesn't give any examples, you know there aren't actually any examples.

Specifically, can you name a single play like this by any other quarterback in the last 5 years?

The play:

1. QB to receiver, who makes a 90º cut (typically in or out route)
2. No eye contact before pass
3. QB throws before the cut.
4. interception if receiver misses his mark
5. optionally, receiver runs significant distance after cut

As I said in the original post, I am specifically disallowing the more common hitches/hooks/comebacks where a receiver just stops and/or backs up, like the Mitchell play or other Hogan play. I am also not considering, as I said originally, plays where a QB just leads a receiver in say a go or post or seam. Even most fades in the endzone (and curls) violate condition 4.

 

[bradydaman29]

Zolak's call on that first Amendola catch in OT is classic: "that pass was sick, absolutely, disgustingly, sick"

 

[Tony2046]

You know, the Squirrel Miracle Catch overshadows the fact that Alford really, really, really should have intercepted that pass. Thank god he didn't.

I think Beasley and Alford have had some sleepless nights.

 

[PatsBoy12]

I disagree. Anytime someone says on a message board "oh this is so common" and then doesn't give any examples, you know there aren't actually any examples.

Specifically, can you name a single play like this by any other quarterback in the last 5 years?

The play:

1. QB to receiver, who makes a 90º cut (typically in or out route)
2. No eye contact before pass
3. QB throws before the cut.
4. interception if receiver misses his mark
5. optionally, receiver runs significant distance after cut

As I said in the original post, I am specifically disallowing the more common hitches/hooks/comebacks where a receiver just stops and/or backs up, like the Mitchell play or other Hogan play. I am also not considering, as I said originally, plays where a QB just leads a receiver in say a go or post or seam. Even most fades in the endzone (and curls) violate condition 4.

Sure, so Brady invented it. Got it.

 

[jimnance]

OP- thanks for posting that. As many times as I've watched it, it never gets old and still gives me chills.
What TB did 4th quarter SB IL and 4th quarter SB LI is the best clutch performance I've ever seen in a team sport.
His #'s are just ridiculous with those 2 combined. But the latest was more impressive,IMO, due to far less margin for error.

 

[Wax Frog]

Just f*cking breathtaking. Yup, man crush confirmed. LOL

 

[aluminum seats]

in the last drive, i was just happy as hell. i said something like 'i don't even care if we lose. i'm so damn proud of this Fin team.'

Few things wrong here...

 

[deroc5050]

My favorite pass in SBLI is the 3rd&10 on the 9 to Hogan to start the final Q4 drive:

There are a couple of interesting facets of this pass.

Hogan cuts his out route but never looks back at Brady until after the pass is thrown. Brady throws the ball before Hogan even finished his cut, and starts the throw while Hogan is still running straight downfield. He is also throwing to a cornerback: if for some reason Hogan's timing or route running is inaccurate, it will be an interception.

I very rarely see receivers run a route like this without making any eye contact with the quarterback. Actually I'm not sure I can think of any examples. Normally where there is no eye contact, the route is either short of the receiver (which Hogan also did in another play) or beyond him, when the QB knows that if he overthrows the receiver already beat the cornerback so there won't be an interception. To throw before the cut like that on such a long pass is impressive.



The video link above has the broadcast feed, I'm enclosing a few stills from the all-22.

I know the play your talking about I remember it clearly there is no need to even point it out, but I think there are alot of throws made like that. It does show the incredible precision of a possible game ending play. I remember watching the replay and thinking the same thing as you.

 

[heavyde050]

Yup, but that's why Alford doesn't play receiver.

“I looked back, and the ball was, like, right there,” Alford said. “All I could do was get my hands up to hit it. I knew if I tipped it in the air—it’s something we have been going over in practice. Just tip it in the air, and if you can’t get it, then my brother will get it.”

Quote from the man himself. He did all he could just to tip it; he was never going to intercept that pass (though one of his teammates should have prevented JE11 from catching it).

Edelman’s Super Bowl Catch: Gravity-Defying, History-Making | The MMQB with Peter King