(02-18-2019, 09:03 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: That brings back a lot of memories, Bullseye.  

I know I will never ever again in my life reach the high I felt when Morten Andersen missed that kick in 1996.  

We were 4-7, with about a 2% chance of making the playoffs, all the local media was criticising the team, David Lamm for example, said "Let's face it, this is a bad team."    And lo and behold, we reeled off 4 straight wins, a couple of them absolute miracle wins.   I remember a game against the Ravens when Vinnie Testeverde inexplicably lost the ball in the pocket with no one near him, and we recovered it and pulled the game out.  We were 8-7 and all we had to do was beat the 3-12 Falcons to make the playoffs in our second season!   We had a nice lead at the half and they came back on us.   They kept throwing that wide receiver screen and we couldn't stop it.   We were ahead I think 19-17 and they threw yet another WR screen, and what a lot of people forget, that WR was going for a TD, and Tony Brackens ran that guy down from behind and saved the TD.  

So they  had that chip shot to beat us and knock us out of the playoffs with just a few seconds left.   And one of the the best kickers ever.   I was sitting there in the stadium totally depressed.   And he kicks the ball, and immediately one section of fans behind the goal posts leaps up and my immediate thought in that split second was, those must be Falcons fans.   And then in the next split second, the entire stadium exploded.   And the refs were signaling no-good.  I've never experienced anything like that.  That was the highest high I have ever felt in my life.  The players were out one the field, jumping up and down, Coughlin took off his hat and looked up at the sky, and every single person in that stadium was jumping up and down with their arms in the air screaming.   It took a little time before everyone calmed down enough to throw themselves into the arms of everyone around them.  That's how crazy it was.  

That was a once in a lifetime experience.

Back in those days I sat in the South Endzone 3 rows up and dead center of the goalpost.  From our vantage point the kick looked good.  When the then "Cage of Rage" started celebrating I remember turning to my wife and asking "Did he miss?"  Then the pandemonium ensued!

Those seats no longer exist.


Happiest day at the stadium with the original opening day against the Houston Oilers coming in a close 2nd.

On a the flip side the worst day at the stadium has to be walking out after the loss in the '99 AFC Championship game.  With the exception of one lone *(*&^%%$ tack fan hooting it up you could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet.

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