Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

conace21 wrote:Oh my, what a post.
Chargers: Humphries to Martin, 43 yards in Pittsburgh.

Dolphins: Marino's fake spike

Cleveland: Red Right 88

Houston: JJ Watt's interception return for a TD in the playoffs.

Jaguars: David Garrard's 4th down scramble vs Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

Bears: Gale Sayers' first of six TDs, on an 80 yard screen pass.
Honorable Mention: Devin Hester winning the MNF game vs Arz with a punt return for a score.

Atlanta: Michael Vick 's 44 yard run for a TD vs Carolina in OT

Ahh, you're killing me! Got to mention '94 AFCCG, huh? No, jk, was a great play. Live by the blitz, die by the blitz and Bobby game-planned well. Still can't figure out a signature Charger play but maybe that's a solid candidate. JJ Watt? Yes, only makes sense he be involved in signature play for this still-new franchise. Their NFL debut vs Dallas '02 not a bad one before Watt came to town though.

For the Detroit Lions I would chose Barry Sanders' run against the Patriots when his moves twisted NE's safety Harlon Barnett twice. Or his TD run against Dallas in the 1991 Playoffs.

Chiefs: If only Derrick made that 8th sack vs Seattle.....

74_75_78_79_ wrote:Chiefs: If only Derrick made that 8th sack vs Seattle.....

For Buffalo, my top 3, according to radio or TV broadcast,

1- "Bills can win it here. Reich puts it down, the kick is on the way, and it is GOOD! And the Bills have won it! The Bills have won it! They win it 41 to 38!"

2- "OJ, running left. OJ, 5 more. There it is! He did it!"

3- "47 yards....No good! Wide right!"

74_75_78_79_ wrote:As for some of these very old franchises, you may have to divide the franchise's history up into different eras and place a signature play for each era that warrants one.

I’ll take a shot at the Rams (not just limiting it to positive plays, but any team/era defining play)

Cleveland Rams era
-Baugh’s pass hits the goalpost, Rams win. 1945 NFL Championship

1950s Rams era
-Van Brocklin 73 yard TD pass to Fears. 1951 NFL Championship

1960s Rams era
-Rams block punt, convert to TD, 12/9/1967 vs. Packers

1970s Rams
-Ferragamo 50 yard TD pass to Waddy, 1979 playoffs vs. Dallas

1980s Rams
-Jim Everett “self sack” vs. 49ers, 1989 NFC Championship

1990s Rams
-Mike Jones goal line tackle as time expired, Super Bowl XXXIV

2000s Rams
-Mike Martz outcoached by Bill Belichick (who borrowed Dungy’s blueprint), Super Bowl XXXVI

For the post-Namath and Gastineau's Jets, I would chose Jumbo Elliott's diving TD catch in the Monday Night against Miami in 2000. When you talk about great comebacks, that's the play they usually show.

Starr's sneak is the obvious #1 for the Packers. 2-10?

- Brett Favre hitting Kittrick Taylor to complete a comeback win over Cincinnati in 1992, jump-starting the Wolf-Holmgren era
- Max McGee's one-handed TD grab to score the first-ever Super Bowl touchdown
- Desmond Howard's kickoff return in SB31
- Tom Brown's end zone interception to clinch the 1967 NFL championship
- Don Hutson hauling in an 83-yard touchdown pass from Arnie Herber in the first play of his first start (or maybe their 48-yard hookup to open the scoring in the '36 title game)
- Aaron Rodgers threading the needle to hit Greg Jennings for a crucial first down late in SB45
- Don Chandler's phantom field goal to send the 1965 Western Conference playoff to overtime
- Don Majkowski's pass to Sterling Sharpe to beat the Bears in 1989, and the subsequent six-minute replay review
- Al Harris's overtime pick-6 to beat Seattle in the 2003 wildcard

On the down side:
- Brandon Bostick
- Bednarik stops Taylor at the gun, 1960 championship
- 4th-and-26, 2003 division playoff at Philadelphia
- Young to Owens, 1998 wildcard
- Fridge Perry destroying George Cumby at the goal line, 1985

Teo wrote:Speaking of the N.Y. Giants, I think that Odell Beckham Jr.'s one handed catch against Dallas this past season can beat David Tyree and Mario Mannngham great receptions on the Super Bowl wins agianst New England.

Beckham's CATCH was the best of the three, but there's no way it comes close to the impact that Tyree's catch had. The first was a Week 12 game for a team that would lose its sixth straight game, while the second came with just over a minute left in a tight, dramatic Super Bowl just after the quarterback somehow escaped getting sacked.

I think a "signature play" should be a moment which best reflects the franchise's overall history, good or bad. When I think of the Saints, I think of Russell Erxleben's "pass" being intercepted by Atlanta and returned for the game-winning TD. When I think of the Vikings, I think of Gary Anderson missing a gimme in the NFC Championship game.

Bryan wrote:I think a "signature play" should be a moment which best reflects the franchise's overall history, good or bad. When I think of the Saints, I think of Russell Erxleben's "pass" being intercepted by Atlanta and returned for the game-winning TD. When I think of the Vikings, I think of Gary Anderson missing a gimme in the NFC Championship game.

Yes. What is the play(s) that is the essence of the team?

Not including the AFL years, the Bills' franchise is defined by futility. Is there a better play that defines that futility than Norwood's missed FG? It's who they are.