21 Years Ago Today, There Were “NO FLAGS ON THE FIELD!”
If you ask anyone about this game, they’ll say they were there. It’s one of those classic moments where everyone just claims to have been in attendance. Adelphia Coliseum (throwback) seats only 70,000 and yet 250,000 were somehow there.
With all that said, I was there. I promise.
If I was going to lie for the sake of a blog, I’d say something much cooler like I dated Jennifer Love-Hewitt in high school.
Which I did that too. I promise.
But attending this game was one of the most surreal days of my life. My dad and I would normally sit in Section 117, Row S, Seats 9 & 10. Those are where our season tickets are. However, for this game, my dad. got “company tickets” for the first time. So we gave our seats to friends (Titans fans – because there’s a special place in hell for people who give their tickets to fans of the opposing team, and that special place are not good seats either). and my dad and I sat in the Club Level right at the 50-yard-line. The best seats I’ve ever had (and probably ever will have) at a Titans game. It was incredible. Unfortunately, however, the game was not. It was cold, overcast, and extremely low scoring. Aside from Jevon Kearse sacking Rob Johnson in the endzone for a safety, there was very little excitement. I think I got a hot dog. Which was probably also exciting. But if we’re being honest, it would’ve been more exciting to have gotten a turkey leg from the in-stadium Logan’s Roadhouse.
I’ll never forget the end.
When Steve Christie kicked that field goal with :16 seconds left, the life was sucked out of the stadium for the first time all season. A season which included publications like Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News (it was not just still a thin back then, but it was a big thing) calling Adelphia the loudest stadium in the NFL. But at that moment it felt like a Vandy game. My dad turned to me and asked, “Do you want to go?” And as I watched a lot of people head of the exits, little dejected 7th grade Austin said, “No, let’s just stay.”
Aside from marrying my wife, that was the greatest decision of my life.
Because what happens next may shock you.
Lorenzo Neal fielded the pooch kickoff – which, I’m no football coach, but I played thru high school and enough into college to know that you probably don’t want your short, stocky fullback fielding kickoffs late in games. So that wasn’t a good first sign.
But then he handed it back to Frank Wycheck. Which, I guess, is better? This was like going from Justice League to Justice League: The Snyder Cut. Sure, it’ll be a little better, but not much. For as good of a tight end Wycheck was, I don’t think he has the same skillset as Devin Hester. So I didn’t feel much better about this revelation about him now returning the kick, and felt even worse when he started to run right.
But then turned and chucked the ball across the field. Jumpin’ M. Night Shyamalans! Nobody saw this plot twist coming. Most importantly the Bills special teams, because as Wycheck chucked it back to now-middle school principal Kevin Dyson, you could tell that “HE’S GOT SOMETHING!” And if you were listening to the radio broadcast that day, you could also probably also tell “HE’S GOT SOMETHING!” because that’s all Pat Ryan was screaming.
From my vantage point, which was essentially a bird’s eye view (not to brag) or the look you get from the all-22 (football guy), I could see the wall of blockers lined up. There wasn’t a chance he was getting touched, let alone tackled. And that’s when I started to get excited. Giddy, even. I may or not have shrieked like a 7th grade school girl. Which wasn’t far off, since I’m pretty sure I had either just hit or was currently going through puberty.
As I saw Kevin Dyson cross the goalline, I remember looking at the stands and seeing just a bunch of arms flailing in the air. I remember seeing people who were heading for the exits, sprint back to see what everyone was cheering about. I remember it vividly. Totally surreal moment.
As I’m sure you also knew, there were no flags on the field. But they did go under the hood to review it. And I remember telling my dad, “They have to uphold this or those refs won’t make it out of the stadium alive.” Let me reiterate. Me, a 7th grader from the suburbs of the very little crime-ridden city of Nashville, who’s testicles probably just dropped the day prior was predicting death for a referee if he overturned that play. Overreaction much? Sheesh. I must’ve been a damn psycho.
Obviously, it was not overturned. I know select Bills fans still claim it was a forward pass. But it’s cool. There are still people who think the moon landing was shot on a Hollywood backlot.
Anyway, happy Music City Miracle Day. I was there. I promise.
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Also, if you have some time, you NEED to watch this video of Jeff Fisher telling the story. He drops some nuggets for a play we thought we alread knew everything about.
