The Levels of Losing - Part One
by adelfish | 8 years ago | 0 Comments
The Levels of Losing - Part One
by Adel
With so many unforgettable losses, so many heartbreaking and crushing moments in Red Zone history, I referenced one of my favorite lists of all time, to attempt to rank the heartbreak. Enjoy, find your nearest box of kleenex if things become emotional...
Level XVI: The Princeton Principle
Definition: When a Cinderella team hangs tough against a heavy favorite, but the favorite somehow prevails in the end (like Princeton almost toppling Georgetown in the '89 NCAAs). ... This one stings because you had low expectations, but those gritty underdogs raised your hopes. ... Also works for boxing, especially in situations like Balboa-Creed I ("He doesn't know it's a damn show! He thinks it's a damn fight!"). ... The moment that always sucks you in: in college hoops, when they show shots of the bench scrubs leaping up and down and hugging each other during the "These guys won't go away!" portion of the game, before the collapse at the end.
Personal Memory: The Minnesota Vikings at 7-9, coached by Turtles, facing off against the Dallas Cowboys in the wild card round of the playoffs. Ernest, the year before lost in the Super Bowl in heartbreaking fashion to Weedseed, and was planning to exact his revenge with a deep playoff run. Beginning with the 7-9 NFC North Champ Vikes, not exactly a contender in the eyes of most. Turtles, with a group of under achievers on offense, a quarterback on one leg, and a defense with the ultimate ‘bend but don’t break’ mentality, held the NFC champs to 7 points for 58 minutes. US Bank Stadium was buzzing, ready for a divisional date on the road the following week, but like a bad movie ending, the Cowboys scored 10 unanswered points to prevail. With the whole league behind Turtles and the Vikings, and to not see the fireworks fly and the confetti drop on that stadium, really stung in the hearts of many. The last ride of Teddy Bridgewater was a painful one.
Level XV: The Achilles' Heel
Definition: This defeat transcends the actual game, because it revealed something larger about your team, a fatal flaw exposed for everyone to see. ... Flare guns are fired, red flags are raised, doubt seeps into your team. ... Usually the beginning of the end. (You don't fully comprehend this until you're reflecting back on it.)
Personal Memory: The Achilles’ Heel is one of the most difficult levels for me personally to deal with as a fan. As we know about football, the end isn’t pretty, nor is it forgiving. Despite poor memories, you can remember how dominant the Denver Broncos used to be, as Trent put together one of the most efficient offenses, featuring Kirk Cousins, Montee Ball and Jeremy Hill. As Trent finally was ready to push himself into Red Zone lore of capturing a championship, his team fell victim to the Legion of Boom in the Super Bowl, getting drubbed in a final score of 20-10. As Broncos fans watched the outcome unfold, the offense sputtering and turning the football over, head coach Trent Tholstrup staring blankly as the broadcast continued to show him on the sidelines. Hindsight is 20/20, and I’m no body language expert, but is that loss the reason for the Broncos continually stinking since? Broncos fans are desperate for answers, and that might be it.
Level XIV: The Alpha Dog
Definition: It might have been a devastating loss, but at least you could take solace that a superior player made the difference in the end. ... Unfortunately, he wasn't playing for your team. ... You feel more helpless here than anything. ... For further reference, see any of MJ's games in the NBA Finals against Utah ('97 and '98).
Personal Memory: Season 32, Week 12. The Jets are in a tight playoff race, where a win can cement them a playoff spot, and a loss can drop them all the way to the 6th, maybe out of the picture. With the perennial mediocre Patriots on deck at home, how could this ever be anything but a cakewalk to another division title? After a performance to remember from former Jets QB Bryce Petty, and 4 interceptions from Matthew Stafford, the Patriots lead 31-29 with enough time in the game for one play. Patriots fans have seen this movie before and read this book. (Alshon Jeffery as time expired, Bears vs Redskins in Madden 15). It’s like the sequel to Friday Night Lights was being written. Stafford back to pass, pumps, fires to the endzone as time expires...caught!! Touchdown!!! Patriots fans slide an inch lower on their couches, Jets fans rejoice. The younger fans of this Patriots regime look at their father's, ‘We’ll get them next time, right Dad?’ It’s almost as if it’s in the handbook for being a father of a Jake Allen coached team - ‘Next year son, next year.’
Level XIII: The Rabbit's Foot
Definition: Now we're starting to get into "Outright Painful" territory. ... This applies to those frustrating games and/or series in which every single break seemingly goes against your team. ... Unbelievably frustrating. ... You know that sinking, "Oh, God, I've been here before" feeling when something unfortunate happens, when your guard immediately goes shooting up? ... Yeah, I'm wincing just writing about it.
Personal Memory: Madden 15, Wild Card round. The New England Patriots lead by Johnny Manziel, coached by myself, travel to Pittsburgh to face Killah and the Steelers, in a rematch of the previous three years in the postseason. Patriots fans in this era grew to despise the Steelers, as they always seemed to squeak out victories from the jaws of defeat over the Patriots. Now with Johnny Manziel in tow, and a flair for the dramatic, the Patriots were favored. Dominating the game defensively, holding the Steelers to 6 offensive points through the first half was impressive, but the Steel Curtain held their own as well, keeping New England to three field goals of their own. Now, if I told you the Steelers wouldn’t score an offensive touchdown the rest of the game, you’d think ‘Wow, the Patriots finally bested their rivals from Pittsburgh and advanced!’ - we’ll you’d be dead wrong. In fact you wouldn’t believe it, it’s like those tall tales that Uncle Billy tells around the campfire about his conspiracy theories. Return man LaRod Stephens Howling proceeded to return two kickoff returns for touchdowns on back to back returns, scoring 12 points for the Steelers, and leading them to a playoff victory. Watching these back, watching this victory slip away because of two returns, made me laugh this time around. But believe me, this was no easy acceptance.
Best Memory: A game forgotten by many, but most certainly not by myself, or former Raiders head coach Mike Mojica. Before his eventual championship run in Season 33, many thought that Moji would be a perennial choke artist in the postseason, teasing the fans of his with plays that would go down in Raiders and Jets infamy. For the sake of the hearts of Raiders fans who still haven’t seen a championship brought to them in the Red Zone universe, I’ll try my best to be gentle. The AFC Championship Game in Season 20 was one for the ages, as the roller coaster of emotions it brought to two starved fan bases was something like we’d never seen. The Jacksonville Jaguars coached by Than, against the Oakland Raiders coached by Moji. Leading 19-6 in the first half, all looked bright for the Raiders, who seemed destined to appear in the big game. Deciding to go for 2 points to make it more difficult for a comeback, Derek Carr threw an interception in the end zone, and it was returned by the Jaguars for 2 points, making it 19-8. What followed was one of the more dramatic collapses in the history of Red Zone football, as the Raiders ultimately fell apart in front of our eyes, giving the Jaguars the AFC title. Moji never returned to the big game until he took over the Jets, but the sequence of events leading to that collapse is unforgettable.
Level XII: The Sudden Death
Definition: Is there another fan experience quite like overtime hockey, when every slap shot, breakaway and centering pass might spell doom, and losing feels 10 times worse than winning feels good (if that makes sense)? ... There's only one mitigating factor: When OT periods start piling up and you lose the capacity to care anymore, invariably you start rooting for the game to just end, just so you don't suffer a heart attack.
Personal Memory: In football, thankfully outside of the postseason, long overtimes are like running into an ex-girlfriend that you have very fond memories of in the bedroom - the intense and exciting moments weren’t worth the agonizing stretches to your mental health. The final game of Season 35 and the cycle had shades of that, with one of the craziest fan experiences we’ve witnessed in quite some time. The Bengals and Rams, two teams that had satisfied their fan bases with championships already in the last decade, would battle for the final chance of this era. Entering overtime tied 20 a piece, nobody could prepare the fan bases for what was next. Following a series of 4 punts, quarterback Jared Goff threw a 30 yard strike to put the Rams inside field goal territory as the first overtime period was ticking away, enter kicker John Potter. Potter with confidence in his eyes, shanks the field goal, giving the Bengals the ball at the 30 yard line with all the momentum. Malcolm Quessenberry makes the smart and safe play, throwing a checkdown to his speedy running back AJ Cash, who was mauled by a swarm of Rams, fumbling the football. Collectively the two fanbases in a span of two minutes experienced nearly every emotion that football has to offer, and then some. Tears became cheers, beer cans found the floor and the ceiling, and Cincinnati collectively groaned, as the city seemed to shut down for a brief moment. John Potter’s next opportunity couldn’t have been more pure, ending the contest. Bengals fans to this day still have chills seeing Rams uniforms in public, just like those fateful encounters with Katie from freshman year.
Level X: The Monkey Wrench
Definition: Any situation in which either (A) the manager/coach of your team made an idiotic game decision or (B) a referee/umpire robbed your team of impending victory. ... The Monkey Wrench Game gains steam as the days and months roll along. ... The Patriots and Raiders deserve special mention here because they played two Monkey Wrench games 26 years apart -- the '76 playoff game (when Ben Dreith's dubious "roughing the passer" call on "Sugar Bear" Hamilton gave the Raiders second life), and the infamous Snow Game (the Brady fumble/nonfumble). ... Funny how life works out.
Personal Memory: What would sports be without intervention? Divine intervention is considered by some to be the greatest form, when the big man himself steps in to determine the outcome of his favorite team’s game. God has found his way to be a fan of many teams over the years, but I believe there to be a higher intervention than that - human stupidity. Let’s rewind back to Season 29, where the best memories of all are made; postseason football. Remember the Denver Broncos? We talked about them already in this article, but the darkness doesn’t escape head coach Trent Tholstrup. In a divisional round matchup with the New York Jets, coached by Mike Mojica, the Broncos controlled the pace of the game, as they had all season long. A fearsome pass rush held Cam Newton in check, but the Broncos found themselves down 15-17 with 2 minutes to play. A great drive by Paxton Lynch brought Denver inside field goal territory, but still with time on the clock for New York to attempt a comeback. Brandon McManus trots onto the field, Denver fans throughout Mile High stadium collectively hold their breath - a feat impressive at the higher altitude - and clench their souvenir beer glasses with their mittens on. Snap, spot down, kick is up….and good!! As the ball flies through the uprights, the clock ticks to 1:47, but a yellow flag flies...the crowd erupts...McManus is down! Calvin Pryor of the Jets destroyed the kicker after the play, a boneheaded move, and a move that could end the game. Coach Tholstrup signals the referee ‘we’re taking the points!’ he yells. The 3 points remain instead of the first down, an 18-17 lead nonetheless, but a decision that Broncos fans, and armchair coaches far and wide collectively exclaimed ‘What?’ A plot twist like that deserved a grand finale, and that was the Jets driving downfield, and punching their ticket to the AFC title game with a walk off field goal. If I had to power-rank moments of complete jackassery like this it would go 1) Laces out Dan 2) We’ll take the points…..
Level IX: The Full-Fledged Butt-Kicking
Definition: Sometimes you can tell right away when it isn't your team's day. ... And that's the worst part, not just the epiphany but everything that follows -- every botched play; every turnover; every instance where someone on your team quits; every "deer in the headlights" look; every time an announcer says, "They can't get anything going"; every shot of the opponents celebrating; every time you look at the score and think to yourself, "Well, if we score here and force a turnover, maybe we'll get some momentum," but you know it's not going to happen, because you're already 30 points down. ... You just want it to end, and it won't end. ... But you can't look away. ... It's the sports fan's equivalent to a three-hour torture session.
Personal Memory: Sometimes you just need to sit back and accept defeat. RZ Bowl 23 was a day like that for head coach Ernest of the Dallas Cowboys. A team that battled adversity, claimed the NFC title for the first time in his history, was headed to the big game for a chance to cement legacies. Facing a juggernaut in the Bengals lead by head coach Live 2 Die - this had all the makings of a David v Goliath matchup. The Cowboys can run the football and play conservative offense, and can keep any team off the scoreboard with their fast defense. Clearly, the Bengals didn’t get the memo. A blink of an eye, it’s 17-0...quarterback Dustin Vaughan has thrown 3 interceptions at halftime….then it’s 24-0. Toby Keith comes out to perform the halftime show, to a dull and sullen Dallas crowd. The second half showed no mercy, as the Cowboys limped into a championship loss against Cincinnati’s backup quarterback. Dallas fans shut the televisions off in the third quarter and called it a night, most heading to work in the morning. Here’s a thought - did anyone in Dallas around the water cooler that Monday morning do the old ‘imagine if _____ happened, it’s a completely different game!’
.......to be continued.....