Year
|
Clue
|
Answer
|
2023
|
The first white running back to lead the league in rushing since 1962
|
Christian McCaffrey
|
2022
|
Rams receiver whose last minute catch earned him a Super Bowl MVP award
|
Cooper Kupp
|
2021
|
QB who won an unprecedented seventh Super Bowl
|
Tom Brady
|
2020
|
City which the Raiders left for the second time
|
Oakland
|
2019
|
QB who rushed for a record 1,206 yards
|
Lamar Jackson
|
2018
|
Rams tackle who won his second straight Defensive Player of the Year award
|
Aaron Donald
|
2017
|
Second team in history to post an 0-16 record
|
Cleveland Browns
|
2016
|
Quarterback who caused a kerfluffle by refusing to stand for the national anthem
|
Colin Kaepernick
|
2015
|
Cornerback whose last minute interception secured a Super Bowl victory for
the Patriots over the Seahawks
|
Malcolm Butler
|
2014
|
Outspoken cornerback who led the Seahawks to a 43-8 Super Bowl victory
|
Richard Sherman
|
2013
|
QB who threw for a record for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns
|
Peyton Manning
|
2012
|
Defensive end who had one of the most dominant seasons ever, recording 20.5 sacks and 16 passes deflected
|
J. J. Watt
|
2011
|
QB who retired for the third and final time
|
Brett Favre
|
2010
|
For the first time since 1978, the Pro Bowl was NOT played in this state
|
Hawaii
|
2009
|
Quarterback whose name became a verb meaning "to drop to one knee with one's head on one's fist in a sign of religious devotion"
|
Tim Tebow
|
2008
|
Briefly popular offensive formation where a running back receives the snap
|
Wildcat
|
2007
|
Only team in history with a 16-0 regular season record
|
New England Patriots
|
2006
|
Player who rushed for a record 28 touchdowns
|
LaDainian Tomlinson
|
2005
|
Brothers who were both All-Pro players
|
Tiki and Ronde Barber
|
2004
|
Former player who died from friendly fire in Afghanistan
|
Pat Tillman
|
2003
|
USC quarterback selected with the #1 overall pick in the draft
|
Carson Palmer
|
2002
|
Running back who broke Walter Payton's record for career rushing yards
|
Emmitt Smith
|
2001
|
New York Giant who set the record for most sacks in a season (22.5)
|
Michael Strahan
|
2000
|
Nickname earned by the St. Louis Rams
|
The Greatest Show on Turf
|
*Sigh*
Ah, but Seattle DID hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch. They did it on 1st down. And he got stopped short of the goal line. All this nonsense about how not handing the ball to him again cost Seattle a sure victory is nuts.
In 2014, Lynch failed to score from the 1-yard line 80% of the time. New England was in the "jumbo" package on 2nd down, meaning they were keying specifically on stopping Lynch. There were 26 seconds left and Seattle had only 1 timeout. Calling a pass play on 2nd down was the correct decision by Pete Carroll, as that would afford them 3 attempts at winning the game (where New England had no idea whether Seattle would run or pass), instead of only 2.
Russell Wilson also had the 3rd-lowest interception rate in NFL history. Pete Carroll was aware of all of this. Empty-headed fanboys were not.
Yelling, "Yeah but....BEASTMODE!" doesn't change the odds that Seattle faced on 2nd down. Again, that's a fanboy reaction. There's a reason fanboys aren't NFL coaches.
There is ZERO guarantee that Lynch would've scored against the Patriots' jumbo package. In fact, the odds were against it. Carroll understood that. On 2nd down, handing the ball to Lynch would've been the wrong call. Carroll would probably have given Lynch a shot on 3rd down, however. And if Lynch didn't score, would've called Seattle's final timeout, and then the entire playbook would've been open for the final play.
Every offensive play ever run in NFL history had a chance of resulting in a turnover. Coaches try to mitigate the risk, and play the percentages to to give their team....
In the 2006 playoffs, trailing by 1 point with seconds remaining vs Seattle, the Cowboys decided to attempt a chip-shot FG to win the game. Tony Romo mishandled the snap and Dallas failed to convert the FG and wound up losing, 21-20. Was it the wrong call to attempt the FG? Of course not, because it was the odds-on play. Muuuuuch better odds than trying to score a TD or even to pick up a 1st down inside the 5-yard line. Romo simply made a physical mistake.
Same thing with Seattle vs New England in Super Bowl XLIX. Carroll played the odds. But CB Malcolm Butler had simply been coached-up to defend the exact play that Seattle called and made a Super Bowl-winning play.
Sometimes offensive players make mistakes executing the play. (see Jackie Smith's dropped TD pass for Dallas in SB XIII; or ...
Pete Carroll's forgotten more about football than any "fan" will ever know. He correctly assessed the odds and made a play call that simply didn't work out. Seattle didn't pass up some sure-fire touchdown. Bill Belichick simply demonstrated that, once again, he's usually the smartest guy in the room, and coached-up a rookie CB to make the play of his life.
Or Falcons fan for Super Bowl 51?
Clearly the answer is Bills fan from 1991-1994