Recalling 'The Fumble,' or 'Miracle at Meadowlands'
Wednesday is the 30th anniversary of Herman Edwards' return for a touchdown of an unfortunate botched handoff exchange by the New York Football Giants.
ESPN will look back at the event during its pregame show Sunday morning. Here are some quotes from that feature:
Ron Jaworski: "It was a miracle, it was a flat-out miracle, because all they had to do was take a knee."
Dick Vermeil: "It was shock when it happened, and it's lasted forever."
Joe Pisarcik: ''We intercepted the ball from Jaworski, sorry Ron, your third one, and we ran out onto the field and I wanted to fall on the ball three times and go home, let's go have a cold one. It's Miller Time.
"The week or two prior he (Giants offensive coordinator Bob Gibson) sent in a couple plays and I got somewhat reprimanded for changing that play. So in the back of my mind that came up to me and I said, 'Joe, don't change this play; you are going to get the same thing.'
"The snap came up a little off to the right and the ball hit on my forearm area."
Herman Edwards: "I remember picking up the ball and when I started running it felt like everything was in slow motion."
Pisarcik: "I was thinking, 'Is this a dream?' Do you ever think that? Is this a dream? All the blood rushed out of my head and I was like 'Oh, my God, this has actually just happened.'"
Harry Carson: "I think football in general learned a very valuable lesson. Don't try and get extra yards, don't try and be fancy about everything. Just kill it. Take a knee and just call it a day."
WatchDog: Some moron in the Willard Straight Hall TV lounge in Ithaca tried to turn to something else, figuring the game was decided. Some genius (not me) convinced him not to change the channel, and we all got to see history (for better or worse) live.
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Comments (2)
I'll never forget seeing the highlights of the game a week later on the NFL Films-produced NFL Game of the Week narrated by Harry Kalas. It was fun to watch a week later.
I was in Olmstead Falls Ohio sharing an apartment with a former Kutztown State offensive lineman who was a HUGE (literally) Iggles fan that to this day has never allowed me to forget that game.
The fact that he dwarfed my 6'3" 210 pound frame prevented me from pounding the crap out of him to shut him up.
Not only was I called "Pisarcik" by him for about 6 months afterward, but that play cost me a coupla hefty bar tabs at the Berea Roll and Bowl over the next 4 weeks of our league bowling.
(Hey, we were living in Cleveland....bowling was where you met all the hot chicks)
Every time I see Herm Edwards now, smoke starts billowing from my wallet.