On January 8, 2000, the Tennessee Titans won a playoff game against the Buffalo Bills thanks to one of the craziest plays in NFL history. Frank Wycheck’s throwback to Kevin Dyson on a kickoff remains one of the most memorable moments in my live-sports-watching career.
At first, I, like millions of others, thought the toss was clearly a forward lateral. With each replay, however, things became murkier.
I hadn’t thought about the play for a long time until this morning. Watching it with fresh eyes and … I still don’t know.
To me, it looks like it was slightly forward but there’s not enough evidence to warrant overturning the call on the field. And I guess that’s the point. If it had been ruled a forward lateral on the field, I don’t think they could have overturned it in that direction as well.
That, of course, is little solace to Bills fans who have suffered for a decade and a half. The good news for them is that another significant anniversary of the event won’t come around for another five years.