N/S Biggest choke artists of all-time (#1 on page 8) (1 Viewer)

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sammymvpknight

sammymvpknight

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Over the next ten days I'll list the top 10 choke artists in NFL history. This isn't my opinion, it's based on a poll that I conducted on a neutral team forum. It was a fun research experience, like a walk into NFL history and some if its biggest moments. I think that Saints fans will be familiar with many of them.

For the sake of simplicity, I only included players (not team efforts or coaches). I also only included moments in time (no life-time achievement awards for choking).

Enjoy!

1. Gary Anderson’s missed FG, Vikings vs Falcons, 1998 NFC Championship Game
2. Marcus Williams’ missed tackle, Saints vs Vikings, 2017 NFC division playoff game
3. Tony Romo’s botched snap, Cowboys vs Seahawks, 2007 NFC Wild Card
4. Earnest Byner’s fumble, Browns vs Broncos, 1987 AFC Championship game
5. Scott Norwood missed FG, Bills versus Giants, Super Bowl XXV
6. Brett Favre’s INT, Saints vs Vikings, 2009 NFC Championship Game
7. Leon Lett’s fumble, Cowboys vs Dolphins, 1993 Regular season
8. Jackie Smith's dropped pass, Cowboys versus Steelers, Super Bowl XIII
9. John Kasay’s kickoff out of bounds, Panthers vs Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVIII
10. John Carney’s missed PAT, Saints vs Jaguars, 2013 Regular season
 
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#10

John Carney’s missed PAT, Saints vs Jaguars, 2013 Regular season




Personal story. I’m from Jacksonville and was present for the River City Relay in Duval (sorta). The game was lost, there was no chance that the Saints were going to come back. The Jags had the football with practically no time left on the clock. My ride was so angry that he decided to not watch the last minute of the game and stormed out of the stadium. I begrudgingly followed and about half way through the Jaguars parking lot we heard an explosion and it was intense, but it was clear that it wasn’t loud enough to be the home team’s fans. We already left the stadium and couldn’t get back in. We rushed out to our ride to see what the heck was happening but before we got to our car another explosion went off, this time even louder, clearly the home team’s fans. That’s how I missed out on one of the great plays and chokes in NFL history.
 
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Maybe not a distinction in the eyes of most, but there are two kinds of behavior considered "choking" -- being overwhelmed by the moment and largely shutting down, or putting pressure on yourself to succeed and trying to hard and making mistakes by forcing things.

I don't consider the latter "choking" but we would need another word for it.

I freely admit that I might be shaving too fine a point on this. Thoughts?
 
SaintJ said:
Maybe not a distinction in the eyes of most, but there are two kinds of behavior considered "choking" -- being overwhelmed by the moment and largely shutting down, or putting pressure on yourself to succeed and trying to hard and making mistakes by forcing things.

I don't consider the latter "choking" but we would need another word for it.

I freely admit that I might be shaving too fine a point on this. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I think that either could apply. In the poll, I defined it as "the player was overcome with emotion based on the magnitude of the situation which resulted in a mistake that they otherwise wouldn't make". It's a broad enough definition that I think could cover both groups.

You'll see on my list that there will be disagreement whether it was truly a "choke". If a player has inconsistencies hitting FGs and then misses a FG...it's tough to argue that it was ANXIETY that prompted the miss and not just lack of ability. So, I think that is why you will see many big named players on the list...because their errors are anomalies compared to what is expected of them. I think that people tended to vote toward bigger moments in NFL history.

Frankly, I think that Carney choked. He was pretty consistent and missing an XP after such an enormous moment...I thought that was out of the norm. But it wasn't a HUGE moment in NFL history. As much as Saints fans want to say that it was responsble for the Saints missing the playoffs...it wasn't. They were already eliminated (in the 3rd quarter)...I was at the game so I remember the timeline pretty well. The Saints were going to miss the playoffs even if they won that game...and fans in the stadium knew it before the River City Relay. So it wasn't an enormous moment that changed the fate of NFL history. If Carney's miss occurred in a Super Bowl or even in the playoffs...I imagine that it would have probably been much higher on the list.
 
UFCSaint said:
We know who #1 will be.
Click to expand...

Without giving too much away...the Saints were involved (either negatively or positively) in three games. That's tied for most of any team in the NFL. So if you feel that the Saints are responsible for your anxiety/cardiac related issues...there may be some validity to that. And what's funny is that another game involving the Saints just miss the cut for top 10.
 
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sammymvpknight said:
LOL, this list would likely look different if it included coaches (see the Pete Carroll Seahawks INT blunder), refs (see the Rams playoff game or the Aaron Rodgers incomplete pass with replacement refs), or teams (see Buffalo Bills).
Click to expand...

or teams (see Buffalo Bills Atlanta Falcons).
 
Were the Bills ever really favored to win any of their Super Bowls? I honestly don't remember, I was pretty young. I do remember everyone knowing that the Cowboys were going to murder them.

The wide right kick is probably on this list too.
 

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