Music City Miracle

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The Music City Miracle is one of the most famous plays in the history of the NFL. It occurred at the end of the Wild Card Playoff game between the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills on January 8, 2000 (following the 1999 regular season) at (what was then) Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville, Tennessee.

[edit] Game details

Going into the game, Bills coach Wade Phillips created a stir by starting quarterback Rob Johnson, rather than Doug Flutie, who had started 15 games and had led the team to the playoffs.

[edit] First half

After a scoreless 1st quarter, the Titans opened up the scoring when Jevon Kearse sacked Buffalo quarterback Rob Johnson in the end zone for a safety. Johnson completed just 10 of 22 passes while being sacked 6 times, including twice by Kearse. After wide receiver Derrick Mason returned the free kick 42 yards to the Bills' 28-yard line. Five plays later, Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. After forcing a punt, the Titans drove 56 yards in 11 plays. Kicker Al Del Greco initially missed a 45-yard field goal attempt, but the Bills were penalized for defensive holding on the play and Del Greco's second attempt was good from 40 yards on the last play of the half. At the end of the half, the Bills were trailing 12-0 and had managed to gain only 64 yards, while also losing 44 yards on 9 penalties.

[edit] Second half

But in the 2nd half, the Bills managed to rally back. On Buffalo's first play of the third quarter, Antowain Smith broke off a 44-yard run, sparking a 62-yard drive that ended with his 4-yard touchdown run 4 plays later. Later on, the Bills drove 65 yards, featuring a 37-yard completion from Johnson to Eric Moulds, with a roughing the passer penalty on Kearse adding another 15. Smith finished the drive with another 4-yard touchdown run, giving the Bills a 13-12 lead after receiver Kevin Williams dropped a pass from Johnson on the two-point conversion attempt.

[edit] Conclusion

Late in the 4th quarter, the stage was set for an exciting finish. Tennessee received the ball with 6:15 remaining. Titans receiver Isaac Byrd's 16-yard punt return and 5 carries from Eddie George for 17 yards set up a wobbly 36-yard field goal by Del Greco. The Titans took a 15-13 lead with 1:48 to go. On the ensuing drive, with no timeouts remaining, Bills quarterback Johnson led the Bills on a 5-play, 37-yard drive to the Titans' 24 yard line. On the last 2 plays from scrimmage, Johnson played with only 1 shoe on, as he had lost one and had no time to put it back on, with the clock running out. With only 16 seconds remaining in the game, Steve Christie, the Bills' kicker, made a 41-yard field goal to put Buffalo in the lead, 16-15.

Moments later, Christie kicked off, and Titans player Lorenzo Neal received. Neal handed the ball off to Titans tight end Frank Wycheck, who threw a lateral across the field to another Titans player, Kevin Dyson, who then ran down the sidelines for a 75-yard touchdown.

The play was named "Home Run Throwback" by the Titans and was developed by Special Teams Coordinator Alan Lowry. The Titans ran the play regularly in practices during the regular season, though the practices usually involved Derrick Mason, who had been injured earlier in the game and was unavailable for the situation. Dyson, as one of the team's lead wide receivers, rarely practiced with the special teams unit and was largely unfamiliar with the layout of the play. Nevertheless, his execution of Lowry's vision was flawless.

[edit] Official review

Per the instant replay rules, a booth review was called. The play was reviewed by referee Phil Luckett since it was uncertain if the ball had been a forward pass, which is illegal on a kickoff return. After a long official review, video was inconclusive to overturn, and the ruling on the field was upheld as a touchdown.

The Titans made one final kickoff, and the clock expired during the Bills' futile return. The Titans held on to win by a score of 22-16.

[edit] Analysis

As Titans' coach Jeff Fisher pointed out, the original objective of the play was not to achieve a direct score (a touchdown); it was to have the receiver (Dyson) advance the ball into the range of Titans’ placekicker Al Del Greco. To do this, Dyson would have to advance the ball to a down-field spot well within the kicker’s range. Fisher later stated that as the play concluded with Dyson getting closer to the Bills’ end zone, he was concerned that Dyson would be tackled without scoring with no time remaining.

As the play was drawn up, the receiver of the kickoff was also supposed to execute the lateral. The Titans' tight end, Frank Wycheck, was supposed to receive the ball and throw the lateral. However, Wycheck was completely out of position to receive the kickoff.

Wycheck was between Dyson (on the left side facing downfield) and Neal (on the right side), with Wycheck closer to Neal. Lorenzo Neal then met Wycheck on the run and handed the ball to him. Wycheck, who had been running laterally toward Neal (to the right side of the field), knew that the play required him to execute a lateral to Dyson who was on the left side of the field. Wycheck continued his lateral run to the right so it appeared to be a developing single reverse (by Neal and Wycheck) end-around run to the right (by Wycheck).

Wycheck then abruptly stopped, by planting his passing foot and pivoting to his left. Once he'd aligned himself to throw the lateral (i.e., a pass which does not advance in yardage down field), he threw a low pass to Dyson. Dyson scooped the pass up ankle-high, turned to his left and began running straight down field.

Dyson himself later commented that the only Bills player who was in position to have a chance of a play on him was the kicker. And as Dyson stated, if he (Dyson) a starting NFL wide receiver, could not outrun a place kicker, he (Dyson) didn’t belong in the NFL.

[edit] Aftermath

The victory, in front of a franchise-record crowd at Adelphia Coliseum, allowed the Tennessee franchise to advance to the divisional round of the AFC playoffs for the first time since 1993. Subsequent victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars sent the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV to face the St. Louis Rams, where they lost by a touchdown.

For the Bills, it led to the firing after 13 seasons of special teams coach Bruce DeHaven. One year later, Phillips was fired (partly due to his failure to lead the Bills past the first round of the playoffs during his tenure) and replaced by Titans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

It was added to the list of infamous moments in Buffalo sports history, joining Wide Right and "No Goal". The Bills have yet to make the playoffs since the incident.

It could be said that the game served as revenge for the Titans/Oilers franchise for The Comeback, where the Bills came back from a 32-point deficit to defeat the Houston Oilers, 41-38, in overtime.

[edit] Radio call

The radio call of this play by Mike Keith and Pat Ryan on the Tennessee Titans Radio Network.

This is the transcript of the call:

Keith: "Do the Titans have a miracle left in them in what has been a magical season to this point? If they do, they need it now. Christie kicks it high and short. Gonna be fielded by Lorenzo Neal at the 25; he dishes it back to Wycheck; he throws it across the field to Dyson..."

Ryan: "He's got somethin'..."

Keith: "30, 40..."

Ryan: "He's got somethin'..."

Keith: "50, 40.."

Ryan: "He's got it! He's got it!"

Keith (voice volume increasing): "30, 20.."

Ryan: "He's got it!"

Keith: "10, 5, endzone...touchdown, Titans! There are no flags on the field! It's a miracle! Tennessee has pulled a miracle! A miracle for the Titans!"

Ryan: "Frank Wycheck threw another pass."

Keith: "Three seconds remaining on the clock!"

But then a question of whether or not Wycheck's lateral to Dyson was actually a lateral arose. Luckett reviewed the play, and once Luckett had decided that the call would stand, Keith said this:

Keith: "Here comes Luckett, with the call of the new millennium."

When he announced his ruling, Keith and Ryan had another exchange:

Luckett: "After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field stands. It was a lateral..."

Keith: "We did it!"

Ryan: "Yes! Titans win!" (This drowned out Luckett saying, "Touchdown.")

Keith: "Three seconds to go, and Tennessee is on the verge of a miracle finish!"

Ryan: "Wow, what a game!"

The call was later used in a 2009 Miller Lite commercial while a guy was getting a Miller Lite out of a beer tap, although the "Titans" part was cut out likely due to NFL licensing issues, since Coors Light (coincidentally, a sister brand to Miller Lite through MillerCoors) is the official beer of the NFL.

[edit] Another Music City Miracle

In a game vs the Arizona Cardinals and 4:37 to play Kenny Britt fumbled after getting up off the ground following a 51-yard reception from Vince Young, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, came up from behind and knocked the ball free from Britt’s grasp, and fellow cornerback Bryant McFadden recovered it, returning it to the Cardinals’ 30 yard line seemingly letting the Titans’ last best chance to defeat the Cardinals slip right through his hands. Arizona would go 3 and out and pinned The Titans in their own 1-yard line after kick-off, trailing 17–13 with just 2:37 left, the Titans were in trouble. Young guided the Titans 99 yards on 18 plays, giving them a 20–17 win with a 10-yard TD pass to Kenny Britt on fourth and goal with 6 seconds remaining. Young completed three fourth-down passes to keep the drive alive.

[edit] See also

• NFL playoffs, 1999-2000
• The Comeback
• Wide Right
• "No Goal"