When New England Patriots legend Tom Brady’s name is mentioned, one immediately thinks of his seven Super Bowl victories, but there’s one game early in the legendary quarterback’s career that he will always be associated with that would change the sport’s future — the Tuck Rule.
How the Tuck Rule Game Changed the Game Moving Forward
Played at a snowy and miserable Foxboro Stadium — Brady, making his playoff debut, was looking to take down the then-named Oakland Raiders in the second round.
The “Tuck Rule Game” emerged from the controversial play late in the fourth quarter that changed the course of the sport.
Brady really slipped up right here 😅 @30for30
📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/s5tbpdqA60
— ESPN (@espn)
What boiled down?
With 1:50 left in regulation and the Patriots trailing, 13-10, Brady had the football at the Raiders’ 42-yard line, with zero timeouts in his pocket, too.
Star cornerback Charles Woodson, Tom Brady’s former teammate at Michigan, came on an unblocked blitz, resulting in a sack and a fumble recovery for Oakland.
“The Tuck Rule Game.”
The ruling: an incomplete pass.
The result: the start of a legendary run of postseason success. (2001 Divisional: Jan. 19, 2002) @Patriots pic.twitter.com/skVvwaLWTJ
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy)
That appeared to have ended the Patriots’ season, right?
Wait a second.
After a review of the initial play, referee Walt Coleman determined that Brady’s throwing arm was going forward, thus resulting in an incomplete pass.
NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2 … also known as the Tuck Rule.
"The Tuck Rule" premieres tonight at 8:30PM ET on ESPN 📺 pic.twitter.com/eqQRsRJZDv
— ESPN (@espn)
Eventually, New England’s kicker Adam Vinatieri — one of the game’s greats — kicked a game-tying 45-yard field goal amid a blizzard, sending the game into a do-or-die overtime.
In overtime, Vinatieri was the hero, kicking the Patriots into the AFC Championship Game before going all the way into capturing a Super Bowl title.
A new rule was soon adopted, eventually becoming famously known as the Tuck Rule:
NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2: “When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back towards his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.”
Taking care of the then-called St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl, the championship was the start of a dynasty — seeing the Patriots win five more Vince Lombardi Trophy.
“The snow just came continuously, and we tried to clear it by the rules, but as little as we had to. I know I’m not supposed to say that, but that’s the truth,” owner Robert Kraft said.
“It felt like a fumble to me, and it looked like a fumble to anyone else,” Brady said.
KEEP READING: Which QBs Were Drafted Before Brady?
In the end, it wasn’t.
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