When you think back to the past decade, the greatest highlights — as they inevitably do — will be trips in a time machine.
You’ll be taken back to some incredible athleticism. The Odell Beckham Jr. falling backwards one-handed catch. The Beast Quake from Marshawn Lynch in 2010? Blake Griffin practically jumping over Timothy Mozgov. Mario Gotze’s perfect handling of a pass and the kick that would win the World Cup in extra time for Germany in 2014.
You’ll remember the emotions you felt watching Derek Jeter hit a walk-off single in his final Major League at-bat, or when Kobe Bryant put in what would be the game-winner in his final contest with the Lakers.
You’ll recall the shock when Auburn miraculously won the Iron Bowl on a missed field-goal return or Michigan State’s return of a botched punt snap to beat Michigan on the unlikeliest of game-winning touchdowns.
There are so many other memories that will pop: Ray Allen draining a shocking three-pointer that saved the Heat in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. The buzzer-beater that gave Villanova a title. The Block that eventually did the same for Cleveland. Sidney Crosby’s golden goal against the Americans to give Canada a 2010 Olympic gold medal on its home soil. Arike Ogunbowale nailing a jumper to take down the nearly unbeatable UConn Huskies in the Final Four.
It’s endless, with so many plays and moments to choose from that were the greatest.
But there’s one play that will stand above the rest. And without a doubt, it’s Philly Special.
Here are a few reasons why:
1. It was the situation
With 38 seconds left in the first half of Super Bowl LII, the Eagles were up 15-12 on the Patriots. That’s the biggest stage against the best rival, a Patriots team with MVP Tom Brady at the helm. They had lost just once since October 1.
They were also basically the same Pats who, just a year ago, had come back from being down 28-3 to the Falcons on the same stage, proving that anyone playing them couldn’t take a foot off the gas. This is the same Patriots team who was ready for Russell Wilson to throw a slant and Malcolm Butler was smart enough to sniff it out right away and catch a Super Bowl-saving interception against the Seahawks in XLIX (which might be the second-greatest play of the decade).
And there’s no doubt that was on the mind of Doug Pederson. One play or defensive stop could change the momentum of a Super Bowl. So he decided to let Nick Foles and the offense go for it on fourth-and-goal (!!!!!!) from just outside the goal line.
2. It was what had happened earlier
**record scratch, freeze frame**
“Yeah, that’s me. I’m Nick Foles, and I’m catching a football on fourth down, on my way to winning the Eagles’ first Super Bowl as a franchise. You may have wondered how we got here.”
Go back to earlier in the game with the Eagles up 9-3. With 3rd-and-5 from the Eagles’ 35-yard line, Brady and the Patriots ran a trick play in which Danny Amendola eventually threw a pass to Brady, who had all kinds of daylight in front of him.
He dropped it.
Here’s a what-if for you: what if the Patriots didn’t run that pass? Would Foles and Pederson have thought of Philly Special in their playbook?
3. It was the play call
My bias might be because we saw the mic’d up, behind-the-scenes look at the call. Foles casually walks up to Pederson during the timeout and asks, “You want Philly Philly?”
Pederson, after a moment, as if someone asked him if he wants another beer at a bar: “Yeah, let’s do it.”
If that’s me, in the middle of the Super Bowl, I turn to Foles and say something I can’t print here. Basically: “You’re telling me you want to run a trick play that involves my quarterback catching a pass from a tight end right here on a must-score fourth down in the Super Bowl? Against the Patriots? Now? Here? What?!”
But nope! Just a simple exchange about the play that would swing the momentum of the title game.
4. It was the execution
One of the miraculous things about a football play is when all 11 players do their job (sorry, Bill Belichick) exactly how it was drawn up. Philly Special has some subtlety to it.
Foles can’t indicate in any way that he’s going to take off. So when he walks forward, it looks like he’s audibiling and calling for a “KILL.”
Then, he stops. The Patriots can tell this is going to be a direct snap to the running back, who takes off to his left. Foles, by the way, is a statue at that point. The entire defense, save for one Patriots cornerback, has its eyes on the football, which then gets flipped to Trey Burton. By the time everyone figures out what’s happening, the ball is out and in the hands of Foles.
Put it all together, and that’s it. The greatest play of the decade.
[jwplayer 3gnWnlxV-q2aasYxh]