Monday Night Madness

It's been, what, 13 years? More? Since the Buffalo Bills were featured on Monday Night Football. MNF used to be the premier showcase for football. Invented in the 70s, it gave football fans another day to watch football. For the teams playing, they were the sole focus. No other games were played.

But Buffalo hasn't been good in years, and so they haven't had opportunities to be showcased.

Last night, they wanted to make the most of their opportunity. Tony Romo seemed happy to oblige turning the ball over some five times. Normally, such generosity is rewarded with a loss. However, despite such ineptitude, Dallas was still in the game.

Down 24-16, Dallas needed a touchdown with a 2 point conversion to tie the game. Late in the fourth quarter, they had a fourth quarter touchdown strike to Patrick Crayton. The two point up-for-grabs went to TO, but it was stripped from his hands. And yet, Dallas still had a chance.

They could go for an onsides kick and try to recover.

Normally, once you score, you kick to the other team, and they get a chance to be on offense. However, you can, more or less, attempt to kick it back to yourself. The ball must travel at least ten yards on the kickoff. The success rate is abysmally low.

However, somehow, it bumped off a player, and was recovered by Dallas, which had less than a minute to win the game.

Romo tossed the ball to Owens who appeared to catch it. Then, they had to quickly spike the ball, which they did with a second to go. But replay showed that TO had actually dropped the ball, and so it was incomplete, and so seconds were added back to the clock since the clock stops at the incomplete.

Romo made one throw where the receiver went out of bounds. 60 yards for the field goal. He had 7 seconds, so he could get off one more play to bring the field goal attempt closer than the ridiculous 60 yards.

The second pass attempt was also good and made the field goal attempt 52 yards which was still far, but manageable for the best field goal kickers. Nick Folk was basically a rookie, having never hit at that distance, except in practice. As he kicked and the ball sailed through the uprights, the umpires said timeout had been called just as he was kicking.

He was forced to kick again, and again, the ball flew true, and Dallas won the game by one point, stealing Buffalo's thunder, redeeming drops by TO, interceptions by Romo, and further jabbing the decade long futility of Buffalo. It has to hurt that with so many botches on Dallas's side that they still won, making one improbably completion after another.

And sometimes that's why it's fun to watch football on a Monday night.