The Patriot’s last game at Foxboro Stadium was already going to be memorable—but it became even more memorable after one play late in the fourth quarter.
On January 19, 2002, in one of the AFC divisional games, the “Tuck Rule” was enforced. Many football fans know the play that occurred in the game dubbed, “The Snow Bowl” when Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson stripped the ball with 1:50 left in the game from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, causing what was initially ruled a fumble. The Raiders recovered the ball and would have been able to run the clock out to win and advance to the AFC championship game.
But that never happened as Walt Coleman overturned the call after reviewing the play. The Patriots were able to keep the ball, kick a field goal to tie the game and send it to overtime. New England went on to kick another field goal in overtime to win the game 16-13.
Coleman was the head referee for the “Tuck Rule Game.” Interestingly, Coleman to this day has not done another Raiders game. The call is still questioned by many, and fans can see the play on the Internet, including a clip with commentary from the Raiders play-by-play announcer and color commentator on the radio. In a video on Youtube, Greg Papa, the Raiders play-by-play announcer, loses it on the air after the call is overturned.
AP Photo / Julie Jacobson: Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady was understandably upset after losing the AFC Championship in Denver, but relative to the Oakland Raiders, 2014 was another successful season.
The Patriots went on to win Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams. The “Tuck Rule Game” arguably started the dynasty for the Patriots. Since the 2002 season, the Patriots have won 147 games in the regular season and lost only 45 games.
In the 2002 season, the Raiders went 11-5 in the regular season and later lost Super Bowl XXXVII. But since that 2002 Super Bowl appearance, the Raiders have yet to win a playoff game. The Raiders record since the “Tuck Rule Game” in the regular season is 64-128. According to Pro Football Reference, the Raiders also have had seven different head coaches since the “Tuck Rule Game.”
In my opinion, unlike the Patriots, the Raiders did not find their franchise quarterback after that game. The Raiders quarterback, then 37-year-old Rich Gannon, started 16 games in the 2002 season.
However, the following season he only started seven games due to injury. The Raiders then turned to Kerry Collins for a majority of the starts in 2004 and 2005.
Since then, they have had band-aids trying over the wound: JaMarcus Russell was a bust, Jason Campbell and Carson Palmer were short-term fixes and now Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin appear to be failures. For the most loyal fans sitting in the Black Hole section at the Oakland Coliseum, the end of the misery seems like it will never come, as the Raiders seem to be in now a permanent Black Hole.
Since their Super Bowl appearance, the Raiders have been looking for two things: consistency at the quarterback position and finding the right head coach since Jon Gruden left the organization for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Patriots’ consistency has been the envy of the league, having the combination of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Since that game, the Patriots have won three Super Bowls and five AFC Conference Championships. The Patriots have only missed the playoffs twice in 2002 and in 2008—both seasons where they scored a winning record. With the loss to the Broncos in this season’s AFC Championship Game still fresh, fans must realize Tom Brady is beginning to near the light at the end of the tunnel.
The question is: when will Oakland finally get past the game that started their downfall?
Brian Clemmenson can be contacted at bclemmenson@keene-equinox.com