He had a mean-ass block on the Vikings' first TD of the game. Destroyed Lattimore downfield. It was beautiful.
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- Thread starter HawkLogic
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He had a mean-ass block on the Vikings' first TD of the game. Destroyed Lattimore downfield. It was beautiful.
I'm jealous. I watched a replay from a sideline cam with audio. There was a little buzz before the snap on 3rd and 10 and then when Diggs caught it and turned up field it was like someone instantly flipped a switch and turned the volume up to 11 (thank you, Spinal Tap). It was noticeably deafening just from that audio. I can't imagine what it was actually like at the game. Just unreal.
I remember him lighting up the Hawks that day. He caught a lot of passes and was clearly a mismatch for every Iowa defender. I also remembered how he could sky for the ball. He was a man among boys. I was excited as hell when the Vikings got him in the fifth round. I think the only reason he fell that far was because he was only 6-foot tall and the NFL, at that time especially, was looking for guys 6'2'' and taller, Dez Bryant types. Vikings got a steal, to say the least.
I think it was a combination of the two. There is a chance Diggs could have wrestled his way out of bounds if Williams waited for him to catch the ball and come down. But, yeah, Williams' blew it. Still, the Vikings had to have just enough time with pass pro, Keenum has to make a perfect pass into double coverage, and Diggs has to sky for the ball, come down without falling, and then sprint like crazy to cross the goal line before the clock hits double zeros. If he had been a half-second slower, the game ends with him running at the five yard line--I think?
Does the play keep going even with no time on the clock? I've searched for this online and haven't found a definitive answer. If the play would have ended before he crossed the goal line because of the clock hitting double zeros then ... that was truly the greatest NFL football miracle of all time. They needed every tenth of a second on the clock to make that play work. That's the reason that it wasn't just a bonehead move by Williams, but also an unbelievably, perfectly executed play at the most critical moment possible. They needed all ten seconds to get it done. If Williams even nudges him slightly or Diggs doesn't keep his footing even after putting his hand on the ground or lets up before the goal line then the Vikings lose. Everything had to go right. There was a bad play by the Saints, perfect execution by the Vikings, and either divine grace or the best luck in the history of NFL football. Perfect storm for possibly the greatest play of all time. I'm still in shock.
If he would have hit him instead of trying to avoid him after putting his head down, it would have been pass interference at about the 33 yard line with 5 seconds left. No need for a timeout. Forbath made a 53 yarder earlier in the game. No a sure thing, but still a chance to win the game. I think Williams mistimed his hit and he realized it so he sort of slid to the side to avoid contact to not get the penalty. Problem was, he knocked out the only other player on the Saints who could have made a play by doing so. A thing of beauty if I do say so. Vengeance for Bountygate and the dumbest, worst throw by Brett Favre in his long career. I hope Saints fans are sick for 42 years. Long-time Vikings fans will understand why I say that.
I've watched all the TV spots about the Vikings playoff "experiences." You're the first to bring up Darrin Nelson. I know you know exactly which year and which game that's about.
By the way, I think you mean the '74 Rams not the '75 Rams in the first group. It was the 1975 Cowboys -- in the second group (although that was a divisional matchup).
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If the time expires while the ball is in play, the period (or game) continues until the down ends, so Diggs would have scored regardless. I just looked it up and it is Rule 4 (Game timing) Section 8, Article 1 of the NFL rules.
Thanks, man. That makes sense. For whatever reason, I couldn't remember what the official rule was. Still really weird that he crossed the goal line exactly when the time clock went to double zeros.
So he would have had to cross his fingers that the ref didn’t throw a flag because he was definitely going to hit Diggs before the ball got there, but likely not in time to beat Diggs to the ball. That’s what I saw after watching it 100 times. Lol.
That is weird. The whole play was amazingly weird, and I loved every bit of it. F the saints.
