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John Madden "Best game I've ever seen"

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Originally posted by vrabbit:
Originally posted by blizzuntz:
Craziest game I ever saw live!!!!

doesn't beat Giants vs 9ers in '03 IMO

we have a tendency to make the most recent events the "best ever"

it was close, but that historic comeback was better, and had the 'Stick rocking just as much if not more than this past saturday
I'd have to disagree, though I only watched both on TV. This win means more to the franchise than the '03 one, this one is a sign of rebirth, not the last gasp of greatness from a franchise in decline. I have watched many football games in the last 31 years of my life, and this game was in the top 3 of all of them. If we win the Superbowl now to top it off, that game just might be the biggest one in team history.
Also remember Madden (and Summerall) weren't @ The Catch I.....Vin Scully and Hank Stram called that for CBS since Madden & Summerall were prepping for the Super Bowl in Pontiac, Michigan (probably taking Madden's bus even then).
Originally posted by Lifer:
It was epic, no doubt, and is on a par with "The Catch" in my mind. In terms of the excitement of the game, what it means to the franchise, what it did for the community... eerily similar to The Catch. I think this game, and the Smith to Davis play, should officially become "The Catch II." The Steve Young to Terrel Owens play should be downgraded. In fact, all references to TO should be expunged from the record.


I agree 100% that anything TO did should be expunged from the record. A player who puts his own players under the bus is the lowest form a player can choose. Some call his catch from young as the catch ll. Clarks and Davis catch were catches that are turning a franchise around TOs catch the Niner team was already very good. It just was a good comeback not franchise turning catches that Clark and Davis catches were.
  • kray28
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Originally posted by JoseCortez:
Can't agree with this at all. The comeback in '03 was just that. A comeback. I've seen better comebacks in the playoffs.

The Catch II game against the Packers was just as exciting. The 39-38 game was emotional murder. It was also the second greatest comeback in NFL playoff history....beaten only by the Bills' Frank Reich led 32 pt comeback against the Oilers in 1993.
Originally posted by kray28:
The 1/5/2003 game means a lot to me....it should mean a lot to you if love the history of this great franchise.

Nothing beats going from the feelings of ultimate glory (76 yard TD by TO in the first quarter), to feelings of ulitmate doom (down 38-14 in the early third quarter), to feelings of ultimate redemption as the 49ers clawed back with 25 unanswered points in one and a half quarters.

That game....was exhilarating. From a historical perspective, who knew it would be Mooch's last win as a 49er? Did anyone have a clue about the horrendous nightmare we were about to embark on?


We knew that the full impact of the salary-cap hell was looming. What we didn't know was the full extent of the incompetence that would be shown by Terry Donahue and Dr. York in the face of it. The two great comeback wins (03 and Saturday) form the glorious bookends of that horrible era that was about to begin after that win over the Giants. It was fully put behind us on Saturday.
[ Edited by BHulman on Jan 16, 2012 at 10:04 AM ]
  • kray28
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Originally posted by blunt_probe:
This game was way better than '03. Yeah, the comeback was amazing, but at the end of the day, I felt we should have beat them, and I knew we were going to get killed the following week. There was nothing about the Garcia led teams that made me feel a SB was in sight. The Catch III signifies the return to glory, and after all the s**t the players and us fans have went through, how can you not give this game the nod?

Hindsight is always 20/20. I always thought we had a chance. Moreso than I thought this year. This year, is about as unexpected as it gets.
Personally I will take Superbowls 19,24,and 29.I enjoy it more when the Niners win the title and I dont come close to a heart attack. Aside from that, ya.. best game ever.
Originally posted by kray28:
Originally posted by blunt_probe:
This game was way better than '03. Yeah, the comeback was amazing, but at the end of the day, I felt we should have beat them, and I knew we were going to get killed the following week. There was nothing about the Garcia led teams that made me feel a SB was in sight. The Catch III signifies the return to glory, and after all the s**t the players and us fans have went through, how can you not give this game the nod?

Hindsight is always 20/20. I always thought we had a chance. Moreso than I thought this year. This year, is about as unexpected as it gets.

Not hindsight, I never did even then. I felt that they were capable of getting maybe 1 win tops each year in the playoffs, but would always get beaten by a more complete team.
  • kray28
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I'm just saying....if this team had gone down 38-14 to the Saints in the early third quarter, how much faith would you have in a comeback win?

We held brief deficits of 1 and 3 in the last 3:47, and otherwise led the game for 95% of the contest.
Originally posted by vrabbit:
Originally posted by blizzuntz:
Craziest game I ever saw live!!!!

doesn't beat Giants vs 9ers in '03 IMO

we have a tendency to make the most recent events the "best ever"

it was close, but that historic comeback was better, and had the 'Stick rocking just as much if not more than this past saturday

I think it depends on if we win the Superbowl. If we get ousted, then this game doesn't mean crap as didn't the catch 2 to me.

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:
Even the hater Peter King was impressed:
"Phenomenal finish. One of the best ends of a game of all time..."
http://cnnsi.com/2012/writers/peter_king/01/16/divisionals/1.html

I thought this was pretty cool at the very end of the article:

"A repeat of the unexpected news that broke in 1957: NY Giants heading to San Francisco.''

-- @JohnLowe86, longtime baseball scribe John Lowe from Detroit.
Originally posted by overthemiddle:
Originally posted by Lifer:
It was epic, no doubt, and is on a par with "The Catch" in my mind. In terms of the excitement of the game, what it means to the franchise, what it did for the community... eerily similar to The Catch. I think this game, and the Smith to Davis play, should officially become "The Catch II." The Steve Young to Terrel Owens play should be downgraded. In fact, all references to TO should be expunged from the record.


I agree 100% that anything TO did should be expunged from the record. A player who puts his own players under the bus is the lowest form a player can choose. Some call his catch from young as the catch ll. Clarks and Davis catch were catches that are turning a franchise around TOs catch the Niner team was already very good. It just was a good comeback not franchise turning catches that Clark and Davis catches were.

Disagree completely with both of you.
The wild card win over GB was huge too. just cause Owens made it, does not put aside the fact that was the only time we beat packers in that span. Only time we have beaten them in the last 20 years (aside preseason in 2008)
Originally posted by Jamespowers:
Originally posted by overthemiddle:
Originally posted by Lifer:
It was epic, no doubt, and is on a par with "The Catch" in my mind. In terms of the excitement of the game, what it means to the franchise, what it did for the community... eerily similar to The Catch. I think this game, and the Smith to Davis play, should officially become "The Catch II." The Steve Young to Terrel Owens play should be downgraded. In fact, all references to TO should be expunged from the record.


I agree 100% that anything TO did should be expunged from the record. A player who puts his own players under the bus is the lowest form a player can choose. Some call his catch from young as the catch ll. Clarks and Davis catch were catches that are turning a franchise around TOs catch the Niner team was already very good. It just was a good comeback not franchise turning catches that Clark and Davis catches were.

Disagree completely with both of you.
The wild card win over GB was huge too. just cause Owens made it, does not put aside the fact that was the only time we beat packers in that span. Only time we have beaten them in the last 20 years (aside preseason in 2008)
Originally posted by samoan49er:
Here's why I think this one is "possibly" better. One, there is absolutely no controversy in this win. No obvious pass interference call that wasn't called. But I think the big thing that put's this one up there with the "Catch", thus making it better than that comeback, are circumstances. This team came out of nowhere, nobody saw this coming. Also, this was Alex Smith to Vernon Davis, two much maligned players in their earlier years. That was Jeff Garcia to Terrell Owens against a Giannts team I'm pretty sure we were favored to beat. We took down the frickin Saints. Alex Smith took down Drew frickin Brees!! And....we didn't need a Trey Junkin moment to win this game. All that, puts this game above that one for me. Go Niners!!!

It was actually Garcia to Streets, just sayin.
Originally posted by VtownNinerFan:
Originally posted by Jamespowers:
Originally posted by overthemiddle:
Originally posted by Lifer:
It was epic, no doubt, and is on a par with "The Catch" in my mind. In terms of the excitement of the game, what it means to the franchise, what it did for the community... eerily similar to The Catch. I think this game, and the Smith to Davis play, should officially become "The Catch II." The Steve Young to Terrel Owens play should be downgraded. In fact, all references to TO should be expunged from the record.


I agree 100% that anything TO did should be expunged from the record. A player who puts his own players under the bus is the lowest form a player can choose. Some call his catch from young as the catch ll. Clarks and Davis catch were catches that are turning a franchise around TOs catch the Niner team was already very good. It just was a good comeback not franchise turning catches that Clark and Davis catches were.

Disagree completely with both of you.
The wild card win over GB was huge too. just cause Owens made it, does not put aside the fact that was the only time we beat packers in that span. Only time we have beaten them in the last 20 years (aside preseason in 2008)
Originally posted by samoan49er:
Here's why I think this one is "possibly" better. One, there is absolutely no controversy in this win. No obvious pass interference call that wasn't called. But I think the big thing that put's this one up there with the "Catch", thus making it better than that comeback, are circumstances. This team came out of nowhere, nobody saw this coming. Also, this was Alex Smith to Vernon Davis, two much maligned players in their earlier years. That was Jeff Garcia to Terrell Owens against a Giannts team I'm pretty sure we were favored to beat. We took down the frickin Saints. Alex Smith took down Drew frickin Brees!! And....we didn't need a Trey Junkin moment to win this game. All that, puts this game above that one for me. Go Niners!!!

It was actually Garcia to Streets, just sayin.

Also, Giants were favored in the Wild Card game in 03.
Part of the reason this one seemed so epic is the fact that very few people outside of the 49ers fan base believed that Alex Smith could pull off two such amazing drives with such accurate throws. Even the pass to Swain was pretty damn accurate. I think every time i remember seeing Alex in the 2 minute situation he tends to do fairly well. Props to him for being so cool in that 4th quarter and putting the ball where it needed to go to get the victory.
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