Jackie Smith talks extensively about the drop that almost ruined his life

[RS12]

There are plenty of other places Jackie Smith would rather we start this story. Hell, anywhere else would be better. For a man who considers himself the luckiest ever to live, why choose the one moment when his luck ran out? A moment that he hasn’t talked about—not in depth, not like he does as he drives around his old St. Louis stomping grounds in mid-November—in nearly 40 years?

But, come on. It always starts here, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, on Jan. 21, 1979.

Third-and-three. Ten-yard line. There were two minutes and 46 seconds left in the third quarter of Super Bowl XIII against theSteelers, and the man with more career catches and more receiving yards than anyone else on the field had his hand in the dirt on the right side of the Cowboys’ line. Smith had played in 215 games in his 16-year NFL career, catching nearly 500 balls for 8,000 yards (more than any tight end before him), and he already knew this would be his last. It was going to be the fairy tale ending: The kid from Kentwood, La., who was as surprised as anyone on the day he got drafted, who toiled so long and so hard for the middling St. Louis Cardinals, who retired and then reluctantly came back for one last ride with America’s Team. It was setting up so well for the old vet—older, at 38, than any other player in the game—that the Florence (Ala.) Times Daily predicted Smith would have “the best time of them all. . . no matter how hairy the going gets.”

http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/01/19/jackie-smith-super-bowl-drop

 

[StarBoyz83]

Guess I Should've read up on this lol. I was under the impression that he dropped the game winning catch.

 

[GoCowboysGo]

That was a wonderful read, made me tear up. I'll never forget that game, for some reason, I never realized Jackie was blamed for the loss because it was so early in the game. It's a shame people treat athletes like they do, as if they are unable to delineate person from persona.

It also brings to mind just how much the "good 'ol days" is really just a old, thoughtless saying.

 

[Sarge]

His life ruined???? What about MINE???

 

[Bullflop]

Funny how our pride can cause us so much misery at times. At some point in life, we have to put our pride and the past aside and concern ourselves with the things we can act upon today.

 

[MaineBoy]

Maybe the funniest line I've ever read on here. And sorry to say his drop did lose the game as it was a tight game and we had to match them punch for punch. That drop changed the balance and I think we ended up losing by the 4 points we lost on his play.

His life ruined???? What about MINE???

 

[black label]

 

[MichaelWinicki]

What a great story.

 

[Alexander]

That was a wonderful read, made me tear up. I'll never forget that game, for some reason, I never realized Jackie was blamed for the loss because it was so early in the game.

Only by irrational people.

To put in a perspective the youngsters would understand, this is no different than pinning the loss on Patrick Crayton for his dropped football in the 2008 divisional playoff game against the Giants.

That play happened with 1:18 on the clock in the third quarter, yet gets the lion's share of the blame when many other things went wrong along the way (Fasano drop in the end zone, unnecessary roughness on Leonard Davis, McQuarters punt return, Romo intentional grounding).

In this case, Smith's drop was part of a storm that included the infamous Benny Barnes phantom interference as well as Randy White fielding a kickoff with his hand in a cast and fumbling.

 

[Doomsday101]

"There were two minutes and 46 seconds left in the third quarter" This is why I never blamed Jackie Smith for the loss. There was an entire qrt to play, a lot of things happened after that 1 play. Some have acted as if it was the last play of the game

 

[FaSho]

Guess I Should've read up on this lol. I was under the impression that he dropped the game winning catch.

+1!

 

[rynochop]

Body catcher

 

[Alexander]

"There were two minutes and 46 seconds left in the third quarter" This is why I never blamed Jackie Smith for the loss. There was an entire qrt to play, a lot of things happened after that 1 play. Some have acted as if it was the last play of the game

Signature plays made dramatic tend to be that way.

To this day I bet there are people who think Dwight Clark's "The Catch" was the last play of the game. Nobody remembers Eric Wright horsecollaring Drew Pearson or more importantly, Danny White fumbling to end it.

 

[Doomsday101]

Signature plays made dramatic tend to be that way.

To this day I bet there are people who think Dwight Clark's "The Catch" was the last play of the game. Nobody remembers Eric Wright horsecollaring Drew Pearson or more importantly, Danny White fumbling to end it.

True, I will say had the catch not been made the 9ers still would have had 4th down from the 6 yard line and if they failed they would turn the ball over still trailing and the Cowboys would look to kill the clock but your point is still correct it was not the last play and the Cowboys only needed to get into FG range to have a chance to win

 

[dallasdave]

Guess I Should've read up on this lol. I was under the impression that he dropped the game winning catch.

Smith would have tied the game, so it was big but not the only thing that won the steelers the game.

 

[dallasdave]

 

[Rack]

Signature plays made dramatic tend to be that way.

To this day I bet there are people who think Dwight Clark's "The Catch" was the last play of the game. Nobody remembers Eric Wright horsecollaring Drew Pearson or more importantly, Danny White fumbling to end it.

And since Everson Walls got "beat" on the play they say he had a bad game. Check out the stat line he had for that game...

My memory is a bit rusty but I believe he had 2 int's and a fumble recovery that game.

 

[dallasdave]

And since Everson Walls got "beat" on the play they say he had a bad game. Check out the stat line he had for that game...

My memory is a bit rusty but I believe he had 2 int's and a fumble recovery that game.

 

[Alexander]

And since Everson Walls got "beat" on the play they say he had a bad game. Check out the stat line he had for that game...

My memory is a bit rusty but I believe he had 2 int's and a fumble recovery that game.

He had a pretty good game. All people see is the picture of him looking like a stiff. The real one who blew it on the play was D. D. Lewis on the blitz. He was too slow and mistimed his job on top of it all.



Start watching at the 2:00 mark.

 

[Vtwin]

Every play matters. A false start on third and four in the first quarter of a scoreless game can have the same impact as the botched snap on the 20 yard field goal attempt to win it as time expires. Who was it that said something like " it's not the big plays you make that win the game, it's the bad plays you don't make that win the game"?

I personally don't blame the loss on this play but I distinctly remember feeling like that was going to hurt big time, and it did.