The Worst Bloopers in NFL Football
When Professional Athletes Make Unprofessional Mistakes
Sep 17, 2008 Justin Harrington
Philadelphia Eagles rookie wide receiver DeSean Jackson made a "rookie mistake" during this week's Monday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys when he celebrated a touchdown prematurely. He hadn't actually crossed the goal line before throwing the ball away and had the touchdown ruled a fumble. Luckily for him, the Eagles retained possession and running back Brian Westbrook bailed him out by scoring on the next play, so it could have been much worse.
Here's a look at some more blunders in the world of NFL football.
Leon Lett (Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills; 1993): Lett recovered a Bills fumble near mid-field during Super Bowl XXVII and raced towards the end zone. As he reached the 10 yard line he began to slow down and held the ball away from his body he approached the goal line, looking like he would just casually stroll in for the score. The only problem was, he didn't realize Bills player Don Beebe was right behind him and he had the ball stripped from his hand and fall out of bounds in the end zone for a touchback. The Cowboys already led by a wide margin so the mistake didn't cost them the game but it became an infamous and defining moment of Lett's career.
Gus Frerotte (Washington Redskins vs New York Giants; 1997): after scoring a 7-yard touchdown run against the Giants, former Pro Bowl quarterback Frerotte slammed his head against the padding behind the end zone to celebrate. Unfortunately the padding wasn't as thick as he thought it was and he suffered a neck injury that ended his evening.
Bill Gramatica (Arizona Cardinals vs New York Giants; 2001): after hitting a 42-yard field goal, the Cardinals rookie kicker jumped up in celebration. The vertical leap and landing resulted in a torn ACL and ended his season a little earlier than that of the Cardinals. The strangest part - the succesful field goal that led to the celebration of Gramatica gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead, in the first half.
Leon Lett (Dallas Cowboys vs Miami Dolphins; 1993): two blunders in one career is probably too many. How about in one YEAR? The Dolphins, with Dallas leading by 1 point, were attempting a 41-yard field with seconds left in the game. The kick was subsequently blocked, and while most of the Cowboys celebrated, Lett decided to chase down and try to recover the ball, which was not necessary as possession would have automatically transferred to Dallas. He ended up slipping on the icy field while trying to scoop up the ball and since he had touched the pigskin it was deemed a live ball. The Dolphins recovered at Dallas' 1 yard line and booted the game-winning field goal.
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