Football is just a game, after all is said and done. A very physical game with a high risk of injury (maybe certainty of injury is more accurate), but the object is the same as any game: to win. In November of 1978, it was just a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. But the difference between an NFL football game and most other contests is a few billion dollars, national television coverage, and a lot more passion and emotional involvement from the fans. The play that came to be known as either the Miracle at the Meadowlands, or simply as “The Fumble” occurred during that game in November of 1978, and it is guaranteed a place in NFL history because of its sheer improbability. It didn't cause a revolution, but its impact is felt to this day, if nowhere else, in how a victory is preserved in the final seconds of the game. It also had its impact on both teams and the coaches and players involved.
Without that fluke play, the Eagles would have finished that season at 8-8 and missed the playoffs. Instead, they went 9-7, with that one win being the catalyst that put them over the top and into the playoffs for the NFC’s first ever Wild Card game. With that one win and the NFL’s newly expanded playoff system, the Eagles went to the post season for the first time in 18 years. It may have meant a lot more had the Eagles advanced any deeper in the playoffs, but they lost that Wild Card Game to the Atlanta Falcons, largely due to their injury-plagued kicking game. As it was, the Miracle at the Meadowlands lifted the Eagles into the playoffs, but for championship aspirations, it only extended their season by one week.
At least three players will forever be associated with that play. Joe Pisarcik was the Giants starting quarterback until shortly after that game. Giants running back Larry Czonka had two Super Bowl rings with the Miami Dolphins earlier in the decade, before he was lured away by the World Football League, a short-lived rival to the NFL. Eagles cornerback Herman Edwards went on to become a head coach for the Jets and Chiefs. However, Edwards will be best remembered most for scooping up the ball that Pisarcik fumbled on a muffed hand off to Czonka, and running it 26 yards for a touchdown, with no one between him and the goal line. It took only a few seconds, but the outcome of the game and the outlook of the Eagles’ season had changed sharply, as that one win made the difference between playoff contention and a mediocre .500 record. NFL Films put a Hollywood touch on it, adding drama by showing Edwards in slow motion as he was pursued in vain by the Giants for those 26 yards, and embellished the production with a close-up shot of a horrified female fan (footage that may have been edited in from another game). But in actual time, at NFL speed, Edwards was in the end zone before the stunned Giants stadium crowd could put into words what they had just seen.
There are different theories from the articles and blogs I have read as to why the Giants decided to run the ball instead of just falling on it, which was the way to run out the clock at that time. Here, I’ll summarize my understanding of the general concensus. Under 1978 rules, the quarterback had to be down in the prone position and touched by a defender to stop the play. Because of the slight risk of injury to the quarterback, or of having the ball jarred loose by a quick defensive lineman, Giants offensive coordinator Bob Gibson thought the best way to end the game was with a short run. Pisarcik didn’t like the call, but felt he had no choice because he feared being benched if he disobeyed orders too many times. So he reluctantly followed Gibson’s instructions over the objections of his teammates in the huddle. Everyone familiar with that game knows what happened on the next play. As a result, Gibson’s career as an NFL coach was over the next day. Head coach John McVay and the rest of his staff were given their pink slips at the end of the season, and Pisarcik’s career as a starter ended soon after that.
Coaches took the infamous play into account when it came to preserving victories. The Miracle at the Meadowlands was Murphy’s Law in action. From that point on, no chances would be taken, just fall on the ball. In case of disaster, there was now a player lined up several yards behind the line of scrimmage. Sometime later, new NFL rules came into play where a quarterback could simply take a knee and the play would be whistled dead. But at that time, and under those circumstances, Gibson felt it was safer to let Czonka carry the ball 2 yards, which probably would have ended the game without incident 99 out of 100 times. Unfortunately for Gibson and the Giants, this was the one time it didn’t.
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