NFL players have hearts of steel, muscles of iron and — every so often — brains of concrete.
How else to explain how some of the finest athletes in the world make some of the most ridiculous mistakes in sports?
We saw a classic mental misfire on Sunday as Chicago completely botched its way right out of a nearly guaranteed win against Washington, a play so mind-numbingly stupid it got us wondering … is it the dumbest play in NFL history?
Let’s consider some of the most boneheaded maneuvers the league has ever seen. In this case, we’re focusing on intentional moves — both on and off the field — that were horribly wrong, not regular gameplay that ended up looking ridiculous. (So: no Butt Fumble, no Miracle at the Meadowlands, no Orlovsky safety. Those were unplanned — though hilarious — mistakes in the course of regular gameplay.)
10. Garo Yepremian’s Pass
The classic in these sorts of lists. In Super Bowl VII, Garo Yepremian, the Dolphins’ highly accurate kicker, saw his field goal attempt blocked and the still-live ball skittering away. Yepremian grabbed the ball and attempted a pass, but the ball went straight up in the air, ending up in the hands of Washington’s Mike Bass … who rumbled 49 yards for a touchdown. The score (like Miami’s record) would have been 17-0. Instead it was just 14-7. Humiliating for ol’ Garo — but Miami won anyway, capping what’s still the only undefeated season in NFL history.
9. Just fall on it, man!
Late in the 2009 season, the Rams’ James Butler picked off the Lions rookie QB Matthew Stafford in the end zone. Good news, right? And then Butler made a regrettable mistake — he got up, took two steps into the field, and then backpedaled into the end zone for what he thought was a touchback. Sorry, bud. That’s a safety. (The Lions still lost, 17-10.)
8. Wrong way!
Here’s another catastrophic safety from days of yore. Back in 1964, San Francisco’s Billy Kilmer fumbled the ball, and Minnesota’s Jim Marshall…
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