TXBRONC
09-14-2009, 08:51 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13330990
Paige: Stokley catches on with history
Woody Paige
The Denver Post
Posted: 09/14/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
CINCINNATI — The Ohio River stopped flowing late Sunday afternoon. Nobody noticed.
Brandon Stokley came out of nowhere for The Cinsational Catch, and the Broncos ended up somewhere over the rainbow. After months of agony, the Broncos had opening-day ecstasy.
Oh-High-Oh!
Intippingcredible!
The Immaculate Deflection!
With a remarkable ricochet, an unbelievable bounce, a manna from the heavens and a Phenomenal Phinish, the Beyond Belief Broncos pulled off the biggest miracle in the franchise's 50 seasons.
"It was dreamlike," Stokley said. "But never in my life could I dream that. I'm still stunned."
Stokley will be remembered for another half-century or so for The Far- Fetched Catch. It's now in the vault with The Drive, The Fumble and The Helicopter.
With 28 seconds remaining in what had been a rather mundane season opener between the Broncos and the Bengals and Cincy leading 7-6 with Denver at its 13, Kyle Orton called "All Go" in the huddle. All Go Long, or All Go Home. All Go Forget It.
Orton threw in the general direction of Brandon Marshall, who suddenly was covered like a Snuggy. Orton was trying to pick up 30 yards, and Stokley became an innocent bystander when he was 9 yards from the ball but had the ball tipped to him by a Bengals defender at the Denver 44.
"Everybody was going vertical. At that point, you're just trying to catch a break, and you hope to catch the ball, call a timeout and have another chance to give Matt Prater a chance at the field goal," Stokley said.
"I saw the ball in the air, and I turned around and watched it soar toward B-Marsh, and everybody went toward him. The ball popped up in the air, and it came toward me, and nobody was around.
"I just caught it. A lot of things were going through my mind at that point. I didn't quite know where I was, how much time was left, where everybody was, if somebody was behind me. I just started running, and I saw the last man drop off, and I thought I would waste some time," said the 11-year veteran, who was as thrilled in the locker room as an 11-year-old kid.
Stokley tiptoed along the edge of the goal line when no defender was in sight, then finally dipped in and celebrated the winning touchdown of the first game of the rest of Josh McDaniels' coaching life.
"The play seemed to last forever," said McDaniels, who made a triumphant debut in his home state and with his new team.
Stokley said he had never heard of such a play, never practiced such a play and had never been involved with such a play in his NFL career, even with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis, or in college or in high school or "even in my grandfather's yard when I was a boy."
As Stokley lined up, 87 yards away from a touchdown, "you know you need a miracle," he said later.
Orton, meanwhile, said he was "just trying to hit Brandon Marshall on the sidelines. I didn't think we were going to score a touchdown, but I thought we still had a chance with one timeout. I saw the ball go straight up in the air and Stokley right underneath, and he just took off running."
About half of the crowd already had started to escape Paul Brown Stadium when the Bengals grabbed a 7-6 lead with 38 seconds left. It was premature evacuation.
When the Broncos began their last possession deep in a hole of quicksand, they had only a wish and a prayer.
Their wish was fulfilled, their prayer was answered.
I've personally watched a few miraculous endings in football — Colorado's last-second Hail Mary at Michigan that was tipped and caught for the winning touchdown, the Broncos' 98-yard drive for a touchdown in Cleveland in the AFC championship game, the Cleveland fumble in Denver that allowed the Broncos to advance to another Super Bowl, the Super Bowl that ended with Tennessee a yard away from victory, the Broncos' stand against Green Bay in the first Super Bowl triumph, and John Elway's whirlybird against Green Bay in the first Super Bowl triumph.
But, in 40 years, I've never watched something so inexplicable.
The Ohio River might as well have parted.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
Paige: Stokley catches on with history
Woody Paige
The Denver Post
Posted: 09/14/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
CINCINNATI — The Ohio River stopped flowing late Sunday afternoon. Nobody noticed.
Brandon Stokley came out of nowhere for The Cinsational Catch, and the Broncos ended up somewhere over the rainbow. After months of agony, the Broncos had opening-day ecstasy.
Oh-High-Oh!
Intippingcredible!
The Immaculate Deflection!
With a remarkable ricochet, an unbelievable bounce, a manna from the heavens and a Phenomenal Phinish, the Beyond Belief Broncos pulled off the biggest miracle in the franchise's 50 seasons.
"It was dreamlike," Stokley said. "But never in my life could I dream that. I'm still stunned."
Stokley will be remembered for another half-century or so for The Far- Fetched Catch. It's now in the vault with The Drive, The Fumble and The Helicopter.
With 28 seconds remaining in what had been a rather mundane season opener between the Broncos and the Bengals and Cincy leading 7-6 with Denver at its 13, Kyle Orton called "All Go" in the huddle. All Go Long, or All Go Home. All Go Forget It.
Orton threw in the general direction of Brandon Marshall, who suddenly was covered like a Snuggy. Orton was trying to pick up 30 yards, and Stokley became an innocent bystander when he was 9 yards from the ball but had the ball tipped to him by a Bengals defender at the Denver 44.
"Everybody was going vertical. At that point, you're just trying to catch a break, and you hope to catch the ball, call a timeout and have another chance to give Matt Prater a chance at the field goal," Stokley said.
"I saw the ball in the air, and I turned around and watched it soar toward B-Marsh, and everybody went toward him. The ball popped up in the air, and it came toward me, and nobody was around.
"I just caught it. A lot of things were going through my mind at that point. I didn't quite know where I was, how much time was left, where everybody was, if somebody was behind me. I just started running, and I saw the last man drop off, and I thought I would waste some time," said the 11-year veteran, who was as thrilled in the locker room as an 11-year-old kid.
Stokley tiptoed along the edge of the goal line when no defender was in sight, then finally dipped in and celebrated the winning touchdown of the first game of the rest of Josh McDaniels' coaching life.
"The play seemed to last forever," said McDaniels, who made a triumphant debut in his home state and with his new team.
Stokley said he had never heard of such a play, never practiced such a play and had never been involved with such a play in his NFL career, even with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis, or in college or in high school or "even in my grandfather's yard when I was a boy."
As Stokley lined up, 87 yards away from a touchdown, "you know you need a miracle," he said later.
Orton, meanwhile, said he was "just trying to hit Brandon Marshall on the sidelines. I didn't think we were going to score a touchdown, but I thought we still had a chance with one timeout. I saw the ball go straight up in the air and Stokley right underneath, and he just took off running."
About half of the crowd already had started to escape Paul Brown Stadium when the Bengals grabbed a 7-6 lead with 38 seconds left. It was premature evacuation.
When the Broncos began their last possession deep in a hole of quicksand, they had only a wish and a prayer.
Their wish was fulfilled, their prayer was answered.
I've personally watched a few miraculous endings in football — Colorado's last-second Hail Mary at Michigan that was tipped and caught for the winning touchdown, the Broncos' 98-yard drive for a touchdown in Cleveland in the AFC championship game, the Cleveland fumble in Denver that allowed the Broncos to advance to another Super Bowl, the Super Bowl that ended with Tennessee a yard away from victory, the Broncos' stand against Green Bay in the first Super Bowl triumph, and John Elway's whirlybird against Green Bay in the first Super Bowl triumph.
But, in 40 years, I've never watched something so inexplicable.
The Ohio River might as well have parted.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com