Maybe, because it was his first NFL touchdown, New York Giants Michael Boley can be forgiven for performing one of the worst football spikes in recent memory during last night's game. If the score doesn't leave an imprint in NFL history, the torpedo-like ball left one in some poor fan's face.
Boley, after scooping up a fumbled screen pass to St. Louis Rams running back Cadillac Williams, raced 65 yards to score a second quarter TD then, after the Giants linebacker crossed the goal line, he spiked the ball directly into the face of a fan standing behind the end zone.
It doesn't look like Boley intentionally drilled the ball into the unsuspecting man, but the horizontal toss was a direct hit to the nose and had enough power to ricochet off the guy's face into the back of a cameraman's head.
Boley's first NFL score came after being at the right place at the right time, with the Giants leading 7-6 early in the second quarter, and the defense was struggling. The Rams were marching to what looked like at least a field goal when Rams QB Sam Bradford threw a screen to Williams in the left flat.
The ball which went backwards slipped through the running back's hands and fell to the ground. Williams made no attempt to grab it, so Boley picked it up and raced down the sideline.
Suddenly the Giants lead was 14-6 and the team went on to a 28-16 win in their home opener at MetLife Stadium.
"The Boley play was big, no question," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin. "When you score on defense, that's a huge play."
Next time, Boley scores, fans might want to move out of spiking distance.
1. He can be forgiven when he makes an apology or even acknowledges his Dennis Rodman/camera man-like move.
ReplyDelete2. A "vertical toss" would have meant throwing the ball on the ground, not horizontally (left and right) into someone's face.
3. Footballs are full of air, which means that the smallest amount of power would make one bounce off solid surfaces, such as a face.