The strange tale of the snap that almost wasn’t, before the kick that won Super Bowl XXXVIII
Nine seconds left, 29-29, all eyes were on Adam Vinatieri as he took two steps back then two steps left, lining up a 41-yard attempt from the right hash.
“When it comes to big moments like this,” Phil Simms told the 90 million or so viewers watching at home, “there just cannot be any more pressure on a football player.”
His leg swing was true, the contact was solid, the kick was perfect. Vinatieri and holder Ken Walter embraced, then were engulfed in a sea of 300-pound linemen.