By JOEY JOHNSTON
Tribune Staff Writer
(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published Jan. 28, 1991.
TAMPA — There were no excuses, no scapegoats. The snap was perfect. The hold was perfect. Scott Norwood hit the ball solidly.
“If I had a second chance, maybe I’d concentrate more on form and follow- through, maybe not try to hit it so strongly,” Norwood said in the aftermath of Sunday’s Super Bowl XXV. Then he sighed before uttering the nightmarish reality facing all kickers.
“I’ll never get that second chance. I might never get to the point where I’ll totally forget about this.”
Norwood, the Buffalo Bills’ all-time leading scorer, missed his opportunity to become the franchise’s all-time hero. Wide right, to be exact.
His 47-yard field-goal attempt was no good with four seconds remaining, preserving the New York Giants’ 20-19 victory at Tampa Stadium.
As New York players poured onto the field in celebration, Norwood turned and trudged to the Buffalo sideline. His holder, Frank Reich, stopped him momentarily for an encouraging hug.
“I told him it was just one play in one season,” Reich said. “He shouldn’t take it so hard. Given that position, there’s not another guy in the league I’d rather have than Scotty.
“Time froze. The final play was like that. Everything just sort of stopped, like it was in slow motion. It was an eerie feeling. I looked up to see if it was good. I thought it was going to hook in, but it stayed straight and wide right.”
Emotions ran high on both sidelines. Bills coach Marv Levy watched intently while holding hands with his players. When it missed, Levy lowered his head and slowly paced around.
“Scott has nothing to be ashamed of,” Levy said afterward. “He’s won a lot of games for us. We know those things happen and we all still love him.”
Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler knelt with head in hand, unwilling to watch the crucial moment.
“I didn’t want to see it … I just listened for the crowd,” said Hostetler, who was expressionless at first before slowly breaking into a winning grin.
Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor said he felt Norwood would miss.
“It was a little out of his range,” Taylor said. “I didn’t think it was going in. Nothing against him, but I’m glad he missed. This is sweet.”
Giants defensive end Leonard Marshall had one thought during the nervous final moments.
“If he [Norwood] misses,” Marshall said, “we win the world championship.”
Norwood was six of 10 from the 40- to 49-yard range during the regular season. The 47-yarder would have been his longest NFL field goal on grass. Still, he approached the attempt with great confidence.
“I relished the opportunity to win the game,” Norwood said. “You get a chance and you have to come through then. But there are never any guarantees out there. They don’t always go through.
“If it was a 42-yarder or a 40-yarder, I probably wouldn’t have been concentrating so much on hitting it strong. On the second opportunity, that’s what I would do differently. But like I said, kickers don’t get a second opportunity.”
It’s a feeling perhaps only kickers can appreciate. New York’s Matt Bahr, who won the NFC Championship Game with a last-second 42-yarder, could empathize with Norwood’s grief.
“I feel for Scott, I really do,” Bahr said. “A 47-yard field goal is a tough kick under any situation. It really was tough because you don’t want to root against an individual, but I was ecstatic about getting another ring.”
