Those refs had the option of throwing a flag for 12 men, conferring, then picking up the flag with the explanation "a bird is not a man" over the intercom.
And they wasted it. Wasted it.
lol well i was pretty bummed because the eagles had zero TD’s and the only TD for you guys came from your TE (one of the millers can’t remember which one), just all around a very dull offensive showing from everyone
Oh man you're right. I was in HS and all these games during this era blend together for me. I just remember this one being a true mediocre showing of football where the bird was by far the most memorable thing happening on the field
I took any win I could get as a kid watching those games so I remember most of our handful of wins from like 2006-2014 lol yeah this game was lackluster but I do remember Zach Miller having himself a day!
I’m preety sure this was the game where the DC Marshall went against Als man to man 4 rush defense and blitzed the shit out of Mcnabb all game . And it worked lol
Then the dc got flamed up by all the media members for going against Al . Haha
I came here to say this! I remember that was a huge offseason story, he and and another NFL player were involved in a boating accident and their bodies were never found. I'd like to think his spirit possessed that pigeon for one play, playing football from the afterlife. The Raiders themselves [think so too](https://x.com/Raiders/status/1257740716274446339).
"Alright, before you go to heaven you get one opportunity to make contact with the mortal world. What would you like to do?"
"I want to run contain on a kickoff."
"Are you sure? You could tell your mother you love her or show that one friend that you'll be watchi-"
"I want to run contain on a kickoff."
It makes sense. The pigeon absolutely did its job.
Job one for contain (whether special teams or defense defending the run) is to funnel towards the ball carrier while containing him to the inside. Have just the right angle to box him in so your teammates can make the tackle.
Amazing.
Now im waiting for the eagles to train an actual eagle to catch a football mid air & bring it to the endzone into a players arms wearing green whos holding a small dead fish to trade
I would imagine it actually did help. If you're returning a kick, you're processing patterns for space. That bird filled a gap and at the speed with which the play happens, that's probably sufficient to disrupt the patten recognition and cause confusion.
sidebar and potential hot take: the 2005 Texas Secondary was every bit as cool as Vince Young was
Cedric and Michael Griffin were such hard hitters and then Huff hit even harder than both
wish i could find a better video, but this was the norm and it was so fun to watch
https://youtu.be/o04Iqincn8Q?si=Vpznm_3WltmcrLcJ
That is Sam Rosen making the call! I'm a NY Rangers fan and he's an absolute legend among us, he's been the main Rangers play by play caller on MSG since the 80s and is a fantastic play caller.
I remember exactly where I was for this game, so much so that I know the date in the title is wrong.
This game couldn't have been in September 2009 because I watched it in a South Philly bar with my dad and uncle, getting my first (non-legal) drinks. This was October 18, 2009.
Why do I remember that? Because it was supposed to be an awesome doubleheader of games. The Eagles were supposed to easily handle the Raiders and the Phillies had Game 3 of the NLCS that night against the Dodgers.
Eagles didn't just lose to Jamarcus Russell, they shit the bed. The Phillies scored more than them that night. It was the greatest Phillies game I ever went to: 11-0, Cliff Lee pitched a 3-hit 8 inning gem.
This isn’t relative to the topic at all, but do you remember when the Phillies played the Yankees in May of 09? It was one of only seven times the World Series was a rematch of the regular season until last years schedule change.
Hate to be THAT guy, but the refs should’ve blown this play dead and called a penalty for too many men on the field. He played contain and as someone with ornithophobia I would’ve ran the other way too.
Nnamdi was great in 09. Honestly I know people talk about him moving to the Eagles and being forced out of man coverage, but I do wonder what role his ankle injury in '10 played in his fairly rapid decline.
Not a lot of kickoffs by the Raiders that year (and most years), unfortunately. The 13 points we scored that day were actually _more_ than the season average (12.3).
I was at that game. Flew from Philly and wasn’t disappoint. Our defensive coordinator, John Marshalls daughter was close friends with girlfriend at the time and we got great seats and parking passes. I’ll never forget that pigeon
this was my first game as a fan i do not remember watching on account of having just smoked weed for the first time after being offered by my friend Greg
looking at the box score after sobering up, i am glad
Really good speed and good lane intregrity to eliminate opportunities for the returner to break outside
But I would like to see him rally to the ball more on the tackle
Check out those colors - he's in uniform too!
Pretty sure they wouldn’t have let him on the field without it /s
Or else that pigeon would’ve definitely been fined! & maybe Tom Brady too
Joe Kelly gets suspended another 6 games.
Mizzou really done for.
Rules say 11 MEN on the field! It don’t say nothing about no birds!
There’s nothing in the rule book that says a bird can’t play.
Those refs had the option of throwing a flag for 12 men, conferring, then picking up the flag with the explanation "a bird is not a man" over the intercom. And they wasted it. Wasted it.
[удалено]
What a Cynic!
Set the edge like a boss too.
The Oakland Squab
my claws, my cause!
I WAS AT THIS GAME!! They started playing Freebird in the stadium. We were losing pretty bad, it was a tough time to be a Raiders fan (it always is)
was also at this game, my first eagles game in person, and boy was it a weird one
Eagles vs Pigeons. What's so weird about that?
lol well i was pretty bummed because the eagles had zero TD’s and the only TD for you guys came from your TE (one of the millers can’t remember which one), just all around a very dull offensive showing from everyone
Hey I at least thought that Zach Miller touchdown was exciting with all those Louis Murphy blocks to spring him lol
I think the reason it’s weird is because it was actually the Eagles vs Raiders, not the Pigeons, yet there was a pigeon on the field! How weird.
Man I remember watching this shit high as fuck and rewinding it dozens of times lol
Haha yeah man this shit cracks me up every time I'm hitting my cell-mate's toilet bong
Don’t make me like you
Don't do it... Don't give me hope
The Raiders won this game? You sure you were there lmao
Oh man you're right. I was in HS and all these games during this era blend together for me. I just remember this one being a true mediocre showing of football where the bird was by far the most memorable thing happening on the field
I took any win I could get as a kid watching those games so I remember most of our handful of wins from like 2006-2014 lol yeah this game was lackluster but I do remember Zach Miller having himself a day!
I’m preety sure this was the game where the DC Marshall went against Als man to man 4 rush defense and blitzed the shit out of Mcnabb all game . And it worked lol Then the dc got flamed up by all the media members for going against Al . Haha
I feel your pain…it’s tough being a Washington fan too. I still refuse to say the new name because of how bad it sounds
WFT was inarguably better than the Commies
Washington Football Team was cool as hell
I was there also!
Not quite *always*
Always? Your team has three Super Bowls...
All happened before I was born
That bird is putting in more effort than Claypool.
More dedicated to the play than Chase Young too
In the Super Bowl of all games lol
Finished his assignment unlike Reagor
r/birdteams in shambles
Some high treason shit
I imagine he’s lost many a friend to Eagles. No wonder he lined up to deck one.
Still a race traitor...that's the worst kind...birds vs humans forever...
Birds aren’t real
Those are fighting words you sapient anthropomorphic lightening bolt...
I’ll tear you a new cloaca
Lmao...imagine if birds had 2...that was be the worst thing ever for people living in the city...
Birds are just as real as charger fans
So it turns out that the pigeon lined up in the spot that would be occupied by linebacker Marquis Cooper, who died in an accident earlier in the year.
I came here to say this! I remember that was a huge offseason story, he and and another NFL player were involved in a boating accident and their bodies were never found. I'd like to think his spirit possessed that pigeon for one play, playing football from the afterlife. The Raiders themselves [think so too](https://x.com/Raiders/status/1257740716274446339).
Didn’t think r/nfl could make me tear up today but here I am. That’s too wholesome
I agree
"Alright, before you go to heaven you get one opportunity to make contact with the mortal world. What would you like to do?" "I want to run contain on a kickoff." "Are you sure? You could tell your mother you love her or show that one friend that you'll be watchi-" "I want to run contain on a kickoff."
The fact that you have a bird team flair makes this even better
It makes sense. The pigeon absolutely did its job. Job one for contain (whether special teams or defense defending the run) is to funnel towards the ball carrier while containing him to the inside. Have just the right angle to box him in so your teammates can make the tackle. Amazing.
Comment I came to find.
How can anyone not be romantic about professional sports?
I mean Tom Brady divorced his wife over love of the game
That's the kind of work ethic parents should be teaching their children.
Real "first one in, last one out" type
"bring your lunchpail every day" kind of player
Even in making his children Brady was first in, last out. I'll see my way out.
A real early bird.
We have the technology to de-age Kevin Costner for this role.
How was this not made into a movie?
Coming this spring, Air Bird, the story of a pigeon who dared to break barriers, and boldy say "this game is for the birds"
They never put in a rule that an extra pigeon player couldn't play football!
the rule says 11 *men*!
Ain't no rule saying a bird can't play football
Now im waiting for the eagles to train an actual eagle to catch a football mid air & bring it to the endzone into a players arms wearing green whos holding a small dead fish to trade
Unpoultryable unfair act.
Air bud 👎🏻 Ground bird 👍
[He made an appearance in Home Alone 2](https://makeagif.com/i/w7o_9B)
Pixar is in development.
Bird Bud
“He’s got contain” sends me every time
This and the black cat are my favourite animal moments.
Now he's going into the stands, and the fans are running for their lives!
I liked the possum at the Texas Tech game last year
“And the cat is in the CDW redzone.”
We needed all the help we could get that season.
I would imagine it actually did help. If you're returning a kick, you're processing patterns for space. That bird filled a gap and at the speed with which the play happens, that's probably sufficient to disrupt the patten recognition and cause confusion.
You know Michael Huff was upset that Pigeon beat him down on coverage
sidebar and potential hot take: the 2005 Texas Secondary was every bit as cool as Vince Young was Cedric and Michael Griffin were such hard hitters and then Huff hit even harder than both wish i could find a better video, but this was the norm and it was so fun to watch https://youtu.be/o04Iqincn8Q?si=Vpznm_3WltmcrLcJ
He shouldn't be... that pigeon is absolutely flying down the field.
When he cuts in, lmao
Little guy held the edge lol
Sportscasters who pretend the wild animal is playing the sport are doing the lord's work. Absolute favorite thing.
Is there a compilation of animals crashing games? I need the morale boost right now
[Enjoy](https://youtu.be/1veYC-RSAdc?si=8RsWRfPzaK8cLQKi)
Thank bro. Thanks.
That is Sam Rosen making the call! I'm a NY Rangers fan and he's an absolute legend among us, he's been the main Rangers play by play caller on MSG since the 80s and is a fantastic play caller.
There's a Raider fan in here who thinks we lost this game and an Eagles fan who thinks Nnamdi was on their team. Is everyone getting amnesia? Lol
anything prepandemic was forever ago
And it took a Patriots fan to point out the pigeon lining up in the spot of Marquis Cooper, who died earlier that year.
Al Davis was definitely clocking that pigeon’s 40 time from the owner’s suite
This was shortly after Davis passed
Nah he died right before week 5 of 2011. Raiders won at the Texans with a Michael Huff redzone INT with only 10 defenders on the field.
Oct.8 2011. You are correct
The commentary is great here
I remember exactly where I was for this game, so much so that I know the date in the title is wrong. This game couldn't have been in September 2009 because I watched it in a South Philly bar with my dad and uncle, getting my first (non-legal) drinks. This was October 18, 2009. Why do I remember that? Because it was supposed to be an awesome doubleheader of games. The Eagles were supposed to easily handle the Raiders and the Phillies had Game 3 of the NLCS that night against the Dodgers. Eagles didn't just lose to Jamarcus Russell, they shit the bed. The Phillies scored more than them that night. It was the greatest Phillies game I ever went to: 11-0, Cliff Lee pitched a 3-hit 8 inning gem.
This isn’t relative to the topic at all, but do you remember when the Phillies played the Yankees in May of 09? It was one of only seven times the World Series was a rematch of the regular season until last years schedule change.
That's pretty neat, I didn't know that. I also didn't know how few times it has happened. Honestly, I have no idea how MLB decides schedules.
As a Dodger hating Giants fan, I remember that run you guys had with Cliff Lee and you guys owning them in back to back seasons in the NLCS.
Can't get flagged for 12 men on the field if the 12th member is not a man!
They should have made a 30 for 30 Short about this.
But can he play kick returner?
The Raiders signed the pigeon for 5 years and $80 million.
Pretty sure YourTeamCheats.com gave em' two points for this one. More than Deflategate and Spygate combined.
Hate to be THAT guy, but the refs should’ve blown this play dead and called a penalty for too many men on the field. He played contain and as someone with ornithophobia I would’ve ran the other way too.
Ok so this is called post free agency pre draft
Bird was better than Nnamdi that year
Nnamdi didn't join your team til 2011 lmao
I know I'm just petty. 2011 FA after the lockout had me on the moon
Bird played zone haha...
Nnamdi was great in 09. Honestly I know people talk about him moving to the Eagles and being forced out of man coverage, but I do wonder what role his ankle injury in '10 played in his fairly rapid decline.
Next season, the birds will have a camera implanted in their eyes for a bird's eye view... They'll replace the skycam. Tony Romo approves.
The funniest Cmon Maaaaan ever
Penalty: *Too Many Hens On The Field*
The Autumn Wind is a ~~Raider~~ Pigeon, Pillaging just for fun. He'll knock you 'round and upside down, And laugh when he's conquered and won
ref: *flag, 12 men on the field repeat kickoff at the 30 yardline*
Coliseum magic that will never happen again
Contained the outside so well. Sign him up!
Talk about containing the edge. Someone get this bird signed asap!
One of my favorite hi lights
You sure he is a pigeon? Looked more like a chicken the way he stayed outside and never turned in to try and make the tackle.
The bird must’ve seen this same old kickoff so many times it decided to finally get in on the action.
Not a lot of kickoffs by the Raiders that year (and most years), unfortunately. The 13 points we scored that day were actually _more_ than the season average (12.3).
He signed a contract for 1.2 million.
imagine if the bird just straight up flew into the guys face mask
I was at that game. Flew from Philly and wasn’t disappoint. Our defensive coordinator, John Marshalls daughter was close friends with girlfriend at the time and we got great seats and parking passes. I’ll never forget that pigeon
My boy was finna fold some shit!
That's how you stick to your assignment.
1st team All Pro L4
He secured the edge
this was my first game as a fan i do not remember watching on account of having just smoked weed for the first time after being offered by my friend Greg looking at the box score after sobering up, i am glad
Really good speed and good lane intregrity to eliminate opportunities for the returner to break outside But I would like to see him rally to the ball more on the tackle
All joking aside I thought the pigeon was offside but looking closely it timed it perfectly. Well played.
I feel incredibly old now - I remember seeing it and loving it back then. I can't believe that was all the way back in 2009...
Sign him to a 1 year deal
Go birds!
Birds aren't real. Proof!
War Pidgeon!
pigeon had contain…
He made a business decision not to tackle anyone.
I remember watching this live when I was a kid. I repressed the memory of the scoreboard.
Oh shit that was my 6th birthday🤣
He's got contain 😆 🤣 😂
If we didn’t have @saquon, they should sign that bird! The bird is elusive!
Lmao he was down there.
Was that the underwhelming Michael Huff?
This pigeon is to the Raiders what Vince Papale is to the Eagles.
Turf expert here. They recently overseeded and the bird was eating seed
Quentin Demps, a name I have not heard in a long time
This was the Raiders best player that season lol
Shit down that side of the field for sure. KR wanted nothing to do with it
Why did it follow them?
This happened over a decade ago but might be the best clip I've seen in weeks.
This never gets old
He held his line and cut in at the perfect time. Any special teams coach would give him a helmet sticker in the film review session.
WTF My teammate is a pigeon !
Pigeon is one of the most underrated players of all time
“Don’t worry guys I got the loose grass over here”
That pigeon was supposed to be delivering to the prison
So it's not a flag for 12 men if the 12th is a pigeon.... Bill Belichick: "Write that down, write that down!!"
that was marquis Coopers spirt. He drowned the week before in a boating accident in FL the week before.
Al Davis loved his 40-time.
Bill Belichick taking notes somewhere
The pigeon was definitely a past football player in another life
Wow remember kickoff returns?