Today is the 20th anniversary of a 2001 AFC Divisional playoff game between the then Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots. Whether you refer to it as The Tuck Rule Game, The Snow Bowl, or the final game at Foxboro Stadium, there's no denying its place in NFL lore.
Over the past twenty years, the Tuck Rule has been one of the most over-analyzed and discussed plays/games in NFL history. In 2013 the NFL voted to overturn the controversial rule, but that hasn't stopped the discussions and hypotheticals. Some people think the Patriots double-dynasty never happens without that call. Some believe that the league was out to get the Raiders. Then there's the butterfly effect part of it; would Jon Gruden still have gotten traded to the Bucs if the Raiders had won? If the Patriots lost and the St. Louis Rams won their 2nd Super Bowl in three years, are they still in St. Louis today? What cannot be debated is after this game, the Patriots went on to win Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, and LIII. Last weekend the Raiders played (and lost) just their second playoff game since 2003. In honor of this turning point in NFL history, ESPN dropped a trailer announcing a 30 for 30 documentary on the Tuck Rule set to debut on February 6th at 8:30 pm EST.
Before I go any further, as a Patriots fan and NFL historian, of course, I'm going to watch, but that doesn't mean this is necessary!
Maybe it's just the 20 years of dissection and attempts to undermine the greatest dynasty in NFL history, but I am so fucking over the Tuck Rule. Do we really need another documentary on this topic? How about some content about more contemporary NFL "where were you when?" moments like Cam Newton's business decision or when Antonio Brown kicked a punter?
Here are my four biggest issues with the continued rehashings of the former NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2. 1. Of course, the play was controversial, but it was called correctly under the letter of the law at the time, and newsflash people, the Patriots were on the wrong side of the call earlier in the 2001 season! 
2. The Raiders still deserve plenty of blame for losing that game; they had ample opportunities to bury the Patriots, but let them hang around and ultimately win. It's not like that play won the Pats the game. Adam Vinatieri still had to make the most difficult kick in NFL history just to tie the score at 13. Then in OT, they could've stopped 'em too.
2B. To show my professionalism and lack of bias, you could make the same argument for the Patriots after the helmet catch. Sure, Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green were getting straight up molested by the Giants O-line, and holding should've been called, but that play didn't win the game. The Patriots were still up 4 points with a minute left and the Giants on like the 23-yard line...a field goal doesn't beat you. Maybe if they didn't zero blitz with Ellis Hobbs (who was like 4 foot 9) covering all 7 feet of Plaxico, they could've held on?
3. The Raiders beat the Patriots in the 1976 playoffs on a phantom roughing the passer call back in the days when murder was legal on the gridiron. I say tough titties, Raaaaiders. When you won your first Super Bowl, you beat the Pats thanks to a questionable call. Twenty-five years later, they got revenge en route to their first Lombardi. Consider it even.
4. The Tuck Rule Game has already been the subject of multiple documentaries. I get it; this one has Tom Brady and Charles Woodson playing slap-dick on a 20 thousand dollar couch, but how much more insight can we get? There's a 90 minute (71 w/o commercials) episode of NFL's Greatest Game from 2008 dedicated to this 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff game (although it's mislabeled as "2002" on ESPN+). That episode features commentary from Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Rich Gannon, Matt Light, Jon Ritchie, Eric Allen, Adam Vinatieri and many more players and media personnel.
Then in 2017, NFL Films The Timeline released another hour doc (43 minutes w/o commercials) that further broke down the aftershocks from the game with boxy ass reenactments. That's what Tom Brady would look like he still ate nightshades and was 5 foot 10.
Again, I'm a Patriots fan, and now that the double-dynasty is over, I'm all for docuseries and specials breaking down the most remarkable run in NFL history to help me forget about 30 point playoff losses, but this particular story has been told countless times (at least twice in NFL Films sanctioned documentaries). Maybe it will help younger viewers understand this game's impact, but do we really need this 30 for 30? What more is there to learn?
Maybe I'm fucking wrong and this will be awesome, but I think I made four solid points why it's kind of lame. What do you think about this upcoming 30 for 30? Sound off in the comments!
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