Biggest playoff goat in AFC North

[augustisback003]

For me its a close call between Lee Evans and Chris Crocker but my vote goes to Crocker. The Evans drop was a close call as he may not have had possession of the ball in the corner of the end zone but Crocker's play in the lost to the Texans was just plain awful! Not only could he have changed momentum of the game with an easy pick but his poor tackling and taking a poor angle on a deep thrown ball led directly to two touchdowns. He's by far the worst starting player at his position in the NFL! So who's your vote for the biggest goat of the AFC North?

excerpt~

Chris Crocker, Bengals safety. Down 17-10 in the third quarter in Houston, the Bengals had a chance to tie the game when Crocker broke on T.J. Yates' pass and put himself in position to pick off the Texans rookie quarterback. But the ball bounced off Crocker's hands with only Yates standing between him and the end zone. "Hindsight is 20-20 now. I feel bad enough," Crocker said. "I picked that ball nine out of 10 times. This time, I didn’t pick it off when it mattered the most."

Billy Cundiff, Ravens kicker. With the Ravens trailing 23-20 with 11 seconds remaining in New England, Cundiff hooked a 32-yard field goal wide left. And I mean wide left. Cundiff went from being a Pro Bowl kicker in 2010 to living the position's worst nightmare a year later. "It's a kick I've kicked a thousand times in my career," Cundiff said. "I just went out there and didn't convert. That's the way things go. There's really no excuse for it."

Lee Evans, Ravens wide receiver. Two plays before that kick, Evans had a 14-yard, game-winning touchdown pass in his hands -- for a second. Undrafted rookie Sterling Moore slapped the ball away from Evans in the end zone when it looked like Evans seemed to relax. It didn't look like he had possession of the ball when his second foot landed. “Honestly, the most disappointing part of all this ... that I feel personally that I let everybody down," Evans said.

Ike Taylor, Steelers cornerback. In a 29-23 loss in Denver, Taylor allowed catches of 51 and 58 yards before giving up the 80-yard game-winner on the first play in overtime. On the final play, he got beat to the inside by Demaryius Thomas and then got stiff-armed by the Broncos' wide receiver at midfield. Taylor didn't speak to reporters after the game but he tweeted: "I apologize for playing the worst game at the wrong time."

AFC North Blog - ESPN

 

[flamingrey]

Lee Evans could have sealed the victory for the Ravens to go to the Superbowl. Crocker miffed on a play that would have given the Bengals a better chance to win a WC round.

Additionally, your account of the Lee Evans play is wrong. Lee Evans had possession of the football not even close to out of bounds, but just let up allowing Moore to get the strip. Crocker was coming full speed in the opposite direction the ball was being thrown. Not a difficulty catch by any means, but the difficults of Lee's catch pales in comparison.

Lee Evans and it isn't even close.

 

[kramer1]

Cundiff. Easily.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I'm going to work another angle for this. I'm going with Ike Taylor. Only because he wasn't the goat for one play, or even two. Dude was a goat all day long. Getting burned by a 2nd year guy and a 2nd year QB who "can't" throw the football.

Then, got burned in OT, on the very first play. I realize he didn't have any help with the safeties, but it was the constant beating he took all game long that, in my opinion, earns him the goat award for the post-season.

2nd is Evans. You catch that ball, and you curl your hands and arms around that ball and grip it like you are holding onto life itself. Just pure stupidity on his part to relax.

Baltimore's coaching staff should also be listed, as Cundiff missed the kick when forced to rush onto the field when a time-out was available. Moronic.

Crocker's play was bad, but it didn't seal the loss to the Texans, nor would it have sealed a win. Guys drop sure fire INT's all the time, even for pick-6's.

 

[vancelot23]

Yeah, I think Ike might have this one. He got whipped by Tim Tebow. Remember when Ravens fans were so excited about getting Evans?

 

[flamingrey]

Imo, to make Ike the goat would be a cop-out for Lebeau. It was a horrible defensive scheme. Ike was put on an island and the fact that he got burned should not be a surprise to anyone.

Cundiff missing a chip-shot is suprising. Evans (essentially) dropping a sure TD is a shocker.

 

[vancelot23]

Fair enough point about LeBeau.

 

[NorthCoastSteelersFan]

Hello. Hope you don't mind my butting in. I would go with Ike, except that my team wasn't destined to go much beyond the Wild Card round this year...too banged up.

I know he's not on your list, but what about Flacco? You have to remember that the pass to Evans was on 2nd and 1. Flacco threw one more pass...a complete dud. Shouldn't have thrown...had room to run for the first, and maybe for the sideline. Plus, the Ravens had a timeout left. Don't know who called the last couple of plays, but sheeesh!

 

[vancelot23]

Yeah, but overall, Flacco was actually pretty good.

 

[cincygrad]

It would have been cool to see the Ravens win and then Flacco bust into a rendition of "We are the Champions." The whole Freddie Mercury vibe would have really worked well there.