This "Immaculate Deflection" crap is annoying me

[drdiags]

It is kind of silly that one of the greatest plays in Seahawks history, vaulting them to their first Superbowl victory (edit: okay this could be debatable if Levy wasn't a jerk, hee hee ..) would have folks associating it with some mid-70s phrase used to signify the rise of the Pittsburgh organization.

I don't understand the need to coin a phrase for everything. Beastquake just evolved. This description of Sherman's play does not do service to anyone but the Pittsburgh organization and a bunch of lazy hacks that cannot think up stuff for themselves. I guess next we will be honoring "The 12th Towels".

I'm In!

 

[MadSweeney]

Last chance for the Steelers. Bradshaw trying to get away. And his pass is...broken up by Tatum. Picked off! Franco Harris has it! And he's over! Franco Harris grabbed the ball, a deflection! Five seconds to go! He grabbed it with five seconds to go and scored!
—Curt Gowdy, calling the play on NBC television

You talk about Christmas miracles. Here's the miracle of all miracles. Watch this one now. Bradshaw is lucky to even get rid of the ball! He shoots it out. Jack Tatum deflects it right into the hands of Harris. And he sets off. And the big 230-pound rookie slipped away from Warren and scored.
—Gowdy, describing an instant replay of the play on NBC

Miracle. Lucky. Deflection.

Can we quit trying to tie OUR greatest play to the fluke that happened 40 years ago?

It's a little play on the name, no other connection is being tied to it except for by guys who only want to see everything as an insult. Even The Tip is a play on The Catch. The Legion Boom is a play on a different nickname. Most nicknames are, best if you just stop trying to find any way to spin anything anyone says into a negative perception.

 

[MadSweeney]

Jeebus, are there no Catholics on this board? Leave it to an ex-Catholic heathen to set you people straight!

Immaculate Conception (not INCEPTION--that made me LAUGH!): where Jesus was conceived AS AN ACT OF GOD with no spermatoza from Joseph involved. The world "immaculate" may mean that it's pure (because Mary was still a virgin) but the connotation for the phrase "Immaculate Conception" is that It was a miracle!

Immaculate Reception: A catch so improbable that it seemed to be AN ACT OF GOD that it bounced off of a Raider and right into the hands of Franco Harris. It was a "miracle"!

The OP is 100% right. Using the term "Immaculate Deflection" defines the play as pure fortune or luck, NOT skill. It completely undermines Sherman's skill and talent and chalks our victory up to "good fortune". It was NOT a miracle!

:lmao: No it wasn't, and no the nickname does not define the play as luck in any way whatsoever. It's a nickname for a play, that's it. It could be chalked up to an act of god though if you consider the source of the throw, a Bible covered "qb".

If we didn't already call ourselves the 12th Man, and the media started calling us that for the last 2-3 years, this whole board would be filled with angry posts about how disrespectful, degrading and insulting it is for THEM (y'know, because they're ALWAYS overlooking and demeaning Seattle and every single solitary newsbite that doesn't hail Seattle as the greatest team/players/fans ever is to be brought up and sneered at if/when the prediction doesn't happen) to compare us to a mediocre college team's fans. There'd be a riot!

 

[tom sawyer]

How bout "Hawk Blocked?"

I was an owner of a "Hawk Block". I think it was in the early '90's. It was a brick of foam rubber that could be thrown at the TV without worrying about damaging anything.
Don't know what happened to it. And, I think that's OK.

Go Hawks,
BillA

I had one too Bill. Genius marketing. Sadly, I used it quite a few times.

I wore mine out ... The Kelly Stouffer era took it's toll!!

 

[Threedee]

Jeebus, are there no Catholics on this board? Leave it to an ex-Catholic heathen to set you people straight!

Immaculate Conception (not INCEPTION--that made me LAUGH!): where Jesus was conceived AS AN ACT OF GOD with no spermatoza from Joseph involved. The world "immaculate" may mean that it's pure (because Mary was still a virgin) but the connotation for the phrase "Immaculate Conception" is that It was a miracle!

Immaculate Reception: A catch so improbable that it seemed to be AN ACT OF GOD that it bounced off of a Raider and right into the hands of Franco Harris. It was a "miracle"!

The OP is 100% right. Using the term "Immaculate Deflection" defines the play as pure fortune or luck, NOT skill. It completely undermines Sherman's skill and talent and chalks our victory up to "good fortune". It was NOT a miracle!

FYI, the Immaculate Conception refers to Mary's conception. Not the conception of Jesus. Common misunderstanding.

Maybe if you are Jewish it does, but not according to a compilation known as "The Holy Bible".

See: The New Testament.

It's called the Miraculous Conception, which is the reason why we have the terms Immaculate Mary and Miracle of Christmas.

 

[Basis4day]

Maybe if you are Jewish it does, but not according to a compilation known as "The Holy Bible".

See: The New Testament.

I was referring to term as it related to Catholicism and Catholic Dogma. If you're Catholic and use the term "Immaculate Conception" you're talking about a belief regarding Mary's conception (Not the conception of Jesus).

I can't speak on how any other denomination may use that term.

 

[nsport]

Jeez - it's the off-season isn't it?

This perhaps goes down as the greatest play in Seahawks history - maybe the way to describe it is exactly what happened? It's the play that put us in the Super Bowl! It was first down and they went for the victory in one play. Sherman tipped it and Smith intercepted. Had that simply been a tip with no pick, or an incomplete pass with feet out of bounds, we might not be in the Superb Owl this year and hoisting the Lombardi.

Remember folks, they had 3 more plays and 23 seconds; plus they had some serious momentum heading into that play...

 

[Anonymous]

There is no doubt in my mind that, that play is THE play that did the deed.

No matter what you call it, it was sweet.

Oh, and Basis?, Martin Luther is rolling over in his grave right now...

 

[evergreen]

I liked immaculate deflection at first. It now just use The Tip. I googled both but only immaculate deflection got me the real deal. Debate may be decided by google.

 

[loafoftatupu]

How bout "Hawk Blocked?"

I was an owner of a "Hawk Block". I think it was in the early '90's. It was a brick of foam rubber that could be thrown at the TV without worrying about damaging anything.
Don't know what happened to it. And, I think that's OK.

Go Hawks,
BillA

I had one too Bill. Genius marketing. Sadly, I used it quite a few times.

I wore mine out ... The Kelly Stouffer era took it's toll!!

The guy only played like 6 snaps before breaking his nose while getting routed. It was Kemp, Gelbaugh, Danny Mac and the heralded Mirer that lost mine to the dog.

I actually had like 5 of them and my friends begged me for them.

Kemp could actually throw the ball. To the defenders. I mean he and Gelbaugh made us like Mirer and appreciate a 6-10 season.

 

[Seafan]

Jeebus, are there no Catholics on this board? Leave it to an ex-Catholic heathen to set you people straight!

Immaculate Conception (not INCEPTION--that made me LAUGH!): where Jesus was conceived AS AN ACT OF GOD with no spermatoza from Joseph involved. The world "immaculate" may mean that it's pure (because Mary was still a virgin) but the connotation for the phrase "Immaculate Conception" is that It was a miracle!

Immaculate Reception: A catch so improbable that it seemed to be AN ACT OF GOD that it bounced off of a Raider and right into the hands of Franco Harris. It was a "miracle"!

The OP is 100% right. Using the term "Immaculate Deflection" defines the play as pure fortune or luck, NOT skill. It completely undermines Sherman's skill and talent and chalks our victory up to "good fortune". It was NOT a miracle!

FYI, the Immaculate Conception refers to Mary's conception. Not the conception of Jesus. Common misunderstanding.

Maybe if you are Jewish it does, but not according to a compilation known as "The Holy Bible".

See: The New Testament.

You really need to read the Bible and New Testament first. That term is a catholic term not a biblical term and it refers to Mary's conception not of Jesus.

 

[Subzero717]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immaculate_Conception

 

[BlueTalon]

I hate it when these analysts incorrectly state that if it was thrown differently it could have been caught.

A few weeks ago they were talking about Kaepernick's extension and Tim Hasselbeck showed that play and said "If he throws that ball to the back of the end zone, it's a touchdown". Nope.

Oh man, I love it when they say that! Let them keep believing it! Above all, let Kraepernick and the digits keep believing it. Then, next time they are faced with the same situation, he'll make the same decision. Then that play will fail for the same reason. And again it will look so close, so unlikely that Sherman was able to make the play, that it will be attributed to luck, and they again will conclude that if that pass had only been a couple more inches to the outside or something, Crabs would have caught the ball and history would be different.

And the cycle will start all over again. It's a very happy thought for me. So let them keep saying it!

 

[BlueTalon]

We call it The Tip. 9er fans call it The Shaft.

Well played!

 

[huskyfan1217]

This is an immaculate deflection...

[youtube]JfrflEdKr-o[/youtube]

 

[bjornanderson21]

I like "Just the Tip"

Ditto. I thought thats what the play was nicknamed