"What if?" - Trailer and release of Tom Brady's controversial 'Tuck Rule' documentary revealed
Who doesn't remember the now-infamous "Tuck Rule" game that involved Tom Brady and Charles Woodson? After all, the 2001 AFC Divisional fixture between the New England Patriots and the then Oakland Chargers earned its notoriety because of "that" call.
Well, now there is a documentary about the incident with several high-profile sporting figures including Brady, Woodson, Al Davis, and Bill Belichick all talking about it. The documentary will be released on February 6.
Take a look at the trailer below.
Get your popcorn ready 🍿 @30for30
Settle the debate: #ItWasAFumble or #ItWasIncomplete 🤔
"The Tuck Rule" premieres February 6. https://t.co/aEBKFLqh8y
Towards the end of the trailer, the seven-time Super Bowl champion can be heard making an important observation:
“Had the tuck rule never happened, a lot of people would look back and think, well what if?”
Tuck Rule changed Brady's career
The tuck rule was a controversial rule in American football used by the National Football League from 1999 until 2013. It stated:
NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2. When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.
During the game, Brady was ready to throw the football. Charles Woodson then tackled him and forced the ball out of his hands as Brady tried to "tuck" the ball back into his body as seen below.
“The Tuck Rule Game.”
The ruling: an incomplete pass.
The result: the start of a legendary run of postseason success. (2001 Divisional: Jan. 19, 2002) @Patriots https://t.co/skVvwaLWTJ
The play was originally ruled a fumble. However, after a review it was deemed an incomplete pass by the officials as Brady's arm had moved forward in an attempt to bring the ball back into his body.
There was a lot of conjecture regarding what would have happened to Brady had that sack been labeled a fumble, as it would have effectively ended the game and the Patriots would have been bundled out of the playoffs.
The Patriots quarterback would then go on to lead his team to an overtime win over the Raiders and advance into the playoffs.
2001 was the first Super Bowl win of New England's No. 12's career, so if he had been knocked out of the playoffs that year, who knows how the seven-time Super Bowl champion's career would have been.
As we know now, the 44-year-old seven-time Super Bowl champion is regarded as the best ever to have played the game. The Tuck Rule game does make fans wonder how his career and legacy would have turned out had the original call for a fumble stood. Would he have won the other six Super Bowls?
20 years ago today ... THE TUCK RULE GAME‼️
Where do you stand: #ItWasAFumble or #ItWasIncomplete
The upcoming @30for30, "The Tuck Rule," premieres February 6. https://t.co/Oo2l8HUhkX
We will never know the true answer to that, but the incident is certainly one that sticks with many NFL fans over the last two decades, with millions of people still having differing opinions on what should have happened that night at Foxbrough.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and with this documentary coming out in February, it is certainly going to create its fair share of talking points, with Raiders fans in particular expected to have strong opinions on "that" call.