2 days ago
The 'River City Relay' is the Saints Play of the Day
John Carney's lowest moment in the NFL wasn't the end of his story
We're on Day 42 in our countdown to the New Orleans Saints' season opener, which means we had to make a difficult choice for the Saints Play of the Day. 42 yards is how far the first throw traveled in the infamous "River City Relay," getting the desperate New Orleans offense out of their own territory and putting the Jacksonville Jaguars defense on its heels as time ran out in Week 16. You can watch it for yourself right here.
But it wasn't the only pass completed that afternoon. After Aaron Brooks went deep to Donte Stallworth, the wide receiver lateraled to his teammate Michael Lewis, who picked up 7 yards; by that time, running back Deuce McAllister had worked his way downfield to take the pitch. McAllister gained another 5 yards and found Jerome Pathon wide open with a clean path to the end zone. Pathon ran the last 21 yards to score a touchdown, stunning everyone in the stadium and watching from home.
Of course we know what happened next. John Carney trotted out to kick what should've been the tying extra point to send the game to overtime. But he shanked it, Jacksonville won the day, and New Orleans left with an embarrassing loss.
That wasn't the end of anyone's story. Carney spent the three years with the Saints and even appeared in eight games with the Jaguars later in his career, only to return to New Orleans in time for their Super Bowl run in 2009. He did a solid job filling in for Garrett Hartley early that season, until the young pro got back on the field in December, at which point he stuck around as a "kicking consultant." At the time, Carney was just the sixth player in NFL history to appear in 300 regular season games. He made a lot of great memories with New Orleans, even if this afternoon in Jacksonville wasn't one of them.
