"It was an opportunity to go to the Super Bowl, and I let it go."
So said Lee Evans after the Baltimore Ravens heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game.
The Baltimore wide receiver had what should have been the game-winning touchdown in his hands with 22 seconds left in Sunday's thriller, but a quick punch by Sterling Moore of the New England Patriots forced the ball out of Evans' hands. A missed Billy Cundiff field goal later, and the Ravens went home losers, left to wonder what might have been.
My pal Doug Farrar thinks the play was Sterling Moore's glory, not Lee Evans' disgrace. He's certainly got a point. Without Moore's quick hands, Evans catches the ball and the Ravens are headed to their second Super Bowl.
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But Moore's punch-out was only possible because Evans didn't catch the ball with strength. In a situation like this, his hands need to be stronger than a defender's. On this particular play, they weren't. Judging by his quote after the game, nobody seems to realize that more than Lee Evans.
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