Most unexpected postseason heroes

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/pete_mcentegart/01/14/ten.spot/index.html

As the NFL playoffs heat up, the focus is on stars such as Peyton Manning and Randy Moss. Yet the biggest heroes often turn out to be players whom nobody is talking about. Here is the 10 Spot's list of the most unexpected NFL postseason heroes:

1. Frank Reich, Bills, AFC wild-card round, Jan. 3, 1993

Reich, a longtime backup quarterback, had to start when Jim Kelly hurt his knee in the regular-season finale. Things looked dismal when Warren Moon's run-and-shoot Oilers grabbed a 35-3 lead in the third quarter. But Reich led the largest comeback in NFL history by throwing four touchdown passes in a 41-38 overtime win. Then again, Reich was no stranger to dramatic comebacks. At the University of Maryland, he led the Terrapins from 31 points down to a 1984 win over Miami, then the biggest comeback in college football history. Too bad the Bills couldn't bottle some of that magic for the Super Bowl.

2. Timmy Smith, Redskins, Super Bowl XXII, Jan. 31, 1988

Smith entered the game as a rookie running back with a grand total of 126 regular-season rushing yards. But starting back George Rogers was banged up, so Joe Gibbs told the Texas Tech product just before the game against Denver that he would be the man. All Smith did was run for a Super Bowl-record 204 yards on 22 carries in Washington's 42-10 win. He would gain just 476 yards in 15 games the rest of his career and was out of football after the 1990 season.

3. Max McGee, Packers, Super Bowl I, Jan. 15, 1967

The 11th-year vet was winding down a solid career as a Packers reserve, which McGee evidently figured gave him license to sample the L.A. nightlife until dawn the day of the game against the Chiefs at Memorial Coliseum. "I was always 100 percent for every game," he said later. "For that game, I was 100 proof." The Packers called on the woozy wideout when Boyd Dowler went down on the game's second play. McGee, who had just four catches in the regular season, caught seven passes for 135 yards and two TDs in Green Bay's 35-10 victory. It's safe to say he celebrated afterward.

4. Jack Squirek, Raiders, Super Bowl XVIII, Jan. 22, 1984

When the Redskins, trailing 14-3, had the ball at their own 12 with 12 seconds left in the half, Gibbs called for a screen pass to Joe Washington. Problem was, Raiders linebacker coach Charlie Sumner remembered that Gibbs had done the same thing in a similar situation in an October game between the teams. Sumner sent in reserve linebacker Squirek to replace the slower Matt Millen, with specific instructions to watch for the screen. Squirek watched the ball all the way into his hands and ran it in for a 21-3 halftime lead. Game over. Squirek's career was over within three years.

5. Ed Podolak, Chiefs, AFC divisional round, Dec. 25, 1971

The former University of Iowa quarterback was already considered a solid player by 1971, leading the Chiefs with 708 rushing yards as a running back. His profile got much larger after his remarkable effort in Kansas City's 27-24 loss to the Dolphins in a two-overtime game that lasted a league-record 82 minutes, 40 seconds. Podolak compiled 350 yards of total offense -- 85 rushing, 110 receiving and 155 in returns. If he did that today, he would surely land an endorsement with Polaroid, Kodak or both.

6. Larry Brown, Cowboys, Super Bowl XXX, Jan. 28, 1996

Brown was a relatively unheralded fifth-year defensive back before he picked off two poorly thrown passes by Steelers QB Neil O'Donnell. Both picks led to Dallas touchdowns. Brown was named MVP for his performance and signed a five-year, $12.5 million deal with the Raiders in the offseason, but was a total bust in Oakland. Brown's story helps underscore that sometimes unheralded heroes are unheralded for a reason.

7. Frank Wycheck/Kevin Dyson, Titans, AFC wild-card round, Jan. 8, 2000

Both were prominent players that season, but they became unlikely heroes in one of the greatest finishes in postseason history. The Bills had taken a 16-15 lead with 16 seconds left on a 41-yard field goal by Steve Christie. Lorenzo Neal fielded the resulting kickoff and handed to Wycheck, a tight end with a nice throwing arm. Wycheck ran to his right before throwing across the field to Dyson, who was behind a wall of blockers on the left sideline and ran 75 yards to complete the Music City Miracle. Bills fans swear it was a lateral, but the ball appeared to travel a straight line right into history.

8. Walt Coleman, Patriots, AFC divisional round, Jan. 19, 2002

OK, Coleman, a referee, didn't technically play for the Pats. But his apparently correct interpretation of the then-obscure (and still bizarre) tuck rule helped launch the Pats' mini-dynasty. New England trailed 13-10 with 1:43 left in snowy Foxboro when Tom Brady was hit by Raiders cornerback and former college teammate Charles Woodson. The ball was jarred loose and recovered by Oakland, but no so fast. Rule 3, Section 21, Article 2 states that a passer who has begun to bring the ball forward can't be deemed to have fumbled if he hasn't tucked the ball into his body. Coleman gave the ball back to New England, giving Adam Vinatieri the chance to hit his unlikely 45-yarder through the snow. The Pats won in overtime.

9. Randy Beverly, Jets, Super Bowl III, Jan. 12, 1969

Nobody expected much from the AFL's Jets, though quarterback Joe Namath certainly garnered headlines with his cheeky guarantee. The big mismatch was supposed to be between the Colts' wideouts of Willie Richardson and Jimmy Orr against Beverly and John Sample. But Beverly, in his second year out of Colorado State, turned that analysis on its head by making two interceptions, one in the end zone. He would intercept just four passes the rest of his career.

10. Jim O'Brien, Colts, Super Bowl V, Jan. 17, 1971

O'Brien was a rookie kicker nicknamed Bambi due to his boyish looks. The straight-on kicker had made just 19 of 34 attempts, 10 of 19 outside 29 yards. When he was called on to hit a potential game-winning kick against the Cowboys, O'Brien calmly tried to pluck a few blades of grass to test the wind. Unfortunately, the Orange Bowl had artificial turf. "Hell yes, I was nervous," he said later. "Who needed that kind of pressure?" But he nailed the 32-yarder with five seconds left for a 16-13 Baltimore victory. He lasted just two more seasons with the Colts and was out of football by age 26.

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