Carter's Classroom Classic: The Immaculate reception

Each month as part of our new Daily Fun Thing feature, we'll switch from analyzing film of the current Steelers to digging through the franchise's rich history for great moments always worth revisiting.

It only seems fitting that we start this series with a breakdown of the play that signaled the dawn of the NFL's greatest dynasty.

Yeah, that one.



For most legendary plays, there are multiple components that tell the story to how one set of 11 men overcame the other. And the one, the only Immaculate Reception is no exception, as so many different things had to go right for Franco Harris to score on the most celebrated play in football lore.

THE CAST

While many think that Terry Bradshaw was not a huge factor, given that his pass was almost intercepted by Jack Tatum, the truth is quite the contrary. Bradshaw was known for his nimble feet in his younger days -- he was 23 at this time -- and he put them on display when he went on the run.

Watch below as he dips one pass rusher, sprints out to buy himself time, then cuts back to avoid a defender before he throws this pass:



It was fourth-and-10 with 22 seconds left. Very similar to that of Eli Manning with the David Tyree helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII, Bradshaw knew it was do-or-die time, and taking a sack was an unacceptable option. He had to do his best to stay alive and heave a prayer down the field for somebody to make a play on the ball.

What you should also watch with this angle is how Harris went out as a receiver, even though he was a blocker for Bradshaw. The team needed to buy Bradshaw as much time as possible to find an open receiver down the field, and Harris was part of that. Because of the down, distance and time, and the Raiders were playing man coverage with safeties playing deep, backed-off coverage. When there is nobody left to block and a play is breaking down, the best a running back can do is work down the field to become a receiving option.

On top of Harris' effort, Frenchy Fuqua's diving attempt at the ball makes it impossible for Tatum to intercept the pass and allows for the ball to bounce off of Tatum's pads instead of landing in his hands.

Also, for argument's sake, look at how hard the ball flies away from Tatum and Fuqua. One of the arguments by those Oakland alumni over the years was that the ball touched Fuqua first, making it illegal for Harris to make the catch, according to NFL rules back then. If you look closely, you'll see that the ball rockets away from Tatum and Fuqua after the collision, flying from their standing point of the Raiders' 35-yard line to well past their 40. It appears that the ball flew at least 7 yards, which is not something that will happen by simply bouncing off of a receiver's hands.

The physics of this play favor the notion that the ball was bouncing off of the hard shoulder pads of Tatum and not the soft hands of Fuqua.

THE CATCH

The second argument you often hear from detractors of this moment is that Harris trapped the ball to the ground when he caught it. Franco himself has enjoyed playing coy on the topic.

From each angle, though, you can see him go for this pass with his palms facing upward and the ball landing squarely in his hands, this without ever having to stop to readjust for the catch:



After the ball ricocheted off Tatum, it had too much velocity to not make a significant bounce, had it touched the ground. It would not have allowed for so smooth, so seamless a catch.

While there's no angle that offers a definitive of the ball staying off the ground, there's also no view that shows it touching. Thus, the momentum of the play is the best evidence to support the official ruling that it was a catch.

THE RUN

One of those funny things in football is when every little thing happens to make a great moment.

Already there have been multiple moves by Bradshaw to get free enough for the throw, Harris hustling down the field, Fuqua joining him out of the backfield to be near the ball and, of course, the crazy ricochet off Tatum.

But look below at No. 20 for Oakland. That's defensive back Jimmy Warren. At this time, he's a 33-year-old backup who logged all of seven games that season and never started. But he's the last chance any of the Raiders have of making this play:



Warren freezes for a moment to celebrate the ball going off Tatum. He raises both arms, even does a little skip, after what he clearly thinks is his team's triumph.

Not for long.

The celebration allows Harris enough of a break that he can build up speed to begin racing near the sideline. Warren still has the angle on Harris at the 30, making it that much more remarkable that Harris' momentum would be enough. If Warren reacts just a half-second sooner, he gets a much better chance to bring down Harris down in bounds and force the Steelers to attempt a field goal to win the game on the inconsistent leg of Roy Gerela.

The Steelers of 1972 ended up losing the next game to the Dolphins, but they were immortalized by this one moment against an opponent that would become the greatest rival of that era.

Round 1 went to all those made this happen.