Singling out one player for one play that occurred over the course of an entire 60-minute game is downright unfair. Unfortunately in sports, many are remembered more for that one bad play than for 100 good ones.

The five goats listed below can certainly attest to that.

Earnest Byner, Browns, ’88 AFC Championship Game
For the second consecutive year in a conference championship game, John Elway burned the Browns in the fourth quarter, this time with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Winder to give the Broncos a 38-31 lead.

The Browns took over at their own 25 when Bernie Kosar decided to do his best imitation of Elway. He methodically marched Cleveland for what looked like an easy tying touchdown. But on second down at Denver's 8-yard-line with 1:05 remaining, Cleveland running back Earnest Byner -- who already had over 180 yards of total offense on the day -- darted through a gaping hole for 5 yards. However, he was stripped from the side by cornerback Jeremiah Castille, who also recovered the fumble at the 2 to seal the victory.

Cleveland has never been as close to a Super Bowl appearance since, although Byner eventually earned a ring with the Redskins.

Thurman Thomas, Bills, Super Bowls XXVI and XXVIII
For three straight seasons, Thurman Thomas led the NFL in total yards and was the AFC's leading rusher in 1991 with 1,407 yards. However, at the start of Super Bowl XXVI against Washington, Thomas was on the sideline for his first two plays on offense because he was unable to locate his helmet.

Thomas may have been better off sitting out the game altogether, as he carried the ball only 10 times for 13 yards. The Bills lost to the Redskins 37-24 in a game that wasn’t that close.

Two years later in Super Bowl XXVIII, Thomas held on to his helmet, but holding on to the football was a different matter. After the underdog Bills took a 13-6 halftime lead, Thomas fumbled on the first possession of the second half. The ball was scooped and scored by Cowboys defensive back James Washington to tie the game in what was seen as the turning point.

The Bills would never score in a Super Bowl again in what ended up being a lopsided 31-13 Dallas victory. 

Scott Norwood, Bills, Super Bowl XXV
Might as well stick with the whole Bills theme.

Buffalo's first of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances was the closest the organization came to winning the big game. Despite being pounded by the Giants ball-control offense and swarming defense most of the game, the Bills took a 19-17 lead in the fourth quarter on a 31-yard touchdown run by future goat Thurman Thomas.

The Giants regained the lead when Matt Bahr kicked a 21-yard field goal to make it 20-19 with 2:21 left. Buffalo's last drive began on its 10-yard line, but using a series of short passes and draw plays with Thomas, the Bills drove to the Giants' 30-yard line with eight seconds left to set up a 47-yard field-goal attempt.

Bills kicker Scott Norwood never had successfully kicked a field goal from that distance on grass, but given the perfect conditions and non-existent winds in Tampa, only accuracy would be the deciding issue. Norwood's kick had plenty of leg on it, but sailed five yards to the right of the goal post.

After the game a distressed Norwood said, "I let a lot of people down tonight."

He would play for the Bills for one more season but went on to retire at age 31. Ironically, his replacement (Steve Christie) set an Super Bowl record three years later by kicking a 54-yarder against the Cowboys.

Jackie Smith, Cowboys, Super Bowl XIII
Jackie Smith and Bill Buckner have much in common.

Like Buckner, Smith enjoyed an exceptional professional career. In 15 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Smith was considered one of the top tight ends in the NFL. After his first retirement in 1977, he ranked as the all-time leading receiver among tight ends with 480 receptions for 7,918 yards and 40 touchdowns. But by playing with the mediocre Cardinals, Smith never came close to tasting a Super Bowl.

Tom Landry convinced Smith to come back for a final curtain call with the Cowboys in 1978, and on cue Dallas advanced to Super Bowl XIII for a rematch with Pittsburgh.

The Cowboys were down 21-14 in the third quarter when quarterback Roger Staubach threw a perfect spiral to an uncovered Smith in the end zone. But Smith slipped just after Staubach released the ball and dropped a pass despite being struck directly between the numbers by the ball. The Cowboys settled for a field goal and lost 35-31. Smith and those lost four points were seen as the difference.

And like Buckner, that will be the only play fans will remember him for.

Trey Junkin, Giants, 2002 NFC Wild Card Game 
While the other players on this list play at the skill positions, Trey Junkin served in the unheralded role of long-snapper.

Like Jackie Smith, Junkin was talked out of retirement, in this case in an attempt to help cure a component of the New York Giants ailing special teams. Over the entire 2002 season, the Giants had been victimized by poor snaps, so the signing of a rusty 41-year-old Junkin for $17,000 per game four days before the team’s playoff game at San Francisco wasn’t seen as a bad move, at least at the time.

When the Giants jumped to a 38-14 lead, it didn’t appear Junkin would be needed to perform in anything close to a pressure situation. But San Francisco started to stage the biggest comeback in NFC playoff history, cutting New York’s lead to 38-33 with 7:49 remaining. The tension began to build.

The Giants would drive for another field-goal attempt to try to go back up by eight. Going into Junkin’s first of two moments of infamy, he had been a perfect 6-for-6 on extra points and field goal snaps. But this time Junkin’s snap was low and kicker Matt Bryant pulled the kick badly off the hurried hold.

When Jeff Garcia found receiver Tai Streets for a 12-yard touchdown pass with one minute remaining, the Giants' choke was nearly complete. New York trailed for the first time, 39-38.

Kerry Collins was still able to drive the Giants offense to the San Francisco 24-yard line to put his team in position to win, and Junkin in a position to redeem himself. This time, however, the snap was even worse, preventing Bryant from even getting off an attempt.

Some say the Giants haven’t recovered from that loss to this day.

"I'd give anything in the world except my family, at this point, right now, to have stayed retired," Junkin said following the game. “Quite honestly, I (expletive) it up.”         

Print this Email this Blog this  IM this

MORE FROM NFL

NFL Section Front

Lame duck coaches may be an issue in '08 Belichick lashes back: 'There was no deception' Reporter says he'll regret Spygate story forever Curran: The rise and fall of the Patriots NFL might opt out of CBA on Tuesday Harrison health, not legal issues, concern Colts NFL investigators meet with steroids dealer Opinion: Bears cut and run from the great Urlacher 10 undrafted players who could thrive in NFL Latest NFL videos NFL Section Front   Add NFL headlines to your news reader: