It was Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, 1998. A day that will live in infamy for Pittsburgh Steelers fans old enough to witness the overtime debacle that spoiled turkey dinners all over Steeler Nation. The 4-7 Detroit Lions were taking on the 7-4 Pittsburgh Steelers and Bill Cowher and the black and gold did something they almost never did under the hard-nosed run first head coach.
Former Steelers' head coach, Bill Cowher with eventual QB job winner, Kordell Stewart. (Getty Images)
They blew a 10-point lead. With just 4 seconds left in the game, Norm Johnson kicked a 25-yard field goal after Kordell Stewart led a frantic field goal drive to tie the game at 16-16. The Steelers appeared to have woken up against the hometown heroics of Pittsburgh native Charlie Batch to force overtime. Barry Sanders, in his final Thanksgiving Day game, was basically a non-factor and it was Batch’s arm that had led the Lions this turkey day.
"Wait a minute, Jerome said heads-tails," Batch recounted to Damon Amendolara on Wednesday. "That's how Phil Luckett heard heads. And then Jerome's out there saying tails. Of course, we all see the highlights of them arguing, and they didn't get the ball. And as I got to Pittsburgh, it was one of those things, of course, Coach Cowher reminded me of that.”
NFL Films
The 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers never recovered from the coin toss incident. After falling in overtime, the black and gold would close the campaign with four consecutive losses and finish 7-9. The loss was like a curse as Pittsburgh finished 6-10 the next season and went on to miss the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. It was a bitter pill to swallow and the lowest stretch of Cowher’s career. No wonder he hadn’t gotten over it when Batch arrived in Pittsburgh in 2003.
"But then my locker mate was Jerome Bettis. So, I got a chance to know him,” Batch recalls. “Every time around Thanksgiving, I'd say, 'Jerome, it's been a while, can you be honest with me? Did you say heads-tails or just say tails?' Every year now, as that running joke, I always tweet out to Jerome. It's been 23 years. Can you at least admit you said heads-tails? And it's crickets on his end. So, if Jerome is listening, you better believe I'm tweeting you tomorrow."
MIAMI - JANUARY 03: Quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger #7, Charlie Batch #16 and Dennis Dixon #2 of the Pittsburgh Steelers talk on the sidelines while taking on the Miami Dolphins at Land Shark Stadium on January 3, 2010 in Miami, Florida. The Steelers defeated the Dolphins 30-24. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)
Batch has seemingly allowed the streak to die at 23 years. He may have called Jerome Bettis privately, but the long time Steelers backup quarterback has not called out his former locker mate on the Twitter town square. With the current vision of the team sitting at 3-7, maybe Batch knows that fans need a little sugar and is going to allow the painful memory to pass into oblivion.
Bettis has also remained mum on the subject during this holiday season, although it is inevitable that the highlights would be shown prior to the Buffalo Bills vs Detroit Lions game on Thursday. Bettis eventually did enjoy a good NFL memory in Detroit. He took his last bow in Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks and finally brought home a Lombardi Trophy to his adopted home of Pittsburgh.
Steelers Jerome Bettis during Super Bowl XL between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on February 5, 2006. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
The shine of the fifth Super Bowl Trophy for the Steelers is a bright and a treasured memory for the organization. But every Thanksgiving, at least before a Detroit Lions game, that coin will still glimmer and just for a moment, a large segment of Steeler Nation will momentarily lose their appetite for Thanksgiving dinner. After 23 years, it does pass a lot quicker. After all, it is just a football game and how often do you really get to eat cranberry sauce?
What do you think, Steeler Nation? If you were old enough to watch it, are you over it? Are you thankful Charlie Batch let it go this season? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
