In the world of professional sports, sometimes the unlikeliest heroes can come from the most random sources. During Tom Brady and the New England Patriots‘ Super Bowl run in 2003, that source came from a seventh-grade teacher at Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rouge named Brian Kinchen.
Tom Brady, Patriots needed someone who was familiar with their system
During the 2003 season, the Patriots were a juggernaut on offense and defense. However, deep into the season, the team had a glaring issue on special teams. Lonie Paxton, the team’s initial long snapper, tore his ACL midway through the season. With Paxton sidelined and their backup long snapper Sean McDermott suffering an injury with just two games left in the regular season, the Patriots coaching staff knew they had to bring someone who already knew their system into town if they wanted to increase their odds of winning a Super Bowl.
Enter Kinchen, a former long snapper and tight end that the team’s head coach, Bill Belichick, knew from their time together with the Cleveland Browns. Kinchen had been out of the league for three years and spent most of his time working as a teacher. Once Belichick called with the offer to rejoin the NFL, Kinchen consulted with his students and even practiced snapping the ball in the middle of class. Eventually, Kinchen accepted the tryout and left his job eager to return to the sport.
Brian Kinchen returns to the NFL
Kinchen’s transition back to professional football seemed smooth at first, as he performed well in his first two games. But as the playoffs approached, Kinchen started to feel the pressure. As a player who only appeared in two playoff games in his NFL career prior to that season, long snapping went from being a routine to one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of his life.
As the Patriots advanced through the playoffs, Kinchen had enough. Just one week before the Super Bowl, Kinchen approached one of the Patriots’ coaches confessing that he wanted to quit after a few disastrous snaps throughout the playoffs. After a few of his teammates talked him into staying, Kinchen changed his mind.
Brian Kinchen delivered when it mattered most
On the morning of Super Bowl 39, it was evident that Kinchen wasn’t himself. As the team had their breakfast, he accidentally cut himself with a bread knife, which required him to get stitches just hours before kickoff. When the game began, Kinchen’s struggles became evident. His first two snaps were low, forcing holder Ken Walter to scramble to get the ball in place. With the game tied at 29-29 and only nine seconds left on the clock, the Patriots had a chance to seal the win with a field goal from 41 yards out.
Despite most of his snaps failing to reach the holder accurately that day, Kinchen set the ball perfectly in place for kicker Adam Vinatieri, who eventually nailed the field goal to give the Patriots a three-point victory, ending his career as a Super Bowl champion.
The post A high school teacher once helped Tom Brady win a Super Bowl appeared first on ClutchPoints.
0 Mga Komento