The 10 Gutsiest Calls in NFL History

Last week, in overtime of a critical NFC South matchup against the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith rolled the dice. On a 4th-and-1 from their own 29-yard-line, the Falcons went for it, attempting a run by Michael Turner up the middle.

The result: stuffed. Not even close.

Now the old adage is that had it worked and the Falcons won the game, Smith would be considered a genius, a maverick, a coach who had nothing but confidence in his team. But since it didn't, Smith is considered, by many, a moron.

Either way, however, it was a gutsy call, one that defied convention and showed willingness to gamble.

Those types of on-field, in-game decisions—not draft choices, trades, firings, cuts, free-agent signings, etc.—are the very definition of gutsy. They are made, quite literally, on their "gut," not with the aid of weeks of thought or a collection of big brains in a room looking at a draft board.

Keep one thing in mind when reading this list: Gutsy calls don't always work. If they did, they wouldn't be gutsy.

No. 10: Starting Rob Johnson over Doug Flutie

Decision Maker: Wade Phillips, head coach, Buffalo Bills

When: 1999 AFC Wild Card Game at Tennessee Titans

On sight alone, it made sense: Rob Johnson was the 6'4", 200-pound, 26-year-old quarterback with a strong arm, while Doug Flutie was the 37-year-old tiny scrapper without the prototypical frame.

But Flutie—who had led the Bills to the postseason the previous year—won 10 more games as the starter in 1999, guiding the Bills to a playoffs spot. With their Week 17 game against Indianapolis essentially meaningless, Phillips gave Johnson a chance to play. He looked great (24-of-37, 287 yards, 2 TD) in a Bills victory.

Still, reason suggested that the quarterback who got them to the playoffs would start their Wild Card Game in Tennessee.

But for whatever reason (conspiracy theorists insist it's because owner Ralph Wilson didn't like seeing his $25 million quarterback on the bench), Wade Phillips sat Flutie again and started Johnson, who struggled mightily, completing just 10 of 22 attempts.

In the quintessential case of hindsight being 20/20, most people assume the Music City Miracle would have never happened had Phillips started Flutie. Who knows?

No. 9: Lawrence McCutcheon's Touchdown Pass to Ron Smith

Decision Maker: Ray Malavasi, head coach, Los Angeles Rams

When: Super Bowl XIV vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

After the Steelers reclaimed the lead on their first possession of the second half, the Rams drove near Pittsburgh's red zone. But rather than continuing to attack the Steel Curtain defense with quarterback Vince Ferragamo or the legs of Wendell Tyler—both of which were working—they went for some trickeration.

On 1st-and-10 from the 24, Ferragamo gave the ball to Lawrence McCutcheon, who tossed a pass to Ron Smith in the deep right corner of the field. Touchdown. Anytime you let a halfback or wide receiver throw the ball, it's a big gamble. But in the second half of a Super Bowl, when you have a chance to pull off an all-time upset against a true dynasty, that's gutsy.

Before you point out the fact that the Steelers were involved in another famous Super Bowl touchdown pass thrown by a non-quarterback—Antwaan Randle-El's throw to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL—keep two things in mind. One, Randle-El was a quarterback in college; McCutcheon wasn't. More importantly, the Rams were behind when McCutcheon heaved his pass; the Steelers weren't.

No. 8: Playing an Injured Emmitt Smith

Decision Maker: Jimmy Johnson, head coach, Dallas Cowboys

When: Week 17, 1993 at New York Giants

The 1993 regular season finale between the Giants and Cowboys in the Meadowlands was huge. The winner earned not only the NFC East title but home-field advantage in the playoffs as well.

Still, the Cowboys were headed to the playoffs no matter what, so when Emmitt Smith badly injured his shoulder before halftime, playing him could have been disastrous. The Cowboys had already proved they couldn't win without Smith in the lineup—he sat out Week 1 and 2, protesting his contract—so getting to the playoffs with or without home field was pretty meaningless without Smith.

Not only did Jimmy Johnson keep Smith in the lineup (and everyone knew he was badly aching), he ran Smith to death: 32 carries to go along with 10 receptions.

Forget the fact that Dallas won and went on to repeat as Super Bowl champions. It was a gutsy call, especially since second-guessers would have pointed to the presence of Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin as reason to sit Smith in the second half.

No. 7: Tom Dempsey's 63-Yard Field Goal

Decision Maker: J.D. Roberts, head coach, New Orleans Saints

When: Week 8, 1970 vs. Detroit Lions

In his first game as a head coach, having seen his boss Tom Fears be fired, interim coach J.D. Roberts' Saints trailed the 5-3 Lions by a point. Only seconds remained, and New Orleans was at its own 45-yard line.

Although his kicker had just one field goal of at least 50 yards in his short career and a Hail Mary offered better odds, Roberts elected to try a 63-yard field goal, easily the longest in NFL history.

The call didn't have a playoff or Super Bowl berth or world championship hanging in the balance. But to put the fate of a game on the foot of a kicker—back when kicking wasn't nearly as scientific or well-practiced as it is today—was extremely gutsy, especially for a man in his first-ever game as a head coach.

No. 6: Taking the Wind in Overtime

Decision Maker: Marty Mornhinweg, head coach, Detroit Lions

When: Week 12, 2002, Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

Admittedly, this one straddled the line between "gutsy" and just plain stupid.

But you have to believe that when the Lions won the coin toss in overtime and Mornhinweg opted to take the wind instead of the ball, he thought he was making the best decision possible.

Had he made that call inside the Silverdome...it would no doubt jump from gutsy to moronic.

But it did come in late November in Soldier Field, where the wind off Lake Michigan could be tricky to navigate; the Bears kicker had missed a 35-yarder wide to the right. 

Nevertheless, since the Bears went down the field and ended the game with a 40-yard field goal, it's considered one of the more boneheaded calls ever.

No. 5: Buccaneers Go for Two-Point Conversion

Decision Maker: Jon Gruden, head coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

When: Week 10, 2005 vs. Washington Redskins

With 58 seconds remaining in the game, Tampa Bay's Chris Simms hit Edell Shepherd on a 30-yard touchdown pass that seemed destined to send the Bucs and Redskins to overtime. The play made the score Washington 35, Tampa Bay 34.

The easy, safe and routine play was to kick the extra point. You're at home; you like your chances in OT. But when an offsides penalty moved the Bucs one yard closer, it inspired the gambler in Gruden.

He opted to try to win the game right there, right then, going for the two-point conversion by running fullback Mike Alstott up the middle. It worked; the Bucs won 36-35.

Although Mike Shanahan's Broncos attempted that same risky move—Jay Cutler throwing a pass to Eddie Royal—three years later against San Diego, running the ball in that situation is always far gutsier than a pass.

No. 4: Saints Onside Kick After Halftime of the Super Bowl

Decision Maker: Sean Payton, head coach, New Orleans Saints

When: Super Bowl XLIV vs. Indianapolis Colts

I've listed this one far lower than most people probably would have, and here's why.

It was the first play of a second half in which the Saints trailed 10-6. Even in the absolute worst-case scenario—the Colts recover the onside kick and score a touchdown on the next play—they'd still be losing by only 11. With Drew Brees and that offense, that wasn't exactly a death sentence.

Nevertheless, it remains one of the gutsiest calls ever.

If that call doesn't work in a Week 1 regular season, you're second-guessed all week. If that call doesn't work in a Super Bowl, you're second-guessed for the rest of your life.

Everything in the Super Bowl is magnified a million times times, and Payton knew that, only making the move more gutsy.

No. 3: Larry Seiple's Fake Punt

Decision Maker: Larry Seiple, P, Miami Dolphins

When: 1972 AFC Divisional Round at Pittsburgh Steelers

Miami's perfect season was in serious jeopardy in the second quarter of a game against a team days removed from the most improbable play in NFL history: the Immaculate Reception.

The 15-0 Dolphins trailed Pittsburgh 7-0 when they were ready to punt the ball away on a fourth down and 20 inside their own territory.

But all season long, head coach Don Shula had given punter Larry Seiple the option of attempting to gain the first down himself whenever he wanted:

"Seiple determines whether or not he will run the ball when he gets the snap. He's done it five times in his career and only missed once. He has my sanction as long as he gets the first down."

That's not exactly carte blanche.

Still, Seiple saw a hole in the defense, took it and didn't disappoint the head coach. Had he come up short, however, Seiple would have incurred the same wrath of Shula that Garo Yepremian saw after his botched kick in Super Bowl VII, a play that might never have happened had Seiple not gotten that first down.

No. 2: Jeff Rutledge's Fake Punt

Decision Maker: Bill Parcells, head coach, New York Giants

When: Super Bowl XXI vs. Denver Broncos

On the opening drive of the second half, behind 10-9, Parcells opted to run a fake punt on 4th-and-1 inside his own territory.

The design of the play was for personal protector and backup quarterback Jeff Rutledge to take the snap and run. Even though Rutledge—recognizing that the Broncos clearly expected a fake was coming—twice looked to the sideline to ask permission to abort, Parcells insisted they run the play. Rutledge took the snap, nudged forward and (barely) made the first down, and the Giants went on to win the game.

Three years later, Parcells' Giants famously ran a successful fake punt in the NFC championship game at San Francisco. That gutsy call—which was personal protector Gary Reasons', not Parcells'—doesn't earn a spot for two reasons.

First, the Giants defense dominated the 49ers six weeks earlier on a Monday night and largely held them in check that day as well. If the play didn't work, it might not have been the end of the game. Secondly, Reasons' fake in January 1991 was a complete surprise. To the Broncos, there was no surprise; they had seen the Giants run that same fake nine weeks earlier when they played in the Meadowlands.

Besides, the Super Bowl is a whole different type of pressure...and second-guessing.

No. 1: Patriots Go for It on 4th-and-2

Decision Maker: Bill Belichick, head coach, New England Patriots

When: Week 10, 2009 at Indianapolis Colts

No, this didn't come in a Super Bowl or a playoff game. And yes, it was early enough in the season that a loss wouldn't be crippling for either club.

But to do what Belichick did, in that spot, in that game took guts. Mondo guts.

Ahead by six with two minutes to play inside your own 30-yard line, and you go for it on 4th-and-2? Wow.

Although the situation was fairly comparable in terms to what Mike Smith did last week against the Saints, I don't think there is much of a comparison in terms of magnitude and guts. For one, there is a huge difference between 4th-and-2 and 4th-and-1; a simple QB sneak was not an option.

More to the point, back when Peyton Manning was healthy, the Colts-Patriots showdown was arguably the best rivalry in the NFL and frequently a matchup of the two contenders for the AFC championship. It was a Sunday night, nationally televised game, one of the most anticipated on the season. As big as Saints-Falcons was last week, it wasn't the same.

Furthermore, to make a call like that, on the road, when you are ahead, not trailing or tied, really shows guts.

Belichick knew all of that, yet he still rolled the dice. He lost—but he validated his status as the game's most stubborn and fearless coach.