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Immaculate Reception or Holmes SB43?

Franco vs Santonio

  • Immaculate Reception

    Votes: 21 65.6%
  • Holmes wins SB43

    Votes: 11 34.4%

  • Total voters
    32

Steelerfan81

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Which was the better catch? Two best catches in Steelers history.
 
Chose IR because of the legend associated with it. As great as Stonio's catch was, it hasn't had the impact that IR has had. Maybe because it's more recent.
 
To claim that won the super bowl is a bit of a reach for this reason....there were many other scores in that game. It was simply the last score. Eliminate any of the others and it is a non issue and becomes part of a failed comeback. Had the game been tied at three to three the play by Holmes would be the winning catch as it would have won the game by itself. Was it a great catch, most definitely, was it better than Harrison's interception return not even close in greatness or importance. One was worth 6 points in the score of the game the other was worth at least nine and very likely 13 points.

I will not award the kickers points from the steelers to the folks that scored the touch down but in the case of Harrison's play he denied the chance for zona to put 3 or 7 points on the board as well as adding his 6.

The immaculate reception set the stage for greatness to follow. This was a team that played hard but lost up to this point. From this point onward they became a team that expected to win and for a lot of the time since we expect them to win.
 
Both were great, but Holmes' catch won a Super Bowl--sorry, Wingman, it did win the game. For how the entire game went and then Ben leading the drive, to cap it off with that throw over three defenders for a toe-tap catch on the sidelines was a thing of beauty.
 
Are we talking straight up catch or the affect of each catch ?

to me straight up catch goes to Sanbluntio...great body control..great foot work...great focus in a limited space..
Franco's catch was a rebound that I would bet even OFTB could catch if she was at the right place with the right timing.

As a play ...I think I'd go with IR..yes Sanbluntio put us ahead and helped us win a Super Bowl...but the D still had to stand up (which of course they did)...the IR launched this franchise into places they never thought of..it gave them a confidence that it never knew...maybe with all those great players will still would have won 4 Super Bowls in the 70's..but who really knows.
 
The IR was the first playoff win in franchise history. That's nearly 40years of history without winning a ******* playoff game. The improbable way it occurred against a juggernaut team that would become our most hated rival in the 70s. The most dramatic way to win a game on 4th and forever, and it happened in unconceivable style. To this day it is still the top play in NFL history, and has a riveting 1hr program on NFL Network devoted to it. What a great play!
 
To this day it is still the top play in NFL history, and has a riveting 1hr program on NFL Network devoted to it. What a great play!

Top play in NFL history, but still not a better "catch."
 
The Immaculate Reception by far. NOT a single play of any better. Stonioo made a catch, FRANCO made a LEGEND !!!!!!





Salute the nation
 
The question is which is the better catch... IR has more sex appeal because of the legend, but the Holmes catch and the throw associated with it were both technically harder and way more meaningful. lets face it, when it comes down to it the IR was just a broken play on a desperation heave. the latter was a perfect pass into triple coverage and a perfect sideline catch in the waning minutes of the super bowl while trailing...

No matter how you try to spin the importance of the IR... the fact remains that if you erase one from history it would be the one that didn't earn a championship, but even in a regular season game the Stonio catch was better...
 
better catch..

SB 43 catch by stonio. Ball couldn't have been placed better,, his toes in,, time on clock,, for all the marbles.

IC Catch while crazy and got us a victory, exciting,, nobody in town who wasn't at the game saw it happen. Steelers lost the very next week. So

better catch IMO was ben to stonio.
 
Both were great, but Holmes' catch won a Super Bowl--sorry, Wingman, it did win the game. For how the entire game went and then Ben leading the drive, to cap it off with that throw over three defenders for a toe-tap catch on the sidelines was a thing of beauty.

Disagree. Think of a field goal as wining a game nope just the last score.
 
The question is which is the better catch... IR has more sex appeal because of the legend, but the Holmes catch and the throw associated with it were both technically harder and way more meaningful. lets face it, when it comes down to it the IR was just a broken play on a desperation heave. the latter was a perfect pass into triple coverage and a perfect sideline catch in the waning minutes of the super bowl while trailing...

No matter how you try to spin the importance of the IR... the fact remains that if you erase one from history it would be the one that didn't earn a championship, but even in a regular season game the Stonio catch was better...

Agreed. Besides, like BGB stated, if you weren't at the game - the Immaculate Reception still cannot be viewed today - the cameras never show the ball being "caught" cleanly. "The Catch" to vault us in the lead in SB43 - no questions asked - best pass to the best catch in Steeler history, IMO...
 
Disagree. Think of a field goal as wining a game nope just the last score.

when the last score when you are losing and time is running out puts you in the lead, it is the winning score...no matter what lame arguments you try to make. Stonio's catch was the game winning catch, it was a thing of beauty. Harrison's int return was a better play because of all that happened on his way down the sideline...the IR is the greatest catch in Steelers' history
 
Disagree. Think of a field goal as wining a game nope just the last score.

Sounds like that would be the game-winning score to me. Do you even believe in the concept of a "game-winner" because it doesn't sound like it.
 
The greatest play in NFL history vs. a game winning Super Bowl catch......

Santonio let slip an easier one the play before, otherwise it would have been no different than the Burress catch for the Giants. That being said; it's great, it's up there.

But the Immaculate Reception was the single greatest turning point in Steeler Nation history. It's the greatest play for the greatest franchise which has had multiple Super Bowl winning/game clinching plays and catches.
 
There's no doubt that Santonio's catch is in all likelihood the greatest TD catch in a Super Bowl. It still can't top the Immaculate Reception for those of us old enough to remember watching. It was the Steelers first playoff victory and launched us into the team of the 70's with 4 Super Bowl Championships to follow. Plus it was against our most hated rival in the 70's the Raiders who if it wasn't for the Steelers could have won 4 Super Bowls in the 70's. Heck the Raiders prevented the Steelers from a three-peat in 1976 IMO still the Greatest Steeler team to never win the big one!
 
But the Immaculate Reception was the single greatest turning point in Steeler Nation history. It's the greatest play for the greatest franchise which has had multiple Super Bowl winning/game clinching plays and catches.

Steelers lost the following week. The IC could be looked at the same way tom brady and the tuck rule vaulted them into their superbowl run. Both Flukes.

while it was a great and exciting play that fraco happened to be in the right place for,, if he had maybe blocked better,, he wouldn't have been in that perfect spot and that game is just a forgotten memory. Then they came in next year and won it all.
 
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