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American Morning

Fantastic Finishes in NFL Football Playoff Games

Aired January 06, 2003 - 07:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: What else would you expect from football's wild card weekend but the unexpected? And we got that on Sunday.
Yesterday's games, two of them, featured two of the greatest comebacks in NFL playoff history. The Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Cleveland Browns 36-33 in a major and stunning comeback late in the fourth quarter, an absolute fantastic finish to this game. This is what did the Browns in (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but it didn't get out of bounds in time to stop the clock there (ph) in the shot (ph). The Steelers win; they advance.

The 49ers meanwhile on the West Coast rallying from behind to beat the New York Giants, throwing a classic and somewhat controversial, they say.

A game on Friday night that helped determine college football's national title -- truly a fantasy football weekend.

Let's talk more about it. "New York Post" sportswriter, Mark Cannizzaro, is our guest here on AMERICAN MORNING.

Nice to see you, Mark.

MARK CANNIZZARO, "NEW YORK POST" SPORTSWRITER: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: Happy New Year to you.

CANNIZZARO: Thank you.

HEMMER: I think more than anything what the NFL did yesterday, they showed us how close they are with parity, and the players on both sides of the field, both sides of the football, being that much close to the guys on the other side. The talent is pretty even.

CANNIZZARO: This is what the old NFL commissioner, Pete Rozelle, wanted, but we were speaking off camera a little bit of whether this was a choke (ph) or not. I have to say in the Giants' case yesterday in San Francisco, you've got ahold of a 24-point lead, I'm not sure I call that parity. But we saw yesterday, we saw two of the greatest comebacks in NFL history in one day. I mean, what a great day to be a couch potato in America.

HEMMER: That is so true. More than coincidence though, the fact that you get two of them in one day? CANNIZZARO: I don't think so, because as you said, the parity is there, so everything is going on. I mean, if you look at the way the season has gone on, Cleveland I believe in some 10 of its games all year was a field goal game.

HEMMER: Yes.

CANNIZZARO: And they won on a -- the Browns won on a Hail Mary at one point. So, I mean...

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: And this game started off rough in the first place. With the coin toss, they were beating up on each other.

Anyway, 49ers down 24; they come back to win. Steelers down 17, with about four minutes left, I believe, right? And then, you get the fantastic finish here in Pittsburgh.

CANNIZZARO: It's -- you know, it was a magical weekend. If you're a New Yorker, you go back to Saturday, and you had the Jets winning. You go back to Friday, you've got, you know, the Miami Hurricanes losing to Ohio State in a game that I don't think anybody could (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a chance. So, it's just the whole weekend was a magical weekend.

HEMMER: Just in the interest of fairness, the Falcons beat the Packers handily at Green Bay, and the Colts really took it hard -- 41- 0 the New York Jets; the Jets advance.

Let's talk about college. Friday night, they're already calling this game a classic. You agree?

CANNIZZARO: I do agree, because most of these games turn out, Miami, 38, whomever else, 17 or something like that. I think everybody expected it to be that way, and the fact that Ohio State, you know, stayed in the game and dictated the play, made it an interesting game. And obviously the fantastic finish, we're looking at that, a very controversial call. I don't think an official can make it a call like that with the game on the line. I thought that was a bad call. However, I'd say Ohio State deserved to win the game.

HEMMER: Yes, I think really from the first two possessions of that game you knew Ohio State's head was in it. They were focused, they were constituting (ph), they were very physical, very aggressive, and they carried that through for four quarters and two overtimes -- a great college football game on Friday night.

Next weekend, quickly let's talk about it. The Steelers go to Tennessee against the Titans. Atlanta is at Philly. On Sunday, San Francisco is at Tampa Bay, and the Jets play at Oakland. Can we anticipate a weekend next weekend like we just came through?

CANNIZZARO: I think so. I think it's going to be a fun weekend. I think -- I bet you three of those four games are very close. I think the Jets are going to go out in Oakland and beat the Raiders. I think people are quietly missing the boat on Tennessee, which has won 10 of its last 11 games.

HEMMER: They started slow, but came...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CANNIZZARO: Yes, a very hot -- a very hot team, started 1-4, just like the Jets did. The Jets here in New York got a lot of play, because they're in New York. Tennessee has been a little bit under the radar screen.

HEMMER: So much for a subway Super Bowl, huh? They were talking about it here. Your paper says a Giant choke for the Giants from yesterday...

(CROSSTALK)

CANNIZZARO: It would have been fun.

HEMMER: ... San Francisco.

CANNIZZARO: It would have been fun.

HEMMER: Nice talking to you, Mark.

CANNIZZARO: Thank you very much.

HEMMER: Have a good New Year -- Mark Cannizzaro, "New York Post."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired January 6, 2003 - 07:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: What else would you expect from football's wild card weekend but the unexpected? And we got that on Sunday.
Yesterday's games, two of them, featured two of the greatest comebacks in NFL playoff history. The Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Cleveland Browns 36-33 in a major and stunning comeback late in the fourth quarter, an absolute fantastic finish to this game. This is what did the Browns in (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but it didn't get out of bounds in time to stop the clock there (ph) in the shot (ph). The Steelers win; they advance.

The 49ers meanwhile on the West Coast rallying from behind to beat the New York Giants, throwing a classic and somewhat controversial, they say.

A game on Friday night that helped determine college football's national title -- truly a fantasy football weekend.

Let's talk more about it. "New York Post" sportswriter, Mark Cannizzaro, is our guest here on AMERICAN MORNING.

Nice to see you, Mark.

MARK CANNIZZARO, "NEW YORK POST" SPORTSWRITER: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: Happy New Year to you.

CANNIZZARO: Thank you.

HEMMER: I think more than anything what the NFL did yesterday, they showed us how close they are with parity, and the players on both sides of the field, both sides of the football, being that much close to the guys on the other side. The talent is pretty even.

CANNIZZARO: This is what the old NFL commissioner, Pete Rozelle, wanted, but we were speaking off camera a little bit of whether this was a choke (ph) or not. I have to say in the Giants' case yesterday in San Francisco, you've got ahold of a 24-point lead, I'm not sure I call that parity. But we saw yesterday, we saw two of the greatest comebacks in NFL history in one day. I mean, what a great day to be a couch potato in America.

HEMMER: That is so true. More than coincidence though, the fact that you get two of them in one day? CANNIZZARO: I don't think so, because as you said, the parity is there, so everything is going on. I mean, if you look at the way the season has gone on, Cleveland I believe in some 10 of its games all year was a field goal game.

HEMMER: Yes.

CANNIZZARO: And they won on a -- the Browns won on a Hail Mary at one point. So, I mean...

(CROSSTALK)

HEMMER: And this game started off rough in the first place. With the coin toss, they were beating up on each other.

Anyway, 49ers down 24; they come back to win. Steelers down 17, with about four minutes left, I believe, right? And then, you get the fantastic finish here in Pittsburgh.

CANNIZZARO: It's -- you know, it was a magical weekend. If you're a New Yorker, you go back to Saturday, and you had the Jets winning. You go back to Friday, you've got, you know, the Miami Hurricanes losing to Ohio State in a game that I don't think anybody could (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a chance. So, it's just the whole weekend was a magical weekend.

HEMMER: Just in the interest of fairness, the Falcons beat the Packers handily at Green Bay, and the Colts really took it hard -- 41- 0 the New York Jets; the Jets advance.

Let's talk about college. Friday night, they're already calling this game a classic. You agree?

CANNIZZARO: I do agree, because most of these games turn out, Miami, 38, whomever else, 17 or something like that. I think everybody expected it to be that way, and the fact that Ohio State, you know, stayed in the game and dictated the play, made it an interesting game. And obviously the fantastic finish, we're looking at that, a very controversial call. I don't think an official can make it a call like that with the game on the line. I thought that was a bad call. However, I'd say Ohio State deserved to win the game.

HEMMER: Yes, I think really from the first two possessions of that game you knew Ohio State's head was in it. They were focused, they were constituting (ph), they were very physical, very aggressive, and they carried that through for four quarters and two overtimes -- a great college football game on Friday night.

Next weekend, quickly let's talk about it. The Steelers go to Tennessee against the Titans. Atlanta is at Philly. On Sunday, San Francisco is at Tampa Bay, and the Jets play at Oakland. Can we anticipate a weekend next weekend like we just came through?

CANNIZZARO: I think so. I think it's going to be a fun weekend. I think -- I bet you three of those four games are very close. I think the Jets are going to go out in Oakland and beat the Raiders. I think people are quietly missing the boat on Tennessee, which has won 10 of its last 11 games.

HEMMER: They started slow, but came...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CANNIZZARO: Yes, a very hot -- a very hot team, started 1-4, just like the Jets did. The Jets here in New York got a lot of play, because they're in New York. Tennessee has been a little bit under the radar screen.

HEMMER: So much for a subway Super Bowl, huh? They were talking about it here. Your paper says a Giant choke for the Giants from yesterday...

(CROSSTALK)

CANNIZZARO: It would have been fun.

HEMMER: ... San Francisco.

CANNIZZARO: It would have been fun.

HEMMER: Nice talking to you, Mark.

CANNIZZARO: Thank you very much.

HEMMER: Have a good New Year -- Mark Cannizzaro, "New York Post."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.