Via TMZ, a desperately needed palate cleanser as we await the next round of document-dumping this afternoon by Wikileaks. (Word on Twitter is that it’s set for 5 p.m. ET.) To set the scene: 16-16 in overtime in Buffalo, the 2-8 Bills trying to salvage their season with an unlikely upset of the 7-3 Steelers. They were down 13 points in the third quarter and rallied to tie it; now in OT and just out of field-goal range on Pittsburgh’s 40-yard line, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick spots receiver Stevie Johnson breaking towards the end zone downfield. Annnd … heart-ache:
“I had the game in my hands and I dropped it,” Johnson said. “Humbled. Humbled.”
Then, growing emotional, Johnson added: “I’ll never get over it. Ever.”
Watch the clip and behold a pro wideout letting a highlight-reel-worthy game-winner clank right off his fingers. Frankly, I’m not sure I’ll ever get over it either. How shaken was the poor guy after the game, won by the Steelers on a field goal on the ensuing drive? This shaken:
I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO…
The Twitter account isn’t verified so it’s not 100 percent certain that that’s the real Stevie Johnson, but c’mon — you can tell from the all caps that this is a serious crisis of faith. Two things, then. One: By tacking that offhand “THX THO” onto the end of his spiritual cri de coeur, he’s now officially my favorite player. Two: Give the man points, at least, for applying his standards on faith consistently. Most pro athletes give glory to God when they catch the winning TD but won’t blame him when they have a bad game. Johnson’s view: The big guy upstairs has to take the bitter with the sweet. Awesome.
He’ll bounce back once he decides that God is just testing him or that this is all part of the plan, etc. Exit question: Isn’t the real lesson here simply that God is a Steelers fan?
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