Any Given Sunday‘s “inches” speech, delivered by Al Pacino in his prime, is one of the most incredible football movie scenes ever.
As fictional coach Tony D’Amato (Pacino) said:
“I mean one-half a step too late, or too early, and you don’t quite make it. One-half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it.”
That’s precisely what happened last night, as Isaiah Likely’s potentially game-tying touchdown in the final seconds was ruled out of bounds upon further review. His toe was on the line, at the back of the end zone.
Indeed, a game of inches, and the Ravens fell 27-20 at the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith said he was surprised that the call did not stand.
“I didn’t think it was enough evidence to overturn it,” Smith said after game.
“But I feel like that’ll be something that the refs will have to deal with whenever that time comes and that’s out of my control.”
Smith had a great game in a losing cause, racking up seven tackles, four solo, one pass defended, and a key interception.
While the last TD didn’t stand, Likely still caught nine balls for 111 yards (both career highs) and a touchdown.
His 49-yard reception was a thing of beauty, and he indeed showed up and showed out last night.
While Likely also believed that the original touchdown call should have stood, his tone was less defiant than Smith’s.
He was more conciliatory with his rhetoric.
“The ref looked at me, I look at the ref, and when he signaled touchdown, I thought it was what it was,” Likely said. “Then, obviously we were going to win the game.”
He later added:
“At this point, you just have to live with the call. You have to look on, obviously watch the film, see where we can get better to not put ourselves in the situation to leave it in the refs’ hands to be able to call that.”
