He tried. Like Icaraus of Greek mythology, his lofty goals were a bit too high and ended up being his undoing. With a sizable lead and just minutes left in the fourth quarter, all Sage Rosenfels had to do was not do what he ended up doing and the Houston Texans go on to beat the Indianapolis Colts.
Advanced NFL Stats and their handy win probability calculator had the Texans with a 96% chance of winning before the snap. Superb odds for any team in any sport, but they went on to lose of course, making this one of those games that implants a seed of fearful doubt in the heart of Texans fans. For anyone who saw that game live, there will always be a sense of dread -- however small -- that whatever lead the Texans might possess, it isn't safe until the clock hits zero. We all could figuratively lift out shirts and show off the gruesome scar the game left behind.
Over at ESPN, Tania Ganguli is taking votes for the most memorable play in Texans history, and right now the vote is heavily favoring J.J. Watt's fantastic interception and touchdown return against the Cincinnati Bengals, which is certainly not surprising. I voted for it too... in part because I wanted to vote Rosencopter out of existence.
This was Schaub's reaction after watching the play again on the big screen is priceless.
I don't want to get too melodramatic, but if it's not the most memorable... this is the most representative play in Texans history. Like Rosenfels on this play, the franchise has been ambitious but hasn't been able to get out of its own way.
I know this seemed a little negative, but I'm very excited to see this new era of Texans football try to fly again.