Patriots: Celebrate anniversary of The Butt Fumble in style
By Adam Weinrib
Eight years ago today, Mark Sanchez ran headfirst into a man’s butt, and being a Patriots fan has never been the same.
As Patriots fans, we’re blessed to have observed some of the greatest, toughest teams in the history of the NFL, en route to six well-deserved Super Bowl titles and a few near-misses that, in retrospect, feel like total ripoffs.
We’ve also been blessed to see decade after decade of the New York Jets, doing whatever it is they do from within the walls of our own division.
When it comes to the Jets, losses are commonplace and embarrassment is the motto. Also, one time, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez sprinted headlong into his own offensive lineman’s spandex-clad ass, dropped the football, and allowed Patriots safety Steve Gregory to scoop and score.
We watched that, eight years ago today. That happened, it has always happened, and it will happen again.
November 22, 2012
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) November 22, 2020
The Butt Fumble
Patriots destroy the Jets and Rex Ryan (49-19) including outscoring New York (35-3) in the 2nd Qtr alone pic.twitter.com/hXIPA0GULM
How joyful is that, even nearly a decade after the fact?
A Thanksgiving game against the Jets on national television felt like an early Christmas gift for Pats Nation when it was first scheduled, even on the road at MetLife. Hopefully, we all thought, the turkey won’t have tired us out too thoroughly, and we’ll be able to stay awake for the entirety of the contest while ushering the very last uncles into the car and out of the house.
Early in the second quarter, however, we were sufficiently awoken by this one singular moment, the likes which we’ll never see again — ah, who are we kidding? The Jets still exist, and their quarterback situation has only gotten worse! We will definitely see something like this again!
Even as the Patriots live through their first down year in decades (and they still might make the playoffs), we can all still laugh at this iconic moment which has defined this rivalry for better or worse (just kidding, it’s better).
As Mark Sanchez attempts to resurrect his career as a serious analyst, please don’t ever let him forget that eight years ago, he made an ass out of his face.
