Mario Addison With Perhaps the Greatest Super Bowl Hustle Play Since Don Beebe
By Jason McIntyre
The longest punt return in Super Bowl history was a strange one, featuring a) several defenders who stopped running because they thought there was a fair catch and b) Mario Addison, a defensive end who made a brilliant decision to sprint upfield in hopes of stopping a touchdown.
And it worked.
Denver’s Jordan Norwood set a Super Bowl record with a 61-yard return, but might have scored the first punt return touchdown in Super Bowl history if not for the smart decision of Addison (#97).
Watch Addison give chase early, and then decide, “no way am I making the tackle from this angle, let me try to cut him off way downfield!” Addison sprints upfield, and nobody on Carolina blocks him because he’s not very close to the play. But then, in the red zone, he appears and makes the tackle.
Denver had to settle for a field goal, and grabbed a 13-7 lead.
And if you’re a young kid who saw the name Don Beebe in the headline and have no idea who he is … this happened in the Super Bowl 27, when the Cowboys beat the Bills 52-17.