Getty Former Eagles WR Freddie Mitchell makes the epic 4th-and-26 catch in a 2004 divisional playoff game versus Green Bay.
The Eagles submitted four NFL rule changes in March. And one of those ground-breaking amendments is receiving serious consideration.
Philadelphia proposed an alternative to the league’s onsides kick rule that would allow a team a chance to maintain possession by going for it on 4th-and-15 from their 25-yard line. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the “support for the idea is growing” and they recently updated the language on the proposed new rule.
The original language had stated that the team attempting the onsides kick needed to be trailing in the game. That prerequisite has since been eliminated so teams could potentially use it to play “keep away.” The NFL owners will vote on the proposal in a virtual meeting on May 28. Here is how NFL.com explained it:
If the proposal passes, a team leading could attempt to play keep-away from an opponent by utilizing the fourth-and-15 option. It doesn’t come without risk of giving the opponent the ball in scoring range.
Wiping out the prerequisite that a team must be trailing to try to keep possession is the right move. Coaches should be allowed the freedom to take calculated risks. Onside kicks don’t restrict usage to trailing teams. Neither should its substitute.
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Shades of Fourth-and-26? Remembering Freddie Mitchell
There is really not much correlation between the onsides kick rule and the Eagles’ legendary 4th-and-26 play from 2004. Other than they both include starting from the 25-yard line and occur on fourth down.
However, Freddie Mitchell recently referenced his career-defining moment on Twitter after the NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt and Peter Schrager analyzed the “4th-and-26 Game.”
Schrager said: “If they don’t complete it, Donovan McNabb is a bum. Andy Reid can’t win the big one. For this moment, it’s McNabb to Freddie Mitchell in an inexplicable play.”
Brandt said: “It never should have happened. I hate to say this but the defense was worse on this play than the offense was good.”
Mitchell went on to enjoy a love-hate relationship with the Philly faithful but that singular play will forever live on as one of the greatest moments in Eagles history. It also gave everyone this gem of a quote.
“I’m a special player,” Mitchell said. “I’ve just got to thank my hands for being so great.”
Did McNabb Ruin Mitchell’s Football Career?
Mitchell was a first-round pick (25th overall) by the Eagles in the 2001 NFL Draft. While he never lived up to the hype, the UCLA product put up some respectable numbers in four seasons. Mitchell finished with 90 receptions for 1,263 yards and four touchdowns.
The receiver has long maintained that Donovan McNabb sabotaged his short-lived NFL career. He never respected Mitchell and never threw him the ball. Nothing got him into McNabb’s good graces, not even babysitting the quarterback’s kids.
I gotta respect @KingJames for standing up for his teammate. McNabb would never do that for me. @espn
“I’d try to win him over,” Mitchell said, via 24/7 Sports. “I would damn near try to babysit his kids, stay in Friday nights and babysit his children so he could go out, have a good time and come back home. I would do anything. Just throw me the ball. That’s all I wanted. It was that bad.”
Of course, he did infamously help motivate the Patriots during Super Bowl week in 2005. That unfortunate incident ensured he wouldn’t be back in Philadelphia. Long live 4th-and-26, though.
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