The Rosencopter
A query. I offer you two pills. Take the first pill, you have an NFL career of no note whatsoever, but you make some money and then vanish, never to be remembered again. Take the second pill, you have a forgettable backup career as a nobody, but you do have a legacy: one really hilarious fuckup. Do you take the second pill? Both pills are plain white, by the way, and are very small, I don’t want anyone choking.
Sage Rosenfels took the second pill.
Sage was drafted in the 4th by the Washington [REDACTED] in 2001 and then went and threw a few passes for the Dolphins until he ended up on the Texans in 2006. I’m going to be honest, I made this comic assuming the Texans drafted him, I had no idea he was that old. He was actually in college already when Elway went helicopter against the Packers in 1998. Well, the point is, few people outside the diehards had him on their radar when he came in. He sat on the bench behind new QB Matt Schaub, until one fateful week 5 in 2008. Schaub was out with an illness. Rosenfels got the start in the home opener against Indianapolis (the home opener was in week 5 due to a hurricane postponing the week 2 matchup). It is funny how a random afternoon game in October can suddenly have something happen in it that lives on in NFL lore.
I was watching the game with my college roommate in our apartment. We were both rooting against the Colts and were delighting in this guy neither of us had heard of leading the Texans to a glorious victory over Peyton Manning. That’s when poor Sage fell apart. 2 interceptions, and two fumbles. But it wasn’t just any fumble. It was peak fumble.
John Elway’s helicopter is NFL legend. The horseman has spent a career being bludgeoned to death on the biggest stage and now, with everything on the line, he was throwing his 37 year old ass through defenders to get a first down. It has become the iconic John Elway play. A symbol of his resilience and persistence to never stop striving for your dream. The amusing thing to me is that the play is barely remarkable without the context it occurs. Watch it, divorcing yourself of the context. He just does a little jump, gets hit, does a half spin, and lands on his butt. Fine, but nothing outstanding. Context makes everything.
I bring that up because you probably forgot how goddamn impressive the Rosencopter play actually is, especially in comparison. Elway did a small spin a couple feet off the ground. Sage Rosenfels reached low orbit. A perfect combination of a very tall man making a big leap and getting hit at the peak of his leap catapulted Rosenfels into the nosebleeds. I swear, at his highest, he must be at minimum 5+ feet off the ground. Since he gets absolutely rocked and the other tackler’s helmet strikes the ball, Sage fumbles it in midair and the Colts return it 68 yards for the score.
The Rosencopter is up there in the pantheon of great fumbles. Nothing will beat the Buttfumble, but we have to give Rosencopter the respect it deserves. Sage appears to have a good sense of humor about it now (apologies for a random facebook link, it was the best video I could find of him talking about it). He also mentions that he doesn’t remember the rest of the game and you can tell he clearly suffered a concussion on impact. Otherwise he probably holds on, but holding onto a ball is tough when your brain is mush. He also mentions in a different interview that the play affected him mentally for a time, and it took him a while to reach the point where he is now where he can be proud of himself for taking a chance, even if it backfired.
Rosenfels never did anything of note after that play. He played in Minnesota for a year. He backed up Eli for a season (which I straight up forgot until researching this). He was briefly employed by the Dolphins and Vikings after that but never saw action. He seems happy now, and is a commentator for his alma mater Iowa State. It’s not the way you want to go down in NFL lore, but it is a place in history. I’ll never forget Sage Rosenfels because of this play. I remember where I was, in my Rochester apartment living room. I remember the feel of the terrible carpet under my feet. I remember going “oh my god he dropped it”. I remember turning to my roommate and him saying “oh they are losing this game aren’t they”. This isn’t the kind of core sports memory a nobody backup NFL player tends to achieve. Thank you, Sage Rosenfels, for trying to do something stupid. It gives me joy to this day.
I love how the video gave us 4 options to choose from then gave the wrong answer. Like most of those pre-college tests you take in High School, there might be a right answer, but there’s also a MORE right answer, and in this case, that answer was D.
Sage Rosenfels didn’t choose to helicopter on that play. He chose to fly. And damnit, he flew.
Somehow, the Rosencopter did not completely end the great debate between callers on Houston sports radio at the time, many of whom called in daily to demand that Rosenfels start over Schaub. In 2007, they may have had an argument (Rosenfels did throw more TDs than Schaub in fewer games, and went 4-1 as a starter… though he did so tossing short passes usually against bad defenses), but by 2008 it should have been clear that Schaub was on his way to being at least a 2nd tier QB (he wound up on the high end of there, the just below elite, at his peak).
Memorable lowlight or not, I remember Rosnefels on the Texans as an affable team player and decent back up. Probably the most memorable backup QB the Texans have ever had, even excluding/before the Rosencopter, though that may have been largely because of the sports radio wars over his backup status.
The most memorable backup we (the Texans) ever had is TJ Yates. He delivered us to our first post-season berth and a first post-season win (both against the Bengals the same season). We all love Yates to death and I am willing to bet that they will have him as the greatest backup we ever had.
A fair point, though unlike Rosnefels I don’t recall Yates ever being called on to start over a healthy Schaub. Yates, Case Keenum, and Tom Savage are probably the Mount Rushmore of Texans backup QBs along with Rosenfels (don’t @ me Tony Banks fans).
One fact I enjoy about Yates is that he lead that first post-season run coming into the season as a third-stringer, behind Schaub and Matt Leinart. In Leinart’s final NFL start, he beat the Jaguars… well, he got hurt with the lead against the Jaguars and Yates finished the game and the season. Leinart is undefeated as a Texans starter despite never finishing a game with the team, which I find to be a pointlessly fun fact.
I would put Ryan Fitzpatrick instead of Tom Savage, Savage only decent moment was that comeback against the Jags.
I wouldn’t consider Fitzpatrick a backup QB during his time on the Texans.
Complete failure to understand context on the part of Rosenfels.
Elway helicopter. Game situation:
-Super Bowl
-Broncos are 11-pt underdogs to the defending Packers at Favre’s peak.
-Broncos franchise is lifetime 0-4 in SB, Elway is personally 0-3
-the NFC was on a 13-year SB streak. Popular wisdom was that the AFC was
basically the “minor leagues” and could not truly compete with NFC
-tie game, 3rd quarter, outcome very much in doubt
-3rd down & 6. Failure to get the 1st down here almost certainly results in FG and handing the ball back to Favre with only a 3pt lead that nobody really believes would hold
Rosencopter. Game situation:
-Week 5
-Rosenfels is winning by 10 pts, with the ball, with 4 mins left in the game. With possession in opponent territory.
All Rosenfels has to do is kill some clock and winning is likely. There is no reason here to go all-out for the first down. Pre-snap, he should be thinking: “Don’t force a throw that could be an INT. Take the sack, if they get you. Don’t fumble. We don’t really need this first down that badly.”
That’s one reason why Elway is Elway and Rosenfels is Rosenfels.
I love that until Brock Purdy, Sage Rosenfels was the best QB to ever come out of Iowa State. Yeah, up until recently my alma mater was BAD at football – like putrid. Sage finally had some fun ball to watch this year and a bowl win! Sure, it was the PopTart Bowl but you take any wins you can!
As an Iowa State fan when they aren’t playing my alma mater… I will not stand for Rosenfels over Seneca Wallace.
“Hey, isn’t that the horse from Horsin’ Around?”
I very specifically remember having this game on, and considering turning it off with only five+ minutes left, and thinking, “Normally this game is in the books… but it’s the Texans.” I was then immediately rewarded by the football gods for my dedication and perseverance.
I was today years old when I learned that the Rosencopter was not in fact performed by famed 2018 draftee Josh Rosen. Man I feel stupid now.
This play just came up in my YouTube feed.
I clearly need more tinfoil.