Who throws a shoe? Marco Wilson did once, and has never really lived it down.
If you search “football shoe throw” on Google, you’ll be met with a wall of articles and video clips about Wilson, the newest member of the New England Patriots, throwing an opposing player’s shoe against LSU during his final season in college.
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Wilson is now in his third NFL season. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Arizona Cardinals in 2021. He had three interceptions last year. He’s started 37 NFL games.
But as he heads to New England this week after being picked up off waivers, his biggest claim to fame remains his infamous shoe toss from 2020.
Patriots-Bills anti-analysis
I’m not here to analyze the Patriots game this Sunday. That sounds like actual work Chris Mason, Mark Daniels, Karen Guregian or Matt Vautour would do (suckers). Instead, I’m here to point out 5-10 observations and general tidbits that have at least a tangential connection to Sunday’s game.
The Patriots sign football’s most famous shoe-tosser
So, what’s this shoe toss? You can watch the incident here.
The play in question was a 3rd-and-10 in a tie game between Florida and LSU. Wilson, a cornerback for the Gators, had just made a big tackle on third down to force a punt. With the game tied 34-34 at the time, Florida looked to be in prime position to win the game.
But everything went sideways when LSU tight end Kole Taylor’s shoe came off during the tackle. Seemingly in a fit of excitement, Wilson hurled the shoe downfield.
The refs caught it, hitting Wilson and the Gators with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Instead of a likely punt, LSU kept the ball and wound up driving down the field to kick a game-winning field goal.
At the time, Florida was No. 6 in the country. With an 8-1 record, they still had hopes of battling for the playoff. However, the loss to a 3-5 LSU team more or less dashed those dreams.
Earlier this year, Wilson was asked if he regretted the throw and if he’d do it again.
“Oh, 100%. I’d probably throw it further truthfully,” Wilson said on the Footballville Podcast.
2. The Bill Belichick-approved Non-Celebration of the Week
This week’s award goes to Cody Davis. According to special teams coordinator Cam Achord, Davis spent little time celebrating his first career touchdown after recovering a fumble in the endzone Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
Achord said that he’d joked with Davis about not celebrating the score. The reasoning: Davis knew he had to go out again on kickoff coverage right after.
“That’s the perfect answer and just shows how much time we invest with the situation, the guys, understanding the game of football,” Achord said. “Definitely something that I can appreciate as the coach.”
3. The Bill Belichick Non-Answer of the Week
Question: “I know we asked you about Josh Allen’s development. You called it really remarkable. Just the progress he made in those first three years. I’m curious when you felt that was sustainable given how unusual it was, the leap he made, and how large those leaps were.”
Belichick: “What’s the question? It feels like you answered your own question.”
4. The “He’s on That Team Now?” Player of the Week: RB Leonard Fournette
Fournette has had a fascinating run in the NFL. The No. 4 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft had two 1,000-yard seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars before getting cut. He then landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl title alongside Tom Brady.
But now at age 28, he had a lot of tread on his tires. He didn’t land with the Bills until signing to their practice squad on Oct. 31. He’s only played in one game this season, making his Buffalo debut in last week’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
5. Name of the Week: Tim Settle
This is a rare instance of a name that can also be a full sentence.
