Although Carson was only an innocent bystander, he retains very bad memories of one of most embarrassing losses in NFL history.
In a 1978 game against Philadelphia, with the Giants were leading 17-12 with less than two minutes to play, New York could have secured one of its few victories by having quarterback Joe Pisarcik take a knee. But in a baffling decision, a running play was called and Pisarcik’s handoff to Larry Csonka resulted in a fumble that Phildelphia’s Herm Edwards scooped up and returned for the winning touchdown.
Today all NFL teams take special precautions in such situations. At the time, Carson was so distraught by the tragic turnover that he sat on the Giants’ bench for 15 minutes after the game and stared at the ground.
