1999 - Owners approve new instant replay system
On this day in 1999, the NFL's owners approved for use a new instant replay system that gave coaches the ability to challenge calls on the field. The system remains in place today (albeit with some modifications).
Initially, coaches were given the ability to challenge two plays during a game. In 2004, those rights were expanded to include a third challenge if a coach wins his first two challenges.
The red flag coaches toss onto the field to trigger a challenge today was absent from the 1999 version of the system, too. Initially, coaches simply had to press the button on an electronic pager to initiate a review.
2005 - Giants sign Plaxico Burress to six-year deal
Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress signed a six-year, $25-million contract with the New York Giants on St. Patrick's Day in 2005.
Every dollar the Giants spent to lure Burress to the Big Apple instantly became worth it the moment he caught a soft lob from Eli Manning in the back corner of the end zone, propelling the Giants to an improbable victory over the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Burress' time with the Giants eventually came to an unceremonious end, as he was tossed behind bars on gun charges after accidentally shooting himself in the leg in 2008, but he would eventually return to the city to suit up for the Jets.
Birthdays
1953 - Chuck Muncie
1957 - Barry Krauss
1964 - Don Griffin
1987 - Emmanuel Sanders
1991 - Cordarrelle Patterson
