As “Any Given Sunday” celebrated its 20th anniversary, The Ringer published an oral history of the modern football classic.
"You find out that life is just a game of inches…So is football."
For @ringer: My oral history of ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, a modern football classic celebrating its 20th anniversary. https://t.co/hNumUZD6s3
— Jake Kring-Schreifels (@jakeks19) December 19, 2019
The movie focused on the rise of Willie Beamen, played by Jamie Foxx, a third-string quarterback who coaches wanted to convert to defensive back because of his “fast feet.” Sound familiar? Beamen gets thrust into the starting role after injuries to the two quarterbacks in front of him. Beamen’s polarizing style of play gives the Miami Sharks the spark they needed as he carried them into the playoffs and all the way to the championship.
The Ringer piece states that Willie Beamen helped open the door for a new type of quarterback, guys like Michael Vick, Colin Kaepernick, and Lamar Jackson, who is currently leading the NFL’s MVP race and has the Baltimore Ravens sitting atop the entire league.
Al Pacino, who played embattled coach Tony D’Amato, couldn’t find enough positive things to say about Jackson.
I watch this guy Lamar Jackson,” Pacino said. “There are occasionally these players that are inspiring because you can see the game that they play is a game, and you can actually sense the joy they have in what they do. That’s inspiring. Watching Lamar Jackson is an inspiration to actors.”
Pacino also compared Jackson’s rise to that of Beamen in the movie.
“With Willie Beamen, he was put in the background. Lamar was waiting behind Flacco, and I don’t see how he got overlooked,” Pacino said. “What Lamar’s doing was always there. You can clearly see it. Then you watch how he throws with such accuracy. He seems so comfortable throwing a football, like he’s been doing it all his life.”
Ravens fans can only hope that their season can end like the Sharks did in the movie.
