At the last minute, the newly ordered first-down marker arrived on the sideline.
He threw a jump-ball pass to the 6-foot-5 Bennett well past the first-down marker.
But for every bomb he caught down the sideline there would be a bobble at the first-down marker.
Many players complained that they could not see the sidelines or first-down markers.
With the first-down markers in place, the clock was re-started.
"But the first-down marker has a real editorial reason for being."
His receivers covered, protection breaking down and the first-down marker 9 yards away, Brown took off running.
Dantzler completed an eight-yard pass, then a running play was stopped short of the first-down marker.
Basically, it called for lining the secondary up at the first-down markers and keeping everything in front of it.
Esiason scrambled to his left and ran toward the first-down marker.