Yesterday, during overtime in the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson had the game-winning touchdown pass fall right into his arms. It would have won the game. It would have been a beautiful play. But he dropped it, right there in the end zone.

Here’s the play:

The Steelers ended up winning 19-16. Poor Steve Johnson. I felt sorry for the guy…until I saw his tweet after the game.

stevejohnsontwitter.jpg

I have very little patience for athletes who score a touchdown and then, when they’re asked about it in a post-game interview, give credit to the Almighty for their spectacular performance. “That wasn’t me, man,” I’ve heard them say about catching a pass or making an interception. “That was God.”

It’s good to credit God for your talent or abilities, but do you think he really wanted you to score a touchdown? Other than a passing interest in the New Orleans Saints or the San Diego Padres (and a mild discomfort with the Duke Blue Devils), does God really care about the outcome of a sporting event?

I doubt it. But while athletes are always giving God credit for their successes, it’s rare for someone like Steve Johnson to come right out and blame God for his mistake. All that 24/7 praising and this how God do him?

It’s kind of refreshing, in the same way that it’s refreshing to see a dead deer on the side of the road because all you usually see is armadillo and skunk roadkill.

Here are some things we have learned from Steve Johnson’s tweet:

1. Apparently Steve Johnson praises God in his sleep. The noise of his snoring must be particularly joyful.

2. Good deeds Monday through Saturday do not guarantee that you will catch every pass on Sunday.

3. If he had used fewer exclamation points earlier in the tweet (I count 19 when 5 would have sufficed), Steve Johnson could have spelled out “thx tho” in its entirety. This is important to me.

4. If you are going to question God, it’s better not to use all caps, because it’s like you’re shouting. Shouting to the Lord is only appropriate for 1990s-era worship songs. It is unacceptable for complaints.

5. If God wanted Johnson to learn anything from this, it’s that one should not use a public forum like Twitter to air his theological grievances with God. Everyone knows a more appropriate public way to do this is by writing Psalms.

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[H/T: TMZ]

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