[08.25.04]
Written by: Bob Pinter

For the Love of the Game, Part 8
Detroit, Rocko Play Small Ball

[08.26.04] (Somewhere in Hawaii) -- Donovan McNabb and Corey Dillon could hear the taunts from the sidelines.

"Why don't you pass the ball once or twice?"

"What's the matter, your coach watching?"

"Yeah, come on, just get the game over with!"

McNabb huddled his teammates back, down 7-3 as halftime neared in the second-round game. "I'm tired of this," he told his guys. "Receivers, eyes up."

And after letting runningback Corey Dillon grind out yards for the Rocko Bengals, McNabb took to the air, completing four straight passes to Donte Stallworth, Peter Warrick, Chad Johnson, and Todd Heap.

"That's more like it!" Seattle quarterback David Carr yelled out.

"I'm just getting started," McNabb shot back.

In the huddle; "Donte, you want another one?"

"Just throw it somewhere nearby," Stallworth said.

The seconds ticked off the clock toward halftime. Looking like the MVP candidate of years ago, McNabb eased back, and threw a 22-yard bullet to the young wide receiver for a touchdown.

"That oughta shut them up," McNabb muttered.

But it didn't. Rocko's opponent, the Detroit Drive, may as well have had their coach right there, in Hawaii, on this semi-private field where the PWFFL ballers were enjoying a summer tournament. Quarterback Michael Vick barely threw the ball in the half, letting his new runningback Jamal Lewis pick up yards in chunks. Vick hadn't even run the ball himself at all. But Lewis already had one touchdown, and despite the three-point deficit, the strategy seemed to be working.

"Don't change a thing," Lewis told his teammates at halftime. "You just give me the ball and I'll do the rest."

"That's fine with me," said Najeh Davenport, the de facto fullback for the day.

"I'm good," backfield mate Eddie George added.

And Vick, with that ever-present grin, went out to start the second half and threw a 33-yard pass to Laverneous Coles to get the Drive to the Bengals 35.

"Come on, you guys can't have all the fun!" Vick shouted to his runningbacks.

"Set...hut!" the field general called out the next play. With nowhere to go, Vick took off, diving to the 13-yard line for a pickup of 14 yards.

"You think we've got them on their heels now?" he asked aloud.

But he hadn't. The Rocko defense saw the run coming, stopping Lewis on three straight carries. That sent kicker Jay Feely out to tie the score with a field goal.

It marked a turn in the tide where the run began to wear down for both teams. After trading possessions, unable to gain anything, the Drive got the ball back on the Bengals' 45 yard line.

"What do you think?" McNabb turned to Dillon and asked.

"If they're smart, they'll run it," his runningback answered.

They did run it--a sweep to the corner of the enzone by Lewis, his second touchdown of the day--but not before Vick unloaded a 40-yard pass to Rod Gardner to get the Drive to first-and-goal.

"Just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention," Vick said with a smile.

"Any chance I can get a few more like that?" Gardner asked.

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Lewis chuckled.

By now, Rocko's ground game had gone cold. Dillon wasn't seeing any holes in the defense, and McNabb, forced to try to mix things up, couldn't get into a rhythm either. Jeff Wilkins, who spent the game doing the punter's duties, booted one to the Detroit 30.

Up 17-10, Vick dictated the offense.

"This is it, guys," he whispered. "We can get into the final four on this drive. We can knock another playoff team OUT. But we'll play OUR game. Jamal, it's on you. Everyone else, stay sharp."

But the Bengals were watching Lewis as closely as any other team had the previous year. They stifled him and prevented him from getting any yardage. Finally, a frustrated Vick found Coles across midfield with a 21-yard pass.

"You okay?" Coles asked Lewis in the huddle.

"Just keep mixing up if you have to," Lewis said, gasping for breath.

And on third down, with two minutes left in the game, Vick turned to Davenport, who had set up Lewis all day. The oft-traveled runningback leaped over two Rocko defenders to get to the 32 yard line with time ticking.

"Okay, I've had my fun," Davenport joked. "Get ready to find some daylight."

And with a block of two Bengal linebackers, he sprung Lewis for a 16-yard run.

"Single back, single back!" Vick snapped in the huddle.

Davenport ran off the field, and the Bengals waved on their defensive backs. Lewis took advantage, and ran over the smaller Rocko backfield, for another touchdown, his third of the game and a vault over the 100-yard rushing mark.

"See that?" George turned to Gardner on the sideline. "We can really do some things this year with these guys."

"Let's hope we're all here to witness it," Gardner replied.

McNabb would throw for one more score, but it was not enough. A third team from last year's playoffs had been dethroned by a team that sported a 4-10 record the previous year.

Final: 24-10.

"I've had enough of this," England Teasers quarterback Steve McNair said to no one in particular. "Timbuktu, you will NOT make it past this round."