DomCasual
07-27-2006, 10:56 PM
Okay, I'm just reading Next Man Up - John Feinstein's book about a year behind the scenes of an NFL team. So far, it's really entertaining, even if it is centered on the Baltimore Ravens.
This is an excerpt, regarding Ozzie Newsome (a total class act, IMO).
"There was the Drive, the Fumble, and the Rout," Newsome said, remembering all three games. "The one that hurt the most was the Drive. Usually, when our defense was on the field, I didn't watch. I'd sit on the bench and rest. But in that game, we had less than two minutes from the Super Bowl, I'm watching. They have a third-and-seventeen. They make it. Then they score. Even in overtime, we got the ball first and didn't do anything with it. I can still remember at the start of the Drive, thinking, 'I'm finally going to the Super Bowl,' because I always said I wasn't going until I played in one."
Following the Rout in 1989, Newsome flew home with the team, walked into his house, and could tell by the look on his wife Gloria's face that something was wrong that had nothing to do with the game. "Your dad died a couple of hours after the game." she told him. It wasn't a shock - Ozzie Newsome Sr. had liver and kidney problems and was extremely overweight, but it was still a shock because it was his dad. "Last time we talked had been Friday," he said. "Dad said to me, 'Ozzie, you've got to do something about that Elway.' I told him not to worry, that we had a plan for him this time. He was skeptical. I think the last thing he ever said to me was 'Watch out for Elway.'"
I'd never heard that before. And while it is sad, it's a great addition to the legend that is John Elway. They had no chance in that game. Elway was in their heads - had to have been just completely demoralizing.
If you haven't read this book, you should.
This is an excerpt, regarding Ozzie Newsome (a total class act, IMO).
"There was the Drive, the Fumble, and the Rout," Newsome said, remembering all three games. "The one that hurt the most was the Drive. Usually, when our defense was on the field, I didn't watch. I'd sit on the bench and rest. But in that game, we had less than two minutes from the Super Bowl, I'm watching. They have a third-and-seventeen. They make it. Then they score. Even in overtime, we got the ball first and didn't do anything with it. I can still remember at the start of the Drive, thinking, 'I'm finally going to the Super Bowl,' because I always said I wasn't going until I played in one."
Following the Rout in 1989, Newsome flew home with the team, walked into his house, and could tell by the look on his wife Gloria's face that something was wrong that had nothing to do with the game. "Your dad died a couple of hours after the game." she told him. It wasn't a shock - Ozzie Newsome Sr. had liver and kidney problems and was extremely overweight, but it was still a shock because it was his dad. "Last time we talked had been Friday," he said. "Dad said to me, 'Ozzie, you've got to do something about that Elway.' I told him not to worry, that we had a plan for him this time. He was skeptical. I think the last thing he ever said to me was 'Watch out for Elway.'"
I'd never heard that before. And while it is sad, it's a great addition to the legend that is John Elway. They had no chance in that game. Elway was in their heads - had to have been just completely demoralizing.
If you haven't read this book, you should.