October 24, 2006
'OLD MAN ... YOU GIVE THOSE DOGS ANOTHER PIECE OF MY MEAT AND I'M GONNA KICK YA 'TILL YOU'RE DEAD.'
I've refrained from doing the irrational exuberance thing on the Salad in the wake of the amazing 62-yard kick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matt Bryant to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.
I refrain no more.
Holy hell, that was one remarkable finish.
We don't win games like that. Never have in Bucs history. Ever.
As Rommie text messaged me, "I wouldn't have even bothered to put him out there."
That poor guy looked like he had never spoken into a microphone befoe during the postgame press conference. Then the mayor gave him a proclamation naming it Matt Bryant Day in Tampa. The look on his face was like watching Howard Hughes trapped in a leper colony.
That it all happened and I still had the pleasure of rewinding-slow-motioning-forward-and-then-rewinding Donovan McNabb blowing chunks on the field, well... that was a little like Christmas morning.
But still, a couple images remain for me from the broadcast.
First, there was this shot:
That's quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.
Look at his eyes. He's checking the clock, reading 33 seconds left. Those are not the eyes of a nervous rookie.
He was like Evel Knievel in that moment. He knew he didn't have to make it look pretty. He just had to get the back tire of the motorcycle on the lip of the landing ramp.
Now check out Matt Bryant's face:
That's not a face of confidence.
That's a face that says, "Please, if thy will be done, let this cup pass from my lips."
Twenty seven seconds later, he helped turn another page in the Bucs Book of Legend and Lore. Which, you know, isn't that thick of a book.
Personally, I give credit for the win to the mascot that now adorns the porch of Casa del Ensalada.
I hereby present:
(Yes, that's Abraham looking out the window.)
And now, since my traffic stats have gone through the roof with people searching for Bruce Gradkowski photos I took during training camp, here are a few more.
I'm that kind of traffic whore.
Posted by Jeff at October 24, 2006 08:50 AM | TrackBack