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Old 06-08-2006, 09:28 PM   #58
revrew
Team Chaplain
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Just outside Des Moines, IA
At last, the day of the big game came. New England strolled into Atlanta (the site of the game) boasting a 1700-yard rusher and a 4000-yard passeer, an offense that was capable of grinding opponents into the ground. The defense, however, especially without the services of star DE Trevor Pryce because of injury, could give up plays, especially in the passing game. The Pats were a formidable foe and came into the game a 3-point favorite.

After all the hype, however, the game itself was anticlimactic. By halftime, the Rebels had amassed a 27-0 lead. Our offense was firing on every cylinder, but our defense once again was the story of the day. At the half, New England's league-leading rusher had been held to 11 yards. Our linebackers brought back memories of the Ravens' only championship team, filling every gap, tackling carriers behind the line, and still managing to cover the short-passing game.

At the opening of the second half, it appeared New England was going to turn things around. They drove from the opening kickoff all the way down to our 8-yard line, where they faced a 4th and 1. To this day some have questioned their coach's decision not to get those first 3 points, but down 27-0, the Pats needed to make up ground faster than a field goal. On 4th and 1, Rebel OLB Daryl Smith charged in on a run blitz, only to find the QB pulling a play action. Untouched, he streaked through the line, past the running back, and hammered their QB, driving him down for an 8-yard loss.

The game ended a 34-3 drubbing, Spencer Knowles rushing for 100, Smith amounting an 8-tackle, 2-sack, 1 forced fumble game, and QB Marco Turtschin (who won MVP) throwing for 2 TDs and scrambling in a third. New England was a better team that that. They really were. But on that given Sunday, the Rebels destroyed them with ease.

I had built a championship team. I had done it with crazy restrictions placed on me by a megalomaniacal owner. Somehow, that fact made the victory even sweeter. Since I was a zit-faced teenager, I had dreamed of managing an NFL team. Now I had lived my dream, and lived it to its fullest...or so I thought. Better things were yet to come.

For Jeffrey Davis, the 34-3 crushing was a dream come true as well. The Southern fans who took up the "Yankee, go home" tauntings were exactly what Davis had in mind. I think somewhere in the dark and twisted recesses of his mind, he fully expected the South would secede that night.

Such was obvious in his comments after the game. After every SuperBowl, when the Lombardi is getting passed around, players, coaches, managers, and owners are invited on to a little platform to hoot and holler. Turtschin gave a tough and heart-felt salute to his teammates, something that endeared him to Birmingham fans forever. Daryl Smith lended a "we are the champions" swagger, and coach gave his usual, short answer, a man of few words if there ever was one.

I, however, didn't climb the stage. I knew what was coming. I congratulated the players, then slowly slipped away to the locker room office. I knew the tide was about to turn, and I didn't want to be anywhere near it. In fact, years earlier I had signed and notarized documents--placed into a safety deposit box--detailing my desire to be distanced and many objections to Davis, his scheme, and his restrictions on managing a team.

I won't go into great detail on his comments after the game. His ranting about the "evil, imperial empire of the United States" and "Southern brotherhood above all" carried headlines throughout the country. A couple of times, the sportscasters in the booth tried to cut Davis off, for the embarrassing display, but ABC executives knew a newsworthy story. This one was being broadcast live, exclusively on ABC. With his comments, Jeffrey Davis thought he was giving birth to a new nation, the Confederate States of America. What Davis actually did was alienated every ally he had and seal his own doom, both professionally and personally.
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Winner of 6 FOFC Scribe Awards, including 3 Gold Scribes
Founder of the ZFL, 2004 Golden Scribe Dynasty of the Year
Now bringing The Des Moines Dragons back to life, and the joke's on YOU, NFL!
I came to the Crossroad. I took it. And that has made all the difference.
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