THE SUPER BOWL
Trip Start
Feb 05, 2009
1
45
Trip End
Jul 10, 2009
Milano Marittima, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Saturday, June 27, 2009
THE SUPER BOWL
We warmed up on a turf field adjacent to the grass field where we would play the game. On the far half, a youth flag football game was being staged, while Lazio warmed up on the half of the field closest to us.
I was battling emotion a bit, having intermittent feelings of nervousness contrasted with a resolute reservedness. Most games I play, I am always anxious to get through the warm up and start the match. This was no different. I had stretched and warmed up in my hotel room prior to getting to the field so I felt loose and the feeling was just amplified by our normal pregame stretching routine. My wrist felt better than it had in a month which was nice and I didn’t bother to tape it.
I slung it around to my receivers and then we ran through some plays before the match, On the last scrimmage play before we walked over to the actual field, I locked onto Marco wanting to throw him a ten yard in no matter what, and instead managed to lodge the ball into Atila, Beppe’s older brother’s chest who was playing outside linebacker. Tisma flipped because he had called a quick hitch but I wanted to throw an in, so I changed the play. I laughed it off, and walked over to the edge of the field.
The Marines were announced first, then a group of about eight of our players were shoved to the front and introduced, first Reggie, then myself and on it went until after that first group, the rest of the squad, 22 more guys ran onto the field. In contrast the Marines had 50 players on their roster.
I walked out with out captains as I had from the first game, but know I belonged in that group. We won the toss and deferred and we took the field.
There was ceremonial kickoff in which a former, famous trainer of the soccer team AC Milan kicked a ball and then it was brought back to me, and I started the game with a squib kick at number 99 on the right side. Coach Wood had identified 99 through film study as a player unqualified and incapable of handling a ball kicked his direction. The kick bounced around for a while, 99 elected not to pick it up so finally number 11, their American linebacker from Syracuse, came over picked it up and was wrestled down at the 40. The game started with a false start penalty then right before the next snap the referees stopped play again because I had neglected to retrieve the kicking tee from the field after the opening kickoff.
Lazio’s quarterback played a couple years in Bolzano and has played in various places around Europe for at least 6 years. He runs pretty well, prefers to scramble himself or run around until someone comes wide open. He isn’t a great passer though, which is good because we don’t stop the pass well. Additionally, nobody in Italy has been able to run the ball consistently against us and this game was no different. Our defensive line shuts down the run usually without evening needing much help from the linebacking core, which is remarkable and a great asset.
The Marines tried to convert on fourth down and failed, giving us the ball at our own 30. On first down we came out in I-formation and I faked a dive then slung the ball out to Panzani on a hitch and he turned outside and got an easy 8 yards. That was the last time we called the play, which drives me crazy. We should have line up in I-formation and thrown hitches a half dozen times.
We moved methodically down the field Reggie came out strong, as well. On third and short we ran option right and I kept it for the first down. Reggie got us down to the 34 and on first down Tisma called a I-formation run, but instead, I got us into I-twins, faked a dive left to Reggie, booted out to the right and lofted a ball to Piva who had was open by a step on the corner route. He latched on and we were up 7-0 after Andrea knocked home the PAT.
We kicked short again, negating a return but giving the Marines good field position at about the 35. Again our defense was stout and forced a punt. I’m on the punt block squad, I come off the edge on the left side, the block side. Another perk of playing in Italy. I came hard, slid to the inside of the personal protector and lunged at the punt but came up short. As I went to the ground on my right shoulder, my left arm lingered in the air behind me, and got smacked. I got up to see Juliana our bus driving defensive end had rushed hard from the right side and dove for the block too. The problem is that you are only supposed to rush from one side otherwise you end up with a potentially injurious collision course and that’s what happened. Juliana is a very good defensive end with a high motor, and I’m sure he was just trying to make a play, but he almost severed my arm at the elbow. I walked back to the huddle trying to get feeling back in my left arm. It would swell up nicely from this point. Reggie broke a 25 yard run around the left side that got us to the Marines’ 30, then I faked left, rolled right, scrambled back left, and found Reggie leaking out, and lofted the balled just over the linebacker head who was trying to cover him as he turned up the sideline. Reggie caught it, got a few steps in, before his lateral momentum took him out of bounds on the left sideline. On first down Cloche burrowed down to the 2 yard line, and on the impending play, I kept on the option and dove into the end zone. Giants 14-0. It looked like it was going to an absolute route.
Lazio responded in a big way. On their next drive, they hit a seam route the split our safety and corner who were playing cover three. Forlai the safety had a chance to get the recievre on the ground at our 30 yard line, but he dove, grabbed the back of his pads, then slipped off. Suddenly the Marines had life and it was ball game. 14-7
On the first play of the next drive though, we handed to Reggie going left, he picked up a great block from Cloche and raced 70 yards to the end zone.
The Marines mounted their most sustained drive yet, getting inside our 20 before Edwin sacked the quarterback on third down to force 4th and 20 from the 25. At this point I was rotating in on passing downs over 2 their American receiver, Paulo would come out, and Ciba would rotate to the other corner.
On fourth down they lofted a fade for 2, at about the goal line he pulled up so I broke down, but the ball lofted over both our heads, and he lunged back into me as I jumped for it. There was some contact, and in Italy often the equate any sort of contact with a receiver regardless of where the ball is or the nature of the play as unforgivable as if you had just gone after the Pope. I turned around, nervous, but no flags were thrown. It was pass interference but again out here, you never know.
We got the ball and Tisma called fake 24 reverse slot which is probably the worst play in our playbook. I swore I wouldn’t run it if he called it because it’s a gimmicky play that works 20% of the time and the other 80% loses yards. We fake a dive to Reggie right then I slip a handoff back underneath to the slot back who runs left. I hate the play. As much as I wanted to change it, I didn’t. And we lost two yards. On second down the end beat our left tackle, but I saw the pressure, escaped rolled left, then tried to throw back to the middle where Piva had hooked up on the curl but was to careful with the throw and missed.
On third and 12 I rolled right then pulled up and through a post-out route to Panzani but it wasn’t a great ball. It took him back toward the line of scrimmage. He caught it, but only got 8 yards and we had to punt. I was upset, I should have change the call on first down then threw two conservative balls that didn’t get us a first down. We punted. The Marines had two minutes left and their offense drove with methodically and the clock crept painfully slow down to 27 seconds. After getting a first down at our 35, the quarterback throws a drag back over the middle to 11 the big linebacker who plays a lot of slot and tight end. Reggie is on the coverage and the ball was high. 11 leaps up and catches it, leaving himself very exposed, while Reggie knife’s through 11 legs, flipping him upside down. 11 comes crashing back to earth upside down, the ball bounces out of his grasp, the crowd goes crazy and we are celebrating Reggie’s play. Except that bizarrely the referee’s have ruled that somehow it was a catch. It absolutely was not. On the next play from our 25 with 19 seconds left. The quarterback lofts another jump ball for 11, this time in our end zone. Reggie jumped to soon, swiped and missed, while our free safety didn’t make a play. 11 is 6’3 and went up and got it to his credit. The Marine faithful is going crazy, and suddenly after controlling the entire first half it is 21-13. On the PAT embarrassingly, the kicker left it short so we were up 8.
Cloche returns the kickoff to the 35 and we trot out on the field. I first contemplate a quarterback draw followed by a quick timeout then a heave at the end zone. But then I find out there is only four seconds remaining. Tisma is verbally making up a play to run, I listen, nod and jog to the huddle, look at my personnel then make up my own play. I go trips right, rell Piva to run a fly on the outside, then the inside two receivers to block. On the backside I tell Panzani to run a post. I tell Reggie to line up in the backfield with me then to, “swing left and kind of hangout.” My hope was that I’d be able to hold the ball, buy time look down the field to the right then get the ball to Reggie. We had 65 yards to cover and one play to do it. I can’t throw it that far, and we haven’t had a pass play that long all season. Reggie is the one guy who can score from 65 yards out, so he is my only realistic possibility of getting us in the end zone from 65 yards out in 4 seconds.
I take the shotgun snap and drop straight back, hoping to suck the right defensive end inside my right tackle so I can roll outside the pocket and break contain. He takes the bait, I bobbed 7 yards deep in the pocket, paused for a moment, drew the inside rush, then sprinted out to the right. Diego and the other lineman wash their guys past me and I step up near the line of scrimmage outside the pocket on the right side in the clear with a few precious, unmolested moments. I looked down the field at Piva and Panzani who have drawn the majority of the defensive attention. The diversion is working perfectly. I pull up short of the line of scrimmage and look back to my left where Reggie is indeed hanging out on the sideline just about at the line of scrimmage with a linebacker watching him from 5 yards in front. I flashed angry for a second because it was exactly what I wanted except I wanted Reggie to be running down the sideline into the expansive space behind the linebacker who was sitting at about the 40 yard line. I hesitated for a moment then said screw it and winged a pass on a line across the field to the far sideline five yards ahead of the linebacker, and ten yards ahead of Reggie.
Reggie took off after it, passing the flat footed linebacker on the outside and snagging the ball at the 45 yard line IN FULL STRIDE. It was perfect. Their wasn’t a defender within 25 yards, and Reggie looked like Boddie Miller on the slalom course when he’s not hung over. Reggie was moving in hyperspeed and everyone else on the field was in slow motion. The field had been so stretched, that their were running lanes everywhere, he just had to choose the right one, because he only got one chance to get this in the endzone. Time had expired, this was the last play of the half. It all came to a climax, as his course funneled him to the middle of the field where 11, the Marines best player, was waiting. From my vantage point I thought Reggie’s only chance of getting in the end zone was to cut left, but instead he stuttered stepped, froze 11, and broke right. I was furious again for a moment – until 11 dove after Reggie and came up empty, leaving Reggie with one or two more obligatory defenders to run around before he was free to jubilantly hurdle the goal line and toss the ball in the air. Mario was the second Giant in the endzone and he tackled Reggie. I arrived to hear Mario heaping love and adoration on the much deserving Reggie Greene. It was unbelievable – surreal – euphoric. It was the play that won us the Super Bowl, I’m sure of it. For as exhilarating as it was for us, it had to be at least as disheartening for the Marines. They were four seconds away from going into halftime 21-13. Instead it was 28-13.
At halftime I battled my thoughts and doubts. I had played a fantastic first half on both sides of the ball. Other than one drive, we had been superb offensively, but I think sometimes when you are ahead or playing well, you wonder can I keep this up? At least semi-frequently I do. I have to remind myself to focus on each play, and remind myself to keep the proper mindset. ‘You made plays the whole first half, the whole season, and you will continue to make plays until the second half is over.’ You have to maintain the mindset that you aren’t out there hanging on, you are out there attacking. But that becomes difficult when the play calling becomes increasingly conservative and run oriented. I know we need to keep a solid run-pass balance, but throwing means changing a play, sticking your neck out and that’s not always easy.
We received the kick off and after two runs we had 3rd and 8. Tisma calls a one receiver set and a counter. I change it to a play action quick out to Piva. My first mistake was taking too long on the fake, so when I turned around Piva was already open on the out. But if he was open know by the time I threw the ball and it arrived, the corner would probably be there to make the play. You can’t throw outs late. So I hesitated, staring at Piva, my one receiver to see what he would do. And he didn’t disappoint. He wheels up the field, the corner jumped the out and now Piva is wide open. And I played it safe. On a throw that will haunt me for the rest of the off-season, instead of just airing it out and hoping the not-so fleet footed receiver would run it down, I tried to get the safe completion by throwing a hard, flat ball, that ended up being well behind him, so much so that the badly beaten corner could react and make a play. When the ball finally arrived, he undercut Piva and intercepted the pass and managed a 20-yard return.
On the sideline Tisma was upset that I had changed the play, I told him we needed 8 yards, and he said that last time we ran that counter, Reggie got 45. I was pretty mad at myself, and didn’t want to hear this, so I just kept yelling at Tisma “tranquillo” which means relax essentially. What I mean is more shut up/ leave me alone but out of habit I use a word that doesn’t convey my intended meaning that well. So he is telling me that he is relaxed, and that I’m not relaxed which only leads to more talking to me which is not what I want and then I just yell tranquillo louder and –well, it’s vicious cycle. I walked over to Piva and apologized, he looks at me and says that it was a touchdown, and I shout in disgust at myself, “I KNOW!”
Thankfully our defense forced a stop and we took the field up 28-13 still. On second down I hit Piva on a 10 yard in that he converted into a hitch, he planted and went back outside after making the catch then got hit and wrapped up by a couple marines. In the process the ball came loose and the referees ruled it Marines’ ball.
Once again slowly the Marines drove, usually needing all three and occasionally four downs to advance ten yards for the next first down. But they stalled in our end and couldn’t convert on fourth down. We drove the field and inside the ten, I checked a couple plays to Reggie and he found the end zone to put us up a commanding 35-13. The third quarer ended and we were in complete control of the game.
Other than the lone long touchdown pass, the Marines proved incapable of producing big plays, but they managed to slog down the field inside our ten on the next drive. Our defense dug in, and on third and goal from the seven, 2 ran a slant hook in front of me, I saw the quarterback staring down the inside slot running an out so I started to sag on that when he came back to 2, who at that point had hooked up. I was shielded off the ball, hesitated then tried to time my hit on 2’s back as the ball arrived. I was a moment early for sure, I jarred him the instant before the ball got to him, causing it to bounce off him incomplete. I was sure that a flag was going to get tossed. But again I got lucky. I apologized to 2 on the next play, telling him I was there early, as if he didn’t know. On fourth down the Lazio quarterback scrambled right and got in for a touchdown. They lined up for a two point conversion, and I asked 2 if they were actually going to throw the fade to him (which he had run on the previous play). The ball was snapped, he ran the fade and despite knowing the play I second guessed myself, hesitated, and got beat on the fade. It was now 35-21.
Despite us expecting an onside kick, Lazio did indeed onside kick and recovered it. I was suddenly nervous.
But again, they slowly marched down the field, eventually getting stopped on Juliana’s sack and turned the ball over to us. We picked a couple first down’s on the strength of Reggie and my legs. Eventually at Lazio’s 35 it was fourth and 4 and I tried to hard count. It looked as is Lazio jumped, so our center Fabio correctly snapped the ball to me. I was promptly tackled, which wasn’t a problem, but what was, is that the ref’s didn’t rule that Lazio had jumped so they had the ball with two minutes left.
We played conservative, giving up the short routes, and Lazio burned clock and timeouts until there was 30 seconds left and they were on our 30. They hit 2 on a curl in front of me, and he tried to lateral to the running back on a hook and lateral play but I sagged and our defense rallied so he just kept it. I dove and latched on, dragging him down in bounds, which kept the clock running. On the final play of the game, they threw a jump ball to 2, who had it for a second then collided with a couple Giants and lost the ball as he fell to the ground in the end zone.
The game was over, the Bolzano Giants were Super Bowl Champions. Reggie who was in at safety, fell to the ground with a smile on his face. Finally after ten years, he had won it all. I kneeled over him, congratulating him while players and fans poured onto the field. For the next hour I was taking photos with my teammates, trophy’s, fans, kids, and even signing a few autographs. It was fun, especially having my parents there. But there was the raw emotion I felt from the guys after Bergamo. Edwin jokingly said later that it was like Jimmy Johnson saying back in the 1990’s beating the 49ers was there Super Bowl and the Bills were just and exhibition game. I would never disrespect the Marines and imply that or say that are guys were so confident, and guys were jubilant – but it just felt different than after the Bergamo game.
A few guys were crying, I gave Ciba a big hug, it was still an emotional moment for a lot of the older guys on the team. No one not wearing a Bergamo jersey had won the Super Bowl in over a decade. But we were the first, and I had helped put his team over the top. It was special. And I was exhausted. I played a lot of defense, and our defense was on the field for 75% of the second half.
Finally I walked back to the locker room. First I was stopped by the Parma quarterback who said he wished they were playing us tonight of course, though he thought with a healthy Reggie, it probably would have been a different game than the first.
I was glad we didn’t have to play them (our weakness is pass defense and Parma throws a lot, and they beat us [barely] two months before), but nonetheless we would have found a way to beat them.
He said that he heard I was coming back. I said yes, but didn’t know who said that to him, or if I was actually coming back. He said he was too, so we shook hands and pledged to see each other next year.
After that a couple girls asked to take a picture with me, which always makes you smile. Next the main reported from Alto Adige grabbed me and praised me for my play, especially the throw that led to Reggie’s last second touchdown catch and run. I just told him I got lucky. He told me luck goes to the bold.
Finally I made it back to the locker room. Piva and I were really the first ones back, and he pulled out a bucket full of beer and champagne. Piva’s my guy. All season after games we’d share or swap beers with each other. He handed my a couple Beck’s and we sat and savored the win together as other players trickled in.
It’s good to be king.
