Tuesday, September 22, 2009
MIAMI GARDENS — The stands were chock full of Pierre Garcon's family, all waiting for something big to happen.
His mother, Marie Nicolas, had never made the trip from their home in West Palm Beach to Indianapolis to see him play because she said it was too cold. But on Monday she was in the crowd to watch him stand in for injured Colts receiver Anthony Gonzalez.
And with her was the group that had driven from Palm Beach County to watch him: His three sisters. His uncles, aunts and cousins — "lots of cousins," he said. His high school football coach at John I. Leonard and two of his track coaches. Even the pastor of his church. And whomever else, he couldn't even remember.
After all, he had requested or bought 43 tickets to the Dolphins' home opener.
"And it wasn't enough," he said.
All of them sat through three hours of football and saw the ball go Garcon's way only twice, both times falling incomplete.
That changed with 3:18 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was 2nd-and-10 at the Miami 48-yard line and the Colts trailed 23-20.
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning went to the line and scanned the defensive formation. He suspected an all-out blitz.
Then he flailed and gesticulated as he often does to audible into a play that would reward the Garcons for their patience.
The blitz came and Manning threw a wide receiver screen to Garcon, who slipped past a pair of tacklers and followed his blockers 48 yards to score what proved to be the winning touchdown in a 27-23 decision.
"He really has great speed and he showed it on that play," Manning said.
As Garcon closed in on the end zone, he looked up to the big screen to see himself trot in the last few yards.
"I always wanted to do that," said Garcon, who had never before scored an NFL touchdown.
Garcon, who is in his second season out of Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, tried to look for his mother in the stands, but was mobbed by his offensive lineman.
"That was the perfect script for me," Garcon said. "Perfect homecoming gift."
Manning got the game ball for becoming the winningest quarterback in Colts history, passing Johnny Unitas with 119 wins.
But Garcon got to keep the ball that Manning threw. It's already on its way to be painted to commemorate the occasion and will end up in a glass case as the first trophy of his pro career.
It was all the more meaningful because he accomplished it on the same field where one of his childhood heroes, Dan Marino, made so much history.
And because Garcon's mother was watching.
"I'll look at it every day," he said of the football he caught. "I'm glad I got a touchdown for her."
By CARLOS FRIAS
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/services/content/sports/epaper/2009/09/22/0922pierre_garcon.html?cxtype=ynews_rss
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment