Pats no what to do in a snow storm
Patriots coach Ron Meyer wanted to steal a game, so he did the obvious thing. He called for a burglar. Convicted burglar Mark Henderson stepped forward, and literally pulled a clever snow job on the Miami Dolphins, leaving them 3 - 0 losers to New England.
Meyer buried the spirit of fair play during a blinding blizzard in Foxboro, Massachusetts, where the Dolphins and Patriots were locked in a scoreless standstill. Because of the snowstorm, neither team had even remotely threatened to score a touchdown. Each attempted a field goal that failed because of the inclement weather.
However, with 4:45 remaining, New England ground out a drive that stalled out at the Miami 16-yard line. The Patriots then called time to let kicker John Smith clear away a spot on the slick, snow-covered field for a crucial field goal attempt that could win the game.
Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in Coach Meyer's sneaky mind. "I saw John Smith on his hands and knees trying to get the snow cleared, and all of a sudden it hit me," recalled Meyer. "Why not send a snow plow out there?"
He raced down the sideline looking for the operator of the John Deere snow plow that had been clearing the yard lines during time-outs. The operator happened to be Mark Henderson, 24, who was serving a 15-year sentence for burglary at Norfolk State Prison and was on the Schaefer Stadium maintenance crew as part of a work-release program. Meyer told Henderson to clear off a spot on the field for Smith.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>As you might expect of a person with his address, Henderson jumped when the command was given. He made a beautiful initial fake with the snow plow by retracing his previous path along the 20-yard line. Then, catching officials and Dolphins off guard, he swerved to his left, sweeping snow ahead of him and leaving a perfect swath of green SuperTurf between the 23- and 25-yard lines. It was the best sweep the Patriots ans had seen in years. The Dolphins cursed and threatened Henderson. jumped no one stopped him. Explained defensive tackle Bob Baumhower, "I saw him coming, but what was I supposed to do? No way I'm going to take on a plow."
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When play resumed, Smith planted his foot squarely in the path cleared by Henderson and kicked a game-winning 33-yard field goal.
The Dolphins cried foul, insisting the snow plow play was illegal. But the term "illegal" meant something quite different to the team than it did to Henderson, the convicted burglar. "What were they gonna do?" he said afterward. "Put me in jail?"
wil.:>Grin>