Quick Kicks
Stand-up guy falls down
Rams cornerback Dexter McCleon peeled the eye-black strips from his cheeks and bathed in the guilt of St. Louis’ loss to the Lions on Sunday at the Silverdome.
McCleon tripped and let receiver Germane Crowell get behind and catch a desperate, fourth-and-26 heave from Gus Frerotte that saved the Lions.
Three plays later, McCleon interfered with Crowell near the goal line, setting up Frerotte’s game-winning touchdown pass to Johnnie Morton with 28 seconds remaining.
“It was all me. I should have been back there,” a dejected McCleon said about the fourth-down conversion. “I should have broken up the play. Game should have been over.
“Basically, I let the team down, I let the fans down, I let the city of St. Louis down.”
McCleon was content to fall on his sword, but his teammates weren’t prepared to lay the blame at his feet.
“They made a great play. Great throw, great catch, the guys up front did a great job protecting him, and that’s how it goes sometimes,” said quarterback Kurt Warner.
Two straight road losses in the final minute have derailed the runaway Rams. After a 6-0 start, St. Louis is a more humbled team that feels like it could still be undefeated.
“We know that a couple changed plays here and there, and we could be 8-0,” center Mike Gruttadauria said. “Maybe in a couple days, 6-2 won’t feel as bad. But right now, it hurts.”
No revenge for Cleveland
Sitting in his luxury suite, Art Modell would have loved the sight.
As his Baltimore Ravens celebrated, embarrassed Cleveland Browns fans who came seeking revenge, hung their heads and raced for the exits.
With Modell watching on TV back in Baltimore, refusing to return to the city he left four years ago, the Ravens routed the Browns.
“It was three times bigger for him than it was for us,” Errict Rhett said of Modell. “We really wanted to win this game for him.”
Cleveland fans waited four years for a chance at revenge over Modell, the owner who took their beloved Browns to Baltimore in 1995.
“When I signed here, the first thing I heard from everybody was beat Baltimore,” Browns tackle Orlando Brown said. “This is very disappointing.”
Tragedy strikes Colts DB
Nichole Muhammad, the wife of Indianapolis defensive back Steve Muhammad, died Sunday of complications from childbirth.
Colts coach Jim Mora led off his postgame news conference with the announcement following Sunday’s win over the Chiefs.
“You won’t find a very festive locker room,” Mora said.
Mora said Nichole Muhammad went into the hospital Saturday and that her husband, who was declared inactive for the game, spent the night at the hospital.
There was no other information available from the hospital on the cause of death or the condition of the baby. The couple had three other children.
The last word …
“Sometimes you wonder why things happen. I think it’s team confidence. It’s the confidence that the line is handling things and I’m going to stand in there strong, make the throw and make the play. That’s what we did.” - Lions QB Gus Frerotte after beating Rams with late TD pass.