Looking For Unusual Suspects

look it in and make a play," said Babineaux, who appeared more like the intended receiver than Glenn. "Catch it and I'm going right for the end zone." 

The interception was his second of the season - the second of his two-year career at that. He would intercept only one more ball the 2005 season, but none more important than this one, the one he returned 25 yards to the Dallas 32 with only five seconds remaining in the drizzly game in Seattle. 

That brings us to the second suspect, Brown, from the other side of the Red River, Foyil, Okla. Played his college ball for the Cornhuskers. Couldn't find him for nothing. Back and forth. Back and forth, until one of my spotters told me to head back where once we were. 

There he is, being talked up by those ESPN Classic dudes. Silliness. All silliness. Come on dudes, we got football to talk here. This guy beat the Cowboys, kicked that 50-yard field goal in the drizzle as time expired for a 13-10 Seahawks win. He needs to have to account for himself, and here he is, saying, "I've never seen this many people in one day." Big deal. 

! 

Brown had only seen one game-winning field-goal attempt inside two minutes in his career. That was three games earlier, with time expiring in a 17-17 game against the Redskins. From 47 yards, he hit the upright, and the Seahawks would go on to lose in overtime. That was it in the NFL. 

In fact, up until that day, he had been three-of-five in his NFL career from 50 yards. And I'll be, he hits from 55 as the first half expires to cut the Cowboys' lead to 7-3, and the last thing he expected was to be trying a game-winning field goal as time expired in the next half. 

"Babs gets the interception, and is running it back, and I'm running back down the sideline (the other way) to the bench," Brown said. 

He didn't have his helmet. 

"Then I raced down the other way to get on the field," Brown remembered. 

Rushed. No time to mentally prepare. From 50. In the drizzle. 

"I wasn't even ready," Brown admitted. 

Huh. He nailed it 

"That's the most excited I've ever been in my life," Brown said. 

Great. Seahawks 13, Cowboys 10. Worse, the 4-2 Cowboys drop to 4-3. Had they won, they would have gone into Thanksgiving at 8-2 and on a six-game winning streak. Who knows what would have happened then. 

And the Seahawks, instead off dropping to 4-3, they, on a three-game-winning streak at 5-2, go on to reel off eight more straight wins, and the only loss they would suffer the rest of the way, regular season or playoffs, was the season-ender to Green Bay that mattered not even a wee bit. 

Amazing how much can change in two plays - in the span of 25 seconds. 

"I think the way we fought to get back in that game, it absolutely boosted our confidence as a team and as an organization," Brown said. 

"That win definitely kept our momentum going," Babineaux said. "It gave us confidence that in close games we can step up and get it done." 

And here they are, the Seahawks part of Super Bowl XL, and the Cowboys, they're at home still trying to fill out a coaching staff. All in part, thanks to these two guys that Oct. 23rd day, two guys here in the Motor City with nary a booth nor a mic now engulfed by the silliness that is Super Bowl Media Day. 

Not to worry, though, this mission was accomplished. Got our suspects.   

MICK SHOTS