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David R Squire, The St.Petersburg Times, published 5 October 1981
For sure the Tampa Bay fans loved it. But Sugar Ray Leonard could appreciate it; and Detroit's Thomas Hearns ... well, he knows the feeling.
That's just one way of describing Sunday's Tampa Stadium scenario, as Doug Williams survived a knock- down, and made a comeback to put the finishing touches on one of his finest performances of the year. Williams completed 13 of 29 passes for 1C>8 yards with one interception.
"We all knew we had to win this game," said Kevin House, who was on the receiving end of two touchdown catches. "I don't think we had a lot of yards (passing). We just made the big plays. It feels great especially since we were down early in the game."
Indeed, the Bucs were down. This time they spotted their opponent 10 points, reversing the infamous 10-point jinx, which has plagued the Bucs so often. "The 10-point jinx is now history," Williams said. "I believe we have developed to the point where if we score 10 points on an opponent in the first half, we can come back in the second half and score 10 more."
Williams has silenced his critics, at least for awhile, with his performance. And he picked the right time to silence them. The 71,733 fans who watched the game was the largest regular-season crowd ever in the Bucs' brief history.
If the fans came to watch Motor City running back Billy Sims race around Tampa Stadium, well, they may have been in for a little disappointment. But, Williams' performance wasn't a bad one to watch. Except maybe one play, in which Williams said later, "I felt like Thomas Hearns for awhile."
On the play, Lions -Defensive lineman Doug English bear-hugged Williams and fell on him as they both hit the ground. Most eyes were downfield where Williams' pass was being picked off. But a large groan from the stands sent eyes searching - Williams was sprawled on the Turf, writhing in pain. A knee? An ankle? Cracked ribs?
After nearly five minutes of on-field attention, Williams was unable to leave the field under his own power. That bizarre sight had "Gone For the Year" written all over it.
But it wasn't long before Williams' status became known. When two Bucs came up with an interception - David Logan tipped it and Cecil Johnson caught it - Williams came jogging back on the field, bringing a roar from the sellout crowd.
Williams explained later that the not so serious injury was a "good shot under the chin. I don't know whether it was a helmet or a forearm," he said. "I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I watch the films, although I don't think I really want to."
The lasting effects were a headache and a cut on the back of his tongue. "I was a little dazed. I was still a little dizzy when I got up, and I still had a headache," Williams said in the locker room, constantly stroking his chin gently.
But his day’s work pleased Williams because, "It was the first time we've gotten down inside and were able to score as often as we did. That's a good sign."
House, who appeared to be open most of the day, said it all looked so easy because the Lions were in a lot of single coverages. "Anytime you get single 'coverage, you're supposed to be open most of the time."
That's what happened on a sideline pattern to James Wilder near the start of the fourth quarter. Williams hit Wilder going full-stride down the right sideline for a 37- yard toss. Wilder hauled the pass in around the 10-yard line and took a few giant steps for the score to give the Bucs a 21-10 lead.
The victory became a rout when Williams ended the day's scoring with a six-yard pass to Jim Obradovich to give the Bucs a 28-10 cushion.
It all may be a good sign for the Bucs and their fans for the weeks to come. Williams said he feels his team has developed the talent to knock an opponent out and keep him down. "The killer instinct comes when you can get ahead and put people away," said Williams. "We're improving on that every week.."
Said House, "It was just a great win especially since we were behind early, then came back. We all knew we just had to win this game."
Folks from Detroit have heard enough of that kind of talk.
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