Again, a Blades cuts to the quick Roger Mills, The St.Petersburg Times, published 30 September 1996 Maybe it was a secret shared by two players during a late night phone call. But the Blades brothers seem to like playing at Houlihan's Stadium. In successive weeks, they have come up with big plays. Last week, it was younger brother Brian who carved the life out of Tampa Bay's defense in a furious late rally, catching nine passes for 92 yards - 78 in the fourth quarter - and a touchdown, to lead Seattle over the Bucs 17-13. Sunday, it was Bennie's turn. The nine-year veteran, who floated between safety and linebacker, timed a poorly thrown first-quarter Trent Dilfer pass to perfection, made the interception and ran it back 98 yards for the touchdown. "That was a big, big play," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said. "This was a team we knew going in we couldn't fall behind on." Lions coach Wayne Fontes said: "We had a lot of guys out on defense, and so the key was Bennie Blades' interception. It kind of turned them around because they were marching down the field. It wasn't a defense that I was happy with, but it was one that came up with big plays." Although there were still two quarters left to play, the interception, Dilfer's ninth of the season, stifled a key drive for Tampa Bay. "(Turnovers) win and lose games for you," Dungy said. "You make a turnover at the other team's 2- or 3-yard line and it turns games around." Exhibit 1. Just two plays after the change of possession, running back Reggie Brooks fumbled and Detroit recovered at Tampa Bay's 12-yard line. A field goal put the Lions ahead 10-0 early in the second quarter. "It did a lot for the offense," Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell said. "They were right down there ready to score. It was a huge play." Said Blades: "I don't know if it was a big play for the game. But it was a very big play for me. I just go out looking to make plays. Fortunately for me, he threw it right in my hands." The play came on the Bucs' second drive of the first quarter. Beginning on their 29-yard line, the Bucs marched 65 yards on four first-down conversions. On one of the drive's key plays, Dilfer found LeRoy Thompson open on an inside curl for 12-yard completion. Blades was the strong safety victimized on the play. "He did on me earlier in the drive, and I thought: `Okay, I'm not going to let you do it again,' " Blades said. "The thing about Tampa Bay is that they want to stay with whatever they had success with, so we knew they were going to come back." Dilfer did. On third and goal at the 4, Dilfer tried to find Thompson on the same pattern. But Blades stepped in front and plucked Dilfer's throw cleanly on the run. He scampered over an early blitz of would-be tacklers, cut to his right and raced up the right side with only Dilfer to beat. Dilfer caught Blades at the 28but fell to a stiff-arm as Blades rambled into the end zone on his final fumes of energy. "When he first took off it was like the Bennie of old, the way he sprinted for 20 yards," Fontes said. "Then he started looking like me the way he was running, then like you (media) guys and then for the last 20 yards he looked like a big, old wrestler with a piano on his back."