Keyshawn proves his worth again Martin Fennelly, The Tampa Tribune, published 10 December 2001 It was the kind of moment that defines this man. It goes beyond the fat contract, the friendly smile, the fast talk, the radio show, the restaurant openings. It was the kind of moment an operator like Keyshawn Johnson loves to operate in. It is why he invented himself years ago, when he was on the streets of Los Angeles, with nothing but big ideas. One play. One leap. One grab. One touchdown. His first, in fact. He sure can pick 'em. It took him 93 catches. It took nearly three quarters of a season, but he put his six points up in bright lights as darkness loomed. That was Keyshawn on Sunday, going up and over the winless Detroit Lions to give what life there was to Bucs playoff chances. That was Keyshawn, demanding that his coaches do the obvious on the winning drive - so obvious that they forgot it all year. He told Tony Dungy. Then he told Clyde Christensen, probably with hand puppets. "Lose with me if we're gonna lose." That was Keyshawn, making four catches, each one bigger than the last. That was Key grabbing his team back from the abyss. He saw the football and went over a Lion to grab it. He never let go. "At that point, it's a baby falling out of a 10-story window," Keyshawn Johnson said. "You catch that baby." It was all going to go splat. It was all over. The season. Maybe the Dungy era. With his single touchdown, Keyshawn saved all - at least for now. Keyshawn's 13-yard catch of Brad Johnson's jump ball changes things for good. Sunday was still an indictment of everything that is wrong with these Bucs. They were 45 seconds from being the lowlight on the ESPN highlights. They were about to lose to an 0-11 team that managed just four field goals. You can't help but be amazed how these Bucs let nearly 12 games go by before getting its best player a touchdown. Because Keyshawn was there all along. He was there when he arrived in Tampa Bay with that $53 million contract. He was there last season. He is there when he is hurt. He played with a sore ankle Sunday. On it, he set a Bucs record for catches in a season. Keyshawn loves to talk. Keyshawn loves to talk about better offense. Everybody thinks Keyshawn is really just talking about himself. But those same people forget one thing. "Keyshawn's a warrior," Warren Sapp said. Speaking of warriors, among those at Sunday's game was Gen. Tommy Franks, who works out of MacDill Air Force Base, where he is running a little show called Operation Enduring Freedom. The Bucs' locker room is the last place you'd expect to find a guy about to launch a major offensive, but Franks congratulated the home team for not quitting, then promised that the armed forces "will get 'that guy' over there," meaning either Osama bin Laden or the fella who drew up the Bucs' running plays. Strange, but with a four-star general around, team-mates pressed Keyshawn's name into service. "Keyshawn's a soldier," Ronde Barber said. We've all endured some hardship during Operation Enduring Johnson. He has marched when he has had to march, but occasionally he beats his own drum. He probably has said a few things he shouldn't have, but that's Keyshawn. He speaks as he thinks. And he thinks all the time. He thought the time had come Sunday. As late as last week in Cincinnati, he was critical of the Bucs offense and its lack of killer instinct. But not during a game. Not to his bosses. At least not in Tampa Bay. Not yet. Now the season was dying. Detroit led 12-7. Keyshawn went up to Dungy and Christensen, in that order. Lose with me or win with me. Dungy understood. Christensen understood. "That whole drive, I was the primary receiver," Keyshawn said. There were other big plays. Brad Johnson played hurt and played hard. Mike Alstott made a catch on fourth down. But this was Keyshawn's drive from start to finish. Keyshawn for 16 yards on third- and-10. Keyshawn for 15 yards. Keyshawn for another 15 on fourth-and-eight at the Detroit 28, the play that set up The Play. Key moments. All of them. So how was Detroit's 5-9 third- string cornerback Jimmy Wyrick going to fight it? How to stop 6-4 Keyshawn in the end zone? This was Keyshawn's drive, so it sure as hell was going to be Keyshawn's first touchdown. He went up. He used his body. He was Shaq in the paint, "butt in the gut," as Sapp said. Say what you want about Keyshawn, but the Bucs won with him Sunday. In the end, maybe he didn't save a thing. There was still only one thing for a warrior to do. You catch that baby.