The shootout

TALES FROM THE TAILGATE

Pats 26, Vikings 20 OT (11/13/'94): The sad news that former Patriots fullback Kevin Turner has been diagnosed with ALS is a sobering reminder of the risks that NFL players take to earn a living while entertaining the masses. The toll of the violence is something that we mostly don't talk about while hanging out in the Gilette parking lot grilling and drinking. It sometimes makes an ugly appearance on the field when a collision results in an injury. But mostly it shows up later in the life of the players when people are no longer watching them. For Turner, just 41, it showed up much too soon.

Turner is a favorite of the longtime Pats fan. A fullback is often the heart and soul of an offense. Much like linebackers on defense. Turner was a big part of the Patriots' heart as they suddenly transformed into a playoff contender under Bill Parcells. On a beautiful November day (near 50 degrees) in 1994, Turner was an even bigger part of the game in which Parcells saw his leadership and work finally start to pay off. What a pay off it was.

Me, my brother Jim, Mark, and his friend Scottie enjoyed a great day of tailgating in T-shirts in the winter. Scottie was wearing his Broncos T-shirt being a long, long time Denver fan. It was just mine and Mark's first year as season ticket holders together, a purchase inspired by the hiring of the Tuna, and we were enjoying our Sundays very much. The fact that the team was 3-6 and had lost four straight did not dampen our spirits one bit that afternoon. We were just glad to be tailgating.

The game started out horribly. The Vikings, one of the best in the NFC that year, were full of veteran stars. Chris Carter. Henry Thomas. John Randle. Jack Del Rio. And of course Warren Moon. The Hall of Fame QB was 38-years-old and still one of the best gunslingers in the league. He came out firing at the old Foxboro Stadium, passing for 234 yards in the first half. The Vikings jumped all over the Patriots for a 20-3 lead. Our spirits were a little dampened at that point.

The Patriots had a young player they hoped would develop into their own gunslinger. Drew Bledsoe. In the second half that's just what he did. Bledsoe completed an amazing 37 of 54 passes for 354 yards ... in the second half. 54 passes in one half. It was an amazing sight. Bledsoe finished the game with 42 completions in 70 pass attempts. Both NFL records. And he didn't throw an interception.

Bledsoe started slinging the ball all over Foxboro Stadium on the opening drive of the third quarter, capping it with a 31-yard TD pass. The rest of the half was one rocket after another. Big Ben Coates caught 10 passes, Leroy Thompson 11, Michael Timpson 10, Vincent Brisby 5, Kevin Turner 4. Not exactly Stallworth and Swan that Bledsoe was working with. The Pats still trailed by 10 with just over five minutes left in the game when #11 really started to heat up. Third down after third down Bledsoe would keep the drive going. A rope to Timpson. First down. A scrambling completion to Coates. First down. Me, Mark, Jim, and Scott were loving it. The whole stadium was loving it.

Matt Bahr kicked a field goal with seconds left to send the game into overtime. Then Bledsoe really caught fire. Starting at their own 35-yard line, Parcells called five straight pass plays and Bledsoe completed them all moving the team down to the Vikes 25. The Pats then ran three times to set up a first down at the 14-yard line. Parcells was a pound-the-rock kind of coach. His Super Bowl champion Giants played that way. So this was the moment we expected the Pats to keep it on the ground and set up the winning field goal. But the coach had already come to the conclusion -- as everyone else did when the game was over -- that the Pats had a very powerful weapon in Bledsoe. He wasn't afraid to use it.

Bledsoe took the snap and dropped back to pass. From our view in Section 311 we could see Kevin Turner come out of the backfield right below us, heading towards the near corner of the end zone. Bledsoe lofted a beautiful pass that sailed from our right to left, landing in Turner's fingertips as the fullback touched his toes gently in bounds. Touchdown! Pats win! From 20-0 to 26-20! Turner leaped into the arms of his teammates. Jim and I leaped into each other's arms. It was one of the best sporting moments I've witnessed. The Pats left the field with a 4-6 record but with a new sense of confidence. They did not lose another game the rest of the regular season and made the playoffs. That's how much of an impact Bledsoe's passes and Turner's catch had.

Ask anyone who was at Foxboro Stadium that day what it was like and they all get a large smile on their face. The tape of this game is one of the most revisited among my video library of Pats games created over 20 years through the hard work of faithful VCRs. I've watched that ball fall into the hands of Kevin Turner time and time again. He gave 60,000 people one of their greatest sports memories that day. He deserves a better fate.