Two Jet Aggie Spread Right.
It was that play called out of the Vikings' Eagle personnel package that will forever connect Greg Lewis and Brett Favre in Vikings lore. Depending on whom you listened to after Favre's miraculous throw was caught in even more miraculous fashion by Lewis in the back of the end zone to give the Vikings a 27-24 victory, this is a play Minnesota either works on a little or not at all.
"We haven't practiced that play, I can assure you," said Favre, who arrived on Aug. 18.
But coach Brad Childress said, "it's one of our last few plays we practice during training camp when we've got to have a play." That could mean the last time the Vikings ran through the play was with Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels in Mankato.
What's interesting if you go back and watch the play, is the fact it happened despite the fact three of Favre's potential targets stopped short of the end zone -- with virtually no time left on the clock. Look as Lewis makes the catch over safety Mark Roman with two seconds left and you'll see he is the lone Vikings receiver in the end zone.
Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe had cut off their routes. Why? Good question. "It was four verticals," offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. "We were sending four guys vertical to the end zone and I told Brett, 12 seconds, the ball had to go in the end zone."
There were 2 seconds left when Lewis caught that ball and given the situation time could have easily expired. There would be no reason for Berrian, Rice and Shiancoe not to keep going. But they didn't.
And it worked to perfection.
