Now he would of been a good pickup for us to run next to Gafney.... http://www.democratandchronicle.com/sports/bills/0312story1_bills.shtml Buffalo already knows Dyson; he helped beat Bills in fluke By Sal Maiorana Democrat and Chronicle (March 12, 2003) — ORCHARD PARK — It started as soon as Kevin Dyson walked through the front door of the Buffalo Bills office complex Monday afternoon. “Kevin Dyson? Aren’t you the guy ...” Yeah, that’s the guy. Dyson, a wide receiver who has played all five of his NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans but is looking for employment opportunities elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent, owns a permanent place in Buffalo sports history. He was the player who ran 75 yards for the game-winning touchdown on the infamous Home Run Throw Back kickoff return, giving the Titans a never-to-be-forgotten 22-16 wild-card playoff victory over the Bills in January 2000. “My goodness, as soon as I walked in I heard about it, and every person I’ve met has mentioned it,” a grinning Dyson said after meeting with Bills officials during his visit to Orchard Park. “If I don’t sign here, it was a lateral. If I sign here, it was a complete phony, bogus play that shouldn’t have counted.” Of course now that Gregg Williams, Tennessee’s former defensive coordinator, is the head coach in Buffalo, the play was bogus. “I’m here; it was definitely a forward pass,” said Williams of the play -- on which Dyson caught what many people still contend was not a legal lateral from Frank Wycheck before racing down the sideline untouched by the fooled Buffalo kickoff coverage unit. Not that it was any consolation to Bills fans, but three weeks later, the gods fired back at Dyson and the Titans. Dyson -- the first receiver chosen in the 1998 NFL Draft, ahead of even Randy Moss -- was involved in another play that earned a permanent spot in the ESPN Classic vault. He caught a slant pass from Steve McNair and was stopped by St. Louis’ Mike Jones one yard shy of a game-tying touchdown, ending Super Bowl XXXIV in heart-pounding fashion. “I’ve been on the high of highs and the lowest of lows,” Dyson recalled. “Your whole life, you want the ball in your hands at the end of the game, take the last shot, like Michael Jordan. To do the Music City Miracle and three weeks later have the ball in my hands and come up short, it’s something to cherish and deal with. Hopefully I’ve moved on and I can make more memories.” Dyson would like to make some memories in Buffalo. He has a friendly relationship with Williams from their days in Tennessee, and Buffalo’s receivers coach, Fred Graves, was Dyson’s position coach and mentor in college at Utah. “We’d be here all day,” Dyson said when asked how much Graves has meant to his career. “He took me in like a son, pretty much molded me and helped me get to this level. I owe a lot to that man, I don’t know if I’ve done enough to show him my appreciation since I left (Utah), but he’s been an integral part of me being in the NFL.” During his five years in the league, Dyson has caught 176 passes for 2,310 yards and 18 touchdowns and flashed signs of greatness. But his numbers are modest at best because he has been plagued by injuries, most recently a hamstring tear that required surgery last season. Dyson said he has completely healed and will be ready to play for whatever team he ends up signing with. As for his prospects in Buffalo, he loves the fact that Drew Bledsoe is the quarterback and the Bills often utilize three-receiver sets because he knows he’d see plenty of playing time. “I just want to go somewhere where I can make a difference and make plays,” Dyson said. “Buffalo has a Hall of Fame quarterback and he looks for his receivers to make plays, so to have an opportunity like that would be something I would definitely look forward to.” Dyson, who would help fill the void created by the trade of Peerless Price to Atlanta last week, has drawn interest from Carolina and the New York Jets, so his free agent tour isn’t complete. “I need to look at every possibility and see what teams have to offer,” he said. “I don’t want to say I have a favorite. I want to look into it and weigh the positives and negatives.” The only negative about coming to Buffalo would be his name. “I might have to change the name plate on my jersey,” said Dyson. “When I came here in 2000 (for the season-opener against the Bills), I thought they (Bills fans) were going to kill me. It was brutal. But if I come here and do it on the field and make plays for them, they’ll be able to forgive me.” Meanwhile, the Bills’ search for more reliable depth at running back and more explosiveness on kick and punt returns continues. Visiting with coaches on Tuesday was running back Moe Williams, an unrestricted free agent from Minnesota. Williams was among the NFL’s top scorers last year with 11 touchdowns. Free agent Shawn Bryson, coming off his second major knee injury, isn’t likely to be re-signed. Today or Thursday Buffalo will visit with Arizona’s MarTay Jenkins, one of the league’s best kickoff return men.
“If I don’t sign here, it was a lateral. If I sign here, it was a complete phony, bogus play that shouldn’t have counted.” I feel the same way...if it had been the Houston Oilers, it was a lateral...but since it was the Titans...it was freaking bogus!
Lateral baby. I think the most amazing part about that call was that the linesman was busting his ass to be right on it and then he made the right call. The whole world (because of the tv angle) was thinking it had to be a forward pass. Even I was like this is coming back. But that referee was right on it. Great call. Even more amazing, Dyson didn't even know the play before stepping on the field. Mason was supposed to run it, but was hurt.
Dyson's been a bust.Very mediorcore reciever they should have taken moss. Despite Dyson's average career hes been involved in two of the most famous plays in NFL history pretty amazing.
Not on the call, on the TV. When you look at the play live it looks like a forward lateral because of the angle of the TV camera. If you pay attention to the yard lines it definately looks ok. But most people weren't looking at that. I'd have to say most people thought it was lateral when they saw it live.
We all know that play was Buffalo's pennance for benching Doug Flutie. Amazing things happen sometimes in Sports, I'll say it was a legal lateral just for the sake of believing in miracles
