MIAMI – He burst onto the scene like a blur from the moment he slipped on his Falcons uniform. He never stopped turning on those jets that make it appear as if he’s shot out of a cannon. So what if he was a rookie playing in the Super Bowl? Tim Dwight was going to make an impact.
At 5-foot-8, it’s easy not to notice Dwight except when he races back, sprints forward and attacks the football on his kickoff returns. On the very first play in Super Bowl XXXIII last night, Dwight showed he was not going to be in awe of anything, taking a kickoff return back 31 yards and nearly going all the way.
Consider that a precursor of what was to come. Early in the fourth quarter, with the Falcons out of it, trailing 31-6 to the Broncos, Dwight injected a momentary spark in his sagging team. He took back a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, an electrifying play that could not bring the Falcons all the way back, but a play that did provide a memorable moment for a speedy little rookie from Iowa.
“It was a great feeling when I crossed that goal line, I just said, ‘Dude, we can do it,'” Dwight said. “There was 11 minutes left. The game is never out of reach, to me anyway, no matter what the clock says.”
Dwight did all he could. His five kickoff returns totaled 210 yards, and his average of 42 yards per return was the highest in Super Bowl history. On his touchdown jaunt, Dwight hauled in Jason Elam’s kickoff on the Atlanta six-yard line, first backing to get a running start, a move that is becoming his trademark. He was so quick that he made a few cuts and sliced through the Denver coverage untouched. Once free, he added some flourish to the magnificent play by turning at the five-yard line and backing into the end zone.
“You can’t be satisfied with just scoring a touchdown,” Dwight said. “We lost, that’s the big thing. I don’t care if I had three punt returns or three kick returns. I’m a team-oriented guy.”
Despite the personal triumph, Dwight could not help but think about getting back so close to a chance at a championship. While the Broncos celebrated on the field following the game, Dwight remained to soak it all in.
“I stayed on the field for 10 minutes watching all of them celebrating, watching the streamers fall on the field,” Dwight said. “When I got into the dressing room, I took my helmet off and some of that stuff was in my ear hole. I thought maybe this is an omen, maybe next year.”
