ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 12, 1996 TAG: 9609130044
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
It was a big play for Chris Slade - his first interception in four NFL seasons. The New England Patriots' best defensive player fell to the ground, left the ball there and started celebrating.
One problem. The whistle hadn't blown.
Buffalo's John Fina fell on the unattended ball, and Slade headed to the sideline, where coach Bill Parcells was waiting.
``He gave me a couple of looks - and some words, too,'' the former Virginia defensive end said Wednesday.
New England ended up losing 17-10 on Sunday, and Slade's gaffe might have deprived the Patriots of critical points. He intercepted Jim Kelly's pass on the Bills' second possession, but instead of giving his offense a first down at the Buffalo 26-yard line, he gave the Bills the ball.
Kelly threw another interception on the next possession, giving New England the ball at the Bills' 41, a loss of 15 yards from where Slade fell. That possession ended with Adam Vinatieri missing a 45-yard field-goal attempt.
``It wasn't a mistake on my part after you looked at [the replay] six or seven times,'' Slade said of his fumble. ``I want everybody to know that.''
He caught the ball at the Buffalo 28, and Bills center Kent Hull tripped him. Slade stumbled for a few yards. As he was going down, he was pushed to the ground by a teammate.
Slade contends the tackle was made by Hull. The officials ruled he was downed by a teammate and the play was not over.
``I'm thinking, `If I'm on the ground I must have got tackled by a Buffalo Bills player,''' Slade said. ``I was just excited. I put the ball down. That was my first pick. I was hyped.''
``I didn't mention it, but I think the player knows'' how he feels, Parcells said. ``Any enthusiasm you show for a teammate I am all for. Anything you do to draw attention to yourself I am against particularly if the ball's still alive.''
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines KEYWORDS: FOOTBALLby CNB