GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
After the NFC's Michael Lewis set a Pro Bowl record with 217 yards in kick returns, an upset stomach sidelined him.
The combination of fresh island fruit and the scorching mid-day sun at Aloha Stadium was just about the only thing that slowed down Michael Lewis yesterday. Lewis shatters record
AFC strolls past NFC
for return yards
NFL's best played to win
Williams thrives here again
Pro Bowl notebook
Game stats and historyBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com
The New Orleans Saints kick returner fought through an upset stomach to set a Pro Bowl record with 217 return yards on five attempts in his first appearance in the NFL all-star game.
"I think I proved a little something even though I didn't score," Lewis said. "These guys told me I had a great game, so that makes you feel real good."
Lewis provided most of the NFC's highlights in a 45-20 loss to the AFC with his return wizardry. He averaged 43.4 yards per return, including a 60-yarder in the first quarter, to surpass the previous mark of 192 yards set by Greg Pruitt of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1984.
Although he zipped along the expressway to big yardage yesterday, Lewis' road to the NFL meandered through odd jobs and two arena league teams before he finally broke in with the Saints as a 29-year-old rookie in 2001.
"The route that I went to get here was a hard route," Lewis said. "But when you hear negative things, it helps you. I used that as motivation; it pushed me to get where I needed to go. When I heard a negative thing I just went after them to let everybody know I wasn't a joke.
"You use that as a steppingstone to prove those guys wrong. That was one of my most important things, just to prove a lot of people wrong."
Unlike the vast majority of NFL players, Lewis didn't play ball in college. He entered the work force after high school, driving a beer delivery truck at one point, while continuing to harbor dreams of one day playing professionally. He played with arena teams in New Jersey and Louisiana and earned a spot with the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe in 2001.
He was invited to training camp with the Saints and stuck with the team. He made his mark as a kick returner in eight games as a rookie and joined the league's elite returners, running two kickoffs and a punt back for touchdowns this season.
His circuitous route heightened his appreciation for being a part of yesterday's game.
"It was great being out here amongst these guys and seeing the respect these guys have for me," Lewis said. "A lot of guys knew the hard work I had put into it. So I think it's real great just being here.
Lewis said the pineapple he ate for breakfast resurfaced in the first half, sending him to the locker room. But he showed no ill effects upon returning to the game.
"The heat and everything just made it come up," he said. "I came in and got (an) IV, went back and tried it again. I was just drained, but I tried to give everything I had."
Lewis turned in his record performance despite running behind all-stars unaccustomed to blocking on kick-return units.
"I just told the guys they don't have to go down and kill themselves, just get in front of somebody and I'll do the rest," Lewis said.
Patriots kicker Adam Vinetieri said the AFC made a conscious decision to start avoiding Lewis.
"We started to kick around him a little bit and squib kick it. He's a definite asset to their team and a great player."
Lewis wasn't the only record-setting member of the NFC special teams. Philadelphia Eagles kicker David Akers set a game record with his 53-yard field goal in the second quarter.
His kick broke the previous mark of 51 yards set by New Orleans' Morten Andersen in 1989 and tied by Detroit's Jason Hanson in 2000. The kick also matched his career long.
"I didn't hit it real hard," Akers said. "I hit it pretty fluid and I hit it a little higher than I wanted to, but it traveled. It didn't have much more to spare."
Akers, who also matriculated through NFL Europe (Berlin, 1999) and kicked three field goals in last year's game, drove his record kick into a brisk breeze.
Earlier in the game, the NFC coaches elected to punt from the same position on the field despite going with the wind. Akers said he made a kick from 69 yards out with the wind during warmups.
"They said the coaches made a mistake and they thought we were farther back than we were," Akers said. "I was like, 'I can hit it, I can make it.' But that's part of the game."
National Football League
