The run covered about 50 yards, and as significant as it was during Sunday’s 24-21 Bears’ win over the Raiders, it never showed up in the statistics.
It never moved the chains. But it definitely moved a home crowd–and a football team.
Jerry Azumah returned the opening kickoff of the second half 31 yards before being knocked out of bounds on the Raiders’ sideline at the Bears’ 44. Then Azumah sprung to his feet and sprinted across the field with a zest the Bears had lacked.
The guy they call “Zoom,” clearly put some zip back in the Bears’ step.
Up to that point, the fans already were considering beating postgame traffic and the Bears looked capable of beating nobody. Suddenly, the lethargy converted into energy and the Bears’ body language started saying “Why not?” instead of “Why bother?”
“That was what we needed,” coach Dick Jauron said of Azumah’s display of determination.
A little hustle goes a long way, even in the NFL. It can spread like gossip among players, from the sidelines and into the huddle. Sunday, it told the story of how the Bears revived themselves in time to beat the Raiders.
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Bears reporter David Haugh is on WSCR-AM 670 at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays.
