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Detroit's rookie QB, a Homestead native, plays it tough, smart Friday, November 27, 1998 By Ron Cook, Post-Gazette Columnist
PONTIAC, Mich. - And you thought the Steelers had some Thanksgiving dinner Wednesday night at the home of Jerome Bettis' parents in nearby Detroit.
You should have seen the party at Charlie Batch's house last night in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Dozens of Batch's relatives and friends, including his mother, Lynn Settles, made the trip from Homestead, his hometown. Do you think maybe they loved reliving Detroit's 19-16 victory over the Steelers in overtime and his role in it?
"I can't say enough about Charlie Batch," Detroit Coach Bobby Ross said of his rookie quarterback, who overcame a first-half head and neck injury to lead the Lions to 16 second-half points.
"It didn't surprise me because he's tough," Ross said. "I'm proud of him."
You have to figure all of Homestead is, has been since Batch became the Lions' starter in Week 3 of the NFL season. He did nothing yesterday - 16 of 23 for 236 yards and a touchdown against a fierce Steelers rush that sacked him four times - to make you think he won't become an NFL star.
"He's a gutsy kid," Steelers Coach Bill Cowher said. "He looked the same to me as he did on film. He's just an impressive kid."
Batch was injured when - get this - he threw a crunching block on Steelers safety Darren Perry to help spring wide receiver Germane Crowell for 35 yards on a reverse. You have heard about quarterbacks being knocked into next week by the opposition? Batch knocked himself into next week. That was a big-league hit he put on Perry.
"My neck kind of bent to the side and I got kind of woozy," Batch said. He stayed in the game, but his pass on the next play for wide receiver Herman Moore was off target by about 15 yards. "At that point," Batch said, "I had to get out of the game because I was hurting the team."
Veteran Frank Reich replaced Batch and led the Lions to a field goal, closing to within 6-3.
At halftime, X-rays on Batch's neck showed no damage. Reich played the first series of the second half and the first play of the second series, but threw three consecutive incompletions. By then, Batch felt as if he had loosened up his neck to the point that he could return to the game. Ross was more than thrilled to send him back out.
On his first play back, Batch was called for intentional grounding. That was about the only mistake he made in the second half and overtime.
With the Steelers leading, 13-3, he set up a Jason Hanson field goal with a 17-yard pass to Moore and a 20-yard screen pass to Barry Sanders. He threw what appeared to be a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Johnnie Morton on the next possession only to have the officials rule Morton didn't have possession. He had to wait until the next series to get the game-tying touchdown, a 21-yard pass to Moore, who had beaten Carnell Lake with a double move.
Batch didn't let up in overtime. On the first play after the Lions won the toss - at least, according to referee Phil Luckett - he threw a perfect 28-yard strike down the middle to Moore, who beat Lake again. Soon after that, Hanson won the game with a 42-yard field goal.
"We're trying to stretch the field, go up field with the ball more," Ross said. "Charlie Batch is the kind of guy who can get that done."
Sore neck aside - "I'll feel it in the morning" - Batch loved this game. Can you blame him? On a day when running back Barry Sanders was held to only 33 yards on 20 carries, he led the Lions to a victory. And he did against it his hometown team, the team he idolized as a kid.
"Everybody that came up to Pontiac had mixed emotions," Batch said of the Homestead group. "My family said, 'We love you, Charlie, but go Steelers!' This is definitely big. When we go home and eat dinner, I'm just going to smile."
Yeah, that was some party at the Batch house last night.
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