Lewis Delivers a Victory

The chant in the locker room was “Mike the man! Mike the man!” Boo Williams even did an impersonation of Michael Lewis filming a commercial to capitalize on his newfound fame.

“Shut up, Boo,” said Lewis, finally getting a bit embarrassed.

Lewis, the former beer delivery truck driver, had his biggest game since becoming an NFL rookie last season at age 29. He had 356 combined yards -- including kickoff and punt returns for touchdowns -- as the New Orleans Saints beat the Washington Redskins, 43-27, on Sunday.

“I never looked at making it this far when I was playing arena ball,” said Lewis, who never went to college and has played for teams such as the New Jersey Red Dogs and the Louisiana Bayou Beast. “But the opportunity was there when I came here. And I’m going to take as much as I can from it. It’s my turn. I’ve got to go out there and make a mark for myself.”

Lewis might have had Arena League flashbacks in a wacky game that included five touchdowns of 60 yards or more. The Saints -- off to their best start since 1993 at 5-1 -- scored their most points since 1987. They took a 20-0 lead after rookie Patrick Ramsey, making his first NFL start, threw three interceptions in his first five passes for the Redskins (2-3).

The teams combined for 23 penalties for 177 yards, and Washington’s first scoring drive covered 75 yards -- 36 more than New Orleans’ first four scoring drives combined.

“This is one of the weirdest games I’ve ever been associated with,” said Bruce Smith, the Redskins’ 18-year veteran defensive end.

Washington Coach Steve Spurrier was exasperated.

“Basically we’re not smart enough to give ourselves a chance to win,” he said. “Careless penalties, careless turnovers here and there. We look like we don’t care whether we win the game or not. It’s pitiful watching us play right now.

“We’re trying to make some corrections. We’re trying to find out the guys who want to bust their tails and play their assignments. Those who don’t, we gotta make changes if we can’t get ‘em to play and play disciplined. We looked like a very poorly coached team -- offense, defense, special teams.”