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The ultimate buddy system

When TE Chad Lewis got hurt, he turned to friend Jeff Thomason for a chance of a lifetime.

By JOHN ROMANO
Published February 3, 2005

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JACKSONVILLE - Before going to bed that Sunday evening, Jeff Thomason left a phone message for Eagles tight end Chad Lewis.

Nothing important. Just a word of congratulations. A wish for luck. Just to let his old friend know he was thrilled the Eagles were going to the Super Bowl, and Lewis was finally fulfilling a dream.

The next morning, Thomason was at work in a construction trailer in Chesterfield, N.J., when a secretary said Lewis was holding on a phone line.

Lewis had but one question:

Would Thomason take over his dream?

So begins the story of a construction project manager playing in the Super Bowl. It's sweet. It's improbable. It's the week's happiest tale.

And, yet, it's so much more. It's also a lesson in appreciating life's blessings. And a reminder of the value of friendship.

You see, Thomason's good fortune does not exist without Lewis' lousy fate. Sitting in his suburban New Jersey home, watching the Eagles beat the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game, Thomason was ecstatic when Lewis caught a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

What Thomason didn't realize, what he couldn't know, was modesty was not the only thing keeping Lewis from celebrating in the end zone when backup tight end L.J. Smith came running over to pick him up.

"I just broke my foot."

With those five words, Lewis set in motion one of the most improbable Super Bowl stories in memory. The Eagles were two weeks away from playing for their first NFL championship in 44 years, and they were missing a tight end.

Lewis, who should have been sulking, was instead plotting.

He knew Thomason, a 10-year NFL veteran, was familiar with the Eagles offense after playing in Philadelphia from 2000-02. He knew his good friend had been out of the league for two years, but had kept in shape by training for triathlons. He knew Thomason, 35, was a phone call away.

Lewis planted the idea with Eagles coaches, then called Thomason to warn him that an offer might be coming.

"Chad's an incredible guy," Thomason said. "Here he was, going through a tough time for himself, and he thought about me right away. That's the type of person he is. He's an incredible friend and a good man."

Thomason, who is in a management training program for a luxury home builder, was due in a sales meeting in an hour. Staring at the ceiling, unable to keep his mind from racing, he left the meeting and returned to his desk.

Just after lunch, Eagles personnel director Tom Heckert called. He wanted to know two things. Had the triathlons slimmed him down, or was Thomason still near his playing weight of 245 pounds? (He was.) And could Thomason be at the training facility in three hours to run routes and catch passes? (He could.)

By the end of the night, Thomason had a contract.

And a player who had not been in an NFL game since playing against the Buccaneers in the 2002 NFC Championship Game, was heading to the Super Bowl.

"It's crazy," Thomason said. "One day you're sitting at your desk, and the next you're on your way to play in the Super Bowl."

Thomason played in two Super Bowls with the Packers in the mid 1990s, but was just a face in the crowd during those media sessions. The most probing question he could recall from those days was whether he preferred Twinkies or Ding Dongs. ("Twinkies. They've got a better shelf life.")

Now, in the past few days, Thomason already has been cornered for interviews on the Today show, Good Morning America and 60 Minutes.

Lewis, meanwhile, is banging around in a wheelchair. An eight-year veteran who had come within a game of the Super Bowl in three other seasons, is watching a friend on the stage he has never reached.

Bitter? Frustrated? Despondent? Not even close. Lewis, who delayed his NFL career two years to complete a Mormon mission, calls himself lucky.

Lucky to have caught two touchdowns against the Falcons last week. Lucky to have seen Philadelphia finally reach the Super Bowl. Lucky to have a loving family and good friends who care about him.

His season is over, his career may be kaput, too, but Lewis, 33, says he has no right to complain. His father had a stroke more than 10 years ago and has been partially paralyzed ever since. What's a broken foot, compared to that?

"I'm here because of Chad, but I wish I could trade places back with him," Thomason said. "He's the one who deserves to be here."

Smith is expected to replace Lewis in the starting lineup, but Thomason will probably get a dozen snaps on offense and more on special teams.

Which means he is busy cramming. Thomason has hardly left the hotel because he's studying videotapes and game plans. His hamstrings and Achilles' tendons are sore, and he's soaking in ice tubs after every practice.

Meanwhile, his construction crew is working without him. It was initially reported Thomason was using vacation time to play in the Super Bowl, but he has apparently caused a rewriting of the Toll Brothers Inc. employee handbook.

"We have a new policy," company vice president Christopher Gaffney said. "An extra two weeks of vacation for anyone playing in the World Series, the NBA Finals or the Super Bowl."

Ironically, it was right around this time last year that Thomason filled out his NFL retirement papers. He had tried to hook up with teams in 2003, but none of the nibbles turned into opportunity. He waited an entire season before accepting his fate.

"Being in the NFL is a great life," Thomason said. "You work your tail off but you have a lot of free time in the offseason. To go out and find a job was a real eye-opener for me. For a while, it was hard to find my direction.

"It was my identity for so long. It's what I've done since I was a little boy. So, all of the sudden, to have it taken away and have to find a new identity and a new direction in life, it was hard."

Thomason figures it will be easier this time. He's not expecting this game to lead to a comeback, and plans on being back at his desk in another week.

What this has done is offer an opportunity to better appreciate what he once had. And what he will always miss.

So there you have it. This week's happy Super Bowl story.

A story not of one man, but of two. And not just a tale for this week, but perhaps a lesson forever.

[Last modified February 3, 2005, 01:08:13]