Kimo von Oelhoffen heard the noise, heard the awful sound professional athletes dread to hear even in an opponent. And it made him sick, almost despondent.
In the seconds after he got tangled with guard Eric Steinbach and accidentally crashed low into the left knee of Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, tearing his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and patellar tendon, von Oelhoffen reached out his right hand to Palmer, as if to comfort the fallen enemy.
Behind him, Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was running behind cornerback Deshea Townsend, catching the pass Palmer heaved down the right sideline, on just the second play of the 2005 AFC wild-card playoff game, for a 66-yard gain.