The next day, then-coach Rod Marinelli repeatedly showed his team replays of that touchdown, but he did not focus on FitzSimmons. Instead, Marinelli pointed out Corey Smith's blocking prowess.

"Yeah, he did something spectacular," said Roy Williams, a former Lions receiver now with the Dallas Cowboys. "He knocked out a couple of guys."

Smith's reps at defensive end were limited in the game because of a hamstring injury, but he was on the field for the key play.

"He took out two guys," said Joe Cullen, Smith's defensive line coach.

"Corey epitomized what you want in a pro Football player. He played the game the way it was supposed to be played -- with fierce intensity."

Smith, 29, and boating companions Marquis Cooper and Will Bleakley remain missing in the Gulf of Mexico. A fourth member of their fishing trip, Nick Schuyler, was found alive, but the Coast Guard, after three days of looking for the missing men, gave up the search Tuesday evening.

"I've been praying since I got the news," Cullen said. "I'm still hoping he'll defy all the odds, just like he did when he came into the league. It's such an empty feeling right now."

Smith, an undrafted free agent, has played for seven years in the NFL, the past three with the Lions.

Smith became an unrestricted free agent, and because Detroit switched defensive schemes, Smith was expected to sign with another team next season.

Marinelli, now an assistant coach with Chicago, issued a statement through the Bears organization: "Corey Smith is a very special guy to me. He is a cornerstone of what this league is about: toughness, effort and team.

"Corey is as tough as any guy I have ever coached. He earned his way into the NFL, along with the respect of his teammates and coaches. He is a humble man who works.

"As a coach, you couldn't ask for more than what Corey brings to a team. And as an individual, he is the type of person you want your kids to emulate.

My thoughts and prayers have been with all three missing men and their families."

Williams added: "I really didn't know him that well because he was a defensive guy, but I know he was a high-motor, Marinelli-type guy. He was quiet and always had that big smile. I can't believe it. I'm just so sorry."

Cullen has known Smith since junior high.

"He was a great personality, a pleasure to be around. He was respectful and respected," Cullen said. "He worked as hard as anybody. I can't say enough great things about him."

After the Coast Guard announced it was halting the search, the Lions issued a statement:

"Today's news is a sobering reminder about how truly precious and fragile life can be. We will continue to pray for a miracle, though we fully understand and respect the decision of the Coast Guard.

"We were thrilled yesterday with the news of Nick's rescue, and it gave all of us hope that Corey, Will and Marquis would also be found alive.

"While we still have that hope, we have begun to cope with the grim reality of this sad and tragic situation."