He. Could. Go. All. The. Way.

[Sir Purr]

"He executed it flawlessly," Melton said. "I mean, so much could have gone wrong. The pen could have been lost, maybe he doesn't throw it as far as he did, but he nailed it."


And it wasn't lost on them at the time, but it was also pretty out-of-character for the young McCaffrey. He's been around some pretty elaborate celebrators, but his post-touchdown rituals as a pro are muted, a few taps of the ball to honor family members, a quick point the sky, and he's done.


But he was the little brother, hanging with the big kids, so they were able to talk him into anything.


"It was a lot of fun. Where we're from, we were always taught not to celebrate," McCaffrey said. "So going against the mascots at halftime, we finally had an opportunity to be able to kind of let loose a little bit, and I think anyone who scored, we had a scripted celebration.


"And they told me to do the Sharpie and throw it in the crowd. So I kind of just went with it, and when I scored, I did it, and I'm happy that it still lives on today."


It definitely does live on, one of those moments of genuine exuberance that we don't always get to enjoy in sports now that people participate in them in exchange for money.


But it also serves as a bit of an object lesson for others.


Having seen a lot of kids and alleged adults score a lot of touchdowns in his day, the former Toro knows how they emulate what they see on television.


Frost left the mascot game in 2015 and now serves as the executive director of Youth For Christ in Houston, a group that works with those in juvenile facilities to try to steer them to a different path through chaplaincy and other programs.


"He still celebrates, and there's such joy in the way he plays the game," Frost said of McCaffrey. "It's not in-your-face, it's just fun.


"I work with kids now, and try to guide them to mentors who do things the right way. I always liked the way he handled himself because you can tell when he gets to the end zone now, he's happy for everyone around him and isn't trying to make someone else look bad."


McCaffrey is also aware that a Terrell Owens-style homage runs counter to his current image. And as he's struggled to come back from injuries this year, he's had to hang onto moments like that night in Denver as fuel, to remind him why he does this.


"It's cool looking back on those memories, and realizing, that's back when football, you're just playing it for the love of the game," he said. "That's the goal constantly for me, even to this day, is bring back that in myself."