Like a Man on Fire (Simile)
In the first chapter, Lewis describes Lawrence Taylor jumping out of a pile of bodies after he has sacked Joe Theismann. He says that Taylor “leapt out of the pile like a man on fire.” This description emphasizes the urgency and panic with which he exits the fray, showing that he feels some kind of immediate concern about what has happened.
Like a Man Yanking a Locked Door (Simile)
After left tackle John Ayers counters him in a pivotal game, Taylor is described as looking “like a man who had gone to get his quart of vanilla ice cream only to yank on the freezer door and find it locked.” Lewis uses this simile to underscore Taylor's shock at being unable to stop Montana, as no one has blocked him in this way before.
Avalanche of Bills (Metaphor)
When Leigh Anne and Michael go to Michael's mother's home, Leigh Anne finds a large volume of unanswered mail. Lewis describes it in the following way: “Then she yanked open the box and down came the avalanche: water bills, light bills, gas bills, phone bills, eviction notices.” He uses the metaphor of an avalanche to suggest that the accumulation of unattended problems in Dee Dee's life is massive and nearly insurmountable, like an avalanche.
Stepping to Meet His Future (Metaphor)
At the end of the chapter about John Ayers, Lewis uses an extended metaphor to describe Ayers completing a play, while also describing the end of his career: “And as he slides, he steps to meet his future.” This moment is a moving and sad one, as it shows Ayers being momentarily victorious as he stops Taylor while also highlighting the sadness of his slow physical decline and early death. It is an appropriate metaphor in that it accentuates his skill but underscores his lack of recognition.
Like the Public Relations Wing (Simile)
During the chapter about the investigation of the Tuohys, Lewis writes about the NCAA's attempts to salvage its image in the wake of the booster scandals. He states: “In practice, they were more like the public relations wing of an inept fire department.” By comparing them to a PR office of a weak fire department, he suggests that they are constantly doing damage control for ongoing problems, while also implying that they only care about how these scandals hurt their image and not the actual harm they cause.
