Yesterday was another proud day for the fat cats of college football.
The No. 2-ranked University of Texas Longhorns eked out a narrow 64-7 victory at home over UTEP. The No. 8 Boise State Broncos destroyed 1-3 Bowling Green 49-14. And No. 16 Oklahoma State devoured Grambling State’s defense to the tune of 587 yards in a 56-6 win.
You could say that the sham that is college football’s championship system encourages this kind of junk. (It’s often said that a team could lose on any given week and lose its shot at the national title. While that’s literally true, many of these matchups are like the U.S. Navy going against, I don’t know, the Antarctic Imperial Guard or something.)
Of course, the whole season won’t be that easy. Texas and Oklahoma State have to play each other, for starters, and of course the Longhorns have that Red River Shootout every year. Boise State will have to…well, actually, their schedule’s kinda easy, but you know what I mean.
I can’t help but think of these early-season tune-ups when I consider the Denver Broncos’ 3-0 start, extended today with an always-welcome 23-3 shellacking of the Oakland Raiders.
In some ways, the Broncos look outstanding: three straight wins with a brand-new coach and quarterback, an offense with an emerging ground game that seems to get a little more into the groove every week, and a defense that has given up a piddling sixteen points in three games.
On the other: who have they beaten? The Cincinnati Bengals, whom we beat with the flukiest of victories, are the only impressive silhouette under the cockpit. The Raiders are pretty horrible, and young JaMarcus Russell is really struggling. The Browns, well, the Browns will always be one of my favorite teams to see across the field. Not to be a jerk, but they’re basically still an expansion team, aren’t they?
The Broncos will be tested very soon, with upcoming home games against the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. (Even if those teams aren’t as good as their reputations, surely they represent legitimate NFL challenges.) Then it’s road games against the Chargers and Ravens, and a home date with the defending champion Steelers. Would anyone be shocked if we’re 4-4 in a few weeks? On the other hand, if we can defend the home turf the next two weeks…at some point a team builds an impressive lead and it doesn’t so much matter if they’re really that good. But I don’t want to think too far ahead. For now, let us pause and give thanks that our offseason of disaster hasn’t prevented a wonderful start to the season.
They’ve done it! Josh McDaniels’ Broncos are now 2-0 and appear to be an unstoppable force. All right, they’ve beaten two bad teams, but the defense, which needed seven tons of improvements after last season, has only given up thirteen points in two games. (We’d give that many up every 27 minutes and 52 seconds of game time last year.) Also, and I had thought I brought this up before, but I love Elvis Dumervil, maybe the last great defensive pick of the Mike Shanahan era. I still don’t get how a guy with twenty sacks in one year at a big-time program falls to the fourth round, but it’s okay with me that he did.
The twin rushing attack of the skin-softening Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno looked pretty good, too. I’ve always liked Buckhalter’s toughness and style. Moreno, though, ran exactly like a Shanahan-era back today. He didn’t do anything too special—it was only his second game—but the way he hit the hole and ran with balance and shifted his weight on his moves looked very familiar. Perhaps Bobby Turner can coach a little after all. I don’t know if Moreno was worth a first-round pick yet, but he fits in on a running scheme that doesn’t appear to have changed much yet from previous years.
The Ocho threw too many passes at his receivers’ feet in the first half, even though he was occasionally making the right call and just getting rid of the ball. He got hot in the second half, though, and perhaps I should stop ripping the guy every chance I get.
The other key takeaway today was Shannon Sharpe’s entrance into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. Sharpe, the former tight end, was equal parts hilarious, ripped, and outstanding in his career. He played with Denver for ten years before spending two as a Raven, then finished his career with two more years in Denver. Shanahan let him go from Denver rather than give him a nice new contract; Sharpe’s deal with the Ravens was (if my brief Googling is correct) for four years and $13 or $14 million, which is kind of a funny price not to pay for one of the best pass-catchers at the position in history. (I’d say the best: I’ll take Shannon over anyone.) For a guy who supposedly couldn’t block, he played on teams with some outstanding running games, but he also caught over 10,000 yards of passes and won three Super Bowl rings. His retirement after the 2003 season left a void in the Broncos lineup that has yet to be filled.
My favorite catch of Sharpe’s career came late in the 1998 AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh. The Steelers were down three (24-21) with a few minutes left, but kicked the ball deep rather than go for the onside. They forced a quick third-and-six. Sharpe didn’t hear the play call in the huddle, and upon asking John Elway what to do on the way to lining up was told to just get open. Elway’s pass drilled him in the chest, but Sharpe hauled it in and picked up enough for the first down to keep the clock moving. Just one of a million little things you have to do right to win a championship. I’d have to call his game-winner against Kansas City the following year a close second. But that’s not all we loved him for…
Now is the time for Colorado Buffaloes fans to breathe a huge sigh of relief: the football team picked up its first win of the season yesterday in a shutout over the Wyoming Cowboys at Folsom Field.
I was terrified all week that Wyoming would win. My brother and his wife were both athletes there and I thought if I didn’t make a big deal of it before the game, maybe they’d let me off easy afterwards. By Thursday I realized that the nature of the matchup (Big 12 vs. Mountain West) meant I’d be hearing a bunch anyway, so I talked a tiny amount of trash, and was very pleasantly surprised to check the score yesterday and find us winning.
I didn’t get to watch the game, since I don’t get Fox College Sports Central, which I could swear I’d never heard of before last week. I’m troubled by the box score that says our quarterback threw a ton of passes again (31) for not a lot of yards (175), but it appears our defense and running game were great, so I’ll take it. Any of you see what happened?
I didn’t see the game (or any pro football today, actually), but with all my pessimism before the season I have to at least link to the highlights of the Broncos’ spectacular win over the Cincinnati Bengals today. What a win!
Congratulations to this year’s class of inductees to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Two coaches and three players were enshrined yesterday.
C. Vivian Stringer: Currently the head coach at Rutgers and owner of a pristine 813-269 career record. I don’t know enough about her career to cover it fairly; check Wikipedia for more information.
Jerry Sloan: I have mixed feelings about this guy, who seems like a jerk, and whose teams have never won a championship, making it into the Hall. On the other hand, he was a well-regarded player, especially defensively, and has a great reputation as a coach—is it fair to combine the two?
In an interesting historical note, Sloan has never won the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award. That’s OK with me because I’ve had a higher opinion of several coaches who have been active during his tenure, particularly Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, and Gregg Popovich. But it’s also bizarre because Sloan is a better coach than many of the men who have won the award in his time. Del Harris? Byron Scott? Come on.
I think Sloan’s a bit overrated as a coach; when has his team ever exceeded expectations in a meaningful way? With two (eventual) Hall of Famers for more than a decade, the Jazz made the Finals just twice. That’s not to say Sloan’s career was bad—were his teams any more disappointing than Harris’ Lakers or Don Nelson’s Mavericks or Brian Hill’s Magic? It just doesn’t strike me as Hall of Fame-level, and if Sloan had achieved his thousand-plus wins and playoff results with two or three different teams instead of just one, would he still have been enshrined? I think so, but I’m not sure.
David Robinson: The Admiral was just awesome. Maybe the most athletic true center ever, Robinson was a fantastic shot-blocker, rebounder, and scorer who could even do damage putting the ball on the floor and driving. Along with John Stockton and Michael Jordan, Robinson was part of the 1992 gold medal-winning Dream Team and the NBA’s 50th anniversary team. His career had the happiest ending: like Jordan and Stockton, he retired after the 2002-03 season, but his season ended with his second championship in a Finals win over the New Jersey Nets.
Like Sloan, though, he wasn’t the greatest of his era at his position. Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal were both probably better. I’d take him over Patrick Ewing, though. Robinson’s late-career teammate, Tim Duncan, became the best big man in the game, and Duncan flourished from a young age thanks in no small part, I think, to Robinson’s presence.
Around the time the Spurs won their first title (1999), Sports Illustrated had two cool articles about Robinson. Rick Reilly’s piece talked a little about Robinson’s charity work that also mentioned some of Robinson’s impressive career awards. Then Robinson himself wrote about his feelings on winning it all.
The NBA posted some awesome highlights of Robinson on YouTube. The second video has some great highlights of him in action against Jordan’s Bulls.
John Stockton: I tend not to give Stockton his fair credit, probably because I’ve heard so many Jazz fans overrate him in my time. He was not the greatest point guard of all time. In his own career, I’d much rather have Magic Johnson, probably rather have Isiah Thomas, and stylistically prefer Gary Payton.
Stock was, however, a terrific player, holding career marks for assists and steals. He was best known for his passing and his mastery of the pick-and-roll, but he played with focus and toughness and rose to the occasion far better than his two-time MVP teammate, the Mailman, ever did. His career shooting percentage of 51.5% is basically off-the-charts for a guard.
1996-97, his thirteenth year in the league, was the last time he averaged double digits in assists but was, in the playoffs, his breakout year. In addition to his game- and series-winner in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals, he took over at the end of Game Four of the NBA Finals to even the series (see below), though the Bulls would win the next two games. Like John Elway, Stockton discovered how not only to contribute as he got older, but to play even better than he ever had before.
Michael Jordan: Players like Bill Russell have arguments, too, but I think Jordan was the greatest basketball player of all time. He was uniquely versatile, tough, creative, athletic, fearless, and determined. He had it all.
Wins? Try six NBA rings, two pairs of three in a row, all of which had Jordan winning the Finals MVP award, too. In Jordan’s last Finals with the Bulls, there were rumors Scottie Pippen would be given the award. Pippen was one of the very best players in the league and deserving of even more recognition than he got. But when an injury limited Pippen in Game Six, Jordan scored forty-five points and submitted a masterful final minute where he bent the game to his will. And, oh yeah, he won Olympic gold twice and hit a national championship-winning shot as a freshman at North Carolina. The NBA single-season record for wins by a team was 69 before Jordan played; his Bulls eventually submitted back-to-back 72 and 69-win seasons.
Stats? How about being the all-time leader in scoring average in the regular season and the playoffs? Jordan scored at least twenty points per game in each of his fifteen seasons. His career shooting percentage of 49.7% is amazing for a perimeter scorer; by comparison, Kobe Bryant’s at 45.5%. And he’s second only to Stockton in career steals.
Awards? In addition to those Finals MVPs, how about the five regular-season MVP trophies he picked up? (Should have been more.) He made the All-NBA first team ten times, and the All-Defensive first team nine. He won several player-of-the-year awards as a college junior. He was NBA rookie of the year and played in fourteen All-Star Games, winning three MVPs there.
Moments? There are too many to list, so some of my favorites: the Flu Game (Game 5 of the 1997 Finals)…his last game with the Bulls (the aforementioned Game 6 of the ’98 Finals)…The Shot over Craig Ehlo and Cleveland…the threes and the shrug against the Portland Trailblazers…switching hands against the Lakers in his first Finals…63 points against the Celtics in the playoffs his second year when he was returning from a broken foot…his game-winner over the Jazz in Game One of the 1997 Finals after “MVP” Karl Malone missed two free throws…his winner for UNC…and winning his first title after his father’s murder on Father’s Day, for starters.
Personally, I’ve seen Jordan’s most famous highlights a million times, so I decided instead to leave you with a) the NBA’s highlight package from his rookie year, and b) some of my favorite Jordan commercials. (The "Be Like Mike" song is a little annoying, but kids at school used to always sing that to me. Gotta admit I kinda liked it.)
Last night was rough. The Colorado Buffaloes lost their first game of the season 23-17 in a game that was much less competitive than the final score appears.
Colorado made some plays, sure, and they even started the second half with a quick scoring drive. But they struggled to move the ball for most of the game. CU’s opponent moved the ball effortlessly in the first half, then faltered as the game went on, scoring only a field goal in the second half. They gave the Buffs enough of an opening to get back into the game, but CU couldn’t capitalize.
In Boulder right now, you can buy the jerseys of two active players and one legend. The No. 7 jersey belongs to Cody Hawkins, who threw forty passes yesterday. The No. 2 on sale is worn by running back Darrell Scott, who carried the ball once last night for one yard. Is it fair to suggest the coach is putting his son ahead of the team? No, but these are the kind of things that come up when you fall madly in love with airing it out. Rodney Stewart, the team’s leading rusher a year ago, carried a mere six times for thirty-eight yards. His 6.3-yard average carry was better than Hawkins’ 5.6 yards per attempt passing. Perhaps we could have run the ball more.
What felt like it would be a promising season got off to a pretty poor start yesterday. We’ll see how the Buffs respond in their next game, this Friday at Toledo (7 p.m. Mountain, ESPN).
No. 3 Oklahoma may have lost Hyped Man Sam Bradford in the second quarter, but they still let the No. 20 BYU Cougars take it to ’em in crunch time. BYU notched the upset win 14-13 tonight in Dallas.
I’ve seen BYU make plenty of comebacks, but it’s been years since both the offense and defense played with the kind of mental toughness they did in tonight’s fourth quarter.
Cougars QB Max Hall threw a costly pick at the end of the third that left Oklahoma with good field position at BYU’s 27, with the Sooners already holding a 10-7 lead. They immediately picked up a first down, too. But that was about it for OU tonight. Oklahoma running back Chris Brown picked up a first and goal, then BYU stopped him on consecutive plays. Third and goal from the five. On the pass, BYU cornerback Brian Logan appeared to knock the ball down cleanly, but was flagged for pass interference in the end zone. I thought this was a horrible call, honestly, and it gave Oklahoma first and goal at the two. Having seen a number of BYU games in my life, I thought the upset bid was over.
Funny thing, though. Oklahoma only moved the ball one yard in three downs and had to settle for a field goal. (They actually went backwards after a delay of game call on fourth down.) The BYU defense was just too resilient. I was impressed. But the offense still needed to come through in a major way.
The offense’s final (meaningful drive) was classic BYU: pass, pass, pass, even out of obvious passing formations, but just keep moving the chains. They ran a few times, but only out of a sense of obligation. The nicest play was a shot downfield, when Hall rolled right on third and ten and drilled a pass twenty-two yards to tight end Dennis Pitta. Pitta caught four passes on the drive and picked up enough yards on his last grab to set up first and goal. After a make-up PI call on Oklahoma gave BYU a fresh set of downs, they resorted to running the ball. They made it most of the way on first down before getting stuffed on second. Then they took a delay of game of their own on third. The announcer wisely said it might be a blessing in disguise, since BYU could abandon the power running. Sure enough, Hall hit a wide-open receiver in the back of the end zone on the next play for the go-ahead score.
The endgame was sort of funny: after Oklahoma bungled a promising drive into a missed 54-yard field goal attempt, BYU had just enough downs to run out the clock, but barely. Thus Hall was being kind of cute with his kneels, standing for a second or two before going down. I get why he did it, but I also get why an OU defender took a shot at him after his kneel on second down. But the teams kept their heads, and the Cougars got the win.
Inspired by the Sports Guy’s debates this year about what has been the best whatever of the decade, I thought it would be nice to talk, as the last football season of the decade kicks off, about which have been the best games of the double-ohs. (Hopefully I’ll look dumb for leaving out some awesome game that happens this season.)
Honorable mention: Sadly, I had to exclude the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, when Ohio State upset the favored Miami Hurricanes for the national championship—the game even went to a typically-awesome college overtime, but I really hated the pass interference call that extended the Buckeyes’ first overtime possession…the fourth and 26 game…the Rams-Titans Super Bowl XXXIV showdown, which was sorta boring until the last few minutes, when my BYU companion conveniently scheduled a home-teaching appointment…the Titans’ third win of the season over the Jaguars in the AFC Championship right before that game…the Music City Miracle, which never would have happened if Wade Phillips had stuck with Doug Flutie instead of Rob Johnson…the Patriots-Panthers Super Bowl which I also found kind of boring, probably because I watched it with family members who didn’t like football…Vick over Favre at Lambeau…the Miami over Nebraksa national championship, because there’s no way Nebraska should have been in that game…BYU's 2001 comeback over Utah...any games that involved the USC Trojans or Indianapolis Colts winning.
10. New England 16, Oakland 13 OT (AFC Divisional Round, January 19, 2002)
This game is perhaps infamous for the Tuck Rule, which is lame, because it was the right call. This was a terrific game, in the snow, and it was memorable as the first playoff win for Tom Brady, the sport’s best player of the decade. Adam Vinatieri shook off the conditions and kicked a 45-yard field goal to tie the game in the final minute, then hit a shorter kick to win in overtime.
The tying kick:
9. Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21 (Super Bowl XXXVIII, January 26, 2003)
The Snow Game wasn’t the Raiders’ only memorable loss this decade. One of my roommates got a projector and threw sort of a small party for this game. One guest was a normally-insufferable Raiders fan who wouldn’t even give me the satisfaction of being upset at the score, since he claimed to have expected it after years of suffering.
I loved this game because the Raiders lost in spectacular fashion. They lost because they ran their usually-unstoppable offense against Jon Gruden, the Buccaneers’ new coach who had spent several preceding years with…wait for it…the Oakland Raiders, and who had taught them that offense in the first place. I’ve heard that the NFL Films highlights of this game show Tampa Bay defenders calling out Oakland’s plays before the Raiders could even run them.
Jerry Rice, the only Raider I could stand, had a 48-yard touchdown catch, but Rich “Don’t Scratch My Corvette” Gannon threw a satisfying five interceptions in his career’s biggest game.
The Raiders’ blowout loss almost made up for missing out on my preferred Steve McNair-Donovan McNabb Super Bowl matchup.
8. Pittsburgh 21, Indianapolis 18 (AFC Divisional Round, January 15, 2006)
Of all of Peyton Manning’s choke jobs, this may have been the sweetest to watch. The No. 6-seeded Steelers were heading into the RCA Dome to face the Colts, who’d started the year 13-0 and stoked talk of an undefeated season before finishing 14-2. The Steelers weren’t your typical 6th seed; quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had missed four games and the team had missed him, but they still appeared overmatched.
The Steelers had a double-digit lead at halftime, but almost blew the game when Jerome Bettis fumbled late near the goal line. Colts safety Nick Harper tried to put a move on Big Ben while returning the fumble and somehow failed. Roethlisberger’s shoestring tackle may have saved a touchdown; certainly it set the stage for Mike Vanderjagt to blow a potential tying field goal in the final minute.
7. New York Giants 17, New England 14 (Super Bowl XLII, February 3, 2008)
I didn’t much care for this game when it happened, because not only did another Manning win a Super Bowl trophy, but the Patriots were unable to join the 1972 Dolphins as an undefeated team. That sucks because the 1972 Dolphins are a classless bunch of jerks.
Anyway, the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season, Tom Brady threw 50 touchdown passes, including 23 to Randy Moss, and the team scored a record 589 points. Thus the Giants deserve respect for their historic upset. Pretty weird that a team that scored 36.8 per game in the regular season only put up 14 in the biggest game of the year; I wonder who their offensive coordinator was that day?
6. New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21 (Super Bowl XXXIX, February 6, 2005)
This game was, in some ways, more exciting for its star power than for the way it played out. Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots were going for their third ring. Terrell Owens, who was still a superstar, had joined the Eagles and helped them cruise through the regular season before breaking his ankle. The team finally made its first Super Bowl of the McNabb era, and Owens was determined to play in the Super Bowl, which he did.
This gave us one of my favorite Super Bowl pregame stories ever: Peter King’s interview with Jack Youngblood. I don’t want to spoil it but let’s just say Youngblood, who played several playoff games in a row with a taped-up broken leg, wasn’t too impressed with Owens.
The game itself was surreal. The Eagles got the ball down ten in the fourth and were slowly but surely moving down the field. Then I looked up at the clock and saw that there were like three and half minutes left, but no sense of urgency on the field. The Eagles completely botched their clock management and didn’t give themselves a good chance at the upset. No offense to Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb but it’s kind of amazing they still have their jobs, even now, after that. Still, this was one of the most memorable games of the decade for me; I can still remember watching the game, the phone call with my brother afterwards, and playing some Halo 2 after that.
(Speaking of great games, let’s not forget that the Patriots beat the Colts for the sixth time in a row a few weeks before this game, though the Colts have won four of five since.)
5. Denver 27, New England 13 (AFC Divisional Round, January 14, 2006)
My favorite team won exactly one playoff game this decade, so of course it makes the list. But the game was pretty relevant, seeing as it knocked the two-time defending champions out of the playoffs and ended New England’s playoff winning streak at ten games (!).
Early in the game, Broncos safety John Lynch was celebrating in the Patriots’ backfield. Brady followed him, pumping his fist and getting fired up. I’ll admit, I was terrified when Lynch did that, but it didn’t end up mattering. The Broncos capitalized on several turnovers, especially with Champ Bailey’s controversial 101-yard interception return, and won the game healthily. Later, someone unfamiliar with timestamps added the final score of the game to my HPS preview post as a “prediction”, which is fun, too.
Champ’s return:
4. Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 OT (Fiesta Bowl, January 1, 2007)
This was the famous upset that proved a school from a non-BCS conference could beat a BCS school in a game for not the championship. Which is good, because unfortunately that's about the best those teams will be allowed to do (Boise State hadn't lost a single game all year; it's hard to imagine a team in their shoes doing better).
The Broncos connected on an incredible hook-and-ladder to force overtime, then scored a touchdown and went for two on two more trick plays to win the game in overtime. Here are some highlights:
And here's the condensed run of the complete game (the long version is on Hulu, too):
3. Colorado 62, Nebraska 36 (November 23, 2001)
I didn’t throw myself into the Buffs’ 2001 season out of a misguided sense of honor: while I liked CU and remembered rooting for them in the 1990 and 1991 Orange Bowls as a kid, I thought it would be fair-weather of me to fancy myself a huge Buffaloes fan once they were suddenly good again. This was particularly stupid considering I was attending CU at the time. But I definitely loved this game.
The Buffs had lost nine in a row to the Cornhuskers, including a few heartbreakers the few years previous. It was awful, how close we’d been to winning. I was living in Boulder but didn’t have tickets to the game, so I drove home to watch it at a friend’s house. I can still remember seeing the cars driving into Boulder that day, including several obnoxious vehicles with Nebraska flags adorning them. They’d come to Colorado to throw a party in our town.
The Cornhuskers were 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation. But their vaunted defense was an absolute sieve against Colorado’s running game that day. Chris Brown ran for 198 yards and six touchdowns, while Bobby Purify added 154 and another score. They were unstoppable. At one point the announcers singled out (doubled out?) the blocking of Buffs right guard Andre Gurode and right tackle Victor Rogers, who opened up enormous holes the entire game, breaking Nebraska’s will and presumably ending their shot at a national championship.
The BCS being what it is, Nebraska actually got a second chance and played in the title game, where the Hurricanes thankfully finished the job.
I’m a jerk for posting this next one, but everyone remembers it:
2. New England 20, St. Louis 17 (Super Bowl XXXVI, February 3, 2002)
Do you remember what football was like at the turn of the century? You couldn’t crack open a sports magazine without reading about the Rams, a.k.a. The Greatest Show on Turf, and their explosive offense. Kurt Warner, the Rams’ QB, went from an inspiring story to an overexposed annoyance in record time, though he became a cool story again last year.
Though Warner’s a religious guy with a very humble start to his pro career, his team exuded arrogance. Marshall Faulk was an exceptional talent, no question, but I couldn’t stand guys like Dré Bly or the endless talk of the team’s speed. I’m pretty sure the guys on other NFL teams are fast. Also, I got sick of hearing how their speed was even more advantageous on turf, which made sense, considering that opposing defenses were still stuck playing on grass. (Oh, wait.)
The Patriots, on the other hand, had had a weird season. Franchise cornerstone Drew Bledsoe was hurt in the team’s second game, paving the way for backup quarterback Tom Brady to start. I didn’t see much of Brady outside of an October loss to the Broncos that year, but heard plenty of talk about him being a “game manager”. A game manager is usually a nice term for a quarterback who rises just close enough to mediocrity that he doesn’t lose games by himself. Why would anyone be impressed with that? Brady was hurt in the AFC Championship game, but Bledsoe came in and carried the team to its Super Bowl berth. I can remember arguing before the Super Bowl that the Patriots should start Bledsoe.
The game was a lot of fun. The Patriots took a 14-3 lead into halftime after a Ty Law interception return for a touchdown and a still-beautiful scoring pass from Brady to David Patten. It turned out the Rams’ speed was ineffective against the physical and aggressive New England defense. But, like they had the year before in their playoff loss to New Orleans, the Rams’ offense made a late charge. They scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 26-yard pass from Warner to Ricky Proehl to tie the game with ninety seconds left.
John Madden famously suggested that the Patriots kneel and try to win the game in overtime, but Brady drove the team far enough down the field to allow a 48-yard field goal attempt by Vinatieri, which he made on the last play for the championship. I decided after that game never to doubt Brady again. (By the way, you can tell which sportswriter I’ve read the most this decade by the fact that five Patriots games made my top ten.)
1. Texas 41, USC 38 (Rose Bowl National Championship Game, January 4, 2006)
It took me a while to decide on the best game of the decade, but after watching the highlight clip below (sorry about the language; mute it if you’re sensitive), the pick was obvious. Both the Patriots’ upset of the Rams and the Longhorns’ win in the Rose Bowl were sparked by physical defenses defeating a flashy opponent, but the college game had so much more drama, especially considering USC took a twelve-point lead with 6:42 remaining. There were so many moments, whether it was the helmet-removing hit on that Trojan heading up the sideline, or that amazing interception, or Reggie Bush’s idiotic pitch, or the way LenDale White got stuffed on fourth down. But the real star, of course, was Vince Young, who not only threw for 267 yards and ran for 200, but ran for a game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-five with the national championship on the line. I still get chills thinking about it.
The Broncos will be turning to Tom Brandstater tomorrow night for their last preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals (7 o'clock Mountain, CBS).
ESPN.com has a lovely Associated Press article up about it, which you should read. The scariest part of all is when Coach McD suggests he can’t say for sure whether Kyle Orton or Chris Simms will be back for the season opener.
I would just say that in the last preseason game, even The Brand-Stater (“Pepsi!” “Timex!”) was moving the offense down the field better than Mr. Orton. I don’t actually think the rookie’s a good option this year, or maybe ever, but it would certainly be interesting if he can manage a second-straight good pretend game. His inability to offer any explanation for playing all right in the last game makes me think he won’t do it again, but you never know. Not to beat a dead horse, but I just hope this doesn’t end up like the Jarrious Jackson backing up Brian Griese years, where the preseason was more fun to watch than the regular season because at least then we had quarterbacks who tried to make plays. Not that I’m suggesting that Orton needs to try to make plays any more than he already does. I don’t love watching my team throw picks or anything.
At this point in the post I get sidetracked and swing over to the Denver Post sports section, which also talks about the move. Their article starts by talking about Brandstater’s first car (Chevy!) and then basically abandons whatever narrative premise that was supposed to lead to. I don’t know, kinda weird. Anyway, guess I’m sort of looking forward to seeing what the young man can do.
