Sunday, December 21

McGahee's Moment

At the University of Miami, RB Willis Mcgahee was a dynamic athlete and a guaranteed top 5 pick in the NFL Draft.
Then the unthinkable happened.
In the 4th quarter of his last collegiate game, the national championship vs Ohio State, Mcgahee tore his ACL when he was tackled on a screen pass.
Instantly Mcgahee went from early first round pick to a lengthy rehabilitation program and a draft day risk for any team willing to take a running back who suffered an ACL tear.
The Bills took him at #23. He's had a decent career, but probably not as great as it could have been. This season in Baltimore there has been speculation that it could be his last. He's slowing down dramatically and he's not big enough to power between the tackles.
If this is his last season, then last night he finally had a career defining moment. Will any of us ever forget the sight of Mcgahee, against a Cowboys team deperate for a defensive stand, breaking through the middle of the line and running for a 77 yard touchdown, the longest run of his NFL career. Mcgahee literally went untouched and ran in a straight line from the time he took the ball until he crossed the goal line, the first of 2 dramatic long touchdown runs (Mcclain had the second) that will probably propel the Ravens into the AFC playoffs, while seriously damaging Dallas' NFC playoff chances.

I'm not a Willis Mcgahee fan, and I don't know what kind of guy he is. I'm not a Ravens fan, in fact, a Cowboys win would have been more beneficial for me as a Dolphins fan. But watching Mcgahee run to glory last night filled me with that kind of happiness and pure unadulterated joy, that professional sport can sometimes give you as a fan. Where you spontaneously find yourself jumping around, pumping your fist, and yelling "GO! GO! GO!"
Thanks Willis.

Patriots Roll, Dolphins Get it Done, Jets in Tough
As I predicted, the Patriots cruised past the Cardinals 47-7, the Dolphins had to play thier best football to beat a fired up KC team on enemy turf, and the Jets are getting all they can handle in the snow at Seattle.

Watching a snowy football game in December is awesome. The Seahawks appear to be game and the fans are making lots of noise.
Arizona should be ashamed of themselves for their performance today. I understand that they have the NFC west clinched, they had to travel 3000 miles to play, and it was a bad weather game. But 31-0 at halftime?! Where's your pride.

They played like the Old Dolphins teams would in snow games. Not this Miami team though. The Dolphins were always characterized by having alot of talent but being a bunch of nice guys and were a little soft. This year's team is cocky, brash, and come out and punch you in the mouth from the opening kickoff. They do not have enough talent to make a serious playoff run, they may not even make the playoffs, but they are a very tough, physical football team.

San Diego beat Tampa Bay to keep their playoff hopes alive. Now they need Buffalo to beat the Broncos in Denver to set up an elimination game with Denver next week in San Diego. Broncos beat Buffalo and they're in.

Seahawks Upset Jets in Snowy Seattle
Thanks Seattle! The Jets took a huge step backwards tonight, losing to a fired up Seahawks team that obviously wanted to send out their head coach a winner, and took advantage of a loud home crowd and miserable weather.
With the loss the Jets now need to beat Miami next week, and hope that New England loses to Buffalo. As tough as it sounds, the Jets are still very much in contention. They are home to the Dolphins, and the Patriots are in Buffalo. A Jets win at home and Pats loss on the road is still a very likely scenario. Basically this is what it comes down to;
Miami- If they beat the Jets, they get the AFC East. (11-5, NYJ 9-7, tiebreaker vs NE)
New York- Need to beat Miami, and hope the Patriots lose. (10-6, tiebreakers vs Mia and NE)
New England- Need to beat Buffalo, and hope the Dolphins lose.( 11-5, NYJ 10-6, Mia 10-6)

Chargers/Broncos Winner Takes All
Perhaps the least talked about story that is pretty neat is the Chargers charge to a 1 game playoff with Denver.
Three weeks ago the Chargers were 4-8, the and the Broncos were 7-5. The only chance San Diego had was to win three straight and hope the Broncos lost 2 of 3. Which officially happened today when the Chargers beat Tampa Bay and the Broncos lost at home to Buffalo. Denver is 8-7, San Diego is 7-8, and they'll play next week in San Diego. Whoever wins get the AFC West, the loser is finished.
The interesting thing about this? San Diego is a very good football team finally starting to play to their potential. The Broncos are a very flawed football team with a horrible rush defence and inconsistent offence. If the Chargers win, which they probably will, they would be a talented football team playing their best football at the right time, and they could make a run into late January. Who would of thought that four weeks ago?
Another interesting subplot; the Broncos beat the Chargers in week 2 on the infamous Ed Hochuli blown call where Jay Cutler clearly fumbled the ball, but Hochuli ruled that he had already blew his whistle. The Broncos subsequently scored sending the Chargers to an 0-2 record at the time.
I think San Diego is going to win this sunday, and it could be a rout.

Does Anybody Want the NFC Wildcard
Asides from the Atlanta Falcons, who walked into Minnesota, beat the Vikings and secured a wildcard berth, is there any NFC team that really wants to make the playoffs this year. On consecutive nights, 2 teams from the NFC East, supposedly the best division in football, had a chance to put themselves in the drivers seat for a wildcard spot, and couldn't come through. The Cowboys last night vs the Ravens, and Philly today vs the Redskins.
Philadelphia scored 3 points! Three points in a game you almost have to win vs a team that has been horrible all december. Wow.

Ravens TD Runs Unprecedented
I think alot of people are still in shock from last night's game. Those 2 long runs for td's by the Ravens is something I have never seen in my life.
There's america's team, playing thier last game in Texas Stadium, playing for their playoff lives and needing a three and out late in the 4th quarter to get their offense back on the field.
In both instances you thought for sure the Ravens would run three quick running plays and turn the game over to their defence. Which would have been the right idea. Except they didn't count on a complete stategical and physical breakdown by the Cowboys defensive coaches and players.
Kimberly Jones made an excellent point this morning on ESPN The Reporters. In both runs, there was not a single Cowboy defender to be seen, frantically trying to chase down Mcgahee or Mcclain from behind. Mcgahee has clearly lost a step, and Mcclain is close to 250 pounds and essentially a full back hybrid. Are you telling me that a Cowboys safety or defensive back could not have chased down one of those guys over a stretch of 80 yards?
Regardless, if the Cowboys do miss the playoffs, you can bet that game will cost Wade Phillips his job. Don't assume Jason Garrett will replace him. Last years "next great coach" has seen his stock drop considerably with the Cowboys offensive performances of late.

New Orleans Bowl
If you were fortunate to watch any of the New Orleans Bowl tonight on The Score, you can see why I love these small bowl games with small college teams. Tonight it was the Southern Missisippi Golden Eagles vs the Troy Trojans.
The game was exciting, full of enthusiasm, had lots of scoring, and went to overtime. The kicker for Southern Miss, Brit Barefoot (he was not a bare foot kicker....what happened to bare foot kickers anyway), made 3 field goals over 30 yards, after not making 1 fg over 29 yards the entire season. His last one, which ended up being the game winner in OT, hit the left goal post and bounced in.
The Troy Trojans responded by working their way into field goal position, but their kick was blocked, and the Golden Eagles were New Orleans Bowl champions.
Who cares? Nobody besides the players, students, and alumni of these 2 schools. But watching these kids give everything they have in front of adoring fans is really cool.
The game was played in the Super Dome and there was only about 15000 people there. But they were clearly divided in thier loyalty to the 2 teams and were loud and boisterous.
The players are fun to watch because they are really excited about being in a big stadium and playing on ESPN. Almost every single one of these guys will not be playing professional football when they finish school so for them, this is their super bowl. It's alot of fun.
Next up, Boise State vs Texas Christian in the Poinsettia Bowl on the 23rd!