In a year most likely to be remembered for losses – on the stock market, of a home, etc – sports were not immune. And if anything, this year will be remembered for one big one, when the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl after a 16-0 regular season.
There were favourites going into the game, and early talk of a New York upset was taken lightly. The Giants had just squeaked into the playoffs and won close games against Dallas and Green Bay – the latter in overtime. Then Giants wideout Plaxico Burress predicted not only a Giants win, but a low scoring game (24-17), it was treated as joke. Tom Brady, for one, wondered why the Patriots weren’t spotted more points.
Vegas was spotting them more than a few points. On February first, the Patriots were 12 point favourites in some quarters. The money line on the Giants was a huge +325. And the over/under was 54 points. All indications were for a high scoring game – Tom Brady and Randy Moss had set scoring records throughout the season, as Brady finally had an elite receiver to throw to.
And through the playoffs – even the season itself – the Patriots were a juggernaut. They had not lost a game all season and only four of their wins were by less than a touchdown. They outscored everybody in the NFL by over 100 points and had the second best defence in the AFC (Indianapolis narrowly edged them out).
But Plaxico wasn’t that far off. The Giants won the game, 17 – 14, in what was one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. Overlooked, perhaps, was the week 17 game between the two teams, when the Patriots roared back from a 12 point deficit to win 38-35. There, the Giants showed that the Patriots were not an invincible team, one that could be beaten.
Using their defence to keep Moss and the Patriots running game at bay, the Giants were able to score early and led by a field goal after one. The Patriots answered back in the second and took the lead on a major early in the second quarter. The Giants had a chance to score later in the frame – a 3rd and four at New England’s 25 yard line – but nothing came of it.
After a scoreless third, the Giants had the ball on their own 20 yard line. Eli Manning, playing the game of his life, led an 80 yard drive that was capped with a short touchdown pass to David Tryee. 10-7 Giants.
But the Patriots weren’t out yet. Two series later, New England started a drive from their own 20 yard line. Making short, quick passes, Brady moved the Patriots downfield and wound down the clock. When the Patriots made it 14-10, there was just under three minutes to play. It was a script seemingly pulled from the other Patriot Super Bowl wins, when a late drive was what won.
And it was a late drive that won it. Starting at their 17, Eli Manning did almost nothing but throw the ball, challenging the Patriots secondary. It was halfway through this, on a third and five, that the most memorable moment of the game – and in retrospect, the year - happened.
Dropping back and under pressure, Manning was scrambling. Hands grabbed at him, pulling his jersey. A sack here, at midfield, this late in the game would be disastrous. But he dodged them and threw the ball up the middle, to a well-covered David Tyree.
The pass, given the circumstances (defence in his face, clock ticking down, the Super Bowl on the line), was well aimed; Tyree didn’t have to dive at it. But it was overthrown, sailing around Tyree’s head. Which was where he caught it. With one hand. While jumping.
Catching the ball and holding it against his helmet, pressing it there while he landed, Tyree moved the ball up, deep into Patriot territory, inside the 25 yard line. One of the best catches in football history, and perhaps the biggest since Jeffrey Mayer’s, this was the moment that’s engrained into memories about this Super Bowl.
But it was not a score, and the Giants would not score until later. Not until after Steve Smith made an 11 yard catch to keep the drive alive. Not until Plaxico Buress scored the game winner with :39 to play.
Three incomplete passes and one sack later, the game was over. 17-14 Giants. The upset was complete – and the Patriots dynasty looked in doubt. In the first game of the next season, Brady went down with an ACL injury and was gone for the year. Under backup QB Matt Cassell, the Patriots finished 11-5 but lost the division to Miami and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
Showing posts with label professional football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label professional football. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Take Care, Air McNair
For a talent that seemed so explosive, so promising and so revolutionary, it was sad to see it end like this. Not with a bang – or in this case, with a long toss or a mad dash – but simply petering out.
It was injuries that did in Steve McNair, the end result of over a decade of fast-paced, physical quarterbacking. Unlike his college career, McNair was never much more then a marginal quarterback. In his lone superbowl appearance, his Titans came just shy, a half-yard short.
He wasn’t the first quarterback who could scramble, nor was he the first with a powerful arm.
But, when he was at his best, he was able to meld the two together and become hard to stop. He was a gritty, physical player who led his teams and played through the injuries that plagued his career.
In his best season, 2003, he averaged about eight yards a pass and threw for 24 touchdowns and over 3,200 yards. And he rushed for another four touchdowns on top of that. The Titans went 12-4 that season, good enough for a Wild Card birth.
They lost in the second round of the playoffs on a frozen Gillette Stadium that season, in a 17-14 thriller against the Patriots. It was the last time McNair played that late in the postseason.
In an era that will be remembered more for success of players like Tom Brady, Payton Manning or Brett Farve, McNair could prove to be the more influential, both in his style of play and in that he was one of the few Black starting quarterbacks in this decade.
Since he joined the NFL in 1995, quarterbacks such as Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb and Vince Young have followed in his path, a mobile threat style of play. The Black quarterback has become much more visible – when he was drafted in 1995, only Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham were starting.
He was maybe one of the first quarterbacks you could legitimately call a duel threat. There were five seasons where he rushed for 400 or more yards and two where he rushed for eight touchdowns. His QB Rating was constantly above 100, and maxed out at 127 in 2003, the season he won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award.
However, it is his college numbers that really stand out.
While playing for Alcorn State in the early 1990s, McNair put up unbelievable numbers: in 1994, for instance, he passed for nearly 5,000 yards, for 44 touchdowns on top of his 936 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
In his final game, against Jackston State in November of 1994, McNair threw for five touchdowns and over 500 yards.
He was named to the first-team of the Division 1-AA All-America team that season, and was drafted third overall in 1994 by the Houston Oilers.
Is he a hall of famer? While he never won the big game, his numbers are pretty solid. He won an MVP trophy. He won 75 per cent of the games he started. He is one of only three QBs to have over 30,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards.
The other two? Steve Young and Fran Tarkenton. If they’re in hall, why shouldn’t McNair be?
It was injuries that did in Steve McNair, the end result of over a decade of fast-paced, physical quarterbacking. Unlike his college career, McNair was never much more then a marginal quarterback. In his lone superbowl appearance, his Titans came just shy, a half-yard short.
He wasn’t the first quarterback who could scramble, nor was he the first with a powerful arm.
But, when he was at his best, he was able to meld the two together and become hard to stop. He was a gritty, physical player who led his teams and played through the injuries that plagued his career.
In his best season, 2003, he averaged about eight yards a pass and threw for 24 touchdowns and over 3,200 yards. And he rushed for another four touchdowns on top of that. The Titans went 12-4 that season, good enough for a Wild Card birth.
They lost in the second round of the playoffs on a frozen Gillette Stadium that season, in a 17-14 thriller against the Patriots. It was the last time McNair played that late in the postseason.
In an era that will be remembered more for success of players like Tom Brady, Payton Manning or Brett Farve, McNair could prove to be the more influential, both in his style of play and in that he was one of the few Black starting quarterbacks in this decade.
Since he joined the NFL in 1995, quarterbacks such as Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb and Vince Young have followed in his path, a mobile threat style of play. The Black quarterback has become much more visible – when he was drafted in 1995, only Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham were starting.
He was maybe one of the first quarterbacks you could legitimately call a duel threat. There were five seasons where he rushed for 400 or more yards and two where he rushed for eight touchdowns. His QB Rating was constantly above 100, and maxed out at 127 in 2003, the season he won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award.
However, it is his college numbers that really stand out.
While playing for Alcorn State in the early 1990s, McNair put up unbelievable numbers: in 1994, for instance, he passed for nearly 5,000 yards, for 44 touchdowns on top of his 936 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
In his final game, against Jackston State in November of 1994, McNair threw for five touchdowns and over 500 yards.
He was named to the first-team of the Division 1-AA All-America team that season, and was drafted third overall in 1994 by the Houston Oilers.
Is he a hall of famer? While he never won the big game, his numbers are pretty solid. He won an MVP trophy. He won 75 per cent of the games he started. He is one of only three QBs to have over 30,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards.
The other two? Steve Young and Fran Tarkenton. If they’re in hall, why shouldn’t McNair be?
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Super Bowl, Super Team
It was under the watchful eyes of FBI sharpshooters that the New York Giants defence crushed them under a pile of blue jerseys, keeping their high-powered offense off the field, running down the clock.
Their offence, neither great nor bad, did it’s job, keeping the ball in the hands of the Giants.
And although the game came down to just one play, a last minute field goal, it was a sign of the Giant’s superb defence, which kept it as close as it was.
But that was in 1991, at Super Bowl XXV.
The Giants then, as now, were a huge underdog to a powerful AFC team, the Buffalo Bills. The Bills offence was one of the best ever, led by Jim Kelly, who threw for over 2,800 yards and 24 touchdowns, most of them to Andre Reed .
And on the surface, the Patriots seem a lot like the Bills.
But they’re not.
That Bills team didn’t have the depth, especially in the receiving corps, that this Patriots team does. You have a hall-of-fame receiver in Randy Moss, a deep threat in Dante Stallworth a short threat in Wes Welker.
Most importantly, you have a phenomenal runner in Lawrence Maloney who can chew up the clock and keep the Giants off the field.
This season’s Giants are far from the 1990 Giants as well. They do not have the crushing defence they had then. They do not have the offense that can burn down the clock.
However, they do have a good QB who’s been hot this postseason. They have two good wideouts who are a good downfield threat. And they have a kicker who, under tremendous pressure, didn’t fold.
Which could be all the difference. Remember, Adam Vinitari won the Patriots a Super Bowl. Scott Norwood lost one for the Patriots.
At the same time, though, I haven’t listened to the hype this year. I’ve barely watched Sportscenter, haven’t watched any pre- or post-game show since the end of the NFC Championship game.
I still haven’t seen any clips of Tom Brady’s booted foot (which already seems like it happened a month ago).
But I don’t think I need to, lest I get caught up in the hype.
At the end of the day, it boils down to just one thing. The Patriots are maybe the best team I’ve ever seen, and I hate them for it.
I hate the ease in which they score, I hate the way their defence covers up any mistakes Brady makes and I hate just how good they are.
I don’t feel any which way about the Giants, which is never a good thing.
I may hate the Patriots, but I have a reason to, since they are such a good team. And although I’m trying to be objective here, I’m going to take them to win.
My pick: Patriots over Giants
Their offence, neither great nor bad, did it’s job, keeping the ball in the hands of the Giants.
And although the game came down to just one play, a last minute field goal, it was a sign of the Giant’s superb defence, which kept it as close as it was.
But that was in 1991, at Super Bowl XXV.
The Giants then, as now, were a huge underdog to a powerful AFC team, the Buffalo Bills. The Bills offence was one of the best ever, led by Jim Kelly, who threw for over 2,800 yards and 24 touchdowns, most of them to Andre Reed .
And on the surface, the Patriots seem a lot like the Bills.
But they’re not.
That Bills team didn’t have the depth, especially in the receiving corps, that this Patriots team does. You have a hall-of-fame receiver in Randy Moss, a deep threat in Dante Stallworth a short threat in Wes Welker.
Most importantly, you have a phenomenal runner in Lawrence Maloney who can chew up the clock and keep the Giants off the field.
This season’s Giants are far from the 1990 Giants as well. They do not have the crushing defence they had then. They do not have the offense that can burn down the clock.
However, they do have a good QB who’s been hot this postseason. They have two good wideouts who are a good downfield threat. And they have a kicker who, under tremendous pressure, didn’t fold.
Which could be all the difference. Remember, Adam Vinitari won the Patriots a Super Bowl. Scott Norwood lost one for the Patriots.
At the same time, though, I haven’t listened to the hype this year. I’ve barely watched Sportscenter, haven’t watched any pre- or post-game show since the end of the NFC Championship game.
I still haven’t seen any clips of Tom Brady’s booted foot (which already seems like it happened a month ago).
But I don’t think I need to, lest I get caught up in the hype.
At the end of the day, it boils down to just one thing. The Patriots are maybe the best team I’ve ever seen, and I hate them for it.
I hate the ease in which they score, I hate the way their defence covers up any mistakes Brady makes and I hate just how good they are.
I don’t feel any which way about the Giants, which is never a good thing.
I may hate the Patriots, but I have a reason to, since they are such a good team. And although I’m trying to be objective here, I’m going to take them to win.
My pick: Patriots over Giants
Monday, January 21, 2008
Defence wins championships - AFC Title Game
They say that defence wins football games, but rarely was that as apparent as it was in Foxboro this Sunday.
Three times the Chargers had the ball inside New England’s 20 yard line – two of those times inside the 10. And yet, the Patriots defence held, not letting the Chargers score a single touchdown, forcing them to kick three field goals.
It turned out to be the margin of victory.
Since the Patriots would only manage three touchdowns on the day, if the Chargers had scored each time they were inside the 20, the score would have likely been 24-21.
Had they scored just the two times they made inside the 10, it’s still a 20-21 game, which would have given that extra incentive for the defence in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots offence sputtered and looked uncomfortable in the first half. An early interception seemed to set the tone for the Chargers defence, who allowed only 139 yards at the half. Tom Brady was only completing half of his passes and their running game was stuck in first gear.
The Chargers offence, on the other hand, looked great – until they would get close to the Patriots goal line. The controlled the clock, had nearly double the yards of New England and Rivers was throwing the ball well.
It looked like an upset in the making – if the Chargers could continue to keep the Patriots offence off the field, while they wore down their defence, they had a realistic shot at beating the unbeaten.
But the Patriots came out ready in the second half.
Tom Brady, who was 22/33, and 11/14 in the second half, wasn’t as sharp as he was the previous week. But he – and his stable of receivers – were great when it counted. When he wasn’t accurate, his receivers made great plays, diving and reaching behind them to make highlight reel catches.
Easily overlooked, however, is Lawrence Maloney. Rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown, his pounding runs helped the Patriots control the second half.
Twice the Patriots had drives of 60 or more yards, eating up the clock. One ended with a touchdown, the other with an interception. Combined, they ate up over 10 minutes.
Add New England’s final, nine-minute drive, that’s nineteen minutes of controlling the ball – more then one full quarter, nearly two-thirds of the second half.
The Chargers, meanwhile, only had three possessions in the second half, only scoring on one of them.
The best defence is a good offence, since it keeps their offence off the field. But to keep the Chargers from scoring a single TD? That was good defence.
And that’s what won the game for the Patriots.
Three times the Chargers had the ball inside New England’s 20 yard line – two of those times inside the 10. And yet, the Patriots defence held, not letting the Chargers score a single touchdown, forcing them to kick three field goals.
It turned out to be the margin of victory.
Since the Patriots would only manage three touchdowns on the day, if the Chargers had scored each time they were inside the 20, the score would have likely been 24-21.
Had they scored just the two times they made inside the 10, it’s still a 20-21 game, which would have given that extra incentive for the defence in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots offence sputtered and looked uncomfortable in the first half. An early interception seemed to set the tone for the Chargers defence, who allowed only 139 yards at the half. Tom Brady was only completing half of his passes and their running game was stuck in first gear.
The Chargers offence, on the other hand, looked great – until they would get close to the Patriots goal line. The controlled the clock, had nearly double the yards of New England and Rivers was throwing the ball well.
It looked like an upset in the making – if the Chargers could continue to keep the Patriots offence off the field, while they wore down their defence, they had a realistic shot at beating the unbeaten.
But the Patriots came out ready in the second half.
Tom Brady, who was 22/33, and 11/14 in the second half, wasn’t as sharp as he was the previous week. But he – and his stable of receivers – were great when it counted. When he wasn’t accurate, his receivers made great plays, diving and reaching behind them to make highlight reel catches.
Easily overlooked, however, is Lawrence Maloney. Rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown, his pounding runs helped the Patriots control the second half.
Twice the Patriots had drives of 60 or more yards, eating up the clock. One ended with a touchdown, the other with an interception. Combined, they ate up over 10 minutes.
Add New England’s final, nine-minute drive, that’s nineteen minutes of controlling the ball – more then one full quarter, nearly two-thirds of the second half.
The Chargers, meanwhile, only had three possessions in the second half, only scoring on one of them.
The best defence is a good offence, since it keeps their offence off the field. But to keep the Chargers from scoring a single TD? That was good defence.
And that’s what won the game for the Patriots.
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