Armchair Weekend in Review (December 8-10, 2006)
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by user JB82
With college football taking a break for final exams before the bowl game madness settles down upon us all, the men who play for pay dominated the weekend gridiron action.
NFL Hits the Home Stretch
This week saw a total of nine teams in both conferences enter Sunday's matchups in contention for the wild card, and division title prospects were also on the line.
- After four straight losses, the New York Giants already knew that one more would officially put their season in a tailspin. The Carolina Panthers, also in NFC wild card contention, lost the services of starting QB Jake Delhomme. His absence turned out to be the big factor in the game, as backup Chris Weinke got picked off three times and the G-Men never lost the lead like they did the last two weeks. Big Blue snapped their four-game skid, 27-13, to improve to 7-6 and all but knock the Panthers out of contention.
- HISTORIC NOTE: Tiki Barber became the 20th player in the long history of the National Football League to accumulate 10,000 yards rushing in a career. Since his last game will be during AWIR's holiday hiatus, this is my opportunity as a Giants fan to say, "Thanks for the memories." Hail and farewell...
- The Philadelphia Eagles kept pace, beating up on divisional rivals the Washington Redskins in a 21-19 shootout, while Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons also rose to the occasion, albeit against an already sunken ship known as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 17-6.
- The Indianapolis Colts had a chance to wrap up the AFC Southern Division, but failed to do so as the Jacksonville Jaguars dumptrucked Peyton Manning's squad, 44-17. You can thank (or blame) Fred Taylor and rookie sensation Maurice Jones-Drew, as the Jags offense amassed 375 total yards rushing, the most since 2000.
- The New England Patriots hit a speed bump on the road to the AFC East crown, as the Miami Dolphins defense pummeled Tom Brady and shut out the Pats, 21-0. Things got so bad for Bill Belichik's squad that he sent Matt Cassell to play late in the game.
- One of two games that had both divisional and wild card implications came in Kansas City, where Herm Edwards' Kansas City Chiefs squared off with the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium. Steve McNair and company became the first opponent to win at KC in ten years while Ed Reed got two interceptions in the Ravens' 20-10 win.
- The other game was dominated by one person: LaDainian Tomlinson. The San Diego Chargers running back broke the single-season record for total touchdowns in NFL history, getting his 29th on a seven-yard run late in the fourth quarter. By the way, the Chargers beat the Denver Broncos 48-20, with LT's three scores proving to be the difference maker. The Chargers also clinched the AFC West with the win.
- The New York Jets had quietly been stealing the spotlight as the Giants ship was taking on water and landed themselves as one of five teams at 7-5 and in contention for the conference wild card. However, the Buffalo Bills had other ideas, as Gang Green got shot down, 31-13.
- The Cincinnati Bengals succeeded where the Jets failed, crawling back from self-destruction earlier in the year to an almost-certain wild card berth thanks to a 27-10 win against the hapless Oakland Raiders. All this despite Carson Palmer's three picks in the game; he did throw for two touchdowns, as well.
- Vince Young had himself a homecoming to remember; the Tennessee Titans quarterback, who grew up just six miles from Reliant Stadium, capped off a successful trip home with a 39-yard scramble and a 26-20 overtime win against the Houston Texans.
- The Arizona Cardinals got only their third win of the year in a 27-21 surprise win which kept their opponents, the Seattle Seahawks, from putting away the NFC West.
Across the pond
- Since Manchester City rejoined the Premiership in 2000, the rivalry betwen them and the über-successful Manchester United has been very one-sided, in the Devils' favor. Proof of same: ManU's 3-1 drubbing of the Citizens with contributions by Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
- While Sir Alex's squad continue to rule the roost, Chelsea lurk in the shadows despite a 1-1 draw against Arsenal. The Gunners would've improved their chances for competing with United hadn't it been for a Michael Essien goal in the 84th minute.
- Liverpool bounced back emphatically from their UEFA Champions League defeat at mid-week with a 4-0 shoutout of Fulham, with Rafael Benitez earning his fiftieth win in FAPL competition.
Back to the States
NBA:
- Even without Allen Iverson, the Philadelphia 76ers continue to struggle. Further edification of that claim: the Sixers losing to the Washington Wizards in a tale of two halves, 113-98, which saw Gilbert Arenas nail two quarter-ending buzzer beaters in a row. The following night, the Sixers lost again, but not for lack of effort, 86-84, to the Orlando Magic.
- Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson has had an unusual season, both off and on the court. During the exhibition season, Jackson was fingered for an altercation outside an Indianapolis strip club wherein he fired shots, allegedly in self-defense. Then came Saturday; during the Pacers' 107-75 pantsing by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jackson and head coach Rick Carlisle got into a verbal altercation in the first half after a substitution, and was sent off for the game shortly thereafter.
- INTERESTING SIDENOTE: Near the end of the game, Lebron James' son, Lebron Jr., thre a toy ball onto the floor. This action got a roar from the crowd and Daddy Dearest just laughed like it wasthe funniest thing he had seen in his born days.
- Congratulations to Don Nelson, who earned his 1,200th career coaching win Saturday night with a 101-80 win over the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. The fifth time was the charm for Nelson, as Baron Davis contributed with 16 points.
On campus
- While we're on the subject of coaching milestones, It doesn't matter what your opinion is about him, but give Robert Montgomery Knight his due. The Texas Tech University head coach passed the legendary Adolph Rupp for career wins and put himself two wins behind the equally-venerable Dean Smith with an 98-64 win over Centenary College. How did "The General" celebrate the milestone? By going out to bag himself a buck.
- Speaking of Dean Smith, kudos to University of North Carolina head coach Roy Williams on getting his 500th victory with a 94-69 victory over High Point University. While there was some buzz around Knight's pursuit of 879, Williams was mum about getting to the 500-win mark.
- The most surprising undefeated run of the season came to an end on Saturday. The same week that its most famous athletic product, Larry Bird, celebrated his 50th birthday, the Indiana State University Sycamores upset the Butler University Bulldogs, 72-64.
Odds and Sods
- Just like his Ohio State University Buckeyes, Troy Smith had many a sparkling performance on the field during the 2006 season. This is what made him a runaway winner of the Heisman Trophy, and congrats to him.
- Condolences to family, teammates, and others associated with Jose Uribe, who was killed in an automobile accident at age 47 in the Dominican Republic on Friday.
- The WGC-World Cup of Golf on the island of Barbados was anything but paradise for anyone who had the lead during the tournament. After round one, Sweden, South Africa, and Argentina were tied for the lead. After the second round, the Argentines had the position with the Swedes, Scots and Germans lurking in the shadows. The Swedes entered Sunday's action in the lead, only to give German golfers Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siern take the kitty in a playoff over Scottish golfers Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren in a one-hole playoff. For those of you concerned about the two guys we (U.S.) sent, we finished tied for fifth with Spain and Argentina.
- And finally, we end with a fast and furious comeback in high school football. Lakleand (Florida) High School though they had wrapped up the Florida Class 5A state championship with a 35-0 lead. But their opponents, St. Thomas Aquinas High School of Fort Lauderdale, battled back to tie the five-time state champs to force overtime. It took two of those, but Lakeland battled back to win, 45-42.
That's all for this week
The last AWIR of 2006 is next week, so until then, let's all be good sports. And don't forget to vote in the upcoming Armchair Year in Review Reader's Choice polls, if you haven't done so already.
