Armchair Weekend in Review (January 12-14, 2007)

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by user JB82

NFL Divisional Playoff from the Armchair

As a member of the New England Patriots, Adam Vinatieri developed a reputation for getting the big boot when it mattered the most during the NFL Playoffs. His dependability continued on Saturday night, but this time as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Vinatieri booted a 35-yard kick to give the Colts a 15-6 win in an otherwise uninspiring Festivus party crash against the Baltimore Ravens.
- BTW, sorry to disappoint all you Seinfeld fans out there, but when we say Festivus here, we don't mean the holiday where we gather around the metal pole for the Feats of Human Strength. Click here for an explanation of the term in football context.
Last year at this time, the New Orleans Saints were reflecting on a 3-13 season that saw them split home games between San Antonio, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana thanks to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The following season would see the Saints, armed with a new head coach and quarterback, return to the Big Easy and clinch the NFC Southern Division and their first first-round bye in team history.
- Saturday night saw the team's first arrival into the NFC title game as the Saints surprised Jeff Garcia and the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-24, for the team's first playoff win in six years and their first-ever trip to the NFC Championship.
Sunday's action was chock-a-block full of drama that makes the NFL Playoffs what it is.
- On their last two trips to the postseason, the Chicago Bears never made it out of the divisional playoff. That all changed this year as kicker Robbie Gould saved the day. With the Bears down 24-21 to the Seattle Seahawks, Gould kicked a 41-yard field goal with 4 1/2 minutes left in regulation. Thanks to a few great defensive series by Lovie Smith's squad, the game went into overtime, where Gould came up big with a 49-yard field goal to seal the victory and the Monsters of the Midway's first NFC title game berth in two decades.
- San Diego Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer has endured a good deal of playoff heartbreak during his career. Twenty years ago, while head coach of the Cleveland Browns, it was "The Drive," where John Elway led the Denver Broncos to an eventual win in the AFC Championship. The following year, it was Ernest Byner's fumble against the very same Broncos team. Two years ago, it was Nick Kaeding's missed field goal attempt against the New York Jets in the Wild Card round.
- On Sunday, against the New England Patriots, lighting struck twice as Kaeding pulled a Scott Norwood late in the fourth quarter as he missed a 54-yard boot which would have put this game under the same circumstances as the above-mentioned Seahawks-Bears clash. The Pats moved on to their fourth AFC championship in six years with the 24-21 win at San Diego thanks to a Stephen Gostkowski field goal with 1:10 to go.
  - After Kaeding's kick sailed wide right, the Pats celebrated by doing what any victorious college football team would do after a big win on the road: dance around on the team' logo at midfield. This celebration angered Chargers running back and NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, who soon exchanged words with three of the giddy Pats.

Around campus

You may recall that last weekend, the Virginia Tech Hokies pulled of a stunning upset of Duke University's Blue Devils. On Saturday, the Hokies got an even bigger upset with a 94-88 win over the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, who came in ranked top of the polls in NCAA men's basketball.
There are no more undefeated teams in the men's game; the Clemson University Tigers lost to the University of Maryland Terrapins, 92-87.
Meanwhile, their femals counterparts met the Duke Lady Devils in a rematch of last year's thrilling national championship game. This time, the third-ranked Lady Terps lost to the Lady Devils, 81-62, at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Across the Pond

Life after David Beckham (sorta) began for Real Madrid with a 1-0 win over Real Zaragoza and an end to a week of tension which involving Beckham's announcement that he'll be headed for the States.
Another club that was in a cloud of uncertainty over a key part of their success was Chelsea. With manager Jose Mourinho facing calls for his ouster and the first signs of a New York Giants-esque situation, the Blues shut out Wigan, 4-0, to temporarily keep the critics at bay. Chelsea remain six points from the top spot in the Premiership, which is held by Manchester United
- Speaking of whom, the Devils kept a hold onto to the top of the FAPL table with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa.
In what could be FAPL Upset of the Year, Newcastle United upset Tottenham, 3-2, thanks to a rally headed by goals from Obafemi Martins and Nicky Butt. On a sidenote, Butt was involved in a halftime confrontation with Spurs defender Pascal Chimbonda.

Odds and Sods

Two years ago, the NFL made history when it played a regular season game for the first time outside of the US when the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals squared off in Mexico City. On Friday, it was announced that there will be a game pitting the New York Giants against the Miami Dolphins to be played at Wembley Stadium in London. Anyone want to take bets that Big Blue will stink it up that game as they've done on this side of the Atlantic?
The NHL saw a notable debut on Saturday. Yutaka Fukufuji made his debut in goal for the Los Angeles Kings in their 6-5 loss against the St. Louis Blues. Fukufuji, who subbed for injured starter Mathieu Garon, became the first Japanese player ever in the league's history.
Speaking of history, Tadd Fujikawa became the second-youngest golfer to make the cut in a PGA TOUR tournament ever. Fujikawa, who celebrated his 16th birthday just a few days earlier, accomplished the feat during the second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club with an eagle on the 18th hole on Friday. So, who was the youngest golfer to make the cut during a PGA TOUR event? Bob Panasik, who made the cut at the 1957 Canadian Open at the tender age of 15.
- Speaking of teenagers, Michelle Wie failed where Fujikawa succeeded, falling well below the cut line. The Anna Kournikova of the golf world strikes again...
Emphasis on "odd" for this last story. The Charlotte Bobcats acquired Jeff McInnis in a trade with the New Jersey Nets earlier this month, so one would assume that he was on that team's active roster. Well, the Philadelphia 76ers, their opponent on Saturday, didn't think so. It turn out that a scorekeeper made a booboo with the Bobcats' roster, which didn't feature McInnis. As he came in to the game late in the first quarter, the Sixers noted this error and after a few minutes of investigation, the Cats and McInnis were given a technical foul and the gate, respectively. By the way, Charlotte beat the Sixers, 89-83.