Armchair Weekend in Review (January 19-21, 2007)
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by user JB82
Championship Sunday from the Armchair
NFC Championship
The Chicago Bears looked like they were down for the count when New Orleans Saints rookie running back Reggie Bush ran 88 yards for a touchdown to cut the Bears' lead to 16-14, taunting and flipping his way into the end zone during the third quarter. Bush's act hoped to propel the Saints to an easy win and a continuation of their magic carpet ride.
Unfortunately, it was the exact opposite.
The Bears defense, led by Brian Urlacher, stiffened by getting a safety on a Drew Brees intentional grounding penalty, and it was all downhill from there as the Monsters of the Midway scored another three touchdowns, including a spectacular catch by Bernard Berrian in the fourth quarter, to send Da Bears to their first Super Bowl in two decades, 39-14.
AFC Championship
For his entire career, Peyton Manning seemed as though he could never get the win in a big game. With his Indianapolis Colts trailing 21-3 late in the first half, it looked as though that same sense of bad luck (and bad karma) would stay with him to his grave.
That would soon change...
The second half of the Colts' AFC title tilt against the New England Patriots was one of the more exciting in recent memory, with the Pats taking the lead only to see Indy draw even each time. With the game winding down and the score even at 34, Colts rookie sensation Joseph Addai ran three yards into the end zone for a 38-34 lead.
The task soon fell on Pats quarterback Tom Brady to do what he does best: lead his team to the win. But, head coach Bill Belichick never called time-out during the Pats' final drive, and it came back to bite them in the you-know-where as Brady was intercepted by Colts defensive back Marlin Jackson to seal the Colts' first trip to the Big Game, 38-34. It will be the first Super Bowl for Tony Dungy's team since they moved to Circle City from Baltimore in the dead of night in March 1984. Ironically, the Colts were in Charm City the last time they were in the Big Game – way back in 1971.
Coaching carousel
- It didn't take long for the Pittsburgh Steelers to find a successor for Bill Cowher. Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin was named to the position on Sunday.
- Another position was filled two days earlier, when the Miami Dolphins announced the hiring of Cam Cameron, San Diego Chargers offensive guru, to the job. Meanwhile, the Oakland Raiders had the unpleasant duty of decreeing that University of Southern California quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian had turned down their head coach job.
Do you come from the Land Down Under?
Highlights from the first weekend of the Australian Open:
- Roger Federer continues to be a vertiable machine on the tennis court. Further edification came with dispatches of Russian Mikhail Youzhny and Serbian Novak Djokovic, all in straight sets.
- Federer's rival of last year, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, easily took care of Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets, winning 6-2 all the way.
- In a battle of former World Number One players, American Andy Roddick battled Russian Marat Safin and beat him, 7(2)-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7(2)-6.
- Another Amerk, Mardy Fish, got a near-free pass into the semifinal on Friday when Australian Wayne Arthurs thre in the towel 3-0 in the first set due to knee problems. This was also Arthurs' last match, and an anti-climactic way to end it, I might add. The unranked Fish went on to eliminate 16th-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer, 6-1, 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-5.
- Fish's opponent in the semis will be fellow Hern Andy Roddick, who disposed of Croatian Mario Ancic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.
- On the women's side of the coin, their championship is up for grabs, as Frenchwoman and defending champion Amelie Mauresmo was bounced by unheralded Czech Lucie Safarova.
- Meanwhile, unranked American Serena Williams continues to roll on, taking out Serbian Jelena Jankovic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
Keeping with the international theme
- In a meeting between defending Premiership and FA Cup champions, Liverpool defeated Chelsea, 2-0.
- Just out of curiosity, one broadcast I would have like to have heard was BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra's broadcast of the match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium. The BBC DAB outlet broadcast the match for radio listeners à la 1927, eighty years to the day of the first-ever such broadcast on UK radio, using a now obsolete eight-square "grid" to describe the ball's travels during the match. By the way, the Gunners beat United, 2-1, on an injury-time header from Thierry Henry.
- The other team that participated in that historic 1927 broadcast, Sheffield United, lost to Reading, 3-1, in a battle of FAPL newcomers.
Around campus
- During his career at Texas Tech, the University of Kansas Jayhawks have been a thorn in Bob Knight's side, with The General's Red Raiders losing all but one game during his tenure in Lubbock. Saturday provided a change, with TT beating Kansas, 69-64, and snapping KU's 10-game winning streak.
- Meanwhile, the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish extended their run of luck to 14 games, besting the University of South Florida Bulls, 82-58.
- When the Marquette University Golden Eagles faced the University of Pittsburgh Panthers last year, the latter took the victory in Pittsburgh. This time around, Marquette hung on to surprise Pitt, 77-74, in overtime thanks to two free throws from Dominic James.
Odds and Sods
- NBA: The last time the Dallas Mavericks faced the Miami Heat, it was Shaquille O'Neal and Company who beat them to win their first World Championship. On Sunday, it was Avery Johnson's team that got revenge, 99-93. While Dwayne Wade led everyone with 31 points, the Mavs' difference makers were Juwan Howard's 25 points and 23 from Jerry Stackhouse off the bench.
- Back in October, the Buffalo Sabres saw their season-opening ten-game winning streak come to an end in a shootout thanks to the Atlanta Thrashers. On Friday night, the Sabres whipped out their retro-style uniforms and went to a shootout, this time against the Vancouver Canucks. Sabres forward Ales Kotalik scored the game-winner in the shootout to give Buffalo the win, 4-3.
That's all for this week
Next weekend's gonna be one big drag; I can just feel it.
Until then, let's all be good sports...
