Armchair Weekend in Review (November 22-25, 2007)

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by JB82

A lot to discuss from the US Thanksgiving weekend, so let's to it right away...

A Football Feast – AWIR style!

For the second year in a row, the NFL put out a Turkey Day trifecta for all (or in the case of the late game, a handful) to enjoy:
- For the first time in recent memory, the Detroit Lions entered into their traditional Thanksgiving Day game not looking like turkeys for a change. The Lions, trailing the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North race, wound up returning to previous form, getting held to only six points total in the second and third quarter in a 37-26 loss. Packers QB Brett Favre threw for three scores and got 381 yards passing and was awarded with Fox Sports' 2007 Galloping Gobbler.
- Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys had no trouble at all against the New York Jets, beating them soundly 34-3. Romo threw for two touchdowns, while Terence Newman helped on the defensive side by returning an interception 50 yards for a score.
- The game most nobody saw wasn't much to write home about, either. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Joey Harrington, who came back to Detroit last Thanksgiving, found himself on the losing end of a 31-13 score against the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning helped extend the Colts' winning streak to two games thanks to three touchdowns and 272 yards from the air.

Like last year, there was also action from the college ranks: USC recovered nicely from their recent skid thanks to a 44-24 win over Arizona State in Tempe. Trojans signal-caller John David Booty shook his for 375 yards and five touchdowns (four from the air and one on the ground) to give the Men of Troy a legit shot at the Pac 10 title.

CFB Upsets for Sale on Black Friday

For LSU, it really was Black Friday. Amid some rumors that he was headed to Michigan to fill the vacancy left there by Lloyd Carr, Les Miles' Bayou Bengals and Houston Nutt's Arkansas Razorbacks engaged in what was one of two overtime shootouts on the weekend. Matt Flynn thre for just over 200 yards in this three-overtime duel, but got picked off in the end zone while attempting a two-point conversion to end the Tigers' national title aspirations. Except for that and the Ark-La Boot, all is not lost. LSU will play for the SEC title next week.

Nebraska ended its season from hell with a 65-51 loss in a gunfight against Colorado; the next day, Bill Callahan got his walking papers from AD pro tempore and legendary Huskers coach Tom Osborne.

Soon after Texas A&M polished off a 38-30 win over in-state rival Texas, Dennis Franchione announced that he had tendered his resignation. It didn't take the Aggies brass long to find his replacement, though. Mike Sherman, currently the Houston Texans' offensive guru, was named the next coach in College Station.

The day ended with Colt Brennan finally getting to make history; the Hawaii QB led the 14th-ranked Warriors over 17th-ranked Boise State at home, 39-27. Brennan smashed Ty Detmer's career record for touchdowns, adding five to the mark for a total of 126 during his tenure on the islands. He also came five yards short of 500 yards passing during the game. As a bonus, the Warriors also clinched their first-ever WAC title.

Championship Saturday (sorta)

West Virginia made it brutally clear that they were the best team in the Big East, and even though they got only 107 yards passing from Pat White, the Mountaineers ran roughshod over Connecticut, 66-21, and also clinched the second spot in the latest BCS rankings.

Sam Bradford became the second QB to tear up the NCAA record books in 2007, throwing four touchdowns to claim the freshman TD record for his own in a 49-17 walloping of in-state rival Oklahoma State. Bradford and his 32 touchdowns, along with the Sooners, will play in the Big 12 title game next week.

Who will the Sooners play, you ask. It will be the Missouri Tigers, number one in the Big 12 North and in the BCS thanks to a 36-28 surprise win over border rivals Kansas. Everybody but Colonel Quantrill got into the act as Heisman candidate Chase Daniel withstood a Jayhawk rally, and put the finishing touch on a 36-28 victory by sacking Todd Reesing in the end zone for a safety. The two QBs combined for an astounding 710 yards passing, while both teams collectively amassed a whopping 910 yards of offense.

Virginia Tech wrapped up a rather emotional season and the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division with a 33-21 win over Commonwealth rivals Virginia, while Auburn ended Nick Saban's debut season with a 17-10 win over the Crimson Tide.

Eric Ainge was the hero in Knoxville on Saturday night; the son of NBA great and Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge threw for seven touchdowns as Tennessee edged Kentucky 52-50 in three overtime periods. The Volunteers defense preserved the win by snuffing a Wildcat two-point conversion by tackling Andre Woodson before he could hit paydirt and force a fourth extra session.

Some more NFL Action

Derek Anderson continues to do a yeoman's work as the Cleveland Browns' quarterback; further edification comes with a 253 yard, two touchdown performance in a 27-17 win over the aforementioned Texans.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense played a huge role in their 19-13 win over the Washington Redskins by forcing six turnovers.
- Speaking of the Redskins, our prayers go out to Sean Taylor, who is in critical condition at a South Florida hospital after being shot at his home early today (11.26).
- UPDATE (11.27.2007): Taylor died of his injuries earlier this morning. Our condolences and prayers to Taylor's family, teammates, and the Redskins organization...

With A.J. Feely playing under center in place of Donovan McNabb, the Philadelphia Eagles looked to be another easy target for the New England Patriots. However, the two teams soon gunned it out, with the Pats coming out on top 38-21 thanks to an Asante Samuel interception near the end of the Sunday night matchup.
- The Pats also clinched the AFC East thanks to the Buffalo Bills' 36-14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier in the day.

Grey Cup Follies

The Saskatchewan Roughriders ended their 18-year Grey Cup drought with a 23-19 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Kerry Joseph's touchdown pass to Andrew Fantuz helped seal the deal, along with three safeties by the Riders' defense, led by MVP James Johnson.

Across the Pond

Proof that the gig of England national soccer coach is one of the world's toughest: Steve McLaren getting the boot by the Football Association after the Three Lions' ill-fated attempt to qualify for next year's European Championship. England needed only a draw against Croatia to have a legit shot at a trip to Austria and Switzerland next summer. Unfortunately, Croatia got in with a 3-2 win at Wembley on the 17th, and that set the wheels in motion for McLaren's dismissal.

While Manchester United lost 1-0 away at Bolton, the headlines were United manager Sir Alex Ferguson berating the performance of referee Mark Clattenburg at the half. The hardnosed Sir Alex lit into the ref for his handling of what he thought were overly agressive tactics by the Rovers. Sure enough, like any organization would do to a coach for the same reason, the FA came down on Ferguson after the game, in which he was ejected. You see, it's not just on this side of the Atlantic...

Crosstown rival Manchester City peacefully bested Reading, 2-1.

However, the two Mancunian clubs are both chasing Arsenal for the Premiership top spot, who shut out Wigan 2-0 by way of those goals coming late in the game.

The B-Ball Throwdown

It had to end sometime, but the New York Knicks ended their eight-game losing skid with a rather impressive 85-77 win over the Chicago Bulls. Eddy Curry helped in the cause with 21 points and 7-13 shooting from the floor.

Meanwhile, Lebron James carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 111-106 win over the Indiana Pacers. James, in his fifth year in the league (hard to believe, ain't it?), got his 14th career triple-double with 30 points, 11 boards, and 10 assists.

Texas A&M defeated Ohio State, 70-49, to win the NIT Season Tip-Off with some help from an unlikely place. Bench jockey Derrick Roland scored 15 points and nabbed four rebounds to make it a weekend to remember in College Station.

Thanksgiving Leftovers (disguised as Odds & Sods)

Alex Rodriguez' got a marketing deal to go along with his new contract; the New York Yankees' $275 million man will also receive $30 mil in marketing bonuses tenative on his chase of Barry Bonds' home run record, which he will likely break with the Bronx Bombers.
- Meanwhile, Torii Hunter officially met his new superiors with the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, as he inked a dal worth $90 million over five years.

There was also some sad news out of baseball over the past four days: Joe Kennedy, a pitcher who was recently with the Oakland Athletics, was found dead at his in-law's home in Florida on Friday at age 28. Kennedy's death was due to unknown causes at this point in time.

The ugliest news of the weekend came with the announcement that Marion Jones' records from September 2000 onwards were annulled. Jones, who pled guilty last month for her part in the biggest doping scandal in recent memory, also asked that her teammates in the relay at the Sydney Olympics hand back their medals.

Time to serve some D (and we don't mean dessert)

Dude of the Weekend

San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson': Even though he only got 79 yards on the day, it was enough to make him the 23rd player in NFL history to rush for 10,000 yards, and the fourth fastest to do it. The 106th game of LT's career was also a 32-14 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Dope of the Weekend

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning: When the Minnesota Vikings scored one minute into the game at the Meadowlands, it looked to be a long day for the Giants. Things went from bad to worse after Dwight Smith returned the second of four Manning interceptions 93 yards for a touchdown early in the second half. Eli racked up four picks in a 41-17 punch in the neck that left Big Blue, well, uh... black and blue.

An important announcement

With the Thanksgiving weekend in the rearview mirror, the time will soon come to reflect on what happened it the past 12 months. To that end, we want you, the reader, to help us in deciding the best (and the worst) of the year 2007 via the new polls section on the site. Look for two polls each day starting tomorrow and going right on through Friday. Here is what to expect:

11.27: Best and Worst Performances of the Year

11.28: Game and Surprise of the Year

11.29: MVP and Fresh Face of the Year

11.30: Coach and Team of the Year

Just click on "Fun" and select "Polls", and you're on your way! (You may have to slag through some polls created by other users, though.) All polls will close on December 28, 2007, so you'll have plenty of time to vote.

Aside from that, until next week, let's all be good sports...

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