THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

Back from Vegas with a vicious cough, I was on injured reserve, missing my coed touch football game. After two weeks off, I should be ready by next week. Nevertheless, I rested enough this weekend to be ready for the NFL on Sunday, as my remote control hand was as fast as ever. Below is the recap for week 11.

San Diego Chargers @ Jacksonville Jaguars–Jack Del Rio football is about attitude. From 4th and inches at the San Diego 15 yard line, they pushed through for the first down. On 4th and goal at the 1, Maurice Jones-Drew rammed it up the gut for a 10-0 lead. The Jaguars led 17-3 at the break. Jacksonville led 24-10 after three quarters. Early in the fourth, one fourth down, the Chargers tried a halfback option pass, Ladanian Tomlinson inexplicably ran out of bounds for a turnover on downs. Philip Rivers kept throwing it to the Jaguars, and his last interception with 1:40 left snuffed out a rally. 24-17 Jaguars

Carolina Panthers @ Green Bay Packers–A pair of Brett Favre touchdown passes (he had three on the day) and a 94 yard punt return for a touchdown by Tramon Williams propelled Green Bay to a 21-3 lead at the break. At 28-3, the Packers coasted to a 9-1 record. 31-17 Packers

Kansas City Chiefs @ Indianapolis Colts–Whether it be injuries or a slump, the Colts are not right. Adam Vinatieri missed another short field goal from short range, and Manning had a rough first half, as the teams were tied 3-3 at the break. It was 10-10 going into the fourth quarter. Joseph Addai scored, and Damon Huard had a touchdown pass. This was one of those games where very good teams need to play bad and still win. With 4th and inches at the 3 yard line at the two minute warning, the Colts decided to go for it. This seemed beyond bizarre, since I doubt Dungy had lost confidence in Vinatieri altogether. A quarterback sneak made the first down, and the Colts bled the clock. With six seconds left, Vinatieri nailed a 20 yard field goal. It was ugly, but the Colts are 8-2. 13-10 Colts

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons–A 41 yard fumble return for a touchdown by Ronde Barber had the Buccaneers up 14-0 at intermission. No Michael Vick, no chance, and for the Falcons, no points until it was way too late to matter. 31-7 Buccaneers.
Arizona Cardinals @ Cincinnati Bengals–The Bengals have talented players that are not living up to their potential. The Cardinals have Kurt Warner, and naysayers notwithstanding, you don’t become a two time NFL MVP by being a bum. Matt Leinart is not missed right now. The Cardinals led 21-13 at halftime, with the star being Antrel Rolle returning an interception of Carson Palmer for a touchdown.

Arizona appeared to be in command when a rushing touchdown put them up 28-13, but Carson brought the Bengals back quickly, and a pair of touchdowns cut the gap to 28-27 as the Bengals opted against the two point conversion. Antrel Rolle returned a second interception for a touchdown and a 35-27 Cardinals lead early in the fourth. With under a minute remaining, Antrel Rolle had a 3rd interception for a touchdown, which would have been an NFL record had their not been a ridiculous unnecessary roughness penalty after the interception. The call was “an unnecessary hit against the quarterback.” Palmer was decked, but once an interception is thrown, the quarterback is a blocker like anyone else. Nevertheless, Palmer’s 4th interception stood, even though the touchdown did not. 35-27 Cardinals

Miami Dolphins @ Philadelphia Eagles–Football is getting ugly in Philadelphia. Donovan McNabb has been more vocal, and the team has been less functional. An 87 yard punt return by Tedd Ginn had the Dolphins up 7-3 at the half. When the Eagles took a 10-7 lead, the game appeared over, and from an entertainment standpoint it was. 17-7 Eagles

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens–Ray Lewis had a fumble return for a touchdown, but for the umpteenth week in a row, that is the offense for the Ravens as well, as the Browns led 13-7 at halftime. After falling behind 14-13, the Browns did lead 27-14 after a 100 yard interception return of a Kyle Boller pass. Yet for the second week in a row, they had trouble putting a game away against a bitter division foe. The game was tied 27-27, and a Matt Stover field goal with 30 seconds left appeared to win it for the Ravens. Another Browns collapse appeared to have occurred. Yet the Browns have Joshua Cribbs. He appeared to be stopped around the 20 yard line, but he dragged tacklers all the way to the 40. The Browns got close enough for Phil Dawson to try a 51 yard field goal to tie the game. Dawson’s miss last week against Pittsburgh from 52 was the difference, and this was his chance at redemption. Hyperbole notwithstanding, the conclusion to this was one of the most bizarre games in NFL history.

This kick should be known as Dawson’s Creak, because it took forever to arrive, and needed to creak it’s way. First it hit the upright. Then it hit the crossbar. Then it bounced away, no good. The referees consulted with each other. They had no idea if it was good or not. They ruled it no good, and the Browns anguished as the Ravens celebrated. Yet a replay showed something many including myself had never seen before. After the ball hit the upright, it did not actually hit the crossbar itself, as initially thought. It actually hit the squiggly part behind the crossbar. So the ball actually made it past the crossbar, hit the metal squiggly part, and defying physics, came back on the side of the field short of being good. The Ravens went to the locker room, but the Browns stayed on the field.

For some reason, the play was not reviewable, but the referees had a “discussion,” which involved reviewing the play, although it was not officially called a review. After much discussion, they got the call right. The kick was past the crossbar, and was good. The game was tied. The Ravens had to come back from the locker room, and thousands of fans that had exited the stadium jammed to get back in. In overtime, Joshua Cribbs again took the kickoff to the 40 yard line. The Ravens never saw the ball. The Browns mounted a sox minute drive, and from 33 yards, there was much less drama. Phil Dawson split the uprights, and in a game that will be talked about for decades, the original Browns beat the newer Browns.

Even though they have not won a championship under his leadership, this game was so monumental that Romeo Crennel must be considered to be a member of that exclusive club of sports personalities that resemble walruses. I figured Dennis Green or Art Shell would get their first, since there is no reason a black man cannot resemble a walrus. The entire list will be published sometime soon, and congratulations to Romeo Crennel on the walrus nomination and his team for the win. It has been 27 years since the “Cardiac Kids” gave Cleveland fans heartburn, but these Browns are a lovable ragtag bunch. As for the Ravens, they remain unlikable from their coach to their players, despite actually having shreds of offense today. 33-30 Browns, OT

New York Giants @ Detroit Lions–Brandon Jacobs ran hard and Big Blue had a stifling defense in the first half, propelling the G-men to a 10-0 lead. The Giants led 16-3 with several minutes left when John Kitna threw a touchdown pass to make it a six point game. With three minutes left Kitna went for the home run ball, but was intercepted in the end zone. The Lions got one more chance, but a John Kitna pass bounced off the hands of the receiver and was intercepted. The pass was a bit high, but should have been caught. Kitna passed for 374 yards, but was picked off three times. 16-10 Giants

New Orleans Saints @ Houston Texans–The Texans led 17-10 at the break. It is not that I enjoy giving games short shrift, but did anybody who roots for the other 30 teams care? No. The second half was missable, as two more field goals was enough for Houston. The Saints have dropped a pair since getting to 4-4, and would have to run the table to get back to the playoffs. 23-10 Texans.

Oakland Raiders @ Minnesota Vikings–The game of the day featured two teams that had no interest in winning, which accurate reflected their entire seasons. For more on this travesty, go to www.justblogbaby.com

Adrian Peterson was not playing, giving the Raiders a sense of hope they would soon diminish themselves. Minnesota backup running back Chester Taylor had 163 yards rushing. The Raiders offense consisted of a pair of bombs to Ronald Curry, who did his best Randy Moss impersonation in robbing a completion out of double coverage. Of course, this led to field goals, because the Raiders have no offense. Sebastian Janikowski had four field goals in the first half, and turnovers by both teams set up field goals. The Vikings had a 30 yard run up the middle for a touchdown, and A Culpepper pass to Madsen went for a touchdown. The Raiders also blundered on defense when an interception in the end zone by Nahmdi Asoughma was returned to the two yard line. Everybody thinks they are taking it coast to coast. This set up a safety for the Vikings. The game was tied 19-19 at the half.

A Minnesota field goal put them up 22-19, and a long pass from Culpepper to Jerry Porter put the Raiders at the Minnesota 14, where of course the Raiders self destructed. Culpepper was hit, fumbled, and two Raiders fought each other for the ball, allowing the Vikings to fall on it. Culpepper did have 344 yards passing on the day, but mistakes in critical situations have killed Oakland this year. When the Vikings went the length of the field and ran it in, the 29-19 game seemed to be out of reach, even though only 8 seconds had elapsed in the fourth quarter.

Seabass made his fifth field goal with 3 1/2 minutes left. He then kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds at the one yard line. For punters this is fabulous. For kickers, it puts the ball at the 40 yard line. The defense held, and the Raiders got the ball back, determined to find a creative way to lose another game. Culpepper threw a short pass that was intercepted, yet instead of remaining on the ground, it was fumbled right back to the Raiders. This incredible luck created a first down and stopped the clock. With no timeouts left, the Raiders reached the Minnesota 30 with the clock ticking. Culpepper spiked the ball with 12 seconds left. Unfortunately, there was a false start on the spike that led to a 10 second runoff. Instead of several plays, one hail mary with 2 seconds left was batted to the ground. This how they lose the games. 29-22 Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New York Jets–The Steelers are a good team. New York has been saying “Just end the season” for several weeks now. That’s why they play the games. The Jets brought their defense, and a couple jarring hits led to turnovers, including an acrobatic interception. The Jets led 10-7 and were driving late in the second quarter. Gang Green quarterback Clemon tried to stretch the ball from the one yard line, fumbling for a touchback. These are the Jets. However, a defensive holding penalty against the Steelers placed the ball at the one yard line with 17 seconds left in the half. It only led to a field goal. Again, these are the Jets.

A pair of Pittsburgh field goals had the game tied 13-13 after three, when the Jets faced a 4th and 2 at the Pittsburgh 32. Eschewing the field goal, the Jets instead had a false start followed by an incomplete pass. Again, these are the Jets. Another field goal put the Steelers up 16-13 with 9 minutes remaining. An exchange of turnovers had the Jets in Steelers territory with 6 minutes left. On 4th and 5 from the Pittsburgh 41, with 4 1/2 minutes remaining and all three timeouts, the Jets decided to go for it. Of course, they did not make it. These are the Jets, who then inexplicably called a timeout on defense before Pittsburgh ran their 1st down play.

Nevertheless, the Jets had another shot, and Clemons moved them from their own 14 to the Pittsburgh 5 with 37 seconds left. After a spike, the second down pass was dropped. This was followed by a delay of game penalty. With 26 seconds left, a 27 yard field goal attempt to tie the game was good.In overtime, a short Pittsburgh punt followed by Leon Washington returning it 33 yards allowed the Jets to start at the Steelers 26. Mike Nugent nailed his 4th field goal as overtime gave them their second win. J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets Jets Jets. Ok, the Steelers should be ashamed. 19-16 Jets, OT

Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys–A defensive game featured one Tony Romo touchdown pass to Terrell Owens, with Jason Campbell showing promise for the Redskins. A 7-7 tie was broken on a Washington field goal on the last play of the half. Yet while the first half was a defensive slugfest, the second half was an aerial show. With two minutes left in the third quarter, a 31 yard touchdown pass from Romo to Owens on 3rd and 19 put Dallas up 14-10. Washington came right back but had to settle for a field goal. Romo then went to Owens for their third touchdown connection in the game, a 46 yard strike with 11 1/2 minutes left. The Redskins needed only 90 seconds to strike back, but again they were kicking field goals while the Cowboys were getting touchdowns. The Cowboys led by five points. Romo’s 4th touchdown pass to Owens, this time for 52 yards, required one mistimed jump, as opposed to T.O. breezing past the secondary. The Cowboys were up by 12 with 8 minutes left.

The Redskins would not quit. A Jason Campbell touchdown pass cut the gap to 5 points, and the Cowboys punted. After a return by Antwaan Randle El, Campbell was intercepted by Terrence Newman with under 2 minutes left. The Washington defense held again, but Campbell had under 40 seconds left. With 16 seconds, the Redskins were at midfield. On the last play of the game, Campbell attempted a hail mary, and T.O. was playing defense at the end zone. T.O. resisted the interception attempt and properly batted it down out of bounds. A valiant Washington effort did not stop Dallas from getting to 9-1. 28-23 Cowboys

St. Louis Rams @ San Francisco 49ers–The Rams are a juggernaut in the second half of the season, having a win to separate themselves from Miami. A three yard touchdown pass from Marc Bulger to Torry Holt had the Rams up 10-3 at the half. Unfortunately for football fans everywhere, the second half was played. Each team added a field goal. With 2 minutes left, international superstar Trent Dilfer threw a pass to the goal line that was dropped, and another pass into the end zone that was also dropped. As tempting as it is to blame him, his entire team is dreadful, with their 2-0 start a distant memory.

On 4th and 10 from the Rams 29, with only 1:51 left, Dick Nolan inexplicably called for a field goal. Yes, the 49ers defense was playing well, and yes, they had all 3 timeouts, but it still seemed a bizarre decision. The kick was good, the Rams went nowhere, and Dilfer had his last shot. With three seconds left from the Rams 25, Dilfer went to the end zone, and the 49ers legacy was complete. First there was Montana to Clark. Then there was Garcia to Owens. Now we had Dilfer to…some guy on the Rams…interception. 13-9 Rams

Chicago Bears @ Seattle Seahawks–Cedric Benson ran it in on the second play of the game, and the Bears led 10-0 early on. With Matt Hasselbeck passing, the game was tied 17-17 at the break in a game featuring two teams that were good last year. Seattle led 27-20 early in the fourth. Rex Grossman was then hit, and fumbled the ball away. A Seattle field goal with 3 1/2 minutes left iced the game.Chicago did kick a field goal with 13 seconds left, but the onsides kick failed. 30-23 Seahawks

New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills was the Sunday night game. For those not folllowing, the Patriots are not Goliath. They are the people beating up Goliath and laughing at him. Tom Brady threw another four touchdown passes to Randy Moss for a 35-7 drubbing. Oh, and that was before halftime. The Patriots are 10-0, and the only interesting thing about this season will be who shatters their perfect season. As expected, the starters stayed in the game because Bellichick was panicking the way Lou Holtz used to panic when Notre Dame played Navy. The Patriots then showed why they might be the least classy successful team in sports, with perhaps the exception of the Baltimore Ravens. Up 35-7, with 4th and 1 from the Bills 4, they chose to go for it rather than kick the field goal. Out of the shotgun, Brady threw a touchdown to Ben Watson. At least they did not attempt an onsides kick afterwards. Buffalo kicked a field goal, which must have sent Bellichick into a panic, because he kept throwing. On 4th and 1 from the 10 yard line, Bellichick went for it again, and Brady threw a 2 yard completion to Moss, setting up a touchdown After a defensive touchdown on a fumble return by Ellis Hobbs put the Patriots up 56-10 one minute into the fourth quarter, Brady put on his sweater hat, which might be the only ugly thing about this team outside of the cheating scandal and the running up of the score.

Then again, the same accusations were made about the Ravens, and Super Bowl championships are not revocable. Bacjkup quarterback Matt Cassell came in, and of course threw the ball. On 4th and about two inches from the Buffalo 30, the Patriots did not go for it or attempt a 47 yard field goal. They brought in punter Chris Hanson, perhaps to deflect criticism, or perhaps so people would know who he was. It was the first offensive possession for them that did not result in a touchdown. 56-10 Patriots

Tennessee Titans @ Denver Broncos was the Monday night game. The Titans turned the ball over 3 times. A punt return put Denver up 14-0, and the Titans never got closer than 7 points. Rob Bironas did make a 56 yard field goal, which was even sweeter given that his first attempt, distracted by a last moment timeout by Mike Shanahan (that technique is beyond aggravating) , was no good. The only other drama was when Vince Young was ruled out of bounds at the one yard line even though the replay appeared to be a touchdown. Denver called a timeout, giving Tennessee a chance to review the play, and it became a touchdown. So the Titans received 10 points the hard way. Nevertheless, Young’s last interception killed any chances of a rally. 34-20 Broncos

eric

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 18th, 2007 at 3:10 pm and is filed under SPORTS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.