Note:This blog was originally written December 8, 2006. This is a re-post of it with updates.
On this day 28 years ago John Lennon died at the age of 40. I wasn't alive to see the Beatles,I wasn't alive to see the break up of the Beatles,and I wasn't alive to see Lennon's death unfold. But,as a Beatles fan I understand what people must have felt that day. Lennon was about to begin a comeback,when tragedy struck. At 10:50pm that Monday night,John Lennon was walking with wife,Yoko Ono to their home at the Dakota when suddenly a man appeared behind Lennon and yelled out,"Mr.Lennon!".
As John turned he was shot 4 times;twice in the left side of his back and twice in the left shoulder. A doorman walked over finding the dying John Lennon and said to the kiler,Mark David Chapman,"Do you know what you've just done?"Chapman responded by saying in cold blood,"I just shot John Lennon". Paramedics responded as John was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital.Chapman co-operated with the police and was arrested.25 minutes later at precisely 11:15pm,John Lennon was pronounced dead at age 40.
News broke out of Lennon being shot on CNN and his death had been announced to the world during a Monday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.
The announcement of Lennon's death was a shock to a generation of fans. On December 14,1980 all around the world people stood together in silence to remember John Lennon. Since his death another Beatles has passed,George Harrison(who wrote the song "All those years ago" as a tribute to Lennon) passed away in 2001. Lennon's assassin,Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life in 1982 has not gone a day without a single hate letter. His motive for killing Lennon was unnecessary and the murder itself was tragic thing to occur.
He took away from us a musician who despite controversy over remarks was a great guy who believed in peace and helped contribute with Rock n Roll's growth. I wish I had been alived to meet John and when I first became a Beatles fan around 2000 or so I was upset when I found out he had been dead for a while. If I had a choice to have all the money in the world or a chance to just meet John Lennon,I'd chose to meet John.In 2005,Pink Floyd reunited for the first time in 20 years at the Live 8 Concert. As I witnessed their reunion I wondered what could have been if we had say the Beatles there together with Paul,Ringo,John,and maybe George(if he hadn't passed). As this day comes to an end I leave you with another memory of John so here is the music video for the song "Imagine"
Sunday, May 9, 2010
The 2008 Presidential Election
I've spoken on many issues on this blog since I started it in January 2006. However, I kinda haven't spoken on much since I went to nearly 100 percent sports. I feel its time for me to commentate on the current issue...the 2008 Presidential Election. Before I can speak on it lets take a look back on previous elections.
The 2000 election was the very first one I recall. I remember being a 4th grader at the time and knowing nothing about politics except that Bill Clinton was a great president who had healthy/unhealthy(depends how you view it) sexual appetite but made the country great again. I remember the primary going down to George Bush and John McCain on the Republican side and Al Gore vs John Edwards on the Democrat side. We all knew who won these battles.
Well it came down to Al Gore vs George Bush. It seemed like an even election for Bush's father was popular amongst Republicans and Al Gore was popular amongst Democrats...something had to give. I remember my father endorsing Bush and my mother Gore. The school, itself had an election and a good majority voted Bush and I had no idea why I felt Gore was more qualified(probably because he came from the "blue" party and I loved blue). Bush won in a fluke.
In 2004, a lot had changed. I had glasses, I was 70 pounds bigger, and I knew more about politics. Since George W. Bush took over our economy collapsed and we were at war. I didn't think he had a shot and that John Kerry, a Vietnam Vet and a highly intelligent man would win it. For God knows what reason, this country re-elected Bush because of Republican propaganda and so I found myself a full-fledged Democrat and I was like that until I began my whole, "man without a party act". In 2007 I came to a realization that there was two things killing this country...George W. Bush and the division of political parties...so I became an Independent.
An Independent is full-on neutral. It means I don't favor Republicans or Democrats, it means I play Devil's Advocate and look deeper into issues than the Left-Wings and the Right-Wings. This election has me split in two. My father's side(with the exception of my cousin Matt) is very conservative and is endorsing John McCain or anti-Obama. My mother's side, however(with exception of my uncle George)is endorsing Barrack Obama.
Then theirs this area. Western Maryland is Pro-McCain, it is clear that John McCain has this area clutched. From here to Hagerstown the ratio of McCain signs to Obama signs is 50:0. For some McCain endorsers its racism, for others they're against Obama's apparent religion(Muslim, despite facts that prove otherwise...), or they're Bush conservatives. However, my friends, a good majority are endorsing Obama. Never have I've seen a dilemma like this.
My beliefs are split between Liberals and Conservatives. For a while my beliefs favored Conservatism this while I was voting Democrat in the 2004 elections. Moral Values was something I took serious. I feel, however, the Republican party is a juggernaut that claims to have Christian values but is really a fraud within itself. The Dems are split ..ion. Some are 100 percent for it while others endorse it in special cases. My belief is that abortion is OK in the case of rape and incest. My Christian relatives will disagree but that's just my strict belief if my daughter was raped she would have an abortion for the child is a product of Satan, himself.
Then theirs the candidates. Never since the election of 1968 have there been weaker candidates. John McCain is 8 years too late and Barack Obama is 8 years too early. McCain is 72 years old and is the product of the "silent generation". The "silent generation" appeals to no one in 2008. Maybe some in 2000 but no one in 2008. Barack Obama has only been a senator since 2005 and may be in over his head on this. The Vice Presidential didn't help anything.
Sarah Palin is clueless. To me Sarah Palin is a desperate attempt to get Hilary Clinton voters to vote Republican. By electing Palin we're faced with someone who sets women's rights back 20 years and sets us up fpr disaster. Imagine John McCain dies...we're stuck with someone who might as well be another Gerald Ford...and we all know how THAT turned out.
Then theirs Joe Biden. Joe is a prestigious and great name there has been Joe Montana, Joe Pendleton, and me. Truth be told, I really don't know much about Biden. I hear he's not really helping that, if anything, he hurts Obama. So we could be looking at another Al Gore(when he was VP under Clinton) or another Dick Cheney(minus the lesbian daughter and gun control). At the moment I am as neutral as it gets. Personally this election could be a disaster, in my opinion...OR we could see John McCain as Regan 1980-1984 or he could be another Bush as Obama says. Who knews? Maybe Obama is Clinton(minus his sex drive) or he's another Jimmy Carter.
I can't vote. However, over the next few days I will contemplate who I like in this and when the school hands out the ballots on October 30th I will declare who I voted for. I just prey the Class of '08 and previous people 18 and over make the right decision because at the moment I'm starring at a dying nation. Feel free to comment below.
The 2000 election was the very first one I recall. I remember being a 4th grader at the time and knowing nothing about politics except that Bill Clinton was a great president who had healthy/unhealthy(depends how you view it) sexual appetite but made the country great again. I remember the primary going down to George Bush and John McCain on the Republican side and Al Gore vs John Edwards on the Democrat side. We all knew who won these battles.
Well it came down to Al Gore vs George Bush. It seemed like an even election for Bush's father was popular amongst Republicans and Al Gore was popular amongst Democrats...something had to give. I remember my father endorsing Bush and my mother Gore. The school, itself had an election and a good majority voted Bush and I had no idea why I felt Gore was more qualified(probably because he came from the "blue" party and I loved blue). Bush won in a fluke.
In 2004, a lot had changed. I had glasses, I was 70 pounds bigger, and I knew more about politics. Since George W. Bush took over our economy collapsed and we were at war. I didn't think he had a shot and that John Kerry, a Vietnam Vet and a highly intelligent man would win it. For God knows what reason, this country re-elected Bush because of Republican propaganda and so I found myself a full-fledged Democrat and I was like that until I began my whole, "man without a party act". In 2007 I came to a realization that there was two things killing this country...George W. Bush and the division of political parties...so I became an Independent.
An Independent is full-on neutral. It means I don't favor Republicans or Democrats, it means I play Devil's Advocate and look deeper into issues than the Left-Wings and the Right-Wings. This election has me split in two. My father's side(with the exception of my cousin Matt) is very conservative and is endorsing John McCain or anti-Obama. My mother's side, however(with exception of my uncle George)is endorsing Barrack Obama.
Then theirs this area. Western Maryland is Pro-McCain, it is clear that John McCain has this area clutched. From here to Hagerstown the ratio of McCain signs to Obama signs is 50:0. For some McCain endorsers its racism, for others they're against Obama's apparent religion(Muslim, despite facts that prove otherwise...), or they're Bush conservatives. However, my friends, a good majority are endorsing Obama. Never have I've seen a dilemma like this.
My beliefs are split between Liberals and Conservatives. For a while my beliefs favored Conservatism this while I was voting Democrat in the 2004 elections. Moral Values was something I took serious. I feel, however, the Republican party is a juggernaut that claims to have Christian values but is really a fraud within itself. The Dems are split ..ion. Some are 100 percent for it while others endorse it in special cases. My belief is that abortion is OK in the case of rape and incest. My Christian relatives will disagree but that's just my strict belief if my daughter was raped she would have an abortion for the child is a product of Satan, himself.
Then theirs the candidates. Never since the election of 1968 have there been weaker candidates. John McCain is 8 years too late and Barack Obama is 8 years too early. McCain is 72 years old and is the product of the "silent generation". The "silent generation" appeals to no one in 2008. Maybe some in 2000 but no one in 2008. Barack Obama has only been a senator since 2005 and may be in over his head on this. The Vice Presidential didn't help anything.
Sarah Palin is clueless. To me Sarah Palin is a desperate attempt to get Hilary Clinton voters to vote Republican. By electing Palin we're faced with someone who sets women's rights back 20 years and sets us up fpr disaster. Imagine John McCain dies...we're stuck with someone who might as well be another Gerald Ford...and we all know how THAT turned out.
Then theirs Joe Biden. Joe is a prestigious and great name there has been Joe Montana, Joe Pendleton, and me. Truth be told, I really don't know much about Biden. I hear he's not really helping that, if anything, he hurts Obama. So we could be looking at another Al Gore(when he was VP under Clinton) or another Dick Cheney(minus the lesbian daughter and gun control). At the moment I am as neutral as it gets. Personally this election could be a disaster, in my opinion...OR we could see John McCain as Regan 1980-1984 or he could be another Bush as Obama says. Who knews? Maybe Obama is Clinton(minus his sex drive) or he's another Jimmy Carter.
I can't vote. However, over the next few days I will contemplate who I like in this and when the school hands out the ballots on October 30th I will declare who I voted for. I just prey the Class of '08 and previous people 18 and over make the right decision because at the moment I'm starring at a dying nation. Feel free to comment below.
Way Too Early College Football Predictions
It'll be May in a day and so College Football begins in 4 months. Every year(starting last year) I release predictions for the major bowls and major conference winners. These are my predictions for the 2008 Season.
ACC:Clemson(12-1)
Big XII:Oklahoma(13-0)
Big East:Pittsburgh(11-1)
Big Ten:Illinois(10-2)
Pac 10:USC(11-1)
SEC:Georgia(12-1)
At-Large:West Virginia(10-2)
At-Large:Missouri(12-1)
At-Large:Ohio State(11-1)
At-Large:Florida(11-1)
Rose Bowl:USC vs Illinois
Sugar Bowl:Florida vs West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl:Missouri vs Ohio State
Orange Bowl:Clemson vs Pittsburgh
National Title:Oklahoma vs Georgia
ACC:Clemson(12-1)
Big XII:Oklahoma(13-0)
Big East:Pittsburgh(11-1)
Big Ten:Illinois(10-2)
Pac 10:USC(11-1)
SEC:Georgia(12-1)
At-Large:West Virginia(10-2)
At-Large:Missouri(12-1)
At-Large:Ohio State(11-1)
At-Large:Florida(11-1)
Rose Bowl:USC vs Illinois
Sugar Bowl:Florida vs West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl:Missouri vs Ohio State
Orange Bowl:Clemson vs Pittsburgh
National Title:Oklahoma vs Georgia
10 Years of Football Lists
(Top 3)
Best Rams Game:
1.Super Bowl XXXIV
2.1999 NFC Title Game
3.Rams/Redskins 2006
Best Maryland Game:
1.Maryland/Boston College 2007
2.Maryland/Florida State 2006
3.Maryland/NC State 2002
Best Ram:
1.Kurt Warner
2.Marshall Faulk
3.Issac Bruce
Best Terp:
1.Scott McBrian
2.Shawne Merriman
3.Steve Sutter
Best NFL Game:
1.Super Bowl XXXIV
2.Super Bowl XLII
3.Super Bowl XXXII
Best College Game:
1.2007 Fiesta Bowl
2.2006 Rose Bowl
3.2004 Liberty Bowl
Best NFL Player:
1.Tom Brady
2.Peyton Manning
3.LaDainian Tomlinson
Best College Player:
1.Reggie Bush
2.Ken Dorsey
3.Chris Weinke
Worst NFL Game
1.Steelers/Dolphins 2007
2.Packers/Vikings 2006
3.Super Bowl XXXVI
Worst College Game:
1.Penn State/Iowa 2004
2.Notre Dame/USC 2007
3.2001 Rose Bowl
Best Rams Game:
1.Super Bowl XXXIV
2.1999 NFC Title Game
3.Rams/Redskins 2006
Best Maryland Game:
1.Maryland/Boston College 2007
2.Maryland/Florida State 2006
3.Maryland/NC State 2002
Best Ram:
1.Kurt Warner
2.Marshall Faulk
3.Issac Bruce
Best Terp:
1.Scott McBrian
2.Shawne Merriman
3.Steve Sutter
Best NFL Game:
1.Super Bowl XXXIV
2.Super Bowl XLII
3.Super Bowl XXXII
Best College Game:
1.2007 Fiesta Bowl
2.2006 Rose Bowl
3.2004 Liberty Bowl
Best NFL Player:
1.Tom Brady
2.Peyton Manning
3.LaDainian Tomlinson
Best College Player:
1.Reggie Bush
2.Ken Dorsey
3.Chris Weinke
Worst NFL Game
1.Steelers/Dolphins 2007
2.Packers/Vikings 2006
3.Super Bowl XXXVI
Worst College Game:
1.Penn State/Iowa 2004
2.Notre Dame/USC 2007
3.2001 Rose Bowl
2007 NFL Awards
The 2007 NFL Season has sadly came to an end so its time to hand out my yearly awards for the National Football League.
Best Move of the Year:Patriots gain Moss, Welker, and Stallworth
Worst Move of the Year:Raiders trade Randy Moss for 4th round pick
Most Disappointing Team of the Year:New York Jets
Worst Coach:Scott Linehan
Best Coach:Romeo Crennel
MVP:Wes Welker
LVP:Alex Barron
Best Game:Patriots/Giants Week 17
Best Postseason Game:Super Bowl
Rookie of the Year:Adrian Peterson
Comeback Player of the Year:Brett Favre
Best QB:Tom Brady
Best RB:Adrian Peterson
Best WR:Randy Moss
Best TE:Jason Witten
Best Lineman:Osi Umenyiora(sp?)
Best Linebacker;Patrick Willis
Best DB:Antonio Cromartie
Besr Safety:Oshi Atogwe
Worst Game of the Year:Steelers vs Dolphins
Most Promising Team(Non-Playoff):Cleveland Browns
Best Move of the Year:Patriots gain Moss, Welker, and Stallworth
Worst Move of the Year:Raiders trade Randy Moss for 4th round pick
Most Disappointing Team of the Year:New York Jets
Worst Coach:Scott Linehan
Best Coach:Romeo Crennel
MVP:Wes Welker
LVP:Alex Barron
Best Game:Patriots/Giants Week 17
Best Postseason Game:Super Bowl
Rookie of the Year:Adrian Peterson
Comeback Player of the Year:Brett Favre
Best QB:Tom Brady
Best RB:Adrian Peterson
Best WR:Randy Moss
Best TE:Jason Witten
Best Lineman:Osi Umenyiora(sp?)
Best Linebacker;Patrick Willis
Best DB:Antonio Cromartie
Besr Safety:Oshi Atogwe
Worst Game of the Year:Steelers vs Dolphins
Most Promising Team(Non-Playoff):Cleveland Browns
Top 10 of the Last 10 Years:The Greatest Show on Turf
Recap:
10.Rams/Redskins 2006
9.2005 Fiesta Bowl
8.Rutgers/Louisville 2006
7.2006 Orange Bowl
6.The 2001 Maryland Terrapins
5b.Stanford/USC 2007
5a.App State/Michigan 2007
4.2006 Rose Bowl
3.2007 Fiesta Bowl
2.Super Bowl XXXII
Finally, after 6 months we've reached a closing. I've had fun writing this list but all good things must come to an end. So I present to you the best moment of the past 10 years...the 1999 season of the St.Louis Rams. On January 14, 1990, the San Francisco 49ers faced off against the Los Angeles Rams in Candlestick Park. The winner would advance to Super Bowl XXIV against the Broncos. The Rams had spent the '80's trying to get back to the Super Bowl after falling to the Steelers in Super Bowl XIV. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead but imploded to the sound of a 30-3 blowout as Rams Quarterback Jim Everett was hit closed to 10 times(sacks and late hits included).
The game was significant for it marked the beginning of the end of the Los Angeles Rams. Afterward the team completely fell apart. The team suffered humiliation for the next decade. After the loss, Jim Everett was the joke of all L.A. radio shows. The next year, the Rams tanked to 6-10 and coach John Robinson was fired.
To build for a better future, the Rams went to the past. Chuck Knox was Rams coach from 1973-1978 and built the Rams Super Bowl XIV squad. By 1991, Knox had been successful in Buffalo and Seattle. However, Knox's run focus offense would spell doom for the team and they continued declining. In 1994, a series of events lead to the end. It started when Jim Everett confronted L.A. sports radio host, Jim Rome, who mocked Everett over the '89 NFC Title game by calling him, "Chris Everett"(the name of a female tennis player).
To make matters worse, Rams attendance had reached an all-time low and the team made the announcement that they were moving from Los Angeles to St.Louis mainly due to bad fan support from the cities of Los Angeles and Anaheim added on to that L.A. County was not willing to pay money for a new stadium. On top of it all, the Rams were 4-12 and Chuck Knox was fired. The Rams lost their last game in Los Angeles 24-21 to the Washington Redskins, who, ironically, was the team that they faced off against in their last game in Cleveland(a 15-14 win for the Rams).
The Rams started out a strong 5-1, but a 44-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers killed any momentum that the Rams were building. They would finish 7-9. 1996 was worse as they went 5-11 which led to Rich Brooks being fired. With Brooks gone, the Rams hired Dick Vermeil who was head coach at UCLA from 1973-1976 and the Eagles from 1976-1981. Vermeil, who was famous for turning the Eagles around, had been doing College Football commentary on ABC prior to being hired.
Vermeil's first two years were a train wreck as the Rams struggled with issues by 1st round draft pick Laurence Phillips and Quarterback Tony Banks. Going into the 1999 season, Vermeil was 9-23 with the Rams. In the offseason, there was talk of firing Vermeil, but it was cleared immediately. After meeting with the owners, the team suddenly exploded with major deals.
It all started when the Rams hired Redskins offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Coming with Martz was Quarterback Trent Green. The Rams also made a blockbuster trade with the Colts trading a 2nd and 5th round pick for Marshall Faulk. In the draft, the Rams selected Torry Holt out of NC State, Dre Bly out of North Carolina among others and the keys were set. 1999, began with the Rams going 0-2 in preseason falling to the Raiders 18-17 in Canton, and the Bears in Chicago. However, in both games, the starters looked good.
However, things seemed to bottom out as Trent Green was injured against the Chargers(a 24-21 Rams win) and all hope seemed lost. Out of the shadow of death came Kurt Warner, an Arena Football Quarterback out of Northern Iowa. Warner came into the NFL in 1994 but was cut by the Green Bay Packers. For the next 5 years, Warner worked as a grocery store clerk in Iowa and played in the Arena and NFL Europe leagues. People were already writing off the Rams.
St.Louis kicked off 1999, giving Brian Billick a taste of Head Coaching with a 27-10 victory. After a bye the Rams cruised to 5 straight victories(35-7, 38-10, 42-20, 41-13, and 34-3) against the Falcons, Bengals(in a game to determine the worst winning percentage in the 90's), 49ers, Falcons, and Browns. The Rams looked unstoppable in all 6 games. However, they stumbled falling to the Titans and Lions 24-21 and 31-27. Some were beginning to question the Rams.
However, the Rams lost not through the rest of November as they tore through the Panthers, 49ers, Saints, Panthers, Saints, Giants, and Bears before falling in a close game to Philadelphia(38-31). By the end of the year, the Rams were 13-3 having broken 4 NFL records(Passing yards, yards per attempt, passing touchdowns, and total offensive yards). The Rams entered the playoffs for the first time in 10 yards. Their opponents were the Minnesota Vikings. Fans were surprised as the Vikes led the Rams 17-14 at halftime but the Rams exploded in the second-half were 35 unanswered en route to a 49-37 victory.
The NFC Title game was set. The Rams were scheduled to face the Bucs. The last postseason game between the two was in 1980 when the Rams beat the Bucs 9-0 in the NFC Title game at Tampa. The match-up was between Rams offense led by Mike Martz vs Monte Kiffin's defense of the Bucs. Warner was picked-off early but the Rams stopped the Bucs and it was 3-0. The lead wouldn't last as the Rams tied it. After 1 it was 3-3.
The 2nd Quarter was also more of a defensive battle as the Rams scored the only points as the snap flew over Shaun King's head and to the end zone. At halftime it was Rams 5 Bucs 3. No one scored in the 3rd but in the 4th, the Bucs nailed a field goal to make it 6-5. With 4:44 to go, out of desperation, Warner connected with Ricky Proehl to make it 11-6. This would be the last score and as a result, the Rams were heading to the Super Bowl for the first time in 20 years.
Super Bowl XXXIV was unusually team wise to say the least. In the '90's, the Titans struggled beginning with a 41-38 loss to the Bills after leading 35-3. In 1998, the Titans moved from Houston to Nashville. This was their first year as the Titans and like the Rams, they weren't expected to make it here. Al Michaels said it himself in the intro, "No 49ers, Cowboys, or Broncos here" as all 3 teams were key contenders in the '90's and didn't make the playoffs.
This was Vermeil's first Super Bowl appearance since Super Bowl XV(a 27-10 loss to the Raiders) and most of the Rams players first appearance in a Super Bowl. The 1st half was all defense as both teams struggled to score. At halftime, the Rams led 9-0. They quickly made it 16-0 midway through the third and it appeared is if Super Bowl XXXIV would be a blowout. However, Steve McNair and the Titans wouldn't quit.
McNair ran and ran and ran and on occasion passed driving the Titans to the end-zone to make it 16-6. The Titans defense gave up 294 yards in the 1st half but managed to hold the Rams in the 2nd. With 2 minutes to go it was suddenly 16-16. Vermeil was not pleased as the Rams blew the lead. The game plan called for a long, drawn out drive but Warner connected with Issac Bruce for 73 yards on the 1st play to make it 23-16 with under 2 remaining.
With 1:54 left, the Titans were at their own 10 and looked to be finished. But McNair would not surrender and drove the Titans. With the help of missed tackles and penalties, the Titans were at the Rams 10 yard line with 6 seconds to go. On 1st and Goal, McNair dropped back and hit Kevin Dyson on a bubble screen, however, Dyson was stopped by linebacker Mike Jones(who?) 1 yard short of the end-zone. As a result, the Rams were Super Bowl champions.
By the end of the day, Warner was named MVP going 24/45 for 414 yards and 2 touchdowns, Marshall Faulk finished with 107 all-purpose yards, Torry Holt had 109 receiving yards for 1 touchdown, Issac Bruce had 162 yards and 1 touchdown, Az-Zahir Hakim had 17 yards, while Ricky Proehl finished with 11 yards. Steve McNair finished 22/36 for 214 yards and 64 rushing yards(a Super Bowl record for QBs), Eddie George had 95 rushing yards, James Harris had 64 receiving yards while Frank Wycheck had 35 yards. Afterward, Vermeil retired(and went to the Chiefs). The Rams and the Titans would continue dominating up until 2004. The Rams would re-appear in the Super Bowl two years later falling to Tom Brady and the Patriots, while the Titans came back to the AFC Title game the very next year.
These days all elements of the 1999 Rams are just about gone. The only ones remaining are Holt, Bruce, and Orlando Pace. Kurt Warner left the Rams in 2004 and went to the Giants. He had a comeback year this year with the Cardinals. Marshall Faulk ended his career in April 2007 with the Rams. Ricky Proehl went to the Panthers in 2003 and retired a Super Bowl champion with the Colts in 2007. Az-Zahir Hakim is currently in San Diego. Mike Martz was fired by the Rams in January 2006 and is now offensive coordinator of the 49ers. The '99 Rams is forgotten by some of this football generation but to me is possibly one of the greatest teams all-time with a high powered offense and a dominant defense. I present to you a bonus video.
UPDATE:I wrote this blog over 2 years ago and in that time we have lost Steve McNair. I dedicate this blog to the memory of Steve McNair, while he may not have won the game he was truly the Most Outstanding Player.
10.Rams/Redskins 2006
9.2005 Fiesta Bowl
8.Rutgers/Louisville 2006
7.2006 Orange Bowl
6.The 2001 Maryland Terrapins
5b.Stanford/USC 2007
5a.App State/Michigan 2007
4.2006 Rose Bowl
3.2007 Fiesta Bowl
2.Super Bowl XXXII
Finally, after 6 months we've reached a closing. I've had fun writing this list but all good things must come to an end. So I present to you the best moment of the past 10 years...the 1999 season of the St.Louis Rams. On January 14, 1990, the San Francisco 49ers faced off against the Los Angeles Rams in Candlestick Park. The winner would advance to Super Bowl XXIV against the Broncos. The Rams had spent the '80's trying to get back to the Super Bowl after falling to the Steelers in Super Bowl XIV. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead but imploded to the sound of a 30-3 blowout as Rams Quarterback Jim Everett was hit closed to 10 times(sacks and late hits included).
The game was significant for it marked the beginning of the end of the Los Angeles Rams. Afterward the team completely fell apart. The team suffered humiliation for the next decade. After the loss, Jim Everett was the joke of all L.A. radio shows. The next year, the Rams tanked to 6-10 and coach John Robinson was fired.
To build for a better future, the Rams went to the past. Chuck Knox was Rams coach from 1973-1978 and built the Rams Super Bowl XIV squad. By 1991, Knox had been successful in Buffalo and Seattle. However, Knox's run focus offense would spell doom for the team and they continued declining. In 1994, a series of events lead to the end. It started when Jim Everett confronted L.A. sports radio host, Jim Rome, who mocked Everett over the '89 NFC Title game by calling him, "Chris Everett"(the name of a female tennis player).
To make matters worse, Rams attendance had reached an all-time low and the team made the announcement that they were moving from Los Angeles to St.Louis mainly due to bad fan support from the cities of Los Angeles and Anaheim added on to that L.A. County was not willing to pay money for a new stadium. On top of it all, the Rams were 4-12 and Chuck Knox was fired. The Rams lost their last game in Los Angeles 24-21 to the Washington Redskins, who, ironically, was the team that they faced off against in their last game in Cleveland(a 15-14 win for the Rams).
The Rams started out a strong 5-1, but a 44-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers killed any momentum that the Rams were building. They would finish 7-9. 1996 was worse as they went 5-11 which led to Rich Brooks being fired. With Brooks gone, the Rams hired Dick Vermeil who was head coach at UCLA from 1973-1976 and the Eagles from 1976-1981. Vermeil, who was famous for turning the Eagles around, had been doing College Football commentary on ABC prior to being hired.
Vermeil's first two years were a train wreck as the Rams struggled with issues by 1st round draft pick Laurence Phillips and Quarterback Tony Banks. Going into the 1999 season, Vermeil was 9-23 with the Rams. In the offseason, there was talk of firing Vermeil, but it was cleared immediately. After meeting with the owners, the team suddenly exploded with major deals.
It all started when the Rams hired Redskins offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Coming with Martz was Quarterback Trent Green. The Rams also made a blockbuster trade with the Colts trading a 2nd and 5th round pick for Marshall Faulk. In the draft, the Rams selected Torry Holt out of NC State, Dre Bly out of North Carolina among others and the keys were set. 1999, began with the Rams going 0-2 in preseason falling to the Raiders 18-17 in Canton, and the Bears in Chicago. However, in both games, the starters looked good.
However, things seemed to bottom out as Trent Green was injured against the Chargers(a 24-21 Rams win) and all hope seemed lost. Out of the shadow of death came Kurt Warner, an Arena Football Quarterback out of Northern Iowa. Warner came into the NFL in 1994 but was cut by the Green Bay Packers. For the next 5 years, Warner worked as a grocery store clerk in Iowa and played in the Arena and NFL Europe leagues. People were already writing off the Rams.
St.Louis kicked off 1999, giving Brian Billick a taste of Head Coaching with a 27-10 victory. After a bye the Rams cruised to 5 straight victories(35-7, 38-10, 42-20, 41-13, and 34-3) against the Falcons, Bengals(in a game to determine the worst winning percentage in the 90's), 49ers, Falcons, and Browns. The Rams looked unstoppable in all 6 games. However, they stumbled falling to the Titans and Lions 24-21 and 31-27. Some were beginning to question the Rams.
However, the Rams lost not through the rest of November as they tore through the Panthers, 49ers, Saints, Panthers, Saints, Giants, and Bears before falling in a close game to Philadelphia(38-31). By the end of the year, the Rams were 13-3 having broken 4 NFL records(Passing yards, yards per attempt, passing touchdowns, and total offensive yards). The Rams entered the playoffs for the first time in 10 yards. Their opponents were the Minnesota Vikings. Fans were surprised as the Vikes led the Rams 17-14 at halftime but the Rams exploded in the second-half were 35 unanswered en route to a 49-37 victory.
The NFC Title game was set. The Rams were scheduled to face the Bucs. The last postseason game between the two was in 1980 when the Rams beat the Bucs 9-0 in the NFC Title game at Tampa. The match-up was between Rams offense led by Mike Martz vs Monte Kiffin's defense of the Bucs. Warner was picked-off early but the Rams stopped the Bucs and it was 3-0. The lead wouldn't last as the Rams tied it. After 1 it was 3-3.
The 2nd Quarter was also more of a defensive battle as the Rams scored the only points as the snap flew over Shaun King's head and to the end zone. At halftime it was Rams 5 Bucs 3. No one scored in the 3rd but in the 4th, the Bucs nailed a field goal to make it 6-5. With 4:44 to go, out of desperation, Warner connected with Ricky Proehl to make it 11-6. This would be the last score and as a result, the Rams were heading to the Super Bowl for the first time in 20 years.
Super Bowl XXXIV was unusually team wise to say the least. In the '90's, the Titans struggled beginning with a 41-38 loss to the Bills after leading 35-3. In 1998, the Titans moved from Houston to Nashville. This was their first year as the Titans and like the Rams, they weren't expected to make it here. Al Michaels said it himself in the intro, "No 49ers, Cowboys, or Broncos here" as all 3 teams were key contenders in the '90's and didn't make the playoffs.
This was Vermeil's first Super Bowl appearance since Super Bowl XV(a 27-10 loss to the Raiders) and most of the Rams players first appearance in a Super Bowl. The 1st half was all defense as both teams struggled to score. At halftime, the Rams led 9-0. They quickly made it 16-0 midway through the third and it appeared is if Super Bowl XXXIV would be a blowout. However, Steve McNair and the Titans wouldn't quit.
McNair ran and ran and ran and on occasion passed driving the Titans to the end-zone to make it 16-6. The Titans defense gave up 294 yards in the 1st half but managed to hold the Rams in the 2nd. With 2 minutes to go it was suddenly 16-16. Vermeil was not pleased as the Rams blew the lead. The game plan called for a long, drawn out drive but Warner connected with Issac Bruce for 73 yards on the 1st play to make it 23-16 with under 2 remaining.
With 1:54 left, the Titans were at their own 10 and looked to be finished. But McNair would not surrender and drove the Titans. With the help of missed tackles and penalties, the Titans were at the Rams 10 yard line with 6 seconds to go. On 1st and Goal, McNair dropped back and hit Kevin Dyson on a bubble screen, however, Dyson was stopped by linebacker Mike Jones(who?) 1 yard short of the end-zone. As a result, the Rams were Super Bowl champions.
By the end of the day, Warner was named MVP going 24/45 for 414 yards and 2 touchdowns, Marshall Faulk finished with 107 all-purpose yards, Torry Holt had 109 receiving yards for 1 touchdown, Issac Bruce had 162 yards and 1 touchdown, Az-Zahir Hakim had 17 yards, while Ricky Proehl finished with 11 yards. Steve McNair finished 22/36 for 214 yards and 64 rushing yards(a Super Bowl record for QBs), Eddie George had 95 rushing yards, James Harris had 64 receiving yards while Frank Wycheck had 35 yards. Afterward, Vermeil retired(and went to the Chiefs). The Rams and the Titans would continue dominating up until 2004. The Rams would re-appear in the Super Bowl two years later falling to Tom Brady and the Patriots, while the Titans came back to the AFC Title game the very next year.
These days all elements of the 1999 Rams are just about gone. The only ones remaining are Holt, Bruce, and Orlando Pace. Kurt Warner left the Rams in 2004 and went to the Giants. He had a comeback year this year with the Cardinals. Marshall Faulk ended his career in April 2007 with the Rams. Ricky Proehl went to the Panthers in 2003 and retired a Super Bowl champion with the Colts in 2007. Az-Zahir Hakim is currently in San Diego. Mike Martz was fired by the Rams in January 2006 and is now offensive coordinator of the 49ers. The '99 Rams is forgotten by some of this football generation but to me is possibly one of the greatest teams all-time with a high powered offense and a dominant defense. I present to you a bonus video.
UPDATE:I wrote this blog over 2 years ago and in that time we have lost Steve McNair. I dedicate this blog to the memory of Steve McNair, while he may not have won the game he was truly the Most Outstanding Player.
Super Bowl Preview
Interesting Facts:
1.This is the 2nd meeting between both teams this year
2.This is the 1st time two brothers have went to the Super Bowl back-to-back as QB
3.Since their 14 game win streak against the AFC. The NFC is 2-7 vs the AFC
4.This is the 2nd all-Northeast Super Bowl(the other being Bills/Giants in 1991)
5.The Giants are 2-1 in Super Bowls(Won in XXI and XXV, lost in XXXV)
6.The Patriots are 3-2 in Super Bowls(Won in XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX, lost in XX and XXXI)
7.This is Bill Belilchick's 7th Super Bowl appearence(XXI, XXV, XXXI, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XLII)
8.Belilchick is 5-1 in Super Bowls
9.Belilchick was defensive coordinator for the Giants from 1985-1990 under Bill Parcells
10.Tom Coughlin was head coach at Boston College, who plays 40 miles from the Patriots
11.In Super Bowl rematches the losing team of the first game is 5-5
(XII:Cowboys beat the Broncos 17-6 and 27-10
XV:Raiders lost to the Eagles 10-7 but won 27-10 in Super Bowl
XVI:The 49ers beat the Bengals 21-3 and 26-20
XVIII:Raiders lost to the Redskins 37-35 but won 38-9 in Super Bowl
XXI:The Giants beat the Broncos 19-16 and 39-20
XXV:The Bears beat the Patriots 20-7 and 46-10
XXV:The Giants lost to the Bills 17-13 but won 20-19 in Super Bowl
XXIX:The 49ers beat the Chargers 38-15 and 49-26
XXXIV:Rams lost to the Titans 24-21 but won 23-16 in Super Bowl
XXXVI:Patriots lost to the Rams 24-17 but won 20-17 in Super Bowl)
Now its time to break it down
Eli Manning vs Tom Brady
Brady has the bigger "big game" experience while Eli tends to be inconsistant. I'll take Tom.
Patriots 1 Giants 0
Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk vs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmed Bradshaw
Faulk is old and Maroney is inconsistant. Meanwhile New York has two rough and tough halfbacks named Jacobs and Bradshaw and yes Mistah Dailey I'll admit you boy Bradshaw is damn good.
Patriots 1 Giants 1
Randy Moss vs Plaxico Burress
Moss is Moss and but Burress is a fantastic receiver. He was great in Pittsburgh and just as great here. But Moss is the man in that receiving core. I'll go with another Marshall alum.
Patriots 2 Giants 1
Wes Welker vs Amani Toomer
Welker is the key to this offense. Without Welker, Brady will have problems. He's a great receiver and he's always open. Amani isn't too bad, himself but I'll take Wes any day of the week.
Patriots 3 Giants 1
Kevin Boss vs Benjamin Watson
Boss is a rookie with 5 game experience. Watson has loads of experience. I'll go with Benny and the Pats.
Patriots 4 Giants 1
Giants D-Line vs Patriots D-Line
Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, and Ty Warren vs Michael Strahan and his rag tag D-Linemen. Guess who wins?
Patriots 5 Giants 1
Giants Linebackers vs Patriots Linebackers
Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau, Adelius Thomas, and Mike Vrabel versus...Antonio Pearce? I smell a blowout.
Patriots 6 Giants 1
Giants Secondary vs Patriots Secondary
The Giants corners contained Moss well in the first game but not the rest of the Pats offense. The Pats d stopped the Chargers and the Jags, both whom had high powered offenses. I like the Pats with Asante.
Patriots 7 Giants 1
Stephen Gostdowski vs Laurence Tynes
Lars missed two field goals 2 weeks ago in the clutch and Gostdowski has only missed 1 in the playoffs.
Patriots 8 Giants 1
New York City vs Boston
I hate NYC
Patriots 9 Giants 1
Bill Belilcheck vs Tom Coughlin
Belilchick has control over his players and Coughlin's tenure in New York has been filled with turmoil.
Final Score:Patriots 10 Giants 1
With that my pick for tomorrow nights game will be the Patriots 41 Giants 24
1.This is the 2nd meeting between both teams this year
2.This is the 1st time two brothers have went to the Super Bowl back-to-back as QB
3.Since their 14 game win streak against the AFC. The NFC is 2-7 vs the AFC
4.This is the 2nd all-Northeast Super Bowl(the other being Bills/Giants in 1991)
5.The Giants are 2-1 in Super Bowls(Won in XXI and XXV, lost in XXXV)
6.The Patriots are 3-2 in Super Bowls(Won in XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX, lost in XX and XXXI)
7.This is Bill Belilchick's 7th Super Bowl appearence(XXI, XXV, XXXI, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XLII)
8.Belilchick is 5-1 in Super Bowls
9.Belilchick was defensive coordinator for the Giants from 1985-1990 under Bill Parcells
10.Tom Coughlin was head coach at Boston College, who plays 40 miles from the Patriots
11.In Super Bowl rematches the losing team of the first game is 5-5
(XII:Cowboys beat the Broncos 17-6 and 27-10
XV:Raiders lost to the Eagles 10-7 but won 27-10 in Super Bowl
XVI:The 49ers beat the Bengals 21-3 and 26-20
XVIII:Raiders lost to the Redskins 37-35 but won 38-9 in Super Bowl
XXI:The Giants beat the Broncos 19-16 and 39-20
XXV:The Bears beat the Patriots 20-7 and 46-10
XXV:The Giants lost to the Bills 17-13 but won 20-19 in Super Bowl
XXIX:The 49ers beat the Chargers 38-15 and 49-26
XXXIV:Rams lost to the Titans 24-21 but won 23-16 in Super Bowl
XXXVI:Patriots lost to the Rams 24-17 but won 20-17 in Super Bowl)
Now its time to break it down
Eli Manning vs Tom Brady
Brady has the bigger "big game" experience while Eli tends to be inconsistant. I'll take Tom.
Patriots 1 Giants 0
Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk vs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmed Bradshaw
Faulk is old and Maroney is inconsistant. Meanwhile New York has two rough and tough halfbacks named Jacobs and Bradshaw and yes Mistah Dailey I'll admit you boy Bradshaw is damn good.
Patriots 1 Giants 1
Randy Moss vs Plaxico Burress
Moss is Moss and but Burress is a fantastic receiver. He was great in Pittsburgh and just as great here. But Moss is the man in that receiving core. I'll go with another Marshall alum.
Patriots 2 Giants 1
Wes Welker vs Amani Toomer
Welker is the key to this offense. Without Welker, Brady will have problems. He's a great receiver and he's always open. Amani isn't too bad, himself but I'll take Wes any day of the week.
Patriots 3 Giants 1
Kevin Boss vs Benjamin Watson
Boss is a rookie with 5 game experience. Watson has loads of experience. I'll go with Benny and the Pats.
Patriots 4 Giants 1
Giants D-Line vs Patriots D-Line
Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, and Ty Warren vs Michael Strahan and his rag tag D-Linemen. Guess who wins?
Patriots 5 Giants 1
Giants Linebackers vs Patriots Linebackers
Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau, Adelius Thomas, and Mike Vrabel versus...Antonio Pearce? I smell a blowout.
Patriots 6 Giants 1
Giants Secondary vs Patriots Secondary
The Giants corners contained Moss well in the first game but not the rest of the Pats offense. The Pats d stopped the Chargers and the Jags, both whom had high powered offenses. I like the Pats with Asante.
Patriots 7 Giants 1
Stephen Gostdowski vs Laurence Tynes
Lars missed two field goals 2 weeks ago in the clutch and Gostdowski has only missed 1 in the playoffs.
Patriots 8 Giants 1
New York City vs Boston
I hate NYC
Patriots 9 Giants 1
Bill Belilcheck vs Tom Coughlin
Belilchick has control over his players and Coughlin's tenure in New York has been filled with turmoil.
Final Score:Patriots 10 Giants 1
With that my pick for tomorrow nights game will be the Patriots 41 Giants 24
Top 10 of the Last 10 (No.2):This One’s for John
Its been 10 years to this day. I honestly can't believe it. 10 years ago today I watched my first football game. I remember it like it was yesterday. I didn't really know much about the game going into it. I believe I first heard about the match-up two days earlier from my friend Karley, who was a die hard Packers fan. I had an interest in the game but didn't know where and when to watch it(these days you could ask me about Super Bowl XLVIII(49) and I could tell you when it starts and what channel its on).
It was 5:50 that day that my dad left to watch the game at a party(he does this every year except for Super Bowl XXXIII)and so me, my mom, and my sister(who was 2 years old at the time) went into the living room to watch the game. My mom and my sister cheered for the Packers while I sided with the Broncos(mainly because I wanted to be different than them and I thought Denver had cooler jerseys). The story-lines going into the game included Elway's 4th Super Bowl appearance. In the 1980's, John Elway appeared in 3 Super Bowls and loss all three(39-20 to the Giants, 42-10 to the Redskins, and 55-10 against the 49ers). All three times, Denver was 1-dimensional and Elway had no real help.
In 1995, Mike Shanahan was hired as Head Coach of the Broncos. In the 6th round of the 1995 NFL Draft, Shanahan selected Terrell Davis, a lowly running back from Georgia. To fix o-line issues, Shanahan brought in Mark Schlereth at guard. To give Elway more weapons, Rod Smith was signed after not being drafted. On defense Shanahan signed Bill Romanowski, the star linebacker who tortured Elway in Super Bowl XXIV with the 49ers.
In 1996, Denver made the playoffs as a the top seed. However, they were upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional playoffs. Meanwhile that day, the Green Bay Packers knocked off the San Francisco 49ers to qualify for the NFC Title game. In the game, Green Bay demolished Carolina 30-13. A week later, Green Bay ran through New England 35-21.
In the 1997 season, Denver went 12-4 while Green Bay went 13-3. In the wild card round, Denver got revenge on Jacksonville in the form of a 42-17 blowout victory after dropping 21 in the 4th Quarter. In the divisional round, Green Bay defeated divisional rival Tampa Bay 21-7 while Denver upset the Kansas City Chiefs 14-10. Setting up the conference title games the next week. In the first game, at Pittsburgh, Denver knocked off the Steelers 24-21. Later that day in San Francisco, Green Bay beat the 49ers 23-10.
Green Bay came into the game an 11 and half point favorite over the lowly Broncos. Two factors going into the game was Elway's 0-3 record in the Super Bowl and the fact that the NFC had won 13 straight Super Bowls(the last AFC win was a 38-9 Raiders win over the Redskins). The pregame show featured Phil Hartman, Jewel, and the Beach Boys. The coin toss was out of Elway's past as Joe Gibbs and Doug Williams(who beat Elway in Super Bowl XXII) did the coin toss along with Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson.
Immediately, Green Bay established their offense driving down the field to lead 7-0. Denver responded with a drive of their own to tie it at 7. On the next drive, Green Bay turned the ball over and on the 1st play of the 2nd Quarter, Davis took it in to make it 14-7. However, Davis suffered a migraine during the play and was gone for the rest of the 2nd Quarter. In that time, Green Bay dominated Denver, but the Broncos refused to let them go and at halftime it was Denver 17 Green Bay 14.
Quickly, Green Bay tied it at 17 at the beginning of the 3rd. Later in the quarter, Denver drove down the field and Davis scored again to make it 24-17. On the ensuing kickoff, Antonio Freeman fumbled the ball and Denver recovered. However, Denver failed to score after Elway was picked off. Green Bay capitalized with another score to tie it at 24. With under 2 minutes to go, Denver drove down the field. On 1st and goal at the 1, Holmgren told the Packers defense to let Denver score and so they did.
Down 31-24 with under 2 to go, Green Bay attempted to drove down the field and reached the Denver 35 but one in-completion and a penalty ended the game for Green Bay as Favre's pass on 4th and 6 fell incomplete. As a result, Denver had won the game. Terrell Davis with 184 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns was named MVP. John Elway finished going 12/22 for 123 yards and an interception but 1 rushing touchdown. Dorsey Levens, Green Bay's running back finished with 90 rushing yards and 56 receiving yards while Favre went 25/42 for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception.
In the post-game ceremony, Denver owner Pat Bowlen held the Lombardi trophy and proclaimed, "This one's for John!" in honor of Elway's 15 year quest at winning a Super Bowl. The next year, Denver went 14-2 and won another Super Bowl while Green Bay went 11-5 and fell to San Francisco in the Wild Card round. Elway retired following Super Bowl XXXIII, Terrell Davis had several injuries that led to his retirement in 2002. Mike Shanahan is still in Denver. Bill Romanowski went to the Raiders and retired in 2003 and admitted to steroid use in 2006.
Meanwhile, Dorsey Levens went to the Eagles in 2002 and ended his career there in 2004. Mike Holmgren went to Seattle after losing the wild card round and is 0-3 versus Green Bay since. Brett Favre and the Packers went 13-3 this year but fell to the Giants in the NFC Title game. Meanwhile the Broncos went 7-9 with Quarterback Jay Cutler. Both teams faced off in Denver in October where the Packers won in overtime 19-13.
It was 5:50 that day that my dad left to watch the game at a party(he does this every year except for Super Bowl XXXIII)and so me, my mom, and my sister(who was 2 years old at the time) went into the living room to watch the game. My mom and my sister cheered for the Packers while I sided with the Broncos(mainly because I wanted to be different than them and I thought Denver had cooler jerseys). The story-lines going into the game included Elway's 4th Super Bowl appearance. In the 1980's, John Elway appeared in 3 Super Bowls and loss all three(39-20 to the Giants, 42-10 to the Redskins, and 55-10 against the 49ers). All three times, Denver was 1-dimensional and Elway had no real help.
In 1995, Mike Shanahan was hired as Head Coach of the Broncos. In the 6th round of the 1995 NFL Draft, Shanahan selected Terrell Davis, a lowly running back from Georgia. To fix o-line issues, Shanahan brought in Mark Schlereth at guard. To give Elway more weapons, Rod Smith was signed after not being drafted. On defense Shanahan signed Bill Romanowski, the star linebacker who tortured Elway in Super Bowl XXIV with the 49ers.
In 1996, Denver made the playoffs as a the top seed. However, they were upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional playoffs. Meanwhile that day, the Green Bay Packers knocked off the San Francisco 49ers to qualify for the NFC Title game. In the game, Green Bay demolished Carolina 30-13. A week later, Green Bay ran through New England 35-21.
In the 1997 season, Denver went 12-4 while Green Bay went 13-3. In the wild card round, Denver got revenge on Jacksonville in the form of a 42-17 blowout victory after dropping 21 in the 4th Quarter. In the divisional round, Green Bay defeated divisional rival Tampa Bay 21-7 while Denver upset the Kansas City Chiefs 14-10. Setting up the conference title games the next week. In the first game, at Pittsburgh, Denver knocked off the Steelers 24-21. Later that day in San Francisco, Green Bay beat the 49ers 23-10.
Green Bay came into the game an 11 and half point favorite over the lowly Broncos. Two factors going into the game was Elway's 0-3 record in the Super Bowl and the fact that the NFC had won 13 straight Super Bowls(the last AFC win was a 38-9 Raiders win over the Redskins). The pregame show featured Phil Hartman, Jewel, and the Beach Boys. The coin toss was out of Elway's past as Joe Gibbs and Doug Williams(who beat Elway in Super Bowl XXII) did the coin toss along with Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson.
Immediately, Green Bay established their offense driving down the field to lead 7-0. Denver responded with a drive of their own to tie it at 7. On the next drive, Green Bay turned the ball over and on the 1st play of the 2nd Quarter, Davis took it in to make it 14-7. However, Davis suffered a migraine during the play and was gone for the rest of the 2nd Quarter. In that time, Green Bay dominated Denver, but the Broncos refused to let them go and at halftime it was Denver 17 Green Bay 14.
Quickly, Green Bay tied it at 17 at the beginning of the 3rd. Later in the quarter, Denver drove down the field and Davis scored again to make it 24-17. On the ensuing kickoff, Antonio Freeman fumbled the ball and Denver recovered. However, Denver failed to score after Elway was picked off. Green Bay capitalized with another score to tie it at 24. With under 2 minutes to go, Denver drove down the field. On 1st and goal at the 1, Holmgren told the Packers defense to let Denver score and so they did.
Down 31-24 with under 2 to go, Green Bay attempted to drove down the field and reached the Denver 35 but one in-completion and a penalty ended the game for Green Bay as Favre's pass on 4th and 6 fell incomplete. As a result, Denver had won the game. Terrell Davis with 184 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns was named MVP. John Elway finished going 12/22 for 123 yards and an interception but 1 rushing touchdown. Dorsey Levens, Green Bay's running back finished with 90 rushing yards and 56 receiving yards while Favre went 25/42 for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception.
In the post-game ceremony, Denver owner Pat Bowlen held the Lombardi trophy and proclaimed, "This one's for John!" in honor of Elway's 15 year quest at winning a Super Bowl. The next year, Denver went 14-2 and won another Super Bowl while Green Bay went 11-5 and fell to San Francisco in the Wild Card round. Elway retired following Super Bowl XXXIII, Terrell Davis had several injuries that led to his retirement in 2002. Mike Shanahan is still in Denver. Bill Romanowski went to the Raiders and retired in 2003 and admitted to steroid use in 2006.
Meanwhile, Dorsey Levens went to the Eagles in 2002 and ended his career there in 2004. Mike Holmgren went to Seattle after losing the wild card round and is 0-3 versus Green Bay since. Brett Favre and the Packers went 13-3 this year but fell to the Giants in the NFC Title game. Meanwhile the Broncos went 7-9 with Quarterback Jay Cutler. Both teams faced off in Denver in October where the Packers won in overtime 19-13.
Joey Basford:The Star of the Week
For the ones who went to PVES but don't remember. Star of the Week was a thing they did for every student where everyone would write something about the students. These are quotes from the book. It was typed April 3, 1998.
"Joey is Star of the Week. His favorite basketball team is the Lakers. My favorite basketball team is Chicago Bulls. Joey's favorite color is blue. Joey helps me.", Tyler Hann
"Joey is the Star of the week. He has 3 dogs named Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. He likes Pizza Hut. He likes to read at school and play basket ball. I like Joey." Bobby Bowers
"Joey is Star of the Week. He likes everyone. At school, he likes to play basketball and read.At home, he likes to play his Play Station. His favorite food is pizza and His favorite restaurant is Pizza Hut. He has three dogs Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. His birthday is Apr 22.He will be seven. In his family, his moms name is Gail and his dads name is Joe and his sister's name is Cassie. Joey is my friend." Jeanna Tucker
"Joey is Star of the Week. Joey's favorite team is LA Lakers, and Chicago Bulls and Baltimore Orioles and LA Kings and St Louis Rams." Clayton Blank
"Joey is Star of the Week. His favorite food is pizza. His dogs are Bandit and Bubba and Pickles. His birthday is on Apr. 22. He will be seven. I like Joey." Megan Reynolds
"Joey is the star of the week. He likes Pizza Hut. He has three dogs Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. His favorite color is blue. His birthday is Apr. 22 He will be seven." Ruthie Mullendore
"Joey is the Star of the Week. He likes blue. He has three dogs. Ones name is Pickles and the others are Bandit and Bubba. He likes pizza. He likes football. I like you Joey." Tara Bowers
"Joey is the Star of the Week. He likes his NFL 98 game. He has three dogs and their names are Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. His favorite baseball team is the Baltimore Orioles. His favorite restaurant is Pizza Hut. He likes the L.A. Lakers. He likes playing basketball at school and at home he likes to play with his play station.. He likes blue. He has four people in his whole family. He likes the St.Louis Rams. His favorite hockey team is the L.A. Kings. His birthday is Apr. twenty scond. Joey is my best friend." Jonathan Morden.
"Joey is the Star of the Week. His favorite baseball team is the Baltimore Orioles. His favorite place to eat is Pizza Hut. He has three dogs and ones name is Pickles. And the others names are Bandit, and Bubba. His favorite hockey team is the L.A. Kings and his favorite basketball team is the L.A. Lakers. His favorite game is NFL 98. His favorite food is pizza. He likes everyone. At school he likes to play basketball and to read. At home he likes to play with his play station. His favorite football team is the St.Louis Rams. His favorite color is blue. I like Joey." Blake Roberts.
"Joey is Star of the Week. His birthday is Apr.22 he will be seven. His favorite food is pizza and Pizza Hut. He has three dogs and their names are Bandit and Bubba and Pickles. Joey's favorite color is blue. He likes everyone. I like Joey very much." Amanda Brashears.
"Joey is Star of thr Wekk. He has three dogs---Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. His favorite color is blue. His birthday is Apr.22. He likes everyone in the class. I like Joey." Kayla Warfield.
"Joey is the star of week. His favorite team is the LA lakers. His favorite color is blue. He has a dog named Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. His birthday is Apr.22. He will be 7. He likes to eat at Pizza Hut. He likes everyone. I like Joey very much." Chelsea Painter.
"Joey is Star of the Week. Joey will have a birthday soon. He has 4 people in his family. At school, he likes to read and play basketball. At home, he likes to play Play station. His favorite baseball team is the Baltimore Orioles. His favorite game is NFL 98. He likes blue. He has 3 dogs. He likes everyone. He likes pizza. He likes Pizza Hut. He likes the LA Lakers. He likes the St.Louis Rams. Joey is my friend!" Karley Kaetzel.
"Joey is the Star of the Week. Joey likes every one. and Joey likes Pizza Hut. And he likes blue. Joey's birthday is Apr.22 he will be seven. I like Joey." Jesse Remsberg
"Joey is the Star of thr Week. Joey likes everyone. At school he likes to play basketball. and read!He likes the LA Lakers basketball team. He likes the Baltimore Orioles baseball team too. His birthday is April the 22. He will be seven. He likes the St.Louis Rams football team. He has four people in his family. His mom's name is Gail, his dad's name s Joe, and his sister's name is Cassie. His favorite food is pizza. His favorite color is blue! He likes Pizza Hut. His favorite game is NFL 98. At home he likes to play Play station He has three dogs their names are Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. Joey is my best friend!" Darby Wisner.
"Joey is the Star of the Week. He has 4 people in his family. He has 1 sister. His birthday is Apr.22. He likes pizza. He likes the LA Lakers. I like Joey." Chad Ashbrook.
"Joey is Star of the Week. Joey likes the LA Lakers. His birthday is April 22. His favorite football team is the Baltimore Orioles. I like Joey." Jarad Taylor.
"Joey is the Star of the Week. Joey likes Pizza Hut. His birthday is Apr.22. Joey likes LA Lakers. He has three dogs. Joey has four people in his family. Joey likes to read at school and play basketball. Joey is my friend." Dylan Hammond.
"Joey is Star of the week. His birthday is Apr.22. He likes to read at schoo. His favorite color is blue. He has three dogs. Their names are Pickles, Bandit, and Bubba." Kara ?
"Joey is Star of the Week. He likes blue. He likes every one. He has 3 dogs named Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles" James Firnhaber.
Final Thoughts:Wow 10 years and I'm really the same. The L.A. Kings, however, has vanished from the sports scene for me(mainly because I always had a hard time getting into hockey.
For anyone who can find their Star of the Week book. Find some time and post some of the comments on another blog. For those who wrote this feel free to comment.
"Joey is Star of the Week. His favorite basketball team is the Lakers. My favorite basketball team is Chicago Bulls. Joey's favorite color is blue. Joey helps me.", Tyler Hann
"Joey is the Star of the week. He has 3 dogs named Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. He likes Pizza Hut. He likes to read at school and play basket ball. I like Joey." Bobby Bowers
"Joey is Star of the Week. He likes everyone. At school, he likes to play basketball and read.At home, he likes to play his Play Station. His favorite food is pizza and His favorite restaurant is Pizza Hut. He has three dogs Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. His birthday is Apr 22.He will be seven. In his family, his moms name is Gail and his dads name is Joe and his sister's name is Cassie. Joey is my friend." Jeanna Tucker
"Joey is Star of the Week. Joey's favorite team is LA Lakers, and Chicago Bulls and Baltimore Orioles and LA Kings and St Louis Rams." Clayton Blank
"Joey is Star of the Week. His favorite food is pizza. His dogs are Bandit and Bubba and Pickles. His birthday is on Apr. 22. He will be seven. I like Joey." Megan Reynolds
"Joey is the star of the week. He likes Pizza Hut. He has three dogs Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. His favorite color is blue. His birthday is Apr. 22 He will be seven." Ruthie Mullendore
"Joey is the Star of the Week. He likes blue. He has three dogs. Ones name is Pickles and the others are Bandit and Bubba. He likes pizza. He likes football. I like you Joey." Tara Bowers
"Joey is the Star of the Week. He likes his NFL 98 game. He has three dogs and their names are Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. His favorite baseball team is the Baltimore Orioles. His favorite restaurant is Pizza Hut. He likes the L.A. Lakers. He likes playing basketball at school and at home he likes to play with his play station.. He likes blue. He has four people in his whole family. He likes the St.Louis Rams. His favorite hockey team is the L.A. Kings. His birthday is Apr. twenty scond. Joey is my best friend." Jonathan Morden.
"Joey is the Star of the Week. His favorite baseball team is the Baltimore Orioles. His favorite place to eat is Pizza Hut. He has three dogs and ones name is Pickles. And the others names are Bandit, and Bubba. His favorite hockey team is the L.A. Kings and his favorite basketball team is the L.A. Lakers. His favorite game is NFL 98. His favorite food is pizza. He likes everyone. At school he likes to play basketball and to read. At home he likes to play with his play station. His favorite football team is the St.Louis Rams. His favorite color is blue. I like Joey." Blake Roberts.
"Joey is Star of the Week. His birthday is Apr.22 he will be seven. His favorite food is pizza and Pizza Hut. He has three dogs and their names are Bandit and Bubba and Pickles. Joey's favorite color is blue. He likes everyone. I like Joey very much." Amanda Brashears.
"Joey is Star of thr Wekk. He has three dogs---Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. His favorite color is blue. His birthday is Apr.22. He likes everyone in the class. I like Joey." Kayla Warfield.
"Joey is the star of week. His favorite team is the LA lakers. His favorite color is blue. He has a dog named Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. His birthday is Apr.22. He will be 7. He likes to eat at Pizza Hut. He likes everyone. I like Joey very much." Chelsea Painter.
"Joey is Star of the Week. Joey will have a birthday soon. He has 4 people in his family. At school, he likes to read and play basketball. At home, he likes to play Play station. His favorite baseball team is the Baltimore Orioles. His favorite game is NFL 98. He likes blue. He has 3 dogs. He likes everyone. He likes pizza. He likes Pizza Hut. He likes the LA Lakers. He likes the St.Louis Rams. Joey is my friend!" Karley Kaetzel.
"Joey is the Star of the Week. Joey likes every one. and Joey likes Pizza Hut. And he likes blue. Joey's birthday is Apr.22 he will be seven. I like Joey." Jesse Remsberg
"Joey is the Star of thr Week. Joey likes everyone. At school he likes to play basketball. and read!He likes the LA Lakers basketball team. He likes the Baltimore Orioles baseball team too. His birthday is April the 22. He will be seven. He likes the St.Louis Rams football team. He has four people in his family. His mom's name is Gail, his dad's name s Joe, and his sister's name is Cassie. His favorite food is pizza. His favorite color is blue! He likes Pizza Hut. His favorite game is NFL 98. At home he likes to play Play station He has three dogs their names are Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles. Joey is my best friend!" Darby Wisner.
"Joey is the Star of the Week. He has 4 people in his family. He has 1 sister. His birthday is Apr.22. He likes pizza. He likes the LA Lakers. I like Joey." Chad Ashbrook.
"Joey is Star of the Week. Joey likes the LA Lakers. His birthday is April 22. His favorite football team is the Baltimore Orioles. I like Joey." Jarad Taylor.
"Joey is the Star of the Week. Joey likes Pizza Hut. His birthday is Apr.22. Joey likes LA Lakers. He has three dogs. Joey has four people in his family. Joey likes to read at school and play basketball. Joey is my friend." Dylan Hammond.
"Joey is Star of the week. His birthday is Apr.22. He likes to read at schoo. His favorite color is blue. He has three dogs. Their names are Pickles, Bandit, and Bubba." Kara ?
"Joey is Star of the Week. He likes blue. He likes every one. He has 3 dogs named Bandit, Bubba, and Pickles" James Firnhaber.
Final Thoughts:Wow 10 years and I'm really the same. The L.A. Kings, however, has vanished from the sports scene for me(mainly because I always had a hard time getting into hockey.
For anyone who can find their Star of the Week book. Find some time and post some of the comments on another blog. For those who wrote this feel free to comment.
Top 10 of the Last 10:2 teams, a wedding, and a funeral(not really) Part 3:Aftermath
A week later, Boise State finished 5 in the AP Poll earning 1 National Champion vote at 13-0. Oklahoma would finish 11. While the status of current players in the NFL isn't as good for both teams as say USC and Texas was I feel I should cover it. Zabransky went undrafted but was signed(and cut) by the Houston Texans, Derek Schouman was drafted by the Bills in the 7th round, Safety Gerald Alexander was drafted in the 2nd round to the Detroit Lions, and Linebacker Korey Hall went in the 6th round to the Green Bay Packers.
For Oklahoma, Paul Thompson was undrafted and is currently on the Titans practice squad, Adrian Peterson was the 7th overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings, and Linebacker Rufus Alexander was drafted in the 6th round also by the Vikings. In 2007, Sam Bradford was starting QB for the Sooners and Taylor Tharp was QB for Boise State. Oklahoma went 10-2 in the regular season, beat 1 Missouri 38-17 in the Big XII Title Game but fell to 9 West Virginia 48-28 in the Fiesta Bowl to finish at 8. Meanwhile, Boise State went 10-2 in the regular season and fell in the Hawaii Bowl to East Carolina 41-38.
Overall, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl will always be remembered for its story, the game itself, the plays, and a marriage that will last a lifetime. That is why it is 2 on the list and was the winner of the 2007 Game of the Year in the ESPYs and Joey Basford Sports Award.
For Oklahoma, Paul Thompson was undrafted and is currently on the Titans practice squad, Adrian Peterson was the 7th overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings, and Linebacker Rufus Alexander was drafted in the 6th round also by the Vikings. In 2007, Sam Bradford was starting QB for the Sooners and Taylor Tharp was QB for Boise State. Oklahoma went 10-2 in the regular season, beat 1 Missouri 38-17 in the Big XII Title Game but fell to 9 West Virginia 48-28 in the Fiesta Bowl to finish at 8. Meanwhile, Boise State went 10-2 in the regular season and fell in the Hawaii Bowl to East Carolina 41-38.
Overall, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl will always be remembered for its story, the game itself, the plays, and a marriage that will last a lifetime. That is why it is 2 on the list and was the winner of the 2007 Game of the Year in the ESPYs and Joey Basford Sports Award.
Top 10 of the Last 10:2 Teams, a wedding, and a funeral(not really) Part 2:The Game
On Selection Sunday, the BCS announced it would be 8 Boise State facing 10 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Many were questioning Boise's schedule and as a result, the Broncos were 7 and a half point underdogs entering the game. Boise surprised most critics early by forcing a 3 and out on OU. Then Boise responded with Zabransky connecting with Drisan James for 49 yards and a touchdown. Boise would force another turnover and took a 14-0 lead halfway through the 1st. OU would score towards the end and after 1 quarter it was Boise State 14 Oklahoma 7.
The 2nd Quarter was more defense as OU pulled within 4 only for Boise to pull back to 11, following an unbelievable catch and run by Drisan James. At halftime it was Boise State 21 Oklahoma 10. For the first part of the 3rd Quarter, neither team could get anything going until Paul Thompson was picked off by Marty Tadman and the Broncos went up 28-10. Many were stunned as Boise was demolishing OU and it appeared that Boise State was on their way to a blowout ala Utah/Pitt. However, OU would not quit and after 3 it was Boise State 28 Oklahoma 17.
OU kicked off the 4th Quarter with...a kick and made it 28-20. The 4th Quarter was mainly defense for 13 minutes until Paul Thompson led a huge drive that ended with a 5 yard pass to Quinten Chaney to make it 28-26. OU went for two but was no good. However, Boise was called for pass interference and the Sooners had new life. The 2nd attempt was good but they were called for illegal shift. 3rd time was a charm for Oklahoma as Thompson connected with Juaquin Iglesias to make it 28-28.
On the ensuing kickoff...with 1:02 remaining, Zabransky was picked off by Marcus Walker, who took it back for 34 yards and made it 35-28 with 1:02 left. After 58 minutes and 58 seconds, OU finally had the lead and many Boise fans and players were shocked from the events that had occurred. Boise would drive quick and arrived at the OU 42 with under 30 seconds remaining.
On 1st down, Zabransky was sacked, putting it back to the 50. On 2nd down, the pass was dropped by James. On 3rd down, it was incomplete and it came to 4th and 18 for Boise with 18 seconds left. On 4th down, Zabransky dropped back and connected with Drisan James for 15 yards...who then lateraled it to Jerard Rabb, who took it 35 yards for a touchdown and eventual tie. At the end of the 4th it was 35-35.
OU got the ball to start overtime...and scored. It was an Adrian Peterson 25 yard run that made it 42-35 for Oklahoma. It was now up to Zabransky and the Boise offense to save the Fiesta Bowl for the Broncos. Boise would not quit and continued driving. Soon it was 4th and 2 at the Sooners 5. The next play called was one never to forget.
Receiver Vinny Perretta lined up as Quarterback while QB Jarad Zabransky went in motion. Perretta rolled right and connected with Tight End Derek Schouman for the go-ahead touchdown to make it 42-41. Boise went for 2 and the next play was one for the ages. On the 2-point conversion, Zabransky faked a pass and handed off to Ian Johnson, who took it to the endzone to give Boise State the 43-42 victory.
After the game Johnson proposed to his girlfriend Chrissy Popadics on Live TV and the celebration was on from Glendale to Boise as the Broncos celebrated the victory
...and the girl.
The 2nd Quarter was more defense as OU pulled within 4 only for Boise to pull back to 11, following an unbelievable catch and run by Drisan James. At halftime it was Boise State 21 Oklahoma 10. For the first part of the 3rd Quarter, neither team could get anything going until Paul Thompson was picked off by Marty Tadman and the Broncos went up 28-10. Many were stunned as Boise was demolishing OU and it appeared that Boise State was on their way to a blowout ala Utah/Pitt. However, OU would not quit and after 3 it was Boise State 28 Oklahoma 17.
OU kicked off the 4th Quarter with...a kick and made it 28-20. The 4th Quarter was mainly defense for 13 minutes until Paul Thompson led a huge drive that ended with a 5 yard pass to Quinten Chaney to make it 28-26. OU went for two but was no good. However, Boise was called for pass interference and the Sooners had new life. The 2nd attempt was good but they were called for illegal shift. 3rd time was a charm for Oklahoma as Thompson connected with Juaquin Iglesias to make it 28-28.
On the ensuing kickoff...with 1:02 remaining, Zabransky was picked off by Marcus Walker, who took it back for 34 yards and made it 35-28 with 1:02 left. After 58 minutes and 58 seconds, OU finally had the lead and many Boise fans and players were shocked from the events that had occurred. Boise would drive quick and arrived at the OU 42 with under 30 seconds remaining.
On 1st down, Zabransky was sacked, putting it back to the 50. On 2nd down, the pass was dropped by James. On 3rd down, it was incomplete and it came to 4th and 18 for Boise with 18 seconds left. On 4th down, Zabransky dropped back and connected with Drisan James for 15 yards...who then lateraled it to Jerard Rabb, who took it 35 yards for a touchdown and eventual tie. At the end of the 4th it was 35-35.
OU got the ball to start overtime...and scored. It was an Adrian Peterson 25 yard run that made it 42-35 for Oklahoma. It was now up to Zabransky and the Boise offense to save the Fiesta Bowl for the Broncos. Boise would not quit and continued driving. Soon it was 4th and 2 at the Sooners 5. The next play called was one never to forget.
Receiver Vinny Perretta lined up as Quarterback while QB Jarad Zabransky went in motion. Perretta rolled right and connected with Tight End Derek Schouman for the go-ahead touchdown to make it 42-41. Boise went for 2 and the next play was one for the ages. On the 2-point conversion, Zabransky faked a pass and handed off to Ian Johnson, who took it to the endzone to give Boise State the 43-42 victory.
After the game Johnson proposed to his girlfriend Chrissy Popadics on Live TV and the celebration was on from Glendale to Boise as the Broncos celebrated the victory
...and the girl.
Top 10 of the Last 10:2 Teams, a Wedding, and a funeral(not really) Part 1
A tale of two very different schools was the story behind the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Oklahoma, a school filled with rich football tradition and Boise State, a small former JUCO school in Idaho. The story with Oklahoma begins after World War II. Going into WW2, OU wasn't much of a football power.
In 1947, Oklahoma hired Bud Wilkinson, a former Minnesota quarterback to coach the distraught Sooners. Within 3 years, OU was turned around and won the 1950 National Championship. OU would define College Football in the '50's. It was shown in the middle part of the decade where OU won 47 straight from 1953-1957. By the end of the decade, OU had won 3 National Championships.
In 1963, Wilkinson retired at 145-29-4. The next coach wasn't as good, but in 1967, Chuck Fairbanks came to Norman to restore OU's winning ways. OU went 10-1 that year but never won another championship. The closest they came was falling short to Nebraska 35-31 in, "The Game of the Century". In 1973, Fairbanks left and Barry Switzer was hired.
The beginning of Switzer's tenure was bad as OU was placed on probation for transcript violations. His first year, OU went 10-0-1. Promise seemed ahead for the former Arkansas linebacker. The '70's produced 2 National Championships for OU and a record of 73-7-2 for Switzer. The early-80's were problematic for OU as they had 16 losses in 4 years. 1984 would be a turnaround for OU as they went 9-2-1.
From 1985-1987, OU went 33-0...except against Miami. OU won the 1985 National Championship but lost to the Canes in the Orange Bowl during the regular season. In '86, they lost to the Canes at home in Norman and they lost the 1988 National Championship in the OB. Following that lost, OU was placed on probation. The following six months consisted of a shooting and a rape in the atheletic dorm by one of the players, Switzer's house was robbed by another of the players, and star Quarterback Charles Thompson's arrest for selling cocaine to an undercover officer and so Switzer was gone.
The nineties were a nightmare for OU as they crashed and burned under coaches Gary Gibbs and Howard Schnellenberger. In 1999, after going 5-6 under John Blake, OU hired Bob Stoops, defensive coordinator of the Florida Gators. In Stoops 1st year, OU turned around and went 7-5, their best record in a decade. 2000 would be a season to remember.
In 2000, OU started the season at Number 19 and won their first 4 games by 125 points combined. It was a 63-14 win over Texas that put OU back on the map. Following the win, OU would beat 2 Kansas State in Manhatten 41-31 and 1 Nebraska at home 31-14. OU would finish at 12-0, winning the Big XII title and earning a shot in the Orange Bowl against 3 Florida State for the National Championship.
OU would dominate FSU en route to a 13-2 win over the defending champs. '01 would not be memorable for OU but '02, '03, and '04 were seasons not to forget. In 2002, OU won another Big XII title and defeated Pac 10 champion Washington State 34-14 in the Rose Bowl. In 2003, OU set a record for points scored in the season(for the team) and entered the Big XII title game at 1. However, the heavily-favored Sooners were stunned by Kansas State 35-7. Still OU earned a shot for the championship only to lose to LSU in a "chess" match 21-14.
OU returned to the title game in '04, winning the Big XII championship, but was stomped by USC in the Orange Bowl 55-19 to give the Trojans the title. In 2005, OU struggled and lost to TCU in the opener, and was demolished by Texas. At the end of the year, OU finished on a high note at 8-4 beating 6 Oregon in the Holiday Bowl. 2006, however, would not be a good start.
In the off-season, Quarterback Rhett Bhomar and lineman J.D. Quinn were kicked off the team for violating NCAA rules and Paul Thompson(who was a Receiver the year before) was named starting Quarterback. OU started bad losing to Oregon and Texas and started 2-2. However, Oklahoma lost not the rest of the fall winning the Big XII title game over Nebraska. OU seemed to be on fire. Boise State, had a different story, itself.
Boise State was founded as Boise Junior College in 1932. In 1947, Boise hired Lyle Smith to coach the football team. In his first 3 years, Boise went 28-0. In 1958, Boise State won the NJCAA Championship beating Tyler 22-0. However, Smith could not accomplish another championship and ended his tenure in 1967 finishing 153-25-6 overall.
In 1968, Boise Junior College became Boise State and moved to Division II football. With Tony Knap running the team, the Broncos would go 71-19 under Knap in 8 seasons with three 10-win seasons. Jim Criner would be hired next lasting six seasons and moving Boise to Division I-AA(or FCS) football and winning the 1980 National Championship. Boise, however, would struggle the rest of the decade. The '90's were prosporous for the Broncos as they appeared in the I-AA Title game in 1994, moved to I-A football in 1996, and won its first bowl game beating Louisville 34-31 in the Humanitarian Bowl.
As the new millennium began, Boise continued rising through the ranks of I-A football. December 23, 2003 would be a huge test for the Broncos. Going into the 2003 Fort Worth Bowl, Boise State was 12-1 facing off against an 11-1 TCU squad, who had home-field advantage because of the game being played at their home stadium. In an epic battle(which won the award for "Best Bowl Game of the Year" in the Basford College Football awards), Boise won 34-31 to proove that the smurf turf was not the only type of stadium they could play in.
In 2004, Boise got off to a hot start going 11-0. The result was a Liberty Bowl match-up against C-USA champ Louisville, who was 10-1. Louisville's only loss came against Miami, in a tight one at the OB. Boise lead 34-21 going in the 3rd Quarter when Stefan LeFors rallied the Cardinals back. At the end of the 3rd, Louisville had a 35-34 lead. Boise would respond by making it 40-35, but Louisville scored twice to make it 44-40. At the end, Jared Zabransky's Hail Mary fell short and Boise lost a bowl game for the first time ever.
2005 would be forgettable as the Broncos finished 8-5 losing at home to Boston College in the MPC Computers Bowl. 2006, however, was one not to forget. Boise kicked it off would blowout victories over Sacramento State and Oregon State(who would later beat USC). The next two weeks were close as Boise escaped Wyoming and Hawaii. The following week, Boise continued their path of destruction destroying Utah, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Idaho, and Fresno State. However, it appeared as the dream may die as Boise trailed San Jose State 20-13 late in the 4th Quarter. A miracle rally turned out to be the answer as the Broncos scored twice in the final moments to win 23-20. The final 2 weeks were easy 49-10 and 38-7 wins over Utah State and Nevada.
In 1947, Oklahoma hired Bud Wilkinson, a former Minnesota quarterback to coach the distraught Sooners. Within 3 years, OU was turned around and won the 1950 National Championship. OU would define College Football in the '50's. It was shown in the middle part of the decade where OU won 47 straight from 1953-1957. By the end of the decade, OU had won 3 National Championships.
In 1963, Wilkinson retired at 145-29-4. The next coach wasn't as good, but in 1967, Chuck Fairbanks came to Norman to restore OU's winning ways. OU went 10-1 that year but never won another championship. The closest they came was falling short to Nebraska 35-31 in, "The Game of the Century". In 1973, Fairbanks left and Barry Switzer was hired.
The beginning of Switzer's tenure was bad as OU was placed on probation for transcript violations. His first year, OU went 10-0-1. Promise seemed ahead for the former Arkansas linebacker. The '70's produced 2 National Championships for OU and a record of 73-7-2 for Switzer. The early-80's were problematic for OU as they had 16 losses in 4 years. 1984 would be a turnaround for OU as they went 9-2-1.
From 1985-1987, OU went 33-0...except against Miami. OU won the 1985 National Championship but lost to the Canes in the Orange Bowl during the regular season. In '86, they lost to the Canes at home in Norman and they lost the 1988 National Championship in the OB. Following that lost, OU was placed on probation. The following six months consisted of a shooting and a rape in the atheletic dorm by one of the players, Switzer's house was robbed by another of the players, and star Quarterback Charles Thompson's arrest for selling cocaine to an undercover officer and so Switzer was gone.
The nineties were a nightmare for OU as they crashed and burned under coaches Gary Gibbs and Howard Schnellenberger. In 1999, after going 5-6 under John Blake, OU hired Bob Stoops, defensive coordinator of the Florida Gators. In Stoops 1st year, OU turned around and went 7-5, their best record in a decade. 2000 would be a season to remember.
In 2000, OU started the season at Number 19 and won their first 4 games by 125 points combined. It was a 63-14 win over Texas that put OU back on the map. Following the win, OU would beat 2 Kansas State in Manhatten 41-31 and 1 Nebraska at home 31-14. OU would finish at 12-0, winning the Big XII title and earning a shot in the Orange Bowl against 3 Florida State for the National Championship.
OU would dominate FSU en route to a 13-2 win over the defending champs. '01 would not be memorable for OU but '02, '03, and '04 were seasons not to forget. In 2002, OU won another Big XII title and defeated Pac 10 champion Washington State 34-14 in the Rose Bowl. In 2003, OU set a record for points scored in the season(for the team) and entered the Big XII title game at 1. However, the heavily-favored Sooners were stunned by Kansas State 35-7. Still OU earned a shot for the championship only to lose to LSU in a "chess" match 21-14.
OU returned to the title game in '04, winning the Big XII championship, but was stomped by USC in the Orange Bowl 55-19 to give the Trojans the title. In 2005, OU struggled and lost to TCU in the opener, and was demolished by Texas. At the end of the year, OU finished on a high note at 8-4 beating 6 Oregon in the Holiday Bowl. 2006, however, would not be a good start.
In the off-season, Quarterback Rhett Bhomar and lineman J.D. Quinn were kicked off the team for violating NCAA rules and Paul Thompson(who was a Receiver the year before) was named starting Quarterback. OU started bad losing to Oregon and Texas and started 2-2. However, Oklahoma lost not the rest of the fall winning the Big XII title game over Nebraska. OU seemed to be on fire. Boise State, had a different story, itself.
Boise State was founded as Boise Junior College in 1932. In 1947, Boise hired Lyle Smith to coach the football team. In his first 3 years, Boise went 28-0. In 1958, Boise State won the NJCAA Championship beating Tyler 22-0. However, Smith could not accomplish another championship and ended his tenure in 1967 finishing 153-25-6 overall.
In 1968, Boise Junior College became Boise State and moved to Division II football. With Tony Knap running the team, the Broncos would go 71-19 under Knap in 8 seasons with three 10-win seasons. Jim Criner would be hired next lasting six seasons and moving Boise to Division I-AA(or FCS) football and winning the 1980 National Championship. Boise, however, would struggle the rest of the decade. The '90's were prosporous for the Broncos as they appeared in the I-AA Title game in 1994, moved to I-A football in 1996, and won its first bowl game beating Louisville 34-31 in the Humanitarian Bowl.
As the new millennium began, Boise continued rising through the ranks of I-A football. December 23, 2003 would be a huge test for the Broncos. Going into the 2003 Fort Worth Bowl, Boise State was 12-1 facing off against an 11-1 TCU squad, who had home-field advantage because of the game being played at their home stadium. In an epic battle(which won the award for "Best Bowl Game of the Year" in the Basford College Football awards), Boise won 34-31 to proove that the smurf turf was not the only type of stadium they could play in.
In 2004, Boise got off to a hot start going 11-0. The result was a Liberty Bowl match-up against C-USA champ Louisville, who was 10-1. Louisville's only loss came against Miami, in a tight one at the OB. Boise lead 34-21 going in the 3rd Quarter when Stefan LeFors rallied the Cardinals back. At the end of the 3rd, Louisville had a 35-34 lead. Boise would respond by making it 40-35, but Louisville scored twice to make it 44-40. At the end, Jared Zabransky's Hail Mary fell short and Boise lost a bowl game for the first time ever.
2005 would be forgettable as the Broncos finished 8-5 losing at home to Boston College in the MPC Computers Bowl. 2006, however, was one not to forget. Boise kicked it off would blowout victories over Sacramento State and Oregon State(who would later beat USC). The next two weeks were close as Boise escaped Wyoming and Hawaii. The following week, Boise continued their path of destruction destroying Utah, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Idaho, and Fresno State. However, it appeared as the dream may die as Boise trailed San Jose State 20-13 late in the 4th Quarter. A miracle rally turned out to be the answer as the Broncos scored twice in the final moments to win 23-20. The final 2 weeks were easy 49-10 and 38-7 wins over Utah State and Nevada.
2007 Football Awards
Well folks 2007 is now over, and 2008 has begun as I hand out my annual Sports Awards.
NBA Game of the Year:Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals-Just the effort alone from LeBron James combined with the overtime shootout gives this one the win.
NBA Player of the Year:Kobe Bryant-Here's a guy who literally carried his team throughout 2007. Trust me
NFL Game of the Year:AFC Title Game-The Pats and Colts dealt it out and gave it their all featuring a comeback and Tom Brady NOT coming in the clutch.
College Basketball Game of the Year:Oklahoma State vs Texas-The classic 3 overtime thriller in Stillwater.
College Basketball Player of the Year:Kevin Durant-Was Basketball's answer to Vince Young for the Longhorns despite not winning the National Championship.
College Football Game of the Year:Boise State vs Oklahoma-Like I said last year; the trick plays, the story, the comeback, and the finish all make a classic.
Upset of the Year:Appalachian State vs Michigan-No one expected the lowly 1-AA champion to come into Ann Arbor and pull the upset.
Worst Game of the Year:Steelers vs Dolphins-A 1-15 team plus no real offense plus lousy field plus lousy network equals disaster as Pittsburgh wins 3-0 scoring a field goal with 26 seconds left.
Best Game of the Year:Boise State vs Oklahoma-It's unbelievable, it was one of the first games of 2007 and the best as it managed to survive 364 days of sports. Truely the greatest College Football game of all time. This IS Football.
NBA Game of the Year:Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals-Just the effort alone from LeBron James combined with the overtime shootout gives this one the win.
NBA Player of the Year:Kobe Bryant-Here's a guy who literally carried his team throughout 2007. Trust me
NFL Game of the Year:AFC Title Game-The Pats and Colts dealt it out and gave it their all featuring a comeback and Tom Brady NOT coming in the clutch.
College Basketball Game of the Year:Oklahoma State vs Texas-The classic 3 overtime thriller in Stillwater.
College Basketball Player of the Year:Kevin Durant-Was Basketball's answer to Vince Young for the Longhorns despite not winning the National Championship.
College Football Game of the Year:Boise State vs Oklahoma-Like I said last year; the trick plays, the story, the comeback, and the finish all make a classic.
Upset of the Year:Appalachian State vs Michigan-No one expected the lowly 1-AA champion to come into Ann Arbor and pull the upset.
Worst Game of the Year:Steelers vs Dolphins-A 1-15 team plus no real offense plus lousy field plus lousy network equals disaster as Pittsburgh wins 3-0 scoring a field goal with 26 seconds left.
Best Game of the Year:Boise State vs Oklahoma-It's unbelievable, it was one of the first games of 2007 and the best as it managed to survive 364 days of sports. Truely the greatest College Football game of all time. This IS Football.
2007-2008 Playoff Predictions
I shed a tear as January hits realizing football is over. But we're in for some very good playoff games. Let me give the full predictions
AFC:
Wild Card:
Chargers over Titans-Yes it was close a few weeks ago but Kerry Collins possibly running the Titans offense=doom for Tennessee.
Jaguars over Steelers-Pittsburgh has lost its Willie(the only thing the Rams did for me 2 weeks ago)so the run game is done while Big Ben is big busted up.
Divisionals:
Colts over Chargers-Indy has Marvin Harrison back and I believe they will fix their mistakes from November.
Patriots over Jaguars-This will be interesting for the Pats have not faced them all year(unlike the division champions) look for a classic in Foxboro.
AFC Championship:Patriots over Colts-Manning is winless in the cold Foxboro winter and even with Harrison this won't be his day.
NFC:
Wildcards:
Redskins over Seahawks-Seattle's been mediocre most of the year and doesn't have their passing game up so I see Washington upsetting the 'Hawks.
Giants over Buccaneers-The Bucs don't really have a run game and Garcia will be harassed all day. Also, the G-Men are 7-1 on the road this year.
Divisionals:
Cowboys over Redskins-I think Washington has Dallas' number but I don't think they're going to be able to beat them.
Packers over Giants-Yes, the Giants are a road team and yes, they already faced Green Bay and should know what to do this time after the loss, but they won't win. Theres a difference between Tampa Bay in January and Green Bay in January.
NFC Championship:Cowboys over Packers-Dallas was too much for Green Bay last time and Favre is 0-8 at Texas Stadium.
Super Bowl XLII:Patriots over Cowboys-This WILL be a shootout, I see it coming down to the final play with New England winning 48-45 or some crazy score like that.
AFC:
Wild Card:
Chargers over Titans-Yes it was close a few weeks ago but Kerry Collins possibly running the Titans offense=doom for Tennessee.
Jaguars over Steelers-Pittsburgh has lost its Willie(the only thing the Rams did for me 2 weeks ago)so the run game is done while Big Ben is big busted up.
Divisionals:
Colts over Chargers-Indy has Marvin Harrison back and I believe they will fix their mistakes from November.
Patriots over Jaguars-This will be interesting for the Pats have not faced them all year(unlike the division champions) look for a classic in Foxboro.
AFC Championship:Patriots over Colts-Manning is winless in the cold Foxboro winter and even with Harrison this won't be his day.
NFC:
Wildcards:
Redskins over Seahawks-Seattle's been mediocre most of the year and doesn't have their passing game up so I see Washington upsetting the 'Hawks.
Giants over Buccaneers-The Bucs don't really have a run game and Garcia will be harassed all day. Also, the G-Men are 7-1 on the road this year.
Divisionals:
Cowboys over Redskins-I think Washington has Dallas' number but I don't think they're going to be able to beat them.
Packers over Giants-Yes, the Giants are a road team and yes, they already faced Green Bay and should know what to do this time after the loss, but they won't win. Theres a difference between Tampa Bay in January and Green Bay in January.
NFC Championship:Cowboys over Packers-Dallas was too much for Green Bay last time and Favre is 0-8 at Texas Stadium.
Super Bowl XLII:Patriots over Cowboys-This WILL be a shootout, I see it coming down to the final play with New England winning 48-45 or some crazy score like that.
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