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Week 14: Extra Points...and Opinions
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
By Tovash Hatcher
Did you have fun watching the NFL this weekend? With temperatures dropping across the country and the winter approaching, the cold weather has always been a factor in the game of football, and the players feel it.
It was "cold" the way the New Orleans Saints went marching into Texas Stadium to take on the red "hot" Dallas Cowboys. Due to the flex scheduling, the NFL reserves the right to be able to change the times of any game. As a result, the game which was initially scheduled for noon on Sunday was moved to Sunday night and became a nationally televised game. Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and the Saints' head coach Sean Payton put on an excellent display of football as the Saints pummeled the Cowboys in their own back yard.
How did they do it? New Orleans first packed the stands of Texas Stadium with their own fans. I was on hand for this one as it seemed that New Orleans Saints fans outnumbered Cowboys fans. Black and gold umbrellas, Saints costumes and that good ole favorite chant "Who dat?" filled the rafters of Texas Stadium.
The game plan coming into the game for the Saints was genius. It introduced a fullback into the offense, something that Dallas was not ready for. One New Orleans player told the media that Payton told his team that the Cowboys could not cover well in the flat. Third-year fullback from Arizona State Mike Karney caught and ran amuck over the Dallas defense to the tune of 3 TDs. "Who dat?" is absolutely the correct question to ask because Karney is a guy that had his first, second, and third career touchdowns on Sunday for the Saints. Drew Brees also had a hand in that by shredding up the Dallas secondary for 5 touchdown passes. He made a very good defense look bad and exploited the secondary for what they really are; an overrated group. Brees finished the night with 386 yards.
Tony Romo, the NFL's player of the month in November had his second consecutive below average game. Romo struggled to hit his receivers with regularity by throwing 2 interceptions and only completing 16 passes including 8 to Terry Glenn. Romo threw for only 249 yards. In this game the Saints totally dominated the game by hitting the Cowboys in every vulnerable area. The Saints roll over the Cowboys by the score of 42-18.
Remember last January? If not, let me take you back in time for a brief second. The Texas Longhorns had a quarterback by the name of Vince Young who overcame just about every sort of criticism and led his team to its first national championship in over 30 years. Young ripped thru the USC defense on his way to winning the MVP of the championship game back in 2005. In the draft, Young a Houston native, wanted desperately to be a Texan but the Texans passed on him and the dynamic Reggie Bush. On Sunday Young and his Tennessee Titans went to Houston to take on the Texans. This game was a barn-burner that went down to the wire and beyond. The Titans dominated the game by putting up over 200-yards on the ground. This was the traditional stick-it-to-the-team-that-didn't-want-you type game. Young had the last laugh by dashing to the end zone in OT on a 39-yard run to paydirt. On the play Young was untouched as the Texans blitzed their safety from the outside. Young recognized that he could run and didn't miss his opportunity. "I told one of the guys that it felt like my mom was chasing me with a belt", said a joking Young to the media after the game. His mom must have been really fast as the Titans sprint past the Texans 26-20.
A record breaking day in San Diego had the Chargers faithful cheering because the NFL's best team has a running back that goes by two initials LT scored his 29th touchdown of the season. The Chargers took advantage of a Denver Broncos team that has been in shambles lately. LaDainian Tomlinson ran over the Broncos by picking up 103 yards on 28 carries and 3 TDs. Tomlinson broke an NFL record set by last season's MVP Shaun Alexander who reached the end zone 28 times. Tomlinson still has 3 more games to add to his new record. The Chargers spank the Broncos by the final of 48-20.
And finally, the Bears got back to their dominant style of football on Monday night by smashing the Rams in St. Louis. Similar to the Saints/Cowboys game the Bears contingent took a road trip to St. Louis to support their team. They transformed the Edward Jones Dome to Soldier Field by making their voices heard on just about every play. Rex Grossman found his game for the time being by tossing 2 TD passes and not turning the ball over. Devin Hester, the Bears kick-returner from the University of Miami ran back two kick off returns against the Rams setting an NFL record with 6 total returns including punts, kick-offs and on missed field goals. The Bears beat the Rams 42-27 and move with one game of locking up home field advantage in the playoffs.
Week 14 included a bunch of blowouts and rookie players making plays. With the playoffs approaching, scenarios and playoff seedings and situations will be fun to get into. Week 15 starts in a few days!!
I'm Tovash Hatcher
8:23 AM
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