What Really Got The Arizona Cardinals To The Super Bowl: Solid Coaching
January 22, 2009
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When the playoffs began and the match-ups were made, the Arizona Cardinals were already written out. People said that Atlanta would beat the Cards and then Carolina would beat the Falcons on route to the NFC Championship game. That’s how most saw it atleast.
But somehow the Cardinals beat the odds and beat a team with a young quarterback to win the Wild Card game. Who’d a thunk it.
Next round was the Carolina Panthers. A team that all season never lost at home and the Cardinals were 0-4 in east coast games. Basically the Cardinals were going to get killed in Carolina because they had no chance. But somehow they did it and not only beat the Panthers, they destroyed them winning 33-13.
Finally it was the NFC Championship Game. The Cardinals were at home to face the Eagles to decide who goes to the Super Bowl. Last meeting, the Cardinals were absolutely annihilated by the Eagles 52-20 on Thanksgiving which meant that the same would happen this time. Once again everybody was wrong and the Cardinals handed the Eagles a loss on route to Tampa Bay and the Super Bowl.
Everybody is calling this the cinderella story. Saying that this team shouldn’t be here. Saying that this team is the worst team to ever be in the Super Bowl.
First off, to even be in the Super Bowl means that you must have played a hell of a playoffs. You can win all those games in the regular season but you know what, it doesn’t matter if you can’t perform in the playoffs, and I think this team has proven now that in the clutch, this team is better then almost every other team in the league.
They have shown grit, they have shown the ability to score when it matters, and they have shown the ability to play defense. All the abilities needed to win games in the NFL.
But where did all of this come from. I mean for such a mediocre team, how did they get this far?
Was it the arm of Kurt Warner. I mean, he has won in the playoffs multiple times and been a Super Bowl MVP.
Maybe it was Larry Fitzgerald. He has played amazingly these playoffs and deserves all the credit in the world.
But as much as they were key catalysts in victories over Carolina, Atlanta and Philadelphia, none of them planned all week what plays to call, who plays where and they go.
The Arizona Cardinals coaching is what got them to the Super Bowl.
They were the ones who figured out how to hold the second and third leading rushers (DeAngelo Williams and Michael Turner) in the league to a combined 101 yards and one touchdown.
They were the ones who figured out how to handle great defenses in both Carolina and Philadelphia by using quick passing routes.
It was Ken Whisenhunt and his team of coordinators that won those games. They picked the plays, they taught how to execute them.
They are the ones that got the Cardinals to the Super Bowl. There amazing play calling and preparation for all the playoff games is what got them to where they are today.
So when you think about who got the Cardinals to the Super Bowl this year, just remember that these were the guys that turned this team around and got them to where they are at today.
Maple Leafs Acquire Another Local Youngster and Lose to Bruins on the Way to Cup
January 22, 2009
I swear if the Leafs were facing an empty net during a shoot out the team would find a way to hit the post or miss completely. I’ll give credit to Coach Wilson for giving the young guys a shot last night. But this recent game against the Bruins, before the vaunted All-Star break and a week long rest (for our now-aging Leafs), should’ve been won in the dying moments, frankly. However, Leafs’ sharpshooters, incredibly, found a way to miss.
On a positive note, despite a point gained, the next team we’re facing, the Wild, we just robbed so there is hope on the horizon. We offered Robbie Earl, who is having a disastrous season on the Marlies, for a big and local dude Ryan Hamilton. I can tell you this, courtesy of a friend living in Barrie, when our newly acquired Hamilton was playing a few years ago for the Colts, he was an inspiration night after night. In fact he led the team in scoring in his final year there.
I’ll add, though, the few games I did see Earl play last year when called up, he provided some decent hits and a lot of energy. I liked him and thought he’d break through this year, but maybe he got a girlfriend, ‘cuz he’s surely not producing on the ice for us.
Speaking of not producing, I can’t believe how frustrating it is to watch these Leafs this past month. On one hand they play well against the injured Bruins, and let them catch up, and then can’t finish around the net in those aforementioned dying moments, or in overtime. I thought Brad May might in fact provide some leadership not only in the locker room, but more importantly on the bench.
May is simply not providing any punch on the ice; neither with his fists, his stick or his mouth. Also, as I stated before, Tlusty needs some time with the Marlies. Stempniak has scored a couple lately, and now must be feeling comfortable, but at this stage of the game I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not.
Lately, as well, again on a positive note, I’m seeing some great three-way playmaking leaving the zone and individual skills are shining through players like Grabovski, Moore, and White who are each continuing to solidify a role on the Burke-era Leafs, despite their size.
I’m off to Cuba for the All-Star break, and hopefully will return fully rejuvenated and ready for the Leafs run for the Cup.
The 20 Greatest Catches in Football History
January 22, 2009
In the fourth quarter of a close game against NC State, Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson reached back with his right hand to snare a poorly thrown ball by the quarterback.
Holt’s long touchdown reception against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants came after the pass was deflected at the goal line. Holt’s great concentration enabled him to catch the ball while lying on his back in the end zone.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ wide receiver Antonio Bryant made a diving, one-handed grab for a touchdown in a Monday night game against the Carolina Panthers. Bryant’s 15-yard touchdown came with just over two minutes remaining, cutting the Panthers’ lead to eight.
During the 1987 NFL season, New York Giants wide receiver Lewis Bennett caught a deep pass for a touchdown, after reaching around the defender’s back, tipping the ball into the air, and grabbing it for the touchdown. Bennett was a replacement player and would never play in the NFL again.
Cromartie intercepted future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning four times in the 2007 season: three times in one epic November battle and once in the postseason. Cromartie’s leaping one-handed grab is a play that the San Diego Chargers cornerback calls the best play of his career.
I still have nightmares of this play. Jason Sehorn intercepted quarterback Donovan McNabb in the second game of the 2000 season. Sehorn dove for McNabb’s pass, deflected it up into the air, caught it, and ran for a 32-yard touchdown.
Yes, Booker’s grab came this year against the single worst team in the history of professional sports. It still deserves some credit. With the Bears leading 17-0 against the Detroit Lions, Booker caught a pass with his left hand, just inches above the ground. Booker’s grab covered 30 yards.
Clark’s catch is one of the most famous in NFL history. Nicknamed “The Catch,” Clark’s third down reception helped the San Francisco 49ers end a potential Dallas Cowboys dynasty, while beginning one of their own. The catch by Clark is the signature play in the Hall of Fame career of quarterback Joe Montana.
Doug Flutie’s throw, known as college football’s “Hail Mary”, won the game for Boston College against Miami in an epic battle still talked about today. Gerald Phelan caught Flutie’s bomb one yard deep in the end zone.
The play was officially a 48-yard play, but Flutie’s pass traveled more than 63 yards in the air. The play is recognized as one of the greatest plays in college football history.
Matt Davison’s diving reception came on the final play of the game in a 1995 battle. The catch, aided by several deflections, helped the Nebraska Cornhuskers beat the Missouri University and is remembered as one of the most memorable catches in college history.
Session’s grab is the second interception from the epic Colts-Chargers game in November of 2007. Session intercepted the pass after it bounced off the arm of a Colts’ defender, off another Colts’ defender, and off the back of another Colts’ defender lying on the ground.
Session ran 95 yards following the interception, but the play had incorrectly been signaled dead, costing the Colts incredible field position, and likely a win.
Freddie Mitchell provided the Eagles with the biggest catch in team history, grabbing a 28-yard strike on 4th-and-26. The pass came from Donovan McNabb with one minute remaining in the divisional playoffs against the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles went on to win in overtime, 20-17.
8. Nate Poole (start at 5:52)
“NOOO! NOOOO! The Cardinals have knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs!”
One of the greatest calls in sports history, as Josh McCown connected with Nate Poole on a 4th-and-24 pass from the 25-yard line on the last play of the game.
The play gave the 4-12 Cardinals a dramatic 18-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, who just needed to win to make the postseason. (The call)
Wide receiver Edwin Baptiste of Morgan State made a leaping, one-handed catch of a pass thrown from his own end zone in the 2008 season. Baptiste’s catch was one of the most popular videos on Youtube for several months afterwards.
Wide receiver Chris Moore of Western Washington University caught a sideline pass from quarterback Jason Stiles. The between the legs catch came against the University of Puget Sound Loggers. Moore won an ESPY in 1992 for the College Football Play of the Year.
Prothro’s catch came on a fourth down Hail Mary pass by quarterback Brodie Croyle right before halftime against the University of Southern Mississippi. Prothro’s catch won the 2006 ESPY for Best Play of the Year. He also won the Pontiac Game Changing Award of the Year for Best Play.
Swann’s juggling reception came on a deep pass from Terry Bradshaw in Super Bowl X. Swann, who earned MVP honors with his 161-yard performance, in the game, wasn’t even supposed to play in the Super Bowl, following a severe concussion in the AFC championship game the week before.
Freeman’s incredible touchdown came in 1) in overtime, 2) on Monday Night Football, 3) at home against the division rival Minnesota Vikings. Freeman caught an errant pass from Brett Favre while laying on his back, got up, juked out a defender, and ran into the end zone for the winning score.
In 2005, ESPN voted Freeman’s catch the greatest play in the history of Monday Night Football.
“The Immaculate Reception.” Often ranked as the greatest touchdown in NFL history, Franco Harris caught a deflected pass from quarterback Terry Bradshaw for a 60-yard touchdown to defeat the Oakland Raiders in dramatic fashion.
The play marked the start of the Steelers’ powerful dynasty and led to a heated rivalry between the Steelers and the Raiders in the 1970s.
The greatest catch in history: NFL, college, or high school. Tyree’s catch would be talked about for years even if it wasn’t in the Super Bowl! With 1:15 remaining in Super Bowl XLII and the Giants trailing 14-10, Eli Manning escaped the grasp of two Patriots’ defenders and scrambled to his right.
In desperation, he heaved the ball downfield, where it was caught and trapped against the helmet by wide receiver David Tyree. The catch, a 32-yard gain, led to the biggest upset in the history of professional sports, as the New York Giants defeated the undefeated New England Patriots.
Andy Murray Moves Closer to First Grand Slam
January 22, 2009
The world is still undecided on Andy Murray’s Australian Open fait but people being undecided shows just how far the 21 year old Scot has come.
It wasn’t so long ago that people said, the now world number four and British number one would never win a slam with Rodger Federer or Rafael Nadal on tour.
Now it is widely accepted that Andy Murray will win slams and maybe even this year.
Murray’s first round tie in the heat of the Melbourne sun was cut short when Romanian, Andrei Pavel retired hurt mid way through the second set with the Brit a set and break up but one doubts that he would have been too worried.
The young Scot may not have got the run out he was hoping for but he did avoid the sweltering sun and with tonight’s match played under lights, the question of fatigue brought up by many Murray doubters is at this moment, a non issue.
It has also been mentioned that Andy, “lacks some control over his mental game” by a fellow writer but do the facts agree? He is undefeated this season, has defended his Qatar Open crown and won four of his six tournaments since losing that US Open final to Roger Federer. Do they think he should win every tournament in order to show his mental control?
Funny how he was told he’d never regularly beat Nadal and Federer but now that he has proven he can, it apparently doesn’t prove anything.
Spaniard Marcel Granollers-Pujol was Murray’s second round opponent but they had to wait a long time to get on court after Venus Williams shock three sets defeat at the hands of Spain’s Carla Suarez-Navarro.
The match finally got under way at 10:30pm with Murray initially getting the hard match he was hoping for. Murray took the first set 6-4 after a good work out by the Spaniard. It was mainly Murray from then on in however and the Scot will surely be happy with his first full match of the Open.
6-4, 6-2, 6-2 saw the fourth seed turn the screw as the match went on and did so despite never playing anything like his best tennis, he didn’t need to.
Despite the lack of a proper first round match which saw Murray take a while to get into his flow today. It was only to be expected that his momentum coming into this event along with his high level of consistency was going to make Murray’s presence in the third round a mere formality.
Andy Murray is currently tennis’s Mr consistent and nothing I saw today changes my opinion.
Next up is Austria’s Jurgen Melzer, bring on Saturday.
Go champ.
Jeremy Accardo, Jason Frasor Re-Sign with Toronto Blue Jays
January 22, 2009
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The Toronto Blue Jays have re-signed right-handed pitchers Jeremy Accardo and Jason Frasor.
Accardo singed a new one-year deal with the Jays worth $900,000. He played in only 16 games in 2008, spending much of his time on the disabled list with an injury to his forearm. Accardo is a steal at $900,000 for a man who had 30 saves only one season ago.
Frasor avoided salary arbitration today by signing a one-year, $1.45 million deal with the Jays. He did not have a good season last year as a starter, with one win and two losses. However, in 49 appearances as a reliever he held the opponents’ bats to an average of .208 and only allowed 36 hits over 47 innings of work.
The Blue Jays have also made offers to relievers Brian Tallet and Shawn Camp, and are still waiting to hear back from their respective representation.
Sprint Cup Preview: Truex, McMurray, Hamlin, Bowyer
January 22, 2009
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13. MARTIN TRUEX JR.
Age: 28
Hometown: Mayetta, NJ
No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy
Crew Chief: Kevin Manion
Owner: Teresa Earnhardt/Chip Ganassi/Felix Sabates
After qualifying for the Chase in his second year, Truex’s third year at the Cup level did not live up to expectations. Many people believed he would take the next step, win multiple races, and contend for a title, even without the presence of teammate and good pal Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Instead, Truex fell to 15th in points, and never tasted victory lane. Grudgingly, he resigned with DEI/EGR for at least one more season, although you have to believe if the performance does not improve, he will take Bass Pro elsewhere.
Martin would have been in Chase contention right down to the wire in Richmond if it were not for a huge points penalty handed down at Daytona in July. The Truex/Manion combination clearly works well, and I look for them to bounce back and win a couple races in 2009.