Bears with defense, the Patriots with Brady, let’s kick field goals
January 15, 2007 by James Edwards
Filed under Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears, LaDainian Tomlinson, NFL Football, NFL Playoffs, New England Patriots, Rex Grossman, San Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Tom Brady
NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
Rashied Davis - exalting after overtime catch
The Bears managed to put together their usual defensive spectacle and Robbie Gould kicked a career long 49 yard field goal for the Bears to win in overtime. (full disclosure - Robbie Gould was the kicker on my Fantasy Football Team)
Final Score Bears 27 Seahawks 24.
Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher seemed to be everywhere and Grossman threw one great pass to Rashied Davis to set up the final field goal. So much for Rex not being able to get it done with the pressure on.
Shaun Alexander had a great game against the Chicago defense with 108 yards, but Matt Hasselbeck did not seem exceptionally sharp.
This made the Squibster 3 for 3 on the weekend for picking games. My ego continued to swell.
Luckily, the score of the game was not known to your prognosticating author until he got home from a MSU basketball game (where Tom Izzo willed them to victory over the Orange men of Illinois).
My ego would not have fit through the front door and it was cold outside.
Patriots over Chargers
Fortunately for me, the San Diego Chargers turned the ball over too many times and allowed the Patriots to hang in the game too long.
Finally on a 3 and long, the Chargers decided, with the game on the line to play a defense with one man deep. The always accurate Tom Brady hits Reche Caldwell on a long pass to set up a short field goal by the rookie Stephen Gostkowski. It was his third of the night.
Final Score New England 24 San Diego 21.
LaDainian Tomlinson had 123 yards and 2 TDs, but it was not enough. LT kind of exploded after the game, and had to be held back by his teammates, feeling the Patriots were disrespecting the Chargers after the game. It was no big deal, but a lot will be made of it.
Your gallivanting author had been projecting the Chargers to win, but it was not to be. The best part is that my ego now fits through the door again.
NFL Football Fan Question So which game was the most fun to watch? Do you thing the NFL would rather the Chargers made the finals?
As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.
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Tags: nfl football
I’m excited to see next weeks game vs. the Saints. It proves to be one exciting match. Hopefully our D coordinator will come up with something to stop the Saints speedy receivers and shore up that run defense.
As for the Chargers game, I watched the first quarter and then totally forgot about the game after that too play a game (wasn’t thinking).
But after realizing my grevous mistake and switching back right at the end to see LT explode made me mad I turned. Glad to see it wasn’t anything more then LT just being upset that some of the Patriots were celebrating too hard at their home. Completely understandable.
All in all, it was a pretty damned exciting weekend for football. Hopefully Peyton won’t get back to his regular season game, and sticks with his post-season game and the Bears can get pay back on the Pats.
Uh Oh, Surtin,
kind of leaning towards the Saints this weekend, even though they will be at the Bears Soldier field.
It is not a Lion’s fans anti Bear sentiment either, because we don’t have one. Heck, we even like Mike Ditka.
The Saints just appear to be clicking on all cylinders.
I only caught the last bit of the Bears-Seahawks game, so I can’t comment on it. The Chargers-Pats game was not that interesting. Okay it had its moments and I’m very happy that the Pats won, but I was hoping for a more explosive game. Way too many mistakes on both sides.
It goes without saying that I’m picking the Pats over the Colts next week. If nothing else Brady showed again how he can just pull it together in the clutch and make things happen.
Here’s hoping you’re wrong LoL.
After a day of no football, it’s just sinking in the Chargers lost. Kinda makes me sad, other then the Bears, the Chargers are my second favorite team.
“LT kind of exploded after the game, and had to be held back by his teammates, feeling the Patriots were disrespecting the Chargers after the game. It was no big deal, but a lot will be made of it.”
Hate to disagree, but it was a big deal here in San Diego. There is officially bad blood between these two teams now. Good to see LT make a stand — he’s a very gracious guy who tends not to explode, but you have to draw the line somewhere.
It reminds me of that incident a few years ago where Emmitt Smith got into Terrell Owens’ face after Owens celebrated a bit too vigorously. Beat the other team, fine, but there’s no need to be an ass about it.
Geoff,
what is the word on the Coach’s job. The national news makes it sound like they are calling for his head. Makes no sense after 14 victories and a close loss to the Pats.
Tris,
you will find me probably going with the Colts. Going to give it one more day to think it through. Should be an excellent game, though. Oops, you are the boss. Did that say Colts above? It must have been a typo.
LOL! Yeah it’s going to be a great game.
I think the moral of the story is, if you don’t want the other team performing your “signature dance move” after beating you, then DON’T BECOME KNOWN FOR A SIGNATURE DANCE MOVE!
LT sounded like a loser after the game, and went the ‘two wrongs make a right’ route by taking a jab at Bellichek…clearly, he’s got “class” driping out of his ears 24/7…
http://deadissue.com/archives/2007/01/15/ladanian-tomlinson-teaching-class-to-the-patriots/
Seriously…LT needs to man up and play the game. What he did at the podium was just as bad if not worse than whatever the Pats did…and to take his version of it, “they performed Merriman’s dance” (paraphrasing)…THAT is one of those unintentional comedy moments you’d see on a Christopher Guest movie.
LT needs to man up and play the game? Funny stuff. Thanks for that.
James, I think it’s entirely possible that Marty could be let go. There was tremendous expectation here and the team completely self-destructed when it could least afford to do so. I don’t know whose fault that was, but it happened on his watch, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s done.
LT isn’t the reason why they lost, neither is any individual player on either side of the ball. The Pats tied it up, and SD went three and out. That’s the entire story right there as I see it.
Or we credit the Pats defense on the last two SD series, as they prevented anything meaningfull to happen. MAYBE the game came down to tallent at the QB position?
Marty is a loser, that’s been proven over and over again throughout three decades now. Get rid of him? Fine. The offense still has to gain yards after the game was tied and get in a position to score for the lead.
The players need to recognize that after a 4th down play, it’s not appropriate to get fired up and but heads with the other team, basically squandering…
You know what? That 15 yarder that saved the Pats drive is the same thing with Merriman having his own dance…that’s what lost you the game. The attitude that the “army of one” concept is alright if you’re good enough.
LT isn’t the problem with that team. Though he exposed a lack of leadership at the end of that game and in defending the sanctity of Merriman’s dance, maybe he’s validating the ‘me me me’ attitude.
And you can think it’s funny…the fact is, the team with three rings and the win can stand at the podium and do something other than bitch like a skirt over some crap that has nothing to do with the game!
Poor LT…let’s all write him a get well card. Well, you can, but I’ll stick with calling his crybaby bullshit what it is and start looking forward to Indy.
San Diego has its tears and its ownership of “Lights Out” - - - Congratulations.
You seem angry. Why? I think your team won.
LT’s stuff doesn’t bother me. Call it post game anger (he probably wishes privately that he did not do it, but so what)
The Chargers never seemed to overcome the mental hurdle of playing the Pats. This game will be good experience for them if they can come back next year and there is no reason to believe they can’t.
The Pats have more experience being champs and that counts.
who you guys picking this weekend?
Yeah, I think you’re right. I’m sure guys on both teams have some regrets about their actions during and after the game.
I don’t know if there was a mental hurdle of playing the Patriots so much as a general lack of poise on the part of the Chargers. They were making mistakes that you don’t see high school teams make. Very undisciplined, sloppy football.
AFC seems like a toss-up to me. I like New Orleans in the NFC. Might be wishful thinking on my part — they have a lot of San Diego connections (Brees, Bush, Carney), so I’m rooting for them.
If you think there’s a single Pats player with a single regret from Sunday, you’re delusional.
Regret is a word that applies to the realm of football in Southern California, but don’t assume that any Patriots experienced a “look in the mirror and feel bad about what’s looking back” moment.
BEFORE TOMLINSON EVEN TOOK TO THE PODIUM, IT WAS ALL ABOUT INDIANAPOLIS
Dead I, you definitely take your Pats seriously. Gotta love that.
Indy vs Pats will be a great battle. Lookin forward to it.
For me it is the Lions. If you can take the Lions seriously, then you are looking at the Looney Bin.
Man, it is hard to type wearing this straight jacket and dosing on this thorazine!
Rough going in Detroit when it comes to football. Being so far removed from the situation there, I haven’t got a clue as to why it hasn’t worked in so long…but Millen has a lot to do with it I’d imagine. His drafts have left me scratching my head.
James - could you post a link to http://www.deadissue.com? I’ve got Squib Kick on my list over there.
And yes, I’m a fanatic when it comes to the Pats…have to watch the games alone, stomach in knots.
Dead,
had Deadspin on as a link, was thinking it was you. Ha ha. Your spin is not dead, your issue is.
You never get nervous watching the Lions!
Double edged sword I suppose in that regard - - - although, with the turnarounds we see every year in this league, the right formula could always be right around the corner. Is Millen on thin ice? If I were the owner of the Lions, he’d have been gone the day after he drafted his third wideout in the top 5 (top 3 really, right?). I think you have to stick with quarterback, runningback and defensive linemen in the top 5, and if one of those three isn’t there and worthy in your mind, you trade the pick, move to the middle or end of the 1st round and pick up a 3rd or a 4th along with it.
This guy Millen went about it all wrong year after year. I personally have no interest in the 1st or 2nd wideout in a draft…because year in year out they prove to be the most headstrong, underperforming group of rookies, and once they do get successfull, the whole world (in their mind) suddenly revolves around them. So Millen is too stupid to understand this, loads up with 3 of them, and then wonders why the team can’t be coached.
He spends all that capital on wideouts, puts a top college QB behind a bullshit o-line for all those years, and wonders why his investments aren’t paying off…
I was very sad to see my Illini go down to MSU, especially since we actually had that game televised here! But the Bears to the Superbowl would be a good consolation prize.