15
Feb
2010
7
Feb
2010
Saints defeat Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV; Tracy Porter intercepts Manning to seal victory (video)
A picture says 1000 words (Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images via ESPN.com)
The New Orleans Saints shocked the world and defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to win Super Bowl XLIV, and bring the Lombardi Trophy home to the city of New Orleans.
Trailing 10-0 at the end of the 1st quarter, head coach Sean Payton made a series of gutsy calls – including a failed 4th and goal attempt in the 2nd quarter and successful onside kick to start the 2nd half – that helped the Saints chip away at the lead and put themselves in a position to win.
Drew Brees went 32-39 for 288 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions to collect the MVP award, and the Saints defense came up big when it mattered to preserve the lead. The game winning-play came when Tracy Porter picked off Peyton Manning and brought it 74 yards to the house with 3:12 remaining.
WATCH VIDEO OF PORTER’S INTERCEPTION AFTER THE JUMP
7
Dec
2009
Robert Meachem & Saints strip ‘Skins of seemingly sure superiority
The Washington Redskins once again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yesterday, losing to the New Orleans Saints 33-30 in OT. The Redskins jumped out to an early lead, and were up 30-20 early in the 4th quarter before the wheels fell off. Just when you thought the Saints undefeated streak was going to come to an end, Redskins K Shane Suisham shanked a 23-yard FG with under 2 minutes remaining — a FG that would have given the ‘skins a two posession lead. That miss allowed New Orleans to tie the game in regulation with a 42-yd TD pass to WR Robert Meachem, and go on to win in OT.
But earlier in the game, Meachem made an incredible play that might have given us a hint that things weren’t going to go the Redskins way on this day. With less than a minute remaining in the first half, the Saints had the ball in Washington territory, trailing 17-10. On 3rd and 26, Drew Brees threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by Kareem Moore. It seemed like a spectacular momentum-shifter, one that would allow the Redskins to head into the locker room ahead, and to believe that the impossible was possible.
And then, this happened:
You’ve gotta hand it to Meachem on this one … he didn’t give up on the play, and made a spectacular individual effort. But this, along with the missed FG and a few other balls that bounced New Orleans’ way, had some people wondering if the Saints hadn’t employed some hometown voodoo on the proceedings:
“I don’t know about the voodoo, but I definitely believe in destiny,” said Drew Brees. “I believe in karma, and what goes around comes around. We’ve been on the other side of this deal probably too many times, and maybe it’s our time, that we start catching some of the breaks.”
11
Nov
2009
ReadAndReact Mid-Season NFL Awards
Yep, it’s that time of year again! Time for bloggers and sportswriters across the land to create meaningless mid-season NFL awards lists!
And who are we to buck the system? If nothing else, this exercise allows us to take a step back to examine the first 9 weeks of action, and heap accolades on those whose performances have set them apart from the pack thus far (in either a good or not-so-good way).
So without further adieu, here they are, the inaugural ReadAndReact Mid-Season NFL Awards:
Why yes, the crow does taste fine. Thanks for asking (Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
MVP: Brett Favre, MIN - As much as we hate to admit it, the old man has been the difference maker in Minnesota, and is the main reason they’re sitting atop the NFC central. So far. It’s mainly about the attitude he brings, and the belief the rest of his teammates now have in their chances. But so far, Favre has put up excellent numbers (16TDs vs 3 INTs), and shows no signs of slowing down. But then, we were saying the same thing about Favre and the Jets at this point last year. We’ll see how the arm holds up come week 16.
Coach of the Year: Josh McDaniels/Mike Nolan, DEN – in a total shocker to everyone in the league, McDaniels has come into Denver and changed the team culture in record time, leading the team out to a fast 6-0 start. And Nolan’s defense – currently 3rd in the NFL in Total Yds/Gm, and 1st in defensive touchdowns (8 so far) – has been the main reason for their success.
Still pointing at us (Photo: C. Schneider/AP)
Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees, NO – I’m taking Brees over Peyton Manning here, mainly because we’ve come to expect this sort of ruthless efficiency from Peyton, but Brees seems to have entered a new stratosphere in 2009. He’s playing about as well as you can at the position (106 QB Rating), and has the Saints leading the NFL in total offense.
Defensive Player of the Year: Darren Sharper, NO – With a league-leading 7 interceptions (3 of them returned for TDs!), Sharper has changed the attitude of the Saints defense, and helped turn them into a force. Is it scary that a Saint is getting the award for both offense and defense? Yes, and it’s why I like the Saints to go all the way this year.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Percy Harvin, MIN – One of the most exciting offensive playmakers to come along in a while, Harvin is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. With 5 TDs in 8 games – 3 via reception and 2 via KO return – Harvin has challenged the Vikings coaching staff to develop more ways to get the ball into his hands.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jairus Byrd, BUF - The first-year DB has been a ball-hawking machine, with multiple interceptions in 3 consecutive games! With 7 interceptions so far, Byrd is tied for the NFL lead, and is on pace for 14 this season, which would tie an NFL record.
Continue reading after the jump for more RnR Mid-Season Awards
9
Sep
2009
Top #9s in NFL History
Jergensen & McMahon dressed to the nines
In honor of 09.09.09, we figured we’d delve into the numerology of the NFL, and list the best players ever to don the fabled #9 jersey. From elsewhere in the sports world, we have names like Ted Williams, Roger Maris and Gordie Howe. But because of the NFL’s positional numbering rules, this means we’re looking at Quarterbacks, Kickers and Punters … so pretty much just QBs.
We’ll admit it, this started as a top 9 list, to go along with the theme of the day. But we simply couldn’t come up with any more than seven (sorry, Matt Stafford doesn’t make the list yet). And when we started scouring the annals of NFL history for punter jersey #s, we just started to feel bad about ourselves.
Here’s our list … feel free to chime in with any we might have missed:
- Sonny Jurgensen: During his 18 seasons in Philadelphia and Washington from 1957 to 1974 established himself as one of the best pure passers in league history. Vince Lombardi once stated of Sonny: “Jurgensen is a great quarterback. He hangs in there under adverse conditions. He may be the best the league has ever seen. He is the best I have ever seen.”
- Steve McNair: In 13 seasons with the Titans and Ravens, McNair threw for more than 31,000 yards and, perhaps more importantly, proved to be one of the toughest players in league history. RIP
- Jim McMahon: The punky QB was also a pretty good passer who led the Bears to Super Bowl glory in 1985. An outstanding leader, McMahon became a cult hero during the 80s for his rebellious approach to the game and headbands.
- Drew Brees: It’s hard to believe the Dolphins weren’t willing to take a chance on Brees, preferring to go with Daunte Culpepper instead. All Brees has done since is rack up huge yardage and heads into the 2009 season as the top-ranked QB in the NFL.
-
The legendary Bill Wade
Bill Wade: starting QB for the 1963 NFL champion Chicago Bears, Wade threw for over 18,000 yards in his twelve seasons in the AFL/NFL.
- Carson Palmer: Has thrown for over 15,000 yards and 100 TDs in his 5 seasons as Bengals starter. Gets extra points for having to work with Ochocinco day in and day out.
- Tony Romo: The Cowboys starter since 2006 has been a great regular season performer, who is perhaps more notorious for his taste in women than he is for his football accomplishments. Simply cannot rank higher until he shows he can play solid football past November.
