10
Feb
2010
Tracy Porter’s Super Bowl Interception, Tecmo Bowl-style
Now that the dust has settled from Super Bowl 44, we would be remiss if we didn’t post one last Tecmo Bowl recreation for the season, from our Youtube friend MRNFL. This one captures the biggest play from Super Sunday, and possibly the entire season, as Tecmo Tracy Porter picks off Tecmo Peyton and races 74 yards for the game-winning score.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever get tired of these.
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
24
Jan
2010
VIDEO: AFC Championship Game Highlights – Colts 30, Jets 17
In case you missed today’s AFC Championship game, here are the highlights of the Colts 30-17 victory over the NY Jets:
[Via TheNFLVideos]
24
Jan
2010
CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY: Live Gameday Blog
(Photos via ESPN.com)
Well, the big day is here. Championship Sunday. Colts vs Jets and Saints vs Vikings for the right to play in Super Bowl XLIV. By now we all know the set-up. It’s time to shut up and play.
We’ll be following the game action all day long, and providing our ongoing thoughts in the comments section. Please join us, won’t you?
CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP TO FOLLOW ALONG IN THE COMMENTS
22
Jan
2010
Rex Ryan Invited to Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest … IF Jets win
I mean, just look at that gullet! (Image via Boston.com)
Well this is just fantastic. Word from Deadspin is that Major League Eating is offering Rex Ryan a seat in the 2010 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest … if the Jets beat the Colts this weekend. That’s right, if the Jets win, Rex will go stomach to stomach with the likes of Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut for global eating supremacy.
If I were the Colts I’d be worried right now. If Rex Ryan ever needed any more motivation to win on Sunday (more than, ya know, going to the Super Bowl), I’d say a tray filled with Nathan’s famous franks is probably his definition of heaven.
And if I were Kobayashi and Chestnut, I’d be worried too … it’s like they just invited Jabba the Hut to compete against them.
VIEW THE INVITATION FROM NATHAN’S AFTER THE JUMP
22
Nov
2009
VIDEO: Dallas Clark helps Colts grab win over Ravens
The Indianapolis Colts’ defense led the way in their 17-15 win over the Baltimore Ravens, to remain undefeated and atop the AFC. But early on, TE Dallas Clark gave the Colts the lead with this this incredible one-handed TD grab in the back corner of the end zone:
16
Nov
2009
Did Belichick make the right call?
It's okay Bill. The numbers have your back. (Image: Detroit4lyfe.com)
The sports world has collectively been piling on Bill Belichick for his decision to go for it on 4th & 2 from his own 28-yard line with a 6-point lead and 2:08 to go in last night’s Patriots/Colts clash. (the result of that play can be viewed here)
The Colts, of course, went on to score a game-winning TD and escape with a 35-34 victory. And since that moment, armchair coaches everywhere have been celebrating the failure of the dark lord Belichick, and second-guessing his decision not to punt the ball and let his defense make a stop.
But did Belichick, in fact, make the right call? Well, the nerds over at AdvancedNFLStats.com conducted a statistical breakdown of the situation – based on the success/failure rates of both the 4th & 2 conversion and likelihood of the opponent scoring a TD from the 28-yd line with that much time left on the clock.
And guess what? The statistical analysis backs up Belichick’s decision to go for it, and by a decent margin! And guess what else? Belichick has built a dynasty in New England by making exactly those types of gutsy calls. So while most of us would play it safe in that situation, there’s a reason Belichick is the best head coach in the game today, and I wouldn’t expect him to change any time soon.
15
Nov
2009
NFL WEEK TEN LIVE GAME BLOG: THE BRADY VS. MANNING EDITION
Love 'em or hate 'em, this is still the best quarterback duel in the National Football League. (Sources: Al Tielemans/SI)
For the past half-decade, it’s been the NFL’s best, if not only, great quarterback showdown. Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. For two teams that don’t play in the same division, these guys have an uncanny knack for meeting annually at a critical juncture. Brady, of course, is the quintessential NFL quarterback, exuding confidence under pressure, a “team-first” attitude, and a will of steel. He’s got the looks, the super-model wife, and a handful of Super Bowl rings. He’s been lavished with riches beyond belief, and yet he remains likable.
Manning, meanwhile, has always been a perfect fit for Indianapolis, a throwback signal caller who’s been an absolute rock for a franchise that drifted for decades before his arrival. With a richer bloodline than any quarterback in our lifetime (even his little brother’s beaten Brady), he’s answered some of his sharpest critics (who wondered if he’d ever win a Super Bowl) and is currently enjoying one of his finest seasons to date. While he’s over-exposed and marketed idiotically — he and Eli come across a little dim in their countless ad campaigns — there’s no denying his achievements on the field.
The most-heated NFL rivalries almost always involve the game’s best quarterbacks. The Cowboys-Niners matchups featured the likes of Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, and Steve Young in the prime of their careers. The Niners and Giants pitted Montana vs. Phil Simms. When the Browns and Broncos met in three AFC Championships, it only happened because Bernie Kosar and John Elway led those teams.
Remember those great Giants-Redskins matchups between Dave Brown and Heath Shuler? Me neither.
This is a quarterback’s league. Always has been, always will be. Even if the Brady-Manning pregame hype is a bit tedious, it has produced some fascinating games. In a league where there are fewer and fewer powerhouse teams amid increased parody, we long for a true clash of the titans, and this may be as good as it gets in 2009.
We’ll be commenting on the games all day, and look forward to chatting with you. Click the comments section to join us for Week 10 in the National Football League.
23
May
2009
Tony Mandarich Is Doing Alright These Days
The Ryan Leaf story from yesterday got me thinking about our pre-draft piece on Tony Mandarich, and wondering what he’s up to these days.
Well wonder no more, thanks to this fascinating report from ESPN. (I guess this came out around around the draft this year, but I must have missed it. Probably because in general I loathe ESPN’s draft coverage … but they knocked this one out of the park.)
In this candid interview, Mandarich tells the story of downing a pharmacy worth of steroids while at Michigan State, and being tested for drugs less than 5 times in his career there. But things went south when Mandarich got to Green Bay as a rookie and attempted to go off the juice, cold turkey. The problem was, instead of his usual steroid cocktail, Mandarich began taking, and then shooting, painkillers – including during practice. And he says he never spent a sober day in his 4 years with the Packers.
Watch and see for yourselves:
In this piece, Mandarich comes of as a sober, contrite, intelligent & self-aware person, who fully understands the enormity of his failure in the NFL. He takes full ownership of his drug addiction, and lets the blame for his fall rest squarely on his own shoulders.
Tony Mandarich could be doing worse for himself
People (myself included) forget that Mandarich came back to play with the Colts, where he had a 3-year career as a serviceable NFL lineman.
There’s a particularly poignant section of the video (around the 6:45 mark), where Mandarich says as part of his recovery, he had to try to “make amends for the disaster you created in the NFL. You had wronged the fans, you had wronged the Packers, you embarrased the sport … how do you right that wrong?”
It seems as though Mandarich has at least taken the appropriate steps to make amends for his past sins. And maybe – just maybe – he doesn’t deserve to be lumped with some of the other draft busts that he is always associated with ( Leaf, Marinovich, Phillips, etc).
And don’t forget the happy ending: today, Mandarich runs his own Glamour/Boudoir photo company. So he’s taking pictures of hot women for a living. And this is his wife. Not bad. Not bad at all.
29
Apr
2009
SI’s Impact Players of the 2009 Rookie Class
6'6" WR Ramses Barden has a chance to replace Plaxico Burress as Eli Manning's red zone target in NY (Photo by Ben Liebenberg)
SportsIllustrated.com has selected their NFL Rookies With an early chance to shine in 2009.
Again, this is basically an exercise in futility, but that’s what we’re all about here at ReadAndReact, right? SI’s Don Banks looks at the NFL teams/situations where draftees have landed, and selects his impact players at each position based on their likelihood to contribute right away.
At WR, even though the Giants selected Hakeem Nicks in the 1st round, Banks thinks it’s their 3rd round pick, Ramses Barden who will make the biggest splash in NY:
While I think Cleveland second-round pick Brian Robiskie is going to walk into a major role in the Browns’ receiver-thin offense, on a hunch I’m giving my top billing to Barden, the 6-foot-6 Cal Poly product who is slated to inherit Plaxico Burress’s job of out-skying opposing cornerbacks and safeties in the red zone. Barden caught 50 touchdowns in college, so it’s a key role the third-round pick appears up for.
Other impact players of note include RB Donald Brown (Colts), C Alex Mack (Browns) and LB James Laurenitis (Rams).
On the flip side, RedZoneReport has their Top 10 2009 NFL Draft Bust Candidates. Interestingly, both articles selected the same player at #1 – QB Mark Sanchez (Jets).
And, one more reminder to check out the list of Undrafted Free Agent signings, to see which players your teams will be bringing into camp for a look.
