Watch the Giants celebrate on their team flight home from the Super Bowl (VIDEO)
Via rookie LB Mark Herzlich‘s Twitter comes this sneak peek at the Giants team flight home from Super Bowl XLVI … and it’s about as raucous and celebratory as you’d expect.
Watch as RB Andre Brown leads the team in singing the hot new jam, “I got a ring”:
Brandon Marshall makes ridiculous TD catch; wins Pro Bowl MVP (VIDEO)
Sunday’s 2012 Pro Bowl started out pretty much as expected, with defensive players giving minimal effort at little things like rushing the passer, covering and tackling, setting the stage for the offensive shootout that ensued. The AFC ultimately out-gunned the NFC 59-41, with Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall reeling in a Pro Bowl record 4 TDs and earning the MVP trophy.
And while this laissez-faire defensive attitude elicited boos from the crowd and groans from television viewers everywhere, the game did end up providing a few noteworthy moments. To be honest, we didn’t actually watch the whole thing, but we got a pretty good feel for things via the stats and game highlights … and with 100 total points scored, you get the general idea: defense (and running backs) took the day off in Honolulu today. For their part, the NFC had three players – Tony Gonzalez, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Smith - with more than 100 yards receiving, with Fitzgerald pulling in three scores of his own.
Marshall finished with 176 yards on six catches, but none of them were as memorable as this unbelievable (and wildly lucky) third quarter grab of a tipped Andy Dalton pass while laying on his back in the endzone:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
Watch this amazing compilation of fan reactions to the AFC Championship game (VIDEO)
There has been a trend sweeping YouTube in recent years of fans recording themselves watching live sporting events unfold, and then uploading their reactions for all the world to see. This has provided us with all kinds of tremendous sporting moments caught on camera from the fan’s point of view, like this remarkable compilation of fans watching Landon Donovan’s game-winning goal in the 2010 World Cup.
And as you might guess, last week’s AFC Championship game between the Patriots and the Ravens provided all kinds of fodder for superfans everywhere to freak the eff out, with their cameras rolling. Between both Lee Evans’ near-game-winning-TD that wasn’t and Billy Cundiff’s field goal shank that lost it for Baltimore, the final few minutes were an emotional roller coaster for fans of both teams.
So that’s what makes this compilation of fan reactions to the game (aptly titled “The Agony of Defeat and Thrill of Victory“) – which features both ebullient celebrations and soul-crushing collapses from Pats and Ravens fans alike – just so fantastic. You really get to feel the win/loss from both perspectives, and get a sense of just how much this game means to people everywhere. And of course it includes this guy.
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
Watch this Ravens fan lose it after Cundiff’s missed FG (VIDEO)
We feel badly for Ravens fans today. Honestly, we do. The Baltimore defense played tremendous football in yesterday’s AFC Championship, holding Tom Brady in check, only to have their Super Bowl hopes dashed by a missed chip shot FG by K Billy Cundiff.
Imagine how it must feel to have been a Ravens fan watching it all unfold yesterday. Brutal, right? Now imagine watching your favorite team lose while surrounded by “friends” who came over to your house for the big game, and decided to have some fun by cheering for the Pats all day. Well, thanks to this video, we get to experience the loss through just that perspective.
From the Youtube description: ”Our good friend has a passion for Maryland sports. Maybe an obsession.” And as you’ll see, their good friend’s passion reached its breaking point after Cundiff’s shank, and he decided that everyone needed to leave his house. Immediately.
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
Giants and 49ers set to renew rich playoff rivalry (VIDEO)
On Sunday, the 49ers and Giants will meet in the playoffs for an NFL record-tying EIGHTH time … with all of those match-ups coming since 1981. Along the way, the two NFC powerhouses have won a combined 8 Lombardi Trophies, and have given us a few of the more memorable games in playoff history.
In looking back at the rivalry, some of the more indelible playoff memories include Jim Burt blasting Joe Montana in New York’s 49-3 Divisional drubbing in 1986, Roger Craig inexplicably fumbling late in the 1990 NFC Championship game to set up Matt Bahr’s game-winner, and Trey Junkin (whose name alone has become a curse word in Giants fandom) botching the game-winning field goal snap in 2002′s Wild Card game to complete the second-biggest collapse in playoff history.
So before these proud franchises take the field to provide the latest chapter in their long-running saga, we thought it fitting to look back at two of their previous meetings to get ourselves in the proper frame of mind. Specifically, we bring you the highlights from the 2002 NFC Wild Card game and the 1990 NFC Championship.
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
Tim Tebow and the Broncos stun Steelers; Demaryius Thomas scores 80-yard OT game-winner (VIDEO)

Who's got two thumbs and is more popular than Jesus? THIS GUY! (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images via Yahoo.com)
Pretty much every “expert” in the media had written off Tim Tebow and the Broncos heading into this weekend’s Wild Card match-up against the the heavily favored Steelers. And for good reason. The magic seemed to have run out for Tebow and Denver, having lost their last three games in ugly fashion and backed their way into the playoffs, with Tebow’s fabled mystique noticeably deteriorating toward the end of the season.
Today, in an ironic role reversal, Tebow and the Broncos found themselves ahead early and having to fight off a furious comeback attempt by Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers. Tebow threw for one 2nd quarter score on a 30 yard bullet to Eddie Royal and ran for another to give Denver a 20-6 halftime lead. But Roethlisberger rallied Pittsburgh in the second half, tying the game on a 31-yard strike to Jericho Cotchery with just under 4 minutes remaining and sending things to overtime.
Then came “Tebow Time”: with the Broncos’ season on the line, Timmy did what he does best and came up with a huge play when it mattered most. On the very first play of overtime, Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas in stride at the 40 yard line for an 80-yard walk-off touchdown, giving Denver a stunning 29-23 victory:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
Carl from ATHF on Sam Hurd, Rob Ryan and the Cowboys-Eagles (VIDEO)
Our old friend Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force is back with his thoughts on the upcoming Christmas Eve showdown between NFC East Rivals, the Cowboys versus the Eagles. And while he’s at it, Carl weighs in on Sam Hurd‘s arrest and Rob Ryan‘s similarity to one of the three wise men, who also might have once played bass for Slayer.
As always, unrivaled analysis here from Carl, but we don’t recommend laying any money down on his picks … ever:
Stevie Johnson invents the “Plaxico” touchdown celebration (VIDEO)
Points for creativity, but not exactly the classiest move we’ll see this year.
After scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of today’s Bills-Jets game, Buffalo WR Stevie Johnson mocked Jets WR Plaxico Burress by pretending to shoot himself in the leg. As we all know, Burress spent 20 months in prison after shooting himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub in 2008.
But Johnson wasn’t finished there, continuing through the endzone while mimicking Santonio Holmes’ “flight” celebration and crashing to the ground in the endzone, ultimately drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
How the 49ers Got Their Groove Back (INFOGRAPHIC & VIDEO)
On this Thanksgiving Day, the San Francisco 49ers and their fans have a lot to be thankful for after starting the season 9-1 under rookie Head Coach Jim Harbaugh.
In case you were wondering exactly how Harbaugh has managed such a fast turnaround, we bring you this handy-dandy infographic drom reddit/r/nfl. In it, you’ll see how the Niners’ defense – led by all-everything LB Patrick Willis - has really been the biggest factor, leading the league with 26 takeaways and zero rushing touchdowns surrendered. And as we know, football is a game of field position, and San Francisco’s special teams have also contributed hugely to their success in that department.
One could also argue that the 49ers schedule has played a big role in their success, and many are predicting an early playoff exit for Jim Harbaugh’s club. But they’ll have a chance to prove their critics wrong tonight when San Francisco plays the Baltimore Ravens and John Harbaugh in this brother-versus-brother head coaching matchup.
In the mean time, Harbaugh has his club feeling confident and as relaxed as can be in San Francisco, as evidenced by this clip of OT Joe Staley and TE Vernon Davis singing Adele’s “Someone Like You” from Staley’s “The Joe Show”. These gridiron crooners definitely struggle with the lyrics, and they’re both terrible singers, but they earn points for enthusiasm … especially Davis while butchering the chorus.
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP












