Friday, Aug 29, 2008
The fact of the matter is it's a lousy way to decide a football game. The Chicago Bears, who have a great defense but are also living something of a charmed life, also won Sunday -- or at least avoided overtime -- when Matt Bryant of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers missed a 29-yard field goal attempt.
Giants fans remember Matt Bryant.
And I don't just mean missed field goals are a lousy way to decide a football game. A made field goal is about the most unexciting play in professional sports -- it has rivals in the free throw, the intentional walk and the rest of a World Cup soccer game after the first goal is scored.
Four NFL games went to overtime this weekend. Which was a more exciting finish: LaDainian Tomlinson of San Diego dashing 41 yards for the winning touchdown against Washington or Jason Elam of Denver bunting home a 24-yard field goal to beat Dallas?
Kevin Curtis of St. Louis taking a pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick and racing 56 yards for the winning score against Houston or Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck crabwalking for a few feet before lying down to put the ball in the center of the field for Brown's kick?
All over the Northwest, kids burst into kitchens shouting about how they'd just seen the hometown quarterback crawling backwards and over a few feet. "I want to be a quarterback when I grow up so I can crawl around backwards too!"
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Discipline [PERMALINK]
The Giants were flagged for 11 false-start penalties Sunday.
Isn't that a coaching thing? Shouldn't a disciplined, well-coached team have a whole lot fewer than 11 false starts in a game, even in a loud, hostile environment like Qwest Field in Seattle?
And aren't the Giants all about discipline, as instilled by their no-nonsense coach, Tom Coughlin, of "if you're not five minutes early for a meeting, you're late" fame?
Could it be that all that spit-shine, military discipline stuff is just a load of bull, and has no effect on a team's ability to win football games?
Just asking.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Journalism notes from all over [PERMALINK]
Ryan Fitzpatrick, who came in to his first NFL game to rally the Rams from a 21-point deficit to an overtime victory over the Texans Sunday, had a similar experience in his first college start at Harvard in 2001.
Harvard trailed Dartmouth 21-0 at the half in that game, but Fitzpatrick, then a freshman, led a 31-0 second-half rally for the win. At the time it was the largest lead Harvard had ever overcome to win a game.
But it wasn't the greatest comeback in Harvard history. That happened in 1968, in The Game, the annual battle with Yale. Calvin Hill and the undefeated and nationally ranked Elis led 29-13 in the final minute, but the Crimson -- including all-conference tackle Tommy Lee Jones -- scored 16 points in 42 seconds to tie the game at the gun, and that's how it ended in those pre-overtime days.
Why am I talking about this? Because I'm an aficionado of great headlines, and how many excuses will I get to mention one of my all-time favorites, from the next day's Harvard Crimson:
"Harvard beats Yale, 29-29."
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Get Salon in your mailbox!
