Favorite

Despite being one of the few who believes that this decade has not technically ended yet, seeing these “best of” and “worst of” lists in regards to what happened between 2000-2009 does bring back a ton of memories of what Time Magazine termed as “the decade from hell”.

However, if there is one list that raised an eyebrow, it was ESPN.com’s “Games of the Decade”. Now, these lists are typically created to stir up debates and ramp up hits to websites, despite the fact that ESPN.com is the Microsoft of online sports media. However, knowing this didn’t stop me from a peek and one look at this list made me take this brand new laptop… and just close the lid in absolute disgust.

What perturbed me about this list was that it seems as if the contributors highlighted games based on hyped-up stories, market sizes, controversies, historic end results and brand names instead of concentrating on the totality of the contests themselves. If that was the case, then only the 2008 Wimbledon Men’s Final would have been top-5 worthy and Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals wouldn’t have reached the top 40. Also, much to the chagrin of some Pittsburgh Steelers fans, last year’s very entertaining Super Bowl would have been eclipsed by at least three other Super Bowls: XXXIV (34: Titans-Rams), XXXVI (36: Rams-Patriots) and XLII (42: Patriots-Giants).

It may seem like the game you’ll read about is mentioned to counter this list and in some ways, there’s truth to that. Yet because of how overlooked this contest was by ESPN and others in the sports media world, this post actually brings up what was this Scribe’s favorite. It was not played during a postseason or for a championship, yet it should be in consideration for one the greatest games ever played. In fact, the recent string of “most watched NFL games in cable history” began with this gem on December 3rd, 2007.



For those who love a story, let me repaint the picture for you:

The New England Patriots, as history tells you, lost the last game that mattered, Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants in what is considered by some to be the best Super Bowl of all-time. The Giants’ players wearing all black en route to Glendale, the annoying Mercury Morris, Eli to Tyree, Justin Tuck’s outstanding performance, scores from Randy Moss and Plaxico Burress, etc, etc.

Why that game shines as one of the crown jewels of American sports is not just because the Giants added “and 1” to New England’s 18, but because of how absolutely brilliant the Patriots were in the first sixteen.

Those very Patriots were assaulting the NFL history books as both Tom Brady and Randy Moss broke single-season touchdown records, Wes Welker eclipsed the Patriots’ single-season receptions record and head coach Bill Belichick coached in his fourth Super Bowl in a decade, the most for any head coach in such a time span in league history.

The Patriots came to Baltimore with an 11-0 record to face a 4-7 Ravens team without its starting quarterback (the late Steve McNair placed on injured reserve), several teammates in mourning and a general state of malaise from being out of the playoff picture.

Why this game sticks out compared to the hundreds of NFL games we’ve watched is simple; it was unexpected.

Pigskin pundits and anti-Patriots fans kept talking about how the Eagles presented the blueprint in how to stop New England. Yet, something seemed a bit off about that game. If this apparent blueprint called for the quarterback to throw three interceptions along with his three touchdowns (which A.J. Feely did), then any team that copied it set itself up for an embarrassing loss against men that were on a mission as these Pats were. Philadelphia played strong run defense, but couldn’t get a hand on New England wideouts; especially Wes Welker (13 catches, 149 yards) and Jabar Gaffney (six for 87 and a touchdown). Worse enough, the Eagles didn’t run the ball enough; unless you are one of the handful of elite (including injured-at-the-time Donovan McNabb), the more a quarterback throws, the greater chances grow at some costly interceptions.

The Ravens still boast two future Hall of Famers in middle linebacker Ray Lewis and free safety Ed Reed. Yet, as the norm since arriving in Maryland from Cleveland, the offense lacked a standout star and confidence in any of their quarterbacks to expand the run-based playbook. Willis McGahee, in his first season since being traded from Buffalo, had an inspired game with 138 yards and a rushing touchdown on thirty carries to go with four catches for 21 yards.

I mention those guys first because all of them are members of “The U”, the most accomplished modern college program among NFL players and fans. All three players “lost a brother” as fellow University of Miami alum Sean Taylor was memorialized earlier that day. The start of the clip above is all you need to know about how emotion buoyed them throughout the game.

The most surprising and most daring performance that night may have actually belonged to Kyle Boller. Once deposed as Baltimore’s quarterback of the future after three years of baffling inconsistency, Boller stood on the sidelines like a good soldier when McNair was traded from Tennessee the season before. Though the team was expected to follow up a 13-3 campaign and a near-defeat of the eventual champion Indianapolis Colts in 2006, the 2007 Ravens’ season was already a colossal disappointment. McNair’s injuries lead to Boller becoming starter and for this game, a resignation among Ravens fans set in; New England was going to annihilate these guys.

Boller wasn’t exactly Dan Fouts out there, but he was pretty composed considering the elements stirring around him that night. He completed fifteen of 23 passes for 210 yards and though he threw a fourth-quarter interception that led to a Patriots field goal, his two touchdown passes gave Baltimore leads that forced New England to respond with late game heroics.

If there was a play that defined the entire game, it was one that only seems to work in college or high school. Boller’s 52-yard Hail Mary pass that Mark Clayton actually caught was just two yards short. That last play of the game could have not only ended New England’s streak of perfection, but could have become legend if Clayton was deeper or there were two less defenders draped over him.

We all remember the penalties; the most memorable of the Ravens’ infractions was Bart Scott’s toss of official’s flag (thrown for an offside on teammate Reed). There were three Baltimore penalties on New England’s final drive, which led to Scott going bezerk. Comments after the game from the Baltimore locker room focused plenty on those flags, but even as Len Pasquarelli pointed out that the time, then-Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel wasn’t exactly happy with the officiating despite the victory. If this game needed some spice, the final three-plus minutes gave viewers an entire spice rack.

When I was watching it at the time, something told me that this was going to be a better-than-expected game. It was Monday night and at least for a few years, the Ravens played well on the national stage, strangely enough when they donned the all-black uniforms. You knew that players all over the NFL were feeling a little dour as Sean Taylor was laid to rest earlier in the day after such a violent death. Yet, the idea of the underdog getting over on the favorite once in a while is a tale as old as sports themselves. The idea that this was a trap game for New England may or may not have been reality, but the inspiration for Baltimore was ever-present through plenty of living rooms beyond Charm City.

In the most unfortunate way, the raw emotions of Lewis, Reed and McGahee - Taylor’s mentors and fellow alums – gave them one of the greatest performances of their careers. Though the alleged fanboyism of ESPN made millions of people sick of the Patriots, 17.5 million viewers (at least for the most watched program in cable history at the time) were fascinated by them for a night. As much as the words ‘drama’ and ‘must-see’ are now hackneyed on television, what happened at M&T Bank Stadium two Decembers ago provided all of that and more.

Why it’s not as recognized as other games this decade is beyond me.

Photo credits to UPI (Heath Evans photo) and the Baltimore Sun (Bart Scott photo)

YouTube props to 'footballanytime'

Tough

When the attribute that should be a pre-requisite for all in your profession defines your career, you've done something right.

When you have gained universal respect and admiration of your contemporaries by working through physical and emotional pains without an excuse - legitimate or made-up - you've done something right.

When fans of rival teams show reverence and respect to your work (and the ones who have met you in-person), regardless of the color of your uniform, you've done something right.

When we wonder why are you gone at the age of 36, just two years into the retired life and still ingrating yourself into the fabric of the city you were hailed in, you've done something right.

Even if many believe you've done something wrong.

The tragic murder of Steve McNair has my words jumbled, my thoughts heavy and my memories ever more crystallized. Of thousands of athletes I have watched or listened to perform, read about or spoke to in person over a near-life time of loving sports, "Air" McNair is one of the few whom I have ever admired. While the passings of many public figures have troubled me over the years, whether through nature taking its course or the mistakes of (wo)man, this is one what truly brings a profound sadness to my heart.

Photo Credit to ESPN

As some may know, despite New York City being the native land, I grew up a San Francisco 49ers fan. More so as the Joe Montana era came to an abrupt end, I was a part of the Steve Young generation of the Niner faithful. Young's elusive mobility matched with his strong left arm and uncanny intelligence makes him unique in the realm of his fellow Hall-of-Famers in that few before him have ever combined all three aspects for such a sustained period of time. Often forgotten is that all of this was made possible by an innate toughness that willed him through whichever games he could suit up for. As millions of NFL fans came to know, numerous concussions ended his career, but they also defined it as a sprained thumb or a bum ankle couldn't keep him off the field. Defenders had to nearly kill this man to keep him off the gridiron, even if his post-football life could have been greatly jeopardized. However, Young was what we all expected demanded that our quarterbacks to be; smart, accountable and tough to the point we'd think he's almost certifiably insane.

When McNair came of age with the Houston Oilers (whom eventually became the Tennessee Oilers, then Titans), the traits that I loved (and feared) about Young were duplicated in the former third-overall draft pick. Here was a guy who was listed as doubtful almost every week of his 13-year career, yet started all but eight games since his first full-game action in 1995. The accolades and the games need no mention as you've seen them throughout the last 24 hours, but they were a testament to his success. McNair's success came despite choosing substance over style, the size of the Titans' television market, the diminished prestige of black college football programs and the unforuntate stereotypes of the black athlete (not smart enough to be a quarterback, can never become as good of a passer as a runner, not the ideal face of a franchise).

Some of the best words in this brief time since the news broke comes from Clay Travis for AOL's NFL Fanhouse when he describes the relationship between McNair and his adopted city:

If ever there was a better connection between a city and a player, I haven't seen it. McNair and Nashville were a perfect pair, the lovers who never could quite get it right, the Super Bowl-losing quarterback with a golden arm who was born on Valentine's Day, and the city that turns its failures into ballads heard round the world.

***

As details have emerged overnight, the undercurrent of speculative thoughts and comments have grown into a mix of rememberance, condolences and the all-too-expected deluge of vile, venemous and non-sensical banter. A glance at the comments posted with the Tennessean's story is all you need to discover the darkest hearts that beat within some people. It's the latter, no matter whom the victim or the lives affected by it, that seem to shape one's leagcy over time these days.

It would be extremely easy to cast aspersions onto either McNair or the young woman, Saleh Kazemi, as the details point in one direction or another. Truth or not, it would not be a stretch to say that the benevolent player in the Nashville and Mt. Olive, Mississippi communities was far different from the man who will be buried; a man who from all reports was guilty of adultery. Yet, despite how some feel about cheating on the one you're with (something that angers me to no end with family and friends), the misdeed does not and should not overshadow what a person means to a part of the world that (s)he provided so much goodwill and pride. As the adage goes, people who live in a glass house shouldn't throw stones.

It has been rather easy for many of us to forget that another life - as the method is still being determined at the moment - was cut short, even if she will only be known for this tragedy. However, Kazemi, for the worse, will be remembered as the single woman who was slain with a married man. We know little about the woman except for this story and a previous DUI arrest shortly before her death, yet this does not mean that her life did not provide some of the same zeal, affection and importance to those who knew her best.

Something that's overlooked, but rather convenient to believe is that the death of McNair could be lumped in all of the off-field troubles of the NFL, despite the fact that he was a retired player. This may appear as a stretch to some, but in this personal accountability era of the National Football League that was ushered in by Commissioner Roger Goodell, the casual onlooker, disillusioned fan or the uninterested is probably thinking to him or herself , "what's wrong with these guys?" or "this is what happens when you try to have your cake and eat it, too". Circumstances matter little to those who believe that popular athletes exist to only tantalize the masses with their talent, but enrage them with their personalities and off-field lifestyles. This would be a most unfortunate result of McNair's death because unlike Adam "Pacman" Jones or Chris Henry, he did not hold  nearly the same disregard for public safety that those two did.

***

These are the kinds of events at times that can test someone's passion and faith in the world, not just sports. No matter how you cut it, this was a senseless and horrendous crime, one that only hits home either when it's someone we know personally or someone we enjoyed from afar personally. They make us wonder if the fame and fortune is worth the brutal demise. Certainly, if this was Steve McNair, the truck driver instead of Steve McNair, the former star quarterback, his death would be another story on the evening news that seems to repeat itself every day except for the person and location. It would be no more disheartening as two lives were violently ended, leaving two families without loved ones.

What has so many of us whom are invested in sports reacting to these deaths is that few people in this world are recognized by millions who will never meet them, but share an appreciation for a talent displayed for one and all to see. This isn't biased hero worship or demonizing of a public figure as those extreme sides of the interested crowd exist in all parts of our society. This is a NFL-loving public looking to one another in bewilderment, shock, sadness, anger and confusion saying one collective "damn!".

Pick-6

Ray Lewis is a certain, first-ballot Hall of Famer. Whether you like him or not, as a middle linebacker, Lewis has the credentials and respect around the league that allows for his name to be mentioned along with Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, Ray Nitschke and Jack Lambert.

Yet, there’s another Raven who you might as well prepare for enshrinement when he hangs up the cleats.

Now, you might be saying to yourself that he has only been in the NFL for seven years. You might say that if it weren’t for the guys in front of him, such as Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Bart Scott or former Ravens like Peter Boulware, Adalius Thomas and Tony Siragusa (who, believe it or not, was actually a pretty solid nose tackle).

Even more, if you’ve listened to, watched and read the pigskin pundits over the last three or four years, you’d have a general idea of who are the most popular, if not best safeties in the NFL; Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu and Indianapolis’ Bob Sanders. While Polamalu can hit as hard as his hair is long and Sanders gives the Colts a jolt as a run-stopper at the position, Ed Reed is the complete package.

In what is arguably the best season of his career, the last two months should have re-introduced Reed in the conversation of best players in the league.

Since November 23rd in the game that broadcasters continually remind you about (Donovan McNabb's infamous, yet 'revitalizing' benching), Reed caught eight of his nine regular season interceptions. He returned those picks for 232 yards and a touchdown; numbers that are staggering considering not only how hard it is for defensive backs to gain an edge over offensive players. He has caught 43 picks in his career, including five returned for scores. Sprinkle a few fumble recoveries and you have the one player in the NFL who truly lives to his reputation as a ballhawk.

Yet, just as some of the league's all-time great defensive backs such as Ronnie Lott, Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, Lester Hayes, Dick 'Night Train' Lane and others were known for interceptions and/or hard hits, the most underrated part of the game was their ability to deflect passes. Reed's 65 pass deflections aren't bad for someone who is playing 15 yards away from the line of scrimmage.

Those numbers are just the rewards of his near-quarterback vision at his position. He's known as a player who studies just about as much film as his coaches. There is probably no defender that opposing QBs fear more as this description of one of his interceptions from Sports Illustrated... well, illustrates:

With the game tied at 3-3, Pennington threw a pass that appeared to sail over the secondary's head. Dolphins receiver Ted Ginn Jr. fell down. But Reed, in full stride and with his back to the ball, reached out and snagged the catch, Willie Mays-style. All by itself the play was remarkable, but Reed wasn't done.

He darted to his left, hurdled a tackle by fullback Patrick Cobbs, switched the ball from his left hand to his right and cut back to the right. With some timely blocks, Reed kept his legs churning and didn't stop until the end zone. Sixty-four yards. Stadium quiet. Pennington never looked the same.

"Counting the zigzags it felt like 200 yards," Reed said of his long dash. "I don't think I caught my breath until the third quarter."

If Reed had a more showy personality, he might grace highway billboards and cereal boxes. Instead, he simply punches the clock and breaks quarterbacks hearts.

Now, going back to the enshrinement in Canton, you may still think it's premature based on a few stats and glowing descriptions. Yet, when LaDanian Tomlinson was breaking all sorts of records as a running back in his first six seasons, most of the media was ready to place in him the same hallowed halls as Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith and a certain unmentionable. For the apparent drop-off from the face of the earth he had for three seasons, Kurt Warner's rags-to-riches story, two MVP awards, and passing records have put him in some discussions as well. Those two have earned the praise, for sure, but as all awards and media hype goes, the sporting public in general has an obession with offensive players and their numbers.

Yet, when a defensive player amasses career numbers beyond the realm anyone expected for a defensive player, let alone a free safety, we need to start talking this guy up. Like yesterday.

Say What?!?!: Does anyone miss the NFL playoff commercials featuring Don Cheadle as much as I do. Here's someone who does.

Photo Credit to Sports Illustrated