Great Sports Weekend!

What a great sports weekend I got to experience

First, the Colts, MY COLTS, beat the Ravens in Baltimore to advance to the AFC Championship game.   I am a huge Colts fan and truly believe Peyton Manning is the best QB in the NFL, if not of all time.   The way he so efficiently runs the offense and works the clock and also the way he can pick a defense a part with his audibles and passes, he is like no other.

What is really great about their victory though, is Peyton played like crap.  Not just by his standards, but by most NFL QB standards, and they still won.  Everyone was saying this was going to be game decided between the Colts potent offense and the Ravens vaunted #1 defense.  I didn’t see it that way and wish I had written it here last week.  I saw it as could the Colts questionable defense hold the Ravens offense enough to give the Colts a chance.  The Answer:  YES.

Cutting Vanderjagt lose and picking up Adam Venatieri in the off season, most brilliant move of any team in the past 5 years.

Next, the Saints beat the Eagles.  I love this for 4 reasons:

1. I hate the Eagles
2. New Orleans needs this.  After the past year and half that they have been through, they need this.
3. Reggie Bush.  I typically am not a fan of the Reggie Bush type college player coming form a perennial college powerhouse and whose majority of Heisman votes are because of his school and not his deserving the award, but Reggie has shown a lot this year.  He is not flashy or boisterous, he has done his job and really helped his team win.  A perfect example of his toughness and focus was shown after he took that hit in the opening minutes of the game.  It was a nasty hit as Reggie had trouble getting to his feet afterward.  But Reggie went to the sideline for a couple breathers and then came back in to help take his team to victory.  He didn’t have to be the star for them to win – just do his job.
4. Drew Brees.  I want all fellow Purdue Alum to do well in the NFL, but Drew more than most deserves it.  While at Purdue he took us to our first Rose Bowl in over 30 years and he did it with some truly heroic play.  who can ever forget the finish of the OSU game in 1999?  He gets drafted by the Chargers who go out and pick up Flutie.  Once Flutie leaves they draft Rivers.  But Drew hung in there and played his butt off.  Problem is he was NEVER going to be the Charger’s “Guy”.  So after dislocating his shoulder and being shown the door by San Diego, he signs on with the Saints despite all the question marks surrounding the franchise.  By winning yesterday he has shown he is for real and the this All Pro season is no fluke.  Keep it up Drew.

On Sunday I was treated to the Bears victory over the Seahawks.  First, what is a team from Seattle doing in the playoffs?  I know they were in the Super Bowl last year and Seattle itself is a great city.  But NFL and Seattle just don’t go together.  Sorry.

Now, Chicago and NFL – say no more.  The Bears (da’ Bears) are football and the way they played on Sunday showed a lot of heart.  Winning by two 40+ field goals, well that isn’t smash mouth but in the playoffs it isn’t necessarily “how” but “how many”.

I do have one bone with da’ Bears.  last year they put Kyle Orton (fellow Purdue Alum) in a very tough position as a rookie.  Once Rex Grossman was off the IR he went under center and hasn’t been moved since.  Ok, so Orton didn’t play great and Grossman looked better, but let’s face it – I would look good compared to a rookie who gets thrust into the starting QB job a week before the season starts.  And to be honest, compared to Grossman this season, Orton looked just as good last year.  Now, I not lobbying for Kyle to get under center but the Bears do have another pretty QB by the name of Griese standing on the sidelines (he also happens to be the son of a fellow Purdue Alum who was a pretty QB himself).  Why don’t they play him?

After the win by the Bears we got to see the Patriots use every lucky charm they had to beat the Chargers.  Being a Colts fan I am not a Patriots fan.  But for reasons I stated earlier, I am not a Chargers fan either.  While the Colts history against the Pats in the playoffs is not encouraging, I think the Chargers are better team this year and would have a better chance of beating the Colts than the Pats have.

Finally, some of the best sports news this weekend.  The University of Maryland Women’s Basketball team lost to duke ending the winning streak and hopefully, moving them out of #1 in the polls.  To all my UMD friends who ever since Purdue won the National Championship up until UMD won it last year, said women’s basketball doesn’t count…oh yes it does.  AwwwwHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sometimes you have to take your victories where you can get them.