season finale...

another football season comes to a close. i took a little while to think before composing this entry, though, because i witnessed something last night that i really wanted to digest for a bit.

but first & foremost, the Patriots move forward. last week, they clinched their fifth division title in six seasons, and due to a shocking overtime loss by Denver (sorry James...), will be playing division rival NY Jets next week. i am worried about this for several reasons:
1. the Jets always play the Patriots tough.
2. the Patriots beat the Jets early in the season at the Meadowlands but the Jets returned the favor in November. in Foxboro.
3. the game is *in* Foxboro. the Patriots were 5-3 at home, while holding a 7-1 road record. who'd ever think home field might *not* be an advantage during the post season??
4. the Patriots were 4-2 in division play. one of those losses, as i mentioned, was to the Jets. and at home. i really hope we don't decide to make this next match up a repeat performance...
5. it appears as though New England will once again be playing without Rodney Harrison after getting him back only two games ago. a hit in Sunday's game has (at this time, anyway, though who can ever say for sure with Bill Belichick) resulted in a sprained MCL that will likely sideline him for two to four weeks. (if you do the math, that would mean he probably wouldn't be back until the Super Bowl, provided the Patriots can make it that far with a Rodney-sized hole in their defense.) ::gulp::


that being said, the Patriots did to run over the Titans in a tidy 40-23 victory in Tennessee, thus successfully beating the three teams they had in common with the Colts, by whom the Colts were handed losses. nothing like momentum going into the playoffs! and they are certainly playing with a heck of a lot more heart than they were this time last year...


and leave it to Belichick to not only pick up the oldest QB in the NFL, once again, but to also give him his glory day. last year it was the crazy drop kick by Doug Flutie. for 2006, Vinny Testaverde was given the chance to throw a touchdown pass to make an NFL record for doing so in twenty consecutive seasons!

just look at the joy on his face! how can you not like a guy who has this to say?:
QB Vinny Testaverde
On 20 seasons with at least one TD pass
"I was excited to go in and run some plays, but to throw a touchdown pass was very exciting. The guys were really excited for me. The first thing I did when I came off the field was find Coach Belichick and thank him for the opportunity. He's been great." (Reiss' Pieces)

now, boys, wouldn't it be nice to send ol' Vinny truly into retirement with a Super Bowl ring to show off? imagine the happiness you would see on his face then!


all victory celebrations & post season dreams aside, the best thing i saw all year was the last game of the 2006 regular season. a game that purportedly "didn't matter" & "how dare it be slotted for Sunday night spotlight, except that Brett Favre is the media darling." in all actuality, when the game was selected as the Sunday Night regular season finale, the game *did* have playoff implications, had the Giants lost on Saturday, but if course they couldn't humor me like that. stupid Younger Doofus Manning Spawn. =P it didn't matter to the Packers though. man did they come out & play one of the most beautiful games i have seen all season. Favre looked like the man of steel he has always been. cool & confident & as passionate as ever, as he led Green Bay to a win over the NFC number-one-seeded Chicago Bears. (who, by the way, might want to be a little concerned about now, what with going into a round one bye, deflated & having a long time to think about this loss.)


but then came the post game interview. and an emotional Brett Favre. something i did not expect to see. he looked so steady & youthful on the field just minutes earlier. like he could play for another decade with ease. and here he was, tears streaming down his cheeks, voice cracking as he swallowed sobs... and something in me clenched as i realized i may have just watched the last game of my favorite quarter back of all time. i wished i had recorded it so i could savor that touchdown fist-pump just once more. no decision has been made, so he says, but one will come in the next couple of weeks. every other season, i have dreaded this moment, gone into immediate denial, refused to believe that this could be it. something in me started to believe when i saw that interview though... and if this was indeed Brett's final night to shine on the field, then oh did he ever go out in a blaze of glory, just the way it ought to be. and if it was indeed his final game, then i can think of no better venue than the final game of the 2006 season.



i hope that my gut is wrong. i am not ready to watch a football season begin without him. but then again, i never will be...