on football. and victories. and renewed faith.

i have to say this was overall one of the better weeks in football this season. some really good games on today--even the Bucs victory, which was exciting, if not the outcome i was hoping for.

we'll start with this simply because it entertains me so:

this is NOT the look of a happy Manning *giggle* poor Eli. i can't figure out if the Vikings won because Culpepper is done & there's some fresh QB at the helm...or if Eli is just reminding us that he's not really ALL that. whatever. i actually dislike this Manning (as opposed to just finding him annoying like i do his big brother) so seeing him taken down a notch was a pleasant thing to watch on my tv this afternoon.

also somewhat amusing from the Vikings-Giants game was this:

if you see no other replay from professional football this week, you have to see Vikings coach Mike Tice getting knocked ass over teakettle by a Giants receiver barreling out of bounds. i think i must be a bit twisted but seeing him fly through the air like that just made me laugh.

in other Manning news:

it would have been nice to see a bit more of that during this past Monday's debacle but a Peyton fumble never ceases to amuse me. he gets to shine so much. it's nice to remind ourselves that he *is* actually human.

if you happen to be in the mood to catch another game highlight, may i suggest the Bears-49ers game. you wanna see some crazy stuff, they don't call Chicago "the windy city" for nothing apparently. i have seen a lot of football games & i never remember seeing wind gusts that blew the football clear off the field on more than one occasion during a single game. one such field goal blown completely amuck turned into this:

which would be the longest ever return of any kind in the NFL, a 108-yard "intercepted"(for lack of a better way to explain it) field goal kick returned for a Chicago touchdown.

the one raindrop in my otherwise sunshiny day of football was the Bucaneers win over the Redskins. not that i am partial to the Redskins in any real way--but i like to see the Bucs take losses. it's on my Sunday to-do list ya know. and if it hadn't been for a penalty late in the game, the following might not have taken place:

the 2 point conversion that resulted in Tampa winning by a point instead of merely tying it all up at 35. i am ambivalent about that 2 points being awarded. i don't think Alstott actually broke the plane of the goal line with the ball. there was an angle or 2 shown in replay that made me go hmmmm. but to be fair there was nothing that CONCLUSIVELY showed that he hadn't & since there needs to be indisputeable evidence to overturn a call on the field...i have to live with that decision & think that maybe the Bucs got a wee bit lucky.

know why i can live with a Bucs win though? do ya? huh? huh?
do ya??

first of all because of this:

that guy with the ball, #35? well he allows Green Bay to have a running game. he had, not 1, not 2 but count 'em THREE touchdowns today. that is Samkon Gado. that is the guy that takes the pressure off Favre to play all by himself. and THAT my friends is a Green Bay victory. IN ATLANTA. i am disturbed that i can't find a Favre celebration photo *anywhere* from today's game. i've missed his triumphant expression for so long this season. and here he's earned one finally...and it's nowhere to be found. if i can find one though, he's getting his very own post because by God he deserves it at this point. only ONE INTERCEPTION. that's monumental for my all-time favorite QB. good times. and they *can* still win their division, there's a shot at it. even with their current 2-7 record. (something good about playing in a pathetic division.) and most especially if Favre starts playing with a little bit of help from team around him.

and *drumroll please*

after a sloppy start that made me change the channel over to the Giants game on several occasions since i remained disgusted & disheartened after Monday (which i care not to mention again after this)...suddenly my boys came ALIVE. 2nd half started with 15 unanswered New England points.

suddenly there were touchdowns (remember those?!) & defense!! who was it that asked me if the return of one man can really be expected to make very much difference on the Patriots defense? it does when it's a playmaker & a team leader like Tedy Bruschi!!

they made me nervous a time or two especially right at the end...but they held on. they did it. they don't often play a pretty game. but since when do *I* like anything pretty in the NFL?! that's right. give me tough & gritty any given Sunday.

and you see this guy?

that's Heath Evans. "who?" you ask. me too. someone new the Patriots picked up what with Kevin Faulk being out, Corey Dillon touch & go, Patrick Pass injured...i am guessing that at the moment the Dolphins are wishing they hadn't let Mr Evans go quite so soon. came up big today for New England.

and in the end, the Patriots defeated their own unheralded curse: they won in Miami for only the 2nd time in the last 8 match ups. and best of all they played with so much heart. right down to the dwindling seconds of the 4th quarter. and it was a beautiful sight.