01.09.07 6:00 AM CST
• Sports
• Jamie Malanowski
As you can well-imagine, it’s an exciting time for football fans in the Big Apple. For only the third time in history, both New York teams have made the playoffs. But just making the playoffs doesn’t seem reward enough for these proud teams- as they showed yesterday, both seem intent on going all the way.
The overachieving Jets have played smart football all year, and yesterday was no exception. In the third quarter, the Pats’ Colvin tipped a Chad Pennington pass. The ball hit the ground and lay there like a suspicious knapsack on the IRT. Alone among the players on the field did the Jets' Jerome Cotchery think to pluck the recumbent pigskin from the turf and head for the goal line. His alert run tied the score, but more importantly, that moment of brain-lock seem to befuddle the classy Pats. The offense could do nothing, leaving the Jets with the perfect opportunity to make the go-ahead field goal and win the game.
Which left it up to the Giants to win their half of the daily double. Who would have thought that they would
wait until the game’s last play? With three seconds left, the Eagles’ David Akers seemed poised to kick the field goal that would give favored-Philly the win, but then Matthias Kiwanuka, the rookie lineman who had been the infamous goat in the Giants’ loss to the Titans just weeks ago, fought through the block, threw his arms in the air, and managed to get a fingertip on the ball. The pigskin momentarily popped skyward before settling in the arms of Tiki Barber, whom coach Tom Coughlin had sentimentally ordered onto the field in order to be part of the last play of his last game. Barber corralled the ball and dashed seventy yards to complete perhaps the most astonishing final play in NFL playoff history.
Next week the Subway Super Bowl Express continues, with both teams heading west. The Jets will take on San Diego, while the Giants face Chicago. This will cause much merry bantering between those of us in Playboy’s New York office, and our colleagues in Chicago. The one thing those Bears fans should know: it’s impossible to stop a dream.
The overachieving Jets have played smart football all year, and yesterday was no exception. In the third quarter, the Pats’ Colvin tipped a Chad Pennington pass. The ball hit the ground and lay there like a suspicious knapsack on the IRT. Alone among the players on the field did the Jets' Jerome Cotchery think to pluck the recumbent pigskin from the turf and head for the goal line. His alert run tied the score, but more importantly, that moment of brain-lock seem to befuddle the classy Pats. The offense could do nothing, leaving the Jets with the perfect opportunity to make the go-ahead field goal and win the game.
Which left it up to the Giants to win their half of the daily double. Who would have thought that they would
wait until the game’s last play? With three seconds left, the Eagles’ David Akers seemed poised to kick the field goal that would give favored-Philly the win, but then Matthias Kiwanuka, the rookie lineman who had been the infamous goat in the Giants’ loss to the Titans just weeks ago, fought through the block, threw his arms in the air, and managed to get a fingertip on the ball. The pigskin momentarily popped skyward before settling in the arms of Tiki Barber, whom coach Tom Coughlin had sentimentally ordered onto the field in order to be part of the last play of his last game. Barber corralled the ball and dashed seventy yards to complete perhaps the most astonishing final play in NFL playoff history.Next week the Subway Super Bowl Express continues, with both teams heading west. The Jets will take on San Diego, while the Giants face Chicago. This will cause much merry bantering between those of us in Playboy’s New York office, and our colleagues in Chicago. The one thing those Bears fans should know: it’s impossible to stop a dream.
RSS 2.0
Comments on this entry:
you know... I think I know what that smell was in new york... it was the smell .... OF DEFEAT!