Picture of the Day

Maybe you've seen this one already, but here it is, just in case-- an angry Pittsburgh Steelers fan throwing her beer at a Denver Broncos fan as the Broncos wrapped up last Sunday night's 31-19 victory.

NFL game report: Jacksonville Jaguars 31 - Pittsburgh Steelers 29 (2007 playoffs)

• Date played: January 5, 2008
• Broadcast Network: NBC
• Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden
• Who I rooted for when this game originally took place: I thought it was the Jaguars, but apparently not (see below)
• Who I now wish had won: Jacksonville
• What happened: Pittsburgh was trailing 28-10 at the start of the fourth quarter but scored three touchdowns and came back to take a 29-28 lead. Jacksonville kicked a field goal with thirty-seven seconds left to win the game.

• Notable players who appeared in this game for Jacksonville: David Garrard (see photo directly above), Maurice Jones-Drew (see photo at very top) , Fred Taylor, Vince Manuwai
• Notable players who appeared in this game for Pittsburgh: Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Santonio Holmes, James Farrior, James Harrison, Troy Polamalu
• Controversial aspects of this game: None really-- the officiating could have been a bit better
• Connection between this game and Todd Marinovich: None
• Unusual things about this game: Maurice Jones-Drew returned a kickoff 96 yards without scoring a touchdown.
• Turnovers in this game: Three interceptions by Ben Roethlisberger (two by Rashean Mathis-- one of which was returned for a touchdown-- and one by Derek Landri, a defensive lineman); two interceptions in the second half by David Garrard; one fumble by Ben Roethlisberger on the second-to-last play of the game.
• Important plays in this game: The Steelers scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it 28-23. They successfully completed the two-point conversion, but it was called back on a possibly non-existent holding penalty. They tried again from the twelve yard line but failed. 
• Other important plays in this game: When Pittsburgh scored another touchdown to make it 29-28, they once again failed to make the two-point conversion. This time no penalties were involved.
• The most famous and important play in this game: With under two minutes left and trailing 29-28, Jacksonville faced fourth down and two at the Steelers 43 yard line. The Jaguars called a quarterback draw and David Garrard ran the ball all the way down to the 11 yard line. (See video below)

• Things I remembered incorrectly about this game: I clearly remember watching this game at a pizza place. The Jaguars were wearing their home blue jerseys (not true) and their quarterback was Byron Leftwich (not true-- Leftwich has been cut by Jacksonville before the start of the season). I also clearly remember having secretly rooted for the Jaguars because certain people I was eating with were Steelers fans. A check of my journal entry from the next day, however, reveals the following sentence-- "All four NFL wildcard round playoff games went against me." Other than the eating pizza part, I am not sure what is true anymore.

Below: Byron Leftwich pictured on the Jaguars 2007 schedule

• What happened next: Jacksonville lost in the next round of the playoffs to the New England Patriots. The following season, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl.

The most entertaining team in college football

Last season the University of Washington Huskies football team went 0-12 and were truly terrible. This year they are 3-4 and playing well at times. More importantly, however, they are easily the most enjoyable and unpredictable football team in the entire country. Highlights so far include:

• Beating USC 16-13 on a last second field goal. At the time, USC was ranked #3 in the country. (Click here for video.)
• Losing to Notre Dame 37-30 in overtime. The Huskies should have won this game in regulation, but they failed to score late to put Notre Dame away.
• Beating Arizona 36-33 on a late-game interception return for a touchdown. On the interception, the ball ricocheted off the wide receiver's foot and into the arms of the UW's Mason Foster (see photo above). (Click here for video.)
• Losing to Arizona State 24-17 on a last second touchdown pass after failing to run out the clock and force overtime. (Click here for video.)

The Huskies still have five more Pac-Ten games left, all of which should be exciting. It is even possible that they might get invited to a post-season bowl game.

Above: The UW in action against Arizona State

Below: The UW band

What I have been reading lately #31

Quarterblack: Shattering the NFL Myth by Doug Williams with Bruce Hunter

Doug Williams was an NFL quarterback during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins. (He also played several years for the Oklahoma/Arizona Outlaws of the now-defunct USFL.) In 1988, he became the first black player to start as quarterback in the Super Bowl. His Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos 42-10. (See photo below)

Shortly after his career was over, Doug Williams wrote his autobiography. Here are some important facts from his book and elsewhere:

• Doug Williams had a secret root canal operation on a tooth the day before the Super Bowl.
• In the middle of Super Bowl XXII, I was obliged to drive to the Amtrak station in Meriden, CT to pick up a friend of a friend. The friend of a friend was kind of a jerk and did not seem to appreciate the magnitude of the favor of was doing him (who I'd never met before) by picking him up during the Super Bowl, but I did not really care, because by then John Elway (pictured below) and the Denver Broncos were losing, and that was all that really mattered.

• In 1979 (only his second year in the league and the team's fourth), Doug Williams led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFC Championship game.
• Doug Williams now works as Coordinator of Pro Scouting for the Buccaneers. He is very excited about their first round draft pick, Josh Freeman of Kansas State University.

Below: Doug Williams

NFL training camp update #1

Former University of Missouri Tigers quarterback Chase Daniel was not picked in this year's NFL draft (despite being featured in an article in The New Yorker). However, he has signed a contract with the Washington Redskins and is competing for the 3rd string QB position.

For a unexpectedly lengthy interview, click here. To follow Chase Daniel on Twitter, click here.

Six months have passed, and I can hardly remember the Super Bowl

Six months and two days have passed since Super Bowl XLIII, and, thankfully, I can barely remember what happened. I remember that at the end of the first half, the Arizona Cardinals were deep in Pittsburgh territory and were about to score, but Kurt Warner threw an interception and that one guy for the Steelers ran it all the way back for a touchdown and collapsed into the end zone. I also remember that the Cardinals were leading late, but then the Steelers scored. I really wanted that guy's feet (see photo above) to be out of bounds, but they weren't. Finally I remember that with about five seconds left, the Steelers player knocked the ball out of Kurt Warner's hand and the referees ruled it a fumble and didn't even bother to review it using instant replay. (Although, maybe they did after all.)

I am just happy that the human brain can deal with tragedy and injustice by simply forgetting about it. Imagine how horrible our lives would be if we had to remember everything.

Abandoned books and/or movies #4-- more information about false memory #2?

Black and Honolulu Blue: In the Trenches of the NFL by Keith Dorney

In 1979, the Detroit Lions went 2-14, tying them for the worst record in the NFL that year. 1980 was a much better year for Detroit - during the offseason they drafted Billy Sims and started off the season 5-1. In the middle of this, veteran defensive back Jimmy "Spiderman" Allen recorded and released his own version of the popular song "Another One Bites the Dust," in which he explained how the Lions were going to defeat all their opponents. The lyrics included such statements as, "Come and watch the Detroit Lions that no one seems to beat," and "Last year's team was 2 and 14, but this is the year for New Orleans" (ie, Super Bowl XV, played in New Orleans). The song was a fan favorite in the Detroit area.

Despite the fact that Detroit finished the season 9-7, tying for first in the NFC Central Division and just barely missing the playoffs, the Lions were ridiculed for years to come because of Allen's song. According to Keith Dorney:

• That stupid song was rubbed into our faces time and time again and was played by our opponent's band after every away loss we suffered for years to come. How humiliating it was to hear Bamp, bamp, bamp. Another one bites the dust! as we walked off the field after a loss. (page 37)

Click here to find a link to the song. It is at the bottom of the article, before the comments section.

Click here to find out more about false memory #2?.

False Memories #1 - Roy Green's Five Touchdown Catches

What I remember: On November 13, 1983, Grandpa Nussbaum took me with him to see the St. Louis Cardinals play the Seattle Seahawks. Cardinals receiver Roy Green (pictured below) caught five touchdown passes to tie an NFL single-game record.

What actually happened: Roy Green caught four touchdown passes in the first half, and we spent the entire second half desperately hoping that he would catch another one to tie the record. He did not.

For probably twenty years I went around telling people that I had seen Roy Green catch five touchdown passes that day. Only recently did I try to look it up, and then I found out the truth.

Below, Busch Memorial Stadium

Keep not believing!

The Arizona Cardinals (formerly of Phoenix, St. Louis, and Chicago) will be hosting the NFC Championship game next Sunday.