Manning’s legacy unharmed

I have been hearing today that some people believe that Peyton Manning’s legacy is harmed do to the game last night. Let me tell you something.
Not even close.

Peyton Manning is still arguably the greatest quarterback to play in professional football. Multiple MVP awards, one Super Bowl rings. You can’t blame Manning for the game last night. Did you see some wide open drops by his receivers.

Peyton Manning will be a first year Hall of Fame inductee. Brett Favre is 19,000 yards ahead in passing but 7 years older. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Peyton on the top of that list as well.

Saints dominate fourth quarter, win Super Bowl

The New Orleans Saints were down 10-0 after the first quarter of their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise History.

The first half ended with two 40+ yard field goals by Saints kicker, Garrett Hartley. With a 10-6 halftime lead for the Colts, the two No. 1 seeds were in a defensive battle. Once the second half started, that all changed for one side.

New Orleans came out on fire, and quarterback Drew Brees led the comeback. Brees completed 16 yard a touchdown pass to Pierre Thomas. Running back Joseph Addai answered back for the Colts with a 4 yard touchdown run. The Saints next drive made history when Garrett Hartley made his third field goal of more than 40 yards.

The Saints dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Colts 15-0 on their way to winning the franchise’s first championship. Drew Brees connected with Jeremy Shockey from two yards out, and also converted the two-point conversion with a great rolling catch by Lance Moore. League MVP Peyton Manning was intercepted by Tracey Porter, who took it back 74 yards for a touchdown, putting the game out of reach.

Both quarterbacks combined to throw for 621 yards and 3 touchdowns. Drew Brees tied a Super Bowl record by completing 32 passes. Eight different receivers contributed to the passing game, including Marques Colston who had 7 receptions for 83 yards.

Drew Brees celebrates with his son and wife after the Saints 31-17 win over the Colts.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Until Manning’s interception, XLIV was shaping up to be one to remeber. New Orleans will forever remember this day, winning it’s first Super Bowl in more than 40 years of existance.

Heartbreaker in tiebreaker

I have never been a big fan of tennis. Honestly, never really cared for it. After watching last night’s Australian Open final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray, my perspective has changed a little bit.

The longest set tiebreaker in the Open’s history was played last night, that Federer ultimately won. After going down two sets, Murray was up in the third set 5-3, before Federer came back to send it into a tiebreaker. Federer won the tiebreaker 11-9 in a back-and-forth roller coaster between two of the best in the sport.

Federer ended up taking the title, his fourth in Melbourne and his 16th major overall, which is the most all time. Andy Murray was trying to end and Brittish players drought at the Open that that dates back to 1936. 

This game isn’t that bad to watch after all, especially when you’re watching arguably the greatest tennis player in history.

Jets won’t repeat in Indy

Just a few weeks after the New York Jets ended the Colts perfect season, they meet again in the AFC title game.

The Colts sat star quarterback Peyton Manning for most of the second half. He watched a 15-9 lead disappear when back up quarterback Curtis

Peyton Manning rolls the pocket during his last series against the Jets. The Colts lost 19-15 after Manning sat the second half. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Painter fumbled near his own goal line and watched the Jets take the lead, 16-15. New York added a field on top of it and ended Indianapolis’ shot at perfection.

Colts’ fans were not thrilled to see the number one in the loss column, especially after seeing Manning leave the game with the lead in the third quarter. They weren’t happy that their team was losing momentum going into the playoffs. The entire second team played both sides of the ball against the Buffalo Bills, ending the season with two straight losses. The Colts haven’t had much success with a first round bye in the playoffs either.

That all changed after Manning led the Colts to a dominating performance over the Ravens, who gave the Patriots their first home playoff loss in nine tries. Although the Jets have rolled over the Bengals and stunned the Chargers, the Colts defense and Peyton Manning’s supercharged pass attack have the momentum for a chance at the Super Bowl.

They won’t just be playing one half of football either.

No Halloween scare this year for Texas

Halloween marked the end of title hopes for the Texas Longhorns last year against Texas Tech. Ironically, this year Texas played a team that has dominated the first half against them over the past four years.

However, the Longhorns made sure their would be no scare this year.

Texas safety Earl Thomas intercepts a pass and returns it 31 yards for a touchdown during the Longhorns 41-14 win against Oklahoma State. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Quarterback Colt McCoy took his Longhorns to Stillwater to do battle with Oklahoma State. Hunter Lawrence put the first points of the game on the board with a first quarter field goal. Running back Cody Johnson scored on a 1 yard run in the second quarter, then cornerback Curtis Brown took an interception back 77 yards for a touchdown, putting Texas up 17-0.

The Longhorns never looked back, picking OSU quarterback Zac Robinson off four more times, including a pick-six by safety Earl Thomas, and Texas went on to win 41-14. The Cowboys actually outgained Texas 277-275, but lost the turnover battle 5-1. Colt McCoy also completed his 100th career touchdown pass.

No. 2 Texas jumped No. 3 Alabama in every poll, including the BCS standings. Texas ends their season at home against Central Florida, at Baylor, home against Kansas, and at bitter rival Texas A&M, making them a lock for the Big 12 championship and the BCS title.

Thanksgiving night will provide the Longhorns its last challenge, traveling to College Station. The Aggies will be looking to play spolier, especially after getting run over by Texas last Thanksgiving, 49-9.

Texas controlling their destiny

After coming away with a victory in a game controlled by defense and turnovers, the Texas Longhorns continue their run towards a National Title with a 16-13 win over hated rival Oklahoma.

In last year’s offensive powered Red River Rivalry game, Texas and Oklahoma combined for 4 touchdowns and 31 points in the second quarter alone. This year, the two powerhouses combined for 29 points in the entire game. Alone, Texas showed the country that their No.3 ranking isn’t just because of their offense.

Texas QB Colt McCoy and WR Marquise Goodwin celebrate their third quarter touchdown in a 16-13 victory over Oklahoma(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Oklahoma averaged 432 yards while putting up 31 points a game before playing Texas. A corner blitz knocked Hesiman Trophy winner Sam Bradford out of the game, forcing Head Coach Bob Stoops to put freshman quarterback Landry Jones in the ball game. Jones threw for 250 yards, but 2 fourth quarter interceptions costed the Sooners any chance of an upset. Texas forced and recovered 3 fumbles as well.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy didn’t look fantastic, but did enough to beat OU for the third time in his career. Key runs by Cody Johnson and Foswhitt Whittaker boosted the Longhorns scoring oppurtunities. The 16 point is the fewest amount of points by Texas since 2007, when they only mustered up 7 points against Texas A&M and Ohio State.

With two big road games against Missouri and Oklahoma State, Texas’ defense will need to play just as well as it did in Dallas. Oklahoma State is 8th in the country in scoring, but have struggled defensively this season. Kansas and rival Texas A&M end their regular season schedule. Texas winning out equals a shot at the National Championship.

Texas’ Shipley makes case for Heisman

Week after week, there are players who showcase talent and ability, amping up the home crowd and quieting the hecklers on the road.

Jordan Shipley is one of those electrifying stars who is under the radar of the Heisman voters.

Last week against Colorado, Shipley had 11 catches and 147 yards. He also took a punt return 74 yards back for a touchdown, sealing a victory against conference foe Colorado.His 39 yard touchdown repection brought the Longhorns within 4 points going into halftime.

Jordan Shipley runs this punt return back for 74 yards against Colorado, his second of the year. Shipley and the Longhorns are now 5-0. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

Shipley’s quarterback and roomate, Colt McCoy, is on the Heisman watchlist, respectively so. However, Shipley has accounted for 47 of McCoy’s 184 completions, more than a fourth than the rest of the backs, ends, and receivers. Shipley also leads the Longhorn passing attack with 583 yards.

Jordan Shipley isn’t just a great receiver, but a great special teams player as well. He has averaged 11.5 yards a return, and taken back 2 for touchdowns, including one of 74 yards.

Shipley will have to keep his big play capabilities alive this Saturday in Dallas, when Texas meets Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. Last year, he caught 11 passes for 112 yards, and took a second quarter kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

Cowboy’s savior breaks through against 0-4 Chiefs

The Dallas Cowboys close win against the lowly Kansas City Cheifs had very little to do with quarterback Tony Romo, or the running game that has been a huge part of the Cowboy offense.

The Cowboys victory came via wide receiver Miles Austin, who recorded 250 yards receiving on 10 catches, and 2 touchdowns.

Austin nearly matched his 2008 totals, which through 12 games included 13 receptions and 278 yards. His 2 touchdowns came at the most critical moments in the game. His first touchdown went 59 yards to take a 20-13 lead with just over two minutes to go. After a KC tied the game, Austin took another Tony Romo pass 60 yards for a touchdown, dodging a possible loss to the now 0-5 Chiefs.

Miles Austin finishes his career day by celebrating his game winning touchdown in overtime, 26-20 over the Cheifs. (REUTERS/Dave Kaups)

With no Terrell Owens, who’s Bills lost 6-3 to the Browns, the Cowboys have been waiting for a playmaker. With great speed and hands, Miles Austin receiving and kickoff return abilities may just be what they need. This performance is one that he needed, and something that can help motivate Jerry Jones’ Cowboys.

Rankings had no meaning on Saturday

A.J. Edds (left) celebrates with Pat Angerer after Edds' second half interception aginst No. 5 Penn State.(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Oklahoma, USC and Ole Miss are all top 5 teams that have gone down in the first three weeks of the young season. Penn State was the next top 5 team to go down on Saturday.

That wasn’t the only game to shake up the polls.

Who else fell this week besides No. 4 Ole Miss, and No. 5 Penn State? To start, No. 6 Cal took an absolute beating at Oregon, 42-3. Cal RB Jahvid Best was held to just 55 yards on 16 carries, and Oregon’s defense shut down the rest of the offense, only allowing 207 total yards on offense.

All the hype surrounding No. 9 Miami has suddenly vanished after being romped by No. 11 Virgina Tech, 31-7. Miami QB Jacory Harris was a disappointing 9/25 passing with 150 yards and an interception. Tech’s defense finally gave the critics what they were looking for, keeping Miami to 7 points and 209 total yards.

The up-and-down season of No. 18 Florida State continued with a loss to South Florida, 17-7. After losing to Miami in the opener, barely getting by Jacksonville State, and thrashing then No. 9 BYU, lose to South Florida at home. FSU was kept to a lowly 19 yards on the ground.

No. 22 North Carolina fell to Georgia Tech. Not very surprising, however, since North Carolina hasn’t impressed at all this season.

Lastly, Washington, who surprised America last week with a last second win over USC. They were on top of the world, until they traveled to Standford and were dominated all game, and held scoreless in the second half. After a 34-14 loss, Washington will play Arizona at home, who defeated Oregon State on Saturday, on the road.

As for the rest of the Top 25, seven others won by no more than 8 points, including No. 7 LSU. BSC buster Boise State keeps moving up the polls, now up to No. 5.

Jerome Meadows sits with his head in his hands as the clock winds down during an embarrassing 42-3 loss to Oregon. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Look for No. 9 Ohio State to be on upset alert this week at Indiana, who nearly upset Michigan on the road in the Big House. Oklahoma visits Miami this week, and LSU travels to Georgia, both should be very intriguing.With a victory, Oklahoma could find themselves back in the title picture.

Tony Romo? He’s fine

Many fans want to blame Tony Romo for blowing Jerry Jones’opening of his brand new fantasy land against NFC East rival, the New York Giants.

Well, thats not necessary.

Not completely necessary. Yes, he threw 3 interceptions that all resulted in touchdowns for the Giants. But is he responsible for Dallas’ defense, who got picked apart by Eli Manning and gave up over 400 total yards? Romo only completed 13 of 29 passes for a dwindling 127 yards and a touchdown.

Tony Romo's three interceptions capped off a night of disappointment in Arlington. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The Cowboys quarterback shouldn’t have to do much more when his tailbacks combine for 251 yards on the ground and find the endzone three times. Had Marion Barber not fallen down after straining a quad muscle, he would have scored his second touchdown of the game.

Who knows, maybe this year he plays better in December and January when it counts most. Everyone knows his track record when it goes from warm to chilly, and from chilly to cold; his passing game does the same thing. 

The Panthers come to Jerry’s new palace this weekend, who have gotten off to an 0-2 start. Tony Romo and the Cowboys should record their first victory at the new Cowboys Stadium.