There are 4 topics I'm going to touch on after another week of great sports happenings in New England. To be honest, I never envisioned this blog as a primarily sports blog, but things have gone so well it's hard not to focus on it. If you've followed this blog in the past, then you know what exactly I mean. I'm talking about last year's Patriots, this year's BC football season and the Red Sox winning the Fall Classic a few months back.
You can add the 2007 Patriots to to list after they thrashed the Chargers to move on to the Super Bowl on February 3 in Glendale, Arizona! It was not easy though. The Chargers came to play despite the fact it was well below freezing and cold winds and flurries ensued. Brady threw 3 picks and looked average. But the Chargers defense can do that to a quarterback-(just ask Peyton/who threw 6 picks in a game vs. the Chargers earlier in the season)- with guys like Cromartie, Jammer, Merriman, Phillips and Castillo.
But Brady did enough to put points on the board. In wintery conditions, he threw for over 200 yards and 2 scores. Maroney stole the show though as he gained 122 yards on 25 carries. Faulk's 8 grabs for 82 yards was impressive as he came through on third down situations. Welker had 7 grabs which was vital as Moss, Stallworth and Gaffney had a combined 4 catches in totality.
This win was about the defense though. While the Chargers had a ton of opportunities, the Patriot red zone defense came through big time as they bended but did not break. The defense gave up 4 field goals; the Pats scored three td's. Final score 21-12 New England. The defense, especially the front four, came up big and stuffed guys like Turner and Sproles in the absence of L.T.. Rivers, L.T. and Gates were hobbled but all suited up.
So the Pats move on to the Super Bowl, their 4th in 7 years. Brady takes his fresh 100-26 record as a starter into the game on February 3rd and intends on tying the all-time QB record of 4 rings. The Past will face a familiar for- the NY Giants. The Giants played the Pats pretty well in the season finale but lost. They upset the Bucs, Cowboys and Packers to move on to Arizona. Check back next week for a real preview of the game. The Dynasty continues!
The Celtics entered the week following a devastating 4th quarter explosion against Washington. They had a chance for payback on Monday night again versus the Wizards. Things looked good- the Celts led 77-63 with 6 minutes left- but imploded again and lost. It was a despicable loss.
The Celts, still confident, beat a hot and top-notch Blazers team 2 nights later and then beat the 76ers 116-89 on Friday night. The Celts sit at 32-6, the best record in the NBA. They take on the Knicks and Raptors early this week. The Raptors are in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division- albeit 11.5 games behind!
The Bruins entered the week in a tailspin too. They have really struggled the past few weeks but had an opportunity to turn things around against the lowly Leafs at The Garden on Thursday evening. They led 2-1 entering the final period but let the Leafs tie it. In the end, the Bruins lost in a shootout. But just when the season seemed on the brink falling apart(it occurred last season), the team awoke behind Tim Thomas and Chuck Kobasew during a home and home series against the Rangers. They beat the Rangers on Saturday afternoon after shootout goals by Kobasew and Chara. Kobasew lit the lamp twice in regulation. The teams played a matinee the next day in NY and Thomas opposed Lundquist once again. The Bruins played great and took a 2-0 lead. Then they executed Coach Claude Julien's style en route to another win 3-1. Thomas lost the shutout in the final minute but it was a big win and two points. The club is 24-18 and are in the midst of a close playoff race. They take on the Habs Tuesday night and it means a great deal. The Bruins are 0-5 vs. the Habs thus far and need this win. The All-Star break is this weekend.
Lastly, the final NCAA Football Poll was released. I'll paste the poll below. Yes indeed, the Eagles finished in the top 10!
AP Top 25
1. LSU (60) 12-2 1,620
2. Georgia (3) 11-2 1,515
3. USC (1) 11-2 1,500
4. Missouri 12-2 1,347
5. Ohio State 11-2 1,346
6. West Virginia 11-2 1,342
7. Kansas (1) 12-1 1,303
8. Oklahoma 11-3 1,139
9. Virginia Tech 11-3 1,096
10. Texas 10-3 962
10. Boston College 11-3 962
12. Tennessee 10-4
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