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Pierre Garcon Brings Perspective to NFL Playoffs, Super Bowl
Posted by: | CommentsRecently, a volunteer doctor from the United States was approached by a young man in Haiti. The look in his eyes was familiar to the doctor; the look of untold pain and suffering mixed in with the struggle of coming to grips with what had happened to his home. There was nothing wrong with the man physically, but he was still looking for comfort.
“Do people know what happened to us?”
Referring to the rest of the world, he wanted to know if anyone out there was aware of the pain in Haiti. The doctor assured him television stations were covering the devastation around the clock. He told him the rest of the world was watching, praying, helping and hoping.
After the AFC Championship Game, second year player Pierre Garcon, whose family is from Haiti, unveiled his home country’s flag in front of the crowd. The week leading up to the game could have turned into an emotional whirlwind for the young player, as he tried to continue establishing himself in the Manning Offense while his mind and heart were continually being pulled toward his family and friends who still live in Haiti. Instead of being derailed, he used the tragedy as a motivating and driving force in his preparation.
At the end of the day it all paid off. Garcon finished the game with 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown setting a new AFC Title record. Mission accomplished. He did it for his team, his family and reminded everyone, he did it for Haiti.
In just one week, Pierre Garcon and the Indianapolis Colts will take the field for the last time this season to cap off what has been an amazing run. Questions were raised from Week One about injuries to veteran players and whether or not rookies, or almost rookies, Collie and Garcon could make immediate contributions. Fans especially wondered why the coach decided to pull starters in what could have been a perfect season. Analysts have been wondering aloud all year about whether or not the Colts could beat the Saints. All questions have been answered. All doubts have been laid to rest. Only one real test remains.
There would have been a certain level of comfort for Colts fans if Brett Favre had won. The poor guy got pummeled for four quarters, and at the ripe age of 40 would not have been in tiptop shape for Freeney and the rest of the Colts defense. Handing over the trophy would have been all but a sure thing. Instead, the Hall of Fame quarterback decided to run one way and throw the other. It cost him a trip to Miami, and made it that much harder for the Colts to be crowned champions.
So here we are, left with the two best teams in the league, the way championships are supposed to be determined. Who would have thought?
Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Put all of your emotional arguments aside and look at the numbers. There is no one who can move the ball down the field with more efficiency. Once he gets a couple of good looks at the defense, he picks them apart with an aerial assault straight out of the Department of Defense training manuals. It is no longer a question of whether or not he can find Reggie Wayne down field, but which of his receiving threats to hit. There is no doubt he will put on another great show, just like he always does.
Many will argue the Saints have done a better job at closing out games, and Drew Brees can deliver just as well as Peyton. For much of the season those statements could be made with some confidence, but then there was the NFC Title game. There were a number of times when Drew’s passes came off his fingers with a certain wobble and receivers couldn’t bring them down. There wasn’t the usual crispness in his throw. Without the Saints defense and the Vikings coughing up the ball so many times we would be watching purple helmets on Sunday instead of gold. Should Saints fans worry, or did Drew just have an off day? Maybe he got the playoff jitters out of him that day, or maybe he subconsciously fears what is coming next.
Final Outcome: Colts 28 – Saints 17
Regardless of the final score on Sunday there is one thing we all need to remember.
As we sit down to enjoy the beer, the junk food, the friends and the phenomenon that is the biggest game in football, much of Haiti will still be in ruins. Children will still need homes, families will be without food and bodies will continue to be found.
On Sunday take a moment to remember those in Haiti. Let them know we are watching and praying.
Click here to make a donation to the American Red Cross’ efforts to provide relief to Haiti.
Logan Millard works and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Aside from his full time job, he works for the Utah Jazz as a media relations coordinator on game nights, and also helps Fox Soccer Channel when they are in town.
Popularity: 12% [?]
NFL Playoffs Perfect for Fanatics
Posted by: | CommentsEven though we are now into the NFL Playoffs, this past weekend didn’t interest me much in the way of games when it started. I am not a fan of the Cowboys because I don’t think it is fair to call themselves “America’s Team”. I am an American, and they are not my team. Once they started killing the Eagles I turned off the game and went to dinner.
The Patriots fall into the same category as the Cowboys, but mainly because they gave the Colts so many problems for so many years. Watching them fall was great, but this was one of those games that didn’t grab my attention enough to sit down and watch.
On Sunday afternoon I decided to turn on the Cardinals game to check the score mainly because there wasn’t much else going on. The second half had already started and I was watching a replay of a touchdown which put the Cardinals up by three scores. Immediately I assumed the Packers were cooked and could head home for the offseason, but I left the television on to watch a couple of downs. Before two plays were done I was shocked to see the ease in which Rodgers was able to move around and toss the ball. They marched right down the field and scored. Granted, they did take a chance on a fourth and one, but I wasn’t going to doubt the decision especially with how easy there were advancing.
What happened next is what drew me in for the rest of the game. Green Bay opted for an onside kick which took the Cardinals completely off guard. Watching the Cardinals special teams drop back to protect the runner, and then realize what was going on was classic. Each of them took at least three steps back before they tried to get forward to pounce on the ball. Green Bay had possession without a single red jersey coming close enough to even see the ball. Within a few minutes, we had a game on our hands. Kurt Warner was doing his best to keep Aaron Rodgers from closing the gap.
Watching a blowout game is never very exciting. Watching a blowout game between two teams in which you don’t have any interest is even worse. When I first turned on the game my wife asked who was winning and which way I wanted the game to go. A Cardinals win is what I wanted to see, but I told her I just wanted to watch a good close matchup. Her next statement really hit home and made me realize it is probably truer for a lot of sports fans than I realized. She pointed out that I was looking for my “fix”. Just like a true sports addict, I was completely attached to the game.
In the grand scheme of things, I didn’t care who won. I wanted to see it come down to the wire. I wanted to see amazing one handed catches, of which there were three in the second half. I wanted a tie game, missed field goals, fourth down conversions, and high scores. Sunday night I got it all. Sunday night I wanted my fix, and boy did I get it. The game was an offensive circus, with enough action to hold me over. Now I can patiently wait for the upcoming weekend.
As the game came to a close I found it ironic that the final play to end the contest was the result of some defense. After watching two quarters of Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers running a clinic, I forgot what defense looked like. Now in overtime Rodgers tried his best to march down the field, but fumbled the ball and it was returned for a touchdown. In the end, the Cardinals are on the next plane to New Orleans and I got everything I could have asked for. Congratulations Cardinals and thank you to both teams for putting on a good show.
The next round of the playoffs will have my full attention as the Indianapolis Colts, my team, make a push for their second title with Peyton Manning at the helm. My concern is what effect the three weeks off will have on the team. Was it a good idea for them to sit back and get the rest they needed, or would they have found more reason to fight by going undefeated and staying sharp? No one will have an answer until the end of the game. A game I actually hope is a blowout. Go Colts.
Logan Millard works and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Aside from his full time job he works for the Utah Jazz as a media relations coordinator on game nights, and also helps Fox Soccer Channel when they are in town.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Tense MLS Cup Match Goes to Shootout
Posted by: | CommentsI love soccer. I love to play the game, I love to watch the game, and I am fascinated by the social impact it has on entire countries. But even with all my love, there is one aspect I have a hard time backing.
It’s been a week since the Major League Soccer Cup was played in Seattle, and it’s taken that much time for me to give the game any kind of attention. My emotions have been so mixed about the outcome: I am not too happy about the final result even though my home team came back with the championship.
In what should have been a classic Cinderella story, where the last place team beat the superstars from Los Angeles, the entire outcome was decided by a penalty shootout. In the end the better team hoisted the trophy, but to know everything hinged on who made more goals in the shootout was beyond frustrating.
Early in the game David Beckham crossed a beautiful ball into the attacking third of the field, where Landon Donovan passed it off for a quick shot into the goal. Los Angeles went up 1-0, and they definitely had more momentum than Real Salt Lake. The Galaxy seemed sharper, faster and hungrier for the win. It was becoming clearer as the seconds ticked away that the Galaxy would be this year’s MLS Cup champs, again. Salt Lake would be turned away from a championship one more time, something we are used to after 20 plus years with the Jazz always falling just short.
Soon after their first goal Los Angeles checked out of the game. Landon Donovan, the all-star American, became non-existent. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember seeing him again on the broadcast. The same could have been said for one of the greatest players of all time, David Beckham . . . except for the fact he found the camera every single time play stopped. He was there if a player fell down, for a free kick, when the ref was calling a foul, and on and on. Talk about attention hog (too bad his on air time wasn’t doing anything for his team). Real Salt Lake was grinding it out like they did during their entire playoff run, relying on their legs to carry them until they were victorious . . . or they literally fell over from exhaustion.
The grit and grind kept Real Salt Lake in the game. Robbie Findley scored for his team after a deflection off a Galaxy defender, and with the game tied at one apiece RSL showed they were the better squad. Their possession was dominant, their passes crisp, they had shots on goal and barely missed multiple opportunities in the end to win the game. Veteran and former Jamaican national team player Andy Williams fell over twice from exhaustion, and took his time getting up. At the end of the game his legs were so heavy he missed their final chance to win the game in overtime. He knew it. The team knew it. With the final whistle blown it was coming down to sudden death.
Now for those who may not be familiar, during the regular season teams gain points based on their win-tie-loss record. But when it comes down to the championship, they need to declare a winner at the end. The game is split into two 45 minute halves. At the end of regulation, if the teams are still tied, the game continues with two more 15 minute halves which we call extra time. In the unfortunate event the game is STILL tied, the teams go into what is called a shootout. Each team is given five shots, one right after the other, at the opposing team goalie. Best of five wins. Confused yet? Trust me. This is where soccer appeal starts to lose its glisten among American fans.
Fortunately, Real Salt Lake pulled off the win, but the Galaxy could have taken home the trophy just as easily. Even though RSL outplayed L.A. for more than half the game, it all came down to five shots. Five shots? We should have just had the shootout in the beginning and spared everyone the time it took to play the game. Can you imagine putting in all the hard work, getting to the finals, playing better ball and leaving the rest up to a roll of the dice? What a downer.
I know many of you will argue it is just sports. Most of you can probably put together a long list of games where the outcome has been left to chance. I understand where you are coming from in most cases, but those arguments have to do with sports that have existed in America since before most of us were born. Soccer is still trying to make a name for itself. There are few third and fourth generation fans out there, but becoming a mainstream sport will take a lot more than just putting a few games on ESPN.
The shootout definitely adds a tense moment to the game, but winning in regulation would have done far more for the popularity of the sport.
Logan Millard works and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Aside from his full time job, he works for the Utah Jazz as a media relations coordinator on game nights, and also helps Fox Soccer Channel when they are in town.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Dear Coach Belichick
Posted by: | CommentsDear Coach Belichick,
Having been a Colts fan all my life, I can admittedly say you have caused me a lot of grief over the years. On Sunday night I left my house positive you had handed my team their first loss of the season. My wife can confirm my disappointment as I headed out the door mumbling about the sure outcome of the game.
To travel from the front door of my place to my parents house takes no more than five minutes. In that short amount of time the infamous call came over your headset, and you went for it on fourth and two. I was absolutely floored when I walked through the door and saw my little brother in his Joseph Addai jersey jumping up and down yelling at the television. He was completely elated. I was shocked. Colts win.
Isn’t it funny how many critics have come out of the woodwork to tell you how wrong you were? My work is full of armchair coaches who have done nothing but talk about your failed call from the moment they walked in on Monday morning. It seems as though every sports talking head has had something negative to say. I am truly amazed the negative attention you have received. It’s crazy how simply converting makes you look like a genius, but since you didn’t, you are a villain. This week must be a tough one.
Who knows how much this is going to help coming from a Colts fan, but after watching the highlight for what seems the millionth time, I have to say I don’t blame you for the call. Take this with a grain of salt, but you actually have one armchair coach on your side.
Have you ever watched nature videos of a lioness hunting her prey? When she comes across a herd of gazelle she takes her time to pick out the young and the weak of the group. She knows if she tries to chase one of the healthy strong animals she will tire quickly and may not get to eat. By finding the weakest parts of the herd, her chances for bringing down a gazelle increase greatly. You may not have been thinking about lions and gazelles in the game, but I think it illustrates the point clearly.
With the Indianapolis defense struggling to stay ahead of injuries you had an opportunity to attack the weak part of the herd. All game long you had rookie corners going up against Randy Moss, one of the greatest receivers of our time. The defensive line was trying to plug holes with whomever they had available to stop your attack. Tom Brady kept finding the sick, weak, and young part of the herd. He continued to chase them all game long without showing any kind of fatigue. He was hungry and you were helping him go in for the kill. The only real problem you had was when Peyton Manning got the ball, and he kept coming, never ceasing.
How many times have we seen Peyton Manning march down the field with even less time than what you would have given him by punting? Along with your very own Tom Brady, Peyton is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Why would you give the ball to another lion when you are two yards away from taking down the weak gazelle? I think it is unfair to judge your instinct when taken into perspective. Unfortunately the rest of the herd circled the weak and stopped you short of your prize.
During all the years I have watched Patriots games on television I don’t think I have ever seen you look so angry. I am sure there were tons of emotions running through your body on the walk to the locker room. I wouldn’t have wanted to be a blade of turf under your feet as you stormed off the field let alone someone in your path. Saying you were disappointed is probably the understatement of the year. What a way to go out. For a moment I actually felt bad for you.
I guess the whole point of this letter is to tell you personally I don’t think you deserve the beating you are taking. How can we be the ones to sit here and tell you how to do your job when most of us have never touched the sideline as a coach? It’s unfair and unfounded, especially given the fact you would have been hailed as a coaching genius if you had converted those two yards. Most coaches would have punted, but you took a chance with the situation you were in. I commend you for that.
Keep your head up coach. I hope the rest of your season and your career aren’t defined by this moment. I want you to do well enough to get past this point, but not so well where we have to face you again.
Thanks for a great game.
Logan
Logan Millard works and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Aside from his full time job he works for the Utah Jazz as a media relations coordinator on game nights, and also helps Fox Soccer Channel when they are in town.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Blanco and Beckham Headline MLS Cup Playoffs
Posted by: | CommentsYou have to admit that us Americans are pretty spoiled with the wide variety of sports we can play. From my house I can walk across the street to a nice indoor basketball court available to me at almost any time of day for free. There are baseball diamonds, basketball hoops and football fields within a short walking distance from my front door.
It is the same for almost anyone in America. No matter your background or where you live, there is always a sport to play. With that being said, you also have to take into consideration the equipment that has to accompany each one of these sports. To play basketball you have to have a hoop. For football you don’t necessarily need pads, but you sure do need that special kind of ball. I think you get the idea. It makes it hard to just walk outside and start playing. With soccer that is not the case at all.
Soccer is one of the few games I can think of where you need a ball and nothing else. I have seen soccer balls made out of rags tied together and then kicked around on a street. Adding goals is easy enough: all you need to do is lay a couple of pebbles in the street, on a field, in a parking lot, or even the hallway of an apartment building and voila, you are set. In countries where there is hardly enough money to pay for food, you can bet there is no money for a basketball hoop or the concrete needed to bounce the ball. Yet you will still see kids playing soccer- all you need is a ball.
No wonder so many people around the world play soccer. It costs next to nothing.
As soccer continues to take hold in our country, we so easily turn a blind eye to the talent playing at the professional level. The kids who s were in the streets of Mexico and Europe kicking rags so many years ago, dreaming they would one day be stars, are now contending for the playoff title. They have come to America to finish already successful careers, and you’d better believe they have been instrumental in getting their teams to the finals of each conference respectively.
David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy and Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire are only two players of a long list of talented foreigners now playing in the MLS. There are few places outside the Unites States where they can go through a crowd unnoticed. Sure, LeBron James can draw a crowd of 20,000 for an NBA game, but these two can double the attendance without even coming off the bench. That is true star power. Fortunately both of them live up to expectations and play incredible soccer. This weekend their names alone won’t be able to move them closer to the championship. They will have to come together with the other ten men on their team to solidify their chances.
So did you watch soccer over the past couple of weekends after I encouraged you? If not, starting this Friday, you have a chance to redeem yourself and watch two of the most influential soccer players ever. Watching these two world legends play is like watching Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. One day your kids will be watching old film, and you can say you witnessed it live.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy will play in L.A., while Real Salt Lake and the Chicago Fire play in the windy city. Since these are the conference finals, we are now in the single elimination stages. These teams only have one chance to move on.
Logan Millard works and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Aside from his full time job he works for the Utah Jazz as a media relations coordinator on game nights, and also helps Fox Soccer Channel when they are in town.
Popularity: 7% [?]
