With 4 seconds left, Adam does it again.

Super Bowl XXXVIII met and surpassed expectations. What a great game!

Both the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots showed up at Reliant Stadium with stellar defenses in tow and looking very similar to the teams they've been all season. The biggest difference was that this time, Carolina's late comeback fell short and the team that was 7-0 in games decided by three points or less lost by three points.

John Kasay's kick that went out of bounds and gave the Patriots prime field position on the 40-yard line was just heartbreaking. Had that kick gone downfield, and given the Panthers an extra 10-15 yards to work with, the outcome of this game could have been drastically altered.

	Tom Brady has now won two Super Bowl MVP trophies.

It goes to show that if you leave an opponent in the game long enough, they will likely come back and bite you in the rear end. That's exactly what almost happened to the Patriots, who had opportunities to go up by 17 points in the first half, but were unable to capitalize. And in what seemed like deja vu, they turned to their quarterback and kicker to keep the game from overtime.

Both quarterbacks performed admirably. Early in the game, Jake Delhomme appeared to be nervous. He had that dazed look in his eyes, which I know all too well. But once things settled down, he made some great throws. Both deep balls for touchdowns were terrific -- particularly the fourth-quarter, 85-yard touchdown to Mushsin Muahmmed.

But ultimately, the Patriots put the game on the shoulders of Tom Brady, who completed 32-of-48 passes for 354 yards. Those numbers really speak to the confidence the Patriots' coaching staff has in Brady and their wide receivers.

Best Coaching Move
After their second touchdown of the fourth quarter, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis called for a two-point conversion, which put the Pats up 29-22. That was an excellent move. Also, the Patriots' decision to run the football proved to be effective as Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk ran a combined 32 times for 125 yards.

Unsung Hero
It's difficult to pinpoint one star on the Patriots' squad. In a game like this, where just about everyone plays a key role, there are just so many places to go in terms of looking for an unsung hero. Of course, Brady was named MVP but Troy Brown made some sensational catches -- most notably the two 13-yard catches on the game-winning drive; Deion Branch had 10 catches for 143 yards; linebacker Mike Vrabel recorded two sacks, forced a fumble and scored a touchdown; and Adam Vinatieri kicked the clutch, 41-yard, game-winning field goal.

On the other side of the ball, Delhomme was fabulous in his first Super Bowl appearance. Showing only early signs of nervousness, he made some impressive throws and hung in the pocket against one of the best defenses in football.

Play of the game
Sure, Vinatieri's game-winning kick was amazing, but you also have to consider what got him there. Troy Brown's 13-yard catch on first-and-20, atoning for his offensive pass interference flag on the previous play, was the key to keeping that drive alive. If faced with second-and-20, who knows what might have happened. That catch set up the opportunity for Brady to complete a few more passes and Vinatieri to make the kick.

Biggest Surprise
I expected the Patriots defense to shut down Stephen Davis, but I also expected them to do a better job defending the pass and putting pressure on Delhomme. Surprisingly, they gave Delhomme chances to escape and make plays with his arm, which is very unlike the Patriots' defense. The Panthers' offensive line deserves kudos for doing an excellent job protecting the quarterback.

Even though the Pats' defense went after Delhomme, I was surprised they didn't present more problems. Usually, the Pats' secondary gets its hands close to the ball, but there wasn't anything close to an interception.

 

The caps trade Jagar, then beat them rangers!

Star center Eric Lindros was sidelined by another concussion Wednesday night, and Washington held on for a 2-1 win thanks to Olaf Kolzig's 32 saves. Jeff Halpern and Trent Whitfield scored as Washington ended a three-game losing streak and won for the first time in seven road games (1-4-1-1). Kolzig made 19 saves in the third period, shutting out star forward Jaromir Jagr only five days after the Capitals traded him to New York.

Marthin rucinsky scored for the Rangers, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Lindros, plagued by seven previous concussions during his career, took a hard hit along the boards from Capitals defenseman Jason Doig in the second period and was knocked to the ice.

On his next shift, Lindros took the faceoff and immediately dropped his gloves and stick and went after Doig. After a brief scuffle, Lindros pinned Doig to the ice. Both received fighting majors at 10:53. Lindros did not return for the third period, and the Rangers said he would be re-evaluated Thursday.

In his third season with the Rangers, the 1995 NHL MVP has been playing his best hockey in years of late. He has 10 goals and 22 assists in 39 games. The All-Star center was traded to New York by Philadelphia after sitting out a season because of a bitter feud with Flyers general manager Bob Clarke and while recovering from his seventh concussion. Lindros was not available for comment after the game. Rangers center Bobby Holik called the possible loss of Lindros "devastating."

Kolzig, who faced only 13 shots through the first two periods, was pressured throughout the third. He yielded only Rucinsky's goal as the Capitals won on the road for only the seventh time this season. "We got back to playing blue-collar Caps hockey," Kolzig said. "Sometimes the harder-working team can beat the team with talent. That's what we did through two periods, frustrate them."

Halpern scored at 9:29 of the first as Washington connected on its first sustained flurry. Doig, skating behind the Rangers' net, centered a pass to Halpern in the slot for the deflection past goalie Jussi Markkenan. Washington increased its lead to 2-0 when Whitfield scored on an unassisted breakaway at 4:08 of the second.

The Rangers broke through on the goal by Rucinsky at 5:21 of the third to cut the lead to 2-1.Brian Leech's shot was deflected and dribbled toward the Washington net.

Final Game set, The Panthers vs. The Patriots

Nobody thought that Carolina wouldnt make it this far. But they have and once again, they are then underdogs against the Patriots who won the big S bowl 2 years ago. After beating the Rams 29-23 in 2 overtimes, they went on to the Eagles. In my opinion, they were underrated from the beginning and they Eagles thought that they were in the super bowl, but didnt show it. And after a 3rd wuater tuchdown making it 14-3, the game was over. Now the Panthers face the team that has let just 28 points in 2 games in the play offs and has almost double that in points scored with 41. Their defense has been incredible and they say that they are not going to let up at all no matter how much of an underdog they are. In 1997 Carolina made it to the champioship but lost to Green Bay to go the the super bowl, making them go to the champioship only 2 times in their history. As for the Patriots, only loosing 2 games in the season. I think we know who is expected to win. But that is what we said with the Eagles and the Rams games, didn't we?

 

Here are some pics from the 2 games this weekend.

After Breaking 4, yes 4 tackles DeShaun Foster scores the TD to make the gam 14-3

 

 

 

Donovan McNabb lies on the ground after being hit in the second quarter

Ricky Manning Jr. makes the second of his three interceptions against the Eagles.

Antowain Smith tries to avoid the tackle attempt by Colts linebacker David Thornton.

Peyton Manning collects himself after being sacked in the second quarter by Jarvis Green

NFC and AFC championship set

After another weekend of football, two more games will decide who is in the super bowl. In the NFC its the Colts and the Patriots. And in the AFC its the Eagles and the Panthers. After the Colts beating the Chiefs 38-31, the packers played the eagles, This game was down to the last second, infact it went into over time after David Akers making a feild goal to tie the game. Once in overtime the eagles won the toss and chose to recieve. Unfortunatley for them they couldnt convert and  gave the ball to the Packers. The game seemed over for the Eagles, right? Wrong! On first down Brett heaved a pass to double covered Donald Driver. Brian Dawkins intercepted the ball. After 2 missed passes, Akers won the game with a field goal. And it was over. People say that the reason why the packers lost the game and why the eagles came back was mostly the fault of all star Qb Brett Farve. They say that throwing that pass instead of taking the sack into air knowing that there was a little chance of a completion. But now it is over, and time for who I think will make it to the super bowl and even win it. Ok, In the game with the eagles and carolina, I think that the Eagles will win in a very close game 28-21 vistory. In the colts game, I have my money on the Colts to win 14-7. And in the super bowl, I think that it is the Colts with a 21-7 victory.

Here are some pics from the game!

 

 

 

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Gibbs to the Redskins once again

     Today famous coach Joe Gibbs once again signed with the struggling 5-11 Redskins for a 5 year 28.5million dollar deal, making him the highest paid coach in the NFL. Many people think that the bring back of old Joe is the only thing that can save them now, but with Dan Snyder, will he be able to bring them out of the huge hole that Dan, Steve and the skins dug? All we can do now is hope and pray that Joe still has the touch.

     Since Gibbs retired after the 1992 season, the Redskins' five coaches went a combined 74-101-1.Vinny Cerrato will remain as vice president of football operations, but Gibbs will have final say on which players make his roster. However, draft choices, trades and signings will be decided in a three-person format among Gibbs, Cerrato and owner Daniel Snyder sources say.

     The Redskins made the playoffs during eight of Gibbs' 12 seasons, and his .683 winning percentage ranks third in NFL history. His record was 124-60 in the regular season and 16-5 in the playoffs, including Super Bowl victories after the 1982, 1987 and 1991 seasons -- each with a different quarterback.

As for me, I hope that they do well, but I'm still rootin' for the cowboys!