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Best of the Best - 2001-2010 [NFL Games Have Started]

Discussion in 'Archive: The Arena' started by DarthIntegral, Apr 6, 2010.

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  1. Darth McClain

    Darth McClain Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Feb 5, 2000
  2. DarthIntegral

    DarthIntegral JCC Baseball Draft/SWC Draft Commish star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA VIP - Game Host

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    Jul 13, 2005
    I've decided to post this game as four updates. They will be from the view of an ESPN in-game blogger type of report. Approximately midway through the first half, at half time, midway through the second half, and at the end of the game, the updates will be posted.

    With that said ...

    Monday, 9:07 PM Eastern

    Lucas Oil Field, Indianapolis, IN


    With 10:06 to play, we've got a stoppage in action. It will be the Blue Devil's ball, following a Taurean Green turnover, with Duke leading 26-22.

    The game has gone as expected so far, with both teams able to do most of what they want offensively. The Blue Devils are 3/4 on three-point attempts early, and Al Horford and Joakim Noah are cleaning up the glass and getting opportunities for teammates. Noah is yet to score, but he already has four rebounds, including two offensive rebounds. However, of great importance is the fact that he already has two fouls, including an offensive foul drawn by Carlos Boozer.

    It's expected that Noah will sit for most of the rest of this half. It will be interesting to see if the Blue Devils can start to go inside a little bit, or if that will give their perimeter shooters even more of an opportunity.

    Shane Battier has lead the Blue Devils so far with 8 points. Al Horford leads the Gators with 8 points, and Taurean Green has 7 already.




    We've reached halftime in Indianapolis. The 2001 Duke Blue Devils are a half away from immortality. They lead this game 46-42.

    Duke was threatening to make the game academic. With Noah sitting on the bench, Carlos Boozer and Chris Duhon controlled the interior for Duke and rolled off 16 of 18 points to help Duke open up a 14-point lead. That was when the Gators decided to roll the dice, and put Noah back in. He immediatly scored four points, grabbed a rebound, and drew an offensive foul on Boozer, and the Gators closed to within 8. Some great plays by Taurean Green, including a beautiful feed to Maurice Speights put the Gators within one, but Duke closed with Shane Batttier converting on two from the line, and then Jason Williams drawing a third foul on Noah with two seconds left and hitting one of two from the line to put the Blue Devils up four at the half.

    Chris Duhon has 11 points to lead Duke. Horford continues to lead the Gators with his 8 points.
     
  3. DarthIntegral

    DarthIntegral JCC Baseball Draft/SWC Draft Commish star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA VIP - Game Host

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    The Duke Blue Devils won't let the Florida Gatos get within reach of taking the lead. That's the story that's developing in the second half here.

    We've got 9:15 to play, and Duke is up 75-63.

    The Gators have made several runs and gotten a couple of great stops. But, every time they do, the Blue Devils respond with a bigger, better run and series of stops of their own.

    After Battier and Noah trade shots to open the game, Duke opened up a nine-point lead on back to back lay-ups from Jason Williams and Nate James. Thanks to a couple of misses from three-point land, Florida got back within four, thanks to dunks from Noah and Horford and a three from Corey Brewer.

    Duke answered that with a 7-0 run, keyed by a great triple from Battier on a beautiful feed from Duhon. Florida used a 6-0 run to make a game of it again, but Duke is now on a 5-0 run thanks to a Jason Williams triple that has lead to a Florida timeout.

    The good new for Florida, is that while Duke has built their lead, Joakim Noah has stayed aggressive on the glass, and hasn't picked up a fourth foul yet. But, the Gators are going to have to do a better job defending the three if they are going to come back and win this game.

    it's not over yet, but it's heading that way.
     
  4. DarthIntegral

    DarthIntegral JCC Baseball Draft/SWC Draft Commish star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA VIP - Game Host

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    <img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/2001/0409_large.jpg">

    FINAL: (1) 2001 Duke 92, (1) 2007 Florida 79

    The Buzzer sounded to give an official end to the game, but in all honesty, it ended about a minute after the last update.

    Chris Duhon stole the inbound pass, fed Shane Battier for a three, and the lead grew to 15. The Gators came down the floor, and Joakim Noah was called for a charging foul, with Carlos Boozer drawing an offensive foul on Noah for the second time in the game, and Noah's fourth foul of the game. Jason Williams then found Battier in the corner for a back-breaking three, and the game was all but over, as Duke had an 18 point lead, and Joakim Noah was on the bench.

    For the game, Battier ended up with 28 points, while Jason Williams added 13 points and 10 assists. Carlos Boozer and Chris Duhon each added 14 points for the Blue Devils.

    Joakim Noah ended up leading the Gators with 19 points and 13 rebounds, but his four fouls gave the Blue Devils opportunities to be aggressive they may not otherwise have had. Taurean Green added 16 points, and Al Horford had 12 points and 9 rebounds.
     
  5. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 12, 2000

    wait, what? :p

    [face_dancing] [face_dancing] Duke wins! The rest of the bracket I made might have been busted pretty badly, but I did pick the champion :D
     
  6. DarthIntegral

    DarthIntegral JCC Baseball Draft/SWC Draft Commish star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA VIP - Game Host

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    Up next: the NFL.

    Here's the format I'm probably going to go with, but I'm willing to take feedback.

    24 teams. We'll do a double-sized AFC Bracket and a double-sized NFC Bracket. That's 12 AFC Teams, and 12 NFC Teams. That'll be the 10 Super Bowl Winner, the 10 Super Bowl losers, and each conference getting two wild cards. I will seed each team, with Super Bowl winners getting top seeds, then Super Bowl losers, and the four six-seeds will be the Wild Cards. Home field will be in play until we get to the final four teams. The AFC Title Game (between the two AFC sub-bracket winners) will be in the Louisiana Super Dome, the NFC Title Game will be in The Rose Bowl, and the Super Super Bowl will be in Miami.

    Our Automatic entrants would be:

    2001: Ravens, Giants
    2002: Patriots, Rams
    2003: Raiders, Bucs
    2004: Patriots, Panthers
    2005: Patriots, Eagles
    2006: Steelers, Seahawks
    2007: Colts, Bears
    2008: Patriots, Giants
    2009: Steelers, Cardinals
    2010: Colts, Saints

    And that leaves four other entrants (which I can probably guess three off the top of my head)


    Any input before we move forward? Any lobbying for your team(s)?
     
  7. The Great No One

    The Great No One Jedi Grand Master star 8

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    Jun 4, 2005
    the colts the year manning had 48 TD passes. i think they got gypped honestly. would like to see how they match up.
     
  8. Rogue...Jedi

    Rogue...Jedi Administrator Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Naturally, I'm the only one who commented on the Duke win :p

    24 teams just seems a bit low for 10 years worth of teams... but given the NFL playoff format, this probably is the best way to do it. Anything else would be way too big (48) or would require losing the NFL playoff style (32)
     
  9. MarcusP2

    MarcusP2 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 10, 2004
    2004 Colts, as mentioned. Stupid The Tackle.
    2004 Steelers?
     
  10. DarthIntegral

    DarthIntegral JCC Baseball Draft/SWC Draft Commish star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA VIP - Game Host

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    You think the Steeler fan running this is going to include the 15-1 Steelers who lost in the AFC title game?
     
  11. Darth McClain

    Darth McClain Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Hey, I am, too. :p Glad that they beat Florida.


    I'm interested to see how the NFL thing plays out...I'd be tempted to include the 2004 Steelers, but they didn't play very well down the stretch and got lucky in the playoffs to get to the AFC championship game.
     
  12. DarthIntegral

    DarthIntegral JCC Baseball Draft/SWC Draft Commish star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2005
    Here are your NFL Playoff Brackets. The toughest team to leave out was the 2006-2007 San Diego Chargers.

    AFC

    "A Group"


    1. 2004-2005 New England Patriots
    2. 2006-2007 Indianapolis Colts
    3. 2000-2001 Baltimore Ravens
    4. 2007-2008 New England Patriots
    5. 2009-2010 Indianapolis Colts
    6. 2004-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers

    "B Group"

    1. 2003-2004 New England Patriots
    2. 2008-2009 Pittsburgh Steelers
    3. 2001-2002 New England Patriots
    4. 2005-2006 Pittsburgh Steelers
    5. 2002-2003 Oakland Raiders
    6. 2005-2006 Indianapolis Colts


    NFC

    "A Group"


    1. 2002-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    2. 2001-2002 St. Louis Rams
    3. 2004-2005 Philadelphia Eagles
    4. 2003-2004 Carolina Panthers
    5. 2000-2001 New York Giants
    6. 2003-2004 Philadelphia Eagles

    "B Group"

    1. 2009-2010 New Orleans Saints
    2. 2007-2008 New York Giants
    3. 2006-2007 Chicago Bears
    4. 2005-2006 Seattle Seahawks
    5. 2008-2009 Arizona Cardinals
    6. 2007-2008 Dallas Cowboys


    Super Wild Card Weekend

    (6) 2004-2005 Steelers @ (3) 2000-2001 Ravens
    (5) 2009-2010 Colts @ (4) 2007-2008 Patriots
    (6) 2003-2004 Eagles @ (3) 2004-2005 Eagles
    (5) 2000-2001 Giants @ 2003-2004 Panthers
    (6) 2005-2006 Colts @ (3) 2001-2002 Patriots
    (5) 2002-2003 Raiders @ (4) 2005-2006 Steelers
    (6) 2007-2008 Cowboys @ (3) 2006-2007 Bears
    (5)2008-2009 Cardinals @ (4) 2005-2006 Seahawks



    Thoughts?
    Comments?
    Predictions?
     
  13. MarcusP2

    MarcusP2 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 10, 2004
    (6) 2004-2005 Steelers @ (3) 2000-2001 Ravens
    Final score of 7-3? Wow. Maybe Ravens because Dilfer was more experienced at that time, but there's certainly not many points being scored there.

    (5) 2009-2010 Colts @ (4) 2007-2008 Patriots
    Patriots easily. They'll probably win the lot.

    (6) 2003-2004 Eagles @ (3) 2004-2005 Eagles
    LOL.

    (5) 2000-2001 Giants @ 2003-2004 Panthers
    Don't know much about either of these teams.

    (6) 2005-2006 Colts @ (3) 2001-2002 Patriots
    The Colts had terrible defense that year that got hot in the playoffs, offsetting the rookie QB. I think the Pats.

    (5) 2002-2003 Raiders @ (4) 2005-2006 Steelers
    Steelers.

    (6) 2007-2008 Cowboys @ (3) 2006-2007 BearsDa Bears still suck. Grossman? Come on.

    However the Boys didn't even win a game and the Bears beat out Brees. I think the Bears but this is potentially the most interesting matchup here.

    (5)2008-2009 Cardinals @ (4) 2005-2006 Seahawks
    Seeing the Cardinals included here makes me LOL. Especially in an all NFC West matchup. However, I don't know enough about the Seahawks to pick this one.
     
  14. The Great No One

    The Great No One Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 2005
    (6) 2004-2005 Steelers @ (3) 2000-2001 Ravens

    lessee here... one of the best defenses ever against a rookie QB? yea, that'll end well. even if they do try and cram the bus and willie down the ravens throats (which i would note STILL doesn't work very well) the ravens should win this one quite handily, even if not by a huge score. wouldn't be surprised to see them go all the way, honestly. that was a crazy defense. heck, the d sometimes beat teams without the offense scoring a single point. ravens by at least a TD

    (5) 2009-2010 Colts @ (4) 2007-2008 Patriots

    the colts nearly beat them that year with tons of injuries, i'll take a healthy colts that was even better.

    gimme the colts by 3

    (6) 2003-2004 Eagles @ (3) 2004-2005 Eagles

    hrrm... gimme the one that had TO. i THINK that was 05.

    (5) 2000-2001 Giants @ 2003-2004 Panthers

    hmmm... the giants managed to beat one of the best offenses ever in the vikings that year, and while they lost to the ravens, the panthers just were not that good comparatively to me, so i'll go with the gints by a TD.

    (6) 2005-2006 Colts @ (3) 2001-2002 Patriots

    if this is the colts with a healthy bob sanders, they'll take it. if not then it'll be a heck of a lot more of a toss up. either way, gimme the colts. i just think they're the better team.

    (5) 2002-2003 Raiders @ (4) 2005-2006 Steelers

    ironicially, if the bucs hadn't had jon gruden and bill calahan been running gruden's offense, i think the raiders would have won that year. so actually i think i'm gonna go with the raiders. they had one heck of a good team that year, and i really think they got gypped. also kinda think the raiders from the previous year should be in this actually. they nearly beat the pats that year, and were pretty much gypped that year as well. anyway, all that to say that they had a helluva team so give me them over the steelers. i think a TD'll be the difference here. both had good D's, but the raiders had the better offense.

    (6) 2007-2008 Cowboys @ (3) 2006-2007 Bears

    tony romo does not impress me, nor does the 'boys. bears. they at least made it to the SB before rex completely imploded. and they have a better defense and hester.

    (5)2008-2009 Cardinals @ (4) 2005-2006 Seahawks

    cards. period, no ands ifs or buts about this one. the NFC was just ridiculously weak that year. the cards nearly beat a technically better steelers team and have a future HOF QB on their side and a WR in fitz that was utterly uncoverable in the playoffs. and their D showed they deserved to be there too until the last two minutes of the fourth quarter anyway. cards pulling away by oh... lets say a trio of TDs.
     
  15. DarthIntegral

    DarthIntegral JCC Baseball Draft/SWC Draft Commish star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA VIP - Game Host

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    Saturday

    1:00 Eastern


    (3) 2004 Eagles 33, (6) 2003 Eagles 20

    With clear skies and a nice, crisp breeze, the one-year older Donovan McNabb showed up his younger counterpart, and helped his Eagles cruise to victory.

    It helped, of course, to have Terrell Owens as a threat downfield.

    The older McNabb threw for three touchdowns, including hitting Todd Pinkston and Owens in the third quarter, and rushed for another score. Those third quarter touchdowns transformed a game that was a nail-biting 10-10 game at halftime into a 27-10 lead going into the fourth quarter.

    After the younger McNabb hit Brian Westbrook with a two-yard TD pass with 5:00 minutes to play in the game to bring the younger Eagles back to within a touchdown, the older pair connected on the next offensive snap, with McNabb throwing a screen to Westbrook, and the elusive back taking it 77 yards for a touchdown, and the final score of the game.

    Owens was the elder McNabb?s favorite target, pulling in six receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown, and Westbrook had 182 total yards from scrimmage.

    The younger McNabb didn?t get quite the help from his supporting cast. James Thrash was his leading receiver with three catches for 39 yards, and Duce Staley added only 79 yards rushing on the ground.

    The 2004 Eagles will travel to St. Louis next week to take on the 2001 Rams.




    4:00 Eastern

    (4) 2003 Carolina Panthers 26, (5) 2000 New York Giants 21

    After a back-and-forth game played in a light rain, it was a spectacular play on offense that put the Panthers ahead, and a spectacular play on defense that kept them there.

    Nick Goings took a handoff on a simple dive play and rumbled past the Giants defense for 40-yards and the go ahead score with three minutes to play. The next offensive snap for the Giants ended in Mike Minter?s second interception of the day, and the Panthers were able to hand the ball to Stephen Davis from there and run out the clock.

    On the day, Davis ended up with 103 yards rushing and 1 TD, while Goings had three carries for 39 yards, but the big one was the back breaker.

    Amani Toomer lead the Giants with two first-half touchdowns, but a touchdown pass to Steve Smith and two John Kasay field goals kept the game close at the half. After a Stephen Davis touchdown run near the end of the third quarter, Tiki Barber took a swing pass 84 yards to give the Giants a 21-20 lead. That score held until Goings rumble gave the game it?s final score.

    In the losing effort, Tiki Barber ended up with 96 yards rushing and 119 yards receiving.




    8:00 Eastern

    (3) 2000 Baltimore Ravens 23, (6) 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers 3

    So much for that 15-1 Season, Big Ben. The Ravens defense just showed you what playoff football is all about.

    Ben Roethlisberger was limited to 80 yards of passing, completing just 9 of 24 passes, and throwing an interception, before a third-quarter sack by Ray Lewis knocked him out of the game with a separated shoulder.

    Not that the rest of the Steelers did much better. As a team they combined for only 123 total yards of offense, and gained only 9 first downs. They did manage to hold a lead in the game, however, as a Jeff Reed field goal put them up 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.

    After that, it was all Ravens, and mainly their defense.

    Jamal Lewis rushed for 105 yards, and Qadry Ismail had a back-breaking 65-yard touchdown bomb from Trent Dilfer that put the Ravens up by 14 points one minute into the third quarter.

    The Ravens will now travel next week to Indianoplis to play the 2006 Colts.
     
  16. DarthIntegral

    DarthIntegral JCC Baseball Draft/SWC Draft Commish star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA VIP - Game Host

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    Sunday

    1:00 Eastern


    (4) 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers 24, (5) 2002 Oakland Raiders 6

    The Pittsburgh Steelers followed a familiar script as they dispatched the Oakland Raiders.

    Just as with their run to the title in January of 2006, the Steelers came out with an arial attack. Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdowns in the first half, and the second half was a game of ?keep away?, as the black and gold kept the ball on the ground, and out of the hands of the Raiders, and shortened the game.

    Big Ben had a 43-yard TD pass to Antwan Randle-El in the first quarter, and a 13-yard TD pass to Hines Ward and a 9-yard TD pass to Quincy Morgan in the second quarter, as the Steelers took a 21-3 lead into halftime. The teams traded fourth-quarter field goals to give the game its final margin.

    For the game, Roethisberger was an impressive 14-of-21 for 252 yards, throwing for three TDs and one interception. Ward was his favorite target, pulling in 5 catches for 82 yards. Willie Parker and Jermoe Bettis shared the load on the ground, each getting over 15 carries, and each topping 60 yards.

    The Raiders managed only 197 yards of total offense.



    4:00 Eastern

    (6) 2007 Dallas Cowboys 20, (3) 2006 Chicago Bears 9

    Tony Romo was an efficient, smart quarterback who took advantage of opportunities, and the Dallas Defense made the game a nightmare for Rex Grossman, as the Dallas Cowboys became the first lower-seed to win so far in this tournament.

    Romo completed 20-of-28 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns ? a first-quarter strike to Terrel Owns and a fourth-quarter strike to Patrick Crayton. Romo also targeted tight end Jason WItten often, connecting with him six times for seventy yards.

    Grossman, on the other hand, was only 15-for-27 and had an INT, but no TDs. Thomas Jones struggled to get going on the ground, too, as the Bears averaged only 2.3 ypc, compared to 5.0 for the Cowboys.

    The New Orleans Saints now await the Cowboys in the next round.



    8:00 Eastern

    (3) 2001 New England Patriots 21, (6) 2005 Indianapolis Colts 14

    Ugly. Defensive. Thrilling. Typical.

    Those are probably the best words to describe yet another January duel between Brady and Manning, Dungy and Belicheck.

    A defensive first half saw the Patriots take a 6-0 lead to half time on two first-quarter field goals by Adam Vinatieri. Edgerrin James broke through with a huge fifty-yard run for the Colts in the third-quarter. The Patriots answered to start the fourth, with Brady finding Troy Brown for a 9-yard TD pass and then finding Brown again for the 2-point conversion. The Colts answered with an 8-yard strike from Manning to Reggie Wayne, but the Patriots answered again, as Brady found David Patten for a 6-yard TD pass with 43 seconds left. Ty Law then picked off Manning on the next drive, Peyton?s third INT of the game, to seal the deal, and advance the Patriots.

    Neither offense was sharp or effective in this game. Manning was 9-of-21 for 118 yards and 1 TD with 3 INTs. Brady was 16-of-25 for 153 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. James did rush for 132 yards, but the Patriots ground game was pathetic: 44 carries for 110 yards.
     
  17. MarcusP2

    MarcusP2 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 10, 2004
    Just to see how consistent this is, I simmed that last game 3 more times.

    They were a 24-12 Colts win, a 36-10 Colts win and a 33-27 Colts win. Looks like the Pats got lucky. Fits in with the 2001 Pats I guess. :p
     
  18. The Great No One

    The Great No One Jedi Grand Master star 8

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    Jun 4, 2005
    yea, i actually simmed that one like ten times before this even started. colts won all ten, but at least ten points.

    just kinda curious when this is gonna continue?
     
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