Sports Articles

2009-10-30 | Jim Murphy

The University of North Carolina used a 21 yard field goal on the final play of the game to pull a big college football upset over #13 Virginia Tech on Thursday night, winning by a final score of 20-17. The Tar Heels’ #8 ranked defense proved as tenacious as their high national status would suggest, and gave the Hokies fits throughout. North Carolina led for most of the game, but withstood a late game Virginia Tech comeback bid to take the win. Both teams are now 5-3 on the college football season.

2009-10-30 | Jim Murphy

The Vancouver Canucks expected the worst when superstar goaltender Roberto Luongo went down earlier this week with a broken rib. In their first game without him, however, they received a stellar effort from backup goalie Andrew Raycroft who responded to his first start of the season by stopping 45 of 46 Los Angeles shots en route to a 2-1 shootout victory over the host Kings. Scott Parse scored midway through the first period to give L.A. a 1-0 lead, but Mikael Samuelson quickly answered for Vancouver. That was all the scoring in the game, and Raycroft came up big in the shootout to give his team the victory.

2009-10-30 | Jim Murphy

Carmello Anthony scored 41 points and the Denver Nuggets used a second half comeback to give the Portland Trailblazers a rare 97-94 loss at their Rose Garden Arena home venue on Thursday night. The Blazers held a 67-62 lead heading into the final quarter but for the second time in as many games had trouble putting their opponent away. Brandon Roy led Portland with 30 points, and Greg Oden was the high rebounder for the home team with 9 boards. Portland is now 1-1 on the young NBA season, while Denver improved to 2-0

2009-10-29 | Jim Murphy

The ‘new look’ Washington Redskins offense under Sherm Lewis looked much like the old offense under Jim Zorn, and the Philadelphia Eagles had little trouble as they opened a 27-10 halftime lead en route to a 27-17 victory on Monday Night Football. DeSean Jackson scored a long touchdown both rushing and receiving, and Donovan McNabb threw for 156 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in the victory. The Eagles improved to 4-2 on the season, while the Redskins dropped to 2-5.

2009-10-29 | Jim Murphy

The Portland Trailblazers got the 2009-2010 NBA season off to a successful start, defeating the Houston Rockets 96-87 at the Rose Garden Arena on Tuesday night. Reserve Travis Outlaw led the Blazers with 23 points, while superstar shooting guard Brandon Roy added 20. In Houston’s first regular season game without the services of injured stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, the Rockets were led by Aaron Brooks with 19.

2009-10-29 | Jim Murphy

In a potential NBA Eastern Conference Final preview, the Boston Celtics struck the first blow with a 95-89 season opening road victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Paul Pierce’s ‘double/double’ of 23 points and 11 boards led the way for the Celtics, while the Cavs’ LeBron James answered with 38 points in a losing cause. It was the Cleveland debut of Shaquille O’Neal, and “The Big Aristotle” contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds.

2009-10-27 | Jim Murphy

Former Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson got revenge on the team that let him go in the best possible way. Benson amassed 189 yards rushing and led his new team, the Cincinnati Bengals, to a 45-10 rout over the visiting Bears on Sunday. Carson Palmer threw for five touchdowns with no interceptions in the blowout victory. Cincinnati improved to 5-2 with the win while Chicago dropped to 3-3 on the NFL season.

2009-10-27 | Jim Murphy

Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo has been plagued by inconsistency over the past two seasons, but on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons he was in top form. Romo threw for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions as Dallas ripped the visiting Falcons by a final score of 37-21. Backup receiver Miles Austin had another solid game in place of injured starter Roy Williams, with 171 yards receiving and two touchdown grabs. Both teams are now 4-2 on the NFL season.

2009-10-27 | Jim Murphy

After a slow start to the 2009 NFL season, last year’s Superbowl runner up Arizona Cardinals may have turned the corner. On Sunday they used a tenacious defense to force four New York Giants’ turnovers and went on to upset their hosts 24-17. The Cards’ potent offense of last year still hasn’t regained form, but their defense is picking up the slack. Arizona improved to 4-2 with the victory while the Giants dropped to 5-2.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

Despite a subpar game from quarterback Tim Tebow and a determined effort from the host Mississippi State Bulldogs, the Florida Gators remained undefeated by scrapping out a 29-19 victory. Florida led by only 3 points at halftime before pulling away in the fourth quarter. The usually efficient and accurate Tebow had two touchdowns returned for interceptions and passed for only 127 yards with no touchdowns. The usually accommodating Tebow left the stadium without speaking to reporters, clearly upset with his performance. Florida improved to 7-0 while Mississippi State dropped to 3-5.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

Lyoto Machida appeared to be on his way to losing his UFC light heavyweight championship to former PRIDE standout Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua in the main event of UFC 104 in Los Angeles. ‘Shogun’ had punished Machida throughout the fight with leg and body kicks that had measurably slowed the Shotokan karate master. The postfight reaction of everyone from the fighters themselves to announcers Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg—suggested that a title change was in the offing. The judges at ringside, however, saw things differently and awarded Machida a unanimous decision victory by identical 48-47 scores.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn is off of the hot seat—at least temporarily. After a recent swoon that saw him stripped of play calling duties for the NFL team, Zorn got a vote of confidence from upper management on Friday. His head isn’t entirely out of the noose, however, as the reprieve will last only to the end of the season unless some marked improvement is seen in the second half.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

The Clemson Tigers used a touchdown pass on their first possession of overtime to upset the Miami Hurricanes 40-37 on Saturday night to cap a back and forth game. Miami kicked a field goal on their first possession of overtime to take the lead, but Clemson responded with a seldom used play on third and 11 to get the victory as quarterback Kyle Parker completed a 27 yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Ford. Clemson improved to 4-3 with the win while Miami slipped to 5-2.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

Alabama didn’t so much win their game against Tennessee on Saturday as much as they escaped. Despite playing one of their worst games of the year they managed to keep their undefeated season alive as nose tackle Terrance Cody blocked a potential game winning field goal on the last play of the game to preserve a 12-10 victory for the Crimson Tide. Alabama held a tenuous 12-3 lead late in the game before a Tennessee touchdown and recovered onside kick had them facing the specter of the defeat for the first time this season. Instead, Alabama improved to 8-0 while Tennessee slipped to 3-4.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi completed a 7 yard touchdown pass to Marvin McNutt as time expired, allowing the Hawkeyes to take a 15-13 road win over Michigan State University and preserve their undefeated season. Trailing 6-3 at halftime, Iowa mounted a furious drive after Michigan State had scored to take a 13-9 lead with 1:37 remaining in the game. Iowa moved to 8-0 for the first time in school history for the win, and has won twelve straight games overall. Michigan State evened their record at 4-4 with the loss.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

The Green Bay Packers used 21 second quarter points and three Aaron Rodgers touchdown passes to easily dispatch the punchless Cleveland Browns 31-3 on Sunday. Rodgers threw two of his three touchdowns during the second quarter onslaught, adding a fourth quarter tally for good measure. Ryan Grant added 148 yards of rushing and a touchdown in the victory, in which the Packers dominated the statistical battle. Green Bay improved their 2009 NFL record to 4-2, while Cleveland slumped to 1-6.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

The San Diego Chargers bounced back nicely from their Monday Night Football loss to Denver last week, opening a 20-0 halftime lead before coasting to a 37-7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Chargers’ quarterback Phillip Rivers passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Running back Ladanian Tomlinson ran for a season high 71 yards as San Diego evened their record at 3-3. The hapless Chiefs dropped to 1-6.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

Peyton Manning was unable to tie a NFL record with his sixth straight 300 yard game , but the Indianapolis Colts remained undefeated by ripping the lowly St. Louis Rams 42-6 at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday. Manning amassed 235 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions as the Colts made short work of the winless Rams. St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger continued to struggle, with 140 yards passing, two interceptions and no touchdowns. The Colts are now 6-0 on the NFL season, while the Rams are 0-7.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings are undefeated no more. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ used a couple of big plays from their defense in the fourth quarter to break open a close game and defeat the Vikings by a final score of 27-17. Favre put up decent yardage in the loss, throwing for 334 yards but had no touchdowns and an interception. The defending Superbowl Champion Steelers improved to 5-2, while the Vikings are now 6-1.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers was played in an unusual venue, but produced the expected result. In the NFL’s third regular season game in London, England the Patriots showed the Wembley Stadium crowd why they're among the league’s best as they methodically dismantled the Bucs en route to a 35-7 victory. Oddly, it took a trans-Atlantic trip for the Pats to get their first road win of the season—the Bucs were ‘officially’ the home team in the contest. New England QB Tom Brady threw for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns, though was picked off twice in the workmanlike victory. Tampa Bay remained winless, slipping to 0-7 while New England improved to 5-2.

2009-10-26 | Jim Murphy

The Houston Texans have won consecutive games for the first time this season by virtue of a hard fought 24-21 victory over the visiting San Francisco 49ers. The Texans led 21-0 at halftime but fought themselves in a ball game after the Niners scored the first 14 points of the second half. The rally fell short, however, and Houston improved to 4-3 on the NFL season. The 49ers evened their record at 3-3.

2009-10-23 | Jim Murphy

The Green Bay Packers didn’t do a good job protecting their quarterback last Sunday, but against the lowly Detroit Lions it didn’t really matter. Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times, but Green Bay used a big first half offensive outburst to coast to a 26-0 NFL victory over the Detroit Lions. Rodgers threw two first half touchdown passes which was complimented by four Mason Crosby field goals as Green Bay improved to 3-2 on the season. The Lions slumped to 1-5 with the loss.

2009-10-23 | Jim Murphy

The Denver Broncos are for real. The NFL’s most surprising undefeated team certainly answered any remaining doubters on Monday Night Football as they used a fourth quarter surge to put away the San Diego Chargers 34-23. Denver upped their record to 6-0 while San Diego dropped to 2-3. Broncos’ QB Kyle Orton had another solid, mistake free game as he passed for 229 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Denver’s special teams also excelled, with Eddie Royal becoming only the 11th player in NFL history to return a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in the same game.

2009-10-23 | Jim Murphy

The Washington Redskins are a mess right now. Head coach Jim Zorn has a tenuous hold on his job at best and after Sunday’s 14-6 loss to Kansas City was stripped of his offensive play calling duties. Management installed newly hired ‘offensive consultant’ Sherman Lewis as the new offensive play caller and the team has set up an awkward arrangement for him to get the plays to the quarterbacks. For that reason, starting QB Jason Campbell has some serious misgivings about the efficacy of the setup.

2009-10-23 | Jim Murphy

Florida State won their first ACC college football game of the year on Thursday, though it certainly wasn’t easy. The Seminoles were down 24-6 midway through the third quarter before mounting a furious comeback to defeat North Carolina 30-27. FSU quarterback Christian Ponder threw for a career high 395 with three touchdowns and no interceptions to pace his team. The Seminoles improved their overall record to 3-4 while North Carolina dropped to 4-3.

2009-10-23 | Jim Murphy

Oklahoma’s junior quarterback Sam Bradford will likely opt for season ending shoulder surgery. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was to announce his plans at a Wednesday night press conference, but that has been cancelled with no official word from Bradford expected before Saturday. Despite the delay, unnamed sources close to the situation indicate that there is “a very good chance” that Bradford will go under the knife in hopes of insuring a better opportunity with a NFL team next season.

2009-10-23 | Jim Murphy

The Montreal Canadiens have gotten off to a slow start this season, and entered Thursday night’s game against the New York Islanders having gone thirteen games without a win in regulation dating back to last season. Apparently, all they needed to cure their ails was a team that was struggling more than they are. The Islanders only have one win on the season, and the Habs jumped on them early scoring three goals in the first two periods en route to a 5-1 victory at the Bell Centre. Montreal improved to 4-5-0 with the victory while the Islanders dropped to 1-4-3.

2009-10-21 | Jim Murphy

The Minnesota Vikings’ decision to facilitate Brett Favre’s latest ‘unretirement’ is looking better and better with each passing week. This past Sunday, Favre’s charges moved to 6-0 on the season with a wild 33-31 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens posted 21 fourth quarter points to charge back and claim the lead late, but Favre led a rally to set up place kicker Ryan Longwell’s 31 yard game winning field goal. Baltimore evened their record at 3-3 on the season with the loss.

2009-10-21 | Jim Murphy

Heading into last Sunday, there was a consensus that the New York Giants were the best team in the NFL with an undefeated record, a productive offense and the league’s top ranked defense. The New Orleans Saints made a compelling case to the contrary, however, as they dismantled the Giants to win 48-27 behind yet another MVP-like performance from quarterback Drew Brees. Brees threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions as New Orleans kept their record perfect on the season at 5-0. The Giants dropped to 5-1 with the defeat.

2009-10-21 | Jim Murphy

Behind a career day for quarterback Matt Schaub, the Houston Texans erased a 17-14 halftime deficit to score 14 points in the second half and defeat the host Cincinnati Bengals 28-17. Schaub threw for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns against one interception in the solid road victory. Against a team that had won three straight games in the final seconds, Houston never gave Cincinnati the chance to create any late drama. Cincinnati dropped to 4-2 with the loss while Houston evened their record at 3-3.

2009-10-20 | Jim Murphy

The offensively struggling Kansas City Chiefs have finally found a way to win—play a team with a more stagnant offense than their own. The Chiefs gave Todd Haley his first win as a NFL head coach on Sunday with a 14-6 win over the Washington Redskins. Kansas City won despite not scoring a touchdown, compiling their 14 points via 4 Ryan Succop field goals and a game ending safety. Kansas City is now 1-5 on the NFL season, while the Redskins slumped to 2-4.

2009-10-20 | Jim Murphy

Carolina Panthers’ running back Jake Delhomme struggled on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and was fortunate that his running backs bailed him out. Delhomme threw for only 65 yards with two interceptions, but D’Angelo Williams (152 yards) and Jonathan Stewart (110 yards) kept the chains moving as the Panthers won their second straight game defeating the Bucs 28-21. Tampa Bay has now lost ten straight dating back to last season and are 0-6 for the first time since 1985. The fact that they ended up starting that year 0-9 on their way to a 1-15 record doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season. Carolina improved to 2-3 with the victory.

2009-10-20 | Jim Murphy

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing the Cleveland Browns for longer than any other team in the National Football League, dating back to 1950. And while it hasn’t been quite that long since the Cleveland Browns won a game against the Steelers it may be starting to feel like it. On Sunday, Pittsburgh won for the twelfth straight time dating back to 2003 as they topped Cleveland by a final score of 27-13. The defending Superbowl champions improved to 4-2 while the Browns fell to 1-5.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

The H1N1 flu virus, more popularly known as ‘swine flu’ hasn’t become the full blown epidemic that alarmists originally feared, but it may have claimed a very big victim—Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James and two teammates have tested positive for the Influenza A. The H1N1 virus is a strain of influenza A and the stricken Cavs are being treated for the more severe form of the illness as a precautionary measure. Though LeBron and teammates Darnell Jackson and Coby Karl seem to be on the mend, their status is being monitored closely by team and league officials, as well as medical personnel.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

Jack Johnson will forever be known as the first black heavyweight champion in boxing history. His treatment once he won the title—including arrest and imprisonment on a dubious, racially motivated charge—was symptomatic of the cultural backwardness of his time. For some time now, many have sought a posthumous pardon for “The Galveston Giant” and now US Senator John McCain and Representative Peter King are taking their fight for justice to President Barack Obama. Oddly for a President who ran with the promise of and became a symbol of racial equality, his administration has yet to provide a response.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

Sure, they’ve only played four games but the Atlanta Thrashers look like a potential playoff qualifier. On Friday night, they improved their record on the NHL season to 3-1-0 with a 4-2 victory on the road against the New Jersey Devils. After a scoreless first period in which the Devils outshot their opponent’s 15-4, and a 1-1 tie heading in the final frame the Thrashers put three goals in the board in the final twenty minutes to earn the victory.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

The University of Florida’s perfect season is still alive, but just barely. Despite playing their worst game of the season on Saturday, the Gators held off a determined upset bid from the Arkansas Razorbacks and eventually kicked a game winning field goal in the final seconds to escape with a 23-20 victory. The Gators won their sixteenth straight game despite losing four fumbles and improved to 6-0 on the year. Arkansas dropped to 3-3 with the loss.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

The USC Trojans won their eighth straight game versus Notre Dame on Saturday, but not before withstanding a furious Irish rally in the fourth quarter. The Trojans led 34-14 early in the fourth before Notre Dame scored the final 13 points to make the score respectable. Eventually, Southern Cal would escape with a 34-27 victory and improve their record on the season to 5-1 while Notre Dame dropped to 4-2.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns as the Yellow Jackets held off a late game rally to shock #4 ranked Virginia Tech 28-23 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. Leading 7-3 at halftime, Tech broke open the game in the second half and improved to 6-1 on the season. The Hokies dropped to 5-2.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

The Atlanta Falcons didn’t so much win their Sunday Night NFL Football game against the Chicago Bears as much as the Bears lost it. A series of costly mistakes and turnovers in the red zone negated an otherwise solid road effort for the Bears, as Atlanta held on to win 21-14 at the Georgia Dome. Chicago held a decisive edge in most of the statistical categories, but was undone by untimely turnovers. Atlanta improved to 4-1 with the victory while Chicago slipped to 3-2.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

The Oakland Raiders scored the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter and then prevailed in the kicking duel that followed en route to a 13-9 upset of the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. Much maligned quarterback Jamarcus Russell played his best game of the season despite two interceptions, throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown. It was only the Raiders’ second win of the season, and only the Eagles’ second loss. Oakland now stands at 2-4 while Philadelphia slid to 3-2.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

Despite dominating the winless St. Louis Ram on the stat sheet, the Jacksonville Jaguars needed overtime to eke out a 23-20 home field victory over arguably the worst team in the NFL. Based on their statistical superiority, the Jags should have made mincemeat out of the hapless Rams—they had 33 first downs to 13 for St. Louis, held a 492-262 overall yardage edge and had possession of the ball for 42:12 compared to 24:48 for the Rams. They did have three turnovers to only one for St. Louis, including an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Jacksonville evened their record at 3-3 while the Rams dropped to 0-6.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

The New England Patriots looked more like the unbeatable dynasty of a few years ago than a 4-2 team. Tom Brady looked not only like a MVP, but a hall of famer. And the Tennessee Titans looked like an overworked, disorganized team desperate to get to a bye week. Brady broke a NFL record with five touchdown passes in the second quarter, and tied his personal best with six for the game as the Pats utterly dominated the Titans 59-0 in a game that wasn’t even as close as that lopsided final score would suggest. The Pats improved to 4-2 while the hapless Titans slipped to 0-6.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

The Buffalo Bills’ offense is still sputtering, but they were able to do enough on Sunday to erase a 13-3 halftime lead and defeat the New York Jets in overtime 16-13. After missing a 46 yard potential game winning field goal at the end of regulation, Bills’ place kicker Rian Lindell nailed a 47 yard shot in overtime for the victory. Buffalo raised its record to 2-4 with the victory while the Jets slipped to 3-3 on the NFL season.

2009-10-19 | Jim Murphy

The Arizona Cardinals put together their most complete effort of the 2009 NFL season on Sunday afternoon, routing the Seattle Seahawks on the road 27-3. Kurt Warner became the fastest quarterback to reach 30,000 yards passing as he threw for 276 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Receiver Larry Fitzgerald had 100 yards receiving and caught one of Warner’s scoring strikes. The Cards’ defense, meanwhile, sacked Seahawks’ QB Matt Hasselbeck five times and limited him to 112 yards passing. Arizona improved their record to 3-2 while the Seahawks slipped to 2-4.

2009-10-15 | Jim Murphy

Boise State won their Wednesday night game against Tulsa by the smallest margin of victory they’ve enjoyed in over a year, but at least they won. The #5 ranked Broncos spotted the Golden Hurricane a 14-8 lead at the end of one quarter, but then scored the next twenty points to take control of the game. After holding off a late Tulsa rally, Boise would go on to prevail by a final score of 28-21. The Broncos improved to 6-0 with the victory, while Tulsa slipped to 4-2.

2009-10-15 | Jim Murphy

NASCAR revealed the first five inductees for their newly created Hall of Fame on Wednesday, and amid a number of obvious choices there was a good deal of controversy. No one had issue with the inclusion of iconic drivers Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Richard Petty or Junior Johnson. Nor was there question that NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. belonged in the inaugural class. The surprise came at the inclusion of his son—Bill France, Jr.—which necessitated the omission of the legendary ‘Silver Fox’, David Pearson.

2009-10-15 | Jim Murphy

The Carolina Hurricanes almost pulled off a potential season defining comeback against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC on Wednesday night. Almost, but not quite. Down 2-0 heading into the third period, the Hurricanes rallied to tie the game and send it to overtime. Pittsburgh would eventually prevail in a shootout, however, to win the game by a 3-2 final score. The defending Stanley Cup champions are off to a great start, and the victory improved their record to 6-1-0. More impressive, perhaps, is their 5-0 record on the road. Carolina’s record stands at 2-3-1 after their first shootout loss of the NHL season.

2009-10-14 | Jim Murphy

The Miami Dolphins survived five lead changes in the final quarter to defeat the New York Jets in a back and forth Monday Night Football contest. Running back Ronnie Brown took a direct snap and scored on a two yard keeper with six seconds left to secure the victory for Miami by a 31-27 final score. The Dolphins gained 110 yards with their vaunted ‘Wildcat’ offense, including the decisive touchdown. Miami raised its 2009 NFL record to 2-3 with the victory, while the Jets dropped to 3-2.

2009-10-14 | Jim Murphy

Carson Palmer came up big when it mattered most, and the Cincinnati Bengals were the beneficiaries. Down by four points late in their game against the Baltimore Ravens, Palmer hit Andre Caldwell on a 20 yard touchdown pass to cap an 80 yard final minute drive as the Bengals won the game by a final score of 17-14. The Bengals improved to 4-1 on the NFL season and took over sole possession of first place in the AFC North. After starting the season 3-0, the Ravens have now lost two straight.

2009-10-14 | Jim Murphy

The Arizona Cardinals were the NFL Superbowl runner up last season, but nothing has come easy for them so far in 2009. This past Sunday, they saw a 21-0 halftime lead evaporate as the Houston Texans came charging back in the second half to tie the game. The Cardinals took advantage of a late game interception return for touchdown by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to take the lead, and a game ending defensive stand that kept Houston out of the end zone from the one yard line. In the end, Arizona managed to survive by a 28-21 final score. The Texans dropped to 2-3 while Arizona evened their record at 2-2.

2009-10-14 | Jim Murphy

The Indianapolis Colts continued their torrid start to the 2009 NFL regular season on Sunday night with a dominating 31-9 victory over the winless Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Indy opened up a 21-9 halftime lead and coasted the rest of the way. Peyton Manning shredded the Tennessee defense for 309 yards and three touchdowns against one interception. The Colts improved to 5-0 on the season while the Titans slumped to 0-5.

2009-10-14 | Jim Murphy

Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb made his return to action after missing two weeks due to a broken rib, and never missed a beat as he threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. More importantly, the Eagles manhandled the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning by a final score of 33-14. The Eagles improved to 3-1 on the season, while the Bucs dropped to a dismal 0-5.

2009-10-14 | Jim Murphy

The Buffalo Sabres finally got some offense in a 6-2 rout of the visiting Detroit Red Wings. It came at a price, however, as offensive catalyst Thomas Vanek is expected to miss significant playing time after suffering what is being described as an ‘upper body injury’. Before leaving the game, Vanek scored two goals in a four goal second period outburst that broke open an even contest. Buffalo improved to 3-0-1 in the young NHL season, while Detroit slipped to 2-3-0.

2009-10-13 | Jim Murphy

The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves an unlikely ally in an all too close road game against the Detroit Lions: the fans. With Steelers’ fans at times appearing to outnumber Lions’ supporters, the Steelers got a late game boost from their enthusiasm. On the field, Ben Roethlisberger threw a season high three touchdown passes as the Steelers survived by a final score of 28-20. Pittsburgh improved to 3-2 with the victory, while Detroit dropped to 1-4.

2009-10-13 | Jim Murphy

The day after his 40th birthday, the Minnesota Vikings’ Brett Favre threw for 232 yards and a touchdown against one interception as his team easily beat the pitiful St. Louis Rams by a final score of 38-10. The Vikings are now 5-0 for the first time in six years and Favre is 5-0 for the first time in his Hall of Fame career. The Rams, who’ve scored only 4 offensive touchdowns in five games this season, dropped to 0-5.

2009-10-13 | Jim Murphy

It’s obvious that the San Francisco 49ers are heading in the right direction under Mike Singletary, but you couldn’t tell by watching their game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Falcons scored six touchdowns against the Niners, with running back Michael Turner accounting for three of the scores as Atlanta routed San Francisco by a lopsided 45-10 final score. It was the Niners’ worst defeat since a 41-0 loss back in 2006 under former coach Mike Nolan. San Francisco fell to 3-2 with the defeat while the Falcons improved to 3-1.

2009-10-12 | Jim Murphy

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow shook off the effects of a concussion suffered against Kentucky two weeks ago and returned to lead the #1 ranked Gators to a hard fought 13-3 victory over #4 ranked LSU. Tebow got a good deal of help from a nasty Florida defense, and the largest crowd in LSU history (93,129) left disappointed as the Bayou Bengals offense was almost completely shut down. Florida improved to 5-0 while LSU dropped to 5-1.

2009-10-12 | Jim Murphy

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is now 17-0 all time against the University of Kentucky, but Saturday’s victory was a little too close for comfort. The Gamecocks trailed 17-14 at halftime, but rallied in the second half to finally put away the Wildcats 28-26. It was also the tenth straight victory for South Carolina over their SEC foes. The #25 ranked Gamecocks improved to 5-1 with the victory, while Kentucky dropped to 2-3.

2009-10-12 | Jim Murphy

The oldest fight sport adage in the world is ‘styles make fights’. For that reason, no one knew quite what to expect in Saturday’s WEC Interim Lightweight Championship battle between Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson. Henderson was known for his dominating wrestling skills, while Cerrone has a reputation as a punishing striker. Instead of being a clash of styles, however, it was an instance where the differing approaches of the two competitors complimented each other perfectly. The result was a ‘fight of the year’ candidate bout that Henderson won by a narrow—yet unanimous—decision.

2009-10-12 | Jim Murphy

In a matchup between two of the worst offenses in the NFL, someone had to win. Despite producing only 9 first downs and 193 yards of total offense, the Cleveland Browns got a late game field goal from Billy Cundiff to defeat the Buffalo Bills 6-3 and win their first game of the season. The Bills had the more productive afternoon statistically, with 13 first downs and 288 yards of offense but were undone by three costly turnovers. Both teams are now 1-4 on the 2009 NFL season.

2009-10-12 | Jim Murphy

The Dallas Cowboys entered Sunday’s game with the Kansas City Chiefs with a 2-2 record, and may have expected an easy afternoon. The winless Chiefs, however, hung around throughout the contest and forced overtime before a Tony Romo touchdown pass to Miles Austin secured the victory for Dallas by a final score of 26-20. Austin was the Cowboys’ offensive star, catching two touchdown passes as part of a 250 yard receiving day. Tony Romo played better than he has all year, finishing with two touchdown passes and 351 yards with no interceptions. The Cowboys improved to 3-2 with the victory, while the Chiefs remain winless at 0-5.

2009-10-12 | Jim Murphy

The Carolina Panthers finally got one in the win column on Sunday afternoon, using a furious second half comeback to defeat the slumping Washington Redskins 20-17. Washington led 17-2 early in the third quarter before Carolina scored the final 18 points of the game to earn the victory. Jonathan Stewart’s eight yard fourth quarter run for a touchdown with a successful two point conversion completed the Panthers’ comeback. Carolina improved to 1-3 on the season while Washington dropped to 2-3.

2009-10-12 | Jim Murphy

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning was hobbled by a painful bruised heel and played only one half of their game against the Oakland Raiders. With the Raiders as bad as they are, however, that was almost overkill. Manning led the Giants to touchdowns on their first four drives, and made his halftime exit with a 31-7 lead. Backup David Carr did mop up work as the Giants went on to demolish the hapless Raiders by a 44-7 final score. The Giants remained undefeated with the victory at 5-0, while Oakland dropped to 1-4.

2009-10-12 | Jim Murphy

The Denver Broncos are for real. After spotting the New England Patriots leads of 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and 17-7 at the end of the first half, the Broncos came back to tie the game in the second half and won it in overtime by a final score of 20-17. Matt Prater kicked a 41 yard field goal in the extra session to seal the victory. It was the Broncos fourth come from behind victory of the season, and Denver has started the season 5-0 for the first time since 1998. The Patriots dropped to 3-2 with the loss.

2009-10-12 | Jim Murphy

The Seattle Seahawks were clearly pleased to have their quarterback Matt Hasselbeck back in the lineup after missing two games with a cracked rib. The Jacksonville Jaguars would have been happy to have seen him stay out another week. Hasselbeck threw for 241 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in his return to action, and the Seahawks manhandled the visiting Jags by a 41-0 final score. It was the Seahawks largest shutout in 25 years, and the second worst loss in Jacksonville franchise history. Both teams are now 2-3 on the 2009 NFL season.

2009-10-08 | Jim Murphy

Here’s a tip for members of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns who enjoy playing with the franchise—remember that its LeBron James’ town. Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards found that out the hard way, enduring a public admonishment from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ superstar after a fight with one of James’ entourage this past weekend. Edwards didn’t even have chance to think of a comeback before he was shipped to the New York Jets.

2009-10-08 | Jim Murphy

The Detroit Lions had barely enough time to celebrate the end of their 19 game losing streak before they started a new one. One week after finally getting in the win column, the Lions were pounded by a relentless Chicago Bears rushing attack en route to a 48-24 loss. Detroit actually led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter, but at that point the Bears started to roll. Chicago scored at least 13 points in each of the three remaining quarters to turn the game into a blowout. The Bears improved to 3-1 with the victory, while Detroit dropped to 1-3.

2009-10-08 | Jim Murphy

The New York Giants may be the best team in the NFL at this point, and they continued their undefeated run on Sunday with a 27-16 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates. Eli Manning threw for 292 yards and 3 touchdowns against one interception, before leaving late in the game with a bruised heel. His status is ‘questionable’ for Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders. New York opened up a 27-3 lead early in the fourth quarter before Kansas City narrowed the score with two late ‘garbage time’ touchdowns. The Giants are now 4-0 on the NFL season, while the Chiefs are 0-4.

2009-10-07 | Jim Murphy

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has long been one of the United States’ most polarizing media figures. He may soon become one of the National Football League’s most controversial owners. On Tuesday, Limbaugh announced that he is teaming up with David Checketts—who owns the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League—to make a bid to purchase the struggling NFL team. The Rams are a pitiful 5-31 since 2007 and are currently mired in a league high 14 game losing streak.

2009-10-07 | Jim Murphy

Brett Favre has been a large component of the Minnesota Vikings undefeated start the NFL regular season, and on Monday night he finally beat his old team, the Green Bay Packers. Favre passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings prevailed by a 30-23 final score. With the victory, Favre has now defeated all 32 NFL teams during his Hall of Fame career. The Vikings improved to 4-0, while the Packers dropped to 2-2.

2009-10-07 | Jim Murphy

Rumors of the New England Patriot’s demise are clearly premature. Two weeks after being thoroughly outplayed by the New York Jets, the Pats have won two straight and on Sunday ended the Baltimore Ravens’ undefeated start to the NFL season with a 27-21 victory. They needed a little luck along the way—usually sure handed receiver Mark Clayton dropped a wide open fourth down pass in the final minute to kill a potential game winning drive deep in New England territory. Both teams are now 3-1 on the season.

2009-10-06 | Jim Murphy

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had trouble putting together a consistent, sixty minute effort so far this season. That was the case again on Sunday, as the defending Superbowl Champions blew a 28-0 home field lead to the San Diego Chargers but managed to do what was necessary to ultimately prevail 38-28. Both teams are now 2-2 on the season, but there is still some concern in the Steel City as their team looks nothing like the NFL champions of a year ago.

2009-10-06 | Jim Murphy

The Denver Broncos spotted the Dallas Cowboys ten first quarter points, and then held them scoreless for the rest of the game en route to a 17-10 victory in the Mile High City. After tying the game early in the fourth quarter the Broncos sealed the win with a slick 51 yard Kyle Orton to Brandon Marshall pass play for the decisive touchdown with just under two minutes remaining. The Cowboys got close in the waning seconds, but Broncos’ cornerback Champ Bailey got his hand on the potential touchdown pass and knocked it away. The Broncos are now 4-0 for the first time since 2003, while the Cowboys dropped to 2-2.

2009-10-06 | Jim Murphy

The Houston Texans learned firsthand on Sunday something that the rest of the NFL already knew—that the Oakland Raiders aren’t a very good football team. The Texans romped for 329 yards of total offense against the Oakland defense, while their own stop unit held the woeful Raiders’ attack to 165 total yards and eight first downs en route to a 29-6 victory. Houston evened their 2009 NFL record at 2-2 while the Raiders dropped to 1-3.

2009-10-05 | Jim Murphy

Duke University is far from being a national college football powerhouse, but they’re no longer a team you can take lightly either. #6 ranked Virginia Tech found that out on Saturday, and what they expected to be an easy afternoon became a tightly contested affair. In the end, Virginia Tech prevailed for a 34-26 road victory but not without some anxious moments. Virginia Tech improved their record to 4-1, while Duke dropped to 2-3 on the 2009 college football season.

2009-10-05 | Jim Murphy

LSU ran their 2009 college football record to a perfect 5-0 with a fourth quarter rally over feisty Georgia on Saturday afternoon en route to a 20-13 victory over the #18 ranked Bulldogs. After three quarters of smash mouth defensive football, Georgia went ahead 7-6 early in the fourth quarter. From that point on, the two teams traded touchdowns the rest of the way. After six points were put on the board in the first three quarters, Georgia and LSU combined for 27 points in the final stanza. Georgia dropped to 3-2 with the loss, and LSU will certainly do no worse than maintain their #4 ranking with the victory.

2009-10-05 | Jim Murphy

Veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia was released earlier this week by the Philadelphia Eagles, a victim of too many quarterbacks on the roster. Now that he’s no longer under contract to a NFL team, he’s letting his feelings be known about another one of his recent employers—the Oakland Raiders. There may be no team in the NFL more desperate for a quarterback than the Raiders, but Garcia quickly let it be known that he has no interest in returning to Oakland in an interview with Fox Sports Radio in which he slammed the team’s management and suggested that current quarterback Jamarcus Russell was in over his head.

2009-10-05 | Jim Murphy

If the NFL hasn’t already noticed, here’s some news—the San Francisco 49ers have become a pretty good football team. One week after a heartbreaking last minute loss at Minnesota, San Francisco got back on the winning track in a big way by throttling the hapless St. Louis Rams 35-0. After a scoreless first quarter, the Niners led 7-0 at halftime. In the second half, they poured it on scoring 14 points in each of the final two quarters. The Niners improved to 3-1 on the NFL season, while St. Louis dropped to 0-4.

2009-10-05 | Jim Murphy

After leading the New York Jets to an undefeated 3-0 start, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez finally looked the part of a first year NFL quarterback. Sanchez threw for 138 yards and no touchdowns, while dishing up three interceptions as the New Orleans Saints remained undefeated by beating the Jets 24-10. Darren Sharper returned one of Sanchez’s interceptions 99 yards the other way for a touchdown, and Will Harper forced another defensive touchdown as he recovered a fumble in the end zone. The Saints improved to 4-0 while the Jets dropped to 3-1.

2009-10-05 | Jim Murphy

The Miami Dolphins won their first game of the 2009 NFL season the old fashioned way—by playing tough defense and keeping possession of the football. The Dolphins’ defense held Buffalo to 206 yards of total offense and just 10 first downs while their offense held the ball for just over 37 minutes en route to a 38-10 drubbing of the Buffalo Bills. Both teams are now 1-3 on the NFL season, and of particular concern for Buffalo is their sputtering offense. It was a trouble spot all last season, and Buffalo has now scored a mere 17 points in their last two games.

2009-10-03 | Jim Murphy

South America will host the Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 2016, as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was awarded the honor on Friday. Rio beat out the US choice of Chicago, Illinois along with Tokyo, Japan and Madrid, Spain to earn the right to host the games. Despite a high pressure effort from the American power elite—including President Barak Obama and TV gabfest queen Oprah Winfrey—Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention. Tokyo was the next to go, before Rio got the nod over Madrid in the final round of balloting.

2009-10-03 | Jim Murphy

It wasn’t a great performance by the Montreal Canadiens to start the 2009 NHL season, but the important thing is that they got the win. Goaltender Carey Price performed well as he faced a barrage of 43 Toronto shots, and Josh Gorges scored the game winning goal with 12 seconds left in overtime as the Canadiens topped the Maple Leafs 4-3.

2009-10-03 | Jim Murphy

It’s only the first game of the NHL season, but the Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin is already hard at work defending his back-to-back MVP awards. That’s bad news for the Boston Bruins, who had the misfortune of facing Ovechkin and the Caps on opening night. ‘Ovie’ scored two goals and added an assist, and the Caps’ defense limited the Bruins to 20 shots on goal as Washington got the NHL season off to a winning start with a 4-1 win.

2009-10-02 | Jim Murphy

Jacksonville Jaguars’ quarterback David Garrard meant well when he agreed to host a weekly radio show. He figured it would be a chance to interact more personally with fans of the NFL team, give away some tickets and generally create some positive publicity for both him and the franchise. Unfortunately, Jaguars’ head coach Jack Del Rio thought otherwise—citing the scheduling of the show on Friday night, he told his quarterback to put his broadcasting aspirations on hold. He complied, and the show went off the air after only three weeks.

2009-10-02 | Jim Murphy

Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 119 yards and three touchdowns, while quarterback David Garrard played an efficient, mistake free game as the Jacksonville Jaguars put their first victory in the win column this NFL season with a 31-24 road victory over the Houston Texans. The Texans held a 21-17 lead at halftime, but Jacksonville outscored them 14-3 in the second half to earn the victory. Both teams are now 1-2 on the season.

2009-10-02 | Jim Murphy

No one expected the Oakland Raiders to be good this year, but the Denver Broncos are surprising people. After an off season full of controversy and turmoil and a disappointing preseason, the Broncos have opened the NFL regular season 3-0. Their latest victory came on the road, where they had no trouble at all dispensing with the Oakland Raiders by a final score of 23-3. Kyle Orton passed for 157 yards and a touchdown, while Jamarcus Russell had a pitiful afternoon as he produced only 61 yards passing and two interceptions. Orton has not thrown an interception this season and the Broncos as a team have committed just one turnover.

2009-10-01 | Jim Murphy

The Indianapolis Colts remained undefeated on the 2009 NFL season with a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, thanks to an amazingly efficient passing performance from Peyton Manning. Manning threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns against one interception, and the Colts had no trouble with the host Cardinals en route to a 31-10 victory. Cards QB Kurt Warner put up decent yardage numbers, throwing for 332 yards but only threw one touchdown while serving up two interceptions. Indianapolis improved to 3-0 with the win, while Arizona dropped to 1-2.

2009-10-01 | Jim Murphy

Jay Cutler is quickly leaving his miserable debut as Chicago Bears starting QB in the past. After opening his tenure under center for the Bears with a dreadful four interception performance, Cutler was solid throughout the game with 247 yards and three touchdowns against one interception. None of these were more important than the final drive of the game, which Cutler handled masterfully as the Bears came from behind to beat the Seattle Seahawks 25-19. Seneca Wallace played well for Seattle in his fill in role for injured starter Matt Hasselbeck, throwing for 261 yards and a touchdown against one interception. The Bears improved to 2-1 on the NFL season, while Seattle fell to 1-2.

2009-10-01 | Jim Murphy

The Buffalo Bills did a commendable job shutting down the high powered offense of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, holding Drew Brees to a season low 172 yards and no touchdown passes. The problem was that the Saints did an even better job against the Buffalo offense, keeping Terrell Owens shut out completely. ‘T.O.’ was held without a catch for the first time since his rookie year in 1996 as the Saints used a fourth quarter surge to defeat the Bills 27-7. New Orleans improved to 3-0 with the victory while the Bills dropped to 1-2.