It’s stories like this that really make me love Chad Ochocinco! You never know what he’s going to pull next.
Last week against their division rivals the Baltimore Ravens Ochocinco “playfully” tried to bribe an NFL official with a folded dollar bill!!
With the Cincinnati Bengals up 14-3 in the third quarter, Ochocinco caught a 15-yard pass near the sideline. The side judge ruled it a catch, but the Ravens argued that Ochocinco’s foot was out of bounds. While the ref looked at the replay, Ochocinco borrowed a dollar bill from an assistant and playfully tried to pass it to the official.
The receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals is always stealing the show. That’s why you either love him or you hate him.
Brett Favre went back to Green Bay with his new team and made them eat their boo’s. Not bad for an old man… read more about the game from ESPN.com:
GREEN BAY, Wis. — If it were up to Brett Favre — and these days, I’m pretty sure everything is — fans departing Lambeau Field late Sunday would have had one collective thought.
“I hope that everyone in the stadium watching tonight said, ‘I sure hate that that joker is on the other side, but he does play the way he’s always played,’” he said.
Favre’s renaissance was never more apparent than Sunday, when he took control of a seesaw game at precisely the moment the Minnesota Vikings needed him most in an eventual 38-26 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
A 23-7 run had allowed the Packers to pull within 31-26. The clock showed 5 minutes and 38 seconds remaining in the game, and it was time for someone to grab the moment and for someone else to slink back.
On that count, Favre again proved there is no one better. He pushed the Vikings into the end zone in four plays, the last a 16-yard scoring strike to receiver Bernard Berrian on third-and-11. The touchdown pass, Favre’s fourth of the day, put away the Packers as only a seasoned winner can do, putting an exclamation point on Favre’s return to Lambeau and providing further documentation of his impact on the Vikings.
You’ve probably heard, once or twice, that Favre played 16 years in Green Bay. Trust me when I tell you he took special satisfaction in beating the Packers for the second time this season. But to me, it’s important to focus on the bigger point as well: Not only has Favre put the Vikings (7-1) exactly where they hoped to be, but he has left the Packers (4-3) precisely in the place they have most feared: Below him in the standings.
“The largest storyline was who was going to be in first place in the NFC North,” said Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman.
Favre has almost single-handedly eliminated his former team from that race. In two games against them, he completed 69 percent of his passes for seven touchdowns. He was neither intercepted nor sacked. Sunday, he was two steps ahead at every turn.
“We tried to put pressure on them with blitzes,” Packers cornerback Charles Woodson said. “And he either pointed them out and set the protection the right way, or threw the ball quick and we weren’t able to get to him. We felt like we had enough things called — and still we can’t get to him for whatever reason. Right now we can’t win the big game.”
There’s little doubt Favre is in the Packers’ heads. They know he has fallen prey to his emotions before, and they hoped a raucous Lambeau crowd — combined with more pressure — would jar him into some early mistakes. Instead, the opposite occurred. The Packers choked in the early going, falling behind 14-3 early in the second quarter and taking more sacks (four) than first downs (three) into the halftime locker room.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers escaped the pocket a few times in the second half, the biggest reason why the Packers offense briefly sprung to life. But on this night, he was no match for a rival who was too focused to let the opportunity fall away.
“I can’t tell you how many text messages I’ve gotten from guys just in passing today and yesterday,” Favre said. “’Hey, you’re going to play great. I know you’re nervous.’ I’m like, ‘Easy for you to say.’ But they were right again. I don’t know. It’s awful stressful to feel that way every week. I’d like to feel a little more relaxed. But I’m also pleased with the way I’ve played in these games.”
I suppose it’s possible the Vikings would have won Sunday with one of their other quarterbacks, Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels. The Vikings hadn’t won here in the Brad Childress era, so I’m dubious of that possibility. Regardless, there’s no one I’d rather have right now, with 5:38 remaining and the game in the balance, than Favre. And here’s one thing I am sure of: If Favre were not with the Vikings, there is no way there would be a 2.5-game difference between the teams in the standings.
Perhaps that’s why Vikings placekicker Ryan Longwell, 35, mobbed Favre, 40, after the final gun. Longwell, who kicked for Green Bay for nine seasons, knew how special and unique Favre’s accomplishment is.
“Unless you play here and have gone through it you just don’t know,” Longwell said. “It goes beyond just winning. It’s a special victory.”
Favre said his emotions began rising Sunday morning near the end of a 30-minute bus ride from the team hotel to Lambeau Field. He saw “a few fingers” as the bus pulled into the parking lot, he joked, but there was never a time when I thought Favre was close to letting the crowd get the best of him.
He celebrated heartily after tight end Visanthe Shiancoe’s 12-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, and at one point he appeared to be jawing with Packers defensive end Cullen Jenkins. Otherwise, however, Favre remained stoic. After the game, he spent several minutes embracing former teammates — Rodgers, Donald Driver and Al Harris among them — and said he was had no intentions to throw any “daggers.”
“I’d like to think I always handle myself with class,” he said. “It’s always tougher when you lose. I understand that. Never been one to rub it in anyone’s face. Guys I’ve played with as a Packer, I’ve got a lot of respect for. As I do this organization and these fans.”
So where does this leave us? For the first time that I can remember, Favre used the words “Super Bowl” in talking about the Vikings’ prospects this season. Up until Sunday, Favre had been saying he hopes to get the team “where we want to be.”
With a 7-1 performance in the first half of the season, the Vikings have pushed themselves onto the short list of favorites for this year’s championship.
“I want to lead this Viking team to the Super Bowl,” Favre said. “Believe me. I do. I’m going to do everything in my power. … At this point, we’ve put ourselves in a good position.”
They wouldn’t be there, of course, were it not for two victories over his former team. And the Vikings would not have swept the Packers without him.
“Am I pleased with the way these two games have turned out?” Favre said. “Yes, absolutely. I knew I could play. My arm feels great. My arm is in a good place. The team has welcomed me in. All the other stuff doesn’t matter. It makes a good story. I know it. [But] I’m glad it’s over. I’m glad we won them both.”
Last week a missed 44-yard-field goal on the game’s final play was the only reason that the Vikings left undefeated- this weekend they weren’t so lucky. The Steelers handed the Vikings their first loss of the season Sunday afternoon on the Heinz Field.
Every game is important, but if you look at Minnesota’s season from the big picture — and so far that’s 6-1, with your one loss being on the home field of the super bowl champions things aren’t so bad.
That’s probably why the Vikings fans didn’t seem to be too distraught after the loss…or it could be because those who have been loyal Minnesota fans have been conditioned for these losses.
There’s a reason why these guys are the pros.
I’ll admit it, I made fun of Brett for coming back for a 3rd go at it, but damn if he doesn’t prove me wrong with incredible plays like this to win football games… also, props to Greg Lewis for a spectacular catch. Wow:
Despite numerous attempts by responsible people everywhere it seems that rookie hazing will never go out of style! It’s to see the tradition is still respected by the time players get to the pros! Here are some classics from the NFL as told by Amog.com:
5. Can I Have Your Autograph?
Some of us will never get to know what it feels like to be asked for an autograph. I bet it’s a thrill for a rookie in the NFL. However, it turns out that this was just a prank for QB Kyle Orton in 2005.
Bear’s center Olin Kreutz asked Orton to sign a helmet for his family. The autographed helmet was not for Kreutz’s family. Instead the helmet in question actually belonged to one Kyle Orton, who if you haven’t guessed, had to practice in it.
4. The Bicycle Tree
Even some of the best NFL players need a laugh here and there. Joe Montana was known to put rookie’s bikes in different trees.
It seems a little tacky and harmless, but considering that the practice field was only about a quarter-mile from the housing facility, bikes were the main source of transportation. After a tough day on the field a player would have to fetch his bike from a tree, only to discover that he just got someone else’s bike down.
3. Payback is a Bitch
There’s a rule that even non-NFL players know – do what the Vets tell you. I guess OT Chris Colmer didn’t get that message.
In 2005, FB Mike Alstott asked the rookie to get him a Gatorade. Colmer decided to be a wise guy and drew a map to the fridge for Alstott instead. As redemption, Alstott took the wheels off of Colmer’s car and left a map on the windshield to where the tires were.
2. Hey Mom! I Made The Pro-Bowl!
Maurice Jones-Drew retold this prank, as what he perceived as a funny joke, about rookie DE Quentin Groves in 2008.
One of the Jags defensive linemen told Groves that he had made the Pro Bowl. A dream come true, right? Groves did the natural thing and called his family, friends, etc. in his excitement. After practice his teammates broke the news that it was just a joke. I would hate to have made that return call.
1. When The Saints Go Hazing
When Ditka coached the Saints back in 1998 he may have let some pranks go a little too far. Not one, but two players, were injured during a hazing incident. On the final night of camp the Vets forced the rookies to run the gauntlet. They were kicked, elbowed and hit with bags filled of coins as they made their way through.
Rookie Tight End Cam Cleeland got smacked in the left eye and had to go to get a CAT scan. He even had to go to an eye specialist to make sure everything was alright. During the same night, rookie DT Jeff Danish put his hand through a window after the gauntlet. Danish went on to sue the Saints, six players and an assistant coach for assault, which was settled out of court.
I love watching Ochocinco in interviews and on the field- you can never guess what he’s going to do or say.
The three Bengal fans that caught Ochocinco after his touchdown in the third quarter had apparently been ready and praying for that moment all game long.
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, “Ochocinco wrote on his Twitter account last week that he wanted to jump into the crowd at Lambeau Field if he scored a touchdown. Mike Bergs, a 31-year-old Bengals fan in Illinois, told the newspaper he responded to the post by saying he’d be willing to make the trip to Green Bay to catch the receiver.”
Ochocinco then sent 4, front-row tickets to the loyal fan who caught him safely during his celebratory leap into the crowd.
“That was one of the most pure, fun moments for us as Bengals fans,” Bergs said.
–In February of 2008 Plaxico Burress caught the touchdown pass that caused the last minute win for the the Giants.
–In late November 2008 Burress shot himself in the thigh at a Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan.
–Today he’s sentenced to a two years prison term.
Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre has set yet another NFL record.
Favre started Sunday for the 271st straight time in the regular season and threw two touchdown passes to help the Minnesota Vikings beat the Detroit Lions 27-13.
His 271st start put him ahead of defensive end Jim Marshall’s previous mark of 270 games in a row for Minnesota from 1961-1979.
Before the first touch down of the season the Cowboys are out on top…in value that is.
At $1.65 billion, the Cowboys are, according to Forbes magazine, worth more than any other American-based sports team.
Read more about the value of the Dallas Cowboys.
PLAY
