Consolation no longer looms …
… it’s reality for the brave Hakkapeliitat.
The last game of the regular season was a defeat, and that means that a trip to the consolation row just began. On one hand it’s sad that the series of bowl appearances ground to a halt after four consecutive ones, on the other this was a long time coming.
Lost the last playoff spot by the smallest of margins, by placing fifth, after getting beaten by the team that finished fourth. The loss was entirely my own doing. Ran the wrong RBs - both guys on the bench reached the end zone, whereas Marion Barber, hero of two previous weeks with four TDs, ran a grand total of three carries. Picked up Vince Young for this round, and while he has the makings of a franchise quarterback, he wasn’t too productive this time around. Eli Manning, who had shown improvement the previous week was steady, but I misguidedly ran the Tennessee freshman instead.
So, at 7-7, it’s time to face the challenge of the consolation, and emerge at the top of that. Not as flashy as a bowl game, that’s for sure, but a decent goal nonetheless.
The Colts, who at one point looked like a sure thing were neatly trounced by the Jaguars, and they still haven’t clinched even their division yet. And Drew Brees sure has landed on his feet in New Orleans, showing with a five touchdown game that he’s not dependent on the top flight receivers he enjoyed working with in Chargers. Chargers, who are in scary form themselves, as LaDainian Tomlinson has already set a new record for regular season touchdowns - and there are still two games to go.
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