After going on an emotional roller coaster this weekend, we are left with nothing but a beautiful mess. Let’s five!
5. White Shoes
After rookie safety Justin Simmons completed a successful double dutch over the Saints line, he blocked a game winning extra point which fellow rookie Will Parks scooped up and took all the way to the end zone for a two point score giving Denver a win outta nowhere. It was a great play except that Will Parks did not make it to the end zone because he was clearly out of bounds. Unfortunately for the Saints, there was reasonable doubt because it was unclear on replay if Parks was out of bounds on his return due to his brilliant white shoes blending in with the out-of-bounds paint so perfectly that referees had to award Denver the two points. It was a shameful and heinous crime but it was very well executed.
4. Majority Draws
The fight of the night at UFC 205 was the Welterweight Championship bout between Tyron Woodley and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. It was an unbelievable fight. Wonderboy displayed a will to survive unlike anything I have ever seen. He was bludgeoned on the mat in the first round and somehow avoided tapping or passing out when he was in Woodley’s clutches for a deep guillotine in the 4th. In the rounds where he wasn’t escaping death, Wonderboy outclassed Woodley with good old fashioned Karate. At the end of the fight Bruce Buffer announced Woodley the winner by Split Decision with the judges scores at 47-47, 47-47, 48-47. Woodley keeps the belt! Unfortunately, those scores reflect a MAJORITY DRAW and not a SPLIT DECISION Bruce! One judge had Woodley as the winner but the other two had it a draw, hence the “Majority Draw” ruling. Not quite a Steve Harvey moment but a slight blemish on the storied career of combat sports’ most HYPE ring announcer.
3. Kam Chancellor
It’s been almost two years since the goal line play at Super Bowl 49 that will haunt Seahawks fans for the rest of their lives. On Sunday Night Football against New England though, Kam Chancellor’s heads up play to fall backward as Gronk engaged him on a game deciding 4th and goal was a nice way to give Seattle and Pete Carroll a little revenge. Chancellor outsmarted the cheaters as they were obviously looking to score a flag instead of points.
2. James Harrison
When asked to assess the Steeler defense after they had their hearts ripped from their chest by Ezekial Elliot in a 35-30 loss to Big D, maniac linebacker James Harrison said his team was “totally (censored for radio)” and “quite terrible.” The Steelers were able to contain Dak Prescott. The damage done by DP was minimal, but what the Steelers allowed Zeke to do was unacceptable for any NFL defense. I don’t think anyone could analyze the so-called “Steel Curtain’s” performance better than that. Quite perceptive!
1. Chaos
The number 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 14, and 17 teams all lost this weekend. Nick Saban’s team is the only team that we know for sure belongs in the College Football Playoffs. What comes from the chaos around the Tide we can only guess and hope that they rise like a phoenix to save us from another Alabama Championship.