Despite his well publicized contract holdout - Reggie Bush has given New Orleans fans much more than just highlight reels and a first place team. Reggie donates significant time to help New Orleans (so does Drew Brees) and has run a series of charity auctions on eBay. The most coveted auction is a meet & greet with Reggie - apparently it lasts 15 minutes, includes photos and signings. Unfortunately, its already approaching $3,000 with 3 days remaining - and that only includes airfare on Southwest!

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His best catches according to ESPN - after the commercial interlude:

It is the result of a football season full of fight and energy that finally makes the grade!

From the first game of the season through every game, you dream of making the playoffs. Just when it looks like you may not make it, and you protect your heart by saying things like, “it’s ok, I knew we wouldn’t be able to make it anyway”, then the reality hits that you still have an opportunity to rise to the top. You shift the mood to ‘maybe we still have a chance, if only’!

It’s the night of the big game that can make the difference; everyone is pumped and fans are focusing on the most talked about players on the opponents team. Just so happens that the reality is their reputations outweigh your confidence tonight. Your coaches have decided to change the defensive formation planning to outsmart the opponent. However, the defensive team feels strongly that the right thing to do tonight with so much at stake is to hang tough in the formation you are all comfortable with, working as a strong defensive unit…with no choice as an option, you have to follow their lead and just hope for the best!

The game begins and things don’t look so good! Pouring down rain, the field is soaked with puddles everywhere. Will the coaches gut ideas pan out or will they bring about our loss. Trying with every breath to believe in the coaches, working the new formation, suddenly your gut tells you that everything will be alright! Rain pouring into your helmets, wind blowing fighting to see the opponent is a major accomplishment, let alone owning the plays. It is time to do or be done!

Confidence in the coaches call begins to increase and the excitement builds as you overtake the opponent with your first touchdown. You are only ahead by one touchdown and feeling pretty good. Then the tables are no longer leaning to your side, fouls are called and penalties push you back, then they score, and things seem to go down hill. Reality is you don’t look so good and you really don’t feel very good anymore either.

Everyone knows it is time to bring in the big gun defensive players. What are the coaches waiting for? The fans and the team have pressure of the mind sending subliminal messages to all coaches on the field. They are asking just where is the defensive unit that works like an iron fence that is linked like a chain. WOW, at the moment you were giving up hope on the coaches, they feel the heat, they get the message and on the field comes the tight defensive line, pumped and ready for the fight. Confidence takes over the stadium, we are going to make it. We have it in the bag or do we?

The rest remains history. The defense stops the opponent in their tracks. They leave no room for the opponent’s offense to make any plays! They clinched it tonight, they stood strong and tough, they are the ‘Iron Defensive Line’. The clock is counting down, 58 seconds seems like 8 minutes. Finally, the sound goes off and the game is over!!!

It happened, the birth of our playoff! There is only one thing on our minds right now, Will we Deliver the State???

Wow. 4 interceptions. Awful, time-killing sacks. Continually shaky throws. Why didn’t Charlie Batch play again? Why didn’t the usually-smart Steelers brass bench Big Ben? For god’s sake the defense was superb - holding the Raiders to under 100 yards of offense. But Ben’s 4 ints lead to ALL the Raiders points and he couldn’t convert the entire game. He should be called:

Big Mistake
Big Benched
Big Interception
Big Bastard
Big No Helmet
Big Queesy

Update - this great photo from SI.com says it all. Look at Big Ben’s disgusted face behind the INT return for a TD

Today and today only - you can get preorders in at Toys R Us for the Nintedo Wii and Playstation 3. Each Toys R Us is expected to get 6-12 orders depending on their size. I’m personally more excited about the Wii - $199 vs. $799 and the controller looks unreal! Playing any sports game on the Wii looks far too fun and truly different.

Already down to Jacksonville (though McNabb should be able to bring them back…) - this video clip must be gut wrenching. We watched it at the sports bar and my friend, who had bet on the eagles, spit up his coffee after the 62 yard field goal was struck perfectly.

With USC’s rather remarkable upset, there is a new #3 in the top 25 and its West Virginia. That leaves four undefeated teams remaining: Ohio State, Michigan, West Virginia and Louisville. Of course either Ohio State or Michigan will finish with at least one loss as they play each other in under three weeks… clearly the greatest game of 2007.

AP Top 25 Poll
Rank Team Record Pts Pvs
1. Ohio St. (63) 9-0 1,623 1
2. Michigan 9-0 1,547 2
3. West Virginia (2) 7-0 1,494 4
4. Texas 8-1 1,397 5
5. Louisville 7-0 1,278 6
6. Auburn 8-1 1,250 7
7. Florida 7-1 1,243 9
8. Tennessee 7-1 1,232 8
9. Southern Cal 6-1 1,059 3
10. California 7-1 1,040 12
11. Notre Dame 7-1 1,037 11
12. Arkansas 7-1 935 13
13. LSU 6-2 842 14
14. Boise St. 8-0 688 15
15. Rutgers 7-0 644 16
16. Boston College 7-1 624 18
17. Wisconsin 8-1 617 17
18. Oklahoma 6-2 589 19
19. Clemson 7-2 435 10
20. Georgia Tech 6-2 402 21
21. Texas A&M 8-1 353 22
22. Wake Forest 7-1 246 24
23. Virginia Tech 6-2 188 –
24. Oregon 6-2 167 25
25. Washington St. 6-3 40 –

Either way… I actually find myself feeling bad for Terrell Owens! Is that crazy to say? Which ever of the two starts - they can’t get the ball to TO (they can’t even throw the ball without getting sacked). That Bledsoe interception was one of the worst I’ve ever seen!