FOOTBALL

In Sunday Night Football, it was the Philadelphia Eagles heading to play the Dallas Cowboys.  The Cowboys have been on a tear since firing their head coach Wade Phillips and replacing him with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.  These guys may not be playoff bound, but they play every week with a chip on their shoulder.  Even aging quarterback Jon Kitna has been stellar for the Cowboys.  Well, they would have to contain Michal Vick and the red-hot Eagles.  They kept the game close for a while, even taking the lead in the 3rd quarter.   Kitna threw 242 yards and 2 touchdowns.  But, in the end, the Eagles simply know how to get it done.  Vick was amazing yet again with 2 passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown to boot.  And Eagles running-back LeSean McCoy was a beast, posting 149 yards on the ground.  It’s very possible that the Eagles may face off against Vick’s former team, the Atlanta Falcons, in the NFC Championship.  We shall see.  Philadelphia 30, Dallas 27.

Elsewhere in the NFL, some controversy out of New York.  The Jets started off this season strong, but they have been playing horribly the past few weeks.  This was extremely evident during their punishment delivered by the New England Patriots.  They hoped to put that game behind them playing host to the Miami Dolphins.  The Dolphins, oddly, have been playing their best football… on the road.  Well, this game was purely ugly.  Gross performances on offense and defense for both squads.  Santonio Holmes even dropped a wide open pass in the end zone from Mark Sanchez.  It basically seemed that the team that made just one less mistake would win the game.  Since the Jets couldn’t get anything done — they got frustrated.  So frustrated that the sideline coaching staff felt the compulsion to cheat.  In a routine punt, Dolphins special teams player Nolan Carroll was tripped (subtly) by Jets conditioning coach Sal Alosi.  This resulted in an injury to Carroll.  This is putrid behavior and shouldn’t even happen at the High School yet alone professional level.  It’s most likely that Alosi will be fired from the team.  Miami 10, NY Jets 6.

And in college football, the coaching position at the University of Miami (aka The U) has been filled.  After an extensive search, the Hurricanes have found their man to turn the program around.  They hired Temple coach Al Golden to take the reigns.  Golden completely turned around a putrid Temple football program over the past few seasons.  Temple was 1-11 when Golden came around, and over the past two seasons Golden won 17 games.  He even beat a Connecticut team that is headed to play powerhouse Oklahoma in a BCS bowl game.  Miami is hoping that Golden can help bring the Hurricanes back into the conversation for the National Championship.