Play Ball

The top receiver from the college ranks, Michael Crabtree, will enter the NFL draft for the 2009 season.

Crabtree, a two-time All American, announced his plans to leave Texas Tech on Tuesday along with teammate and junior defensive end Brandon Williams.

Crabtree played only two seasons at Texas Tech and redshirted for one season, making him three years removed from high school and eligible for the draft.

He totaled 231 catches for 3,127 yards, and 41 touchdowns in only his two seasons.

His passing partner, Graham Harrell, just finished his senior season and is considering entering the NFL draft.

Crabtree is more than likely going to be selected in the top ten of the first round of the draft.

Indianapolis Colts head coach and one of the most well respected men in the league, Tony Dungy, has decided to retire from football.

Dungy led the Colts to a Super Bowl victory following the 2006 season and has been pondering retirement since that victory.

He is the only African American coach to win a Super Bowl in league history. He is also the only head coach in league history to make the playoffs 10 consecutive seasons.

Dungy has also coached for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC. He turned Peyton Manning, winless in the playoffs before Dungy arrived, into a dominant, championship quarterback.

Before he won the Super Bowl, Dungy’s 18 year old son James committed suicide in December of 2005.

Dungy plans on spending his time with his family and mentoring teenagers and young adults during his retirement.

The San Diego Chargers are without their feature running back, LaDainian Tomlinson for their divisional round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Tomlinson will be replaced in the backfield by Darren Sproles. Sproles totaled 105 yards rushing against the Colts and totaled 328 yards of total offense from scrimmage in the same game.

Tomlinson is suffering from a detached tendon in his groin and didn’t play a lot in the game against the Colts last week.

Tomlinson rushed for 1,110 yards during the regular season for the Chargers. The last time the Chargers faced the Steelers, Tomlinson rushed for 57 yards and the game’s only touchdown in an 11-10 loss.

Two more teams were eliminated from the NFL playoffs on Saturday; one from each league.

Saturday afternoon and evening saw the Baltimore Ravens invade Tennessee and upset the AFC’s number one seed, the Titans, by a score of 13-10 to advance to the AFC Championship game.

The Titans turned the ball over three times en route to the loss. Ravens kicker Matt Stover hit a 43 yard field goal with 53 seconds left in regulation for the game winner.

Baltimore QB Joe Flacco became the first rookie QB in NFL history to win two playoff games. His Ravens beat the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs last week.

The nightcap saw the Arizona Cardinals, who were 2-19 since 2003 in games played on the East Coast, eliminate the number two seed in the NFC, the Carolina Panthers by a score of 33-13. The Cardinals were also 0-5 on the East Coast in 2008 heading into this game.

The Panthers were previously undefeated at home. The Cardinals led the game 27-7 at halftime and cruised in the second half to the NFC Championship game. They will face either the Giants at Giants Stadium or the Eagles at home for a berth in the Super Bowl.

They forced six Panther turnovers in the game, all of them from QB Jake Delhomme. Delhomme lost one fumble and threw five interceptions.

Sunday’s games pit division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants against each other in the NFC and inter-division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers against each other in the AFC.