The Colts' Sunday night Super Bowl victory marked the end of a memorable 2006 NFL season. A look at the ten best (with an obvious infusion of New York bias):
10. Mangenius beats his mentor. After Bill Belichick refused to acknowledge him during press conferences leading up to the Patriots' Week 10 clash with the Jets, Eric Mangini made sure his former mentor would never forget his name. Mangini's Jets scored the 17-14 upset in muddy Foxborough, dealing New England a two-game losing streak for the first time in 57 regular season games.
9. Bears stun the Cards on Monday night. Despite six turnovers from quarterback Rex Grossman - three more than he had in the Super Bowl - Chicago used a 24-point second half, capped by Devin Hester's 83-yard punt return, to overcome a 20-0 halftime deficit and stun the Arizona Cardinals 24-23 on Oct. 16. But what makes this game most memorable is Arizona coach Dennis Green's postgame press conference, where he banged on the podium and infamously proclaimed, "The Bears are who we thought they were!" He was fired at the end of the season.
8. LT sets single-season TD mark. With two touchdowns in a 47-second stretch late in the game, Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson broke Shaun Alexander's mark of 28 touchdowns in a season as San Diego crushed Denver 48-20 during Week 14. LT called his entire offensive line to celebrate with him in the end zone.
7. Vinsanity hits Tennessee: Titans rookie quarterback Vince Young made several lasting impressions during his first season in powder-puff blue. On Nov. 26, the former University of Texas star led the Titans back from a 21-point fourth quarter deficit to shock the Giants 24-21. Two weeks later, he ran for a 39-yard touchdown in overtime to beat the Texans. Don't worry, Houston, you still have Mario Williams.
6. Troy Brown saves the Pats. When Chargers DB Marlon McCree intercepted Tom Brady late in the fourth quarter, it should have secured an eight-point victory for San Diego and a berth in the AFC Championship game. But when McCree inexplicably began running the ball back, Brown forced McCree to fumble, returning possession to the Pats. Brady took care of the rest, as New England pulled out the 24-21 win.
5. Long shots. This year, for the first time ever, two players kicked field goals of at least 60 yards in the same season. On Oct. 22, Tampa kicker Matt Bryant nailed a 62-yarder to give the Bucs a last-second 23-21 victory over the Eagles. A month and a half later, Titans kicker Rob Bironas booted a 60-yard field goal in the waning seconds of his team's stunning victory over Indianapolis.
4. Tiki carries Giants to playoffs. Having lost six of their last seven games, the Giants faced a near must-win situation on Week 17 to make the playoffs. In his final regular season game, Tiki Barber ran for 234 yards, the best rushing performance by anyone in the NFL in 2006, as Big Blue squeaked past Washington 34-28. Barber retired at the end of the season.
3. Hester takes it 108 yards. After Giants kicker Jay Feely's field goal attempt fell short of the uprights, Chicago rookie Devin Hester took the ball eight yards deep in his own end zone and raced past a New York defense that was inattentively heading off the field for a record-tying 108-yard touchdown run. The runback keyed a 38-20 Week 10 win for Chicago.
2. Peyton's ride through the playoffs. Peyton Manning permanently rid himself of a legion of doubters this postseason by leading the Colts to two come-from-behind wins in the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl, respectively. The comeback against the Patriots was the largest in conference championship history, while the rally against the Bears gave the Colts their first Super Bowl since the days of Johnny Unitas.
1. Saints return home. After a year-long absence following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints played their first game in the Superdome on Week 3 against the Falcons. Just 90 seconds into the game, the Saints took a lead they would not relinquish, improving to 3-0 and giving the Big Easy a reason to cheer.
-by Sapna Bansil
