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The Scores Report has teamed up with EA Sports to discuss the best Heart Pumping Moments in sports. We thought it would be fun to take a look at the most heart-pumping Super Bowl moments from the 2000s. If you would like to share your most Heart Pumping Moments, leave them in the comments section and we’ll pick five readers to receive a copy of EA Sports Active 2 for the system of your choice! (Check out the rules and requirements at the bottom of this post.)

On to the heart-pumping Super Bowl moments of the 2000s!

1. David Tyree’s “helmet catch.”
Is there a better Super Bowl moment in the past decade than David Tyree’s “helmet catch?” Super Bowl XLII will best be remembered as one of the best upsets in the history of the NFL. The Patriots were looking to become only the second team in league history to finish the season undefeated and all that stood in their way was a Giants team that had been inconsistent before making the playoffs. The Giants were heavy underdogs coming into the game, but their pass rush stifled Tom Brady and held the explosive New England offense to only 14 points. Down 14-10 with only 1:15 remaining in the game, the Giants faced a 3rd-and-5 at their own 44. Eli Manning took the snap from shotgun and immediately had defensive linemen Richard Seymour, Jarvis Green and Adalius Thomas in his face. Thomas grabbed Manning by the shoulder while Seymour had the back of his jersey. Somehow Manning escaped the sack, scrambled backwards and then heaved a desperation pass downfield towards Tyree at the 34-yard line. Tyree, who had to adjust his route because of the Patriots’ pressure, caught the ball with both hands but safety Rodney Harrison had swiped his other arm. Amazingly, Tyree was able to secure possession of the ball with one hand by pressing it against the top of his helmet as both players fell to the ground. Given the situation, it was easily the play of the decade. It netted 32 yards and four players later, Manning hit Plaxico Burress for a touchdown to eventually give the Giants a 17-14 victory. Remarkable.

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A CBS News investigation has raised doubts about the conclusion authorities have come to regarding Steve McNair’s murder-suicide.

From CBSNews.com:

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ESPN.com also reports that McNair was also seeing a second woman besides Kazemi, and SPORTSbyBROOKS.com says there was a third woman as well.

I find it convenient that CBS “uncovered” all of this new information, yet provide zero facts proving that there was another person involved. Despite the evidence they have that the police screwed up the time line of the event, there’s nothing concrete to suggest that this wasn’t a murder-suicide.

CBS is going to have to do better than talk to a bunch of people who were close to Kazemi who claim it wasn’t in her nature to do something like this. People snap all the time and while that doesn’t always lead to murder, there’s no evidence to suggest that there was someone else involved. This just seems like CBS’ attempt to break a new story, when there’s very little here.

This story (from NFL Fanhouse.com) is freaking twisted:

Nothing says Halloween like the fake skeleton of an NFL quarterback murdered by his mistress. At least that was the initial opinion of King’s Island Amusement Park — because, as part of their Halloween Haunt show, a skeleton depicting Steve McNair wearing a No. 9 jersey and holding a Titans helmet with the top blown off was on display, an apparent reference to the two bullet wounds McNair suffered on the night he died. As if that weren’t enough, a skeleton depiction of Sahel Kazemi, McNair’s 20-year old mistress who Nashville police have said murdered the football star in the early morning hours of July 4, 2009, lies across the McNair skeleton’s lap, wearing a piece of slinky red lingerie.

In the display, the McNair figure sits on a couch, assuming the same position in which he was murdered, and the Kazemi figure rests on its lap. At the skeletons’ feet, a gun lies on the ground. The couple are just two of the familiar faces included in the Haunt: A skeleton depicting Heath Ledger is shown surrounded by bottles of pills (Ledger overdosed in January 2008), and a skeleton is dressed like Michael Jackson in pajamas. But it’s McNair’s image alongside his mistress that has the city of Nashville horrified.

George Plaster, the host of Nashville’s highest rated radio show at 104.5 The Zone, reacted with outrage. So did the callers on his show Wednesday evening. “I don’t think the city is going to take it well at all,” Plaster said, “This is a city that prides itself on having some taste and values, and I just can’t see anything about what they’re doing that has any good taste at all. I was shocked and totally appalled, and I think most people in Nashville are as well.”

This is one of the more classless, tasteless and over-the-line displays I have ever read about. I won’t post the pictures, but if you click on the NFL Fanhouse.com link at the top of this post so you can see them for yourself.

How anyone thought that this would be a good idea is beyond me.

Federal agents have arrested the man who allegedly provided the gun that was later used to kill former NFL quarterback Steve McNair.

Adrian J. Gilliam Jr., 33, of LaVergne, Tenn., was arrested Friday morning by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and faces a “felon in possession” charge, a source familiar with the case told ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky.

A criminal complaint unsealed Friday in Nashville says that Gilliam — who was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery in 1993 in Florida — admitted he sold the gun to the woman who later shot McNair.

Detectives traced the gun, a 9 mm Bryco/Jennings, to its 2002 sale at a pawn shop, according to the complaint. Gilliam eventually bought it from an individual for $100 about a year ago.

Investigators said Gilliam told them he bought the gun for protection after his home was burglarized, and police reports indicate he did report a burglary about the time of the gun purchase.

According to court documents, Gilliam admitted to detectives he sold the gun to Kazemi for $100.
Kazemi met the person when she was trying to sell her car. She mentioned to him that she was looking to buy a gun and he told her he had one for sale, police said. The sale took place two days before McNair’s shooting.

It’s amazing how easy it is to attain a loaded weapon on the street these days. Reports state that Kazemi was worried about potential financial issues, but for just $100 she was able to buy a gun that took the life of her and McNair.

It’s nice to see that authorities caught the trash lid that provided her with the gun though. Who knows how many other people he’s supplied (or would have supplied) with weapons had police not arrested him.

- NBA TIPOFF has great video of the Top 10 Buzzer Beaters of 2009.

- THE DAILY BEAST has a funny (but harsh) take on Steve McNair’s murder, claiming that had Saleh Kazemi had followed the “rules” of being a sports mistress, the situation wouldn’t have unfolded like it did.

- DEADSPIN has the surprising news that no one cares that Manny Ramirez used PEDs as Dodgers fans embraced his return to L.A. Thursday night.

- Even though it might seem like a daunting task at this point, BICYCLING.COM writes that Lance Armstrong will pull ahead and win his eighth Tour de France.

- FIVE TOOL TOOL lists 10 ways that the Minnesota Timberwolves will woo Ricky Rubio.

According to court documents, slain former NFL quarterback Steve McNair didn’t leave a will and therefore a judge in Nashville has ruled that his wife Mechelle will oversee his estate.

Davidson County Probate Judge Randy Kennedy granted Mechelle McNair’s request to administer the estate and gave her 60 days to file an inventory of her late husband’s assets. She says in court documents that she did not know her late husband’s worth, but documents contend it is “of sufficient size to be administered.”

Police say McNair was shot to death on July 4 by a girlfriend who later turned the gun on herself. Nashville police have ruled it a murder-suicide.

Mechelle McNair listed herself and her two sons, Tyler and Trenton McNair, as the heirs to the estate. McNair also has two other sons from a previous relationship.

Without knowing the full details of this situation, it’s not fair for me to comment on McNair’s financial situation. But I can’t help but feel happy that McNair’s wife and sons are now in control of his estate. Nothing will bring back their husband and father, but at least everyone is financially taken care of for the foreseeable future.

Nick Capena of the San Diego Union Tribune feels that our country all too easily labels our athletes as “heroes” despite their dramatic lives. He cites recently deceased Steve McNair as an example, saying he was a talented athlete undeserving of the “hero” tag because of his adulterous relations.

They do not save lives on operating tables. They do not put on badges every day. They do not rush to put out fires. They do not teach our children for paltry sums.

Steve McNair did not die a hero, but then, he never was one. He was a football player, a quarterback, one of the NFL’s great combatants while with the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens. By all accounts he was a terrific team leader and clubhouse presence and did so many things for the Nashville community.

But McNair was found dead a week ago yesterday in his Nashville, Tenn., condo, shot to death by his girlfriend, who police say then turned the gun on herself. McNair was married, with four sons, and he reportedly was about to leave his assassin, 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, for another woman. He was an adulterer, far less fortunate than many athletes who can wear the same label.

This is not a black-and-white thing. It is not a brown or yellow thing. Was Mark McGwire a hero? Ken Caminiti? Nicole Bobek? Tonya Harding? Is Jason Giambi? Michael Phelps?

So they disappoint us, our “heroes.” And yet, because we are what we have become, because the dumbing down of America seems to have no finish line or end zone, we can’t go to sleep at night without their posters on our bedroom walls. We must have their jerseys and wear their shoes.

It’s a pretty annoying article if you ask me. It’s unfair to say that just because you own an athlete’s jersey or have their poster on your wall that this individual is one of your heroes. And I don’t know where Capena is getting the impression from that American adults view athletes as heroes. If anybody thinks this, it’s children, primarily because the athlete plays the sport they play at the time. However, children can’t necessarily distinguish between a “role model” and a “hero.” There’s a big difference between admiring and idolizing someone. Most adults understand this discrepancy, and I don’t know anybody over 20 who would legitimately claim an athlete is their hero and somebody they aspire to be like. There’s obviously much more to be discussed about this subject, but I think it’s a waste of our time. Capena is broaching a monotonous topic. Athletes are not heroes to most American sports fans. They’re heroes to children who don’t know any better. To most of us, at the end of the day, athletes are just entertainers.

- SPORTSbyBROOKS has details of Ray Lewis reading the eulogy at former Ravens quarterback Steve McNair’s funeral.

- DEADSPIN has the story (and audio) of Chris “Mad Dog” Russo’s epic meltdown on satellite radio the other day, where he fired his program director on air.

- THE BIG LEAD has five of the worst hot stove signings so far this season.

- YARDBARKER (via DEADSPIN) has the story of entertaining boxer Arutro Gatti, who was reportedly killed in Brazil.

According to a report by the Nashville Tennessean, Tennessee state medical examiners conducted autopsies on the bodies of Steve McNair and his mistress Sahel Kazemi, and found gunpowder on Kazemi’s hands from the gun that was found under body at the scene.

Feng Li, the assistant medical examiner who conducted the autopsies, said he will wait for the investigation to be closed before he completes Kazemi’s death certificate to reflect that she died of suicide.
“The results were very consistent in supporting our decision,” Li said.
Gunshot residue and ballistics testing are also consistent with a ruling of murder-suicide, Li said.
“With the lab tests to be obtained combined with the autopsy findings, we will put a final opinion on the death certificate,” Li said.

This essentially all but wraps up the “how,” but the “why” may never been realized. Whether she was upset that McNair wouldn’t leave his wife for her or had some kind of mental deficiencies, we may never know.

What’s sad is that McNair was cheating on his wife and because of it, his four sons don’t have a father anymore. Everyone makes mistakes and I’m not one to preach about someone should live their life, but this is just another situation where people need to realize the full consequences of their actions. I feel for McNair’s wife and her four sons.

Updated: McNair’s shooting has officially been ruled a murder-suicide.

According to a report by SI.com, the 20-year old woman that was found shot to death along with former NFL quarterback Steve McNair purchased the gun that was found at the scene.

Police say the gun found at the scene where former NFL star Steve McNair died was bought by his girlfriend less than two days before the two were shot to death.

Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said Monday that 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi bought the semiautomatic handgun Thursday evening from a person he didn’t name.

An autopsy showed that McNair and Kazemi died early Saturday. He was shot four times and his death has been ruled a homicide. She was shot once and Aaron said police are still waiting for ballistic and gunpowder residue tests before deciding if she was slain or committed suicide.
Aaron said that as far as he knows McNair was not with Kazemi when she got the gun.

You don’t need Gil Grissom to figure this one out; all signs point to preemptive murder on her part. She bought the gun, shot him for whatever reason and then shot herself. Obviously all of the details haven’t been released yet, but considering police aren’t even looking for suspects, it seems clear that this was a murder-suicide.

But what’s not clear is why Kazemi did this and that’s something we may never find out.