D.J. Williams | February 9, 2010 in Theological Reflections | Comments (0)
Tags: Faith, Football, Matt Stover, Sovereignty, Super Bowl
I had a bit of a double-take moment watching the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl Sunday night. Colts kicker Matt Stover had just pushed a big 51-yard field goal a couple feet wide left, when the camera caught him turning and pointing both index fingers skyward in that “glory-to-God” motion that it seems you see all the time from athletes after a big play. My first thought was oh, man – he doesn’t realize he missed it. It was just then that announcer Jim Nantz explained “Matt Stover, a deeply spiritual man, does that every time – make or miss.”
In sports, like in all of life, it’s easy to acknnowledge God after a big victory. But praising God after missing a crucial field goal in a one-point game in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl? That, you don’t see so often. Here’s what Stover had to say in a 2003 interview with Baptist Press…
“Through my career I have to first and foremost honor Him,” Stover said. “It’s not about me, it’s about Him. When I point up I’m giving thanks — not only when I get a field goal but also when I miss one. It’s life’s trials that make you grow the most, not the good times.”
That kind of attitude demonstrates a mature faith. Just ask Job, who came through unimaginable suffering only to remark about God, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,but now my eye sees you.” The same God that is sovereign over our best moments is also firmly at the wheel when it seems the wheels have fallen off. He is deserving of our praise just the same in those moments, because we can trust his promise that he is working all things for our good. Matt Stover reminds himself of that reality by pointing to the sky in the triumphs and disappointments of his football career. Let his example be a reminder to you as well.
D.J. Williams | February 8, 2010 in Sports | Comments (2)
Tags: Football, NFL, Super Bowl
You can find out by answering this simple question…
The Super Bowl is in the books (congrats, Saints). Does that mean…
a) Football season is over.
b) Only 2 months until draft day.
D.J. Williams | January 13, 2010 in Games | Comments (0)
Tags: Backbreaker, Football, Video, Video Games
A commenter asked a question yesterday about the upcoming football video game Backbreaker. The game has finally found a publisher, it’s due out this spring, and it looks very promising. If you haven’t heard of it, the game doesn’t have the NFL license (Madden has that exclusively wrapped-up), but it does have a physics engine called Euphoria (which powered recent games such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed) that makes every tackle unique with no pre-rendered animations. The result is a game that looks incredibly fluid and lifelike. Check out the latest trailer below.
D.J. Williams | November 2, 2009 in Sports | Comments (0)
Tags: Football, Panthers
Last January, I watched in horror as the Arizona Cardinals demolished my Panthers in the playoffs. Jake Delhomme had five interceptions and a fumble, and the Panthers were just flat run over, bringing a bitter end to a very promising season. In fact, it was so bad that they haven’t really been the same since.
Until yesterday.
Carolina traveled to the desert and beat up the favored Cardinals 34-21, intercepting Kurt Warner 5 times and forcing a fumble from him (sound familiar?). The game got the Panthers to 3-4 and seemed like just the exorcism needed to get this season back on the right track. Was it a true turnaround or just a one-week abberation? We’ll get a better idea next week as the Panthers head to New Orleans to take on the 7-0 Saints. Let’s go Panthers!
D.J. Williams | October 12, 2009 in Sports | Comments (2)
Tags: Football, Panthers
Many people would say that my Panthers’ 20-17 win over the Redskins yesterday is nothing to get too excited about. Perhaps they’re right – it was Carolina’s first victory this season in four tries, Washington isn’t a very good team, and their coach may not survive the season. What has me excited, however, was how they won.
Down 17-2 in the third quarter, Carolina launched a second-half comeback that saw them grab the lead and then seal the game on a called Jake Delhomme first down run on 3rd and 8 with two minutes left (at the 4:10 mark in the video). As Jake carried DeAngelo Hall across the marker and bounced up going completely berzerk, I saw this team with a swagger for the first time all season. Jake’s strength as a QB is his emotional fire and leadership, and a spark of that seemed to ignite the entire team in their victory. There’s a long way to go if the Panthers are to scrap back into playoff contention this year, but for now, thanks to #17, it at least seems possible.
I had a bit of a double-take moment watching the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl Sunday night. Colts kicker Matt Stover had just pushed a big 51-yard field goal a couple feet wide left, when the camera caught him turning and pointing both index fingers skyward in that “glory-to-God” motion that it seems you see all the time from athletes after a big play. My first thought was oh, man – he doesn’t realize he missed it. It was just then that announcer Jim Nantz explained “Matt Stover, a deeply spiritual man, does that every time – make or miss.”
