Gainako Newspaper

....Crowning achievement
..Manning, Colts storm back on Bears in Super Bowl XLI
...................Courtesy of the Associated Press......Posted January 5th, 2007

MIAMI (AP) -- Tony Dungy, beaming and sporting an NFL champions cap,
waded through the mob on the soggy field until he found his quarterback,
Peyton Manning.

And there they stood in the rain, the winning Super Bowl coach and the MVP,
finally savoring a moment that was a long time coming.

A wet and wild night of Super Bowl firsts brought Dungy, Manning and the
Indianapolis Colts to the top of the NFL with a 29-17 victory over the Chicago
Bears on Sunday night.

A team built for indoors found its footing on a rain-soaked track. The Colts were far less sloppy,
particularly their star quarterback, who proved he can indeed win the big game -- the biggest game.

"Peyton is a tremendous player, a great leader," Dungy said. "He prepares, he works, does everything
you can do to win games and lead your team. If people think he needed to win a Super Bowl, that is just
wrong. This guy is a Hall of Fame player and one of the greatest ever to play."

And now he is a champion. So is his coach.

"It's hard to put into words," said Manning, who hit 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards with one touchdown
and one interception. "I'm proud to be part of this team. We stuck together, won this game for our leader,
Tony Dungy."

Dungy became the first black coach to win the championship, beating good friend and protege Lovie
Smith in a game that featured the first two black coaches in the Super Bowl.

"It feels great. I thought about that as I was on the podium," Dungy said. "Being the first African-American
coach to win it. I have to dedicate to some guys before me -- great coaches I know could have done this
if they had gotten the opportunity. Lovie and I were able to take advantage of it. We certainly weren't the
most qualified."

Dungy's ring wasn't the only first. It also was the first rainy Super Bowl and the first time an opening
kickoff was run back for a touchdown, when sensational Bears rookie Devin Hester sped downfield for
92 yards.

And not since the Buffalo Bills self-destructed with nine turnovers in losing to Dallas 14 years ago had
there been so much messiness. The first half was marred by six turnovers, three for each team. Even
football's most clutch kicker, Adam Vinatieri, missed a chip-shot field goal for the Colts, who botched an
extra point attempt, too.

When much-maligned Bears quarterback Rex Grossman's wobbly pass was picked off and returned 56
yards for a touchdown by Kelvin Hayden with 11:44 remaining in the fourth quarter, it was over.

"I'm so proud of our guys," Dungy said. "We took the hit early with Devin Hester. We talked about it; it's
going to be a storm. Sometimes you have to work for it. Our guys played so hard and I can't tell you how
proud I am of our group, our organization and our city."

Chicago (15-4), which led the league in takeaways this season, finished with five turnovers, including two
interceptions by Grossman.

"A frustrating loss," Grossman said. "There were definitely opportunities for us to take that game, and we
didn't do it."

The Colts (16-4) will take it. It's their first title since the 1970 season, when they played in Baltimore.

It was confirmation of Manning's brilliance, even if he didn't need to be dynamic. The son of a
quarterback who never got to the playoffs, Manning has been a star throughout his college career at
Tennessee and his nine pro seasons with the Colts.

It also was a validation of Dungy's leadership. He helped build Tampa Bay, one of the NFL's worst
franchises, into a contender before being fired after the 2001 season. The next year, the Bucs won the
Super Bowl under Jon Gruden.

Sunday finally was Dungy's turn. As his players hoisted their coach on their shoulders, he switched his
blue Colts cap for a white one that read "NFL champions." Dungy was carried from the sideline, then was
lowered so he could share a long embrace and a handshake with Smith.

"I just told Lovie how proud I was of the moment," Dungy said

The Colts reached the pinnacle by winning four postseason games with a defense that made a complete
turnaround in the playoffs.

And with a running game that perfectly complemented Manning, thanks to Dominic Rhodes and Joseph
Addai, who combined for 190 yards -- 113 on 21 carries by Rhodes and 77 on 19 carries by Addai,
who also caught 10 passes for 66 yards.

Chicago was denied its first Super Bowl title since its powerhouse 1985 team. These Bears could have
used Da Coach, Sweetness and their buddies.

It rained from start to finish; there was even "Purple Rain" during halftime when Prince sang some of his
signature songs. And though Vinatieri twice was a victim of the slop, he kicked three field goals.

"We knew handling the ball would be tough," Dungy said. "We showed we could win many ways."

Hester's spectacular return provided a stunning beginning -- and a severe jolt to the Colts. The local
product and only rookie All-Pro this season pumped his arms to excite the crowd before the kickoff, then
lifted the fans from their seats with an electrifying run on which he never was touched.

He barely touched the ball again as Indy went to squibbing kickoffs.

Leading 16-14 at halftime, the Colts spent half the third quarter with a march to Vinatieri's 24-yard field
goal. Twice on the drive, Manning fell to the ground while throwing. But he completed them.

Grossman had it even worse on Chicago's initial possession of the second half, twice in a row slipping and
getting sacked. Maybe he would have done better on icy turf.

Thomas Jones, forced to carry the Bears' entire rushing load when Cedric Benson was hurt in the first
half, was Chicago's best player. But with Grossman ineffective, even inept, all the Bears managed in the
second half was Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal late in the third period.

After Hester's opening dagger, Manning tried to force a pass to Marvin Harrison in double coverage and
was picked off by Chris Harris to spoil Indy's first possession, but the Colts struck back on their next
series, converting three third-downs. The final one was the most important as Manning got everything on a
long pass to the uncovered Reggie Wayne even though Tank Johnson had his hands on the quarterback.
Wayne trotted into the end zone for a 47-yard score.

Then the rain ruined three straight plays.

Holder Hunter Smith dropped the snap on the extra point and Vinatieri couldn't get off a kick. Then
Vinatieri, well aware of who was lurking deep, squibbed the kickoff to tight end Gabe Reid, who fumbled
at his 35, with Tyjuan Hagler recovering for the Colts.

But Manning and Addai botched the handoff on the next snap and Chicago's Mark Anderson recovered,
the third turnover in the first 81/2 minutes.

Couldn't anybody play this game?

Jones certainly could. He used a sharp cutback to break a 52-yard run, the longest of his career, to the
Colts' 5, and Grossman found Muhammad in the front of the end zone for a 14-6 lead.

Jones finished with 112 yards rushing.

A fourth giveaway in the opening quarter, by Benson on his first carry before injuring his knee, didn't
damage Chicago.

Vinatieri, who made two Super Bowl-winning kicks for New England, nailed a 29-yard field goal early in
the second period, but was wide left from 32 yards at the end of the half.

Vinatieri still set a record with 49 postseason points.

.....'87 STUDENT RIOT
..............Lost of our Innocence
........................................Momodou Laama Jallow.............Posted February 2nd, 2007

..." In the recrimination that followed '87 riot it was hope by everyone that this incident would not
....... only served as a wake up call to the government but that the lessons learned will enable public
.......officials, school administrators, parents and students to better communicate during crisis. Sadly
....... these lessons were quickly forgotten and just over a decade later this scene exploded once again
........ this time.with.tragic.consequences "

Westfield Junction, Serekunda, the Gambia. It is already 9:15 a.m. Pico and a group of senior students
from St Peters High School were already late for school. They had been waiting for hours for a school
bus transportation. For months now students had to endure great difficulties of getting to school on time
due to lack of adequate school buses. Students from different schools would be seen scattered all over
the place from Bakoteh, Talinding, and Churchill's Town all the way to Jeshwang struggling to catch a ride
to school. Of late Pico like most students has resort to the humiliating practice of getting a "lift to
school"-the practice of franticly waving at every private vehicle that passed by in the hope of getting a ride
to school. Every morning this scene is repeated through out the Serekundas.

Eventually a public bus on its way to Brikama stopped by. Pico and his friends decided to get on board
and make a "protest statement" by insisting on paying the school bus rate instead of the regular
commercial fare. As the bus wind down through its various stops at Talinding, Abuko and then Lamin, the
bus conductor came to collect the fare and was told by the group of students that they will only pay the
student bus rate. An argument ensures, the conductor alerts the driver who decides to proceed to the
police station at Bajulunding were Pico and the students were detained. The school principal was
contacted who successfully negotiated the students released. The students then made to walk the half-mile
distance to the school where after being admonished on the wrongs of civil disobedience, were ordered to
kneel down in front of the principal's office for 30 minutes before being eventually allowed to attend the
rest of the day's classes.

To understand this act of defiance by otherwise good students once has to understand the root causes.
Like many things in the Gambia during this time, there is a huge disconnect between the government and
the people. Under this environment buses for students was definitely not a priority. This great indifference
by public officials to the plight of the students fuels a simmering frustration that eventually exploded on that
faithful day. This great disconnect was seen by many students as an abandonment by their own
government. Serekunda which is the largest county in terms of student population that commutes daily to
schools to Banjul and the surrounding areas lacks sufficient school buses. While it is common knowledge
to every parent and teacher on the transportation crisis school administrators still punished students for
getting late to school without any consideration to their transportation ordeal.

Later that day, Pico like the rest of the country learnt of the massive student demonstration that took place
in Banjul. This demonstration in the form of a march from Banjul to Serekunda took the authorities by
surprise. Unable to communicate with the students during this heighten tension the government eventually
deployed the security services. In the recrimination that followed it was hope by everyone that this
incident would not only served as a wake up call to the government but that the lessons learned will
enable public officials, school administrators, parents and students to better communicate during crisis.
Sadly these lesson were quickly forgotten and 13 years later this scene exploded once again this time with
tragic consequences

In retrospect, this "protest statement" act on the Brikama bus by the students of St Peters High School
that morning though seemingly disconnected to the massive demonstration in Banjul was the opening salvo
of the great student riot of '87

Momodou Laama Jallow
North Carolina, USA

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