I did a lot of stupid things over break. I put a month's rent down on one blackjack hand in Atlantic City and lost. I went out partying with my cousin and his friends in Philly and, after promising to "show them how we do it on the West Coast," passed out in my aunt's rose garden. I almost bought my girlfriend a scarf for Christmas.

My sports-watching decisions were just as questionable. I watched the anticlimactic Fiesta and Rose Bowls and not the enthralling Holiday Bowl. But none of that compared to the stupidity of my television-viewing choices Sunday night.

That night, I decided to watch my beloved Philadelphia Eagles play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game that had no playoff ramifications whatsoever, with a rematch in Philly already slated for the next weekend. Neither team's starters saw significant minutes - as a matter of fact, both teams' starting quarterbacks, best wide receivers, starting running backs, and most of their marquee defensive players were on the injured list coming into the game.

In the college basketball arena, Florida State upset undefeated No. 1 Duke. Arizona narrowly avoided falling to 1-3 in the Pac-10 against Oregon State at home, and an Oregon team fresh off twice handing Arizona their collective ass inexplicably lost to Arizona State in Tempe.

But I watched the Eagles play the Bucs. I watched Philly starter Koy Detmer amass 51 yards on 5-14 passing with one pick and no TDs. I watched Rod "He Hate Me" Smart, the most memorable of the XFL survivors, get his first NFL touches. I watched Philly score three points through three quarters.

But just when I began to consider changing the channel, I saw my favorite play of the entire NFL season. With a little more than 12 minutes left to play, down 13-3, Eagles third-string QB A.J. Feeley connected with WR Dameane Douglas for the first career touchdown for each, a 2-yarder that wasn't especially memorable.

But Douglas' reaction was priceless. He jumped up off the ground and, when the ref finally signaled the touchdown, handed him the ball politely before running over, ecstatic, and very nearly making out with Feeley.

The Eagles were still losing. The game still didn't matter. The fans didn't seem to notice, and the announcers, faced with the daunting task of making a meaningless game seem dramatic for three hours, sounded suspiciously intoxicated.

Twenty-six seconds later, after a fumble on the kickoff, Feeley hit Douglas for a 24-yard score. In less than half a minute of game time left, the two unknowns stole the show.

The game still didn't matter, but seeing two obscure Pac-10 alums celebrate like they just won the Rose Bowl was better than watching Randy Moss high-step in for 10 TDs this season and then say he didn't care if his Vikings beat the Ravens Monday night because their season was already a failure.

Meanwhile, freshman walk-on Anas Fellah, a Tucson native and another player familiar with the view from the end of the bench, was busy leading the UA basketball team back from a 21-point deficit against Oregon State. Fellah spurred the rally with 10 minutes of intensity worthy of departed Wildcat Gene Edgerson. He even scored his first UA points.

Saturday, the Eagles play the Bucs again - this time for real, in the opening round of the NFL playoffs.

Should be a great game. But I'm looking forward to tonight, when my alma mater Tombstone High plays hated rival Bisbee at home in the Hive.

They'll probably win by 30. Maybe they'll put the subs in.