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Jim
asked me before the game whether I wanted the Patriots (of
whom I’m a big fan) to win in a blow-out or win a close
game.
“A
blow-out,” I told him. “60 to nothing.”
Now that
they won and I can celebrate, the nail-biter was far more
rewarding.
How
could you not want these New England Patriots in the Super
Bowl? They’ve been in two of the last three Super Bowls –
one was won on a last-second field goal and the other was
won on a field goal with :04 left. The game was tied before
each of those game-winning field goals.
Both of
those games were also won by the New England Patriots. The
Pats became the 10th franchise to win multiple
Super Bowls. But, how good is this Patriots team? How will
they measure up in history?
Well,
they had the second longest winning streak in one season in
NFL history – 15 games (funny that they should beat the team
that broke the record for most consecutive losses in a
season – also at 15 games – two seasons ago). They tied for
second for the most total wins in a season (only the ’85
Bears won more). Only seven teams have won two of three
Super Bowls.
So, how
good are the Patriots? They’re good. Very good. Whether
they’re great or not will have to be seen. But, with the
best coach in the League, a great young receiving corps, a
great young quarterback, a great defense and four picks in
the first two rounds of this year’s draft, the only thing
keeping this Patriots team from, five years from now, being
mentioned among the elite teams in the history of the NFL is
themselves.
The
robbery of the Super Bowl was also a
Déjà
Vu: as last time New England one, it was the MVP
Award. You could not have done much more than Mike Vrabel:
four tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a touchdown
reception. The turnover he forced was the Patriots’ only
forced turnover of the game. That turnover was recovered at
the Panther’s 20 yard line and led to the Patriots’ first
touchdown.
Tom
Brady won the MVP Award, but it was Vrabel who was most
deserving.
How will
Tom Brady measure up to history? Well, he’s won two Super
Bowls, been named the Super Bowl MVP twice (only Joe Montana
has done it more times), is 2-0 in the Super Bowl and is now
6-0 in his first six playoff starts – again, only Montana
won more to start his career.
How will
Bill Belichick measure up? Very well. As a head coach or
defensive coordinator, Belichick has won four Super Bowls.
Twice, his defenses stopped what was considered to be almost
“unstoppable” offenses. If he can win one more, he will have
eclipsed former boss Bill Parcells for Super Bowl victories
and will be considered one of the best coaches in the
history of the game.
How will
this particular game measure up? Pretty well. It is one of
the few to come down to the very last play. It shouldn’t
have been nearly this close, though – the Patriots had the
better team on so many levels. So, why did they take until
the waning seconds to win?
The
coaching. For maybe the first time this season, their
coaching quite nearly failed them. The biggest blunder was
in the final minute of the first half. The Pats had just
opened up a seven-point lead and were looking to take that
lead into halftime. Instead, they squib-kicked the kickoff
and let the Panthers start their drive beyond their own 40.
The result: a field goal for the Panthers and a four-point
lead.
The guy
who impressed me the most in the game: Jake Delhomme. He
started terribly. At one point, he was 1 for 9 for 1 yard.
Ugh. But, he finished with more than 300 yards and no
interceptions. Instead of the Panthers’ running game
carrying the team, it was the undrafted quarterback whom the
Saints didn’t even want taking them, quite nearly, to a
Super Bowl ring.
The last
10 Super Bowls have been a roller coaster: one has been a
good game, the next a blow-out, the next a good game and so
on.
My Super
Bowl prediction for next year:
New
England 31, Atlanta 21 |
--The New England Patriots’ 32-29 win over the Carolina
Panthers wasn’t the greatest Super Bowl ever played, but it wound up
being one of the most exciting. There were 37 points scored
in the fourth quarter, including five touchdowns, three lead changes
and one tie. And for the second time in three years, the game was
won on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri.
--There were two gaffes in the game: Justin Timberlake
exposing Janet Jackson’s breast during the
halftime show, and Panthers kicker John Kasay kicking the
ball out of bounds that allowed the Patriots to mount their final
drive. All sides apologized.
"I am sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction
during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl," Timberlake said
in a statement. "It was not intentional and is regrettable." The
NFL and CBS also apologized, with the NFL saying: "It's unlikely
that MTV will produce another Super Bowl halftime."
Why apologize? Most people will remember Janet’s boob long
after they’ve forgotten most of the game. Plus, the image was free,
in contrast to the two companies that millions to advertise drugs
for erectile dysfunction.
--Kasay’s blunder was a killer for the Panthers. His team had
just tied the score at 29-29 and there was only 1:08 left. Overtime
loomed. But with Kasay’s kick going out of bounds, New England got
the ball at its own 40 and only had to drive 37 yards to set up
Vinatieri’s kick. "We needed a really good kick," Kasay said. "And I
didn't get it done."
--The key to the game was the way the Patriots’ offensive line
dominated the vaunted Panthers’ front four. New England controlled
the ball for 38:58 to 21:02, out-rushed the Panthers 127 yards to 92
and prevented Tom Brady from being sacked once. In a
remarkable stat, Brady wasn’t sacked once in three playoff games.
--The Panthers’ defensive line looked gassed on the last two
New England drives, giving Brady plenty of time to find receivers.
--The game was as schizoid as any Super Bowl ever. There were
no points scored in the first and third periods, but 61 in the
second and fourth. The teams went 26:55 without scoring a point—a
Super Bowl record—then scored 24 in the final 3:05 of the first
half. Jake Delhomme at one point was 1 for 9 for 9 yards, yet
he wound up throwing for 323 yards and three touchdowns, and his
85-yarder to Musin Muhammad in the fourth was the longest
pass play in history.
--The groundskeepers at Reliant Stadium should have their pay
docked. Players were slipping all day, which is weird considering
the game was played in a dome.
--The officiating crew, led by Ed “Guns” Hochuli, made way
too many ticky-tack calls. They threw flags a record-tying 20 times
for 133 yards. Many were legit, but some were of the head-shaking
variety. Carolina’s Kris Jenkins jumped offsides three times
and it was about the only time we heard his name called all game
--Those of us watching at home missed another performance by
Englishman Mark Roberts, who has made a name for himself as a
streaker. CBS did not show the action. As AP wrote: “The
second-half kickoff of the Super Bowl was delayed after a man
dressed as a referee ran onto the field, stripped down to a G-string
and shoes, then started dancing at the 30-yard line. … Roberts got
into the game with a legitimate ticket, and his referee outfit was
held together with Velcro, making it easy for him to rip it off in
one movement. He was charged with criminal trespass and public
intoxication, and was to be booked into either the city or county
jail, she said.”
I saw an HBO profile of Roberts a year ago and he came across as a
down-to-earth guy who does the streaking for the thrill of trying to
outwit the authorities. But he doesn’t have the swimmer’s build;
walrus would be a better aquatic comparison. As Phil Sheridan
of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: “For those who had the
misfortune of seeing Roberts in the considerable flesh, truly it was
the breast of times and the worst of times.”
--The only homoerotic comment from CBS' Phil Simms came
during a "Survivor" promo, when he said: "When those guys
[contestants] start taking off their clothes, I'm outta there."
--The Panthers are one of those rare Super Bowl losers who
won’t become a national joke. They played better than expected,
scored the second-most points ever for a losing team and were the
first team since the 1988 Bengals to lose the game but cover the
pointspread. You get the sense that had they been able to get the
ball back with about a minute left after Vinatieri’s kick that we
would have seen overtime.
--Carolina coach John Fox’s decision to go for two with his
team trailing 21-16 and more than 12 minutes left proved to be
fateful. I supported it at the time but now see why a team should
only go for two late in the game when there’s no alternative. By
going for the two and missing, Fox was forced to try again after
their next touchdown. They failed again, so the Panthers gave up a
sure two extra points.
Had the Panthers simply kicked, they would have led New England
24-21 with 6:53 to go, instead of 22-21. Then, when New England
scored with 2:51 left, the Pats would have kicked for one instead of
go for two and led, 28-24. Carolina’s last TD would have given them
a 31-28 lead and Vinatieri’s field goal would only have tied the
scored and forced overtime.
--The Patriots’ 15-game winning streak is remarkable, but let’s can
the dynasty talk for now. Winning twice in three years does
not make a dynasty. Few people called the late-‘90s Broncos a
dynasty, yet they would back-to-back Super Bowls. If Tampa Bay wins
next season, giving them two titles in three years, can they be
called a dynasty? We love to try and inflate accomplishments these
days, instead of simply calling the Patriots what they are: 2003
NFL Champions. |
