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Football Main Page |
Super Bowl History Part 4Superbowl XXVI Through Superbowl XLI |
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 We continue with our recap of Super Bowl History. We begin an era
dominated not by either the NFC or the AFC, but by the idea of
parity.Each new NFL season seems to bring a whole new set of contenders. Only the New England Patriots have achieved sustained Super Bowl success, though team like the Indianapolis Colts have been perennial contenders in this era. Super Bowl XXXIIDate: January 25, 1998 Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre appeared well on their way to repeating as Super Bowl champs. The Green Bay Packers defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs once again, while the Dallas Cowboys under Barry Switzer floundered and missed the playoffs entirely (and Switzer was fired in the offseason). The Green Bay Packers were the prohibitive favorite in Super Bowl XXXII. The Denver Broncos made a compelling underdog, though. John Elway was the sympathetic favorite, as he was playing in his fourth Super Bowl; the first three had been blowout losses. Mike Shanahan had reenergized the franchise in his two years as Broncos head coach. Terrell Davis, a second-year player, had a great deal to do with the Broncos turnaround. The Broncos defense was tougher than previous Broncos Super Bowl defenses, including veteran free agents like Neil Smith and Bill Romanowski and longtime stars like Steve Atwater and Tyrone Braxton. The previous postseason, the Denver Broncos had the AFC's best record (13-3), but lost in an upset to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the playoffs. Many felt the 1997 squad was Elway's last chance to win a Super Bowl. The game proved a shootout, with the scoring going back and forth. The Green Bay Packers started the game strong. Meanwhile, Terrell Davis was suffering from a migraine headache through most of the 1st quarter. When Davis returned, he was the star of the game. Elway showed his determination in the second half when he sprinted right towards a touchdown, eventually leaping towards the goal line while being hit by two Packers defenders. Though John Elway came up short on the play, the team seemed to take courage. In one of the best Super Bowls ever, the evenly-matched teams left everything on the field. A late Brett Favre-led drive ended on a 4th down incompletion and the Green Bay Packers had come up short in trying to repeat. The AFC win ended a 13-game winning streak by the NFC in the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XXXIIIDate: January 31, 1999 The Denver Broncos repeated as champions in John Elway's last NFL game. Ironically, the opposing team was led by head Coach Dan Reeves, who had coached Elway to his first three Super Bowl appearances. The Atlanta Falcons had a magical regular season which ended at 14-2. This was only enough to get them second place in the NFC, since the Minnesota Vikings of Randall Cunningham, Randy Moss and Cris Carter went 15-1. The Falcons won the NFC Championship Game in an upset, though their team was probably more balanced between offense and defense. The star of the Atlanta Falcons was running back Jamal Anderson, who made famous the touchdown celebration known as the Dirty Bird. Tony Martin, formerly of the San Diego Chargers, was the team's star receiver and the main target for Chris Miller. The Denver Broncos got out to an early lead and the Falcons dealt with inopportune turnovers. John Elway was given the Super Bowl MVP in a game that was somewhat anticlimactic for such an exciting regular season. Super Bowl XXXIVDate: January 30, 2000
Warner had been an anonymous quarterback for Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League. A year and a half before the start of the 1999 NFL season, he was making extra money sacking groceries. Dick Vermeil brought Kurt Warner in to be the backup quarterback for the Rams. That same offseason, Trent Green was signed as a free agent quarterback from the Washington Redskins. Green had shown flashes as a Skins backup and many had him as a star in the making. The St. Louis Rams had also brought Marshall Faulk to the team with a trade with the Indianapolis Colts, while Torry Holt had been drafted in the 1st round of the 1999 NFL Draft to give the Rams a threat opposite Isaac Bruce. When Trent Green sustained a season-ending injury due to an arguably dirty hit from (then) San Diego Chargers safety Rodney Harrison, St. Louis Rams fans thought their dreams as a sleeper pick had been shattered. Dick Vermeil, in a sight which would be repeated several times over the years, broke down in tears at the post-game press conference. Suddenly, Kurt Warner was the quarterback of a talent-packed St. Louis Rams team. Warner's time in the Arena League prepared him to make quick decisions and quick throws, which were perfect for the Mike Martz offense being installed. Soon, Kurt Warner was throwing long touchdowns to Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, and short screens that turned into long touchdowns to Marshall Faulk. Quickly, the St. Louis Rams were known as the Greatest Show on Turf. Kurt Warner would be named the NFL MVP for 1990. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans were putting together a Cinderella Story of their own. The Titans qualified for the playoffs as a wildcard. They needed the Music City Miracle, with a cross-field pass from Frank Wycheck to Kevin Dyson on last-second kickoff return, to defeat the Buffalo Bills in the Wildcard Game. Then the Tennessee Titans went on the road to defeat Peyton Manning in his first playoff appearance for the Colts, on a huge performance by Eddie George. Finally, the Titans went to Jacksonville to defeat the Jaguars, who were fresh off a 62-7 trouncing of the Miami Dolphins in Jimmy Johnson's last NFL game. The St. Louis Rams, on the other hand, defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the 2nd Round of the playoffs in a shootout of two of the NFL's two best offenses. Then they faced their polar opposites, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who employed an awful offense and a great defense in getting to the NFC Championship Game. The Bucs fast defense was tailor-made to stop the Rams, though a late Kurt Warner touchdown pass defeated the Buccaneers and their stifling defense. This set up a game of Cinderellas, with the St. Louis Rams a heavy favorite. The Rams got out to the lead, but the Tennessee Titans mounted a late comeback, mainly due to the scrambling and decision making of Titans quarterback, Steve "Air" McNair. The Titans came up a foot short from winning the game, as Kevin Dyson caught a pass with no time remaining. Dyson streteched for the endzone, but a Rams defender was able to keep him inches from the goal line. Super Bowl XXXVDate: January 28, 2001 The Baltimore Ravens 2000 defense is considered one of the best in NFL history. The defense gave up only 165 points in 16 regular season games, which remains an NFL record. Despite this mastery, the Baltimore Ravens were only able to advance to the playoffs as a 12-4 wildcard entry. (The defending AFC Champion Tennesse Titans won the division.) The Ravens' weakness was their offense, which didn't score a touchdown throughout a six-week stretch. By the playoffs, though, the offense was starting to look at
least competant. Jamal Lewis, the rookie running back, came on the
season progressed. In their playoff run, Lewis would be the
centerpiece of the offense. The oft-maligned Trent Dilfer proved a
decent game manager for Brian Billick's offense. The
New York Giants offense was better than the Ravens' offense.
Tiki Barber had a breakout year as the Giants RB, while Kerry
Collins was a viable threat at quarterback, while Amani Toomer and
Ike Hilliard were his two main targets. The game was never in doubt, since Trent Dilfer hit Brandon Stokely with a long touchdown pass to start the scoring. Jermaine Lewis, as he had done much of the year, gave the Ravens a big play on special teams with a touchdown return. Ray Lewis, who was fresh off an acquittal in a murder case, was named Super Bowl MVP. Disney chose not to invite him to "go to Disneyworld", so Trent Dilfer was given an invitation, instead. Super Bowl XXXVIDate: February 3, 2002
Bill Belichick was a highly successful defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells with the New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets. But Belichick's one stop as a head coach, with the Cleveland Browns, had been a disaster. So when he ditched the New York Jets (after one day as head coach) to take the same job with the New England Patriots, Boston fans thought that Bob Kraft was crazy to give a 1st round pick to the Jets for the privilege. Drew Bledsoe was the longtime starting quarterback. He had taken the Patriots to a Super Bowl, but the team had floundered in previous seasons. When Bledsoe went out early in the 2nd game of the season, it looked like the 0-2 Patriots were in for a long season. It turned out Bledsoe's little-known backup was Tom Brady; the rest is history. Bledsoe never got his starting job back. Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to an 11-5 record and a win over the Oakland Raiders in the infamous "Tuck Rule" game in the AFC Divisional Playoff game. The next week, Brady was knocked out of the game against the hosting Pittsburgh Steelers, but Drew Bledsoe came off the bench to lead the team to the Super Bowl. In the NFC, the 14-2 St. Louis Rams were the undisputed class of
the conference. The team had won the Super Bowl in 2000 and Kurt
Warner was the NFL MVP. In the 2000-2001 season, the team qualified
only as a wildcard, but many people expected a long playoff run,
since Marshall Faulk was the NFL MVP. A late fumbled punt by
Az-Zahir Hakim ended the Rams chances. Therefore, the Rams were the huge favorite over the New England Patriots. This didn't take into account the Patriots' defense, which was the bedrock of their title run. The New England Patriots defense was able to slow down Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and the Rams offense enough to keep them in the game. Tom Brady led the team down the field on a late scoring drive, which was capped off by Adam Vinatieri. In what doesn't appear much of an upset now, the New England Patriots had won their first Super Bowl. Super Bowl XXXVIIDate: January 26, 2003 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been stuck in the same spot for the previous several years. Their Cover 2 Defense, designed by Tony Dungy and executed by stars like Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Ronde Barber, had been one of the NFL's best defensive units for years. But as good as the Bucs defense was, their offense was just as bad. After several years ended with disappointing playoff defeats, Buccaneers ownership let go head coach Tony Dungy. Dungy's inability to improve the offense was the ostensible reason fro his release, but many believed his lack of fieriness held back the Bucs. The team brought in Jon Gruden, the young, fiery former head coach of the Oakland Raiders. Gruden was also supposed to be an offensive guru, bringing with him the West Coast Offense he mastered in stints as assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles franchises. Gruden chose Brad Johnson to be his starting quarterback. Johnson got his pro start in the World Football League, later known as NFL Europe. Brad Johnson had showed promise with the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins, but frequent injuries had undermined his job as the starting quarterback with both teams. After a slow start in the first half of the NFL regular season, the Bucs offense began to gel under Johnson in the second half. As always, the Buccaneers Defense, now fully under the control of Monte Kiffin, was the foundation of the Bucs success. In the AFC, the Oakland Raiders remained a contender. Raiders owner, Al Davis, had parted with Jon Gruden under acrimonious terms. Davis had turned to Gruden's former offensive coordinator, Bill Callahan, to be his new head coach. The Raiders would make it to the Super Bowl with Rich Gannon as the star of the team. Gannon was a veteran backup for much of his career, but the mobile quarterback (with an average arm) had blossomed as a West Coast quarterback. With Tim Brown and Charlie Garner as the Raiders two main offensive weapons, they qualified for the Super Bowl, setting up an intriguing matchup of Jon Gruden against his former team and former employer, Al Davis. The game was less intriguing than its buildup. After a defensive struggle throughout most of the first half, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers controlled the game in the second half. Running back Michael Pittman was a major contributor on the offensive side of the ball for the Bucs, while the Buccaneers defense added multiple turnovers. The Raiders scored first for a 3-0 lead, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored the next 34 points. It was not until the final play of the 3rd quarter that the Raiders scored a touchdown. Eventually, they were able to cut the score to 34-21 with under three minutes in the 4th quarter, but two late interception returns for touchdowns by the Bucs defense finished off the Oakland Raiders. Jon Gruden, who had been traded to the Buccaneers in the offseason for draft pick considerations, had his revenge against his old boss. Super Bowl XXXVIIIDate: February 1, 2004 Many people believed the New England Patriots would be a one-year wonder, after they failed to make the playoffs in the 2002 NFL Regular Season. But after a one-year absence from the postseason, Bill Belichik and Tom Brady led their team to their second world title in 3 years. Their opponent was the Carolina Panthers, who were put together under John Fox, a former defensive coordinator for the New York Giants (in their Super Bowl year of 2000-2001). Fox put together one of the NFL's best defensive units, with a defensive line consisting of Julius Peppers, Kris Jenkins and Mike Rucker. The Panthers offense was keyed by a couple of free agent additions in Jake Delhomme at quarterback and Stephen Davis at running back. Deshaun Foster made several key plays backing up Stephen Davis during the playoffs. Steve Smith was the Panthers big play receiver on offense, while veteran Muhsin Muhammed was a steady threat on the other side. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots made their run around a stellar defense. Despite injuries throughout their defensive unit, they were able to patch together a unit which stifled offenses for much of the year. Tom Brady continued to produce with a receiving corps devoid of big stars, while the running game featured steady-but-unspectacular Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk. The two teams put on a great show in this Super Bowl. The two offenses ended up being the stars, easily moving most of the day against the more-lauded defensive units of the Panthers and Patriots. The lead changed hands several times, and Jake Delhomme matched Tom Brady pass-for-pass through most of the game. Deion Branch had a huge game receiving Tom Brady passes, while Adam Vinatieri hit a late field goal for the 2nd time in 3 years for the final difference in the game, and the Pats were once again world champions. This was the Super Bowl with the famous (or infamous) warddrobe malfunction incident with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. At halftime, Timblerlake and Jackson performed a suggestive duet, and Timblerlake sung lyrics saying he would have Jackson naked by the end of the song. At the end of the song, Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson's outfit, revealing a mostly-naked breast with a "nipple shield" held on by a nipple piercing. The American viewing public (or at least a vocal minority of it) was outraged, creating a scandal about the content of halftime shows being watched by millions of underage children. Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson claimed the incident was a warddrobe malfunction, though the context of the performance suggested otherwise. Since this Super Bowl, the NFL has hired older acts (with little chance of a similar malfunction) to perform at Super Bowl halftimes. Also, this Superbowl saw Mark Roberts, the famous British sports streaker, make an appearance. Roberts snuck onto the field wearing an NFL officials outfit, which he stripped off just prior to the second half kickoff. A Patriots player tackled Roberts to the ground, though little of this was seen on national television. Super Bowl XXXIXDate: February 6, 2005
The Philadelphia Eagles were trying to break through to win a title, after appearing in the NFC Championship Game for four straight years (and losing the game the previous three, including two at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia). Once again, the game would be a close affair, and once again, an Adam Vinatiera field goal would prove to be the deciding points in the game. This time, the Eagles scored a late touchdown, so the final score was not quite as close as the Patriots previous two Super Bowl wins, though the game was a close contest through its entirety. The Philadelphia Eagles were led by coach Andy Reed and All-Pro quarterback, Donovan McNabb. McNabb's top target was Terrell Owens, who had come over from the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason (after it appeared he would be traded to the Baltimore Ravens). Owens and McNabb were a record-setting combination for the first two-thirds of the NFL Regular Season, until Owens was hurt by a horse-collar tackle by the Dallas Cowboys' Roy Williams in a late-season showdown. Owens would make his return from injury in the Super Bowl, and catch 10 balls on the way to helping the Eagles nearly win in an upset. Brian Westbrook was another star on the Eagles offense, giving the team all-purpose yards as the primary ball carrier and a pass catcher out of the backfield. The Eagles Defense was an aggressive, blitzing scheme featuring stars like Brian Dawkins, Jeremiah Trotter, Lito Sheppard and Jevon Kearse. The Patriots, on the other hand, made the addition of Corey Dillon as their running back on offense. Their defense continued to be led by players such as Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel and Rodney Harrison. The secondary was weakened by season-ending injuries to Ty Law and Tyrone Poole, but their were able to patch up these holes with the help of Asante Samuel and even Troy Brown, normally a wide receiver. In the end, the New England Patriots were able to win their fourth Super Bowl in four years, a feat matched only by the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990's. Super Bowl XLDate: February 5, 2006 The Pittsburgh Steelers had gone 15-1 the previous season, and their seemingly inevitable run was cut short only in the AFC Championship by the more experienced New England Patriots. Many wondered if Steelers head coach Bill Cowher had what it took to win the big game. In the 2005-2006 season, it was the turn of the Pittsburgh Steelers to be the dark horse. The Indianapolis Colts started the season with a 13-0 record, and finished 14-2 after they started resting their starters late in the season. The Pittsburgh Steelers struggled in the early part of the regular season, and only qualified for the AFC Playoffs as the 6th seed. The Steelers knocked the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, Carson Palmer, out of the wildcard game early in the contest. They defeated the Bengals, setting up a matchup with the heavily-favored Colts. The Steelers kept the game close throughout, and eventually forged a late lead. It appeared all they needed to do was kneel on the ball, when veteran RB Jerome Bettis gave the Colts late life with a fumble. The Colts drove the field, setting up a last second field goal attempt by Mike Vanderjagt. Vanderjagt missed wide right and the Steelers won. (Ben Roethlisberger should be lauded for his game-saving tackle on the Bettis fumble.) The Denver Broncos did the Steelers the favor of knocking off the two-time defending champion New England Patriots in the other AFC playoff game that week. The Steelers beat the Broncos in Mile High Stadium to advance to the Super Bowl. The Seattle Seahawks, on the other hand, were the odds-on favorite to reach the Super Bowl from the NFC. The Seahawks finished the regular season with a 13-3 record and therefore would host any playoff game which they played in. Shaun Alexander ran for nearly 1,900 yards and 28 touchdowns in the regular season. The touchdown total was an NFL record at the time, and was enough to garner Alexander the NFL MVP Award. The Seahawks first playoff game was against the Washington Redskins under Joe Gibbs, coming off an upset in the wildcard round. The Skins played a tough game against the 'Hawks, but the Seahawks held the Redskins to 10 points and put them away late. The next week, they played the Carolina Panthers, the 5th seed in the NFC. Many people believed the Panthers would pull off the upset, since they had more big game experience than the Seattle Seahawks. The Panthers were on a hot streak and had pulled off two playoff upsets (Giants, Bears), but the Seahawks blew them out in the NFC Championship by the total of 34-14. In the Super Bowl, both teams played sloppy games, though the game itself was a close affair. The Steelers offense received a long touchdown run from Fast Willie Parker in the second half, while Hines Ward was the game's MVP with 5 receptions for 123 yards and the game-clinching touchdown. Seattle Seahawks fans felt that questionable calls by the game's referees overshadowed the final result, and many Seattle fans still contend the real difference in the game was the touchdowns nullified by penalties. The Steelers, on the other hand, celebrated a 21-10 victory under their second year quarterback, which became a career capper for retiring running back, Jerome "The Bus" Bettis. Super Bowl XLIDate: February 4, 2007 The
Indianapolis Colts performed a similar trick to the Pittsburgh
Steelers from the previous year. Though they had a solid regular
season, it paled in comparison to their 14-2 season the year before.
Coming into the 2006-2007 season, the Colts had many doubters. Many believed that Dungy's style of coaching was too understated to lead a team in big names, while Peyton Manning was beginning to gain the tag of a big game choker. Though the Colts had a terrific regular season record, their campaign was overshadowed by the 14-2 record of the San Diego Chargers and the record-setting performance of Chargers' running back, Ladainian Tomlinson. When the New England Patriots defeated the Chargers in the second round of the playoffs, it set up another postseason showdown between the Colts and Patriots. Though the game was in the Colts' home dome, the Patriots had a long history of defeating the Colts in heads-up showdowns. Eventually, the Colts staged a late-game comeback, finally proving their grit under postseason fire to qualify for the Superbowl. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears combined a smothering defense with their big play specialist, Devin Hester, to overcome an anemic offense. Though Rex Grossman started the season with 5 or 6 stellar games throwing big balls to Bernard Berrian and Muhsin Muhammed, by the end of the season, Grossman was considered a liability by most Bears fans. This was mitigated somewhat by the running prowess of Thomas Jones and--to a lesser extent--Cedric Benson. The Bears had homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, and were able to defeat the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks in a hard-fought 2nd round playoff battle in Soldier Field. The next week, the Chicago Bears blew out the fan-favorite New Orleans Saints. The Saints had a high-powered offense led by Reggie Bush, Deuce McAllister, Drew Brees and Marques Colston, as well as the sympathies with a nation wanting to see them succeed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This didn't happen, as the Saints offense was slowed down by the Chicago weather in January and the Bears NFL-best defense. The Chicago Bears were not able to duplicate this effort in the Super Bowl. Playing in a driving rain storm in Miami, both the Colts and Bears offenses were slowed down in the weather. But the Colts were able to put together more offense, while a Rex Grossman interception midway through the fourth quarter ended any hopes the Bears had of winning the game. More Football Resources |
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Kurt Warner became one of the great Cinderella stories in NFL
History.
This began a period where the
The New England Patriots were going for their 3rd Super Bowl in 4
years.
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