During the two weeks preceeding the Super Bowl, I will be counting down the best Super Bowls I have witnessed in my lifetime, starting in 1988. I created a ranking system and will go game by game reliving each edition until the top Super Bowl is listed.
The last, but in some ways not least of the my list was the final Super Bowl ever to be played in January. It featured two teams that have since gone southward in their fortunes since they met in San Diego. Continue on for the breakdown of the Sideways San Diego Sunday.
Tampa Bay Bucs 48, Oakland Raiders 21
Semi-Lame Nickname: The Gruden Bowl
Scores:
Historical Significance- 3: The Raiders were riding the Autumn Wind back to prominence on the California Coast. Tampa had finally broken through after years of failure in the playoffs. The twist was the coaching impact on the NFL. Tony Dungy had been ousted and Gruden had been snatched away from the Raiders. Dungy landed with the Colts and the rest, as they say, is history.
Game Enjoyment by the Fans- 2: The game was a blowout, with the Bucs scoring 17 in the 2nd quarter after a 3-3 1st quarter tie. It was not enjoyable unless your were a Tampa fan and the second half was a formality. The Raiders could only cut it to 34-21 before the Bucs pulled away for good.
High Profile Element- 3.5: The Gruden factor was no doubt compelling, and the rest of the game was a mish mash of notable names. The Raiders had the bookend Hall of Famer wideouts Tim Brown and Jerry Rice. Rich Ganon had flourished in the offense that John Gruden on the opposing sidelines had helped craft. The Raiders boasted the number one offense, but on the other side was a league-leading defense. Led by Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice on the front line, Derrick Brooks at middle linebacker, and John Lynch with Ronde Barber in the backfield, the Bucs defense held sway in this game.
Venue/Atmosphere- 3.5: Isn't it great how you get to here how great a city San Diego is every time a sporting event transpires there? I am pretty sick of it myself, and while I am sure the Whale's Vagina is heavenly, it does not blow me away(I'd move there in a second though). The logo gets points for having a phallic quality. Do people still remember that Qualcomm used to be Jack Murphy Stadium? For the national anthem, the Dixie Chicks and Celine Dion sang God Bless America. Not my cup of tea, but I all Toby Keithing aside, I've listened to 'Fly' a couple times in my day. I do not for the life of me get the whole Celine Dion thing. It sounds to me like she is choking on the most elegant frog ever in existence when she belts it. I thought that one song about it all coming back to her was decent until Meatloaf covered it and he freakin slaughtered that bitch.
The Halftime show was headlined by Shania Twain. Hottie no doubt, but opening a football contest halftime show with 'I Feel Like A Woman' is not what I was looking for, and I am pretty sure she lip-synced those opening songs. No Doubt and Sting came in for mop-up duty.
This promo was the shit though:
Personal Enjoyment- 2: This game held little interest for me outside of the whole Gruden aspect. My team(**Disclaimer: Yes, my fandom of the Patriots comes into play in this countdown, since how I viewed these games often had a correlation to the team and how they did that season. But rest assured, no Pats Super Bowl is in the top 3 for various reasons as you will see.) had not even made the playoffs but this was before the Patriots were the bunch they were now, 2001 was a bonus and I doubted they would reach the big game again. I still enter every Super Bowl (unless my team is in it) like everyone else hoping for a close game. This one obviously disappointed.
Cleet's Rating Index: 14
Where I was: I was halfway through my senior year at the U, and by this point I was completely mailing it in on my Biology Degree. I made the mistake of switching Super Bowl parties at halftime and ended up at the lamer of the two. Since the game was unwatchable this was a lose-lose.
What Happened In The World: Two days before the game the Department of Homeland Security began Operations, don't you feel safer?
Record of Note: Jerry Rice caught a 48-yard TD pass and became the first player to catch a TD pass in 4 different Super Bowls.
Game MVP: Dexter Jackson had 2 picks of Ganon, he had 17 in his entire NFL career. Not the first time a DB parlayed a big Super Bowl into contract dollars. Jackson had declared for Free Agency before the game, and was eyed by the Steelers but signed with Arizona so Pittsburgh ended up drafted some guy named Polamalu.
LVP: Each game in the countdown will also have a Least Valuable Player. For this game it goes to Barret Robbins. For Robbins it truly is a sad story and the intent is not to disparage his bipolar condition. But dude, you were a Pro-Bowl center with your meds, should have stayed on them. The Raiders center went on a massive bender the week before the game and was given the boot. Ganon was sacked 5 times.
Most Memorable Play: Courtesy of NFL Films(3:45 in the vid here), Jon Gruden's knowledge of the Raider offense was on full display as John Lynch announced a play as "Sluggo 6" before a snap in the 2nd quarter. I learned from Jon on MNF that a) he has a nickname for everyone, "I'm gonna call this guy the torch hurler!" and b) a "sluggo" is a slant and go. MVP Dexter Jackson must have heard Lynch because he jumped the rout and picked off Ganon. This is the kind of knowledge that makes it ridiculous to argue that the Pats spied on the Rams before Super Bowl 36; the Bucs had intimate knowledge of the other team before the Super Bowl.
NFL Fallout: The Raiders have yet to recovered from this game. Calahan was gone after going 4-12 the following season. The Raiders are yet to win more than 5 games in a year since this game. Little hope remains for the franchise while Al Davis rules it from his sarcophagus. On the other side the Bucs had a decent run with Gruden; aside from the title, they made the playoffs two more times but never advanced far. They have since scrapped the entire Gruden operation and are starting from scratch. Ronde Barber remains as the only remnant of the Super Bowl defense.
Tuesday, January 26
Super Bowl Countdown #22: Super Bowl XXXVII
Monday, November 10
Just How Bad Was Jake?
I'm a Del-homey. I like his fire, even if his antics can sometimes wear thin. On Sunday, however, he was bad, historically bad. The good news for the Panthers, they got the win. More precisely, Peppers somehow managed to chase Andrew Walter with reckless abandon and make cerebral plays at the same time, DeAngelo had over 100 yards rushing and the team forced three turnovers. It was a great effort across the board, except for one problem.
Jake stunk.
This article is more notes than prose, but the format works better that way.
To get things started off, here's a trivia question: 7 Panther quarterbacks have thrown 3 or more INTs in a game, can you name them?
Jake became just the second quarterback since the merger in 1970 to complete fewer than 30 percent of his passes and throw four interceptions in a victory, according to STATS LLC. Cincinnati's Ken Anderson went 4-for-19 with four interceptions in a 14-10 victory over the Raiders on Oct. 19, 1975. (AP)
Jake's anemic passer rating was not the worst by a winning QB. In 2006, Bears QB Rex Grossman posted a 1.3 passer rating (6-19, 3 INTs) in a win over the Vikings. 30 years earlier, Norm Snead of the New York Giants posted a 0.0 passer rating (3-14, 26 yds, 2 INTs) in a 12-9 win over the Redskins.
Hands down Jake’s worst game as a passer. Set Panther career lows in completions, completion percentage, quarterback rating, yards and yards per attempt. He also tied his career high with 4 interceptions. Prior to this game, his worst two games were in 2003, a loss @ Dallas and a win @ Tampa.
Jake's Career Worsts (Starts)
25.9% completion – Old Record: 37.5% (9-23) (Dallas 2003)
12.3 QB rating – Old record: 15.9 (TB 2003)
72 yards passing – Old Record: 96 (TB 2003)
2.7 yards/attempt – Old Record: 4.2 y/a (TB 2003)
Fewest completions in a game since joining the Panthers. His previous low was nine completions, which he did in both above mentioned games
4 Int Games: 2000 (with Saints) against Carolina and 2004 against the Eagles. Just the 5th time in 77 games regular season games, he’s thrown 3 or more picks, but 2nd time this season (TB). Also threw 3 INTs in the NFC championship against Seattle in 2006.
Completed just five passes after the first drive of the game (2 completions for 16 yards). He had four 1st quarter completions (4/8 1 Int), three 2nd quarter completions (3/9 1 Int) and 0 in the 2nd half (0/10 2 Ints)
Jake’s second longest play of the day was drawing a 15-yard “major” facemask penalty.
The Impact on Steve Smith
One reception for 9 yards. Only been held to fewer yards twice since 2002. In 2006 he was held without a catch against the Falcons and in 2002 1 catch for 3 yards against the Browns. Ironically, both wins. Just the 6th time since 2002 season being held to one catch. It should be noted that the coaches did nothing else to get Smitty involved.
Panthers Franchise Numbers
Lowest QB rating for a Panther (more than 10 attempts) since 2002 Randy Fasani: 0.0 (not a typo) against Tampa Bay. 5 of 18, 46 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs, 3 sacks.
9th game and 1st win with 4 INTs. Kerry Collins had 4 games, Jake 2, and Chris Weinke 1. Last two games had INTs split between multiple QBs. The team record for most INTs thrown in one game: 5 (Rams 1995)
26th regular season game with Carolina having 3 or more INTs. Team record in those games: 3-23. Other two wins: 2005 @ Detroit (Delhomme) and 1999 @ San Fran (Beuerlein).
Panther Turnovers
The only year that the Panthers did not have at least 4 turnovers in one game: 2006.
The 5th win out of 33 games with 4 or more turnovers. Never won a game with more than 4 TOs.
Trivia Answer: The seven QBs that have thrown a 3 INT game for the Panthers: Kerry Collins (8), Jake Delhomme (5), Steve Beuerlein (4), Chris Weinke (4), Rodney Peete (1), Randy Fasani (1), and Jack Trudeau (1).
Thursday, September 4
AFC State of the Union
NFC fans appear to be more dedicated or perhaps they just have more time on their hands, because tracking down AFC previews and predictions was more painful than listening to a roundtable discussion featuring Skip Bayless, Tim McCarver, Jamelle Hill, and Jay Mariotti. Instead of posting videos just to have team representation, I'm trimming the fat. Cleet's still going to be mad about at least one, but I'll bear the brunt to bring a great new video to the masses.
AFC East
While pressing the statute of limitations, because the new season hasn't officially begun, I present you with The Spygate Song.
This entertaining Buffalo Bill preview needs to see the light of day, cue it up to 2:50 to witness the most love Paul Posluszny has ever gotten from a man.
The Miami Dolphins preview takes a hopeful Barack Obama-esque approach.
Jets Preview and a mandatory Bret Favre song.
AFC North
This "Stillers" video had the best production of any of the team preview, so it also gets some love. His view on "bold predictions" is spot on, and while we're here, a little Myron Cope.
More of the same for the Bengals.
A Browns preview. Hi Ryan!
AFC South
For one of the youngest, most talented divisions, they scored a doughnut on previews.
AFC West
The only AFC West team to have any season preview was the Oakland Raiders. Not only does this guy know his team, he also drops a Cerberus reference while discussing the running back situation. I don't like to stereotype, but I wouldn't have guessed it would be a Raiders fan dropping some mythology on us. His preview also had a second part.
