Super Bowl XXXVI had all the makings of another New England disappointment. The New England Patriots built up a 14-point cushion in the fourth quarter, only to watch the St. Louis Rams pull even with 1:30 to play. Could the ball possibly go through Buckner's legs again?
Maybe this is a new generation of Boston sports fans. One that doesn't have its dreams crushed in the harshest of fashions. One that can enjoy the elation of pouring emotion into a team and coming out with a championship.
This year, the Patriots didn't fold when the Rams came back to tie a game New England had dominated for 50 minutes. Quarterback Tom Brady, only 24 years old and symbolic of this new generation of New Englanders, calmly took over with 1:30 to play and the game tied.
Brady had thrown for only 92 yards before coming onto the field for the final drive, but chipped away at a suddenly soft Rams defense for 53 yards while John Madden was in the booth telling a nation full of suspenseful viewers that the Patriots should have sat on the ball and prepared for overtime.
Like the rest of us, Brady didn't listen to Madden, and with seven seconds remaining in the season had the ball positioned at the 31-yard line. It was Adam Vinatieri time. New England's kicker, sporting a full beard, had kicked a game-winning, 45-yard field goal in the snow to beat the Oakland Raiders two weeks ago, so this should have been no problem. It wasn't.
Almost immediately after the ball cleared the line of scrimmage, Vinatieri was doing his best Martin Gramatica imitation because he knew he had given the city of Boston its first championship in 16 years.
And it's the first championship this generation of fans can savor. Just wish it would have come against the Yankees.
After the game, Brady was handed the MVP trophy, and though he was certainly deserving, it probably should have been handed out in the same fashion the Patriots were announced - as one unit. Unlike the Rams, New England opted to have none of its players announced, either to prove that they play as a team, or because they didn't want Pat Summeral butchering their names on the P.A. system.
Speaking of MVP's, give one to coach Bill Belichek, who figured out a way to hold the Rams to 17 points. The statistics were unimaginable going into the game. The Rams didn't get into the red zone until 11 minutes were left in the game. Marshall Faulk rushed for only 76 yards and never found the end zone. Though Warner threw for 365 yards, his two interceptions were the spring boards the Patriots needed.
The first came midway through the second quarter, as Mike Vrabel broke through the St. Louis line, disrupting Warner, who threw an errant ball into the hands of cornerback Ty Law who took it to the house. The second was an Otis Smith pick late in the third quarter, and led directly to a Patriots field goal.
New England managed to force a third turnover, a Ricky Proehl fumble late in the first half. And though Proehl caught the pass that momentarily knotted the game near the end, it was this play that could stick in his memory. Safety Antwan Harris knocked the ball from Proehl and Terrell Buckley picked it up, a play that set up a Brady touchdown pass to David Patten at the end of the first half to give the Pats a 14-3 lead at the break.
Belichek's scheme the first time these two teams played was to blitz Warner as much as possible. The Rams scored 24 points that day. Yesterday, Belichek decided to rush only three or four men, dropping seven, eight, and sometimes nine men in coverage. And though it often looked like Warner had a lot of time to throw, what he had was too much time. He ended up growing uncomfortable in the pocket, forcing those two interceptions, getting sacked three times, hit 11, and hurried six.
Not only did the Patriots force three turnovers, the same number they created the last time these two teams played, but they didn't have any of their own. Brady was cautious throwing the ball, and running back Antowain Smith punished the Rams defense for 92 yards without fumbling.
In fact, the only major mistake the Patriots made all day was a penalty on defensive lineman Willie McGinest. It was a play that, at the time, looked like it might cost the Patriots the game. With 10:29 left in the game and New England holding on to a 14-point lead, the Rams had a fourth and goal at the three-yard line. No receiver was open when Warner dropped back to throw, so he decided to make a run at the end zone.
Before he could reach it, he was stripped of the ball, and Tebucky Jones scooped it up and ran 99-yards for an apparent touchdown. On the play, however, McGinest was called for a hold of Faulk, and the play was called back. Two plays later, the Rams scored to cut the lead in half.
Give McGinest credit, though, for not hanging his head. On the Rams second to last possession of the game, he had a sack of Warner that helped stall the drive.
The Patriots had two more possessions following the score, but failed to move the ball, giving it back to the Rams with two minutes remaining. All season, St. Louis had been noted for its instant offense, but last night, it was too quick. The Rams only took 30 seconds off the clock in scoring the game-tying touchdown, allowing way too much time for Brady and Vinatieri to create one more miracle.
It's now officially time to stop calling the Patriots a team of destiny. They're a talented group that plays together, plays with confidence, and most importantly, is extremely well-coached.
So for a new generation of Boston sports fans, maybe last night's championship ushered in a new era of winning. Of course, with pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in less than two weeks, maybe not.
