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DEL.ICIO.USThe best and the worst Super Bowls
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
(Editor’s note: Journal-Constitution columnist Furman Bisher has covered every Super Bowl but the first one in 1967. So who else is more qualified to select the best and worst games in Super Bowl history? He chose to end his streak this year, passing on a trip to Miami.)
By this time, as Super Bowl XLI is upon us, this sporting classic has become a bloated circus in which the game itself seems an intrusion.
In pursuit of the “Bests” and “Worsts” of this American exercise in excess, one finds candidates for the “Worsts” considerably more abundant than the “Bests.” In fact, it seemed years passed before one real nail-biter broke the boring stretch, and you realize that included the third game, in which Joe Namath guaranteed that the Jets would beat the hallowed Colts, and did, but there was little classic about it, except the classic flop of the Colts.
Who can forget the scene of Jimmy Orr waving futilely from the end zone while Earl Morrall looked futilely elsewhere? Morrall, the NFL’s Most Valuable Player during the season, had such a terrible game that the gimpy Johnny Unitas had to be called off the bench. While Namath had only three winning seasons in his career, you’ll find him in the Hall of Fame, but no Morrall, who was, after all, a backup playing out the season that Unitas lost to injury.
There was one stretch in which blowout followed blowout and the press box was awash in cynicism. There was little “super” to cheer about. There is this to be said about where the game is played:
Best site: New Orleans, for sheer convenience. Worst site: Miami, where events are spread from here to there, a logistical nightmare. For backups, you may throw Atlanta in as a best, Jacksonville as a worst. (That excuses Pontiac, Mich., and Minneapolis, both beset by snowstorms.)
THE BEST
Super Bowl X, Steelers 21, Cowboys 17: This was a thriller that ran down to the wire, decided only when Glen Edwards intercepted Roger Staubach’s last pass in the end zone. This is the game in which Lynn Swann played himself into the Hall of Fame, with four catches for 161 yards, the last for 64 yards and the winning touchdown. Terry Bradshaw connected with Swann for what turned out to be the winning score in the closing minutes. This was the thriller of all thrillers up to that time.
Super Bowl XIII, Steelers 35, Cowboys 31: Again. It took all of Bradshaw’s skills to offset Staubach’s. The Steelers quarterback passed for 318 yards and four touchdowns, and John Stallworth, his favorite target, caught scoring passes of 28 and 75 yards in the first half, and in truth, registered himself for the Hall of Fame — but, for some warped reason, had to wait until Swann got there first. Staubach, by the way, was taking no prisoners that day himself and threw for three touchdowns. You could pick the 10th or the 13th as the biggest thriller of them all and not be wrong.
Super Bowl IV, Chiefs 23, Vikings 7: This was played in the penetrating chill of old Tulane Stadium, in the last game before the NFL-AFL merger. Kansas City did far more to establish the AFL’s presence than had the Jets the year before. The Vikings were two-touchdown favorites over the Chiefs, who had been shaken by gambling rumors concerning Len Dawson during the week. But Dawson was not shaken, passing for 142 yards and a touchdown to go with Jan Stenerud’s three field goals. Joe Kapp was stifled and the Vikings were able to gain only 67 rushing yards. This was the highlight of Hank Stram’s career.
Super Bowl XXXIV, Rams 23, Titans 16: This took place here in the Georgia Dome, on the day of the infamous ice storm, and you never heard such fussing by out-of-towners who thought Atlanta should have a law against such flagrant weather. The game earned its place in this rating system because Kevin Dyson lay with the ball in his outstretched arm 1 yard from the goal line as time ran out. Mike Jones’ desperation tackle brought down Dyson after he caught Steve McNair’s pass. Great stuff, just like in the movies.
Super Bowl XXIII, 49ers 20, Bengals 16: Jerry Rice caught 11 of Joe Montana’s passes for 215 yards and a touchdown, but in the end it was John Taylor, a lesser-known receiver out of Delaware State, who caught Montana’s 10-yard pass for the winning touchdown with 34 seconds on the clock. The Bengals had taken the lead on Jim Breech’s 40-yard field goal with time running low. The Bengals had rebounded from one of those off-field incidents in which fullback Stanley Wilson had been found in his room drugged out of his mind the night before. But they gave the favored 49ers all they could handle.
THE WORST
Super Bowl XXII, Redskins 42, Broncos 10: You could have your pick of several wipeouts, but this one came apart in a series of 18 plays in the second quarter. Denver had a 10-point lead when Washington let loose an offensive flash flood, scoring five touchdowns in those 18 plays. Doug Williams threw for 340 yards and the Redskins scored like men against boys. A record was set by a player who soon disappeared from view. Timmy Smith, a rookie out of Texas Tech, ran for 204 yards and scored two touchdowns, but later tripped over drugs. Curiously enough, he showed up with the Falcons a few years later but lasted only four games.
Super Bowl XX, Bears 46, Patriots 10: There have been higher scores and wider margins but no game in which the loser has been so dreadfully whipped. Hard to believe that the Patriots once had the lead, 3-0, which was meaningless. Their quarterback, Tony Eason, is the only Super Bowl starter who never completed a pass. After 0-for-6, Steve Grogan came on, but neither had a chance against Buddy Ryan’s defense. That gang embarrassed the Patriots, but at the end of the game, it was Mike Ditka to whom the Bears gave a victory ride.
Super Bowl XXVII, Cowboys 52, Bills 17: You could have your pick of several cases of slaughter about this time. The Bills were taking care of business in their conference, but once on center stage, they were humbled. That is, except for the game in which Scott Norwood missed the field goal that would have beaten the Giants. This one was another one of those routs. Troy Aikman passed for four touchdowns, the Cowboys forced nine turnovers and one of the Cowboys’ linebackers even scored. It was another case of total humiliation.
Super Bowl XXIV, 49ers 55, Broncos 10: That was a scoring record for the 49ers, another one of those games that should have been stopped and the 49ers awarded a TKO. Funny thing, I remember very little about it in the Superdome because, I suppose, it was over almost at kickoff. The 49ers hogged the ball, almost 40 minutes to the Broncos’ 20. Joe Montana completed a lot of passes, Jerry Rice made a lot of catches and I can’t remember the name of a single Denver player, but I’m certain John Elway was somewhere in the house. It was awful.
Super Bowl XXXV, Ravens 34, Giants 7: This is another one of those mismatches that never should have been. The Ravens lived by the muscle, and though they scored 34 points, Trent Dilfer, the quarterback, never got a whiff of the MVP award, and oddly enough, was soon gone. That award went to linebacker Ray Lewis, who was famous in Atlanta only because of an escapade in Buckhead that left behind two unsolved murders. Fortunately, no lives were lost in Tampa, but the Giants barely knew what town they were in. Just another of so many Super Bowls that were less than super.
ABOUT SUPER BOWL I
If I may add a personal reflection, after seeing them all but the first, I find myself congratulating myself for not being there after all these years. The game is a sideshow that every actor, every agent, every guy with a gimmick and every advertiser with a few million to squander gets in a lick or two. Goofy thing, half the television watchers turn on the game to see who’s winning the commercial bout. It’s a farce.
I happened to miss the first, which didn’t have an official name yet, because our publisher brushed it off. “Just another championship game,” he said. “They’ve been playing them for years; what’s so big about this one?”
And besides, a flight to Los Angeles and the hotel bill and all the bar bills I’d run up, well, that would have been too much. It would have been a widow’s mite compared to a trip to Super Bowl XXL, or is it XXLI? I’ve lost count.
Permalink | Comments (14) | Post your comment | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Furman Bisher
Comments
By Matthew at the SLC
February 3, 2007 01:39 AM | Link to this
Mr. Bisher, I am just about your biggest fan, I think. I know I’d have to fight many people for that title, but I’ll lay claim to it for now. But I have to wonder how you could leave Super Bowl XXV off of your list.
— It is the ONLY Super Bowl to have NO turnovers from BOTH teams.
— It was an upset, not of epic proportions, but of Broncos over Packers proportions.
— This was a game which pitted the No. 1 Defense vs. the No. 1 Offense (and as always, Defense prevailed).
— The game was decided by a single point, so unlike those Vintieri kicks, which if he missed, it’s okay, cause there’s overtime, Norwood’s kick is the only kick in Super Bowl history which was to win OR lose the game.
— The Giants held the ball for a Super Bowl record 40 minutes and 33 seconds. The also had the longest single drive in Super Bowl history at 9 minutes and 29 seconds to start the third quarter.
Mr. Bisher, this Super Bowl, No. 25, which is often overlooked, is the greatest, most suspense-filled Super Bowl ever played. No other game can claim a last second kick to win or lose the game. No other Super Bowl was so flawlessly played by BOTH teams, so it is somewhat right that the score was seperated by a single point, because really, both teams deserved to win.
And you know what? I can kind of see this Super Bowl shaping up to be somewhat similar. Great offense vs. great defense. This is why my money’s on the Bears. Great defense ALWAYS beats great offense in championship games. The only way the Bears lose this game is if Rex “Gaturd” Grossman loses it for them. No longer will anyone say Manning is the next Marino. He’s about to become the next Kelly.
By Gene
February 3, 2007 08:12 AM | Link to this
I’ll vote for Bradshaw vs Staubach.
By Claude
February 3, 2007 09:42 AM | Link to this
I’m a bit surprised that you put Superbowl IV in the best category, and no Vikings Superbowl in the worst category. I was too young for Superbowl IV, but I was cheering for the Vikings in their other three Superbowls. Those were brutal, awful games.
By BFS83
February 3, 2007 05:41 PM | Link to this
I want to second Matthew’s remarks. Not about Super Bowl XXV, but about being one of Mr. Bisher’s biggest fans. Keep up the good work. God bless ya.
By All But One
February 3, 2007 05:50 PM | Link to this
I’ve seen all but one of the Super Bowls. The only one I missed was SB V between the Colts and Cowboys. I still remember the second kickoff to open the second half of SB I. Living 40 miles south of Macon I had never seen nor heard of the AFL until just a few months earlier when the two leagues merged. The antenna we had would only get the CBS station (Channel 13) and there were no NBC or ABC stations close enough to us to get the other stations in Columbus and Albany GA. I never knew why the second kickoff happened until more than 10 years later when it was mentioned by someone talking about SB I. My favorite is still SB III. We had just gotten a new NBC station in Macon and of course I was pulling for Broadway Joe and the NY Jets. I was in bed with the flu and had to pull my bed to my bedroom door so I could watch the game on the TV in the living room. I still get goose bumps when I watch the game replayed from time to time. I got another thrill that evening when I got to see The Doors on THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR. I’ve been to big SB parties and I’ve put on a few through the years but for the last few years I’ve gotten real selfish and I prefer to watch it with my family or by myself. I’ve found I enjoy them more that way because of today’s technology. DVR’s are nice to have if you want to get up and get something to eat or drink and yes when nature calls too. I hope that a new coach, some positive changes and a lucky draw as a Falcon Season Ticket holder will get me to SB XLII. I’d get over my selfishness for a few days to do that.
By Thedream21479
February 3, 2007 08:01 PM | Link to this
Mr. Bisher, you should have a fan question/answer day. It would be amazing to sit with you and just talk to you about all the history of..well, american sports :)
Keep up the good work!
By MM
February 4, 2007 12:40 AM | Link to this
I agree, leaving off SBXXV is a mistake. Even NFL Films called it (at that time) “The greatest Super Bowl of all time.”
By Beretverde
February 4, 2007 06:56 AM | Link to this
Well done! I agree with you 100% on your choices. Thanks for the memories. As Ed would say to Johhny, “You are correst sir!”
By Nunna Yo Biznezz
February 4, 2007 07:27 AM | Link to this
Prince will steal the show…
The “SoulBowl” will go down in history as being defensive,low scoring game…
And,how the halftime entertainment will outshine the game!!
And,be the easiest subject as being the best halftime show for the SB ever!!!!
P.S. U and your boy Jeff Schultz,and your newspaper owe Vick an apology!!!
By billgt
February 4, 2007 08:31 AM | Link to this
You are the man!! Please tell me that this was written earlier but published at 12: 11 am ! Or were you hanging out in a Buckhead bar?
By FRANK OUDKIRK
February 4, 2007 10:14 AM | Link to this
I stopped watching the game last year after having seen everyone.
The media hype and the antics of most of the black players has turned me completely off.
The only game I have a vivid memory of is III where Namath and the Jets exposed the sorry state of football in the old NFL.
By Carroll
February 4, 2007 10:49 AM | Link to this
As “worst games” go, how on earth could you leave off the Falcons v Broncos?! That has to be the only SuperBowl ever decided literally before kickoff (see Robinson, Eugene).
By Sam
February 4, 2007 11:34 AM | Link to this
Leave it to an old fossilized racist like Furman Bischer to put the great performances of Doug Williams and Timmie Smith in his worst SuperBowl list.
By BuzzBomb
February 4, 2007 12:53 PM | Link to this
Sam….uhh…he was talking about THE GAMES, not individual performances. “Playing like men against boys” does not appear on the surface, to me, as having much of a racist over or under tone. That game was boring, and an absolute SLAUGHTER. Good for Doug and Timmy. I’m black, by the way…