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Patriotic
finish fitting for NFL season This wasn’t supposed to be a contest. No way the St. Louis Rams were going to lose to the New England Patriots. The Rams were 14-point favorites and had already beat New England once this season at Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts (on a grass field of all things). This game was on Astroturf, where St. Louis is the scariest team in football. NFL MVP Kurt Warner and all-everything running back Marshall Faulk were going to score like crazy.
The Patriots did not have superstars, a scoring machine or the speed as the Rams had. Two games earlier, New England won on a rule that no one has ever heard of. They then squeaked by Pittsburgh Steelers to earn the right to go to New Orleans. St. Louis had to have been licking their chops. This was going to be a cakewalk. Sure there were people pulling for the underdog, but did they really think they could pull off the unthinkable? In the end it really did not matter if anyone thought the Patriots could do it. They believed it was possible, and then went on the field Sunday and showed it. Starting with an introduction as one, rather than individually, the Patriots carried the team concept throughout the day to give the “Greatest Show on Turf” 20-17. The Rams quickly learned that the Patriots were not intimidated by their speed. Ty Law and Co. showed the St. Louis receivers that you can’t run by us if you’re on the mat of the Superdome all game long. Warner seemed bothered all day with a sore thumb and some bruised ribs, while New Orleans native Faulk was forgotten in Rams’ head coach Mike Martz’ game plays. On the other side was Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense playing smart, error-free football. Yet with time winding down, the score at 14-3 in favor of New England, there was a feeling that it was only a matter of time before the offensive juggernaut awoke. And they did, scoring two touchdowns in a flash and tying the game with 1:20 left in the game. This set the stage for a last second drive down the field by Brady and the Pats, who quickly moved the ball with no time-outs. This set up the game-winning 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Not only did the glass slipper fit for the Cinderella Patriots, it kicked them a Lombardi Trophy. And isn’t it fitting that the team that won the Super Bowl this season had the colors red, white and blue. In a season temporarily put on hold for a national tragedy, football with a patriotic flair helped to slowly return us to everyday life. This team’s spirit and resolve carried them through much like that of our nation over the past months. Some say this league is ruined by parity. Too many times there are teams that have the same talent level and there really isn’t a best team that sticks out. Maybe it was proved on Sunday. However, there are not many games like this that will stick in the anthology of memories associated with the Super Bowl. This was a great finish for football’s greatest stage. And if it was because of parity, I cannot wait until next year.
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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002 |
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