MY TOP (AND NOT) FIVE SUPER BOWLS

TOP FIVE:

5- XXXIV St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16; This was a major snooze-fest for three quarters, but it had a finish for the ages. At 16-0, I seriously considered leaving the party I was at, but then the Titans started to roll. Then, the Titans tied it briefly before Kurt Warner found Issac Bruce for the go-ahead TD. I was rooting for the Titans like crazy to tie the game and force overtime. Well, it didn't happen in the most dramatic way possible. The time expired as Kevin Dyson caught the ball one yard short of the end zone.

4- XLII NY Giants 17, New England 14; This game probably had the most build up of any Super Bowl that I've seen, and it clearly lived up to the hype. It was a defensive struggle for three periods before the offenses got going in the fourth. The Patriots had a great go-ahead drive capped off with a Brady to Moss touchdown, which was the staple all year. At this point, most of us probably thought the game was over. I really think my vision is just bad, because I still don't believe David Tyree caught that ball with his helmet. Then, Eli Manning capped off the game-winning drive with a TD to Plaxico Burress, leaving me to wish he had shot himself last year.

3- XXXVIII New England 32, Carolina 29; While watching the fourth quarter of last night's game, I couldn't help thinking back to the Super Bowl five years ago. It is a close call to which I think was better, but I put this one behind it because, unlike last night, the team I was rooting for lost. Even with that said, this was a fabulous Super Bowl that did not let up in the fourth quarter. It was the ultimate cinderella story in Jake Delhomme against the established Tom Brady. There were few moments in Super Bowl history where I was more excited than when Delhomme hit Mushin Muhammad for that 85-yard bomb. Unfortunately, the Patriots got the ball last and Adam Vinatieri's leg delievered them to their second title in three years.

2- XLIII Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23; What a treat this game was yesterday! For a game that received so little attention (compared to other Super Bowls), it turned out to be a gem. The game had very few dull moments. I think the only place where you could call the game dull was in the third quarter when it appeared the Steelers were going to ice the game. Even that though set up the Cardinals comeback. Kurt Warner was magnificent and I believe his performance makes him a Hall of Fame lock, and Larry Fitzgerald's playoff performance may have lifted him to being the best receiver in football. Their comeback was stunning and made the final minutes of this game as good as it gets. However, Ben Roethlisberger got the last laugh. We've been spolied two years in a row watching quarterbacks have their Joe Montana moments in leading a team from behind in the final two minutes. Santonio Holmes made a marvelous catch, but Big Ben was the MVP to me. What a game! What a finish!

1- XXXII Denver 31, Green Bay 24; This game was very significant to me, because I had never seen the AFC win a Super Bowl in my life. The NFC had won 13 consecutive championships prior to this year, with the Raiders being the last AFC team to win five months before I was born. This game was so much more than that though as it was also the first real good Super Bowl that I got to see. Prior to that point, I had seen a lot of blowouts. The teams went back and forth the whole way, and watching John Elway going for the ring that had eluded him his whole career was just special. The Packers answered every Broncos score, so it just seemed like the AFC would never get it done. However, with 3 minutes left, Terrell Davis punched in what would be the game-winning score. When the Broncos stopped Brett Favre (RETIRE!) and the Pack on 4th and 6, I let out a roar that probably scared the crap out of my friend's parents. Even though I dislike the Broncos now, it was the best Super Bowl I've seen. AFC AT LAST!

NOT-SO TOP FIVE:

5- XXVIII Dallas 52, Buffalo 17; At least Don Beebe's play on Leon Lett was funny. Other than that, I'm just glad I was only eight years old and don't remember it thoroughly.

4- XLI Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17; Devin Hester's kickoff for a touchdown to begin the game was a major tease to everyone. The two weeks before the game were also perhaps the worst two weeks before a Super Bowl ever. I wanted to stab myself hearing about Peyton Manning's every move.

3- XXXV Baltimore 34, NY Giants 7; If it wasn't for Ron Dixon's kickoff return, the Giants would have been shutout. Plus, I hated both teams, so the fact it was a blow out just made matters worse. I can't say I didn't enjoy the Giants getting their doors blown in though.

2- XXXIX San Francisco 49, San Diego 26; Perhaps the most lopsided Super Bowl ever. Steve Young set the record for touchdown passes in a Super Bowl with six. The Chargers were led by future garbage men in Stan Humphries and Natrone Means. The game wasn't even as "close" as the final score indicated. I did win a free Sports Illustrated for my box winning the third quarter!

1- XXXVII Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21; You know it's a bad Super Bowl when one coach knows everything the other coach is doing. Jon Gruden, who had coached the Raiders the previous four seasons, noticed that the new coach was dumb enough not to change most of his signal calling. And it seemed like the Bucs had 14 pick returns in the final two minutes of the game. Just painful to watch!

Pat Morgan