Super Bowl XXXIV a perfect ending

by EVAN BEVINS
columnist

If this is what happens when two teams no one would have picked at the beginning of the season get together for a Super Bowl, then I say we just scrap the whole regular season and have Philadelphia and Cincinnatti play Super Bowl XXXV next week.

In case you missed it, the St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans 23-16 in what may have been the best Super Bowl ever.

The competitors were as unlikely as it gets: the Rams were 4-12 last season and starting quarterback Trent Green went down in the first preseason game of 1999. That put Kurt Warner, former Iowa Barnstormer, Amsterdam Admiral and Grocery Bagger, at the head of a virtual McHale's Navy of unknowns and underrateds.

Marshall Faulk, who grew tired of Indianapolis and bolted the Colts while they were on the verge of greatness. Isaac Bruce, who bounced back from a truly forgettable season to reclaim his spot as one of the league's top receivers.

Most of the rest of the team was probably not known outside of St. Louis and the really serious fantasy leagues. And leading this band was Dick Vermeil, who retired as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1982 because of burnout.

On the other side of the field were the Titans, who, under the name of the Houston/Tennessee Oilers, could be found in the dictionary next to "mediocre."

After three 8-8 seasons, the team's biggest claim to fame was offensive coordinator-turned-head coach Jeff Fisher's sideline slugfest with then-defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.

Usually there's at least one team in the Super Bowl that has been the favorite for a large part of the season. Sure, some teams sneak up on you, like the Falcons in XXXIII, but I can't remember a matchup this unlikely. And there was no real rivalry or bad blood between the teams, like with last years Dan Reeves vs. John Elway situation.

At first Super Bowl XXXIV looked as dull as most pessimistic fans feared: the Rams moved into the Titans' red zone five times and came away with a whopping three field goals.

The 9-0 halftime score was nothing to write home about. When Rams' receiver Torry Holt pulled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Warner, the game looked over.

Then quarterback Steve McNair and the Titans went to work. Tennessee drove for two touchdowns, both run in by Eddie George.

The second score by the former Heisman Trophy winner was the most impressive. He drove a Rams defender into the end zone with sheer brute strength, barely keeping his knees off the turf (those of you who contend replays show George's left knee touched the ground, stop it; you're ruining the magic).

A field goal by Tennessee kicker Al Del Greco ­ who had missed one and had one blocked earlier in the game ­ knotted the score at 16-all. But with just over two minutes left, Warner and the Rams, less than impressive in the second half, showed everybody they belonged.

On the first play after the Titans' kickoff, Warner hurled the ball downfield to Bruce, who made a beautiful adjustment to haul it in, then proceded to run around and over would-be tacklers until he reached paydirt. Just like that, the Rams were back on top.

That's already more dramatic than most of the Super Bowls I've watched.

Fortunately, Tennessee didn't seem to care that this game was breaking with tradition and completely overshadowing this year's rather pitiful crop of commercials. The game came down to one play: McNair hit Kevin Dyson ­ already immortalized in playoff lore as the man who scored the "Music City Miracle"­ around the 3-yard line and he dove for the end zone.

Rams linebacker Mike Jones, however, dove for Dyson, and the game and the ball stopped inside the 1-yard line.

Now obviously, several Super Bowls occurred before I was born, but none I can remember watching (from XXI on) can compare with this game for fantastic finishes.

Super Bowl XXV ended on a missed field goal that started the Bills on their road to four straight Super Bowl losses. Pretty good, but a field goal just doesn't pack the drama of a last-second pass.

Super Bowl XXIII was decided when Joe Montana hit John Taylor to put the 49ers over the Bengals. But, no matter how incredible, that was just one dramatic play. Super Bowl XXXIV gave us two.

This game was not only a great Super Bowl, it was the perfect ending to a fantastic season.

I'm always sorry to see football season go, but this year it went out with a bang instead of a blowout.

Let's just hope the NBA's season wraps up as well as the NFL's. Raptors over Grizzlies in seven.