By Matthew Bitz
When I woke up on Sunday morning, I had no intention of watching the Super Bowl. For the past several years now, all the games that I have watched have been, in short, pretty well decided from the kickoff.
For the past two years, we saw the Denver Broncos win big. And to be honest, I think everyone was happy to see Elway get his moments of glory. After all, the guy deserved them.
But let's face it. For about five years now, the big game has not been as exciting as it used to be. Perhaps it was because we knew all the athletes too well -- knew all their ins and outs, all the stories and rumors that fly around professional sports -- so by the time the Super Bowl came around, all the excitement and fun were gone, and we merely wanted them all to go home for a while.
But this year was different: Two teams that no one at the beginning of the season thought would make the playoffs, let alone vie for the national title, and one of the teams being a completely new franchise. This is what a Super Bowl should be. Neither team being stronger than the other and both playing good tough football. Maybe it was the fact that in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter it was anybody's game or that in the end it all came down to one final yard.
And then there is Kurt Warner, who threw the ball for 414 yards on Sunday, a young man who has had to work hard for everything he's gotten, including both regular season MVP as well as Super Bowl MVP. The last time that happened was five years ago when Steve Young and the Niners were a powerhouse.
In retrospect, it seems only fair that the biggest game of the season should provide some memorable moments like this year. Who will forget that spectacular game-saving tackle or Warner, coming out and passing for 73 yards to Isaac Bruce to win the game? And what about McNair, a man who came so close, who played a fantastic game of football, who danced around the defense like it didn't exist?
Thanks to the NFL, to the players who worked so hard to get there and for once providing a better show than the Budweiser frogs.
