Greatest Super Bowl ... EVAR

For the fanboy in me, Super Bowl XXXI is closest to my heart and it wasn't a bad game at all. Reggie White's consecutive sacks are my favorite all-time Super Bowl memory.

For the non-fanboy, ersatz-historian in me, Super Bowl X was better than Super Bowl XIII. Super Bowl XIV, Steelers-Rams, might be better in its way than either because of the upset factor. The 9-7 Rams led in the fourth quarter of that game before the Steelers cemented their excellence.

As mentioned, Super Bowl XVII was a good one that is rarely mentioned among the greats.

In its way, Super Bowl XVIII was gripping in a different way because the Raiders so thoroughly beat the Redskins, a team viewed as invincible. Marcus Allen's reverse-field TD run blew my mind as a 12-year-old. Looked a lot more electric on live TV than NFL Films' version.

Super Bowl XXV was the best played, and Super Bowl XXXVII was the most exciting in my opinion.

 

1977.

 

XIV - way underrated. Probably NFL Films' best Super Bowl movie ever - a 3 p.m. kickoff at the Rose Bowl on a sunny day in January provides incredible visuals, and the Sabol boys took advantage of 'em all. Some of their most memorable shots ever:
* The panoramic shot of the reflectors held up by more than 100,000 people.
* Chuck Noll heading to the locker room down 13-10 with a WTF scowl, charging at a cameraman, then laughing.
* Rams fans' reactions.
* The Bradshaw-Stallworth TD pass, with the discofied 1812 Overture - how gloriously cheesy.
* And probably my fave, late third quarter, the final rays of sun on the San Gabriel Mountains, then panning down into the virtually darkened stadium.

XVII - Helluva game, though probably the most hammered I've gotten watching a Super Bowl

XVIII - My old roommate let out a shout of "You're fucked, Marcus!" that could be heard across Boston when the Redskins' right side closed in on him. He shut up quick when Marcus found that hole up the middle.

 

My brother recorded that for me to watch next week on vacation. He also found a DVD set of nine complete games and all three playoff games from the Bears' '85 season.

 

I was talking about this with a guy at work yesterday. No score box, no clock, no fantasy stats, no sponsored kickoffs or other useless graphics. It was great to hear Olsen again. Tremendous colour man.

 

Was fortunate enough to cover all five of the games in the poll. Of course, covered more than one of the games in the worst Super Bowl thread, too.
It is impossible to separate one's personal experience from evaluating a sports event, but I'm going to try.
As a pure football game, I'd go with Super Bowl XXXII by a slight margin over XXXIV. It had themes galore. Elway finally winning, upset, the whole Terrell Davis goes blind and Shanahan uses him anyway deal, and it was a back and forth contest with many big plays for all 60 minutes.
But as a professional experience, it has to be XXXVI. The Patriots won a Super Bowl. At that point, dynasty wasn't exactly what people envisioned as their future. The franchise had been NFL comic relief for 40 years. I'd covered for 20, and never in my wildest dreams expected them to ever win the title on my watch.

 

Best two Bowls I saw were the Carolina loss with Delhomme lighting people up, and the Steve McNair loss to St. Louis.
The Giants/Buffalo game was boring for long stretches, if you remember.

 

XXV was probably the greatest single-game coaching performance I've seen. There was no reason that the Giants, with Jeff Hostetler should have beaten the Bills. But they held the ball for 40+ minutes and got a gutsy performance from Ottis Anderson.

 

I don't remember any boring stretches. Those long, time-consuming drives (didn't the Giants convert an absurd amount of third downs on one drive?) were hardly "boring." Those were things of beauty.

 

OJ Anderson was brilliant for a stretch during the late 80s and early 90s, I'll give you that.
But if Norwood doesn't go "wide-right" are we still comparing Parcells to Lombardi and Walsh, as we so often do?
Tuna's accomplishments are greatly padded thanks to this game.
My alma mater had three players contributing in this game and I did think it had a dynamic ending.
I remember watching at a party in Dallas.
For me, overall, it isn't among the "best-ever"

 

Completely agree on Parcells. His last year in Dallas was unbelievable, as the ESPNites seemed wholly incapable of criticizing Herr Tuna for any of the mess.