Best Super Bowl moment ever
July 14th, 2008 by Anthony Salveggi in SportsThe St. Pete Times is asking readers to choose from among its picks for the top 25 Super Bowl plays ever, with the results to be announced over the course of the season, culminating with the top vote-getter the Friday before the Super Bowl, which will be held this year in Tampa.
Allow me to skip ahead lo those many weeks and cut to the chase.
In looking at the Times’ nominees, it’s clear that athletic prowess wasn’t a deciding factor, hence the inclusion of Garo Yepremian’s ill-advised attempt at a pass in Super Bowl VII, Scott Norwood’s missed field goal in the final seconds against the Giants and Jackie Smith’s infamous drop against the Steelers. Memorable moments to be sure. But none are deserving of being called the best play. Not by a long shot.
Same with Buffalo Bills wide receiver Don Beebe’s mad dash to slap the ball out of Leon Lett’s hands as he was about to score in Super Bowl XXVII, A great individual effort by Beebe. But the game was already well out of reach for the Bills, who got their asses handed to them, 52-17.
As for the rest of the list, all the prime candidates are accounted for: John Riggins’ victory-sealing run against the Dolphins; Lynn Swann’s acrobatic catch in Super Bowl X; the Niners’ goal-line stand against the Bengals.
But to this sports enthusiast, only two moments can compete for the title of being both the best and most memorable.
To this day, I can watch the Marcus Allen’s amazing zigzag run against the Redskins and be awestruck. Yes, the game was a done deal by then, with the Raiders winning 38-9, but Allen’s remarkable improvisation for a 74-yard touchdown was something you had to see to believe.
But because it didn’t have game-changing impact, it’ll have to settle for second place.
To fully appreciate John Elway getting helicoptered in Super Bowl XXXII, you have to consider the context. The Packers were the reigning Super Bowl champs and were favored to repeat against the Broncos, who, under Elway’s tenure, had been blown out of three Super Bowls, the most recent being a humiliating 55-10 loss to the 49ers.
So you could be forgiven for thinking that the outcome to this Broncos-Packers match-up was predetermined, even with the score tied 17-17 in the third quarter. But when Elway, on third-and-6, ran for a first down from the Packers 12 and got spun horizontally by vicious hits like he was a propeller, it basically said to the whole world that not only were the Broncos going to put up a fight, they came to win the Lombardi Trophy. It remains the defining moment of that championship game and, in my opinion, the best, most memorable play in Super Bowl history.
Send to a friend:
July 15th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I know it’s too new for us to really appreciate the relevance of this play, but the 2008 Super Bowl pass from Eli Manning to David Tyree needs to be added to the Top 5, if not placed in the #1 slot on the list.
In case you’ve forgotten it, here’s the YouTube clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHQA2crGqAI
From snap to whistle, it’s one amazing moment after another. Manning’s escape is one of the most absurd Houdini acts I’ve ever seen. That alone might put this play on the list. But then Tyree catches the ball using one hand and his helmet — as Rodney Harrison tries everything short of pulling a knife to knock the ball loose.
And the game was on the line! It was a last second drive! The Pats perfect season hung in the balance! This play has it all!!!!
In 10 years, it won’t even be a debate. Manning to Tyree in Super Bowl XLII will be the defacto greatest play in Super Bowl history.