Black Sunday:

This one’s for Tony Black Sunday:

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 02/07/2007

Miami , Florida — For the first time in Super Bowl history, it rained on Super Bowl Sunday; however, the rain could not wash away the historic significance and future implications of what happened.

 

Two proud, Black head coaches, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith, were on the sidelines absorbing every raindrop for the whole world to see. The rain washed away the myth that Black head coaches can’t do what Don Shula, John Madden, Chuck Noll, Vince Lombardi and Bill Walsh have done — win Super Bowls.

 

Dungy and his Indianapolis Colts put an end to that nonsense and won it 29-17 using the signature that has always been a Tony Dungy team hallmark: defense! With rain creating havoc on both teams, Dungy’s Colts would not be denied.

 

After all, the Colts are a dome team accustomed to consistent dry conditions, while the Bears are supposed to be used to playing under tougher, more trying conditions. Erase another myth: The Colts were tougher and their defense played better than the highly regarded Bears defense, forcing five turnovers in the win.

 

During the week, Dungy referred to Devin Hester, the record-setting kick return specialist of the Bears, as a “nuclear weapon.” That weapon exploded on the game’s first play. Hester took the game’s opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. Just like that — fourteen seconds, a Super Bowl record, and it was Bears 7, Colts 0.

 

Defensively the Bears started fast, stopping the Colts on their first drive. On a third-and-13, Manning tried go deep to Marvin Harrison down the right sideline and was intercepted by C. Harris.

 

The Bears were in control, right? Colts defense stopped the Bears three and out. This time the Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning, who had an invisible gorilla on his back to finally win the big game, stood tall in the pocket on a third-and-10 and went deep to Reggie Wayne, who was all by himself, for a 53-yard touchdown. The extra point was aborted by a low snap from center. Tough conditions; it happens; 7-6 Bears.

 

After back-to-back turnovers by the Bears and Colts on the next two plays, running back R. Jones busted a big one, 52 yards, giving the Bears first-and-goal. Grossman answered Manning with a touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad to give the Bears a 14-6 lead.

 

From this point on, the Colts dug deep and totally controlled the tempo of the game. The Bears’ Centric Benson got busted by Bob Sanders and fumbled; the Colts recovered it. That was the fourth turnover of the first quarter, another Super Bowl record.

 

Then the Colts really started dominating upfront on both sides of the ball and led 16-14 at the half despite dependable kicker Adam Vinatieri missing a 36-yard field goal as time expired. A pattern was developing for the game: The Colts were running the football at will with backs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes and wearing down the proud Bears defense, while the Bears could not sustain drives offensively.

 

In the first half, the Colts had 257 yards while the Bears had only 95 and just three first downs. Minnesota ’s own Prince then put on a spectacular halftime performance in the rain. When the second half resumed, the Colts just continued to play at a higher level. They moved the chains on offense and stuffed the Bears on defense.

 

The Colts had 430 yards and 24 first downs; the Bears had 265 yards and just 11 first downs. Time of possession was lopsided in favor of the Colts, 38 minutes to just 21 minutes for the Bears.

 

Then Rex Grossman, the young, maligned quarterback of the Bears who had avoided the big mistake all game, finally cracked in the fourth quarter, throwing two critical interceptions. One led to a touchdown of 56 yards by Kelvin Hayden that was a backbreaker. Lights out; Super Bowl over; Colts are Super Bowl Champions.

 

Manning was selected the game’s MVP after throwing for 247 yards and one touchdown. “Peyton Manning is a tremendous player,” Dungy said. “He’s a great leader. He prepares, he works, he does everything that you can do to win ball games and to lead your team. And if people think that you have to win a Super Bowl to know that and validate him and justify it, that’s just wrong.

 

“He’s done it. He’s got that behind him. I don’t think there’s anything you can say now other than he’s a Hall-of-Fame player, one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” the winning coach said of his winning quarterback. Indeed, seven times Manning has passed for 4,000 yards or more. He threw 49 touchdown passes, an NFL record for one season. And, he’s only the second quarterback in history who threw for 4,000 yards in a season to win the Super Bowl.

 

Dungy said, “Being the first African American head coach to win it, I have to dedicate this to some guys who came before me. When I came into the league in 1981, Jimmy Reye and Sherman Lewis, Lionel Taylor, those guys were in the league already, and [they were] great coaches that I know could have done this if they had gotten an opportunity.

 

“The Lord gave me the opportunity. Lovie and I, we’re able to take advantage of it. But we are certainly not the best, certainly not the most qualified. And I know there are some other guys that could have done it if given the chance. I just felt good that I was the first one to be able to do it and kind of represent those guys that paved the way for me. 

 

“I didn’t think the weather let both teams play the game that they could play,” said Dungy. “I really appreciate what Lovie has done in Chicago and the way he done it, the type of person he is. They [Chicago] are going to get there [win the championship] soon. It was our day today, but they are a great organization and he’s done a tremendous job.”

 

It’s the second year in a row that an AFC team has won four playoff games and captured the Super Bowl.

 

 

Super Fitz Notes

 

Since two years ago, when former Vikings Head Coach Mike Tice was caught scalping Super Bowl tickets and fined $100,000, the NFL has changed how NFL personnel must retrieve tickets. It’s called the Mike Tice Rule.

 

All players and personnel who get tickets through the league must go to the Super Bowl city location in person to retrieve tickets. Every NFL player gets to buy two tickets from the league at face value, which was $600 per ticket. Some tickets were going for $10,000 a pair in Miami .

 

NFL issues: Are NFL players unhappy with Gene Upshaw, executive director of the National Football League Players? There is growing unrest among many. In the NFL, most teams play four preseason games each year; some teams play five. Several players who talked with me have a major problem with the fact that NFL owners make the same revenue on exhibition games (from ticket sales, suite revenue, and concessions) per team as they do on regular-season games. NFL players, however, take a major hit, making about $400-$500 per player for each preseason game while taking the same risk of getting hurt, which could void contracts, as they do in the 16 regular-season games when contracts start.

 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “The great thing about the Rooney Rule is that it works.” Buddy Ryan was kept by George (Papa Bear) Hallas, who before he died in 1983 hired Mike Ditka as Chicago ’s head coach. Keeping Ryan as defensive coordinator did not sit well with Ditka, who wanted to make his own choice.

 

But it worked. The Bears had one of the greatest defensive units in NFL history. That decision led to a 1985 18-1 record and Super Bowl XX’s 46-10 win over the New England Patriots.

 

Next year’s Super Bowl XLII is in Arizona , and the Cardinals have replaced Dennis Green as head coach with highly regarded Pittsburgh Steeler Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. Having been a part of Pittsburgh ’s 21-10 Super Bowl XVI win over Seattle last year, Whisenhunt wanted to make his own choice at defensive coordinator.

 

Cardinals President Mike Bidwell may have used that same Hallas logic in keeping Defensive Coordinator Clancy Pendergast. The Cardinals were ranked eighth in total defense in 2005; however, in 2006 Pendergast, the lone holdover from Green’s staff, saw his unit drop to 28th in the league. Usually new head coaches get to select their staffs, but, as was the case years ago with Chicago , some ownerships dictate their desires.

 

 NFL Rookie of the Year — Tennessee quarterback Vince Young. NFL Head Coach of the Year — New Orleans Saints Sean Payton.

 

The Indianapolis Colts had the Gopher advantage in Super Bowl XLI with Head Coach Tony Dungy, tight end Ben Utecht, and defensive tackle Darrell Reid. Both players were recruited by Glen Mason, who was fired as Gophers head coach in January.

 

 

False advertising

 

Star Tribune columnist Sid Hartman was relieved to get out of town last week and fly to Miami . Hartman was under fire after violating a company policy and a code of ethics for doing a T.V. commercial for Sun Country Airlines in violation of company policy. Hartman flew Northwest Airlines round trip to Florida — we were on the same flights.