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PK Adam Vinatieri:
the Pats' Mr. Clutch
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When Adam Vinatieri booted a 48-yard field goal as time elapsed to give the New England
Patriots a well-deserved and dramatic 20-17 upset victory over the heavily favored St.
Louis Rams, "wow" was the only word that went through my mind.
Vinatieri’s kick capped a brilliant performance by the underdog Patriots (14-5),
who outplayed and outexecuted the Rams (16-3) at every turn. Head coach Bill Belichick and
his staff did an incredible job in coming up with a game plan to halt the Rams’
explosive offense and as a result, produced arguably the greatest Super Bowl of all time.
How good were the Patriots, who were 5-11 last year and picked to finish dead last in
the AFC East by preseason prognosticators? They held a Rams team that had scored 500-plus
points in three straight seasons without a touchdown for the first three quarters and were
a called-back fumble return away from a dominating romp.
The defensive effort was brilliant, the offense didn’t turn the ball over, and the
special teams made big plays, topped off by Vinatieri’s clutch kick. The Rams showed
how special they are by battling back to tie, but young QB Tom Brady drove the ball down
the field to set up the game-winning kick.
Here’s a look at random thoughts and comments accumulated throughout an
unforgettable Super Bowl XXXVI:
First quarter
This is just one man’s opinion, but it’s really, really hard for me to root
for Patriots LB Bryan Cox.
The Pats show great team unity by doing something unprecedented in the pregame
introductions: They refuse to be announced individually and instead come out together as a
team. I’ve never seen that before. It gives me the feeling this is a team on a
mission.
Would someone please inform Mariah Carey that her 15 minutes of fame is long over? I
mean, if you’re gonna lip-sync a song, why even bother to show up? Just have them
play a tape.
Once again, the Pats show impressive team unity as they all come out onto the field for
the coin toss. It’s four Rams captains against the entire New England team. Talk
about sending a message across the field, huh?
As Fox Sports sideline reporter Ron Pitts interviews Rams QB Kurt Warner before the
opening kickoff, I was waiting for Pitts to ask Warner what kind of Chunky soup he had
today. Weren’t you?
As the game is about to begin, I’d like to say that I feel really, really good
about myself right now. My recent tradition of not watching the hours and hours of
overblown, overly drawn-out pregame shows is mission complete. I honestly don’t think
I missed a thing.
Patriots S Tebucky Jones sets the tone for the New England defense on the first play as
he drills Rams WR Torry Holt twice on the opening series. The Pats’ secondary has
stated its desire to be physical and punish the Rams’ receivers whether they catch
the ball or not. Jones is certainly living up to his end of the bargain. I wonder how the
supposedly "finesse" Rams’ skilled people will respond?
What a great job Rams P John Baker has! He punted just 43 times during the regular
season, nearly 20 times fewer than the next-closest punter. He certainly earns his keep on
his first punt of the game as he pins the Pats back at their own three-yard line.
Great first play — a play that’s been the Pats’ bread and butter all
season — as they swing a quick hitter to WR Troy Brown inside and he busts it upfield
for about 20 yards. Brown is a guy that the Rams must keep an eye on. He’s New
England’s big-play guy, a Pro Bowler with 101 catches on the season.
A great sign for the Pats as RB Antowain Smith (one of the keys to New England winning,
in my mind — he’s GOT to have a good game, along with the special teams coming
up big) runs for nine yards on first down. He looked explosive on a good north-south run
through the line.
Great audible by QB Tom Brady as he adjusts to the Rams’ defense and hits Troy
Brown for a first down. Brady looks steady and not nervous at all. What an amazing story
it would be if he were to lead the Pats to a title! He was New England’s fourth-string
quarterback last season!
After a Patriots punt into the endzone, CB Ty Law makes WR Isaac Bruce pay after a
short reception by hitting him HARD. Again, the Pats’ secondary is playing physical
and setting the tone. That’s got to make the Rams’ receivers a little leery
about going over the middle.
Warner does a great job against some pressure and completes a pass for a first down.
Faulk also starts to get going with a pass reception and a nice run. This is why the Rams
are so tough to shut down. They can beat you through the air or on the ground.
Hmmm. It wouldn’t be a Rams game if I didn’t question a decision by Rams head
coach Mike Martz. On 3rd-and-3, he calls for a pass, and Warner can’t
connect with WR Ricky Proehl. Why didn’t they use a lethal weapon like Faulk?
PK Jeff Wilkins bails out his coach with a great 50-yard field goal. It looks like it
would’ve been good from 70! He really drilled that one right down the middle.
It’s 3-0 Rams with 3:10 left in the opening quarter. Even though St. Louis leads, the
Pats have to be thrilled. They’ve held the Rams in check pretty well so far.
The Rams come with an all-out blitz vs. Brady on a third-down play and force an
incomplete pass. Great call by defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. New England has done
next-to-nothing on offense thus far. Brady’s amazing: He doesn’t do a lot to
beat you, but he doesn’t beat himself either. A very effective quarterback in
today’s NFL — kind of like Trent Dilfer was for the Ravens last year. Don’t
beat yourself and make the plays when you have to.
Pats DE Bobby Hamilton comes through to sack Warner on a failed play-action pass
attempt. That’s a good sign for the Pats’ defense, which definitely wants to put
pressure on Warner to hopefully force a turnover.
Second quarter
Give Belichick and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel credit: They have yet to blitz
and have gone with multiple defensive backs, and it’s seemed to hold the Rams in
check thus far. I can’t help but be reminded of Belichick’s brilliant defensive
plan against the explosive Buffalo Bills following the 1990 season. That Giants team
punished the Bills’ wideouts and played really physical football. They also
controlled the tempo of the game and won 20-19.
WR Az-Zahir Hakim catches a pass for a first down on a long crossing pattern. Good play
by Warner to take advantage of what the Pats’ defense was giving him.
LB Mike Vrabel just misses an interception after a Warner pass is batted down at the
line of scrimmage. That’s EXACTLY what the Patriots need — a turnover for a
touchdown or even good field position.
Wilkins misses a 52-yard field goal when he badly hooks the kick wide left. It’s
hard to question that decision by Martz since Wilkins looked so good on his 50-yarder
earlier in the game. But I am reminded of last week’s NFC championship game when
Wilkins missed a 50-plus-yarder and it set up the Eagles with great field position. Philly
took advantage, marching down the field and scoring a touchdown. We’ll see if this
miss sparks the Patriots.
At this point, the Rams have to be feeling a little nervous. They’re playing well
but only up 3-0. The longer the Pats hang around, the tougher it’ll be to put them
away.
Brady seems to be struggling passing the ball against this quick Rams defense. Luckily,
Antowain Smith is running well. That is SO big for the Pats to give their defense a rest
and control the time of possession.
BIGGEST PLAY OF THE GAME SO FAR! Warner gets hit just as he passes the ball when Vrabel
blitzes from the outside. The ball wobbles right into Ty Law’s hands and he runs back
the interception 47 yards for a touchdown. PK Adam Vinatieri tacks on the PAT kick, and
it’s suddenly 7-3. Talk about a momentum change! That is EXACTLY what the Pats need.
They HAVE to get help from their defense and special teams. Is this the Pats’ night?
That turnover was the Rams’ second of the postseason. It also was Warner’s
first Super Bowl interception. He had risen to second on the list of most Super Bowl pass
attempts without an interception with 60.
Almost another turnover by the Rams as Warner fumbles the snap from center and the ball
lies on the ground for a second before he calmly picks it up and completes a pass to
Hakim. A great play by Warner, although he was fortunate that the Patriots didn’t
have a pass rush on. Poor job by Hakim to fail to get the first down as he runs laterally
and gets tackled short.
Pats LB Tedy Bruschi makes a textbook tackle on Faulk for no gain. You’ve got to
love Bruschi — he’s a warrior.
Ohhh! Pats S Lawyer Milloy makes an interception but is bobbling the ball as he lands
out of bounds. It’s just an incomplete pass. Again, almost another turnover. That
sets up 4th-and-1, and here comes Baker to punt for a third time. That’s a
story in itself.
Antowain Smith is looking good. He bursts ahead for eight yards, then four more, and he
has nine carries for 42 yards. Pats offensive coordinator Charlie Weis has to be thrilled
— the Pats are controlling the tempo of this game.
Rams LB Tyoka Jackson and DE Leonard Little sack Brady, taking us to the two-minute
warning. The Pats’ offense really hasn’t done much, but the defense has been
outstanding. We knew this had to be a low-scoring game for the Pats to win.
The Rams’ five possessions thus far have resulted in a punt, a field goal, a
missed field goal, an interception and a punt. Impressive performance by the Pats’ D.
Proehl catches a pass over the middle and turns upfield for a good gain but gets hit
hard by S Antwan Harris and fumbles. CB Terrell Buckley recovers and returns the ball to
the St. Louis 40. Another HUGE play by the Pats’ defense! Harris is the guy who
returned the blocked field goal for a touchdown in last week’s AFC championship game.
Now, he comes up with a big helmet-to-ball hit on Proehl to force a turnover.
In the Rams’ two losses this season, they turned the ball over 14 times and were a
minus-11. That is huge.
Troy Brown catches a short pass and runs ahead for a first down. It’s amazing that
he is able to get open throughout a game. You know the opposing defense is keying on
stopping him — he’s their biggest threat. But he makes plays. What a player!
Brady hits TE Jermaine Wiggins for eight yards, then tries a pass to the endzone but
misses WR David Patten.
A big play by RB Kevin Faulk as he runs for a first down to the St. Louis eight with 36
seconds left. What a great block by OT Grant Williams, who takes out two St. Louis
defenders, springing Faulk down the sideline for the first-down yardage. The Rams’
defense is on its heels. This would be a HUGE score for the Pats.
Brady hits Patten in the back of the endzone — TOUCHDOWN! Great throw, great
catch. Reminiscent of Bradshaw to Swann years ago. Vinatieri boots the PAT kick, and
it’s 14-3 with 31 seconds left in the half. What a stunner! How will the Rams respond
in the second half?
That was Brady’s first TD pass in his last 83 pass attempts. Is that taking this
destiny thing too far? It sure doesn’t look like it.
Interesting note: No team has ever come back from an 11-point halftime deficit in a
Super Bowl. The 14-point favorite Rams are in T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
Third quarter
The Pats hold the ball for four minutes before punting. That’s not a terrible
thing — they ran some clock and kept the Rams’ offense off the field. This is
REALLY starting to look like that Bills-Giants Super Bowl, isn’t it?
Warner gets sacked by DT Richard Seymour and Vrabel, then gets hit by LB Roman Phifer,
forcing yet another punt. The Pats are controlling this game!
Although he came along after the Bills made their four consecutive trips to the Super
Bowl, isn’t it ironic that ex-Bill Antowain Smith is playing a key role in the
Pats’ success. He runs ahead for another first down and looks great.
Patten catches a pass and runs ahead for a first down. Charlie Weis is starting to open
things up and take some shots downfield. Why not? They’re up 11 and controlling this
game. The underdog should always go for the throat when it’s got the favorite down,
right?
The Rams take over and call their second timeout with 6:03 left. I wonder if that will
come back to haunt them. Now, New England calls a timeout. The chess match between Martz
and Belichick continues. Fascinating.
I’ve got to think the Rams will commit to running the ball with Marshall Faulk as
they did against the Eagles the week before. They have to use him more, don’t they?
Another example of the Pats’ secondary’s physical play as CB Otis Smith slams
Holt to the turf after a catch. That’s got to take a toll at some point.
Warner seems to be bothered by his injured thumb, then throws an interception when Holt
falls down on a timing pattern. Otis Smith makes an easy interception and returns the ball
to the St. Louis 33. With 3:25 left in the quarter, the Patriots have assumed control.
Brady connects with Troy Brown for 10 yards to the St. Louis 23. The Pats will go for
the throat now. Weis calls for a HB option pass with Kevin Faulk, but Rams DE Grant
Wistrom sniffs it out and Faulk wisely pulls the ball in and gets taken down by Wistrom
rather than make an ill-advised pass. Good decision by Faulk.
The Pats are getting fancy now as Kevin Faulk takes a direct snap from center and runs
for a couple of yards. The Rams hold, and Vinatieri comes on to boot a 37-yard field goal
to make it 17-3 with 1:18 left in the quarter.
Stat of the game, Part 1: All 17 of New England’s points have come off St. Louis
turnovers.
Stat of the game, Part 2: The last time the Rams were held without a touchdown in the
first three quarters of a game was Week Five vs. the New York Giants (they rallied to win
that game 16-15).
Here come the Rams as Warner hits Bruce for a first down, then connects with Marshall
Faulk for seven.
Fourth quarter
Warner passes to Hakim for a clutch third-down conversion, then makes a brilliant play
as he scrambles around and finds TE Ernie Conwell for nine yards. Warner got great, great
pass protection by the offensive line, but the Patriots’ secondary was up to the task
with brilliant coverage.
Warner finds Faulk for a big gain all the way to the Patriots’ nine-yard line.
Warner is getting all the time in the world in the pocket now and is picking apart the
Pats’ defense. Is New England getting fatigued?
Warner completes a pass to TE Jeff Robinson to the Pats’ three, then fires
back-to-back incompletions, narrowly avoiding interceptions by Law and Milloy. That sets
up 4th-and-goal at the three.
St. Louis uses its final timeout with 10:29 left. They MUST score here or the game is
over. I have to question why Martz hasn’t called a play for Marshall Faulk on the
goal line. It seems like a no-brainer to get him involved when you need a touchdown.
That’s just my humble opinion, though.
Here it is: fourth down. Martz vs. Belichick. Offensive genius vs. defensive genius.
Game on the line. The Super Bowl most likely hanging in the balance. … Does it get
any better than this?
Warner drops back to pass, no one’s open (boy, the Pats’ secondary has done
an incredible job), he scrambles to run for the endzone but gets hit at the goal line and
FUMBLES! Tebucky Jones picks up the loose ball at the three and runs untouched 97 yards
for a back-breaking touchdown. It’s truly the Pats’ night. But wait,
there’s a penalty flag down. ...
HOLDING AGAINST THE PATS! It’ll be 1st-and-goal for the Rams at the
Pats’ one. What a devastating turn of events for New England. I can’t help but
think Patriots fans are flashing back to Bill Buckner’s error right now from the 1986
World Series. Why have sports been so cruel to Boston-area fans?
It was a good penalty call by the officials. Pats LB Willie McGinest clearly tackled
Faulk as he tried to run his pass pattern. What a blunder by the veteran McGinest.
Faulk gets stuffed by McGinest on first down for a one-yard loss. Great play by
McGinest to get in the backfield as soon as Faulk got the handoff.
New England uses its second timeout as the chess match continues. What drama! This is a
must-score for the Rams.
Warner quickly snaps the ball and follows C Andy McCollum for an easy two-yard TD run.
Great call by Martz; score one for him this time. Wilkins boots the PAT, and it’s
17-10 with 9:31 left. Game on! That’s got to be one of the biggest turnarounds in
sports history, doesn’t it? I mean, the Pats were a holding call away from being up
24-3 and totally destroying the Rams’ spirit. Now, it’s 17-10 and the game is
truly in doubt.
Stat of the game, Part 3: The Rams’ defense, which forced 11 turnovers the last
two weeks, has forced none from New England.
The Pats fail to get a first down and punt to the Rams’ seven. Well, here it is:
Kurt Warner’s got 93 yards to do his best Joe Montana impersonation and add to his
legend.
He gets the drive started with a first down to Bruce, then gets sandwiched by McGinest
and rookie DT Richard Seymour. Warner has taken a beating in this game, getting hit at
least a dozen times and hurried several other times.
Courageous throw by Warner in the face of a blitz as he finds Proehl for a big gain and
a first down. That had to impress the Patriots’ defenders.
McGinest comes up with a big 15-yard sack of Warner after the Rams had moved into New
England territory. Warner should’ve thrown that ball away, but he’s got nothing
open downfield and was trying to create something. Boy, after not hearing from McGinest
all game until his unfortunate holding penalty, he’s been a demon ever since.
The Rams have to punt it away with just under four minutes left. Good call by Martz;
you can’t give the ball to the Patriots with great field position and no timeouts
left. Try to pin them deep and give your defense a chance. Of course, when Baker booms the
punt into the endzone, it doesn’t help the Rams’ cause.
Well, well. New England goes 1-2-3-punt again, and P Ken Walter’s kick is subpar,
traveling just 30 yards to the Rams’ 45. Great field position and 1:51 left. This
game is a LONG way from being over.
Warner hits Hakim for 18 yards, then finds Yo Murphy for 11 yards and finally hits a
wide-open Proehl for 26 yards and a TOUCHDOWN! That was a blown coverage by the Pats, and
Proehl made a great cut to the inside and dove into the endzone. Wilkins’ kick ties
the score 17-17 with 1:30 left to play in regulation time.
How about that? Regulation time. … Never thought I’d be writing that about
this game. You know, my brain told me before the game that the Rams would win in a romp.
But my gut kept telling me that this could be like that Bills-Giants Super Bowl and be
close to the end. Let that be a lesson to everyone: Always go with your gut.
The last Super Bowl to be decided by a successful game-winning field goal was Super
Bowl V when Jim O’Brien booted the Baltimore Colts to a 16-13 win over the Dallas
Cowboys. If the Pats can give Vinatieri a shot, I’m going to predict a second
game-winning kick. He’s an incredibly clutch kicker.
The Pats take over at their own 17. Fox commentator John Madden says it’s too deep
in their own territory to try passing. He calls for the Pats to go to a knee and take
their chances in overtime. Good thing Belichick isn’t listening. Brady comes out
firing.
He finds RB J.R. Redmond for three passes, two of which result in first downs. He then
connects with Troy Brown for 20 yards and a first down at the St. Louis 36. There are 21
seconds left. Vinatieri’s gonna get a shot!
Brady hits Wiggins for six yards to the St. Louis 30 and then rushes the team to the
line of scrimmage, where he spikes the ball with five seconds left.
Here it is. Vinatieri comes on for the potential game-winning 48-yard field goal. Every
young boy’s dream — a chance to win the Super Bowl. Good snap, great kick.
IT’S GOOD! The Pats win! Amazing. Where’s Al Michaels when you need him most?
"Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"
That makes Vinatieri 25-for-25 lifetime indoors on field goals. He is one of the best.
What a game. Was it the best of all time? I think so. It has to be great ratings for
Fox, a great boost for the NFL and an incredible win for the New England franchise as it
moves into a new stadium next season.
This win just shows you how volatile and fleeting the NFL is nowadays. The Pats were
5-11 and in the basement last year; then, with a couple of personnel changes and great
play from draft picks, they put together a dream season and won it all. "Parity"
Pete Rozelle must be smiling from ear to ear as he looks down from heaven.
My final two thoughts:
Belichick pulled off the greatest coaching job in NFL history, pulling a ragtag bunch
that started out 0-2, lost its starting quarterback to injury, suspended its leading wide
receiver for conduct detrimental to the team, then reeled off victories in 14 of their
final 17 games behind a second-year quarterback who had never started a game in the NFL
before this season.
And finally ... How do you think Patriots outcast WR Terry Glenn is feeling right now? |
