Sports Then and Now

Jim Plunkett was named MVP of Super Bowl XV.

Welcome to the fourth installment of the 50 Greatest Individual Performances in Super Bowl History.

Today’s installment takes a look at performances 20 through 11:

20. Rod Martin-Linebacker, Oakland Raiders, XV
The Raiders linebacker intercepted Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski three times, the most interceptions in a Super Bowl, to help Oakland defeat Philadelphia for the Raiders’ second Super Bowl title in five years.

Martin’s first interception came on the third play of the game and his 17-yard return to the Eagles’ 30-yard-line lead to an Oakland touchdown.

His second interception ended an Eagles drive in Raiders territory and was converted into a 46-yard field goal by Chris Bahr, and his third interception allowed for the Raiders to run out the clock in their 27-10 victory over the Eagles.

19. Thurman Thomas-Running Back, Buffalo Bills, XXV
Much like his team, Bills running back Thurman Thomas had his best performance in his team’s first Super Bowl.

Thomas ran the ball 15 times for 135 yards and one touchdown, a 31-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter, and caught five passes for 55 yards, totaling 190 yards of total offense on 20 touches, averaging a 9.5 yards every time he touched the ball. Read the rest of this entry →

Santonio Holmes capped off an MVP performance with a game-winning grab in Super Bowl XLIII.

This is Part 3 of the 50 Greatest Individual Performances in Super Bowl History.

In today’s section, we take a look at performances 30 through 21:

30. Troy Aikman-Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys, XXVII
Aikman had the fourth highest-rated quarterback performance in Super Bowl history, a 140.7 rating, as he completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and threw four touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 52-17 blowout of the Buffalo Bills.

Aikman also rushed for 28 yards, more than Bills running back Thurman Thomas who ran for only 19 yards.

29. Jack Lambert-Linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers, XIV
The most memorable in Lambert’s Super Bowl career occurred in Super Bowl X when he threw Cowboys safety Cliff Harris after Harris taunted Steelers kicker Roy Gerela for missing a field goal.

However, his best performance came in Super Bowl XIV when Lambert made 14 tackles, 10 of them solo, and made an interception when the Los Angeles Rams were at the Pittsburgh 32-yard-line, to preserve a 24-19 lead which the Steelers increased following the interception to come away with a 31-19 win.

Lambert had 14 tackles in that Super Bowl X, but what makes this performance greater is fellow linebacker Jack Ham was injured and did not play against the Rams.

28. Kurt Warner-Quarterback, Arizona Cardinals, XLIII
Warner has the three highest passing totals in Super Bowl history, with his effort in Super Bowl XLIII for the Arizona Cardinals being the second highest as he threw for 377 yards on 31 of 43 passes and threw three touchdowns on the league’s best defense in 2008.

Down 20-7 in the fourth quarter, Warner completed 13 of 17 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns as the Cardinals took a 23-20 lead with 2:47 to go when Warner found Larry Fitzgerald for a 64-yard touchdown.

However, the Cardinals gave up a touchdown and Warner fumbled the ball on their last offensive possession as Arizona fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23. Read the rest of this entry →

Where do the 1992 Dallas Cowboys rate when ranking the 44 Super Bowl champions?

Since the first Super Bowl was held in January 1967, 44 teams have hoisted the Vince Lombardi Championship Trophy. But which of these championship teams was really the greatest of the greats?

Was it one of the teams coached by Lombardi himself, or was it the only team to finish a season undefeated? Was it a one-year wonder like the 1985 Bears or perhaps a team coached by one of the coaching legends in Walsh, Landry, Gibbs or Noll.

Trying to cut through the numbers and years to identify the best Super Bowl Champions of all-time is a lot like trying to rank Five Star restaurants or elite sports cars. Each one has its own merits and greatness that ultimately led to its ability to claim a championship.

Only twice in 44 years has a Super Bowl Champion lost as many as six games during a season and 28 champions lost three or fewer games on their way to winning a title.

But when you get past the win-loss records and start to analyze the entire picture, a clearer view of which teams were indeed a notch above starts to emerge.

In trying to identify the best of the best, I looked at five factors and ranked each champion in all five categories.

In addition to overall winning percentage, I also ranked teams based on the average margin in their losses and then separately the average margin in their victories. This helped paint a picture of whether teams were competitive in the games they did lose and then also illustrated if they were dominating in their victories. The best of the best were competitive in every game and dominant against their weaker opposition.

However, given that the caliber of each schedule was not the same and some teams may have played a more challenging schedule and didn’t have as many dominant victories, I also ranked teams based on the winning percentage of their regular season opponents and also by the number of teams they defeated during the season that had a winning record.

The championship team with the best ranking in each category received 44 points, down to one point for the team with the lowest score in each category. The points were then added up to determine the overall rankings.

The result is a ranking of the Super Bowl championship teams that doesn’t just give the nod of greatness to the teams with the best records. Instead, the full body of their championship season is analyzed and considered.

Because winning percentage was only one of multiple factors, the teams ranked as the best didn’t necessarily have the best record. Some of the teams often named as being among the best of all-time when simply looking at overall record fell to the middle of the pack when other factors are considered.

The goal of these rankings is to paint the full picture of which team played at the highest level against the toughest competition throughout a season in which they finished as the Super Bowl Champion.

So, here is my attempt at ranking the 44 Super Bowl Champions from “worst” to “best” based not on personal assessment, but instead on overall success during their championship season according to the five factors outlined above. Remember that even the worst team on this list was the best team in football during their championship season, so just to be on this list is special.

In this first installment are numbers 44-21: Read the rest of this entry →

Larry Csonka rushed for 145 yards and two scores in Super Bowl VIII.

Welcome to Part 2 of the 50 Greatest Individual Performances in Super Bowl History.

In today’s section, the 40-31 performances are revealed.

40.  Dwight White-Defensive End, Pittsburgh Steelers, IX
White spent much of the week leading up to the Super Bowl in a hospital suffering from pneumonia, losing 20 pounds.

However, White suited up and started for the Steelers when they met the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX.

White made three tackles and was credited with the first safety in Super Bowl history as he helped “The Steel Curtain” hold the Vikings to 119 total yards, the fewest in Super Bowl history, as the Steelers won their first of four Super Bowls with a 16-6 win.

After the game, White went back to the hospital where he stayed for another 10 days.

39. Larry Csonka-Running Back, Miami Dolphins, VIII
Csonka set the then-rushing record for most carries and yards gained by a running back as he carried the ball 33 times for 145 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Dolphins’ easy 24-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings for the Dolphins’ second straight Super Bowl title.

Csonka became the first running back to be named Super Bowl MVP and the first running back to gain more than 100 yards in back-to-back Super Bowls(He had 115 yards in Super Bowl VII).

38. Franco Harris-Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers, IX
Harris broke Csonka’s one-year record for most carries and yards gained by a running back as he carried the ball 34 times for 158 yards and scored the Steelers’ first touchdown, a nine-yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the second half, to be named MVP in Pittsburgh’s 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
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Bart Starr was the MVP of the first Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl is the ultimate stage for a NFL player to have a performance for the ages.

It does not have to be a superstar or future Hall-of-Famer, but role players or players that have been overshadowed throughout their careers can step in to the limelight and put together a game that fans watching on TV or in the stands will never forget.

With the help of Bob McGinn’s The Ultimate Super Bowl Book, I have comprised the 50 Greatest Individual Performances in Super Bowl History.

In this list will not only be players that won the Most Valuable Player award in the Super Bowl, but players from losing teams that gave put their teams on their back but fell just short of winning the Lombardi Trophy, through no fault of their own.

Also, there will be performances that could have been recognized as a MVP performance but were overlooked in favor of others.

In essence, just because there have been 44 Super Bowls, does not mean all 44 Super Bowl MVP winners on this list.

So with no further interruption, here are the 50 Greatest Individual Performances in Super Bowl History with today’s installment focusing on 50 through 41:

50. Roger Craig-Running Back, San Francisco 49ers, XIX
Craig became the first player in Super Bowl history to score three touchdowns in one game.

The versatile running back ran the ball 15 times for 58 yards and rushed for a two-yard touchdown run to go along with seven receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns in the 49ers’ 38-16 win over the Miami Dolphins.

49. John Stallworth-Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers, XIV
Though he only caught three passes in the entire game, Stallworth made his presence felt in the fourth quarter of a tight contest with the Los Angeles Rams.

Trailing 19-17 early in the fourth quarter, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw launched a deep pass for Stallworth, who caught it beyond the hands of Rams safety Rod Perry at the Rams’ 32-yard-line, and ran it in for the go-ahead touchdown.

Following an Rams turnover and facing a 3rd-and-7, Stallworth caught another deep pass from Bradshaw, this time for 45 yards that put the Steelers at the Rams’22-yard-line and lead to the game-clinching touchdown, a one-yard touchdown run by Franco Harris.

Stallworth finished with 121 yards on three catches, averaging 40.3 yards per catch, in the Steelers’ 31-19 victory and fourth Super Bowl title in six years. Read the rest of this entry →

Mark Herzlich at the 2011 Senior Bowl.

If you pay attention to College sports, then you would be hard pressed to remember a more turbulent year than 2010.

Cam Newton’s recruiting scandal was as big of a story in 2010 as his play on the field, in which he led the University of Auburn to the National Championship.

Ohio State’s scandal where five starters were involved in trading autographs for free tattoos resulting in a 5 game suspension that will begin with the first 5 games of the 2011 season.

Reggie Bush returned the Heisman for receiving improper benefits while he was a player at USC dominated the college sports headlines in the first half of 2010.

Meet Mark Herzlich, linebacker for Boston College, and the definition of what a College Athlete should represent.

At a time when many top tier college athletes are mired in recruiting scandals, Mark Herzlich stands out and not just for the reason you may think. Mark Herzlich is not just a top tier linebacker many experts feel will go in the early rounds of the NFL draft, but Mark is also a cancer survivor and his story has been an inspiration to many.

Mark was recruited by several top programs, including Johns Hopkins University to play Lacrosse, which Mark also excelled at while in High School. Lucky for the maroon and gold, after originally committed to play football for the University of Virginia, Mark later changed his mind and decided on Boston College.

As a freshman at Boston College, Mark made an immediate impact, starting all 13 games in 2006. In 2007, Mark finished second on the team in tackles, leading Boston College to the Champs Sports Bowl on defense. By the end of the 2008 season, Mark’s Junior year, Mark became the team leader in tackles, won the ACC defensive player of the year, was listed on many all American teams and was a finalist for the Butkus award, the award given for the nation’s top college linebacker. Mark had become one of the nation’s elite line backers, and was the top linebacker in the ACC, a BCS conference. The future was bright for Mark as he was heading into the end of his Junior year preparing for a much anticipated Senior campaign that would no doubt propel him into the first round of the NFL draft.

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