The Super Bowl
Excerpt from Odyssey -- Chapter IX
By Aaron M. Smith
The Super Bowl
Cheryl
Carey walked through the doors of the Super Dome. She strolled in its
underbelly and then could see a swath of green through an open stairwell. She
walked through the stairwell and the inside of the dome opened up to reveal a
stunning setting for football’s grandest moment. The green carpet sparkled like
an emerald island while fans began to pack the tens-of-thousands of
multi-colored seats in preparation for the night’s main event. She could hardly
believe her nephew would be playing on that field in just a few hours.
Like
she did in a Wal-Mart near South Bend
while looking for bed sheets some years ago, Cheryl broke down in tears.
“Nothing
seemed to faze me back then, but I remember walking into that stadium,” she
said. “I just began to cry. It was unbelievable to be there, knowing Marc was
going to be playing. He had accomplished his goal. He worked so hard and he was
getting his reward.”
Darsi
was equally emotional. Her daughters watched from home with her mother and she
stared out over the dome with her brother and her father. Tears didn’t fall
from her eyes, but her stomach was in knots.
“It
was amazing,” she said. “Never in your life do you expect to be at a Super
Bowl, let alone being there to watch your significant other. I was nervous for
him. Very, very nervous.”
Marc’s
mother-in-law Joyce would have been there with Darsi and Darrel, but the fear
of jinxing the Patriots kept her at home with her granddaughters, recovering
from an operation.
In
May of that year, Joyce had been going through health concerns that ultimately
would require surgery. Her doctor wanted to operate in August. Joyce refused to
have the operation because Darsi, Marc, and their girls would be staying with the
Millers at their new house all summer. She didn’t want to be preparing for and
recovering from an operation while the house was filled with family. She
instead took shots every month to hold off the operation until January when,
she assumed, New England’s season would be
over.
“Who
knew at that time that the Patriots were going to do anything,” Joyce said
laughing. “No one predicted them to go to the Super Bowl.”
As
the Patriots made their run at the end of the season, it became apparent that
something special was happening. Darrel wanted Joyce to postpone the surgery
until after the Super Bowl, just in case, but Joyce was uneasy with
rescheduling.
“I
told him, ‘No, this is how it is supposed to happen. I’m not going to jinx the
Patriots by rescheduling,’” Joyce said.
So
Joyce had the operation prior to the AFC Championship game and rested at home
with her grandchildren. She had help from her mother and a family friend as
they all piled in front of the television to watch Marc play in the Super Bowl.
They, too, were on pins and needles.
Marc,
on the other hand, wasn’t nervous. He was more anxious to end the waiting.
His
week started immediately following the victory over the Steelers.
“We
got back from Pittsburgh Sunday night at 7 p.m.
or so, had a quick minute to celebrate, and then next morning at 8 a.m., we’re
packed and ready to go to New Orleans,”
he said.
Monday
night in New Orleans
was the only night the coaching staff gave to the Patriots free of curfew. Some
took advantage of it; others relaxed with family, made phone calls to friends
back home, or just quietly imagined what Sunday would be like. Marc went out
with “the boys” that night and soaked in all that The Big Easy had to offer.
Tuesday
morning was spent answering legitimate questions about the upcoming Super Bowl
as well as personal questions, irrelevant questions, and questions simply asked
in order to get a chuckle – and a highlight on SportsCenter. Media Day is a spectacle where all players and coaches
are required to be present and at the ready for large news publications as well
as youth reporters from various children programming outlets. Basically, it’s a
circus.
The
rest of the week was spent behind locked doors watching hours of film or
running through the game plan on the practice field. Curfew was enforced each
night as the teams tried to eliminate any distractions – there certainly were
many temptations in The Big Easy.
Marc
woke up on Sunday morning and it was hard for him to truly realize that later
that day, he would be suiting up to start in a Super Bowl. More than 800 miles
away in Norwood,
Marc’s family and friends woke up in preparation for Super Bowl parties. Some
were nervous; all were excited.
Matt
Ventura, Marc’s teammate in high school, said he spent most of Super Sunday in
awe of his friend.
“I
got DIRECTV because of Marc,” Ventura
said. “I got it so that I could watch every NFL game he played in, no matter
what team he was playing for. To be getting ready to watch your friend play in
the Super Bowl is awesome. We were just in disbelief all day.”
J.D.
Myers, Marc’s little brother from the Big Brother Foundation in South Bend, was
also gearing up for a big Super Bowl party. He had posters, football cards, and
other Marc Edwards memorabilia all over his room waiting for the kickoff that
seemingly never came.
“It
was a great day,” Myers said. “Marc meant so much to me; we became great
friends. He was more than just a mentor in the Big Brother program. He made
such a huge impact on me and my family. He could have easily quit hanging out
with me once he was drafted (into the NFL), but he kept in touch throughout. I
couldn’t believe I would be watching my friend play in the Super Bowl.”
When
the players arrived for a full day of preparation and waiting and even more
waiting, the Patriots got the bulletin board material they didn’t necessarily
need, but would certainly find interesting.
Coach
Weis strolled into the locker room casually and had something to show the
players as they unwound before getting dressed for the game.
“This
is what the Rams think of you,” Weis said as he passed around a sheet of paper
he had printed from the St. Louis
web site.
The
printed piece of paper was an order form for St. Louis Rams Super Bowl
Champions hats and t-shirts already on sale to fans.
“This
is what they think of you,” Weis repeated.
“Weis
was always good with motivational stuff like that,” Marc said. “The Rams just
felt the same way everyone else did about that game. Everyone thought they were
going to blow us out.”
Including
Las Vegas.
The
odds-makers placed St. Louis
as 14-point favorites – the largest margin for a favored team in Super Bowl
history. No one gave the Patriots a chance to stay close to the Greatest Show
on Turf – on the Astroturf of The Louisiana Super Dome. Earlier in the season
in New England, the Rams upended the Patriots,
24-17, on Monday Night Football.
Like
Marc, most of the Patriots’ entire roster had never experienced a Super Bowl
before, other than watching from their home televisions. Belichick and Weis had
both been to a Super Bowl as assistant coaches under Bill Parcels with the New
York Giants. They tried to help everyone keep their nerves on ice during the
pre-game waiting.
“Charlie
and Bill had been there before and they kept telling us that we had to maintain
our emotion all day and not get too excited too early,” Marc said. “It’s a
hurry-up-and-wait situation. You have to have patience during the day. They
preach that all day long. It was a lot of rest.”
When
it was time to emerge from the tunnel amid a sea of flashbulbs, pyrotechnics,
and frothing fans, the Patriots gathered together and watched as the Rams’
offense was introduced one-by-one.
Then
it was New England’s turn.
“Choosing
to be introduced as a team, the AFC Champion New England Patriots,” announced
Pat Summerall over the dome’s loudspeaker.
Instead
of individuals dancing their way down a tunnel of players, the Patriots
emerged, arm-in-arm, as a team. It was the first time a team was introduced as
one unit – fitting for a team without a real superstar.
“We
were announced as a team, which I thought was cool,” Marc said. “You saw the
stuff like (Baltimore’s)
Ray Lewis doing his dance the year before. That made me want to puke. It was
disgusting.
“This
team had adopted a philosophy that it was team first as opposed to me first,”
Marc continued. “That’s the reason we did go out as a team. St. Louis was introduced and they did their
dances around the Lombardi (trophy) blow-up balloon. We just came out with our
hard hats and lunch buckets ready to go to work.”
The
dome was splashed with red, white, and blue banners and posters. The Super Bowl
XXXVI logo had been changed from a New Orleans-themed print to an American-flag
inspired picture of the contiguous United States to honor those who
lost their lives in the September 11 tragedy. There was a patriotic feel to the
pre-game ceremonies, too; former presidents read excerpts from Abraham Lincoln
speeches, ex-NFL players read parts of the Declaration of Independence, and
Mariah Carey, accompanied by the Boston Pops Orchestra, performed a rousing
rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
St. Louis may have been the heavy favorites, but
these Patriots certainly seemed to have most of the world behind them.
With
President George W. Bush and former Navy and Dallas
great Roger Staubach – also from the Cincinnati
area (Silverton) – nearly the entire Patriots team joined their captains at
midfield for the coin flip.
With
the crowd rising in anticipation and folks back home excitedly settling into
their seats, Marc looked around at the flashbulbs and could hardly believe
where he was standing.
“You’ve
really got to stay on an even keel all day long,” he said. “It’s the hardest
thing to do because it’s the biggest game you’ve ever played in.”
But
once the ball was kicked off, it was just football again. The Rams took the
ball first and the Patriots immediately went to work on their defensive game
plan.
The
Patriots’ philosophy was to take All-Pro running back Marshall Faulk out of the
game. Whichever way Faulk went, the Patriots had a player hit him or tackle him
to the ground. When he was standing still, someone from New
England punished him. When he was in the play, the Patriots
pounded him. If Faulk wasn’t even looking, the Patriots defense knocked him to
the turf. Every time Faulk touched the ball, he was pummeled.
The
Rams managed to score first, but the Patriots kept them out of the end zone.
With 5:05 left in the first quarter, Jeff Wilkins capped a 10-play, 48-yard
drive with a 50-yard field goal to give his squad an early 3-0 advantage.
The
Patriots’ offense was playing a conservative, time-eating, field-position game.
They understood they couldn’t defeat the Rams in a high-scoring flurry of
points; they just could not keep up with their speed. The best offense was
keeping St. Louis’s
offense on the sideline. It was an offense perfect for Marc. He carried the
ball a few times and caught the ball out of the backfield a few times, but
spent the majority of the game blasting linebackers to open up holes for Antawn
Smith.
New England’s defense got the Patriots on the board
first, giving them a thrilling early lead. With 8:49 remaining in the second
quarter, Ty Law intercepted a Kurt Warner pass intended for Dane Looker and
returned the ball 47 yards for the touchdown. It was a shocking turn of events
and the Patriots owned a 7-3 lead.
“We
get that pick-six and then we’re thinking, ‘Hey, we’re in this thing,’” Marc
said. “The ice was broken and we started doing our thing.”
The
Patriots’ defense came through again with less than two minutes remaining in
the first half. Warner completed a pass to receiver Ricky Proehl at the
Patriots 40-yard line, but New England
defensive back Antwan Harris forced a fumble while tackling him. Defensive back
Terrell Buckley recovered and gave Tom Brady a chance at a two-minute drill of
his own. Brady’s ankle was well-enough for him to play and Belichick had no
problem naming him the starter instead of Drew Bledsoe.
Brady
and the offense responded with their best drive of the contest. With 31 seconds
to play, Brady dropped back to pass and lofted a beautiful throw to David
Patten who came down with the ball in the back of the end zone. An incredible
catch gave the Patriots a shocking 14-3 lead that they took into the half-time
locker room. It was the first time the Rams trailed by more than eight points
the entire season.
Marc
and the Patriots were 30 minutes from being crowned world champions.
“We
were cautiously optimistic in the locker room,” Marc said. “We were excited,
some of us were yelling. We were excited, fired up, but we still knew who we
were playing. We knew this could still be a blowout.”
The
Patriots received the kickoff in the third quarter and continued to play
conservatively. After all, they did possess an 11-point lead. Late in the third
quarter, the defense came through yet again. Otis Smith intercepted Warner and
returned the ball 30 yards to the St.
Louis 33-yard line. The offensive drive stalled, but
Vinatieri tacked on three points with a 37-yard field goal that extended the
Patriots advantage to 17-3. They would take that lead into the final quarter.
The
Rams needed to respond with the high-powered offense that got them to the
biggest stage in football. Warner finally began playing like an MVP. St. Louis drove the
length of the field, but it faced a fourth-and-goal from the Patriots
three-yard line. Warner took the snap and attempted to score, but he was
drilled by Roman Phifer. The quarterback fumbled and New
England’s Tebucky Jones scooped up the ball and sprinted 97 yards
for what appeared to be the game-clinching score.
“We’re
all thinking that the game’s over,” Marc said. “Then we see that yellow flag.
Willie McGinest gets flagged for basically tackling Marshall Faulk and not
allowing him to be a receiver. What had helped us all game hurt us on that
play.”
With
new life, Warner ran the ball in for a touchdown to cut the Patriots’ lead to
17-10 with 6:47 to play.
With
1:51 remaining in the game, following stalled drives by both teams, the Rams
had one final chance to tie the game.
“We’re
thinking that our defense has been a stud all game,” Marc said. “We’re thinking
that we’re a couple of minutes from being Super Bowl champions.”
But
“The Greatest Show on Turf” was ready to take flight.
Warner
fired an 18-yard pass to Az-Zahir Hakim.
First
down.
Warner
drilled an 11-yard completion to Yo Murphy.
First
down.
Warner
completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Proehl.
In
just 21 seconds, the Rams had gone 55 yards in three plays to tie the Super
Bowl at 17-17.
With
1:30 to play in the game, the Patriots had an opportunity to win, but did not
have a timeout to burn.
Up
in the FOX television booth, color commentator John Madden said that the
Patriots should play for overtime because trying to drive down the field would
be too risky.
On
the New England sideline, however, the thought
process was drastically different.
“If
we go into overtime, we lose the game,” Marc said. “Plain and simple.”
He
said that Weis and Belichick didn’t really give the decision to try and win a
second thought.
“Settling
for overtime may have been floated out there, but it was squashed immediately,”
Marc said. “Maybe, if Brady doesn’t get things going early in the drive, we
settle for overtime. But I don’t think there was even a question of whether or
not to go for the win right then.”
Brady
opened the drive with three completions to running back J.R. Redmond, which
moved the ball to their 41-yard line with 33 seconds left. After an incomplete
pass, Brady completed a 23-yard pass to wide receiver Troy Brown, and followed
it up with a six-yard completion to tight end Jermaine Wiggins to advance to
the Rams' 30-yard line.
“I
couldn’t believe it,” Marc said. “My heart’s pounding. I’m thinking, ‘Holy
crap, we’re in business!’ After struggling to move the ball all game, we were
doing everything we had to do. If one of those guys doesn’t get out of bounds,
we go to overtime. Everything happened the way it needed to for us to have a
chance at a game-winning kick.”
With
seven ticks on the clock, Brady spiked the ball, setting up a 48-yard field
goal attempt.
Vinatieri
had kicked two field goals in blinding snow and wind, but could he handle the
weight of a world championship resting on one kick?
“I
did not think there was any way he would miss it,” Marc said. “It’s 48 yards,
indoors. There’s no way he could miss it after what he did two weeks ago. I’m
not holding hands with anybody. I’m standing there watching.”
The
snap went back and Vinatieri approached the ball. His leg fired forward and
struck the ball perfectly. The seconds ticked away on the clock as the ball
sailed through the air.
Vinatieri
knew first. He knew the Patriots were world champions before anyone else in the
building did as he jumped high in the air pumping his fists.
“As
soon as it left his foot, I said ‘It’s good!’” Marc said. “I took off down the
field, confetti is shooting out, and I find myself running by the goal line.
‘Why the hell am I down here?’ I ran back out to the middle of the field and
just started yelling. I didn’t know how to celebrate. I didn’t know what I was
supposed to do. It was so surreal.”
Sitting
in his chair watching his former teammate and friend, Ken Carter was
overwhelmed by the moment.
“I
cried like a baby,” Carter said. “I mean, I’m sitting there watching and all
the sparkles and confetti are falling on him. I call him up right then and I
leave him a message on his phone. I said, ‘I’m looking at you on TV; I’m proud
of you. I wish I could be there, but I’m there in spirit.’ I was so proud of
what he accomplished. I knew where he came from and to see him standing there
with the Lombardi Trophy, I couldn’t have been happier. It’s one of my best
memories.”
For
Marc, he had reached the pinnacle. From Blue Collar, Ohio to Super Bowl Champion. The confetti
fell all around him like snow on a cold Norwood
night as Brady answered interview questions and teammates cried, laughed, and
shook their heads in utter disbelief.
That
night, after going out with his wife and family, Marc lay in bed and kept repeating
the same sentence out loud.
“We
just won the Super Bowl,” Marc said.
“We
just won the Super Bowl.”
Darsi
turned to her husband.
“Yeah,
you did,” she said. “You’ve said that about 20 times. But can we talk about it
in the morning? I need my sleep.”
“Just
hearing yourself say it,” Marc said, “just ‘wow.’ This is something I dreamed
about but never thought it would happen. I tried to talk myself into believing
this actually happened.”
Marc
wouldn’t need to talk himself into believing he was a champion. It was written
on every newspaper for days. Marc even found his own smiling face on the cover
of The Sporting News as he lifted the
Lombardi Trophy high over his head. The highlights were on every news and
sports channel on television. The Patriots were the most unlikely Super Bowl
champions in the history of the game. Some called the win the biggest upset in
sports history.
“Some
people say that we were the worst team to ever win a Super Bowl,” Marc said.
“But to go through what we did, to go through the injury to Drew, 9/11,
starting the year 1-3, the snow game, beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and
then beating the Rams on artificial turf, how could you say that? We were
exactly what a good team was supposed to be.”
Critics will always
say what they want, believe what they want, but Marc and the 2001 Patriots will
always have that coveted ring to prove any critic otherwise.
----------------------
To purchase Odyssey: From Blue Collar, Ohio to Super Bowl Champion, visit the following on-line retailers.
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