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Super Bowl slippery for first time thanks to rain
Even Mother Nature made history. It was the first Super Bowl played in the rain.
By RICK STROUD and STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published February 5, 2007
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[AP photo]
Tony Dungy is dunked after his Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in a rainy Super Bowl XLI on Sunday night in Miami.
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MIAMI - Even Mother Nature made history. It was the first Super Bowl played in the rain.
And, boy, did it rain.
At times in the first half, it was a downpour. The slick field and wet ball likely were responsible for some of the six combined turnovers in the first half, eight for the game.
The Bears lost three fumbles, and the Colts fumbled twice.
Chicago's turnovers left its defense on the field in the first half for 36 plays, too many for coach Lovie Smith.
Because the Colts play in the RCA Dome, the rain and sloppy conditions figured to favor the Bears. But both teams struggled to hang on to the ball.
A light rain started falling around midnight, but the field remained in good condition. Dolphin Stadium has a drainage system that can handle as much as 3 inches of rain per hour.
Quarterback Rex Grossman continued to have problems in the second half. He fumbled a snap that he recovered and underthrew two passes that were intercepted.
DEJA VU: It took Devin Hester just 14 seconds to make history.
The Bears rookie returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown.
It was the eighth time a kickoff had been returned for a touchdown in the Super Bowl.
Hester, a former Miami Hurricane, set an NFL record with six returns for touchdowns during the regular season.
He caught the opening kickoff near the left sideline, slipped the tackle of Marlin Jackson, made kicker Adam Vinatieri miss at the Colts 38 and raced to the end zone.
Vinatieri had seen it before.
He was playing in his fifth Super Bowl but his first with the Colts. In his rookie season with the Patriots, Green Bay's Desmond Howard returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXI.
Howard was named MVP in that game.
ROMO MINUTE: Sure, the ball might have been wet. But Colts punter Hunter Smith had a Tony Romo moment after the Colts' first touchdown. Smith dropped a snap from long-snapper Justin Snow, and Vinatieri was tackled after fielding the ball for a failed PAT. Smith redeemed himself by handling a low snap on Vinatieri's 24-yard field goal in the third quarter.
BOOGER AND THE BEARS: Former Bucs defensive tackle Anthony McFarland had his Super Bowl moment. With the Bears trailing 19-14 and facing second and 1 from the Indianapolis 45, McFarland used a spin move to get past guard Roberto Garza and sacked Grossman for a loss of 11 yards. Grossman fumbled the snap on the next play, forcing a punt.
NICE TIMING: Kelvin Hayden's 56-yard return of an interception for a score was the first touchdown of his two-year career.
RARE ROOKIE: Joseph Addai was the first rookie running back to start the Super Bowl since Bobby Humphrey of the Broncos in 1990. But that didn't mean the Colts treated the first-round draft pick out of LSU like a rookie in the biggest game of the season. Addai got a steady dose of carries and on one drive had touches on six consecutive plays, including two receptions. Addai had 38 total yards in that series, helping position Vinatieri for a 24-yard field goal.
BENSON OUT: Cedric Benson, with former Buc Thomas Jones part of a productive tandem of Chicago runners, was hurt and left the game after being taken down by Antoine Bethea with 1:07 left in the first quarter.
Benson hurt his right knee when his leg was bent awkwardly. He remained down for a few minutes before walking off gingerly without assistance. Later, he was sitting on the sideline with his knee bandaged in ice.
TIME OUT: A pregame moment of silence was observed for the 20 people who died in Friday's tornadoes in Central Florida.
RECORD: Vinatieri set a mark for most points in a single postseason with 49.
[Last modified February 5, 2007, 00:14:37]
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by joe
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02/05/07 09:13 AM
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I thought the elements favored the Bears? They looked the way I expected away from home. Maybe next year the league can let them play an even easier schedule and have the super bowl in Chicago. They probably could win with more league help.
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