FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2001 KRT PHOTO BY ERIK CAMPOS Baltimore's Sam Adams lays on top of New York quarterback Kerry Collins after tackling him in Super Bowl XXXV. The Giants lost to the Baltimore Ravens 34-7. Ravens' defense, special teams flummox Giants by Curt Sylvester January 28, 2001 Knight-Ridder Tribune PAMPA, Fla. -- Great game for punters. Ter rible game for quarterbacks. Great game for kickoff returners. Terrible game for quarter backs. Great game for defense. Terrible game for . . . well, you get the idea. Quarterbacks Trent Dilfer and Kerry Collins combined for some of the worst play in NFL playoff history, but Dilfer rode the shirttails of the Baltimore Ravens' defense to a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium. Collins, who revived his fading career dur ing the past season with the Giants, had a nightmare of a game. He was intercepted four times, including one that cornerback Duane Starks returned 49 yards for a touchdown. Dilfer, cast off by the Tampa Bay Bucca neers just a year ago, suffered through a flurry of ineffective throwing in the first half and a badly damaged pinky finger in the second half, but completed a triumphant return to Tampa. Although he struggled, he completed im portant throws that got the Ravens off to a 10-0 lead in the first half _ a 38-yard touch down pass to Brandon Stokley and a 44-yard completion to Qadry Ismail that set up Matt Stover's 47-yard field goal. Disney silent on choice of Dilfer over Lewis Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer smiles as he looks at his reflection in the Vince Lombardi trophy after Baltimore beat the New York Giants 34-7 to win Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa, Fla. by Richard Verrier January 28, 2001 Knight-Ridder Tribune LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. _ A euphoric Trent Dilfer looked into the cameras minutes after his Baltimore Ravens took the Super Bowl title Sunday night and announced, "I'm going to Disney World!" For Disney, Dilfer is the perfect Cinderella ENS SOAR, 34-7 After that, the defense and special teams took over, putting a hammerlock on the game and the Ravens' first Super Bowl title. Starks made it a 17-0 lead with his inter ception return late in the third quarter, setting off a wild 36 seconds of play in which three touchdowns were scored. The Giants got their only touchdown on Ron Dixon's 97-yard kickoff return, but the Ravens' Jermaine Lewis followed with an 84- yard kickoff-return TD of his own. That made it 24-7 and seemed to take the wind out of the Giants' comeback possibili- Running back Jamal Lewis scored on a three-yard run and Stover added a 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Punters Brad Maynard of the Giants and Kyle Richardson of the Ravens combined to set a Super Bowl record for most punts in a game, 21. Bad things continued for the quarterbacks after halftime. It started with an injury to Dilfer. He was sacked by Michael Strahan for the second time and missed the next offensive series to have the pinky finger on his left hand X-rayed. Collins was intercepted a third time _ by strong safety Kim Herring _ to end the Gi ants' next possession. But the Ravens couldn't take advantage of the turnover, which gave them the ball at the story: A struggling quarterback who returns to the town that rejected him to lead his new team to victory But Disney's choice of Dilfer to do its popular commercial, instead of his teammate, Super Bowl MVP Ray Lewis, shows the im age-conscious company was eager to avoid being tainted with a far more unsavory story: Lewis' arrest last year on murder charges af ter a brawl outside an Atlanta bar left two men dead. It was only the fourth time in 15 Super Bowls that Disney has not hired an MVP to do its commercial, a 30-second promotion filmed on the field immediately after the game and then broadcast nationwide. Disney officials would not comment on why Lewis wasn't selected for the "What's Next?" commercial. Disney had approached a handful of players on each team to audi tion for the commercial, but it was unclear whether Lewis was among them, sources said. In a news conference after the Ravens vic tory over the New York Giants, Lewis would only say that he planned to join his team mates for a parade in Baltimore today. "I ain't going to no Disney World," Lewis said. Sources said the decision not to pick Lewis was a no-brainer for the company. Lewis was cIiPEP BO Y\iri 4 1 " 4 V " . Giants' 41. Backup quarterback 'limy Banks handed off four times, had one pass deflected, and Stover missed a 41-yard field goal. Shortly thereafter Richardson set a Super Bowl record with the 16th punt of the game, but the excitement was just beginning. McAlister got it rolling with his second in terception of Collins, fer a touchdown and a 17-0 lead. The Giants got a momentary boost on the ensuing kickoff from Dixon, but Lewis re turned the favor with on the next play, and the Ravens were still in firm control going into the final quarter. The defenses deserved their share of credit, but the low-scoring firs half was as much a product of poor quarterbacking as good de- Neither Collins nor Dilfer got into any kind of rhythm. Neither could hit open receivers on a consistent basis. And each had more a look of shell shock than composure in the early going. The difference at halftime, however, came down to three plays by the quarterbacks _ two good plays by Dilfer, on! bad one by Collins. Dilfer's first was the 38-yard touchdown pass to Stokley, who got behind Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn and lunged into the end zone as Sehorn finally caught him at the 2. Stover's extra point kick made it 7-0 with accused of participating in a double homi cide after last year's Super Bowl in Atlanta, but charges were dropped against him after he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. "There's no way they would have gone with Ray Lewis," said a former Disney ex ecutive. "They are always concerned about image, and they want to make sure that they have someone who can at least pass the wholesome test." Walt Disney World spokesman Craig Dezern would not discuss whether Lewis was considered for the spot or describe how ath letes are selected for the promotion. "We were looking for a great feel good story," Dezern said in explaining why Dilfer was chosen. "He went from being released by one team to starting the season as a backup quarterback, to being the quarterback for the championship team. It's a great Cinderella story, and you know how we like those here at Disney." Lewis was the driving force for the Ravens' defense Sunday night. He was credited with five tackles and four pass deflections, effec tively halting New York's running and pass ing attacks. Although Dilfer was not spectacular, he was at least mistake-free. He finished 12-for -25 passing for 153 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He spent six lackluster sea- 8:10 gone. Dilfer's next big play occurred late in the first half _ after frequent misfires _ when he laid a pass deep down the left sideline into the arms of Ismail. Only a diving slap by cornerback Dave Thomas tripped Ismail and prevented a touchdown. Ismail's 44-yard gain got the Ravens into field goal range, and Stover connected on a 47-yard attempt, giving Baltimore a 10-0 lead. The Giants eventually got their offense go ing in the second quarter, after a number of false starts. The first was a double reverse ending in a flea-flicker, with Collins throwing the ball deep _ but out of hounds. Linebacker Ray Lewis deflected the next pass and it was in tercepted by linebacker Jamie Sharper, end ing the threat near midfield. The next drive took the Giants from their 8 to the Baltimore 42, but it stalled after defen sive end Keith Washington threw Collins for a nine-yard loss. But perhaps Collins' most costly mistake came in the final two minutes of the half, af ter he completed a 16-yard pass to Dixon and Tiki Barber made a 27-yard run to the Ravens' 29. On the next play, Collins tried to connect with Ike Hilliard in double coverage at the goal line. Chris McAlister intercepted the pass and the Ravens held the halftime lead, 10-0. sons with Tampa Bay and started this season as a backup quarterback for the Ravens. "Obviously, Fm honored," said Diller af ter he took part in a parade on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom on Monday. "Although Ray is deserving of any award he gets, he did throw me a bone_it's usually an offen sive player that gets to experience this." Disney began its first "I'm going to Disney" promotion in 1987 at the suggestion of Jane Eisner, wife of Disney CEO Michael Eisner. The first promotion featured Super Bowl MVP quarterback Phil Simms, but the cam paign expanded over the years to include ce lebrities and star athletes in a range of sports, from figure skater Nancy Kerrigan to bas ketball star Shaquille O'Neal. Those selected are handsomely rewarded. Disney pays them more than $50,000 and gives them a free vacation to either Disney World or Disneyland, said a source familiar with the program. Disney would not discuss the compensation. Disney observers said they weren't surprised the company selected Dilfer over Lewis. "This guy 1/BLewis 3/8 may be the most valuable player in football, but he's not Disney's most valuable player, their whole equity is in their image," said Marga ret King, a Philadelphia-based consultant who tracks Disney's impact on popular cul ture. The last 10 years... and now , Out of Bounds .7 Jason Snyder We've been quite fortunate the past couple of years as far as Super Bowl storylines and storybook endings have gone. Going into almost every championship game the past II) years, there has been some sort of "theme" for the game that people would watch for and follow quarter-by-quarter. In the early 90s, it was the bad-luck Bills' streak of Super Bowl defeats that started vs. the New York Giants in a game that balanced football drama with American patriotism. Ironically enough, the two teams that would face-off in sports' biggest spectacle in the midst of Operation Desert Storm, wore red, white and hlue to match the thousands of American flags decorating Tampa's stadium that day. The game gave football fans an amazing sense of American pride and a dramatic finish that would epitomize Buffalo's luck over the next three years. As Scott Norwood's last-minute field goal attempt would sail wide, the Bills' best chance at a Super Bowl victory sailed with it. The Bills would go on to lose against the offensive powered Washington Redskins in '92, then would have the daunting task of facing one of the NFL's most dominant teams in history, the Dallas Cowboys, twice. Twice more, they lost. The Super Bowl of '95 would be San Francisco's return to glory, for the first time since the days of Joe Montana. The rugged, small quarterback that backed up arguably football's greatest player in the late 'Bos would come full circle to lead the 49ers to Super Bowl success. Steve Young would break Montana's Super Bowl passing records in the process, embarrassing San Diego, the shocker [torn the AFC. '96 would match up two "teams of the past." The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys would meet again in the big game, for the third time in history. But for the first time, the Cowboys would end up on top, ending Pittsburgh's Super Bowl winning streak at four. The Pack was hack in '97, and so was the phrase "hard-nosed football." Green Bay brought back Vince Lonibardi's winning attitude behind the gutsy play of Brett Favre. The Super Bowl in 1997 was the first time in this new era of football, that "old-school" made its comeback. For one year, football fans got the chance to see real football live. 1998 was said to be the year for baseball, however January was the month for John Elway. The Super Bowl featured Denver's shocking upset of the Packers as the Broncos were carried by one of the greatest quarter backs not to win a Super Bowl. Elway would win that Super Bowl and would retire after a repeat performance in 1999. The story of the St. Louis Rams should still be fresh in our heads. The Super Bowl of 2000 will always be fresh in mine. Two unexpected teams played to a photo-finish, with Tennessee falling one-yard short of an upset over the most offensively dominant team in history. This year, however, was a little different. Two teams that no one would have picked were on center-stage. The storyline involved a man accused of murder one year ago, leading the best defense in NFL history to a Super Bowl win. Ray Lewis said that if you put this in a storybook, no one would believe it. But now that the game is in the NFL's storybook, we all have to believe it, but we're mostly ashamed of it. Ratings were at their lowest in nine years, excitement was at its lowest ever and the commercials were terrible. 21 punts don't make for good football. Neither do the Baltimore Ravens. •,;ig The best and worst of the Super Bowl TEAMS Best Team: 1993 Cowboys (win vs. Bills, 52-17) Worst Team: 2001 Giants (loss vs. Ravens, 34-7) Best Offense: 1995 49ers (win vs. Chargers, 49-26) Best Defense: 2001 Ravens (win vs. Giants, 34-7) Biggest Upset: 1998 Broncos (win vs. Packers, 31-24) Worst Luck: 1991-1994 Bills (4 straight losses) Tough and rugged: 1997 Packer; (win vs. Patriot-, 35-21) PLAYERS Best quarterback: John Elway, XXXII, XXX III Best running back: Emmitt Smith, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX Best receivers: Gary Clark, Ricky Sanders, Art Monk - "The Posse" Redskins, XXVI Best special team player: Desmond Howard, XXXI Best defensive player: Ray Lewis, XXXV Best offensive player: John Elway - 2 wins, 1 MVP
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers