Today in Sports History: Patriots Begin Dynasty

Today in Sports History—February 3^rd, 2002

The St. Louis Rams were on the verge of a dynasty.  They had all the makings of one…They won the Super Bowl just two years prior, potential Hall of Famers at key offensive positions, and they were favored by 14 points.  They were the Greatest Show on the Turf, amassing 14 wins in the regular season to go with only 2 losses. 

Offensively, they are one of the best all-times!  There is no debate about that.  They led the league in total offense, and their 503 points was the third year in a row in which they surpassed the 500 mark, an NFL record.  Kurt Warner won his 2^nd MVP award, throwing for over 4,800 yards.  Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce each had over 1,100 yards receiving, and they combined for 142 catches and 13 touchdowns. 

Marshall Faulk ran out of the backfield, and he ran, and he ran, and he ran.  He ran for over a 1,000 yards, and caught another 765.  He was the first player ever to have over 2,000 yards combined running and catching for 4 straight seasons.  He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2011. 

Although the Rams’ defense wasn’t the show the offense was, they had made great improvements from previous years.  Under first year coordinator Lovie Smith, they allowed the third fewest yards in the league, and they were 7^th in points allowed (an improvement from 31^st the previous season).  The defense was anchored by the likes of Leonard Little, Grant Wistrom, London Fletcher, Dre’ Bly, Aeneas Williams, and Dexter McCleon. 

All they had to do was go out and take care of business. 

Indeed, a dynasty was launched that day in the Big Easy ten years ago today, amidst the pomp and circumstance that had grown over the years surrounding the Super Bowl. 

The American Football Conference sent the New England Patriots to Louisiana, an unlikely representative just a few months prior.  The Boys from Boston lost their first 2 games, their veteran quarterback, Drew Bledsoe was injured in that second loss, and their leading receiver from the previous season, Terry Glenn, was benched during the 4^th game due to issues away from the sport.

After Bledsoe was injured, the Patriots turned to 2^nd year quarterback Tom Brady to go under center.  Brady had been drafted in the 6^th round of the 2000 draft, just a few months after the Rams had won their first Super Bowl.  Brady struggled in college at times, and he even nearly transferred to California.  Like in many cases, including the Rams’ own Kurt Warner, heroes come when least expected.  Brady was able to rally the Patriots to an 11-5 record in the regular season, and in the playoffs, they defeated The Oakland Raiders in the now famous “tuck rule” game, followed by a road victory over the Steelers in the AFC Championship game.

Initially, things went according to plan in Super Bowl XXXVI.  The Rams had a drive midway through the first quarter in which Kurt Warner completed 6 of 7 passes for 48 yards.  That led to Jeff Wilkins hitting the third longest Super Bowl field goal from 50 yards away, and the Rams were up 3-0.

However, 6:11 into the 2^nd quarter, things got off course.  New England’s Ty Law picked off a Warner throw and ran it 47 yards into the end zone. 

Another Rams’ turnover, this time a fumble by Ricky Proehl, led to another Patriot touchdown.  With :31 seconds left in the half, Tom Brady cashed in by hitting David Patten on an 8-yard pass to claim a 14-3 lead at the break.

The 3^rd quarter featured another costly Rams’ turnover when Warner was intercepted by Otis Smith.  Receiver Torry Holt, the intended receiver, slipped at the start of the play.  The Patriots converted that turnover into 3 points when Adam Venateri hit a 37-yard field goal for a 17-3 lead.

In the 4^th quarter, Warner gave the Rams life when he scored on a 2-yard run with 9:31 to play. 

With less than 2 minutes to go, the Rams got the ball at their own 45-yard line.  As was the case with many drives over the past few years, St. Louis was able to churn up a lot of yards in a short amount of time.  It took only :21 for the Rams to score, a 26 yard toss from Warner to Proehl followed by a Wilkins extra point, to tie the game at 17 with just 1:30 left.  The drive was 55 yards in just 3 plays and in just :21. 

With little more than a minute left and having no time outs, some thought the Patriots should just run out the clock and take their chances in overtime.  There had never been an overtime contest in the Super Bowl, and Patriots coach Bill Billichick was not about to buck that trend. 

Running back J.R. Redmond caught 3 passes to begin the drive.  The Patriots had advanced to their own 41, but the clock was down to :33.  An incomplete pass, a 23-yard completion, and a 6-yard pass brought the ball to the Rams’ 30-yard line.  Brady spiked the ball to stop the clock with just :07 remaining. 

No team had ever won a Super Bowl with a field goal on the last play.  A field goal attempt can be a relatively routine ordeal in a football game, but a few things do have to go right, especially when it’s a 48-yard attempt, and the Lombardi Trophy is on the line.  The lineman can’t move before the snap, the center has to throw the ball under his legs seven to eight yards behind him, the holder has to catch the ball and have the laces facing away from the kicker. 

For the record, Lonie Paxton was the center on the play, the holder was Ken Walter, and the kicker was Adam Vinateri.  Vinateri had kicked 2 field goals during the playoffs in a blinding snow to advance the Patriots.  One was a 45-yarder to send New England to overtime in the Divisional game against the Raiders, and he won it with a 23-yarder. 

Everything went perfectly for the Patriots.  When Vinateri connected with the pigskin, there was never really any doubt.  The ball traveled the required 48 yards, and then some, and the Patriots completed one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets with a 20-17 victory.

Indeed, a dynasty was launched that day in the Big Easy.  The Rams would go on to make the playoffs 2 of the next 3 years, but they never made it past the Divisional round.  Lately, things have been downright bad.  The Patriots have done nothing but re-write record books.  They won 2 more Super Bowls, added 2 conference championships, nearly went 19-0 one year, and they have won a total of 9 division titles. 

It all started on this day in 2002.