|
|
COLTS
VS BEARS
Super
Bowl XLI
February
4, 2007
|
Final |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
F |
|
Indianapolis |
6 |
10 |
6 |
7 |
29 |
|
Chicago |
14 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
17 |
|
Super Bowl XLI
Indianapolis Colts At
Chicago Bears
at Dolphin Stadium
Date: 2/4/2007
Start Time: 6:27
PM EST
Game Day Weather
Game Weather:
Mostly Cloudy; Rain
Played Outdoor on Turf: Grass
Temp: 67° F
(19.6° C), Humidity: 97%, Wind: North 10 mph
Officials
Referee: Tony Corrente (99)
Line Judge: Ron
Marinucci (107)
Field Judge: Jim
Saracino (58)
Umpire: Carl Paganelli (124)
Side Judge: John Parry (132)
Replay Official: Mark Burns
Head Linesman: George
Hayward (54)
Back Judge: Perry
Paganelli (46)
Criticisms
of
the Colts in the past
all
disappeared
on
February 4, 2007
on
a gloomy, rainy night in Miami, FL.
We've heard:
Colts
can't stop the run.
Colts
can't play against people who are bigger and tougher than them.
Colts are
too small.
Peyton
Manning can't win the big one.
Tony
Dungy can't win the big one.
Colts are
built to play in a dome indoors.
Colts
can't play in bad weather.
Colts
can't play on grass.
"So
why have Teams changed the way they play the Colts?"
- Webmaster
The
Indianapolis Colts smashed every stereotype brought forth upon them
on Super Bowl XVI Sunday!
The only
dome teams to win a Super Bowl are the 1999 St. Louis Rams and now
the 2006 Indianapolis Colts. The Colts became the first dome team to
win an outdoor Super Bowl;
and not
only did they win . . .
They won
The Super Bowl under a steady rainfall; dominating on both
sides of the ball. Furthermore, not only did The Colts win a Super
Bowl in the rain, The Colts made a mockery of the big, bad, bruising
NFC Chicago Bears; the league's fifth-rated defense, 29-17 to win
Super Bowl XLI at rainy, soggy Dolphin Stadium in front of a
dominating Bears fans crowd of 74,512.
"Tell
all the haters to
shut
up!"
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
screamed
defensive end Robert Mathis,
referring
to the negativity the team had heard about its 32nd-ranked run defense.
The
Colts, a playoff team five consecutive seasons and in seven of the
last eight seasons, won their first Super Bowl in their 23-year
history in Indianapolis, and their first since winning
Super
Bowl V as the Baltimore Colts.
No more
suggestions of "soft." No more snide "dome" team
references. No more finesse label. No more playoff questions.
And as a
final point; No more Peyton Manning can't win the big one!
Peyton
Manning has climbed to the pinnacle of professional football.
What will
the Peyton Manning critics have to complain about now?
Always
labeled the guy who put up big numbers but couldn't win big games
with his playoff failures overshadowing the fact he's the NFL's best
quarterback; Manning finally silenced all doubters Sunday, completing
25-of-38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown as the Indianapolis
Colts picked apart the Chicago Bears' defense on the way to a 29-17
victory in Super Bowl XLI.
The
nine-year veteran already holds the single-season
record for touchdown passes (49), is the only quarterback in
league history with consecutive 9-0 starts and now has a Super Bowl
MVP award to go with his two NFL MVP awards along with his long list
of achievements.
|
Manning's elusive Super Bowl ring comes with MVP award
2/5/2007
By Skip Wood, USA TODAY
MIAMI — Peyton Manning all but blushed.
After first being the second member of his organization to hold the
Super Bowl trophy he had just helped win, the Indianapolis Colts
quarterback immediately was told he also had been selected as the
game's Most Valuable Player.
Standing on a small podium at midfield, Manning simply nodded and
appeared to suddenly look at his feet as his teammates celebrated.
Manning wasn't about to do or say anything that put himself above the
play of his teammates. He may have finally won a Super Bowl in his
ninth season, and done so in his first Roman numeral appearance, but
Manning also was quick to point out that several other Colts easily
could have been named MVP.
He used the word "team" again and again during his postgame
press conference, and making a point to do so. "Our team won
this game," Manning said. "The Colts won the game. &ldots;
There are a lot of things that had a role in tonight's victory.
"We stuck together. We're proud to have won this championship
for our leader, coach (Tony) Dungy. Everybody did their part, and it
sure is a great feeling. We're definitely bringing this trophy back
to Indiana."
Oddly, his manner almost was subdued. Not the slightest hint of
genuine excitement.
More like relief?
After all, he finally won the big one — filling the one void
that didn't necessarily haunt him but also put him in the dreaded
category of Best Quarterbacks Never To Win A Super Bowl.
Asked whether this puts him a step ahead of former Miami Dolphins
quarterback Dan Marino, who never did experience the Super bliss,
Manning quickly shook his head.
"I don't think that's a fair comparison for Marino," he
said, adding Marino is one of his all-time heroes.
So why didn't Manning appear, well, happier?
"It's all happening pretty fast right now," he said.
So it hadn't yet hit him?
This time he smiled widely.
"It's hit me," he said. "It's hit me."
His statistics were decent enough, as he completed 25 of his 38
passes for 247 yards and a touchdown, as well as an interception, but
his selection as MVP possibly could at least partly have been a
byproduct of sentimentality.
Consider these two other candidates:
•Not only did rookie running back Joseph Addai catch a team-high
10 passes for 66 yards, he also rushed 19 times for 77 yards.
•There also was the other running back, Dominic Rhodes, who
rushed 21 times for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Both players, though, were quick to throw praise toward Manning:
Said Addai: "He understood that he had a lot of good players
around him to take advantage of, so he understood that he didn't have
to do it by himself, so we got the job done."
Added Rhodes: "Peyton picked some great plays. We imposed our will."
To Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore, the victory indeed was one
of synergy.
"I'm extremely happy for Peyton," he said. "I'm
extremely happy for the entire football team. &ldots; The big thing
(I) like to see (is) they put a lot of hard work into this, and to
see great people get rewarded for hard work, that's a good feeling."
Dungy also raved about his star signal-caller.
"Peyton is a tremendous player, a great leader," Dungy
said. "He prepares, he works, does everything you can do to win
games and lead your team. If people think he needed to win a Super
Bowl, that is just wrong. This guy is a Hall of Fame player and one
of the greatest ever to play."
Manning didn't have too good of a feeling when the rain began to pick
up in intensity early in the first half and never really got lighter.
That's one of the reasons he constantly went to shorter routes, such
as the tosses to Addai. "Obviously," he said, "the
passing game wasn't going to be as sharp."
But he adapted, just as he has been forced to do following so many
previous disappointments.
"That's a hard pill to swallow," he said. "You have to
learn from it and watch it and realize how badly you want to be up
there the next year, and it was nice to be able to hoist that trophy
this year." |
The
doubts started when Manning was in college at Tennessee. He never
beat rival Florida, and the year after he left, the Volunteers won a national
In
Indianapolis, the questions continued. When he started 0-3 in the
postseason, people wondered if he'd ever win a playoff game. When he
finally did that, people said he couldn't beat New England. When he
did that in the 2005,
2006
season and in the 2006
AFC Championship, the critics contended he still couldn't win
the biggest game of all.
He did
that, too.
And when
given the chance to fire back at his many critics, those who wondered
if he'd ever win a ring, Manning didn't bite Sunday night. Instead,
he praised his teammates, talked of a team win and kept the focus off
of him.
"I've
never played that card,'' Manning said.
Tony
Dungy didn't hesitate to play it. His eyes glistened when asked if
Manning winning a Super Bowl in his ninth season would end the
criticism that the two-time NFL MVP was missing something -- a
championship gene, something -- that had kept him from taking a team
to a national title at the University of Tennessee or with the Colts.
"You
know, I don't know,'' Dungy said. "Maybe people now will
say, 'If he doesn't win two in a row, it's not good enough.'
"Peyton
Manning is a tremendous player who's a great leader. He prepares, he
works, he does everything that you can do to win ball games and to
lead your team.''
Dungy was
just getting warmed up. It was clear he took great exception to
previous criticism of a quarterback who entered the game with
numerous regular-season records -- 49 touchdown passes and a 121.1
rating in 2004 among them -- but was just 6-6 in the postseason and
had zero Super Bowl appearances.
Manning,
his coach insisted, was great long before a wet and wild Sunday night
in South Florida.
"If
people think you had to win a Super Bowl to know that and validate
it and justify it, that's just wrong,'' Dungy said. "But
he's done it. He's got that behind him. I don't think there's
anything you can say now other than this guy is a Hall of Fame
player, one of the greatest players to ever play the game.''
Against
the Bears, Peyton Manning showed why he's so good. Manning called
every single play at the line of scrimmage, according to Colts
offensive coordinator Tom Moore.
If the
Bears played off in Cover-2 -- with two deep safeties -- Manning
called for a run or a short pass in a passing situation. If they
rotated the corners up, showed blitz and a single-high safety, it
meant a pass.
However,
he had to haul his team back from a 14-6 first-quarter deficit, and
he did it not by throwing characteristically spectacular passes.
Instead, he called low-risk running plays that suited the slippery
conditions, masterminded long drives, and kept the Chicago defense on
the field and under pressure for extended periods.
Colts did
an outstanding job using the strengths of their running backs against
the Bears. With Manning and Pro Bowl receivers Reggie Wayne and
Harrison stretching the defense by their reputation, Chicago dropped
its safeties too deep, creating space in the middle that Rookie
Joseph Addai and six-year veteran Dominic Rhodes were able to exploit.
That was
the edge Colts had in this game; Joseph Addai at tailback! I
for one am so glad that Edgerrin James left the best system, coach
and quarterback he'll ever have, simply to get a few dollars richer
in Arizona and fall out of the Super Bowl and Hall of Fame. Before
long, to fall out of existence.
Into
James' position stepped Joseph Addai, a rookie from LSU who gave the
Colts exactly what they needed (something James could not have provided)
in their Super Bowl victory against the Bears.
This game
was nasty. It was not a game for James or a back of his manner, a big
bruiser who needs the ball 30 times to pound into a defense and make
his mark over time. The Bears have a large, physical defensive front
that would have swallowed James up.
Addai
could not be swallowed. He dipped and darted and whirled in and
around the Chicago defense, driving them nuts with his gnat-like
movements, running for 77 yards on 19 carries.
More
importantly, Addai was the receiving outlet Manning needed most,
catching 10 passes out of the backfield for 66 yards. On a wet, windy
day in which throwing the ball downfield was impractical, Manning
carved up the Bears with small strokes, using Addai as the edge to
his scalpel. Addai had twice as many catches as Sunday's next most
prolific Colts receiver, Marvin Harrison, who had five.
Addai,
who led all rookies in rushing during the regular season despite not
starting a game, averaged a solid 4.1 yard per carry but was most
dangerous on swing passes. He ran 19 times for 77 yards and had 10
receptions, more than any of his more notable teammates, for 66 yards.
The
rookie's reception total was one shy of the Super Bowl record shared
by Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and two others.
Dominic
Rhodes, who graciously accepted his new role as the backup in the
playoffs, was even better.
He
carried 21 times for a game-high 113 yards and caught one pass for
eight yards. His 1-yard touchdown run put the Colts ahead to stay at
16-14 with 6:09 left in the first half, and his 36-yard dash in the
third quarter set up one of Adam Vinatieri's three field goals.
"Defenses
can't look to just stop one style, and that makes it harder for them."
They
repeatedly ran into the middle of the wet field, challenging the
Bears' strengths, and then quickly cut outside.
In fact,
without Addai and Rhodes, the Colts might not have made it this far.
|
Former Colts running back claims no frustration
over missing out on Super Bowl
"The Colts are still my team," said James, who ran for a
franchise record 9,226 yards in a horseshoe helmet through 2005
before signing with Arizona last offseason. "I've been telling
everybody that since midseason, it's the Colts' year."
A fan favorite known simply as Edge back in Indianapolis, he is known
for his fun-loving lifestyle. So when the subject is broached about
how much he would like to play in this game, he flashes those gold
teeth and laughs.
"I'm having more fun now than the players," he said.
"They have to get back for curfew."
He has met with several of his old buddies this week: receiver Reggie
Wayne, defensive end Dwight Freeney, running back Dominic Rhodes and
linebacker Cato June. The fun has to be early, before Edge Time
usually gets started after midnight, because the players couldn't
stay out too late.
James is asked about his season with Arizona, how the Cardinals
flopped to a 5-11 record, coach Dennis Green got fired and he had to
plug along behind a lousy line to gain 1,159 yards, 3.4 per carry.
He repeated his joke told to friends when they got together, "I'm
loving life every day in Phoenix except for Sunday."
The wear and tear was brutal at times. But he credited his offseason
strength and conditioning coach for keeping him strong.
"Don't worry. I got this covered," James said, tapping his
chest. "I'm chillin'."
James will watch the Super Bowl at a private party.
Seemingly stating the obvious, the assumption is offered that he
should be in this game, that he would be if the Colts hadn't let him
go to free agency as a salary cap casualty.
"I'm having so much fun," he said. "You don't realize
how much fun you can have as a spectator."
Star reporter Phillip B. Wilson
WHATEVER! HE'S CRYIN' |
Along
with this win, Tony Dungy secured a place in history. Dungy became
the first black (African American) head coach to win a Super
Bowl after he and Chicago's Lovie Smith became the first black (African
American) coaches to reach the Super Bowl.
Dungy
also became only the third man to win a Super Bowl ring as a player
and a coach. He was a backup safety and special teams player with
Pittsburgh when the Steelers won Super Bowl XIII after the 1978
season. Mike Ditka and Tom Flores also have accomplished the double feat.
Chicago
Bears quarterback Rex Grossman had a forgettable night. He completed
20-of-28 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. He also twice fumbled
snaps -- losing 11 yards on one, possession on the other -- and threw
a pair of interceptions, one of which was returned 56 yards by backup
cornerback Kelvin Hayden for the clinching touchdown.
The play
came on first down at the Bears 38-yard line. Muhsin Muhammad ran a
hitch-and-go down the right sideline and Grossman threw a floater.
Muhammad hadn't turned around. Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden saw it
all the way, made the interception and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown.
Hayden,
the kid who grew up on the Southside of Chicago had just made the
back-breaking play against a quarterback who grew up in Indiana and
made it in the Super Bowl.
"Against
my hometown team," Hayden said quietly. "I'm
dreaming, man."
Kelvin
Hayden and Marlin Jackson entered the NFL in 2005, two Big Ten
cornerbacks who bunked together at training camp.
The
Indianapolis Colts rookie roomies razzed each other about who would
get their hands on that first interception. Jackson, the first-round
pick out of Michigan, grabbed his that first season, added another in
the 12th game of 2006 and a memorable third in the final minute of
the AFC Championship Game to close out New England.
Hayden, a
second-round pick who was converted from receiver to defensive back
during his senior year at Illinois, was stuck on zero. Little did he
know that when he finally came up with one, it would be the Colts'
biggest defensive play of the season, one that will be replayed for years.
Hayden
didn't even start the game, but when Nick Harper, who injured his
left ankle early in the AFC title game against New England, tried to
last as long as he could with the help of a painkiller. He had to
come off late in the second quarter.
"It
wore off quickly," he said.
But
Hayden was one of the first to talk to him.
"I
got you," he said.
Harper
limped into the locker room later, ditched the crutches and proudly
said of the interception return, "Oh yeah, I coached him up
on that, for sure."
"He
coached me up," Hayden said. "Most of us all look
up to Nick. Any time I have a question, I go to Nick."
Harper
said he had heard a lot about how the Bears planned to throw deep. He
was insulted by it.
"That
must have been one of the worst moves I've ever seen in
football," he said of what the Bears tried on Hayden.
Did he
mean the stutter-and-go or the pass?
"Both,"
he said. "You would think the quarterback could see the
cornerback was in great position."
Chicago
Bears Quarterback, Rex Grossman, whose wildly inconsistent play this
season led fans to give him not one nickname but two -- "Good
Rex" and "Bad Rex. As much as the Bears tried to keep him
locked up, hidden, stashed away, "Bad Rex," scourge of
Chicago, found his way onto the field at the worst possible time: the
fourth quarter of the Super Bowl.
But,
Don't blame Rex; if you want to blame anyone for Chicago's 29-17 loss
to Indianapolis Sunday, blame its defense.
The Bears
defense uncharacteristically provided little resistance in Super Bowl
XLI, allowing Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts to march up
and down the field at will.
The Colts
compiled 430 total yards and 24 first downs, the second highest
output in each category against the Chicago defense this season.
Rex
Grossman, the once and still maligned quarterback, couldn't make game-changing
plays because the Bears couldn't get Peyton Manning off the field.
"We
had our opportunities," defensive coordinator Ron Rivera
said, "but we didn't take advantage of them. The big thing is
that I was disappointed with the way we tackled, but give them (the
Colts) credit. They did some things."
No, The
Colts did an assortment of things. They completed passes. They ran
the ball. They kept the ball.
The Colts
had four series with three or more first downs; the Bears had none.
The Colts had six series with seven or more snaps; the Bears had one.
I think you get the idea. People may want to pin this one on Grossman
-- again -- but he wasn't on the field long enough to make a difference.
The only
time the Bears looked in control was in the first 14 seconds of the
game, when Devin Hester did what he does and returned the opening
kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Bears lead. The first
touchdown return ever of an opening kickoff in the Super Bowl,
"We've
got 10 guys that run down that field that are pretty doggone good, too,"
Vinatieri said. "We thought maybe we could kick it around a
little bit and screw up the return team, but unfortunately he gashed
us right from the get-go. After that, we decided we weren't going to
kick it to him anymore."
Adam
Vinatieri squibbed all six of his kickoffs from that point on, and
Hester wasn't able to return a single one. One went for a touchback,
one was fumbled away by Gabe Reid and the four others were
returned a combined 37 yards by John Gilmore (2-12), Rashied
Davis (1-15) and Adrian Peterson (1-10).
On one
occasion, the Bears put Davis near the goal line with Hester in front
of him. But Vinatieri kicked the ball deep to Davis.
Adam
Vinatieri became the first kicker to win four Super Bowls and set the
NFL record for points scored in a postseason.
Vinatieri
scored 11 points on three field goals and two extra points, giving
him 49 points this postseason. Terrell Davis held the previous record
of 48 set in 1997.
Vinatieri
set career Super Bowl records for kicking points (34), field goal
attempts (10), field goals made (7).
Vinatieri
won the first three of his Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
Colts
quarterback Peyton Manning, savoring the city's first Super Bowl win,
said Monday morning he was looking forward to a visit to the White
House after receiving a surprise call from President George Bush.
Manning
said he was talking to a friend on the phone after game when Coach
Tony Dungy tried to pass him a cell phone.
"He's
like, 'you need to take this call.' I was like, 'I'm on the phone
here,' and he said, 'No, you need to take this call.'"
"I
hung up on my buddy to talk to the president."
"He
was talking about what a great win it was and about playing in those
tough conditions. He watched the entire game. He said he was pulling
for us and looked forward to welcoming us to the White House. I look
forward to that as well."
This is
Indianapolis' first major professional championship since the Indiana
Pacers took their third American Basketball Association title in
1973, and this is bigger than any of those. This is likely to
resonate across the generations; it's an achievement that will
indelibly stamp Indianapolis.
For
years, Indianapolis has been known as the Racing Capital of the
World, and more recently, the Amateur Sports Capital. It earned a new
designation Sunday evening at soggy Dolphin Stadium:
Home of
the world champion Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts
finally crowned an era of excellence by beating the Chicago Bears
29-17 in Super Bowl XLI.
A
historic victory must be celebrated no matter how cold out!
Within
minutes of the game's end, Downtown Indianapolis sidewalks filled
with jubilant fans, shirtless and cheering despite temperatures
barely above zero.
"It's
the best thing that ever happened to Indianapolis," said
Audrey Abeglen, 26, Indianapolis. "It's worth it to be out
here. So what if it's freezing?"
The
Downtown celebration began about five minutes after the ball game
ended, as Colts fans poured out of sports bars and flocked to the
Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Cars streamed into Downtown, car
headlights twinkling, horns honking and cheers erupting and throngs
swarmed Monument Circle as Fans mounted the steps of the monument and
waved signs and towels. No one appeared to care about the cold. The
Colts were hot, and that was enough.
They
cheered for the Colts! They cheered for a Victory!
Fan frenzy: Herb Moore's truck
becomes a fanmobile as excited Colts supporters mob the vehicle in
celebration while Moore drives his family through Downtown after the
Super Bowl victory. Dustin Hackleman, Cicero, waves the flag atop the vehicle.
CHARLIE NYE / THE STAR
|
Baghdad Blue Crew
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, pandemonium erupted in Baghdad.
Indianapolis-based Indiana National Guard soldiers stationed in Iraq
yelled and jumped and cheered on their Colts thousands of miles from home.
About 25 soldiers from the 38th Division Support Command and other
Indiana troops gathered throughout the game, watching a projected
video from a laptop, said Chief Warrant Officer Matthew Lohsl.
"I'm feeling like a champion," said Sgt. 1st Class Troy L.
Dumes Jr. "We've been waiting on this every Sunday, and this is
the way to go out."
Soldiers decorated a conference room with blue and white balloons,
streamers and newspaper articles about the Colts, he said. Care
packages from home supplied chips, cookies and Colts apparel. Pizza,
a rare delicacy for the soldiers, was brought in for the occasion.
-- Laura Olson |
On
With The Show
Chicago
wins toss and elects to receive while Colts elects to defend the East goal.
FIRST QUARTER
Bears
Ball
Adam
Vinatieri kicked off for 62 yards to the Bears 8 yard line as Devin
Hester ran it back 92 yards for a touchdown.
Unfuckingbelievable!
Bears -
7 Colts - 0
Colts Ball
Bears',
Robbie Gould kicks it off for 68 yards to Colts 2 as Terrance Wilkins
runs it back for 28 yards to Colts 30 before he is hit by Bears,
Danieal Manning.
On 1 and
10, Manning throws incomplete to Dallas Clark while on the next play
Addai made up for it as he barreled up the middle for a gain of 14 yards.
1st and
10 at Colts 44 and Colts are called for a false start; I will give
you 1 guess as to whom it was called on. My buddy Tarik Glenn! 5 yards.
On Colts
next play Peyton passes incomplete to Marvin Harrison.
2nd and
15 and Peyton from the shotgun fires a short pass to his left to
Running Back, Joseph Addai who picks up 7 yards on the play.
3rd and 8
and Colts get hit with another false start penalty; this time on Jake
Scott. 5 yards and Colts are looking at 3rd and 13 at their own 46
yard line.
As this
game started off with Hester running the initial kickoff back for a
touchdown and with Colts committing penalties on this drive along
with Manning having problems connecting with his receivers; Colts
proceed to turn the ball over when Peyton from the shotgun, pumps -
fakes, throws it deep down field to Marvin Harrison and it is picked
off by Bears' Safety, Chris Harris at Chicago's 29 yard line.
Bears
Ball
Luckily
for Colts, Bears had "Bad" Rex Grossman for their
Quarterback as he hit Bernard Berrian for 6 yards and Thomas Jones
ran for a whopping 1 yard before Grossman threw incomplete to Berrian
on 3rd and 3 and Bears were forced to punt as Brad Maynard punts it
58 yards to the end zone for a Touchback.
Colts Ball
Colts
struck back on their next series, converting three third-downs.
Peyton
and The Colts must have shaken off the jitters as they struck back on
their next series and proceeded to move the ball down the field as
Colts do best converting three third-downs. It started off with
Joseph Addai for a 7 yard gain on 1st and 10 and then a gain of 1 on
the next play. 3rd down and 2 to go for a first as Peyton finds
Marvin Harrison for a gain of 7. With the 1st and 10 Peyton
fires one over the middle to Addai for a gain of 5 and then Addai ran
it up the middle for a gain of 1 on the next play. Colts picked up
the First Down as Peyton found Dallas Clark for a gain of 6. Colts
then struggled on the next 2 plays as Addai was stopped at the line
of scrimmage on the first play and Peyton threw incomplete to Ben
Utecht on the second.
Then The
Bears secondary gave the Colts a WIDE OPEN break as Manning out of a
no huddle, shotgun formation, spotted Reggie Wayne deep and
uncovered. Peyton drew back to fire just as Bears Defensive Tackle,
Tank Johnson got his hands on Manning and took him to the ground, but
not before Peyton released the ball as it flighted into the stride of
Reggie Wayne who had an open path to the endzone for a 53-yard
touchdown with 6:50 left in the first period.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images
However,
The Bears reserved the lead as the extra-point snap slid through
holder Hunter Smith's hands, leaving the Colts
down 7- 6.
Bears
Ball
Determined
to keep the ball out of Hester's hands, Vinatieri squibbed the
ensuing kickoff, kicking it 42 yards to Chicago's' 28 as Gabe Reid
scooped it up to return it for 9 yards before he fumbles when he was
hit by Robert Mathis as Dylan Gandy recovered at the Chicago 34.
Colts Ball
The
continuing rain fall was taking its toll on the game as the Colts
fumbled the snap when Manning and Addai bungled a hand-off and the
Bears, Mark Anderson returned the fumble 2 yards to the Chicago 43.
Bears
Ball
On the
Bears first play, Thomas Jones dashed up the middle for 52 yards to
the Colts 5. Colts didn't make it easy for The Bears as
"Booger" McFarland stopped Jones on the next play for a
mere gain of 1 yard.
On 2nd
and Goal, Bears tried to run Jones again as Nick Harper knocked him
out of bounds for no gain at all.
On 3rd
and Goal, Grossman hooked up with Muhsin Muhammad for a 4 yard
touchdown pass.
Bears -
14 Colts - 6
That was
about it for Grossman and the Bears offense for the rest of this
Super Bowl Game.
Colts Ball
Gould
kicks it 63 yards to Colts 7 as Wilkins brings it back for 9 yards to
their 16.
Colts
went 3 and out with Rhodes for no gain on 1st down, and Manning
connecting with Fletcher for a gain of 3 on the next play and on 3rd
and 7, Peyton threw a short pass to . Aaron Moorehead; whose
father, Emery, played for the famous 1985 Chicago Bears., could not
hold on to the ball.
Colts
ended up bringing out ol' Hunter The Punter as he boots it 49 yards
with Hester making the return to only get 3 yards as he was taken out
of bounds by Ricky Boiman at the Bears 35.
Bears
Ball
The Bears
were able to get 1 play off with a Grossman pass to Bernard Berrian
for 13 yards as Bob Sanders drills Cedric Benson on the next play
trying to go up the middle and forces him to fumble as Dwight Freeney
recovers it at the Bears 43.
Cedric Benson #32 of the
Chicago Bears fumbles the ball after being tackled by Bob Sanders #21
of the Indianapolis Colts.
(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
Dwight Freeney #93 of the
Indianapolis Colts stretches over running back Cedric Benson #32 of
the Chicago Bears to recover the fumble.
(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
Colts Ball
With a
little over 2 minutes left in the First Quarter, the Colts were
forced to punt after Rhodes ran for 2 yards on 1st down and Peyton
throwing 2 incompletion.
Even
though The Bears', Adrian Peterson was flagged for Neutral Zone
Infraction, it was only a 5 yard penalty and not enough for a First
Down. Hunter kicked from Bears 36 and boots it 31 yards as Colts,
Offensive Line Backer, Freddy Keiaho downs it at The Colts 5 yard line.
Bears
Ball
Grossman
and The Bears did the same and went 3 and out as Cedric Benson gained
4 yards up the middle on their 1st down before injuring his left knee
on the play and did not return. Grossman then threw incomplete on the
next play while Thomas Jones also ran for 4 yards up the middle on
3rd down. 2 yards short of a First Down, Bears punt.
Colts Ball
With 9
seconds left in the First Quarter, Peyton completes a 12 yard pass to
Joseph Addai to go into the Second Quarter at The Bears 46 and a
score of Bears - 14 Colts - 6
SECOND QUARTER
Colts Ball
continued
Peyton
and The Colts Offense were on the move as Manning found Harrison for
15 yards. Addai moved the chains again with 2 runs of 6 and 8 yards.
However, he fell short 3 yards on their next play. On 2nd and 13 at
The Bears 20 yard line, Peyton dumps a short pass to Marvin Harrison
for 4 yards. And then dumps one over the middle to Addai for a gain
of 5 - DAMN - 1 yard short of a First! "Mr. Clutch"
Vinatieri nails a 29 yard field goal to bring the score up to
Colts - 9 and Bears - 14.
Vinatieri
kicks off for 63 yards to Chicago's 7 as Rashied Davis runs it back
for 15 yards before he is hit by Special Teams man Dexter Reid.
Bears
Ball
Grossman
and The Bears Offense continue an unending pattern of 3 and out as
Thomas Jones succeeds in a gain of 4 yards on their 1st down, however
Colts Defensive End, Robert Mathis refused him any yardage on the
next play. Grossman did get a pass off on tier 3rd down for a whole 2
yards as he is nailed by Bob Sanders; 4 yards short of a First. Bears
punt 42 yards as Terrance runs it back 12 yards to their own 42.
Colts Ball
Peyton
gave The Bears Defense a 9 minute pounding as he connected with
Marvin Harrison on their first play for 22 yards. First Down! Manning
then connected with Dalls Clark over the middle for 17 yards. First Down!
Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images
Dominic
Rhodes ran the ball for a gain of 3 on the first play. Peyton found
Dallas Clark for 5 over the middle on 2nd down and Rhodes ran for
another 3 on 3rd down. First Down! Colts are knocking on Bears
endzone at the 8 yard line as Rhodes runs up the middle of The Bears
Defense for a gain of 7, 1 yard short of the end zone. Rhodes made it
in on his next run for the Touchdown as Colts take the lead!
AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian
Bears -
14 Colts - 16
Vinatieri
kicks it 44 to Bears 26 as Adrian Peterson runs it back for 10 yards
to their own 36.
Bears
Ball
And the
pattern continues as Grossman got off 2 passes for completions of 3
and 4 yards on their first 2 plays. Gary Brackett and Kelvin Hayden (replacement
for Nick Harper who came out of the game after injuring his left
ankle early in the AFC title game against New England last week)
denied Jones a First Down as they stopped him at their own 45 and 1
yard short of a First! Bears punt it 38 yards as Wilkins brings it
back for 18 yards to The Colts 35.
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Colts Ball
Colts
were on the move as Addai ran for 3 yards on their first play.
Manning then passed to Addai for a gain of 8 on the next for the
First Down. Addai was hit behind the line of scrimmage on the next
play for a loss of a yard, however, him and Peyton made up for it on
the next play as Manning hit him on a short right for 10 yards.
Two-Minute
Warning
1 yard
short of a First on 3rd down as Addai picks it up plus some on the
next play.
On 1st
and 10 at Bears 43 Manning threw incomplete to Reggie Wayne.
The game
got a little out of hand (literally) in the next minute and a half as
Manning with a no huddle fires to Bryan Fletcher for 6 yards and is
hit by Bears' Cornerback, Charles Tillman producing a fumble and is
recovered by Tillman at The Bears 36.
Bears
Ball
It was
The Bears ball until Grossman fumbled the snap and Colts', Raheem
Brock recovers it at The Bears 36 yard line.
Quarterback Rex Grossman #8 of
the Chicago Bears fumbles a snap recoverd by the Indianapolis Colts
(Photo by Jed
Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
Colts Ball
Again
Rhodes
plows up the middle of The Bears Defense for a gain of 10. After
Manning threw incomplete on their next play he converted with a short
pass to Rhodes for 8 on the next to reach The Bears 17 yard line. 39
seconds left in the half and Colts call a timeout.
On 3rd
and 2, Addai was unsuccessful as Urlacher put a stop to it with 2
seconds left on the clock and The Colts take their 2nd timeout,
followed by The Bears taking their 1st timeout.
2 seconds
left in the half and "Mr. Clutch" declutched and sent the
ball wide left from 17 yards and the score remains Colts with 16 and
Bears with 14 as the game goes into halftime with Prince to perform
and to include his famous song, Purple Rain being sung in the Miami rain.
THIRD QUARTER
Colts Ball
Colts
receive as Bears kick off for 58 yards and Wilkins returns it for 26
yards to Colts 38.
Colts
begin the second half as Manning dumps 3 short routes off to Addai
for gains of 6 and 8 for the First Down and then anothern' for 1
yard. Peyton then dumped one off to Dallas Clark for 1 yard and then
found Utecht for the remaining 8 yards for a First! Utecht was
injured on the play.
Tight end Ben Utecht #86 of the Indianapolis Colts
is tackled by Brian Urlacher #54 of the Chicago Bears after an 8-yard reception
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Tight end Ben Utecht #86 of the Indianapolis Colts
lies on the field after being tackled by Brian Urlacher #54 of the
Chicago Bears on an 8-yard reception
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
For the
next 5 minutes, Addai beat the hell out of The Bears Defense starting
off with a run of 10 yards, First Down!
Running back Joseph Addai #29 of the Indianapolis
Colts looks for an opening around linebacker Brian Urlacher #54 of
the Chicago Bears
Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images
Running back Joseph Addai #29 of the Indianapolis
Colts runs by linebacker Brian Urlacher #54 of the Chicago Bears
Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images
Addai
then ran the ball 2 more time for short gains of 3 and 2 before
Peyton dumped one over the middle to him for a gain of 9, First Down!
1st and
10 and who else but Addai, again up the middle for a small 2
yards. On 2nd and 8 a penalty for False Start on Jake Scott was
called for 5 yards. On the next play he dumps it off, again, to
Joseph Addai for a gain of 3 and then to Dallas Clark for 8 yards,
putting The Colts at the Bears 6 yard line on 4th down and 2 yards to
go. Vinatieri does his magic and kicks a 24 yarder, good!
Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images
Colts -
19 Bears - 14
Vinatieri
kicks it off for 41 yards to John Gilmore who is only able to run it
back for a gain of 3 yards before he is taken down by Rookie Kelvin
Hayden at the Bears 32.
Bears
Ball
With a
little over 7 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Grossman was capable
of connecting with Running Back, Thomas Jones for a gain of 14 yards
before the Bears and Grossman went back to their pattern:
3 and
out! However, the series had it's moments as Grossman did complete
another pass, this time to Muhsin Muhammad for a gain of 9 yards.
Then on 2nd and 1 yard to go for a First. "Booger"
McFarland denied Grossman any yardage, as a matter of fact, they lost
11 yards as "Booger" sacked Grossman at the Bears 44 yard line.
Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
It's
now 3rd and 12 and again Grossman fumbles the snap, however he was
lucky enough to scoop it up himself at their 33 for the recovery.
(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
4th and
23 as the Bears punt it 43 yards to Wilkins, who runs it back for 12
yards to The Colts 36.
Colts Ball
A little
over 5 minutes left to play in the 3rd quarter and The Colts go on
the march down the field again starting off with a beautiful run by
Dominic Rhodes as he breaks through the Bears Defense and manhandles
his way down the grid iron for 36 yards to The Bears 28.
Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images
Colts
tried it again, as Rhodes busted through for 8 yards on the next play
before Danieal Manning deliberately used Rhodes facemask to bring him down.
Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images
Officials
saw it, 10 yard penalty - First Down!
Peyton
threw incomplete on the next 2 plays as Rhodes busted out 8 yards on
3rd and 10; unfortunately, not enough for the First. Vinatieri puts 3
more on The Scoreboard before Todd Johnson nails him. Colts declined
the penalty:
Colts -
22 Bears - 14
Vinatieri
kicks it off 34 yards to John Gilmore who runs it back for 9 yards
before he is hit out of bounds and Robert Mathis was flagged with an
Unnecessary Roughness penalty for 15 yards putting The Bears at their 45.
Bears
Ball
O.K. So
The Bears broke their pattern of 3 and out on this next series,
however, "Bad" Rex was in there. Jones moved the
chains for a First on their 1st 2 plays with a gain of 8 and then a
gain of 4. Then "Bad" Rex tried to go deep to Wide
Receiver, Rashied Davis as Raheem Brock denied him of that feat.
On 2nd
and 10, Jones ran for 2 yards and then "Bad" Rex tried to
do deep again to Desmond Clark as Jason David denied them of that
feat. However, Bears are in Field Goal territory as Gould makes good
on a 44 yarder with the Bears still trailing:
Colts -
22 Bears - 17
Gould
kicks it off for a good 64 yards to Colts 6 as Wilkins runs it back
for 26 yards to tier own 32.
Colts Ball
A little
over 1 minute left in the Third Quarter and Rhodes was tackled behind
the line of scrimmage for a loss of 3 yards on Colts first play. 2nd
and 13, Manning found Marvin Harrison on the sidelines at the Colts
40, but The Officials ruled the catch out of bounds. Dungy challenged
the call and it was obvious that Marvin had made his signature mark
of keeping both feet in bounds and the call was reversed.
Indianapolis Colts wide
receiver Marvin Harrison (88) works to keep his feet inbounds after a
pass reception in front of Chicago Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher
(31) . The pass was originally ruled incomplete, but the call was
overturned after a challenge by the Colts.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
22
seconds left in the Third Quarter and Peyton connects with Reggie
Wayne for 8 yards and The First.
FOURTH QUARTER
Colts Ball
continued
Rhodes
started off the First Quarter with a 2 yard run. Lilja was then
called for a False Start on the next play bringing The Colts back 5
yards; now 2nd and 13. Rhodes got that 5 yards back on the next play
and then Bears called their 1st timeout.
On 3rd
and 8 from the shotgun, Peyton fires deep down the middle to Marvin
but the play was broken up by Bears, Defensive End, Alex Brown and
Corner Back, Nathan Vasher rendering Harrison injured on the play.
Marvin did return later.
Hunter
punts it into the endzone for a touchback
Bears
Ball
When
Jones ran for 12 yards on the Bears first play; it was brought back
10 yards from the line of scrimmage as Bears, John Tait was called
for Offensive Holding. 1st and 20, and Jones makes a run for 6 yards.
2nd and 14 and "Bad" Rex does what "Bad" Rex does
and throws deep to Muhammad as it was broken up by Bob Sanders and
Cato June.
2nd down
and 14 and "Bad" Rex really fucked up when The Bears
quarterback pump-faked and then threw deep again to Muhammad
Colts Ball
when
Kelvin Hayden's, a kid from Chicago; the second-string
cornerback covering for Nick Harper, moment came. Hayden saw it all
the way, leaped high to pick off Rex Grossman's 18-yard sideline
throw, stepped within a few blades of grass of the sideline narrowly
avoiding going out of bounds and sped 56 yards in front of the Colts'
bench for his first career touchdown to extend Indianapolis'
lead to 29-17!
(Photo
by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
The play
was challenged; the Bears thought Hayden had stepped out of bounds.
Photo by Robert Scheer / THE STAR
It
sure was close.
Chicago Bears quarterback Rex
Grossman (8) walks back to the bench after throwing an interception,
as coach Lovie Smith watches the play on the large screen, in the
fourth quarter of the Super Bowl XLI football game at Dolphin Stadium
in Miami on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2007. Indianapolis Colts cornerback
Kelvin Hayden ran the interception back 56 yards for a touchdown.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
But the
interception and the score stood. It will stand for the ages.
As soon
as Hayden got his hands on the ball, his fellow Colts defenders
looked for Bears to hit. But Hayden shook free of Muhammad's grasp
and it was smooth sailing.
Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Upon
diving into the end zone, he was mobbed by fellow Colts Players.
Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images
Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images
With The
Extra Point; Vinatieri converted for his 49th postseason point - an
NFL record.
By then
it was increasingly clear that The Indianpolis Colts would be taking
home the Vince Lombardi trophy in a half-empty stadium, as many of
the Bears fans realized that the game was over and headed for the exits.
"I
was giving Moose a chance to go up and get a fade route and the
corner made a good play on it," Grossman said. "He
saw the ball and went after it. In hindsight, I wish I would have
thrown it away. But I was giving Moose a chance to go out and battle
for it.
"The
timing of it wasn't right. I should have waited until Moose had his
eyes around so that he could see the ball in the air."
Vinatieri
kicks it off 76 yards to Hester 6 yards into the endzone for a touchback.
Bears
Ball
With more
than 11 minutes left in the game, The Bears would need 2 touchdown
scores to stay in the game. But it wasn't going to happen.
Not with
"Bad" Rex behind the Helm.
The Bears
started off their drive with Jones running for 4 yards. Grossman then
found Jason McKie for another gain of 4 and a short pass to Desmond
Clark for 11.
On 1st
and 10, guess who showed up? If you guessed "Bad" Rex; you
are absolutely correct, as Grossman fires a deep pass down the middle
to Berrian as Bob Sanders steps into the crossfire and intercepts at
the Colts 21 and returns it 28 yards to the Bears 41 yard line.
(Photo by Donald
Miralle/Getty Images)
Penalties
aroused on the field as Colts', Jason David was flagged for
Unnecessary Roughness and Bears', Fred Miller was flagged for the
same. Penalties were offset.
Colts Ball
Addai
started off The Colts drive with a 12 yard run but their drive
declined as Manning threw incomplete to Harrison on the next drive.
Colts
call their 2nd timeout.
With
Peyton in the shotgun, Bears', Tank Johnson and Mark Anderson found
their way in the pocket and sacked Manning for a loss of 8 yards.
3rd and
18 Addai shot up the middle for only 2 yards to bring out The Punting
Team. With The Colts feeling they were to close, they allowed the
play clock to expire and move the ball back 5 yards with a Delay Of
Game penalty. Hunter Smith booted it 32 yards to Hester, who signaled
for the fair catch at Bears' 8 yard line.
Bears
Ball
A little
over 7 minutes left in the game and Bears still need 2 touchdowns to
pull this off as the Bears and Grossman actually looked promising on
their next series. Grossman connected with Clark 3 times for gains of
8, 10 and 8 more yards. On 2nd and 2, Jones picked up the First Down
and some with a gain of 12 yards.
Grossman
under pressuer then threw a bad pass to Clark on their 1st down
Photo by Eliot J.
Schechter/Getty Images
Grossman
then dumped a short one off to Clark for 2 yards on the next play.
On 3rd and 8, Grossman threw to Jones behind the line of scrimmage as
he was brought down by Marlin Jackson, who was injured on the play,
yet returned later on in the game.
4th and 9
and Bears go for it, "what do they got to lose?" They lost
the ball, as Grossman threw to Clark and Matt Giordano broke it up.
Colts safety Matt Giordano
knocks the ball out of the hands of Bears tight end Desmond Clark
Photo by Star Reporter/ MattDetrich
Colts Ball
Dominic
Rhodes ran The Chicago Bears Defense rugged for the next 5 minutes as
he ran for no gain on his first attempt but pounded the ground on his
next 7 runs.
On 2nd
and 10, Rhodes broke through the middle of the Bears Defense for 15
yards. First Down!
Rhodes
then ran for 2 and then 9 yards on the next 2 plays. First Down!
Rhodes
didn't make any progress on the next play and Lilja was flagged for
Offensive Holding as the penalty was declined by The Bears.
2nd and
10 and Rhodes broke through for 4 yards.
Two-Minute
Warning
3rd and 6
and Rhodes again failed to get any yardage as Bears call their last timeout.
1 minute
and 49 seconds away from victory at the Bears 17 on 4th down and 6,
Colts go for it as Rhodes only gets a yard.
Bears
Ball
With a
little over a minute to work with, The Bears and Grossman were moving
the ball down the field, yet couldn't even reach Colts Territory as
Grossman found Clark up the middle for a gain of 9 yards, On their
next play, Berrian picked up the First Down and some with a gain of
14 yards.
Grossman
got one off to Jones for 8 yards on the next play, however Ruben
Brown was caught with Offensive Holding and the ball was brought back
to the line of scrimmage with a 10 yard penalty, repeat 1st down.
57
seconds left (do ya smell it?) Grossman hits Berrian for 5 yards.
Colts president Bill Polian
celebrates with his staff moments before the Colts defeated the
Chicago Bears.
Photo by Matt Detrich
36
seconds left and Jones makes a break for 12 yards.
15
seconds left and Grossman hits Clark for 18 yards and the clock runs out!
Indianapolis Colts coach Tony
Dungy is dunked after the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 in
the Super Bowl XLI football game at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Sunday,
Feb. 4, 2007.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Indianapolis
Colts are World Wide champions as they defeated The Chicago Bears 29
to 17 in Super Bowl XLI.
Head coach Tony Dungy
of the Indianapolis Colts is held-up on the shoulders of his
assistant coaches as he celebrates a 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears
in Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami
Gardens, Florida.
(Photo by Doug
Benc/Getty Images)
COLTS-29 BEARS-17
Team owner Jim Irsay
of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy,
next to head coach Tony Dungy after the Colts 29-17 win against the
Chicago Bears against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI on
February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
(Photo by
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Peyton
Manning, center Jeff Saturday, offensive tackle Tarik Glenn, wide
receiver Reggie Wayne and wide receiver Marvin Harrison are scheduled
to fly to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Pro Bowl.
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