Super Bowl XX MVP Richard Dent (Photo courtesy of Getty Images via ESPN.com)

Super Bowl XX MVP Richard Dent is happy for the Chicago Blackhawks on the Stanley Cup and all.  Heck, he even watched the parade.  But when it comes to Chicago’s ultimate championship team, there is no doubt in the Sack Man’s mind which team is #1:

“I don’t think it ranks up there with our championship. People had a swagger when they talked about our championship because they know we would go out and kick ass and take names and come home with a victory. There was no doubt, there was no worry. It was all about taking care of business. If (the Blackhawks) play like that over the next three or four years….then you can start talking about other stuff.”

With all due respect and proper deference to Dent and the ’85 Bears, there’s a reason they’re called the ’85 Bears – because they won ONE title in – you guessed it – 1985.  If the Bears had come even close to the 85 team in subsequent years, we’d be talking about the 80′s Bears or the Bears dynasty like we talk about the 90′s Bulls or the Jordan dynasty.

So don’t go calling out the ‘Hawks and saying that they need to play like that over the next three or four years to start talking about other stuff.  Let’s enjoy what they’ve done and let history be the judge of where they rank.

Can you believe it’s been 24 years?   Damn, we’re getting old.

I pulled this list of the most exciting Super Bowls from an old editorial written after Super Bowl XXXVIII.  I’ve added my own for the couple of games since that article:

Super Bowl V, 1970, Baltimore 16, Dallas 13 — This close (biggest lead was seven), hard-fought game was decided by a FG with 0:05 left. But it also had 11 turnovers and 14 penalties.

Super Bowl XIII, 1978, Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31 — Cowboys comeback to get close. Late TD, onside kick recovery, another TD, onside kick failed.

Super Bowl XXIII, 1988, San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16 — Seven ties and lead changes, last at 0:34. Superb 49ers’ TD drive answers late Bengals FG.

Super Bowl XXV, 1990, N.Y. Giants 20, Buffalo 19 — 47 yards, wide right.

Super Bowl XXXII, 1997, Denver 31, Green Bay 24 — Six ties and lead changes, last at 1:45.

Super Bowl XXXIV, 1999, St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee 16 — Comeback, late scores by both teams, one yard from OT.

Super Bowl XXXVI, 2001, New England 20, St Louis Rams 17 — Walk-off 48-yarder.

Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2003, New England 32, Carolina 29 — A schizophrenic game, a wild fourth quarter, a classic ending.

Super Bowl XXXIX, 2005, New England 24, Philadelphia 21– A late comeback and a vomiting Donovan McNabb

Super Bowl XLII, 2008, New York Giants 17, New England 14– The Eli Manning scramble and the David Tyree catch alone made this game an instant classic.  The Giants pulling the upset to keep the Patriots from becoming the first team to go 19-0 cemented it in history.

Here’s why I contend that Super Bowl XLIII had all the elements to make it the greatest ever:

Great Plays

• James Harrison’s 100-yard INT return for a TD to end the first half was the longest play in Super Bowl history.  What a return!
• Both of Larry Fitzgerald’s touchdowns were amazing plays, especially the 64 yarder to the late lead!
• Kurt Warner’s 377 yards and 3 TD’s had to be the most by a QB in a losing effort.  Not to mention that 224 If he wasn’t in before this game, I say he’s in the Hall of Fame with that performance.  By the way, when did Brenda Warner get hot-ish?
• Santonio Holmes’ game winning touchdown may have been the best touchdown reception in a Super Bowl.

Drama

• The Steelers jump out to a 13-point lead.  The Cardinals appear to have recorded the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history with a HUGE 4th quarter, capped off by a Larry Fitzgerald 64 yard TD with 2:37 left.
• Big Ben leads the Steelers down the field for a 78 yard game-winning TD drive and Santonio Holmes cements himself in Pittsburgh history with that great catch.  Do you think he’ll after have to pick up a tab in Steel-town again?
• Even with that amazing Steelers drive, the Cards still had one last gasp as Kurt Warner got the Cards within Hail Mary distance, but couldn’t quite finish it off.

Controversy

• Was Big Ben’s knee down on the first Steelers score?
• Did James Harrison get in for that TD?  It was really close.
• Was that last Warner fumble really a fumble?  Looked to me like his hand was going forward with the ball.  It would have been nice for the booth to at least review that play.

History

• James Harrison’s TD was the longest play in Super Bowl history.
• The Steelers captured their 6th Super Bowl Championship, most of any team.
• Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin became the youngest to coach and win the Super Bowl.

If you don’t think Super Bowl XLIII was the greatest Super Bowl, which one was?

January 26, 1986 is a day that had a profound impact on the lives of many Bears fans and this one in particular.  It is the day the Bears won Super Bowl XX by a then-historic 46-10 margin.  This won’t be the case in two years when the Bears commemorate the 25th anniversary of Super Bowl XX, but on this 23rd anniversary of the lone Chicago Super Bowl title, there was nothing.  Did they all forget? 

Old Doc Brown is at it again to help us relive the the glory that was January 26, 1986.  The top shows back in January of 1986 were the “Cosby Show”,” Family Ties” and “Murder She Wrote”.  Yes, “Murder She Freakin’ Wrote” was a top show.  What were we thinking???    “That’s What Friends are For” by Psychic Friend Dione Warwick and “Say You Say Me” by Lionel Richie topped the charts, but not too far down the list was the ‘Super Bowl Shuffle” by the Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew.  Iron Eagle, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and Rocky IV were big at the Box Office.  Two short days later, sadness cast over the country as the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy reminded the nation that football, for all that it is, is still just a game.

I was able to find the Sports Illustrated writeup of Super Bowl XX in the SI Vault here.   The article gushes with superlatives of the ’85 Bears and the ferocious defense that devoured the Patriots.  I will always contend that if not for the early Payton fumble on a crossed up play call by quarterback Jim McMahon, the Bears would have shut out the Patriots and been the first and only team to shut out their opponents throughout the playoffs.  As dominant as any defense could be, I don’t know that any team could ever match the 10 points the Bears gave up in the run through that postseason.

A couple of interesting takeaways from the article:

At the time, the Bears set records for margin of victory (36) and points (46).

The Patriots field goal at the 1:19 mark was the fastest score in Super Bowl history until  Devin Hester shattered that record with his 14 second kickoff return at the start of Super Bowl XLI.

The article was prophetic in saying:

The events of the next few weeks and months will determine if this is the beginning of a mighty defensive dynasty (only one of the 11 Bear defenders who started Sunday’s game is older than 28) or a culmination.

Even though the Bears made a few more playoff appearances, as sad as it is to say, I guess it was the culmination.  Don’t worry Bears, I didn’t forget about you!  Happy Devin Hester-eth anniversary of Super Bowl XX.  When Super Bowl Championships are as rare as honest politicians in this town, they should be celebrated and remembered!

BEAR DOWN!!!

The Super Bowl XX winning 1985 Chicago Bears were named the greatest Super Bowl team ever by Fox Sports’ Adrian Hasenmayer.  He says it, so it must be true.

The 1985 Bears encompassed all you could want in a Super Bowl champion — a dominant team that finished the regular season 15-1, smashing defensive records in the process. Plus they had plenty of flavor, as judged by their classic “Super Bowl Shuffle” rap video that became a trend-setter among 1980s sports teams. Throw in wild personalities like Jim McMahon, William “Refrigerator” Perry plus head coach “Iron” Mike Ditka and even defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, and it’s no wonder Chicago couldn’t sustain its invincibility. But for one 1985 season and 46-10 blowout of New England on Super Sunday, no team was ever better.

Check out the rest of the best.   There are some impressive teams on the list, but as we all know,  the ’85 Bears stand alone as the greatest Super Bowl team of all time.

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