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Super Bowl XLI

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DateFebruary 4 2007
StadiumDolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
FavoriteColts by 7 [1]
RefereeTony Corrente [2]
Ceremonies
National anthemBilly Joel, ASL performed by Marlee Matlin
Coin tossDan Marino and Norma Hunt [3]
Halftime showPrince and the Florida A&M University Marching 100
TV in the United States
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersJim Nantz and Phil Simms
Cost of 30-second commercial$ 2.6 million [4]

Super Bowl XLI is the 41st Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game is currently being played today, on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a suburb of Miami, Florida, following the 2006 regular season. Kickoff was at 6:25 PM EST.

This Super Bowl features two participants ending long droughts. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts made their first appearance in a Super Bowl game since winning Super Bowl V in January 1971 during the team's tenure in Baltimore. The team moved to Indianapolis in 1984. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears made their first appearance since their storied 1985 season in which they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

Super Bowl XLI also sees a number of firsts. It was the first Super Bowl to feature an African-American head coach. In fact, both Colts head coach Tony Dungy and Bears head coach Lovie Smith are African-American. Moreover, it was the first Super Bowl presided over by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who succeeded Paul Tagliabue in September 2006. It was also the first Super Bowl to have the opening kickoff returned for a touchdown, with Chicago's Devin Hester making the touchdown. Finally, it was the first Super Bowl to be played with rain on the field.[5]

Background

Host selection process

Dolphin Stadium won the bid to host Super Bowl XLI on September 17, 2003 after a campaign against Arizona, Tampa Bay, New York City, and Washington D.C.. With this game, the Miami, Florida Metropolitan Area tied New Orleans, Louisiana as the city to host the most Super Bowls (9).[6]

This is also the fourth Super Bowl at Dolphin Stadium, which has also been previously known as "Joe Robbie Stadium" and "Pro Player Stadium". The venue has previous hosted Super Bowls XXIII, XXIX, and XXXIII. Super Bowls II, III, V, X, and XIII were held at the Miami Orange Bowl.

In February 2006, the NFL and the South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee unveiled the slogan "one game, one dream" for the game, referring to the entire South Florida region working together to present the event.[7] The Super Bowl XLI logo was also unveiled, featuring the colors orange to represent the sun and blue for the ocean.[7] The "I" in the Roman numeral "XLI" was drawn to resemble a pylon placed at each corner of an end zone because "the goal is to get to the game."[7] This year's logo has the same shade of orange as the logo of the host city's home team, the Miami Dolphins. The "XL" part is identical to that of Super Bowl XL's logo.

Teams

Chicago Bears

Main article: 2006 Chicago Bears season

Pope Arrington finished the season with an NFC best 13-3 record and advanced to the second Super Bowl in franchise history. The team excelled at offense and defense, ranking second in scoring (427 points) and third in fewest points allowed (255)

The Bears were led by quarterback Rex Grossman, the team's first round draft pick in 2003. Over the last three seasons, Grossman had played in just 8 regular season games due to injuries, but he recovered to start in all 16 games in 2006. By the end of the season, he finished with 3,193 yards and 23 touchdowns, the most by a Bears quarterback since 1995. However, he had a big problem with turnovers. Grossman threw 20 interceptions and lost five fumbles during the year, and in the last seven games of the season, he turned the ball over 18 times. Many fans and sports writers expected coach Lovie Smith to bench him at some point, but Smith insisted that Grossman would be the starter throughout the entire season.

Receivers Muhsin Muhammad (60 receptions, 863 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Bernard Berrian (51 receptions, 775 yards, 7 touchdowns) provided the main deep threat on the team, along with tight end Desmond Clark, who caught 45 passes for 626 yards and 6 touchdowns. Chicago's running game was led by running backs Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson. Jones rushed for 1,210 yards and caught 36 passes, while Benson rushed for 647 yards and scored 6 touchdowns.

Chicago also had the 5th ranked defense, allowing less than 100 yards per game on the ground and registering one of the top scoring defenses in the NFL. The line was anchored by Adewale Ogunleye, who had 6.5 sacks, and Pro Bowler Tommie Harris, who recorded 5, along with rookie Mark Anderson, who led the team with 12 sacks. Behind them, two of the three Bears starting linebackers, Lance Briggs, and Brian Urlacher, were selected to the 2007 Pro Bowl. In the secondary, cornerbacks Ricky Manning Jr. and Charles Tillman each recorded five interceptions.

The Bears special teams unit was considered by many to be the best in the league. This unit sent 3 players to the Pro Bowl, special teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo, kicker Robbie Gould (who led all NFL kickers with 143 points), and rookie return man Devin Hester, who gained 600 punt return yards with a 12.8 yards per return average, the second highest in the NFL. He also set a league record with 6 touchdowns on special teams.

Indianapolis Colts

Main article: 2006 Indianapolis Colts season

Pope Arrington 

finished the season with a 14-2 record and advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1970 season.  It had been a long, hard journey for the Colts.  In 1998, they drafted quarterback Peyton Manning to lead the team.  Over the next four seasons, Manning, along with other stars such as receiver Marvin Harrison and now departed running back Edgerrin James turned the Colts into one of the best offensive teams in the NFL, but the team was never able to put together a solid defense and always ended up with either a losing season or elimination from the playoffs in the first round.  In 2002, Indianapolis fired head coach Jim Mora and replaced him with Tony Dungy.  Dungy had developed one of the best defenses in the NFL while coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it was hoped he could solve the Colts' defensive problems as well.

Over the next four seasons, the Colts won 48 of 64 games, but still could not find much success in the postseason. In 2002, they were blown out 41-0 in the wildcard round. In 2003, they made it all the way to the AFC title game, but lost to the New England Patriots 24-14, with Manning throwing four interceptions. Then in 2004, they had one of the most spectacular offensive seasons in NFL history, scoring 522 points and gaining 6,582 yards, with Manning setting NFL records for most touchdown passes and highest passer rating. But they could only score a single field goal in a 20-3 loss to the Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs.

In 2005, the Colts seemed certain to reach the Super Bowl. They won the first 13 games of the season and finished with a 14-2 record, while ranking second in the NFL in points scored and fewest points allowed. But once again they lost in the divisional round of the playoffs, falling to the #6 seeded Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-18. By this time, critics were wondering if the Colts would ever reach the Super Bowl. Manning had developed a reputation of being unable to make it to a championship, not only during his NFL career, but also in college when he was unable to win an NCAA title with the Tennessee Volunteers. The Colts also lost some key players after the 2005 season, including James and kicker Mike Vanderjagt, the NFL's all-time leader in field goal percentage.

Still, the Colts remained one of the AFC's top teams in the 2006 season. Manning made the pro bowl for the 7th time in his career, completing 362 of 555 passes for 4,397 yards and an NFL best 31 touchdowns, with only 9 interceptions. His favorite target was Harrison, who caught 95 passes for 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns. Receiver Reggie Wayne was also a major deep threat with 86 receptions for 1,310 yards and 9 touchdowns. Tight ends Ben Utecht and Dallas Clark were also reliable targets, each recording over 30 receptions for over 300 yards. On the ground, rookie running back Joseph Addai led the team with 1,081 yards and 4.8 yards per carry average. He also caught 40 receptions for 325 yards and scored 8 touchdowns. Running back Dominic Rhodes was also a major contributor, rushing for 641 yards and catching 36 passes for 251 yards. The offensive line was led by pro bowlers Jeff Saturday and Tarik Glenn. On special teams, the Colts signed kicker Adam Vinatieri to replace Vanderjagt. While Vinateiri's career field goal percentage was lower, the Colts considered him to be an improvement because of his reputation for making "clutch" kicks when his team needed them, a reputation aided by his game winning field goals in Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Indianapolis' defense ranked second in the NFL in fewest passing yards allowed. Defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis (who recorded 9.5 sacks and forced 4 fumbles) were widely considered to be the best in the NFL. Behind them, linebacker Cato June led the team in tackles (92) and interceptions (3).

Indianapolis started out the season winning their first 9 games, but ended up losing four of their next seven and finished with a 12-4 record, giving them the #3 playoff seed. Thus, they would have to win three games to make it to the Super Bowl. Furthermore, the Colts run defense was a major problem, giving up 2,768 yards on the ground, an average of 173 per game and last in the NFL.

Playoffs

Main article: NFL playoffs, 2006-07

Although the Colts run defense looked extremely weak during the season, it ended up being a key factor on their road to the Super Bowl. First Indianapolis defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 23-8, holding Chiefs running back Larry Johnson (who rushed for 1,789 yards during the season) to just 32 yards on 13 carries. Then they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 15-6, winning on a playoff record-tying five field goals by Vinatieri and holding running back Jamal Lewis (who rushed for 1,132 yards during season) to just 53 yards.

Then the Colts faced their arch-rival New England Patriots in the AFC title game. New England jumped to an early 21-3 lead, but Indianapolis stormed back in the second half, outscoring the Patriots 32-13. The Colts' final scoring drive did much to help Manning lose his image of always "choking" in big games. With 2:22 left in the game, The Colts had the ball on their own 21-yard line trailing 34-31. On the first three plays of the drive, Manning completed 3 passes, moving the ball 70 yards to the Patriots 11-yard line in just 17 seconds. Three plays later, Addai scored a 6-yard touchdown run to put them in the lead, 38-34 with only 60 seconds left in regulation. The Patriots responded with a drive to the Colts 45-yard line, but defensive back Marlin Jackson ended the drive with an interception to give Indianapolis the win.

Meanwhile, the Bears started out their post-season with a 27-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks with Robbie Gould's 49-yard field goal in overtime. One week later, they defeated the New Orleans Saints 39-14. Chicago dominated most of the game, jumping to a 16-0 early lead. Two touchdown passes from Saints quarterback Drew Brees, cut the score to 16-14, but the Bears responded with 23 unanswered points to propel them to their first Super Bowl since 1985. Thomas Jones finished the game with a franchise postseason record 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns.


Super Bowl pre-game news

The NFL upset many fans by banning the traditional practice of tailgating at Super Bowl XLI. Originally, spokesmen for Dolphin Stadium announced that tailgating would be permitted as usual, however the NFL quickly contradicted this statement announcing an NFL owner imposed ban on all tailgating and non-ticketed fans are forbidden within a two block radius of the stadium.[8]

Much of the pre-game controversy revolved around Chicago defensive tackle Tank Johnson, who was required to request a judge's order to leave the state of Illinois due to an arrest for unlicensed ownership of six firearms and two assault rifles. On January 23, 2007, the judge granted him permission to travel out of state to play in the Superbowl.[9]

Broadcasting

United States

The game is televised in the United States by CBS in high-definition with play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and color commentator Phil Simms. This will be the first Super Bowl announced by Nantz.[10] Additionally, the game will have Steve Tasker and Solomon Wilcots reporting on the sidelines and Lesley Visser and Sam Ryan in the stands.

This is the first Super Bowl aired on CBS since the Janet Jackson incident three years earlier, in Super Bowl XXXVIII; and the first since the Viacom/CBS split at the end of 2005. Extensive pre-game coverage, to be hosted by The NFL Today team of James Brown, Shannon Sharpe, Boomer Esiason and Dan Marino, whose name graces the address of the game site (2269 Dan Marino Boulevard), began at 12 noon (US EST) with NFL Films’ “Road to the Super Bowl” year in review. This was followed by "The Phil Simms All-Iron Team", and a four-and-a-half hour Super Bowl Today pre-game show followed by game coverage at 6:25 PM.[11]Also confirmed by CBS as contributors to the pre-game show will be Katie Couric, anchor of the CBS Evening News, Randy Cross, who will be reporting from Iraq where U.S. military forces will play a touch football game known as "The Baghdad Bowl" and Dick Enberg, who will participate in his 12th Super Bowl telecast as a host, play-by-play announcer, or contributor.

The American Forces Network (AFN) is providing coverage of the Superbowl for U.S. forces stationed overseas and to all U.S. Navy ships at sea.[12]

International

The Super Bowl will be broadcast live in Canada on CBS (which is available in Canada) as well as Global TV which will take the main CBS commentary. in the United Kingdom the Super Bowl will be broadcast on ITV1, Sky Sports 1 & Sky Sports HD1 with Sky Sports taking the main CBS commentary and ITV taking the NFL supplied international commentary feed of Spero Dedes and Sterling Sharpe.

Amongst the other international television networks who will broadcast Super Bowl XLI:

Ceremonies and entertainment

Prior to the game, Cirque du Soleil, Romero Britto and Louie Vega performed as the pre-game act,[14] and Billy Joel sang the National Anthem.[15] Marlee Matlin performed the National Anthem in American Sign Language.[16] Besides participating in the CBS telecast of the pre-game show, Dan Marino also participated in the coin toss along with Norma Hunt, the widow of Lamar Hunt, while Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula will present the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the winning team after the game.[17]

American singer and musician Prince performed in the Pepsi Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show.[18] The Florida A&M University marching band, the Marching 100, accompanied Prince during the show.[19]

Game summary

Coin Toss

Chicago won the coin toss, choosing to receive.

First Quarter

On the opening kickoff, CB Devin Hester ran 92 yards in fourteen seconds for the game's first touchdown, the first time an opening kickoff has been returned in Super bowl history. Moments later, Peyton Manning threw an interception, but soon got the ball back on a punt. On this possession, Manning threw a TD to WR Reggie Wayne, which would tie the game, but the conversion attempt was fumbled. The Bears scored on the next drive, with Rex Grossman throwing a six yard pass to Muhsin Muhammad to make the score 14-6 Chicago.

Second Quarter

Adam Vinatieri kicked a 29 yard field goal to draw the Colts within five points. On the Colts' next possession, Indianapolis drove downfield and completed the first half scoring when Dominic Rhodes blasted in from one yard out to make the score 16-14 Colts.

Third Quarter

The Colts took the second half kickoff, driving to the Bears' eight. At the 7:30 mark, Coach Dungy challenged the fact that the Bears had 12 players on the field at the time of snap. After review, the referees decided that there were only 11 defensive players at time of snap, and Colts lose a timeout. Vinatieri kicked a 24-yard field goal to make it 19-14 Colts. At the 6 minute mark, Booger McFarlen blitzed in for a sack on Grossman, and the play immediately following, R. Brock rushed in for a second sack on Grossman.

Scoring summary

  • 1st Quarter
    • CHI - Hester 92 kickoff return (Gould kick), 14:46. Bears 7-0.
    • IND - Wayne 53 pass from Manning (2 pt conversion failed), 6:49. Bears 7-6. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 4:37.
    • CHI - Muhammad 6 pass from Grossman (Gould kick), 4:27. Bears 14-6. Drive: 4 plays, 57 yards, 2:16.
  • 2nd Quarter
    • IND - FG Vinatieri 29, 11:16. Bears 14-9. Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 3:53.
    • IND - Rhodes 1 run (Vinatieri kick), 6:09. Colts 16-14. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 3:08
  • 3rd Quarter
    • IND - FG Vinatieri 24, 7:26. Colts 19-14. Drive: 13 plays, 56 yards, 7:34.

Officials

  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • Umpire: Carl Paganelli
  • Head Linesman: George Hayward
  • Line Judge: Ron Marinucci
  • Field Judge: Jim Saracino
  • Side Judge: John Parry
  • Back Judge: Perry Paganelli
  • Alternate Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • Alternate Umpire: Butch Hannah
  • Alternate Line Judge: Carl Johnson
  • Alternate Field Judge: Buddy Horton
  • Alternate Back Judge: Richard Reels
  • Carl and Perry Paganelli are the first brothers to work together in a Super Bowl.
  • John Parry's father, Dave Parry, was the side judge for Super Bowl XVII. Dave and John Parry are the second father-son team to officiate in the Super Bowl, joining Jerry and Jeff Bergman.

Commercials

Advertising rates were reported as being slightly higher than in the year before, with CBS confirming a price of $2.6 million for some 30-second spots, compared with $2.5 million during Super Bowl XL. However, CNN reported that after discounts, the average price could be closer to $1.8 to $2 million. Familiar advertisers in recent years such as Anheuser-Busch, CareerBuilder, General Motors and Pepsi bought multiple advertising spots, and other popular advertisers like Go Daddy and Emerald Nuts will have a commercial this year.[4] A TV interview with David Beckham will be screened during the Superbowl as well.

The only major hype related to commercials in the months leading up to Super Bowl XLI involved various campaigns to allow consumers to be involved in the creation of Super Bowl ads, inspired by consumer-generated content sites like YouTube. Frito-Lay announced a campaign in September 2006 to allow the public to submit ads for their Doritos brand and vote on the best one, which will be aired in the Super Bowl. Five finalists also received $10,000 each in this contest. General Motors announced a similar contest, open only to college students, for their Chevrolet brand; however, the ad would be produced professionally based on ideas suggested by the public. The NFL itself advertised a similar contest to generate suggestions for a commercial promoting the league.[20]

Trivia

  • The game is the fourth Super Bowl played at Dolphin Stadium, and CBS is the fourth different network to broadcast a Super Bowl played there:

References

  1. ^ Associated Press. Colts big odds favorites | over Bears in Super Bowl XLI
  2. ^ "Corrente to referee first Super Bowl".
  3. ^ "Goodell wants players held accountable".
  4. ^ a b "Super prices for Super Bowl ads". Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  5. ^ http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070204/SPORTS/702040900
  6. ^ "Miami awarded 2007 Super Bowl". NFL.com. 2003-09-17. Retrieved 2006-12-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b c Talalay, Sarah (2006-02-17). "Committee Unveils Logo, Theme". Sun-Sentinel. p. 7C.
  8. ^ "NFL Officials Ban Tailgating at Super Bowl XLI". WSVN.com. 2007-01-29. Retrieved 2007-01-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "Judge allows Bears' Johnson to play in Super Bowl". [www.boston.com Reuters/The Boston Globe]. 2007-01-23. Retrieved 2007-02-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "CBS Sports announces NFL TV schedule". CBS Sports. 2006-04-06. Retrieved 2006-12-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "CBS Sports NFL schedule". CBS Sports. 2006-04-09. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ cbs announcer's comment during the national anthem
  13. ^ a b "Worldwide media coverage of Super Bowl XLI". Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  14. ^ "Cirque du Soleil to perform in Super Bowl XLI pregame show". SuperBowl.com. 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2006-01-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "Joel Heading South For Super Bowl, Shows". Billboard.com. 2006-11-28. Retrieved 2006-12-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ "Marlee Matlin to Sign National Anthem During Billy Joel Performance at Super Bowl XLI on CBS". Elitestv.com. 2007-02-02. Retrieved 2007-02-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Marino, Shula to be honored at Super Bowl XLI". SuperBowl.com. 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "Prince to perform at Super Bowl halftime". SuperBowl.com. 2006-12-10. Retrieved 2006-12-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "Marching 100 to play with Prince". Tallahassee.com. 2007-01-24. Retrieved 2007-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ "Some Super Bowl ads to be work of 'ordinary people'". Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  21. ^ http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/16594390.htm
  22. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/fbn_super_bowl_bears_arrive
  23. ^ http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9971155
  24. ^ "Church 'Super Bowl' festivities may go on". Retrieved 2007-02-04.

^ For the last decade SBS6 used to broadcast the game in The Netherlands. However, this year only NASN will be showing the Super Bowl.


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