`WHAT I CAME BACK FOR' : ELWAY DOES MORE THAN HAND OFF TO EARN SECOND STRAIGHT TITLE - HE'S MAIN WEAPON FOR BRONCOS.Byline: Phil Sheridan Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia Inquirer Morning newspaper, long one of the most influential dailies in the eastern U.S. Founded in 1847 as the Pennsylvania Inquirer, it took its present name c. 1860. It was a strong supporter of the Union in the American Civil War. John Elway John Albert Elway, Jr. (born June 28, 1960) played American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Denver Broncos from 1983 through 1998. Elway holds many college and professional records and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is the only won his first Super Bowl on Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. . Sure, Elway got a ring last year, too. But he was little more than the guy handing off to MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. Terrell Davis Terrell Lamar Davis (born October 28, 1972 in San Diego, California) is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League from 1995 to 2001. in that one. This time around, the 38-year-old Elway was the star, picking apart the Atlanta Falcons Will he try for an unprecedented third straight? Elway, who was named the game's most valuable player, wouldn't say after the game. ``That will go into the thinking,'' said Elway, who considered retirement last year. ``That definitely throws a kink into the thinking. But we'll cross that bridge later. ``This is what I came back for, what I worked hard for nine months for. I'm going to enjoy this.'' Denver coach Mike Shanahan Michael Edward Shanahan (born August 24, 1952) is an American football coach of the Denver Broncos in the National Football League. He led the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl victories in 1998 and 1999. He is also a member of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. said Elway's teammates had already begun lobbying their quarterback to postpone his countdown to Canton. Elway has played 16 seasons, appeared in five Super Bowls and now earned a ring for each hand. This trip, he completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown. ``Guys were already in there talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to him about a three-peat,'' Shanahan said. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if they're having success or not. . . . He deserved to be the MVP of this game.'' Elway's second title came at the expense of Dan Reeves
``They don't get any easier,'' Reeves said. ``The more you have, the more it hurts. But it's like the guy in `Chariots of Fire' said. When one man said, `I don't want to run unless I win,' he replied, `You can't win if you don't run.' We're going to come back and try to get the home-field advantage next year, when the Super Bowl will be in Atlanta.'' ``It's a tough loss for me and for the organization,'' said Jessie Tuggle Jessie Lloyd Tuggle (born April 4, 1965 in Griffin, Georgia) is a former professional American football linebacker who played for the Atlanta Falcons his entire career from 1987 to 2000. Educated at Valdosta State University, his first season was in 1987. , the Falcons' 12-year veteran linebacker. ``I've waited 12 years to get here. The organization has waited 33 years. It was the biggest game in the team's history, so it's a big disappointment.'' The Falcons couldn't complete their improbable task because they failed to take advantage of excellent scoring opportunities in the first half and because quarterback Chris Chandler Chris Chandler is a retired American football player, who played as a quarterback in the National Football League for nearly sixteen years. Early years Chris Chandler was born on October 12, 1965 in Everett, Washington. short-circuited their comeback attempt with three second-half interceptions. ``Missed opportunities and turnovers,'' said Reeves, his eyes rimmed with red. ``That was the story of the game right there.'' All three of those interceptions, two by Darrien Gordon Darrien Jamal Gordon (born November 14, 1970 in Shawnee, Oklahoma) is a former professional American Football player who played defensive back for 9 seasons in the National Football League (1993-2002). During that time, he played for 4 different teams and in 4 Super Bowls. and one by Darrius Johnson, were made inside the Denver 30-yard line. Gordon returned his two picks a total of 108 yards, a Super Bowl record. He wasn't the return star of the game, though. Atlanta's Tim Dwight Timothy John Dwight, Jr. (born July 13, 1975 in Iowa City, Iowa) is an American football player. Officially listed as a wide receiver, he has also been a punt and kick returner for four teams in the National Football League, He excelled in both football and track at the University returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 94 yards, providing the Falcons with their first chance to dance the ``Dirty Bird.'' By then, it was too late. The Falcons prided themselves on their ability to come from behind. They relied on that experience in the NFC NFC abbr. National Football Conference Championship Game, coming from 20-6 down to beat the Vikings in overtime 30-27. But the Broncos, especially Elway, were too good. They took control of the game during a second-quarter sequence in which Atlanta failed to take advantage of three scoring chances. The first missed chance came after Ronnie Bradford Ronald "Ronnie" Bradford (born October 1, 1970 in Minot, North Dakota) is a former American football player who played defensive back for the Denver Broncos (1993-1995), Arizona Cardinals (1996), Atlanta Falcons (1997-2001) and Minnesota Vikings (2002) in the NFL. intercepted Elway in Denver territory. Elway's pass hit tight end Shannon Sharpe Shannon Sharpe (born June 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American Football tight end and wide receiver who played 12 of his 14 seasons with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. in the hands. But Sharpe, turning upfield too soon, let the ball bounce off his helmet, and Bradford, trailing, caught it. Two plays later, though, the Falcons faced a third-and-1 at the Denver 26. When running back Jamal Anderson This article is about the former Falcons running back. For the current Falcons defensive end, see Jamaal Anderson. Jamal Sharif Anderson (born September 30, 1972 in East Orange, New Jersey) is a former running back in the National Football League, with the was stopped about a foot short, Reeves decided to go for it on fourth down. He also decided on a curious play, a pitchout pitch·out n. 1. Baseball A pitch deliberately thrown high and away from the batter to make it easier for the catcher to throw out a base runner who is standing off a base or attempting to steal. 2. to Anderson, who took the ball 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for and ran wide right. He was tackled for a 2-yard loss. ``I think it was a good call,'' Anderson said. ``We needed 1 yard. It was a good call. They just caught up to me.'' ``They were in the defense we anticipated,'' Reeves said. ``We just didn't execute. We broke it outside when we should have broken it inside. Obviously, if I knew how it would turn out, I would have gone for a field goal there.'' The Broncos got the ball back and drove to a field goal of their own, a 26-yarder by Jason Elam Jason Elam (b. March 8, 1970 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida) is an American football player, currently a placekicker with the Denver Broncos. He is a devout Christian. High School Career that made it 10-3. Chandler got the Falcons right back into scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on after the kickoff, hitting Terance Mathis for 16 and 30 yards on the next two plays from scrimmage. Four Anderson runs got the Falcons down to the Denver 8-yard line. On third-and-3, though, Chandler overthrew Dwight in the end zone. Kicker Morten Andersen trotted onto the field for a 26-yard field-goal try. But Andersen pulled the ball wide right and the Falcons had come up empty again. That disappointment was magnified one play later. The Broncos took over on their own 20 after the missed field goal. On the first play, Elway took the snap, faked a handoff to Davis and dropped back to his right. Wide receiver Rod Smith had broken down the middle of the field, a step behind Atlanta safety Eugene Robinson. Elway's slightly underthrown pass caught up to Smith at the far end of the Super Bowl XXXIII Super Bowl XXXIII was the 33rd championship game of the modern National Football League (NFL). The game was played on January 31, 1999 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida following the 1998 regular season. logo at midfield. Smith caught the ball, then cut to his right, leaving Robinson hopelessly behind. The 80-yard touchdown, which tied for the second-longest play from scrimmage A play from scrimmage is the activity of the games of Canadian football and American football during which one team tries to advance the ball or to score, and the other team tries to stop them or take the ball away. in Super Bowl history, gave Denver a 17-3 lead. The Falcons cut it to 17-6 by driving to another field goal. Again, though, they failed to get the ball in the end zone. Chandler had two shots from the 11-yard line. He underthrew Ronnie Harris on the first, allowing cornerback Tory James to slap the ball away. The second, a timing pass for Tony Martin, was broken up by Gordon. During the regular season, the Falcons were the best in the league at scoring a touchdown from inside their opponents' 20-yard line - coaches call it the ``red zone.'' That turned out to be their fatal flaw in the biggest game in franchise history. On the Falcons' first possession, they used a 25-yard pass-interference call on Ray Crockett as the springboard for a drive to the Denver 8-yard line. Chandler threw incomplete on second down. On third, he never saw blitzing linebacker Bill Romanowski, who planted Chandler for a 7-yard loss, forcing Andersen's first field goal. The Broncos answered that score with another big Elway-to-Smith pass. This one, a 41-yarder, was the long gain on a drive that ended with Howard Griffith's 1-yard touchdown run. Elway took full advantage of the Falcons' decision to use star cornerback Ray Buchanan to cover receiver Ed McCaffery. Even the loss of Sharpe to a first-quarter knee injury didn't slow the Broncos' passing game. In the second quarter, backup tight end Byron Chamberlin caught as many passes as he'd caught in the entire regular season - three for a total of 29 yards. Elway was just that hot. He spread the ball around, doing most of his damage with Smith in the first half and with McCaffery in the second. In the fourth quarter, with the chance to put the Falcons away, Elway scored a touchdown on a quarterback draw. ``It was a thrill,'' Elway said. ``It was a thrill to be able to help the club win. Last year, I did what I was asked to do. We ran the ball a lot. ``This year, they kept talking about our running game. We knew we were going to have to win with the pass. And we did.'' BACK TO BACK The Denver Broncos became the fifth team to win the Super Bowl two straight years. Here's a list of teams that have accomplished the feat: TeamSuper Bowl Denver XXXII, XXXIII Dallas XXVII, XXVIII Pittsburgh IX, X, XIII, XIV Miami VII, VIII Green Bay I, II A CLOSER LOOK THE HERO John Elway joined Bart Starr, Bob Griese, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and Troy Aikman as the only quarterbacks to win consecutive Super Bowls. At age 38, he is also the oldest to do it. And he did it brilliantly, passing for 336 yards and tying the record for the second-longest TD in Super Bowl history, an 80-yard hookup hookup, n in the Trager method of therapy, the practitioner enters into a meditative state along with the patient, which allows him or her to work more intuitively and to feel subtle changes in the patient's movement and tissue texture. with Rod Smith. Elway also scored a TD on a 3-yard keeper, his fourth career rushing touchdown in the Super Bowl, and was 18-for-29 passing for the third-highest yardage yard·age 1 n. 1. An amount or length measured in yards. 2. Cloth sold by the yard. Noun 1. total in Super Bowl history. THE GOAT Chris Chandler was as lackluster as Elway was brilliant, throwing three interceptions, two picked off by Darrien Gordon. In Atlanta's self-destructing offense, he was 19 for 35 for 219 yards. STAT OF THE GAME The Falcons failed to capitalize when in scoring position. At various times, Atlanta reached the Denver 8 (resulting in a field goal), the 26 (ran out of downs), the 8 (missed field goal), the 11 (field goal) and the 21 (interception). In the regular season, Atlanta finished sixth in the NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga in red-zone scoring percentage, with touchdowns on 58.7 percent of such possessions, and scores on 89.1 percent of those possessions. QUOTE OF THE GAME ``I'm going to take some time, relish this year. You got to love those challenges. We got the team; we got the nucleus here to do it. It definitely throws a kink into my thinking.'' - John Elway, on whether he will retire or try for a third straight title SCORING SUMMARY Denver . . . . . 7 10 0 17 - 34 Atlanta . . . . . 3 3 0 13 - 19 First Quarter Atl - FG Andersen 32, 9:35. Den - Griffith 1 run (Elam kick), 3:55. Second Quarter Den - FG Elam 26, 9:17. Den - R.Smith 80 pass from Elway (Elam kick), 4:54. Atl - FG Andersen 28, 2:25. Fourth Quarter Den - Griffith 1 run (Elam kick), 14:56. Den - Elway 3 run (Elam kick), 11:20. Atl - Dwight 94 kickoff return (Andersen kick), 11:01. Den - FG Elam 37, 7:08. Atl - Mathis 3 pass from Chandler (pass failed), 2:04. Attendance - 74,803. Statistic Den Atl First downs 22 21 Rushes-yards 36-121 23-131 Passing 336 206 Punt Returns 0-0 0-0 Kickoff Returns 3-44 7-227 Interceptions Ret. 3-136 1-1 Comp-Att-Int 18-29-1 19-35-3 Sacked-Yards Lost 0-0 2-13 Punts 1-35.0 1-39.0 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1 Penalties-Yards 4-61 0-0 Time of Possession 31:23 28:37 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING - Denver, Davis 25-102, Griffith 4-9, Loville 2-8, Elway 3-2, R.Smith 1-1, Brister 1-(minus 1). Atlanta, J.Anderson 18-96, Chandler 4-30, Dwight 1-5. PASSING - Denver, Elway 18-29-1-336. Atlanta, Chandler 19-35-3-219. RECEIVING - Denver, R.Smith 5-152, McCaffrey 5-72, Chamberlain 3-29, Davis 2-50, Sharpe 2-26, Griffith 1-7. Atlanta, Mathis 7-85, Martin 5-79, J.Anderson 3-16, Harris 2-21, Santiago 1-13, Kozlowski 1-5. MISSED FIELD GOALS - Denver, Elam 38 (WR), 48 (WR). Atlanta, Andersen, 26 (WR). CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, 2 Boxes PHOTO (1--Cover--Color) DENVER DOES IT ELWAY Behind star quarterback, Broncos capture their second straight Super Bowl title. Illustration by Jen Martin/Daily News Photo by John Gaps III/Associated Press (2) Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis, left, and quarterback John Elway try on their championship caps after defeating the Atlanta Falcons. Davis was Super Bowl MVP last year; this time it was Elway's turn. Eric Draper/Associated Press (3) no caption (Chris Chandler) BOX: (1) BACK TO BACK (see text) (2) A CLOSER LOOK (see text) |
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