DRAMA ECLIPSED BY OVEREXPOSURE.

Byline: BILLY WITZ

HOUSTON - It may have been the best Super Bowl ever. There was impregnable defense and unstoppable offense. One minute Jake Delhomme was thrilling, the next was Tom Brady's turn. There were coaching calls and referees' calls that were worth debating and no-names making one for themselves. The drama lasted until Adam Vinatieri's kick just before the clock's final tick.

And, so, what was the talk around the water cooler Monday?

When halftime performer Janet Jackson allowed her bustier to be snatched off by Justin Timberlake, baring her right breast to a worldwide audience, they in effect removed a few roman numerals from the game, too.

In a flash, Super Bowl XXXVIII became Super Bowl XXX.

Jackson wasn't the only case of unwanted exposure.

As the second half was about to kick off, a professional streaker from England raced to the middle of the field, ripped off his referee's uniform and did a River Dance jig in a G-string.

This led Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer to write: It was the breast of times, it was the worst of times.

That succinctly sums up the NFL's viewpoint of the Super Bowl as well.

When commissioner Paul Tagliabue addressed the media Monday morning, he rhapsodized about the drama of the game and waxed about the accomplishments of Brady at the age of 26.

Yet even Tagliabue couldn't keep away from Jackson. As he was about to introduce Brady, he said there was one more thing he had to get off his chest.

``We will change our policies, our people and our processes before the next Super Bowl to ensure that this entertainment is far more effectively dealt with and is far more appropriate for the Super Bowl,'' he said.

Translation: Don't expect to see the Bare Naked Ladies or bare naked ladies next year.

Everyone was so eager to get their viewpoint across Sunday night that statements from NFL exec Joe Browne, Jackson and Timberlake - who blamed the incident on a ``wardrobe malfunction'' - were distributed.

Jackson acknowledged Monday that the stunt was planned, which begs a question or two of the NFL: When it enlists pop artists, whose lure is as much their shock value as their talent, what do you expect?

The police presence all week was as visible as Chowderheads. Concrete barricades were omnipresent downtown and getting in the media hotel elevator required proof of a credential or room key. At the game, some fans endured 90-minute waits while they passed through bag inspections, pat downs, and metal detectors.

There was little discussion on the typical post-Super Bowl topic: Can the winner repeat? There was little rehashing of the extraordinary performances of Brady, Delhomme, Branch, Muhammad and several others. Even Brady was interested.

``I heard about it,'' Brady said with a smile. ``I wish I'd seen it. Maybe I'll see the replay.''

It's probably appropriate, though, that the Super Bowl talk wasn't dominated by football because neither is the event anymore. It's about money, consumerism, entertainment and excess - all distinct American qualities.

What Sunday did more than anything else was remind us again that the sideshow has become the main show.

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Photo:

(color) Post-Super Bowl talk has been dominated more by the sideshow than by Bill Belichick and the Patriots' victory Sunday.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press