Biden Undid Trump’s Undoing of the New Tubman $20 Bill

It really was no surprise when Donald Trump, a man who reached the White House at least in part by catering to white supremacists, made a point of doing away with plans to replace the image of known racist Andrew Jackson on the $20 in favor of an image of Harriet Tubman, which was set to make it’s debut during the years when Trump was president.              

Obviously, that did not happen. He put a stop to it.              

However, President Joe Biden has been very active in these early days of his presidency, and he is bringing back the plans to have the image of Harriet Tubman on the new $20 bill. It not only honors a woman, which is rare (but hardly non-existent) on American currency, but a black woman, at that.              

Frankly, any change to American currency, particularly paper currency, seems rare. This kind of stands out, because paper currency in numerous other nations were fairly commonplace, including Canada. But not here in the United States, where the changes that did come about were, at best, modest. The only substantial change that I have seen on American dollar bills have been gradual. First, the images themselves grew larger and were set a bit off to the side, rather than in a circle a the center of the bill. Since then, these bills have grown just a bit more colorful. But no major changes.              

The inclusion of not only a woman, but a non-president and a champion of the Underground Railroad that helped to free slaves, would be a major shift. It was also considered a welcome change by millions of Americans. So it was hardly a surprise that the American Grinch, also known as Donald Trump (I personally refer to him as King Con Don) would get rid of it.              

But luckily, he could not completely stop it from ever happening. And it is about to happen again. In fact, Joe Biden is trying to speed the process up.

Biden’s Treasury will seek to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, an effort the Trump administration halted. by Alan Rappeport, Jan. 25, 2021:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/us/politics/tubman-20-dollar-bill.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR0n6DCTjVUFDLGLGTtsWYc7zyTNw2IjXejRXbhP4bW8pOaNE4ukzN-4PKs

Democrats Fight to Make Washington, D.C., the 51st State, Although Efforts Seem Unlikely to Pass

Since the end of the Trump presidency, the Democrats have been moving to try and reverse many of the policies of the Trump White House years.

President Joe Biden has enacted numerous executive actions that effectively ended some of the worst of Trump's policies. These include action on climate change, including having the nation rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, which Trump pulled the United States out of (and received universal condemnation for). They also include action on addressing the coronavirus crisis, and trying to strengthen the economy.

In Congress, the Democrats are also trying to do some things, although these unfortunately often lack the teeth of the executive actions. This includes efforts to impeach Trump, and it includes efforts to finally recognize the District of Columbia as the 51st state, an effort that seems doomed, largely because Republicans fear that it would provide the Democrats too much of an advantage in terms of the political balance of power.

Thus, the nation's capital continues to have no senators, despite having a larger population than several states, including Wyoming and Vermont. Really, this is about fundamental fairness. Anyone who has been to D.C. is familiar with the sentiment expressed on the license plates, stating "Taxation Without Representation," a clear allusion to the historic sentiment of "No Taxation Without Representation" expressed by the colonists during the days leading up to the American war for independence. It does have one member of the House of Representatives, but no representation in the Senate. Wyoming and Vermont, both with small populations, each have two senators.

So, it is an issue that many feel passionate about, including many in Congress, particularly Democrats. Of course, it should be pointed out that Democrats may have their own motivation, because the District of Columbia is largely Democratic.

Senator Tom Carper of Delaware stated:

“It’s an American issue because the lack of fair representation given to the residents of D.C. is inconsistent with the values on which this country was founded,” he said. “It is therefore incumbent upon all of us who enjoy the right and the privilege of full voting rights and representation to take up the cause of our fellow citizens in the District of Columbia.”  

Not surprisingly, the effort to make the nation's capital a state is strongly supported by many in the city, especially by the current mayor:

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser applauded the move Wednesday.  “Generations of Washingtonians have been denied the right to participate in our democracy — to have their voices and votes heard in Congress, to help shape the future of our nation, and to have a say on Supreme Court justices,” she wrote on Twitter.

Again, however, without any serious support from Republicans, the motion to make it a state will likely only continue to obtain support from Democrats. It can be viewed cynically by either side. Those who are against feel that it is a shallow ploy by Democrats, feigning moral outrage when they are really just trying to increase their political strength in Congress. Those who are for it may feel that Republicans are only blocking this otherwise seemingly natural evolution of the district into a state because of narrow political considerations.

It seems, however, that this effort is doomed to fail, at least for now.

Below is the link to the article by Rebecca Shabad of NBC News that got me on this topic, and from which I obtained the quotes used in the above blog entry:

Democrats introduce bill to make Washington, D.C., the 51st state by Rebecca Shabad  Jan. 27, 2021:

While the Democratic-controlled House could pass the bill again, its chances of clearing the Senate are nil.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-introduce-bill-make-washington-dc-51st-state-n1255841?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma&fbclid=IwAR3JM2gsRpicILObVFsdQUIvdi3o4DoikGqxWmAWt64yuEjyRFjdAX4nZSo

There Was a "Japanese Schindler” Worth Learning About

Two days ago, I had some posts about Holocaust Remembrance Day. I usually have a few posts about it on that day.              

Then yesterday, I had another one, this one about an op/ed article that took the position that it is more important than ever to remember the Holocaust this year, given some of the hate and white supremacist leanings prominently on display during the recent Capitol insurrection, with numerous flags and other symbols of white supremacist groups in evidence, as shown by photographs and video of the event. This has also been a recurring theme among far too many Trump supporters, and these images and videos are no longer even really surprising. Nor is the spike in hate crimes that the Trump years seemed to have brought about, unless you really think that this spike just happened to be coincidental, something that seems, frankly, unlikely.              

Now, one last article that I encountered, but which seemed very important to write a blog entry about.       

This was fascinating. It was an article about a Japanese version of Oscar Schindler, who of course was the famous German from the Czech Republic who went to Krakow during the Germany occupation there to try and make his fortune. He did well at first, and was living large. But in the end, he became more concerned about saving as many Jews from the Holocaust as possible. It was something that would not be forgotten by the Jews whom he saved, and he was honored many years after his death, and he had died virtually penniless. Also, it should be noted that he put himself at risk while saving Jews, as he could have faced severe ramifications, and possibly even death. His story was immortalized in a powerful movie directed by Stephen Speilberg, and where Liam Neeson played Schindler.              

There are other examples of similar bravery to save Jews from the Holocaust, but admittedly, I was not aware of the Japanese version of Schindler.

His name was Chiune Sugihara. He is not a household name, like Schindler, although he probably should be. He was responsible for saving thousands of Jews during World War II. Apparently, he saved about 6,000 Jews from the Nazis, despite the Japanese actually being close allies of Nazi Germany.

How did it happen? That in and of itself is a fascinating story of this diplomat who went against his own country, as well as of their close and powerful allies, the Germans, in order to save thousands of people who otherwise likely faced certain doom.

Please click on the links below for the full story of this remarkable man. The first link is from the Washington Post, and which I myself could not access fully, not being a member. The second link is open to everyone, from The Guardian. Of course, you can do your own research and Google him, if that is your preference. But this is a man in history who deserves to be known, remembered, and honored. 

“A Japanese Schindler” The remarkable diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during WWII by Gillian Brockell, January 27, 2021:  

Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese Schindler, saved thousands ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/01/27/chiune-sugihara-jews-holocaust-japanese-schindler/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0uKv6kYASxGtu9jE5j62qR2VnjE_u3-Gp-X5QUxMrxG22VjhXY5jWSr0c

My father, the quiet hero: how Japan’s Schindler saved 6,000 Jews by Jennifer Rankin, 4 Jan 2020.  

Chiune Sugihara’s son tells how he learned of his father’s rescue mission in Lithuania, which commemorates his achievements this year

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/04/chiune-sugihara-my-father-japanese-schindler-saved-6000-jews-lithuania

One Writer Emphasizes That Holocaust Remembrance Day Should Be Remembered Especially Now In the Wake of Rise in Hatred

Olivia B. Waxman just wrote an article prior to Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was yesterday, which was published by Time.         

     

In the article, Waxman suggests that it is more important now, more than ever, to remember the lessons of the Holocaust, with the rise of hate groups. Just weeks after the attack on the Capitol building, where there was an obvious presence of white supremacist groups and white supremacists  more generally, including that idiot who wore a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt, we really should remember the Holocaust and how it came to be with a sense of urgency. After all, in recent years, we have seen hate crimes spike, we have seen immigrant children separated from their parents, and we have seen white supremacists feeling emboldened by the political rise of a figure who they felt served as their champion.     

         

This is an interesting article that should make you think, and I recommend taking a look and reading it.              

Here is the link to the article which got me on this topic:

'Hate Never Disappears. It Just Takes a Break for a While.' Why the U.S. Capitol Attack Makes Holocaust Remembrance Day More Important Than Ever by Olivia B. Waxman, January 25, 2021:

https://time.com/5932489/white-supremacy-holocaust-nazi-history-capitol-attack/?fbclid=IwAR1sJLo40UuhTP_NWAnW6KxDEO4F-hTvROXQ_oPGbBSOt_jDvvzXmtmZel4

Trump Keeps Trying to Remain Politically Relevant With Latest Gimmick, Establishing “Office of the Former President”

In the history of this nation, we have seen 45 former presidents lose their power, one way or another. A few died while in office, and were replaced almost immediately by their Vice-Presidents. Some stepped down after serving two full terms, others stepped down of their own accord after refusing to run again, such as Lyndon Johnson in 1968. Some were one-term presidents who were defeated in their attempts to win re-election and win another term. One way or another, most stepped down gracefully, recognizing that the presidency was the highlight of their political career, and leaving it at that. One became a Supreme Court Justice. One managed to win another term in office a few years later. One was so active in his post-presidency that he set the bar in the eyes of most for the most successful post-presidency, helping the needy, fighting diseases and trying to safeguard free and fair elections in troubled areas abroad, helping build homes for the disadvantaged here in the country, and ultimately winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.  

Of course, our newest former President of the United States is Donald Trump. This man never knew anything except enormous scams. He shrewdly knows only how to manipulate circumstances so that he himself benefits in some way, shape, or form. Not necessarily the country, or anything or anyone else, although Trump obviously claims otherwise. That is part of the scam. Because with Trump, it is always about Trump, and his petty ego and neediness. 

This is what the statement from the new office stated:

"The office will be responsible for managing President Trump's correspondence, public statements, appearances and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump administration through advocacy, organizing and public activism," the office said in a statement. "President Trump will always and forever be a champion for the American people."  

Sounds impressive and important. It also sounds like it was written by someone other than Donald Trump himself. Anyone who was paying attention and could not help but grow aware of how Trump actually talks and writes could not help but feel very clearly that these were not his words. 

Also, this feels like only the latest attempt to remain relevant by a man who never fails to betray how desperately he wants to remain relevant. You almost feel like he is going through some very late form of mid-life crisis, even if he is now in his mid-seventies, because also, for anyone who could not help but pay attention this sounds like an expression meant to impress people. In reality, he was hardly truly relevant while in office, especially during his lame duck period. Frankly, to borrow one of Trump's own favorite phrases that he used often towards others, this is sad. Very sad.

Until now, that was the range of the activities of former presidents, who usually (but not always) tried to let their successors actually do the difficult task at hand of being the Commander-in-Chief, obviously a demanding office.  

Leave it to the one with by far the biggest and most fragile ego to set up what sounds at first like an impressive title: the “Office of the Former President.”  

Yes, this is just the latest in Trump’s endless bag of tricks, be they political, or business. He never falls short in his attempts to either line his own pockets or stoke his own enormous ego, always trying to make himself look and sound like more than he actually is. In fact, after four ridiculous, absurd years that shall live in infamy in this nation’s history, most Americans are ready to put Trump behind them, to put him in the rearviewmirror and let the nation move ahead. But Trump himself obviously wants to remain relevant.  

It seems quite obvious that this was an answer to Joe Biden having prominently given public speeches with the “Office of the President-Elect” title in the background, which clearly must have infuriated Trump.  

And so, here he is, setting up an office that no other former president ever bothered trying to set up. He showed absolutely no grace or humility after losing the 2020 election, as he declared victory on the night of the election well before all of the votes were counted, and when all the networks and official sources were suggesting it was still too close to call. Of course, he claimed that there was massive voter fraud, and tried to stop the count in some states, while claiming that more votes (the ones he needed to win) needed to be counted in states like Arizona, where he was trailing by a small margin. He contested the election every step of the way, and as Biden stated, no avenue was denied him. His lawyers abandoned him, likely knowing full well that there was no real case in proving “massive voter fraud, although one lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, stuck with Trump right to the butter end, even though he himself was in the center of some truly absurd moments in political history in so doing. Trump rewarded him by refusing to pay his lofty legal bills when all wa said and done, showing once again, as if more proof of this was needed, that Trump never shows the same loyalty to other that he himself demands from them.  

Trump failed in his bid to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that there was “massive voter fraud.” In fact, in court, they never even tried to have a case proving “massive voter fraud,” choosing instead to fixate on minor irregularities that could not possibly overturn an election. It seems clear that they understood that claiming “massive voter fraud” before television cameras would be more effective, and less potentially serious in terms of consequences, then doing so in the courts, under oath, and with the threat of perjury. After all, there are actual ramifications if you claim something that is not only not true, but outright misleading when you are under oath. So once again, it proved to all be a gimmick.  

The next avenue for Trump was his apparent belief that his rowdy and violent band of his most loyal supporters would storm the Capitol building in Washington and “take back the country.”  

They sure tried, didn’t they? They had built a gallows outside, and they clearly were trying  at the very least to intimidate the members of Congress inside. Only in the end, they found that they could not end democracy merely because they were angry, and believed (falsely) that the election had been stolen from them.  

For once, most people, regular Americans and even most politicians, recognized that Trump’s role in all of this was far from innocent. He was impeached for a second time, a stain on his legacy that should stick, as it is a dubious distinction that Trump, and only Trump, will have to endure, in terms of his legacy. People will remember that, as well as the stunning levels of polarization which he actively tried to foster, as well as the relentless lies, the arrogance, the ignorance, and the departure from any and all norms that had existed before. Some had actually suggested that the enormity and gravitas of the office would humble him.  

Trump, humbled?  

Give me a break.  

Trump has no humility. Not one ounce. 

There was a complete absence of gravitas throughout his presidency.  

Why?  

Because Trump is all about Trump. Always has been, always will be. His term in office was defined by his own unfailing, over-the-top praise of himself. It did not require, nor possess, any imagination or intelligence. It merely required a blind spot by tens of millions of Americans, who somehow fell for his well worn act of scamming people into believing things about himself that simply were not true.  

No, Trump is not a “very stable genius.” No, his first term was not the most accomplished in history. Quite the opposite is true in both counts. Trump is no genius, and he most certainly is not stable. And his four years in office – four more years then he deserved, frankly – were the least accomplished of any in American history.  

To be sure, the nation had it’s fair share of troubles before he took office. But after his four years, the nation was far less respected and trusted throughout the world, and that is not something that will simply go away. When world leaders declare outright that the United States can no longer be regarded as a reliable or trustworthy partner any longer, as numerous European leaders declared after meeting with Trump in 2017, that is not a success story. When the country added over $5 trillion dollars to the $19.9 trillion that it already had in national debt when Trump took over, that is not a success. When the country is more polarized then we have ever seen it, with some outright talking about a civil war, and some talk of Texas seceding from the union, that is not a success. When the general perception among most Americans is an acknowledgement that our democracy is a lot more fragile than previously believed, directly because of Trump’s actions, that is not a success. When the nation saw 400,000 citizens dies because of the lack of preparedness on the part of Trump administration officials, that is not a success. When the media is attacked and labeled an “enemy of the people,” words borrowed directly from some of tbhe most brutal dictators in world history, that is not a success. When a president censors any discussion on scientific matters that he himself is clearly not qualified to discuss, that is not a success. When tens of millions of Americans lost their healthcare because this president reneged on his promise to create a national healthcare system that would be affordable and cover everybody, that is not a success. When tens of millions of Americans file for unemployment because this president allowed a pandemic to grow completely out of control, to the point that the entire rest of the world used the United States as an example of what not to do, that is not a success.  

Trump is a failure. He went bankrupt numerous times as a businessman, and his presidency, which he relied on scamming people into believing he was something that he was not in order to obtain, was an abysmal failure. Frankly, his four years in office set new low bars for this country, and it will take years, if not decades, for we as a country to overcome all that we have lost as a direct result of Trump being president.  

No, I am not saying that all of the country’s problems are Trump’s fault. In fact, many of the problems facing the country were, in fact, the reason that Trump got into the office to begin with.  

However, I can and will say, without any equivocation, that his presidency was the worst possible presidency that could have befallen the country during the past four years. He was a known liar and scam artist. He valued only himself, being astonishingly selfish and narcissistic and arrogant, and hardly embodied the “family values” that his political party claimed to believe in and preach for many decades. Trump never was anything that he claimed to be, and he predictably dragged the country down with him, once he took over for an office that he so clearly was not qualified for from the first.  

Who cares about the “Office of the Former President”? To me, it is the political equivalent of Trump University, or Trump Steaks, or Trump Casinos, or Trump Magazine, or Trump Winery, or Trump Water, or Trump Airline, and so on and so forth. None of those Trump business ventures last very long, and they were all just shameless self-promotion from the master of self-promotion to begin with. They lacked substance, and went under. That is pretty much what Trump’s political career was, as well. Just a gimmick. And when enough people recognized, once and for all, that it lacked substance, Trump’s political career went under. No politician in history who ever lost power through the democratic process so richly deserved to be defeated and forcibly humbled as Donald Trump.  

In other words, it is just yet another scam from the grand master of all con artists. Perhaps the greatest con artist in history, to give him some credit. But it is not real, it lacks substance, just like the man who created all of those scams. Now that most of us recognize it for what it was, let us put this big lie behind us, and actually seek real solutions, and not trust in the words of some self-serving scam artist.  

Let us learn our lesson, and put him, and all of the titles that he still now wants to claim for himself, in the rearviewmirror. Let us remember that he made the problems in this country dramatically worse, and that not only does he not offer any relevant answers to what ails the country, but in fact,  can and will only make matters worse if he continues to be relevant, which he clearly is not.        

Here is the link to this article that got me on this topic, and from which I used the official statement highlighted in yellow above:

Trump opens "Office of the Former President" in Florida by Melissa Quinn, January 26, 2021:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/office-of-the-former-president-trump-florida/

We Are Allowing the Holocaust to Be Forgotten...:Literally

 

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Yes, it was on this day 75 years ago that the Soviets liberated  the Auschwitz Death Camp, and so it came to symbolize the Holocaust and the need to remember the tragedy, in hopes that it would never be repeated again.

Unfortunately, it is being forgotten. Not even one century has yet passed, and the numbers are staggering, attesting to the fact that young people all over the world do not know or really understand the Holocaust.

Here are some snippets from a recent article (see link below) that reveal just how seriously this plague of forgetfulness is getting:

On the eve of Monday's 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, a new study has found that a quarter of French millennials haven’t heard of the Holocaust, while an earlier study of American millennials found that 66 per cent did not know what Auschwitz was.  

More than 1.3 million people were murdered at Auschwitz, 90 per cent of them Jews. By the time the genocide of the Jews across Europe had ended, more than 3 million Jews had been wiped from existence in the death camps. The total Jewish dead stood in the vicinity of 6 million. They died in all corners of Europe, from disease in ghettos, from poison gas, mass shootings, live burial, beatings, incineration.  

Seventy eight per cent of the Jews who had lived in territories that fell to the Nazis, perished. In comparison, between 1.4 per cent to 3 per cent of the non-Jewish population in the same territory was killed. Dynasties and entire families, great sages and common workers, Nobel laureates and humble students, whole villages and communities, all disappeared. Thriving Jewish intellectual and cultural centres like Krakow and Vilnius that had bustled with Jewish life, now reduced to rude husks, urban memorials of human depravity.     

Scary stuff. Particularly when hate and violent acts and sentiments against groups of people appear to be on the rise.





Here is the link to the article I used in writing this sad blog entry about how we have allowed young people to not remember the Holocaust and the lessons that we should have learned from it:

Lest we forget? 75 years after Auschwitz, too many do by Alex Ryvchin, January 26, 2020:

https://www.smh.com.au/national/lest-we-forget-75-years-after-auschwitz-too-many-do-20200124-p53ugv.html?fbclid=IwAR1WMnIptPpNMu7_vSfL_qNKp5ML__7gJssiqQ0rNiBjZe9vW9FO7v8NQu8

Understanding How Auschwitz Death Camp Turned Into Centre of Nazi Holocaust

 

During the Holocaust, six million Jews were killed, not to mention millions of others who were deemed "undesirable" by the Nazi regime. It is estimated that over one million people were killed at Treblinka. Hundreds of thousands were killed at Sobibor, and tens of thousands were killed at Dachau. In addition, almost one million Jews were killed in that other, often lesser known and discussed part of the Holocaust on the Eastern Front, when local Jews were simply rounded up, taken into a gigantic mass grave in the woods, and brutally killed on the spot.

And yet, the symbol for the Holocaust, the brutality mixed with chilling bureaucratic efficiency, was and remains to this day Auschwitz. Auschwitz was so big, that it was actually three separate camps. Unlike some other death camps, particularly Treblinka and Sobibor, Auschwitz physically survived and remained intact as a testament to the brutal history that transpired there. It is estimated that over one million Jews were killed there.

Below is a link to a fascinating article by the BBC on just how Auschwitz in particular came to be the center of the Holocaust, and how it now symbolizes that terrible chapter in history in ways that none of the other places can.

Auschwitz: How death camp became centre of Nazi Holocaust by BBC News, 23 January 2020:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50743973

January 27th is Holocaust Remembrance Day

 

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Every year on this day, the people of Israel stop what they are doing to remember the victims of the Holocaust decades ago. Roughly six million Jews were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, with millions of them being killed in manmade factories that produced death. These are known as the death camps, and they are, thankfully, unique in history. No other nation has ever built such places specifically to kill a portion of it's population.

The victims are remembered today, lest we ever forget the suffering that they went through. Forgetting will likely doom us to repeat these ugly, inhumane chapters in history.

This video clip was from two years ago, although it is a great clip that shows that people have not forgotten the victims of the Holocaust:



Why I Think the 1990 NFL Season Was the Best One: Reflections on the 30th Anniversary of Super Bowl XXV

There is no NFL football this Sunday, although that means that the blitz of pro football (NFL football, that is) will start next Sunday. In fact, it will start earlier than that, with the new tradition of the defending Super Bowl champions playing on the Thursday before opening weekend now firmly established. The New England Patriots, surely still riding a high after that amazing comeback win in the Super Bowl, will host the Kansas City Chiefs.

Before that game is played, I will release my predictions for the upcoming season - I promise. 

However, today I will focus on another season, which sounds like one that took place long ago, but which still feels fresh to me. It was my favorite NFL season, and everything about it felt exciting and new at the time. This season broke some new ground, and some things happened then that seemed...well, unheard of at the time.

I will explain exactly how this season proved so historical and, at the time, highly entertaining, and take a necessary break from the nonsense and stress of recent news headlines that have completely dominated. After all, it is Sunday in September, and it is Labor Day Weekend. The U.S. Open is taking place right now, and several women have a chance at finishing this calendar year as the new number one in women's tennis. In the meantime, two familiar adversaries are still hoping to win another Grand Slam championship to add to their already impressive collection of tennis hardware. If you have not figured it out yet, I am talking about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, of course. Both men hope to add another major championship. For Nadal, it would be the second of this year, his 16th overall (second behind Federer), and might propel him to the number one ranking. For Federer, he is looking for his third major title of this calendar year, his 20th Grand Slam championship in all, and a serious chance to finish the year's end with the number one ranking, which would be the sixth time in his storied career, and would tie him with Pete Sampras for the most year end number one rankings for men's tennis. 

And hell, we have not even started the NFL season yet, but MSL is still going strong. There is talk of expansion into Nashville, Detroit, and Sacramento, although we shall see which of these cities gets the prize. Toronto FC seems clearly tops in the east, while both New York teams look strong for playoff contention, at least. Out west, the Seattle Sounders are presently on top, although both Portland and Sporting KC are nipping at their heels, and Vancouver, Houston Dynamo, and even FC Dallas all look like they are still contending for elite sports.

Plus, Major League Baseball, although I am admittedly neither as interested nor qualified to speak at length about the unfolding season there. 

However, I will go back to the NFL, and although I do look forward to the upcoming season, I will explain why I do not believe that this, or any other season to come, will ever top the season that I believe was far and away the most entertaining - at least from my perspective - and why it stood out so:






Okay, so a new NFL season is upon us, and a lot of people are looking forward to it, and understandably so. After all, it is entertaining, and a lot of people have high hopes for their teams, either their actual NFL teams, for their fantasy football teams. Yes, part of it is that a lot of money exchanges hands during your typical NFL season, either through fantasy football, office pools, or just outright betting on the winner and/or over/under of any given game on Sunday.

Indeed, these days, we have more television coverage of NFL games than ever before. If you are a fan of a team on the other side of the country, you can subscribe to watch that team's games. You can watch endless replays and analysis on numerous sports channels. You can see every touchdown scored on any given weekend, almost live, with certain apps. The picture is clearer and the technology is better than ever before, making viewing more pleasant.

Yet, admittedly, I am old school on many levels. Frankly, I think like everything else in our society, this football obsession tends to go too far. I like watching games, and follow how teams are doing (mostly from the internet), but cannot commit to watching NFL football from literally 1pm on Sundays (or perhaps even earlier for the pregame shows) and through the double-header, and onto the Sunday Night Football game. Depending on whether or not there is overtime, you are talking about at least nine straight hours. And maybe this makes me sound like not such a real fan, but that is just way too much for me. I remember when you watched whatever game was airing locally, and when the analysis was more or less limited to the pregame and postgame shows, and a handful of sports shows that came on afterward (George Michael's Sports Machine, or ESPN's Sports Center, for example).

Yes, I am talking about a long ago era, but that was when it seemed more enjoyable to me. This was before fantasy football completely took over, and individual stats began to mean more than how your favorite team was doing. Back before rampant free agency, and the salary cap, although perhaps a salary cap worked well, and which we could learn from in our over greater society in general.

Surely, some younger people would respond by rolling their eyes, much like I would have when I was much younger, and some old guy would go on about how things were just so much better back in the days when he was younger, whether talking about football or music or the country or the world in general. And perhaps, on some level, that is even what I am doing here. But let me try to explain it anyway.

I am sure that some people would reject my arguments here right away, but I will go ahead and explain why, in my opinion, the 1990 NFL season was the best one.

Let me explain why. First of all, this was indeed before the salary cap and free agency took over, which had the effect of watering down the level of talent for many teams. This was right around the peak of how good teams were getting, and when there was still a load of talent. Just look at the quarterbacks who were playing during that time. You had Joe Montana, still considered the best ever by many people. John Elway was in Denver, coming off three Super Bowl appearances (all losses) in a four year span. Dan Marino was in Miami. Warren Moon was in Houston, for the Oilers. And Jim Kelly was really emerging in Buffalo. Yet, of all the quarterbacks in the NFL during that season, Phil Simms of the Giants wound up being statistically the leading quarterback that season. And here's the kicker: none of those quarterbacks would go on to win the Super Bowl that season!

Let me also get this little nugget out of the way, as well. It was the first season where my preseason picks of Super Bowl participants and ultimately, the Super Bowl winner, came true. That's right, I picked the Giants to beat the Bills in the Super Bowl. Of course, admittedly, I almost always picked the Giants, because it seemed to me at the time inevitable that they would, eventually, follow up that tremendous promise from the 1986 season with at least one more championship. As for the Bills, they had been to the AFC title game two seasons before, and looked solid. The Broncos had been humiliated in the Super Bowl the year before, and I figured that they would not be back in the big game anytime soon again after that. The Browns also kept losing to the Broncos, and it was difficult to see them going to the Super Bowl. That left the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills as the two main teams that I figured would eventually do battle for AFC supremacy. I was wrong about that, because the Bengals, frankly, were never all that great during the 1990 season. And the Raiders would step up in a big way in the AFC West, finishing 12-4, and earning a playoff bye. But the Bills were better than I thought, finishing 13-3 (and losing the final, meaningless regular season game was all that stood in the way of tying the 49ers for the best regular season mark of 14-2). Buffalo destroyed the Raiders in the AFC title game and looked like the heavy favorites in the Super Bowl, while the Giants, the team that I thought would dominate, got off to a hot start, but then were reeling after suffering three losses in a four game span. They earned a playoff bye and soundly beat the Bears, but it took everything that the Giants had to eke out a win in San Francisco. They looked spent, and many thought that they would not be able to contain Buffalo's explosive offense.

But I will get back to that Super Bowl, and why the underdog Giants eventually won, later.

In the meantime, it should be noted that while there were relatively few games (12 in all leading up to the '90 season) in NFL history when two teams with records of 10-2 or better faced off, their were two of them in this season. Both involved the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants. The first was the big showdown, when the 10-1 Giants met the also 10-1 49ers on the first Monday Night Football contest in December.

Now, both the Giants and the 49ers had been involved in such highly anticipated games of teams with incredibly impressive records. In 1986, the 11-2 Giants visited 11-2 Washington. In a slugfest, the Giants managed to win. The Giants had been impressive to that point, but dominating that game (the game was not even as close as the score would indicate), propelled New York to essentially dominate the rest of the regular season. They finished with a 14-2 mark, the best mark in franchise history, and wound up whipping both San Francisco and Washington in the playoffs before beating Denver in the Super Bowl. The next season, San Francisco, sporting a 10-2 record, hosted the also impressive Chicago Bears, who also had a 10-2 record. Both teams were among the most successful frachises of the 1980's, and the Bears had been historically dominant in 1985, and then finished 14-2 in 1986. But the 49ers embarrased the Bears in that game, before a nationally televised Monday Night Football audience, and Chicago never recovered. They finished that season 11-4, and lost for a second straight season at home against Washington in the playoffs. The Niners would finish that season with the best mark in the NFL at 13-2, and were favored to take the title. But San Francisco, the team with both the highest rated offense and defense that season, were themselves on the receiving end of an upset against Minnesota. Still, the 49ers had some amazing talent, and they would go on to win the next two Super Bowls, setting themselves up to the the favorites to "three peat" for the 1990-91 season. That is why the big showdown against the Giants mattered so much, and everyone wanted to see if the Giants would legitimately contend for supremacy in the NFC, or if the 49ers would once again, come out on top.

Then, two weeks later, the 11-2 Buffalo Bills visited the 11-2 New York Giants. That game was not quite as highly anticipated as the first one, because the Bills had kind of snuck up on people. The Bills had gotten blown out in Miami in week 2, losing 30-7. But while the 49ers and Giants both raced out to undefeated 10-0 starts, and everyone anticipated their match-up, with the winner becoming the odds on favorites to hoist the Super Bowl trophy at season's end, Buffalo reeled eight straight wins, and firmly established themselves as the best team in the AFC. Of course, this was at the time when the AFC was smack in the middle of their Super Bowl drought, and thus seen as the inferior conference. However, the Bills seemed to have far more strengths than most AFC contenders of recent seasons leading up to that one, and the big showdown at the Meadownlands against the Giants could be their opportunity to not only be seen as legitimate contenders, but to also show themselves that they could take on traditional NFC bullies like the Giants and beat them - at Giants Stadium, no less! Some people suggested that it might be a Super Bowl preview, although most people conceded that the Giants were now unlikely to beat the Niners in San Francisco come January. But by then, most people figured Buffalo would finally reach the Super Bowl, for the first time in franchise history, although defeating the Giants at the Meadowlands would go a long way towards their being taken seriously or not.

In both of these big showdowns, the Giants lost. And these losses seemed to knock the Giants out of contention according to most experts, especially when Phil Simms, New York's starting quarterback, was lost with a season ending injury. Simms was the NFL's leading passer that season when he went down, but now relying on a backup, and having lost the two biggest games of the season, the Giants seemed almost out of it, according to most of the so-called experts. Surely, a back-up would not fare better than the league's leading passer, and former MVP of both the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl. As it turned out, however, the Giants would meet both teams again in the playoffs, and they would avenge both of these earlier losses. 

The 1990 season was also special because it featured some other tremendous athletes in other positions. Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith, two of the very greatest running backs in history, were still young, although emerging stars. Thurman Thomas was starting to make people stand up and take notice in Buffalo.  And Bo Jackson, the ultimate physical specimen, was at his peak and making people marvel at his strength, his speed, and his overall athleticism, although he would wind up with a career ending injury in a playoff game against the Bengals at the end of the season. Lawrence Taylor, the greatest linebacker in history, was on the Giants, and probably the greatest cornerback in NFL history, Ronnie Lott, was playing for San Francisco. The 49ers also had the greatest wide receiver in history in Jerry Rice. They also had perhaps the most dominant dynasty in NFL history that they were coming off of, and were looking to extend their dominance with what they hoped would end with a "three-peat."

There were some incredible performances otherwise, as well. Warren Moon, the prolific passer for the Houston Oilers (a team that now exists as the Tennessee Titans) had one game where he passed for the second most yards of any quarterback in NFL history. The Detroit Lions hosted the Los Angeles Raiders in one of the most memorable Monday Night Football games in history, which the Raiders ultimately won in a wild 38-31 shootout. There was one weekend in which all of the division leaders lost, which was the first time in NFL history that this had happened. And the Giants committed less turnover than any team in NFL history to that point, with only 14  turnovers in 19 games, including the playoffs. That was a huge part of their success. Also, there were some very impressive winning streaks. The Giants and 49ers both had 10-game winning streaks, while the Bills enjoyed an eight-game winning streak. The Bears enjoyed a six game winning streak to reach a record of 9-1, and the Eagles recovered from a dismal 2-4 start to enjoy a five game winning streak, including handing the Giants their first loss, which got them into serious playoff contention again, before bowing to the Bills in a wild showdown in Buffalo's Orchard Park. 

Yet, the winning streaks on everyone's mind were the two 10-game winning streaks by the 49ers and the Giants, because that is how the historic 1990 season began. To that end, the 49ers set a record for best start in that franchise's history at 10-0. Yet, they were not alone. The New York Giants also started at a franchise best 10-0, and the two teams were set to meet in Week 13 (this was also the first season with a bye week), when most people figured the two teams would be 11-0. Instead, though, the Giants lost the week before to Philadelphia, and then the 49ers returned the favor by losing to the Rams later that same day. So, the two teams would meet with identical 10-1 marks on the year.

There was that whole east coast-west coast dynamic to the rivalry, and there was also this: the unexpected. Most people prior to the season had assumed - wrongly - that only other flashy, predominately high-powered offensive teams, especially either the Rams or the Bengals, would have a shot at knocking the 49ers out. In fact, the team that would test the 49ers the most severely, and which would, in the end, finally defeat them and end the 49ers dynasty in the process, was a very conservative team with a very tough defense, a smash-mouth offensive approach, and excellent special teams and coaching.

Everyone kind of sensed that these two teams, the Giants and the 49ers, would meet in the playoffs, and that the first meeting in the regular season was to determine which team would enjoy home field advantage. San Francisco was seen as an explosive team offensively, but much overlooked was their tough defense, which was the second rated defense in the NFC, right after New York. So perhaps people should have seen what was coming. Most people seemed to expect a game filled with offensive fireworks, but instead, what they got was a tough, defensive struggle, and the lowest scoring contest of the entire season. The offense for both the Giants and 49ers struggled, but New York struck first with a field goal in the second quarter. But San Francisco answered with a touchdown later in the same quarter. And that was it for the scoring for the entire game. San Francisco won, 7-3.

New York had some scoring opportunities in the second half. They drove well into San Francisco territory, and at some point, they likely should have gone for a field goal to close to within a point. But Parcells was a gambler at times, and he gambled then, looking for a touchdown instead of settling for a field goal. It was a costly decision, and likely cost them the game. They did not covert, did not get the touchdown, and later in the game's final possession, they were in field goal range, but needed a touchdown. They did not get it then, either. In fact, the Giants would not score a touchdown in either game against San Francisco that season.

But these two teams were the two best teams in the NFC. They had been from the start of the season, and they proved to be the two best teams in the conference in the playoffs, as well. So, it was no surprise at all that they met in the NFC Championship, which was hosted by San Francisco. And once again, it was a defensive struggle, with neither offense managing to break out.

The NFC Championship Game

The first half was merely a field goal fest. In the first quarter, the 49ers got a field goal, the Giants responded with a field goal of their own. The Giants got another field goal in the second quarter, and the 49ers answered with a field goal of their own. At the half, the game was nodded up at 6-6. It should be noted that the Giants almost got a touchdown, when Hostetler handed the ball to runningback Dave Meggett, who began to ran, but then threw a sneak pass right to fullback Maurice Carthon. But it went right through his hands. No touchdown.

It was in the second half that this game would truly heat up, and become a classic. The 49ers seemed on the brink of blowing the game open all of a sudden, as Joe Montana found John Taylor for a 61-yard touchdown pass. This was the same quarterback-receiver combination that had struck in their regular season meeting. Suddenly, the Niners were up, 13-6, and the stadium was on it's feet. The home crowd sensed blood, and the place was raucous.

New York stayed composed, however. They did not panic, and their offense worked methodically to get into scoring position. Ultimately, they got a field goal, and closed to within 13-9.

It was a hard-hitting game, and that would become obvious in the final quarter. Former Giant Jim Burt hit Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler in the knee, and Hoss went out for a little while, although it looked grave for a bit there. Then, Leonard Marshall hit Joe Montana hard. It was a clean hit, although a vicious one, and you can say that Montana was never the same afterward. He did not get up and get back into the game, as Hostetler did. In fact, that hit effectively ended Montana's tenure as San Francisco's starting quarterback.

Indeed, two hard hitting defenses continued to dictate the tempo of play on the field. The Niners were able to hold the Giants, and well into the fourth quarter, the Giants were forced to punt. But Parcells gambled again. And if his gamble in the first meeting did not work well, and likely cost New York a chance to win that game, this time, his gamble paid off handsomely. Instead of the ball going to punter Sean Landeta, it went to defender Gary Reasons, who carried the ball well down the field, easily picking up the first down, and then some. It got New York back into scoring position, but again they had to settle for a field goal. That brought the score to 13-12, in favor of San Francisco.

Now, the defenses were really getting down to crunch time. Neither team had been able to force a turnover yet, and a turnover this late in the game would be critical. It looked to be almost over in favor of San Francisco when Steve Young, filling in for the injured Montana, completed a long pass for a first down and then some to Brent Jones. Jones jumped up and spiked the ball, as if the game were finally clinched. Moments later, however, Giants lineman Erik Howard came up with what commentator John Madden called the biggest hit of his career, hitting the ball that Roger Craig was holding, forcing it to pop out. Lawrence Taylor recovered the fumble, and the Giants had the ball again, and a bit of time to work with.

They had to move the ball down the field to get within field goal range. Time was a factor, but New York had mastered clock management that season like no other team. While the 49ers had seemed to be on the verge of locking the contest up, trying desperately to run out the clock on the Giants, the turnover and sudden switch of possessions now put the 49ers in a precarious position, needing to stave off the Giants tough, physical offense. The Giants were able to get within range, and ate up the clock, suddenly using it against San Francisco. There were some big pick ups, some nice passes, an overall good mixture between pass and run.

Ultimately, the Giants got into position to try a 40-yard field goal on the final play of the game, as they took it down to a mere four seconds left. Matt Bahr lined up for the field goal, and it split the uprights, giving the Giants the win. San Francisco's dynasty was done, it was over, and New York, not San Francisco, were taking that trip to Tampa.

Super Bowl XXV

Super Bowl XXV Logo and Team Helmets

Super Bowl XXV field design

The Giants had beaten the 49ers, a team that had beaten them in the regular season. But they would have to do it again, as their Super Bowl opponents, the Buffalo Bills, had defeated the Giants in the Meadowlands, no less, 17-13. Buffalo's offense was already seen as the most explosive one in the AFC, if not the entire NFL, by that point, but it was their tough defense that earned them that big win against New York just a month and a half or so before these two teams would meet again in Tampa for the sport's ultimate prize: the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It was a rainy, soggy, sloppy game, and both teams had lost their starting quarterback. Jim Kelly went down for what appeared to be a potentially season ending injury, although he would return for the Bills in the AFC title game. The Bills wrapped up their regular season by finishing 13-3, and clearly looking like the best team, and the easy favorites, to take the AFC title. This they did, and Buffalo's offense had gotten hot, and looked simply unstoppable. They scored 44 points in a convincing win against Miami in the snow during the divisional round of the playoffs, and then blew away the Raiders in the AFC title game, jumping out to a 41-3 lead at the half, and ultimately winning, 51-3. Buffalo looked incredibly hot. The conventional wisdom among the experts was that they were too good, that even though the Giants had a tough defense, it would not slow the Bills down enough to win the game.

Phil Simms, in the meantime, had gone down without being touched by an opposing player, and his injury proved even more serious. Jeff Hostetler, the backup, had filled in capably in the meantime. He had led the Giants to victories in Phoenix and New England, but neither victory was spectacular. However, his mobility added a dimension that the less mobile Simms lacked, and this helped to make the Giants offensive approach more versatile and less predictable. Some had expected the Giants to be so diminished that a loss to the Bears in the divisional round was likely, but the Giants overwhelmed Chicago, 31-3. Then, the Giants benefited from Hostetler's mobility somewhat in the NFC Championship, although it was mostly due to the physicality on both side of the ball that allowed New York to win that one.

Still, Buffalo had established themselves as very legitimate, despite the albatross of being in the supposedly inferior conference - the AFC. But victories against some top NFC contenders, including Philadelphia and the Giants, plus their red hot offense, clearly established the Bills as easily the best team that the AFC had sent to the Super Bowl in many years. Having gone on the road and beaten the Giants in the earlier regular season showdown, they had every reason to be confident and to believe that they could win. Indeed, most of the football world agreed.

So, most of the experts believed that Buffalo would take their first Vince Lombardi Trophy home. The official Vegas line was in favor of the Bills, by roughly 6 to 6 1/2 points, although some people even suggested that the Bills would romp over the Giants, much like they had against both Miami and the Los Angeles Raiders.

The Bills themselves seemed a bit cocky. One member of the Bills expressed disappointment that the Giants had won the NFC crown, because he had wanted the 49ers, since they were more famous. Another Bills player let it be known publicly that he was having his finger measured for the inevitable ring. At that point, it seemed that AFC representatives to the Super Bowl were always rather cocky, and predicting great outcomes, then going on to get hammered when the actual big game came around. That was the case the previous season, when the Broncos talking big prior to the Super Bowl against the 49ers. They clearly expected to beat the Niners, and one of them even suggested that it would be an upset if Denver did not win. San Francisco won that Super Bowl in record fashion, 55-10.

Still, the 1990-91 Bills were different. They were indeed very good, and seemed fully capable of backing up their bravado. They had beaten some tough NFC teams, including the Giants, and again, that was at Giants Stadium. Their offense looked virtually unstoppable, and their defense was talented and tough, as well. Head coach Marv Levy added a scholarly touch of class to the team, and he seemed very focused on winning, even skipping the Media Day appearance, for which he was fined. He later apologized, saying that he did not know his absence would prove to be such a big deal, as it got a lot of headlines. But in his apology, he also said that this was the one game that he had waited 40 years for, and he was taking it very seriously.

So, Buffalo seemed ready for Super Bowl Sunday, although most people noticed that the Bills looked a bit uptight, while the Giants, likely drawing on their past successful Super Bowl appearance, seemed more relaxed. Whether that ultimately played a factor in how the outcome was determined or not, it is hard to say. But it might indeed be worth noting.

In any case, the game itself was excellent, featuring a contrast in styles. The Bills had a high-flying offense, as well as tremendous talent on defense. They had serious talent on both sides, but their no-huddle offense just caught fire in the middle of the 1990 season, and they ran with that momentum, which carried them to the Super Bowl as strong favorites. The Giants, by contrast, specialized in a tough, physical defense. It was not the overwhelming, sack happy defense of 1986, but a defense that largely strangled opposing offenses, particularly strong in frustrating the passing game of opponents. But New York also had a strong offense, led by a big, physically imposing offensive line. They had strong special teams, and an experienced coach who was beginning to emerge as one of the best coaches of his time, a master motivator.

The Giants and Bills had met in the preseason, and again in the regular season, so there was some familiarity. Still, early on, it seemed a bit like they were still just feeling each other out. The Giants scored with a field goal and a 3-0 lead, but the Bills answered back with a field goal of their own. By the end of the first quarter, the score was nodded up, 3-3.

It was in the second quarter, however, the Bills began to take over. They had a strong drive, leading to their first touchdown, and a 10-3 lead. Not long after that, with the Giants feeling serious pressure, the hard-hitting Bills defense, which hit Hostetler hard all game long, was able to capitalize on a Giant mistake. Hostetler had tripped over running back Ottis Anderson's feet, and stumbled into the end zone. Bruce Smith, the Bills star defender, grabbed onto Hostetler's wrist, looking to force a fumble in the Giants own end zone. That would give the Bills a commanding 17-3 lead, most likely. But Hostetler hung onto the ball, and even though he was sacked in the end zone for a safety, that play might have allowed the Giants to stay in a game that was on the verge of spiraling out of control for them.

Still, the Bills had to be feeling good with a 12-3 lead, and the Giants were reeling. Hostetler was taking a pounding, and the Bills offense surely could not be contained for long. If the Giants did not score soon, a score - almost any score - by Buffalo might prove fatal for New York's chances. Time was quickly running out for the first half, and the Giants desperately needed a score. They managed to get a strong drive, punctuated by a brilliant pass by Hostetler that found Stephen Baker in the corner of the end zone with less than a minute left before halftime. Suddenly, it was a close game at 12-10. Marve Levy explained after the game that New York getting that touchdown right before halftime definitely had an impact on his team, which had been in control of the tempo of the game up to that point.

To start off the second half, the Giants opened with what was then the longest drive in Super Bowl history, holding the ball for well over nine minutes of play. It almost ended a lot earlier than that, but on 3rd down and 13, Giants receiver Mark Ingram caught the ball and then broke several would be tackles, twisting and turning and ultimately hopping on one leg to pick up the first down - just barely. It kept the drive alive, and the Giants physical offensive line continued to wear down the Bills defense. The drive culminated in a touchdown from Ottis Anderson, giving New York a 17-12 lead. It had seemed like they were on the verge of being out of the game not too much longer before, but the Giant offense had kept the ball for two long drives, the first one to essentially end the first half (the Bills knelt down with the ball with the few seconds they had left), and then another historically long drive to start the second half. After that, the Giants went from being down, 3-12, to having the 17-12 lead.

The dangerous Bills offense had not been on the field for quite a long time, while the Giants defense benefited from the rest. Buffalo's offense looked a little cold after that for a while, but they were not done. Eventually, Thurman Thomas broke free in the fourth quarter and sprinted into the end zone, and once again, the Bills took the lead, 19-17.

However, the Giants methodical offense pounded the Bills by then exhausted defense. They did not manage a touchdown, but they got the field goal, for a 20-19 lead late in the fourth quarter.

In the game's final minutes, the Bills had the ball, and a little over two minutes to play. Their offense showed some of the talent and brilliant execution that had gotten them to highly rated in the first place, and Buffalo moved down to the Giants 30-yard line as time was running out. The Bills had one last chance, and it would be a 47-yard field goal by Scott Norwood to decide it. In one of the most famous and iconic plays in Super Bowl, and perhaps even NFL, history, Norwood's kick sailed wide right, missing what would have been the championship winning field goal by a few feet, securing the unlikely championship for the Giants.

What we now know, looking back, is that the 47-yard line was then the precise point at which most NFL kickers missed more field goals than they made, and Norwood, specifically, started to be shaky on real grass surfaces, which the Tampa Stadium field was, starting around this distance. He barely missed, but it was a miss. Some said that his missing actually detracted from the game, that it was an error, or a mistake, that decided this one.

Perhaps. But both teams played their hearts out, and gave us, the viewers, an instant classic, a truly great and very memorable championship. It was the first playoff game in NFL history where neither team committed a turnover, and the play on the field finally matched, if not exceeded, the billing of a Super Bowl. Both teams played well enough to win, and really, it was a shame that someone had to walk off the field with a Super Bowl loss. But one team did, and that was the Bills. Remember, this was before they earned the reputation as perennial Super Bowl losers, although this clearly would haunt them in their future Super Bowl appearances.

As for the Super Bowl champion Giants, it was their second Super Bowl title in five seasons, and secured their place as one of the great teams of that era. They won it by doing what they had done all season, playing smashmouth football. Their offensive line wore down opposing defenses and controlled the clock, while their physical defense contained other teams, sometimes bending, but rarely ever breaking. Even against the Bills, a team that had scored just shy of 100 points in their two prior playoff contests, the Giants limited them to less than 20 minutes on the field, and allowed the Bills to score only 19 points, giving the Giants offense a chance. And a chance was really all that they needed. They scored more than that and won, albeit barely won. In fact, they won by the slimmest of margins, but the greatness on display on that Super Sunday allows this Super Bowl to consistently rank as among the very best Super Bowls by most experts, even right to the present day. Indeed, it was a fitting end to what truly was a remarkable, and highly entertaining, 1990-91 season.

Image courtesy of marada's Flickr page - Pro Football Hall of Fame: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marada/18349271420/in/photolist-s9jx2h-6WanDm-88EBAf-88EBFW-6Wakz7-6WamJ3-6WavG5-6Wapgd-7AA2Cj-eZaZFx-tXsP7C-ucHyh9-5V94An-8qJEgH-744DSK-ofEBCj-7ZjcnY-4qX6xk

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

Ticket stub for Super Bowl XXV, and the Giants Super Bowl XXV championship ring 

The Giants XXV Super Bowl Ring and the Bills AFC Championship Ring, side by side

The Giants Super Bowl XXV Championship Ring in the Presentation Box

Super Bowl XXV Postgame Clips: 30 Years Later

A couple of days ago, I posted a blog entry about the 1990 season being my favorite one. 

Well, the NFC Championship Game between the visiting New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers, the great dynasty of that time, was one of my favorite memories in sports history. The game was incredibly intense and physical. It's funny, because if you had told me years earlier that my favorite ever Giants game would be one in which they did not even score any touchdowns, it would have been admittedly hard to believe. Yet, that is exactly how it went, as New York managed to win - albeit barely - on a last second field goal in a game where they failed to produce a touchdown.

The Super Bowl was almost as good, and it ranks as my second favorite Giants game of all time, and my favorite Super Bowl of all time. Yet, I know, they won that first one four years earlier, and then there was the pair against New England, including that one when the Patriots were undefeated, in one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets in history.

Still, that 1990-91 season was tops to me, and those two games, played on back to back weekends, featured my very two favorite NFL games of all time. 

I guess at this point, it is not likely that any game will ever top those two. When I think of NFL football at it's very best, that is where I return to, personally. January of 1991, the New York Giants playing mistake free football, and outplaying - albeit barely - both the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills, and ultimately winning their second, and final, Super Bowl title of the Bill Parcells era.

Of course, the outcome of both games was not fully known until the very end, essentially. The 49ers game was decided on literally the final play, with Matt Bahr kicking a field goal with no time left on the clock. Then, Scott Norwood's missed field goal sailed wide right with just four seconds left on the clock. The Giants knelt down on the ball, and then ran off the field in triumph.

It was intense. And here are some video clips from that game, including reactions from both Bills and Giants players, both right after the game, and reflecting years later.

Super Bowl XXV: 30th Anniversary

 

Yes indeed, today is the 30th anniversary of this incredible game! The Giants just scraping by the high-powered offense of the Buffalo Bills after a barely missed field goal, just one week after just surviving the dynasty 49ers because of a field goal made on the game's final play. Those two teams - the 49ers and the Bills in 1990 - were truly awesome, and fearsome to have to go against. Indeed, the Giants wound up beating them both in January to win their second Super Bowl championship in five years, but they lost to both teams in December. They lost the highly anticipated Monday Night Football game at San Francisco, and then lost to the Bills in the Meadowlands, at home in Giants Stadium, two weeks after that. That was the reason why the Giants were pretty serious underdogs going into both games. 

The background is all there, and I have written about it numerous times. I have also said on numerous occasions that, in fact, the Giants win over San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game was my favorite NFL game of all time, with the Super Bowl win against Buffalo a close second. But in fact, I think that it would have felt incomplete had the Giants lost the Super Bowl. The 49ers game would have felt like a consolation, but since the Giants won and became champions, it felt almost like a pre-coronation. The Giants had to survive not one but two teams potentially capable of winning the Super Bowl, which was tough. They ended a dynasty in San Francisco one week, and then just held off a seeming budding dynasty in Buffalo the next weekend in Tampa. 

They beat the 49ers in January 20th, and then just held off the Bills on January 27th, just one week later. As a Giants fan, there has never been another week to rival it. Indeed, it felt magical, almost like a fairy tale. You would almost think that they were destined to win, if you were not aware of how hard it was for them to win, how narrowly they escaped in both of those games. They overcame a lot of odds and obstacles, including three losses in a four game stretch, the loss of their starting quarterback, and not one, but two teams who were justifiably favored to beat them. Frank Sinatra's song, "New York, New York" played after the Giants had secured the Super Bowl win, but it also could have been "My Way," because the G-Men had won the title, and they had done it their way. Power football was what head coach Bill Parcells called it, and that it was. It was enough to earn them that second Super Bowl title, but again, just barely.  

The game was played in 1991, and was a bit overshadowed by the outbreak of war in Iraq under President George Bush (that would not be the only year where we could say that  little bit of news). 

Of course, I am a bit biased, being a fan of the New York Giants. That makes my memory of this a bit shinier than what it is for others, surely.

Yet, it was a fine Super Bowl.  Both teams brought their A-game into this one, and the game was remarkable for that reason. It was the first postseason game in NFL history where neither team had a turnover. Since then, this has been achieved a few other times.

But this game was a contrast in styles. The Giants were the defensive minded team, conservative and relatively quiet. They were the heavy underdogs among the relative elites heading into the season, but they pounded away, overcame injuries and, ultimately, perservered to get their shot. The week before this game, they ended the 49ers dynasty in San Francisco, on the very last play of the game. Ironically, they did it with a field goal in the final seconds to win it.

The Bills, by contrast, were the hot, flashy, cocky team. Most people at the start of the season predicted that they would win the AFC East, but not much else. They had been known as the Bickerin Bills, after all. They were not supposed to be as good as some of the other AFC contenders, particularly the Bengals, who were supposed to be the team. But the Bills caught fire with their no huddle offense, and a talented defense. They had people standing up and taking notice by midseason, and they just kept gettingf hotter and hotter. They plowed through Miami and the Raiders in the AFC playoffs, scoring an unbelievable 95 points in those two combined games. 

Buffalo crushed the Raiders, 51-3 in the AFC Championship Game, and headed into the Super Bowl as heavy favorites, and were cocky and acted the part. Some Bills were complaining that the Giants, and not San Francisco, had won the NFC title game, because the 49ers were more famous, and beating them would perhaps look and feel more legitimate. Another Bills player announced that he was getting his finger measured for a ring.

When the two teams finally took the field, they were both ready to go. It was the Bills new, fast, and sophisticated, high-powered offense versus the traditional, physical, smash mouth brand of football of the Giants. The high-flying Bills planned to ram Thurman Thomas down the Giants throats, and then to open up their deadly passing game. The Giants, in the meantime, had a smothering secondary, and on offense, they had a punishing, physical style featuring a solid running game of their own. What they did on that day was similar to what they had done against San Francisco: namely, to hang onto the ball and not put it in the hands of the dangerous offense. In Super Bowl XXV, the Giants would hold onto the ball for a Super Bowl record 40 minutes and 27 seconds (most people say it was 40 minutes and 23 seconds, although they forget the crucial final four seconds after Scott Norwood's field goal, when Jeff Hostetler knelt down to run out the clock).

It was an incredible Super Bowl. The Giants had the momentum early, driving the ball for a field goal and an early 3-0 lead. The Bills answered with a field goal of their own, and that was the first quarter. But in the second, Buffalo came alive with a touchdown drive for a 10-3 lead, and then got a safety for a 12-3 lead. But the Giants managed an impressive drive that culminated in a touchdown in the final minute of the first half, closing to within 12-10. They opened the second half with what was then the longest drive in Super Bowl history, filled with some highlight plays, particularly by wide receiver Mark Ingram and running back Ottis Anderson, and ending with an exclamation point touchdown that gave New York the 17-12 lead. Buffalo struck back all of a sudden with a long touchdown run by Thurman Thomas to make it 19-17 going into the final quarter. The Giants notched a field goal midway through the fourth, making it 20-19, and it came down to Buffalo's final drive. They got to within field goal position, and if it was good, of course, they would win.


We all know what happened then.

Norwood missed by two feet, and the rest is history. Parcells resigned shortly thereafter, and a few years later, he became the head coach of the New England Patriots. Later, he coached the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys. The Bills kept getting back to the big game, but never won it. They were dismantled by Washington completely the next year, and then after a fast start in the first half of Super Bowl XXVII, they completely fell apart and made mistake after mistake, committing a shocking nine turnovers and losing, 52-17. They played a little bit better the next time around against Dallas, but lost that fourth and final Super Bowl, too. They were very good, but they never did manage to win one. Yet, in this game, they came so unbelievably close!

What a game both teams played! And what a championship season for the Giants!

Here is my tribute to them, and to a great game, and probably the greatest week in the history of the New York Giants, a week which saw them defeat the 49ers in the NFC title game on one Sunday, and then eke out a victory against the Bills the next. I thought it would be good to add the blog entry that I wrote about it last year at around this time. It was called "Super Bowl XXV Memories" and was published on January 14, 2016:

Super Bowl XXV Memories               

Image courtesy of marada's Flickr page - Pro Football Hall of Fame: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marada/18349271420/in/photolist-s9jx2h-6WanDm-88EBAf-88EBFW-6Wakz7-6WamJ3-6WavG5-6Wapgd-7AA2Cj-eZaZFx-tXsP7C-ucHyh9-5V94An-8qJEgH-744DSK-ofEBCj-7ZjcnY-4qX6xk

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

Super Bowl XXV  – New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19. Played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Scott Norwood shank. MVP Ottis Anderson. Favorite Bills by 7. National anthem Whitney Houston. Halftime show New Kids on the Block. Attendance 73,813. Network ABC. Announcers Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf. Nielsen ratings 41.8. est. 79.51 million viewers. Market share 63. Cost of 30-second commercial US$800,000. Ottis Anderson 102 yards 1 TD.

Personal Memories: This is it! When I think of my very favorite Super Bowls, this one tops the list! For that matter, when I think of my favorite teams, and NFL memories that made me happiest growing up, the 1990-91 New York Giants were the team that tops that list. Entering this game, they had completed a 13-3 regular season record, and had entered the playoffs as the second seed in the NFC. And even though they wound up winning the Super Bowl in a very exciting fashion, this game does not even top my own personal favorite list from that season. That would belong to the game the Giants played the week before to get to the Super Bowl, when they knocked off the two-time defending Super Bowl champion 49ers in San Francisco.

Both teams had raced out to a 10-0 undefeated start, the first time that this had happened in a long time in the NFL, if not ever (it has since happened twice, in 2009 with the Saints and the Colts, who would meet in that season's Super Bowl, and then this season, with the Panthers and the Patriots). But at the time, two teams starting off so incredibly well and continuing this so late into the season was unheard of.

Everyone thought that the 49ers were the best team,and with good reason. They had won their fourth Super Bowl of the 1980's the prior season, and had won the title two years in a row. They still had that incredible dynasty lineup, with huge names like Montana, Rice, Craig, Haley, and Lott,among others. Think about it: Steve Young, who would soon take over quarterbacking responsiblities for the 49ers and become one of the most prolific passers of his era, had been a backup behind Montana for years, and he was easily good enough to be the starter for most teams. Yeah, they were that good.

So, they entered the season as the odds on favorites to achieve the historic "three peat", something that no NFL team had ever managed to do during the Super Bowl era. The Packers had won three NFL Championships in a row, and they had won the first two Super Bowls after winning the NFL Championship the year before, but that meant that they had not won three Super Bowls in a row.  San Francisco seemed on the verge of achieving exactly that, and everyone agreed that this would separate them from everyone else in history, and raise their status to greatest team of all time.

And there were the Giants, who had the gall to think that they could contend against such a team. They were set to meet in Week 12, and after both teams had remained undefeated at 10-0, it was a hugely anticipated match between what everyone presumed would be two unbeaten teams. Some were calling it the game of the century. Then, the week before the two teams would meet on Monday Night Football, they both lost to division rivals. The Giants lost at Philadelphia, 31-13, while San Francisco was downed by the Rams, 28-17.

So, it would be a meeting not of perfect teams, but of 10-1 teams. Still, it was one of the most watched Monday Night Football games ever, with everyone expecting it to be an offensive fireworks show.

It wasn't. In fact, the game would be the lowest scoring contest of the entire 1990 season. The Giants went up in the second quarter after getting a field goal, and the 49ers responded quickly with a touchdown, when Montana hit John Taylor. That made it 7-3, and that was it for the scoring. The Giants had some opportunities late in the game, but they opted to try and keep the drive alive, rather than going for a field goal to cut the lead to 7-6, and that cost them. On the final drive, instead of only needing a field goal to win it, they needed a touchdown, and they were not able to get it.

The Giants had lost two games in a row, and desperately needed a win. They got one against Minnesota, a team that themselves were struggling. But the next weekend, the Giants hosted the red-hot Buffalo Bills, who were emerging as the clear favorites in the AFC. This was taken as a major test for Buffalo, being from the AFC, and thus constantly questioned, as the AFC had lost the last six Super Bowls, and were seen as the weaker conference. But the Bills played hardball against the Giants, and defeated New York on a soggy December day, in a physical contest that helped legitimize them among football fans as a serious contender not just to make the Super Bowl, but possibly to win it. The game was costly for both teams, since the two starting quarterbacks both went down - first Phil Simms for the Giants (who was enjoying the finest season of his career and led the league among quarterbacks in overall statistics that season, and Jim Kelly for the Bills. Still, it was a triumph for Buffalo, cause for celebration. Indeed, when these two teams would meet in the Super Bowl, the Bills would officially be favored by one touchdown.

In the meantime, however, the Giants were reeling. They took the next two games on the road against weak teams, but won by a field goal margin against the Cardinals in the desert, and then the Patriots at Foxboro. The Patriots were the worst team in the league that year (a far cry from these days, isn't it?), and the Giants barely hung onto the game to finish at 13-3.

A lot of people expected the Giants to go one and done once in the playoffs, given the injury to Simms and the seeming end of the strong momentum that they had played with early in the season. Their first opponent happened to be the Chicago Bears, the third seed, and these two teams were a mirror image of one another. Tough, conservative, physical teams that had each won the Super Bowl years before. But the Giants used the versatility of their new starting quarterback, Jeff Hostetler, who used his athleticism and mobility to add a dangerous element to the Giants normally predictable offense. In the meantime, the defense shut down the Bears, and the combination was a surprisingly easy and convincing victory, as the Giants stomped on Chicago, 31-3.

The Giants and 49ers had been the two best teams in the NFC all season, and so it was fitting that they would meet in that year's NFC Championship Game. This game would prove to be intense and physical to an extreme. That is the reason that I count it as my very favorite NFL game right to this day. New York came in as heavy underdogs, as the 49ers were 8-point favorites. Everyone expected them to at least get back to the Super Bowl, and for many, the real question was whether or not they could beat the Bills, who again looked incredible in running through the AFC playoffs, easily dispatching with the Raiders in the AFC title game by a whopping 51-3 margin. They had a 38-point lead by halftime!

The 49ers were, again, the most accomplished team in the NFL at that point. They had won four titles, including the two prior ones. They owned the best record in the league in 1990, finishing at 14-2, and of course, the result as that they had home field advantage in that NFC title game. The names on that 49ers team are immortal, and include Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley, Matt Millen, John Taylor, Roger Craig, and others. They were more than a formidable opponent. They were probably the biggest obstacle that any team could hurdle. The Giants clearly would have their work cut out for them.

Unlike in their earlier meeting during the regular season, the Giants would try to put points on the board at every opportunity, even if that meant sacrificing the touchdown for the field goal. They had lost by four points in the earlier meeting, and neglecting capitalizing on a field goal opportunity early in the final quarter had come back to haunt them in the final minute of the contest. So this time, the Giants relied on field goals. As it turned out, they scored field goals exclusively in this contest, and were unable to penetrate to get a touchdown. But the defense was tough, and kept the Giants in what proved to be another low scoring contest.

It was a bunch of field goals in the first half, but the 49ers faithful smelled blood when Montana once again hit John Taylor, who sprinted into the end zone, outrunning the pursuing Giant defenders. The score was now 13-6, and it seemed that San Francisco might be able to break the game open. But the New York defense kept strong, while the Giants offense kept plugging away, getting a field goal to bring it to 13-9.

However, the Giants defense (which was the best in the league that year) were not the only solid defense on the field that day. San Francisco had the second rated defense in the NFC, and they showed why on this day. New York kept struggling, but the 49ers held firm, forcing a punt in the final quarter, as they tried to cling to their 13-9 lead. That was when what may have been the turning point of the game occurred. Bill Parcells was known as a gambler, and he took a big chance here, calling a fake punt, and giving instead to Gary Reasons, who easily picked up enough for a first down to keep the drive alive. Not much later, the G-Men got another field goal to close to within a single point of the 49ers.

Still, San Francisco had a chance to clinch the win during the final minutes, as they were driving and trying to hang onto the ball and run the clock out on the Giants. What seemed like a huge first down from Steve Young to Bret Jones. Young was in because Montana had gotten knocked out of the game. In fact, he would never fully recover from the hit that Leonard Marshall delivered. Hostetler also took some hits, particularly one by former Giant defender Jim Burt, who hit his former teammate square on the knee. It looked like a serious injury, but Hostetler would return later in the contest. There were a lot of big hits in this game, but none had more of an impact on the outcome of the game than Erik Howard hitting Roger Craig right where he was holding the ball, popping it loose. Lawrence Taylor recovered, and the Giants were back in business. Up to that point, this game was flirting with becoming the first postseason NFL game in history without a turnover, a sign of how well both teams were playing.

The Giants made that last drive count, marching down to get into field goal position, hoping to win the game on the final play. Indeed, that is what happened, as they lined up for a 40-yard field goal, which placekicker Matt Bahr hit through the uprights, sending the Giants to Tampa and Super Bowl XXV. It was his fifth field goal of the game, but the most memorable and important kick, perhaps of his career. If not, it surely would be the next week, in the final quarter of the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XXV was a contrast in styles. The Bills had the flashy, high-powered offense, while the Giants had the smashmouth approach that focused on solid defense and a running game that wore out opponents and killed the clock. While the NFC Championship Game between the Giants and 49ers had almost been the first playoff game without a turnover, this one would achieve the feat, which was just one of many indicators of just how well played this game was by both sides.

The Giants drew first blood, scoring a field goal early, but Buffalo answered quickly with a field goal of their own. The first quarter ended in that 3-3 tie. But in the second quarter, the Bills would start taking control of the game, pounding it into the end zone for a 10-3 lead after a rare Giants defensive miscue. Not much later, Jeff Hostetler was caught in his own end zone by Bills defender Bruce Smith for a safety, giving Buffalo a commanding 12-3 lead, and all of the momentum. It seemed like a bad omen, although in fact, Hostetler might have saved the game for New York, as he tucked in the ball safely into his chest, preventing a catastrophic fumble that could have been recovered by Buffalo and given them a much bigger lead.

Still, the Giants were in trouble, and needed something quickly, before halftime. They got it in the final drive, going down the field and putting themselves in scoring position. But they really needed a touchdown, rather than settling for a field goal. This the Giants managed to achieve when Hostetler threw a perfect spiral into the hands of receiver Stephen Baker in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown with seconds left in the second quarter, cutting the Buffalo lead to 12-10 just before the two teams returned to the locker rooms for halftime. it was a huge and critical swing in momentum that Bills coach Marv Levy mentioned in the post-game interview as particularly brutal for them.

When play resumed in the second half, the Giants got the ball first, and used their trademark physicality to wear the Bills defenders down. They orchestrated what was then the longest drive in Super Bowl history, taking the better part of ten minutes off of the clock, keeping a tired Buffalo defense on the field, and a dangerous Buffalo offense off the field. The Bills offense had not taken the field in the better part of an hour, between the Giants final drive of the first half and their first drive of the second half, coupled with the halftime break. It was a way to keep them a little cold, given how hot they had been all season. And perhaps the crucial play had come when the Giants faced a 3rd down and 13, when wide receiver Stephen Ingram caught a Hostetler pass and then twisted and turned through several Bills defenders, ultimately hopping on one leg with defenders clinging to him and trying to drag him down, but not before he picked up a crucial first down. It was that play that perhaps best embodied New York's fighting spirit in that contest.

Buffalo was a championship caliber team this year, however, and they were bound to answer. They did so when Thurman Thomas, their star running back, broke free for a long touchdown run, giving the Bills a 19-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

The game went back and forth between struggling offenses after that, but the Giants once again got into scoring position late in the game. Buffalo's defense held firm and prevented a touchdown, but Matt Bahr was able to get the field goal that gave the Giants a 20-19 lead very late in the game.

Ultimately this game came down to the final Bills drive. With roughly two minutes to go and a long way to move the ball, Buffalo managed to orchestrate a solid drive themselves, finally converting on third down (they had uncharacteristically failed to convert a single third down during the entire game to that point). Bills tight end Keith McKeller made what was a brilliant catch, and the Bills were in field goal position as the clock wound down.

Of course, it came down to that famous field goal attempt by Scott Norwood, and almost everyone knows that story now. He hooked it just slightly wide right, but it was enough to secure the victory for the Giants. Buffalo had played extremely well, but had fallen just short.

The New York Giants had captured their second Super Bowl title in five seasons, albeit by the slimmest of margins. They had established a new Super Bowl record for longest time of possession, with 40:37 seconds (including those final four seconds of the game, after the fateful field goal attempt). The team would be different henceforth. Parcells would leave the team. Mark Bavaro would no longer play for the team. Hostetler would be named the starting quarterback. And the Giants would fail to be a winning team in either of the next couple of seasons. But all of that came to fruition only after the Giants had won another glorious championship, made all the better because it was relatively unexpected! They had overcome enormous odds - losing their starting quarterback, losing home field advantage to the dynasty 49ers, then beating those same heavily favored 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, and finally overcoming a very powerful, and also heavily favored Buffalo Bills team that came closer than any other losing Super Bowl team before or since, in order to win that highly memorable championship - a championship that endures and continues to define the New York Football Giants.

Personal Memories: Junior in high school, the NFC Championship Game that got the Giants to the Super Bowl was my favorite NFL game of all time, and I leaped into the air when the Bahr field goal on the last play of the game won it for the Giants, much to the amusement of my parents, who laughed. The Super Bowl was no less intense, and I again jumped and celebrated when they won. My brother and I kicked field goals on the snowy high school football field earlier in the day.

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1991.html

Here are some of the major events that took place in 1991, the year this Super Bowl was played. The world's population was 5.359 billion people. Economic sanctions were lifted on South Africa, as the reforms from the segregation of apartheid continued. The Gulf War was fought, and within weeks, Iraq surrendered and pulled out of Kuwait. The communist government of Albania resigned. The Warsaw Pact was dissolved. Haitian troops captured the President of Haiti, the United States suspended support of Haiti. France agrees to a 1968 agreement banning the spread of atomic weapons. China accepted the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, and Gorbachev met with Bush for arms reductions. Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia declare independence from the Soviet Union. Boris Yeltsin became the first freely elected President of Russia. The Soviet Union dissolved at the end of the year.

http://boards.sportslogos.net/topic/98529-super-bowl-field-database-sb-xlvi-texture-added-122215/page-9

Super Bowl XXV logo and team helmets:




Super Bowl Rings:


Image courtesy of Ryan Schreiber Flickr page - Super Bowl rings: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanschreiber/2966914635/in/photolist-9fhtR7-mTUuPg-7BfrrT-8VABVJ-71329o-dkVSiW-713aji-716t8C-6ZY2fn-aaJzti-bSQYxn-8qJEPk-caGaTw-7s88nt-4qr4K5-gvvHpq-bZ7QUG-5wbdmB-qJWkZK-9TA5tc-712koy-679ZUN-hkLnBw-712XU1-716sLj-712Zih-712YYw-6ZY1P4-712Ys5-6ZXY5z-7131DJ-713g7L-6ZYeHM-6ZYdeF-6ZYdPe-6ZYgjz-6ZYedK-7139TJ-7124Do-9fE3N7-a3dxxG-716YLQ-6ZYbrr-6ZYfMi-6ZYcBx-7138ew-713aSy-dBNXDK-713ehv-46Wiar

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Super Bowl XXV 25 Years Later: A Giants Fan Reflects on Norwood's Missed Fieldgoal
(originally published on January 27, 2016)

Okay, I will admit it. As a Giants fan, I threw my arms up and jumped in celebration when Scott Norwood's kick sailed just wide, securing the back and forth contest in favor of the Giants. Game, set, match, and championship to the Giants.

At the time, it was all that I wanted, all that I could think of as a fan of the Giants for my entire life.

At the time, in fact, I recorded the game and would watch that historical moment, as well as the postgame interviews. And yes, a smile emerged on my face when Norwood's interview came up, and it was a mean-spirited smile that I am not proud of.

It's no excuse, but I was just a dumb, sixteen year old kid who was a little too happy that my favorite team won the Super Bowl. In retrospect, I can admit that, in large part, it was because not much else was going on in my life. I was a miserable high school student without a rich social life, and without a girlfriend. So, the 1990 football season, which was admittedly an unusually intense and entertaining one (at least for fans of the Giants, Bills, and 49ers), took on an unusual degree of importance in my life at the time. In the weeks that followed, I probably watched that game three or four times, and still got a bit nervous each time Norwood lined up to take the field goal, as if this time, he was destined to make it.

But he will always be remembered for missing that kick of a lifetime.

I grew up. Finally did some things to make my life more interesting. The Giants became less interesting as a result, although perhaps this was made easier by the fact that they were nowhere near as good as they had been. No longer was I religiously in front of the television, watching football games on Sundays. I still follow it, and sometimes catch parts of games, and always watch the playoffs and Super Bowl. But no longer am I what you would call a devoted fan glued to my television set whenever the Giants appear.

Yet, the memories still resonate for me. I still think of that game, that kick, and how much it meant to me. How happy it made me. Admittedly, I kind of look at that with some measure of distaste now, because I know that it should not have made me as happy as it ultimately did. In particular, I think back to how I was trying hard not to laugh during Norwood's postgame interview, because I knew that was wrong (even though no one was there to watch me).

The thing is, he seems like a decent guy. I really had nothing against him, and realize that it could just as easily have sailed through, and he would be remembered forever as the hero.

I think the reason that my reaction was so negative, despite my team having won in glorious, memorable, and exciting fashion that postseason not once, but twice, is that it was so close. The Giants could easily have lost that game. Hell, they could easily have lost the NFC Championship Game, for that matter. But they barely pulled off both games, and won an unlikely championship.

Yes, I said it. It was an unlikely championship because, admittedly, the Giants were probably not the best team in the league that season. The Bills were. It took me a long time to come to terms with that. But there came a point, as an adult, when I will admit that I felt at that time, and still feel now (yes, despite New York's victory in the big game) that Buffalo had the better football team that season.

Their offense was incredible and in sync. Their defense was loaded with talent, and disciplined. They caught fire at some point that season and, yes, they looked like the team of destiny. I do not know this for sure, but my suspicions are that they would have beaten the 49ers had San Francisco been in that Super Bowl. They almost beat the Giants instead.

Almost, but not quite. The Giants brought their A-game, and played a very physical (some might suggest boring, if they are not fans) style that wore the Bills out. Remember, that was a Buffalo team that had put up 44 points against Miami and tore the Raiders up 51-3 in the AFC Championship Game. The Giants had to keep that offense off the field, and they did, keeping possession of the ball for over 40 minutes, which still remains a Super Bowl record.

Still, they scraped by for the win. Had the time of possession been a bit more even, the Bills would have won. Hell, if there had not been a miracle play with Ingram's third and 13 conversion, breaking several tackles along the way, Buffalo likely would have won. If Hostetler had not tucked the ball in on the Buffalo safety, which could have been a touchdown, the Bills win. If Lofton takes that long bomb in for the TD, the Bills win. And even after all of that, even after less than 20 minutes of possession time total (at one point, the Bills offense had barely touched the ball for roughly one hour in real time), the Bills could have won with a field goal. Had it been a little closer, they likely would have won. had it been a bit longer, according to Frank Reich (the backup QB and placekicker on the play for the Bills), the kick likely would have gone through, and the Bills would have won.

Instead, the kick sailed wide right, by about two feet.

It was a moment in time that would live on for me for quite some time, but there was something that felt wrong about it.

Ironically, the moment that I remember best from that championship season was the week before, when the Giants, wearing my favorite road white jerseys, beat the "Team of the Decade" 49ers in San Francisco, because Matt Bahr managed to kick the field goal through the uprights to win the game, in a situation very similar to the one that Norwood would be in the next week. It felt right because that kick won it for the Giants, while Norwood's miss lost it for the Bills. To that point, despite all of the things that went wrong for them in that game, they still were dictating play and in a position to earn the win.

Instead, the kick sailed wide right, by about two feet.

In time, that mean-spirited joy over someone else's pain withered, and I thought about Norwood himself from time to time. I was pulling for the Bills the next few years, when they returned to the Super Bowl, and was disheartened when they lost. I remember pulling for Scott Norwood in particular in 1991, and wondering where he was after the 1991 season ended. Buffalo had a new placekicker for 1992, and no one picked up Norwood otherwise.

I felt bad, but life goes on.

Then, I met some Bills fans, and they spoke about that Super Bowl, and how much they hated my Giants. Some suggested that the Bills were the better team, and when I thought about it, found myself  actually agreeing. Remember, the Bills had beaten the Giants at the Meadowlands only about one month and change before the two teams would meet in Tampa for Super Bowl XXV.

Had that been the first meeting between the two teams that season (in other words, had that been Super Bowl XXV), then Buffalo would likely have won that Super Bowl.

Instead, the kick sailed wide right, by about two feet.

At the time, I could not have been more thrilled.

As the years went by, I began to think a little bit differently about it. When I met those Bills fans, and when I went to the city of Buffalo, I thought more deeply about it. Every now and then, I looked up Scott Norwood online, to see what was going on in his life now, where he was all of these years later.

Buffalo is a relatively nice city. It has character, and there are certainly nice parts of the city. I love the cities right along a big body of water, like one of the Great Lakes, and Buffalo has that, obviously. It also is in close proximity to Niagara Falls, and has some wonderful countryside in the surrounding area that provides pristine rural, pastoral scenes.

Plus, Buffalo has an interesting architectural history that a former girlfriend of mine awoke me to. She took me to the old rail line terminal, and pointed out some buildings of historical and architectural interests during a visit to the city, and she even contemplated a move up to Buffalo.

Unfortunately, Buffalo is too often overlooked. Niagara Falls is nearby, but it is not Buffalo itself. The city is pretty big, yet more overlooked in New York State (and for reasons that should be obvious) than similar cities are in other states, such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. And, of course, in terms of sports, this is the city that seems to come close to winning championships, but never quite gets there. The Sabres have gone to the Stanley Cup Finals twice, but failed to win. And the Bills went to those four straight Super Bowls, which really is a remarkable feat that sets this franchise apart. Yet, all that people harp on is that they lost them all.

The Buffalo Bills were robbed of their stature of greatness by those four losses. From 1988 until 1993, the Bills were right next to being the winningest team in the NFL. They went 12-4 in 1988, 9-7 in 1989, 13-3 in 1990, 13-3 in 1991, 11-5 in 1992, and 12-4 in 1993. Put that all together, and they enjoyed a 70-26 mark. That is second next to San Francisco's 72-24 mark during that time, but the Bills had 10 postseason wins to add to that, while the 49ers had nine. Both won five division titles during that stretch, but the Bills made it to the playoffs in each of those years, which San Francisco cannot claim. The Niners won two Super Bowls, however, while the Bills won none. But Buffalo came within a few feet of seeing that field goal attempt go through the uprights, and who knows how things would have turned out differently then? The Bills of the early 90's deserve to be recognized as one of the most successful teams. Four straight Super Bowls, and do not forget about the greatest come back in NFL history!

Yet, all that people remember is that the Bills lost those four Super Bowls, like the Broncos and Vikings had at that time before them (Denver has since won two Super Bowls). It is most unfortunate that such a great Bills team should be remembered in such a negative, pessimistic way.

Photo courtesy of JasonParis - Buffalo, NY: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonparis/3579975929

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

One Bills fan that I met (a particularly immature one for someone over thirty years old, I might add) said that if Norwood walked through the door at any given moment, he would punch him right in the face. I reject such a stupid and unforgiving sentiment.

Ridiculous.

As I already mentioned, the guy seems like a really decent guy. Here is a clip from a few years ago showing Norwood receiving some official distinction for his charity work behind the scenes: