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Imagine what was going through Adam Vinatieri’s head as Jake Delhomme completed a touchdown pass to tie the game. Anyone thinking of Super Bowl XXXVI yet?
I wonder what was going through his head as the Patriots drove in the final two minutes just to give Vinatieri a chance to be either the hero or the donkey.
Imagine what he was thinking when Carolina called a timeout with four seconds remaining to ice him.
He might have been thinking of his previous field goal attempt, which was blocked, or even about his field goal attempt before that which he pulled wide right. He might have been thinking that his only four misses in a dome have come at Reliant Stadium this year.
He might have been thinking that his season long was only 48 yards and with about 40 seconds left in the game, the Patriots were still out of range.
This was until Tom Brady connected with Deion Branch giving the Patriot place kicker a 41-yard attempt.
Hey Adam, know who Scott Norwood is (Norwood missed a field goal in Super Bowl XXV causing the Bills to lose)? If you do, try to put that in the back of your mind .
None of that seemed to matter as Vinatieri kept his head down and drilled it through the uprights.
As Vinatieri said in an interview following the game, most people are lucky to have that chance once, but to have the opportunity to win a Super Bowl twice is amazing.
Now imagine having all the publicity of kicking the winning field goal in the waning moments of the Super Bowl turned elsewhere. Turned to an event completely unrelated to football on Super Bowl Sunday, the largest secular holiday in the country.
For moments after the game, the media surrounded the issue of the kick to win it all and the celebrating players, but not even a clutch field goal to win the Super Bowl would be discussed for days.
The biggest aspect of the game did not involve the Patriots or the Panthers and had nothing to do with football. It all had to do with the guest appearance of Janet Jackson’s right breast covered with a nipple shield at the end of the half-time show.
Amongst all the sexually suggestive Lavitra commercials and Nelly scratching his crotch, Janet Jackson and her nipple shield became the topic of conversation. When it originally occurred, CBS quickly cut away from the stage in the center of the field as the lights all went dark.
Men around the country were getting carpal tunnel from rewinding their TiVO’s to watch the footage of Jackson flashing football fans all over the world.
But lets be honest, what did we think Justin Timberlake was going to do right after saying “I’ll have you naked by the end of this song.”
Imagine how Vinatieri feels?
Maybe next time he’ll show us some skin right after hugging the holder.
