NFL Network Top Ten Snub: Why Rams vs. Titans Ranks Among Super Bowl Bests

I was watching Top Ten on NFL Network, and a recent episode reviewed the greatest Super Bowls ever played.  The series is noted for its ranking-style countdowns, and at the end of every episode there is debate. 

This episode left no room for debate: The ranking featured a complete miss. 

There's some gray area from rankings No. 6-10 of the list, but outside of bias, most fans would rotate a handful of Super Bowls in varying ranks from No. 1-10 without leaving any off the list.  The inclusions by necessity of obviousness are as follows:

In Super Bowl XXV, the Bills lost to the Giants on the infamous "wide right" field goal by Scott Norwood.  Norwood takes the fallout for the defeat, even though Buffalo's late-game time management was notoriously unkempt, preventing a closer attempt from a reasonable distance.

Super Bowl XXIII saw Joe's "Montana Magic," as the 49ers drove the field to defeat the Cincinnati Bungles (they were the Bengals back then) 20-16.  Quotability became fad when Montana pointed out to his teammates that John Candy was in the crowd.

The turn of the century began with 2000's Super Bowl XXXIV, in which journeyman Kurt Warner quarterbacked "The Greatest Show on Turf" against the rugged and physical Titans.  Steve McNair was a yard away from potential MVP honors, and his pass to Kevin Dyson in the waning seconds set up a photographer's dream.  We all remember the moment.

Few people expected the Rams to fall to the Brady-led Patriots, as luck was the word used to describe New England's miracle season behind first-year starter Tom Brady in 2001.  Hindsight was proven 20/20 over the half-decade to follow.  Despite John Madden's pleas, Boston saw Brady play to win Super Bowl XXXVI. 

Later in the decade the Patriots defeated the Panthers in a game that is classically evaluated as both overrated and underrated by numerous fans.

Years later, the greatest team in NFL history statistically played one of the weakest teams in Super Bowl history.  But, paper is paper, and power is power, and the Giants defensive line made paper mache out of Tom Brady and the 18-0 Patriots (for a time) in Super Bowl XLII.

Many dubbed this the greatest of all Super Bowls due to the implications, but the Steelers and Cardinals played a zany thriller as an encore.  The Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII 27-23.

A few of these games were mentioned early in the list, and the show honored the past with the seemingly mandatory inclusion of Super Bowl III. 

With five games left to countdown, I waited for Top Ten to unveil its last handful of games, considering that they matched perfectly with mine. 

Then, it happened.

Super Bowl XXXII flashed onto the screen, the fantastic game between Brett Favre and John Elway that saw the Broncos end the NFC's era of supremacy.  I agreed whole-heartedly that it deserved mention in the top 10.

The problem was with the remaining candidates.  Considering the games that had not been mentioned and the number of slots left,  it was clear to me that a great game—nay, a sublime game!—was going to be left off of the list.  Then, a brilliant thought occurred to me:  What if they do a 1A and 1B ranking?  Surely, Santonio Holmes' catch and "the tackle" could share the top spot!

And yet, painfully, the Rams-Titans classic was mentioned as a "Best of the Rest."  Not only did the ranking completely lose its relevance with such a glaring, random omission, but the popular NFL Network show even ruined the "suspense of the snub." 

How can a game with the greatest story of an NFL season, a furious comeback, two teams who had never won the big game in the past and a separation of success equalling one yard not be on the list?

You'd have to ask NFL Network that question.  Perhaps a passionate letter?  Probably not worth the time, but certainly the ranking is worth further consideration.  I can't remember a more glaring snub. 

Consider this my "proverbial letter" to the crew, and my top 10 reasons why Super Bowl XXXIV should not only be on the list...but be mentioned as one of the greatest championship games of all time.

10) Dick Vermeil's Redemption

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ST. LOUIS - NOVEMBER 02: Fans celebrate St. Louis Rams former head coach Dick Vermeil as his name is unveiled on the stadium wall during a ceremony to honor the coach on November 2, 2008 at the Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Elsa/G

After leaving Philadelphia to what he described as emotional burnout, Dick Vermeil returned to coaching in St. Louis.   His first two years were disasters, and the club seemed unable to turn the corner from bad to mediocre.

Things went from bad to worse as Trent Green was injured in the preseason, and the club seemingly had no hope and no quarterback.  It was Vermeil who rallied the team behind Kurt Warner and chose not to hit the panic button.

In 1999, Warner and the Rams turned it full throttle into domination.  Tricky Dick had reached deep into the bag!

As Vermeil shed tears, he made for an easy spoof.  More importantly, however, he made for a great coach, which is how history remembers its champions.

An emotional Vermeil had arrived at the NFL summit, shedding his former reputation as a quitter. 

During a press conference when he came back to coaching, Vermeil outlined his rationale for returning to the game, mentioning that his desire to leave the game was of personal necessity.  He said the same with respect to his return.

Good decision, Coach.

9) The Game Exhibited a Great Balance of Offense and Defense

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21 Nov 1999: D''Marco Farr #75 of the St. Louis Rams is ready on the field during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at 3Comm Park in San Francisco, California. The Rams defeated the 49ers 23-7. Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport

D'Marco Farr was a defensive tackle for the Rams.  In "America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions," he references the physical abuse that Kurt Warner took from hits that accumulated in the championship game.  Despite the bodily turmoil the quarterback endured, Farr mentions that he was impressed with his ability to hang in the pocket and wait patiently to deliver the throw. 

The Titans compromised yardage for pressure, getting to Warner mercilessly and battering him around the field with nearly every snap.  During halftime, players saw Warner undergoing numerous examinations.  The Rams were being pressured.

Warner responded with over 400 yards of offense, none of which were empty passing yards (a.k.a. the Marino Special).  Every throw was critical, and his final pass resulted in the winning touchdown, 23-16. 

On the other side of the ball, the Rams defense held the Titans in check.  Tennessee didn't score until the third quarter, but their offense became relentless as Eddie George and Steve McNair began to wear out St. Louis with their athleticism.

A furious comeback did fall just short, but few games allow both offense and defense to be showcased with as much pizzazz as this tilt. 

8) Oilers Made an Immedate Impact in Tennessee

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NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 20: Quarterback Steve McNair #9 of the Tennessee Titans scrambles against the Jacksonville Jaguars at The Coliseum on November 20, 2005 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 31-28. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Get

The Oilers had a rich history in Houston. 

But, the "Luv Ya Blue" days of Oiler football passed and the franchise relocated as the Tennessee Oilers.  That simply never felt right.

1999 marked the first year of the officially named Tennessee Titans.  The team had a new stadium in Adelphia Coliseum and with a firm identity entrenched, they finally played like they belonged.

The Nashville faithful and entire state of TN saw a brand of football that would have made any blue-collar fanbase proud to call it their own. 

The high mark of the season was the Titans' demolition of division rival Jacksonville, the trendy pick to reach the Super Bowl for the AFC. 

With this fast start to a new beginning, the Titans grew interest from their fans immediately and the joyous frivolity of game day continues to be a tradition for a community that saw success right from the start!

7) Turnaround of the Rams

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28 Nov 1999: Kurt Warner #13 of the St. Louis Rams runs to pass the ball during a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Trans World Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams defeated the Saints 43-12. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport

If the Titans' instant success in Nashville is to be acclaimed, the Rams' sudden turnaround from futility is even more amazing.

The Rams were 3-13 in 1998.  The pits would be a high reach for the team.  Other franchises referred to them as the "same old Rams" early in 1999 as a way to discredit the team's fast start.  One of those was the 49ers, who lost twice to a Rams team they'd usually dominated!

Kurt Warner threw 41 touchdowns, and the offense became known as "The Greatest Show on Turf."  The bigger issue was that even minus the turf, teams could not defend Az-Zahir Hakim, Isaac Bruce, Marshall Faulk and the Rams arcade-style juggernaut.

The defense played tough, and the Rams forced turnovers at a rapid rate. 

No better proof of the Rams' new team balance can be provided than their playoff wins: a 49-37 shootout over the Vikings, and an 11-6 street fight versus the Buccaneers. 

From nowhere, grocery boys, burnt-out coaches, and third-option receivers (Ricky Proehl was the hero of the NFC Championship game, catching the winning touchdown) assimilated into a demolition crew.

Suddenly, instead of being "Mamby-Pamby," the Arena Football League was given credibility by Warner's performance and indoor football made domes seem a lot more cool than they really are!

6) First Super Bowl of the New Century Establishes a Welcome Trend

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TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 01: Teammates of Santonio Holmes #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers jump on Holmes after he catches a 6-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James

49ers 55, Broncos 10.

Redskins 42, Broncos 10.

Let's cut Elway some slack...

Bears 46, Patriots...you guessed it:  10.

The Super Bowl was not always the game of the year.  In fact, more often than not, the game usually became a demonstration of the superiority of the champion over the inevitably beaten AFC opponent.

After the Bills lost four straight Super Bowls, it seemed as though there would never be American Conference contention in the big game again.

Then, Denver bucked the trend and beat Green Bay in a Super Bowl for the ages.  See?  Elway got the last laugh.

The Broncos then promptly destroyed the Falcons, causing fans to naturally wonder how different the outcome would have been had Minnesota not choked.  The Vikings of 1998 looked invincible, and only a loss to themselves kept them from a terrific matchup with Denver.

The 1999 season was one of the most unpredictable and savory seasons in the league's accomplished history, and the Rams became the talk of the NFL.  The internet was catching on with a fury, so word of St. Louis' sudden revitalization garnered unprecedented attention. 

The Rams entered the 2000 playoffs as a sentimental favorite, ultimately meeting the Tennessee Titans.

The fantastic game began a new trend for great Super Bowls in the new century.  In fact, the commonplace blowouts were replaced by annual classics with only a few exceptions.

Tom Brady led the Patriots to a game-ending field goal to defeat the favored Rams just two seasons later.

The Patriots secured dynastic status with two additional championships, both decided by three points.

The Colts and Peyton Manning finally matched their potential in a game dubbed by NFL films as "The Rhapsody in the Rain."  It was the first-ever rain game in the "big game," though not the first bad weather Super Bowl despite popular belief.

The Giants upset the undefeated Patriots, 17-14, in a game highlighted by David Tyree's football-to-helmet catch.

The Steelers and Cardinals played the most epic fourth quarter in the history of the event.

The Saints shed their tradition of being in the lower tiers and beat the native son, Peyton Manning, on a late interception touchdown by Tracy Porter.

And lastly, the Super Bowl era's finest teams, the Packers and Steelers, met in a game marked by big plays and a comeback that fell just short, 31-25.

What seems like tradition today was the rare exception heading into the new millennium.  The Rams and Titans kicked off a classic start to the 2000s, marking a fantastic turning point from the blowouts of prior Super Sundays.

5) "The Greatest Show on Turf"

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03 Feb 2002: Quarterback Kurt Warner #13 of the St.Louis Rams reaches for a hand off to teammate Marshall Faulk #28 during the game against the New England Patriots at Superbowl XXXVI at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Patriots defeated th

You can't highlight the most attractive features of the game without having an exclusive slot for the aforementioned "Greatest Show."

In his first season at quarterback, Kurt Warner delivered 4,353 yards, 41 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions.  His quarterback rating bordered on the absurd and ranked at ridiculous at over 109. 

While Warner and the passing game were difficult to stop, especially on the fast track inside the (then) Trans World Dome, the problem was exacerbated by Marshall Faulk hitting the peak of his career at exactly the least opportune time for NFL defenses.

Faulk's 2,400 all-purpose yards forced opponents to honor all facets of the St. Louis offensive attack.  The resulting effect was defenses being stretched across the field, and the stress resulted in the Rams scoring 30-plus points in 13 of 16 regular-season games (and 14 of 19 games overall).  The team's lowest offensive output was 21 points in a game where they gained over 400 yards of offense.

The "bend, but don't break" attitude of their opponent that day showed, as despite St. Louis' consistent movement on offense, they had their lowest scoring output.  Who was the Rams opponent that day?

It was a team that would do the same thing to them again in Super Bowl XXXIV:  the Tennessee Titans.

On a side note, the Rams defeated the Buccaneers 11-6 in the NFC Championship game, a game that may have been the finest ever played by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense under Tony Dungy.

4) McNair's Finest Moment

Hindsight has revealed varying interpretations of the career of Steve McNair.  Many describe him as an athletically gifted quarterback who could destroy a defense with his expansive repertoire both running and passing.  Others recall a better-than-average quarterback with grit, decent numbers and no championship ring for validation.

The fact is that African American quarterbacks are only now beginning to enjoy the comforts of regularity on NFL rosters.  In a culture that had an established prototype for successful professional quarterbacks (Caucasian, pocket passers), it took the work of many to bring the game to the level of acceptance that is showcased today.

It dates back at least to Joe Gilliam, who lost his job to Terry Bradshaw in Pittsburgh.  Doug Williams broke the color barrier with a Super Bowl win for the Redskins and Warren Moon showcased the great success black quarterbacks could have for a long career.

Nevertheless, even dating through to Donovan McNabb, there's a public perception about the position that is hard to eradicate.  Steve McNair came as close as anyone to proving his naysayers absolutely wrong.

Despite the loss, Super Bowl XXXIV may have been his finest day as a professional athlete.  At the very least, it was his finest half of football as a quarterback.

The second half of the game saw Rams defenders nursing a precarious lead.  The team had been ahead 16-0, but heavy doses of RB Eddie George and the playmaking of QB Steve McNair had St. Louis defenders sucking for air.  In 25 minutes of football dominance, the Titans erased the Rams lead and tied the game, only to trail 23-16 after a Warner bomb late in the fourth quarter.

Enter: "Air" McNair.  Providing irony to his nickname, McNair did his work largely on the ground.  Fledgling Rams defenders slid down the quarterback's lumbering legs as he powered his way toward a tying score.

On the highlight play of the drive, McNair scrambled and was seemingly going to be sacked by two Rams defenders.  He used his arm to maintain balance, escaped a tackle and as he regained composure, rifled a pass downfield to Kevin Dyson, setting up the 1st-and-goal of infamy. 

The Titans took a timeout, and on the final play of the game, fell just short.  Despite the shortcoming, Steve McNair's heart was on proud display in the second half of a great football game.  It was arguably his proudest moment, though he'd likely have never admitted it.

3) Comeback

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F363722 58: (NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA SALES ONLY) Dexter McCleon (#21) of the St Louis Rams tries to tackle running back Eddie George of the Tennessee Titans during Super Bowl XXXIV between the St Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans on January 30, 2000. The Ra

The comeback has been mentioned, but it deserves its own consideration.  Super Bowl history is decidedly in favor of teams whose leads reach double-digits.

Only one team had ever overcome a 10-point deficit on Super Sunday:  the Washington Redskins in a 42-10 drubbing of the Denver Broncos.

It was obvious that the Titans had to be concerned after falling behind 16-0 early in the second half.  Kurt Warner had moved the ball relentlessly on Tennessee, but they'd managed to keep the score close, 9-0.  The touchdown by the Rams to expand their lead seemed to potentially break the game wide open.

Lesser teams would have gone into shootout mode.  Panic would have set in, and the game could have easily gotten out of hand.

The Titans drew strength from each other, and they played like a team.  Ultimately, it would be too late, but that doesn't negate the comeback that was nearly realized that day in Georgia.

Eddie George pounded the front line, and as the Rams fell to the brink of exhaustion, Steve McNair began to find open running lanes.  With the defense of the Rams being forced to the line of scrimmage, passing lanes finally formed.  The Titans offense found synergy against their worn opponents.

The result was three consecutive scoring drives to tie the game, followed by a drive that nearly resulted in the first overtime in Super Bowl history. 

2) Walt Disney's "Kurt Warner"

The story of Kurt Warner was more far-fetched than the Hollywood imagination.  Only in a family movie could such a perfect ending be conceived. 

Walt Disney, meet reality.

Warner earned $5.50 per hour at Hy-Vee grocery store.  Supposing that he was a hard-worker, 50 hours per week would have earned him a monthly gross of $1,100.  A quarterback earning the league minimum at the time would earn $225,000 annually, or $18,750 per month. 

Consider the NFL season is only four months long for most teams, the actual pay per month during the regular season would have been around $50,000.  If that quarterback were to throw 300 passes in that particular season (unlikely, considering their earnings), the gross pay per pass would have been $750.

In other words, the worst NFL quarterbacks of 1999 would have made more money than Kurt Warner in a given month after having thrown only two passes.  Uno...dos...

Not only would Warner break free from the shackles that bound his talent, he would go on to be one of the most elite quarterbacks in NFL history.  He is the all-time leader in postseason completion percentage and quarterback rating.  He has more yards than any quarterback in Super Bowl history.

And, it all began with no warning, as he stormed the NFL in 1999 with 41 touchdowns.

By 2008, he was leading the Arizona Cardinals (yes, those Cardinals) to the Super Bowl, earning approximately $4 million.  His 598 passes amounted to over $6,000 per pass.

For a good man, it's a great story.  For a great man, it's a better story.  That's Kurt Warner. 

Besides the money, Kurt was the type of guy you could urge your children to look up to—an aggressive field general who took the game seriously and lived a fine personal life.  1999 saw Warner become nearly all of the NFL rave, deservedly.  All money aside, Warner knew that life was bigger and the turn of the century saw a fine man realize his potential as a great quarterback. 

Even a 49ers fan had to have a twitch of goodwill in their heart seeing Kurt accomplish his dreams.  Okay, maybe not.

Warner's final pass of the season won the Rams' first Super Bowl, 23-16. 

Stocking shelves gave way to shelving opponents.  Make no mistake that his may have been the biggest story heading into a Super Bowl in the history of the NFL.

1) "The Tackle"

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ATLANTA - JANUARY 30: Kevin Dyson #87 of the Tennessee Titans reaches for the end zone with the ball as Mike Jones #52 of the St. Louis Rams tackles him on the last play of the game during the Super Bowl XXXIV Game at the Georgia Dome on January 30, 2000

There have been a number of close calls in the Super Bowl.

Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning and Joe Montana have led teams on game-winning drives to win the Lombardi Trophy late in the fourth quarter.

Yet, only two...TWO...

Only two Super Bowls have been decided by less than a few yards.

In Super Bowl XXV, the Bills narrowly lost to the Giants on a low-percentage field-goal attempt by Scott Norwood.  Statistically, the odds of the field goal being made were below 40 percent, so the miss shouldn't be thought of as a choke or an upset.  The result may have been an upset, but the kick met expectations. 

The other game was this great finale to a season of improbable success stories and amazing talent.

As Kevin Dyson caught a ball in stride and headed for the goal line, linebacker Mike Jones stretched out and got his hands around the receiver.  Dyson twisted and lunged for the end zone... and the point of the ball fell precariously short of the goal line. 

A sliver of green laid between the brown ball and that all-important white goal line.  No sliver has been slimmer in deciding the outcome of the NFL's pinnacle game.

No sliver has been slimmer.

I find it hard to believe 10 games rank ahead of this one in any category.  Super Bowl XXXIV was a classic affair that deserves far more acclaim than it receives.