Can we please forget the halftime?

Super Bowl legacy

Dave Price

So, what is the legacy of Super Bowl XXXVIII going to turn out to be, the New England Patriots or Janet Jackson? C'mon, would somebody give me a break?

After watching the Patriots and Carolina Panthers battle toe-to-toe in one of the better Super Bowl games ever, it's simply terrible that so much attention since Sunday has been focused on Janet Jackson. Was the halftime peep show whereh Janet Jackson lost some apparel at the hands of Justin Timberlake an accident or was it planned? Does it really matter? Janet Jackson was probably the least offensive part of that entire halftime show.

I mean, who are the real boobs here, anyway?

NFL officials have said they are appalled. The FCC says it plans to investigate the incident. CBS has apologized. One spokesman went so far to appear on television and describe the Super Bowl as a sacred event that is viewed by the entire family.

Idealistically, we like to think of the Super Bowl as a family show, but remember, Sunday also brought us a beer commercial that showed a Clydesdale passing wind. By the way, CBS charged an average of $2.3 million for 30-second commercials that were seen by an estimated 90 million television viewers worldwide.

What's wrong with this picture?

Oh, I'm glad to have missed a chance to see the streaker who appeared on the field just before the second half kickoff - until he was leveled by Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham and then carried off by security personnel.

But, please, folks. Tell me Janet Jackson didn't overshadow a great football game.

I had no particular interest in the outcome, although I will admit to having some sympathy toward the Panthers in their bid to win the Super Bowl for the first time. I pulled for Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme to have a good game, just because he had carried the label of mediocre player from the time he took over for Rodney Peete in week one through the rest of the season. All he did was give a 323-yard passing performance and nearly pull off a major comeback as he led the Panthers to three fourth-quarter touchdowns.

At the same time, I enjoyed the performance put on by New England quarterback Tom Brady, who 354 yards and three touchdowns and should now be regarded as one of the NFL's premiere quarterbacks. He threw an interception in the end zone that could have proven fatal, however, he directed the game-winning drive when the game was on the line at the end.

I remember back to the early part of the 2001 season when Patriots fans agonized when coach Bill Belichick left Drew Bledsoe on the bench and went with young Brady. Most of those fans thought the Patriots would never win a championship with Brady, and here he has two Super Bowl titles and two Super Bowl MVP awards. And he is a class act.

So is kicker Adam Vinatieri, who shook off two missed field goals earlier in the game and came back to kick the game-winner with four seconds remaining. It was also Vinatieri who kicked the game-winner to beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17 in 2002.

Figure in the Rams' 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in 2001 - which remained in doubt until a tackle on the goal line as time expired - and we've had three pretty exciting Super Bowl games in the last five years. Sunday was a game to remember, too. Can we just forget the halftime show, please.

Dave Price is a sports writer for the Nevada Appeal