With Super Bowl XLI this Sunday, Herald Sports picked the All-Time Super Bowl team, position by position.
QB — Joe Montana defines Super Bowl success. Joe Cool was super smooth in the Big Game, quarterbacking the 49ers to four rings. In three of those victories he was named the game's MVP — a Super Bowl record. Montana twice engineered fourth-quarter comebacks in the Big Game, and still owns six Super Bowl records. Most impressive about Montana's performances is his absurd 11 touchdowns to zero interceptions ratio.
RB — It took John Elway a long time to win a Super Bowl. Maybe if he had had Terrell Davis earlier in his career, it would have happened sooner. Despite suffering from a migraine headache, Davis literally carried Elway and the Broncos to an upset win in Super Bowl XXXII versus the Packers, rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns. Davis followed that performance up by gaining 152 total yards a year later in another Denver Super Bowl win.
FB — Playing in three consecutive Super Bowls, Larry Csonka bulled and bowled his way through countless defenders as the most punishing option in Miami's triple-threat attack also featuring Jim Kiick and Mercury Morris.
Csonka was named MVP of Super Bowl VIII after carrying Viking defenders for 145 yards and scoring two touchdowns in the process.
WR — The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the NFL in the '70s. The "men of steel" won four Super Bowl championships and appeared in the playoffs six consecutive years from '74 to '79.
Highlighting those Super Bowl teams was wide receiver Lynn Swann. Swann played in four Super Bowls, and was named Super Bowl X MVP for his four-catch, 161-yard game. Those four catches included Swann corralling a 64-yard touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw and making a juggling 53-yard reception while falling over a Dallas defender in one of the Super Bowl's most endearing images. All told, Swann ended his Super Bowl career with 398 all-purpose yards and three scores.
The most consistent wide receiver of all time got it done in the postseason too. In four Super Bowl appearances, Jerry Rice accumulated a record eight touchdowns, 589 receiving yards, one MVP and most importantly, three rings.
In Super Bowl XXIII, Rice snatched 11 balls for 215 yards — both single-game records — including making several key catches on San Francisco's late game-winning drive.
TE — At a position where nobody has had a noteworthy performance, Jay Novacek makes the all-time team. He is one of a handful of players to have won three Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII and XXX) and is the only tight end.
Novacek led the 'Boys in receptions with seven during their 52-17 drubbing of the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII, including a 23-yard touchdown pass from Aikman to knot the score up at seven apiece.
Although his other two Super Bowls weren't as impressive, Novacek did manage to find paydirt to help upend Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX.
For his three appearances in the NFL's biggest game, Novacek caught 17 balls for 148 yards and 2 scores.
OL — The entire Cowboys Offensive Line of the early 1990s makes the team.
Running back Emmitt Smith wouldn't have been able to win the MVP award of Super Bowl XVIII on 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns if it wasn't for the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line. No offense to Smith, but the Cowboys' line of the early '90s may go down as one of the best in history.
Headlined by guard Nate Newton, Dallas' bruising O-line helped the Cowboys win back-to-back Super Bowls in 1993 and 1994, and another in 1996.
Tackles Mark Tuinei and Erik Williams were by Newton's side for Dallas' three championships in the '90s while bad boy Larry Allen jumped on board in 1996.
DL –The first real free agent in football was considered the missing piece to helping the Packers return to the Super Bowl. During his time in green and gold, White became the franchise's all-time sack leader and led the Pack back to the Super Bowl for the first time nearly 30 years. Against New England in Super Bowl XXXI, White was constantly in the Patriots backfield, sacking Drew Bledsoe a Super Bowl record three times.
Representing arguably the best team in NFL history, defensive end Richard Dent and the Chicago Bears stomped New England 46-10 to win Super Bowl XX. With a hand in two quarterback sacks and a pass, plus forcing two fumbles, Dent was named the game's MVP.
One of Dallas' best defensive lineman corps, Randy White and Harvey Martin shared the MVP award in Super Bowl XII. Dallas defeated Denver 27-10 thanks to eight forced fumbles and constant pressure from White and Martin.
Martin still holds numerous Cowboys records, including most sacks in a season (23) and is considered one of the best pure pass-rushers of all time.
Linebackers — Dallas linebacker Chuck Howley became the first defensive player to win MVP honors and remains the only recipient to come from the losing side. In Super Bowl V, Howley picked two balls and recovered a fumble in the Cowboys' 16-13 loss to the Colts.
He won his only ring the following year when Dallas thumped Miami 24-3.
Ravens anchorman Ray Lewis led Baltimore back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1971 with perhaps the best defensive team in NFL history.
For his fantastic season and contributions in holding the Giants to zero offensive points in Super Bowl XXXV, Lewis was named the game's MVP.
Perhaps the greatest linebacker of all time, New York's Giant Lawrence Taylor rounds out the top three. In 1986, Taylor won the regular-season MVP unanimously — the first defensive player to win outright — and led the Giants to a 39-20 rout over the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI.
Taylor picked up a second ring when the New York eked by Buffalo 20-19 in Super Bowl XXV.
Safeties — Dolphin Jake Scott had probably the most productive Super Bowl of all time for a safety, returning kicks and athletically picking off two Billy Kilmer passes in Super Bowl VII to help seal Miami's perfect 17-0 season. The Dolphins defeated the Redskins 14-7 as Kilmer had one of the worst passing days in championship game history thanks largely to Scott's ball hawking ability. For his efforts, Scott was named the game's MVP.
Dexter Jackson was the MVP of the Buccaneers Super Bowl win in 2003, intercepting two Gannon passes and setting the tone of the game early — a game, which quickly turned into a blowout. It was fitting that a member of the Bucs "D" won the award because it had been the best all season long.
Cornerbacks — Dallas cornerback Larry Brown was Super Bowl XXX's MVP with two second-half interceptions in the Cowboys' 27-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it was Deion Sanders' shutdown defense that was the difference.
Super Bowl XXX was Sanders' second Super Bowl win in as many years as he helped the 49ers win Super Bowl XXIX.
Sanders is the only player in NFL history to record an interception and catch a pass on offense in the Super Bowl.
Jets quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed a win in Super Bowl III and cornerback Randy Beverly helped him seal the deal with two key interceptions — both in the endzone to prevent potential Colts' touchdowns.
Return man — In the Packers 35-21 win over the Patriots, Desmond Howard became the first special teams player to be named Super Bowl MVP. His Super Bowl record 99-yard kickoff return sealed the victory for Green Bay. He set another Big Game record with his 90-yard punt return, and tied the record for return yards with 244. With out a doubt, the former Heisman winner is the best return man in Super Bowl history.
Kicker — Super Bowl XLI will be Adam Vinatieri's fifth (he has won three). Regarded as one of the game's all-time greatest clutch kickers, Vinatieri booted a 48-yard field goal on the game's final play to lift the Patriots to a 20-17 victory over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Vinatieri was a big reason why the Patriots were even in Louisiana. During a blizzard, "Iceman" knocked home a game-tying 45-yard field goal against Oakland in the game's closing seconds. He later won it for New England in overtime.
Two Super Bowl's later, with the score knotted at 29 apiece, Vinatieri coolly hit a 41-yarder with four seconds left to send Carolina home empty-handed.
Punter — Despite the Seahawks' 21-10 loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL, Seattle punter Tom Rouen did all he could to help on special teams.
While he had plenty of chances to boot the ball (six) with a stagnant Seahawks offense, Rouen holds the Super Bowl record for highest punting average with 50.2 yards.
Rouen is second on the highest career Super Bowl punting average as he also played for the Broncos' back-to-back Super Bowl teams in 1998 and 1999, but wasn't needed to punt as often as he did in 2006.
In three career games, Rouen punted 11 times for 482 yards, an average of 43.8 yards per punt.
Coach — Other coaches have won more Super Bowls, but no coach epitomizes greatness more than Vince Lombardi. Heck, the championship trophy is named after him. "Saint Vince" wrote the book on how to win the big game, coaching the Packers to wins in the NFL's first two Super Bowls. Had his career not been winding down at the start of the Big Game, or had the format started before 1967, Lombardi may have ended up with a hand full of rings.
