January 25, 2000, Singapore . . . Here it comes. The biggest American football game of the year, Super Bowl XXXIV, is between the champions of the AFC (Tennessee Titans) and the NFC (St. Louis Rams). ESPN is proud to bring full LIVE coverage of the first Super Bowl in the new millennium from Georgia Dome in Atlanta at 07:00, January 31 (Hong Kong/Singapore time).
These are two of the unlikeliest Super Bowl contestants in recent memory. Last season the Titans (then the Oilers) were a modest 8-8, while the Rams were 4-12. That makes this the first time since 1981 that two teams who were .500 or worse in the previous season have reached the big game. (That game in 81, incidentally, featured the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals in one of the best ever Super Bowls!).
Both clubs have great stories to tell.
St. Louis Rams:
In St Louis’ case it’s the miraculous rise to stardom of quarterback Kurt Warner — unknown who’d played his trade in the indoor Arena League and in NFL Europe. Preferred starter Trent Green was injured in the pre-season and Warner got his chance, grabbing it gratefully and leading the high-powered offence to an impressive 13-3 mark, winning the NFC West Division.
Warner joined Dan Marino as the only QBs to throw for 40 touchdowns in a regular season and racked up over 4,000 passing yards. His rise from obscurity to NFL MVP was the most remarkable aspect of the Rams’ amazing turnaround. They also enjoyed the benefits of a revitalised Marshall Faulk at running back and receiver Isaac Bruce has led an impressive receiving corps.
At the beginning of the season Head coach Dick Vermeil must have thought he had missed the boat of Super Bowl glory. In his first two seasons with the Rams they’d gone a combined 9-23, finishing last in the division. But after years of commitment in the NFL he gets his chance.
The Rams got here by beating the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Divisional game two weeks ago in a high-scoring 49-37 affair, which the Rams salted away after building a 49-17 lead in the fourth quarter. Then they ground out a tough 11-6 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC title game. The worrying aspect of that game was how the Rams were held to a low score by the Bucs’ defence but they still found a way to win.
This is only the second time the Rams have reached the Super Bowl. The last time was after the 1979 season when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Back then, the Rams were based in Los Angeles.
Tennessee Titans:
For Tennessee this is even more of a novelty. In their 40-year history the franchise, for so long the Houston Oilers, have never been to a Super Bowl and are only the sixth wild-card team ever to reach the big game.
The wild-card tag is a bit deceptive as Jeff Fisher’s crew were 13-3 in the regular season. They have employed a stifling defence in which the rookie Jevon Kearse has been awesome at defensive end. On offence the Titans have Steve ‘Sir’ McNair at QB. McNair, one of a select band of QBs from non-major colleges to take a team to the Super Bowl, proved with his performance that he is the most mobile signal-caller in the business. Running back Eddie George, who had 25 carries for 86 yards in last week’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, is another potent Titan ground threat.
Tennessee have been a team of destiny ever since their miraculous winning play in the wild-card game against the Buffalo Bills when Kevin Dyson ran a blistering 75-yard TD with three seconds to go. They followed up with a hard-fought 19-16 win against the highly-rated Peyton Manning lead Indianapolis Colts. Last week they completed a unique treble when they beat the Jaguars 33-14 in the AFC title game. That was the third time this season the Titans had beaten the Jags, the only defeats Jacksonville suffered all season!
All these have been road wins but that is no surprise for the nomadic franchise. In the past four years they have played in three home cities (Houston, Memphis and Nashville) and four home stadiums. The name changed from Oilers to Titans this season and they moved in to their own modern purpose built arena.
The Titans will have the psychological edge in this game – they’ve already beaten the Rams this season, becoming the first club to beat St Louis 24-21 in week seven.
The game coverage will begin at 07:00 with Al Michaels and Boomer Esiason from ABC Sports in the broadcast booth with Lesley Visser on the sidelines. There will be 23 stationary cameras, six handheld, a ‘1st & Ten’ electronic first-down marker and two remote-pan and tilt cameras on field goal posts to bring the highest visual satisfaction to viewers.
Country music star Faith Hill will sing the national anthem before the game and Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias and Toni Braxton will join more than 125 drummers and percussionists, a full symphony orchestra, larger-than-life puppets, aerial dancers and a multi-generational choir for the halftime show.
The Rams vs. the Titans plus a star-studded annual carnival adds up to an unlikely Super Bowl lineup that promises a fantastic game at football’s 34th showpiece.
NFL Football LIVE on ESPN
Jan 31: 07:00 (L) / 16:00 (R) Feb 1
Super Bowl XXXIV: Tennessee Titans vs. St Louis Rams
All times Hong Kong/ Singapore. Schedule subject to change. Away team first.
For the latest schedules and program information on ESPN STAR Sports, catch us on the net at www.espnstar.com
Or contact Edward Yip, Program Publicity Manager at:
Phone: (65) 488 6422 Fax: (65) 488 6308 Email: yipe@espnstar.com