Just unable to hold on
HOUSTON -- One of these days, Ricky Proehl is going to make The Catch. He thought he made it in New Orleans two years ago. He thought he made it at Reliant Stadium last night in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Each time, however, the catch that tied the game became a footnote to Adam Vinatieri's right foot.
"I felt like I was living a nightmare over and over again," Proehl said in the Carolina locker room, moments after the Patriots had defeated the Panthers, 32-29, to win their second NFL title in three years. "I was confident we could hold them at the end. But after that kickoff [which gave the Patriots the ball at their 40], I knew it was going to be an uphill battle because Tom Brady is such a good game manager."
Poor Proehl. It was his reception in New Orleans, a 26-yarder from Kurt Warner with 1:30 remaining, that rallied the Rams and tied Super Bowl XXXVI at 17. Vinatieri won that one as time expired. Last night, Proehl broke free and snared a 12-yard TD toss from Jake Delhomme with 68 seconds left to tie the game at 29. Vinatieri won it again, this time with four seconds to play.
"Right now," Proehl said, "I'm sick to my stomach. We were down 11, we came back, and we just ran out of time. The Patriots came out like it was their field. They tried to intimidate us. But we started to make some plays and score some points and you could see the look in their eyes. They knew they were in for a battle."
With the Panthers resorting to their passing game -- "down by 11, we had to start throwing the football," Delhomme said -- it was the Carolina wideouts who made big play after big play to make this one of the most closely contested Super Bowls ever. Proehl, who just finished his 14th NFL season, had four receptions for 71 yards, two of them in the drive that ended with the TD catch that tied the game. Another major player was Muhsin Muhammad, who had four catches for 140 yards, including an 85-yarder with 6:53 to play that gave Carolina a 22-21 lead.
Told afterward that the catch was the longest touchdown reception in Super Bowl history, Muhammad said, "No one's going to remember you scored the longest touchdown pass in the history of the Super Bowl in a losing effort."
Three of Muhammad's receptions came in the second half. The bomb from Delhomme was an absolute shocker. The Panthers had just taken over following a Reggie Howard interception in the end zone and had the ball at their 10. After a penalty and two incomplete passes, Muhammad broke down the left sideline, outrunning Patriots safety Eugene Wilson, who was injured on the play (hip flexor).
"I never quit on the play," Muhammad said.
That never-quit mantra typified Carolina's night. The only time the Panthers led was after Muhammad's touchdown. The lead lasted as long as it took MVP Brady to drive the Patriots 68 yards in 11 plays, making it a 29-22 game (following a successful 2-point conversion. Carolina failed on two of them).
There was 2:51 remaining. The Patriots were not only without Wilson, but soon would be without Rodney Harrison, who broke his right arm on Carolina's game-tying drive. The Patriots' starting safeties were both hurt, which not only helped Carolina's drive, but also concerned New England should the game have gone to overtime.
"These are the kind of games you live for," Muhammad said. "At that point, it was a shootout."
Delhomme connected with Muhammad (19 yards) and Proehl (31) to help move the ball from the Panthers' 20 all the way to the Patriots' 14. A short pass to tight end Kris Mangum was followed by the TD toss to Proehl, who was wide open in the right side of the end zone.
Deja vu, two years removed. And for Proehl and his teammates, the euphoria was short-lived.
"We thought we made the plays we needed to win the game," Muhammad said. "They just made one more play than we did. But I really think we can take something positive out of this game. We never lost faith. We never gave up. Both teams played their hearts out, but they made the big play at the end to win it."
