18 years ago Today: Super Bowl XXXIII
It's certainly not the best memory for Atlanta Falcons fans, or Atlanta sports fans as whole, but there's a good reason to bring this game up.
Super Bowl XXXIII was the coronation of John Elway, as he walked off into the sunset with his second Lombardi Trophy in his last two years as quarterback, but it was the pinnacle representation of the Falcons organization for years to come.
An organization that has never experienced consistency for more than three-years at a time went from a losing season to the Super Bowl to a losing season, then drafted Michael Vick and hopped on the rollercoaster of his career until it went off the rails.
Until Matt Ryan, the franchise participated in the NFL for 40+ years without back-to-back winning seasons. No other team has taken that long to make that kind of achievement and it probably wont happen anytime soon.
The objective in remembering this loss is to appreciate just how far this organization has come. The media will jest that there aren't any Atlanta sports fans, the pundits will compare the luster Boston sports culture to Atlanta's lack of.
And you may think it's not fair, but that's okay because no matter the outcome, this organization has already proven all of analysts wrong by being here. (even me.)
As for the game itself, it was closer than the score might've portrayed. Not to go cliche on you, but the score didn't tell the entire story.
For the first half, the Falcons had several red zone opportunities, only converting them into six points. It was the kind of night for the Falcons where even the NFL's all time leading scorer was missing 26-yard chip shots. The NFL's second leading rusher wasn't getting opportunities to put on his Dirty Bird Dance. The quarterback was mauled by a devastating pass rush scheme.
Not much was working in the Falcons favor during the game, and that theme started before the game got going.
Falcons safety Eugene Robinson was awarded the Walter Peyton Man of the Year award the day before the Super Bowl, and then arrested for soliciting prostitutes that same night - less than 24 hours before kickoff.
It undoubtedly had an effect in preparing for the game as all focus shifted from the game to something off the field. I'm not going to say it directly affected the play, and for that matter the 80-yard touchdown pass that broke the game wide open, but it altered the preparation and mindset.
In addition to Eugene Robinson, even the media day was a circus for the Falcons, as players wore dog collars and barked on the podium. While the Falcons were a fun bunch back then, its a brand that can only take you so far - ask the Panthers last year if they would take back some dabs for a championship ring.
This years Falcons are not under that brand. As you might've been able to tell from media day last night, this team is not going to give you any headlines. They answered the questions without giving anything away. They didn't give New England 'bulletin-board material' and they especially didn't bark with a dog collar on.
So while it's a tough reminder of bad loss, it is relieving to know that the brand of this team has changed and there's a true championship mindset in Houston.