As promised, my assessment of Super Bowl MVPs I-V (that's 1 through 5 for the non-Romans in the room). I'll wait to start while you process the fact that I was able to deliver on a promised time frame.
Reminder- I am rating the quality of the MVP selection with this scale:
5- Hands down the best player in Super Bowl (X). No way anyone else wins this award.
4- Played an exceptional game, but there were a couple other worthy candidates.
3- Played a good game, but so did many/zero others
2- Played okay, probably should have been a different MVP
1- Do the voters even watch football?
Up to speed? Good...cause here we go!
-Super Bowl I
The outcome: Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10
The MVP: Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay
Worthiness: 4
The why: 16 completions in 23 attempts for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns (with 1 interception), Starr played a very solid game, mixing up excellent game management with some nice stats. Indeed, this was a top-to-bottom case of NFL-whoop ass put to the AFL, and Starr was the poster boy for the effort.
Who else: You could make a case for Max McGee, who caught 7 passes for 138 yards and two scores- a performance which is even more impressive because McGee was a little used back-up who only played because of an injury to Boyd Dowler. Those passes had to get there somehow, though. Elijah Pitts scored 2 times on the ground- but only had 45 yards rushing- so he's out. The only other players that I would consider being options would be Willie Wood (who had a very key 50 yard interception return early in the second half to help turn an unexpectedly close game into Packer rout) and Len Dawson. I really don't know what else Wood did, so it'd be tough to name him the MVP based on one play. And Dawson had a nice game- but his stats were not as good as Starr's, and his team only managed 10 points. Kinda hard to justify an MVP award to a player whose team just got shellacked by 25.
Good job voters.
- Super Bowl II
The outcome: Green Bay Packers 33, Oakland Raiders 14
The MVP: Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay
Worthiness: 3
The why: Because when an entire team lays the smackdown, you have to pick someone to be the representative Smackdowner. Seriously, this Green Bay dominance stuff is getting old. Starr didn't have flashy stats this time around, but he again was the engineer in the Packer War Machine. He was 13-24 for 202 yards and a touchdown (0 turnovers). Oh, and he had a 14 yard run. So he averaged 14 yards per carry. That's actually very impressive.
Who else: Unfortunately, not really anybody else had a stand-out game on paper- hence Starr's second straight MVP award. Bill Miller of the Raiders snagged 5 balls for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns- but one of those was in garbage time, and those numbers aren't all that impressive. Don Chandler went 4-4 on field goals for the Pack- but the Super Bowl MVP award would have lost all credibility if a kicker got to win it. Football is a mans game- never mind that it starts with the word 'foot'.
-Super Bowl III
The outcome: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7
The MVP: Joe Namath, QB, New York
Worthiness: 3
The why: I almost wanted to go with a 2 here- Namath had decent stats (17-28 for 206 yards), but had no touchdown passes. And as I read about this game, it really came across as a Colts loss as much as it was a Jets win. Additionally, there were some other (in my mind) more realistic options as far as being the 'Most Valuable' player goes. Nonetheless, I feel that Namath does have some stake to a credible claim given the historic nature of the upset victory and no glaring mistakes- and the fact that his legs are simply fabulous.
Who else: There's actually a decent list of suspects here. Let's start with Matt Snell. The bruising fullback was a huge part of the Jets' ball control attack with 30 rushes for 121 yards and the Jets only touchdown. He also caught 4 passes for 40 yards. George Sauer, Jr. also had a stand-out game at wide receiver for the Jets, with 8 catches for 133 yards. I also submit to evidence the name of New York cornerback Randy Beverly- his two interceptions both thwarted Colts' drives deep in Jets territory. And finally, Jets tackle Winston Hill, for playing a significant role in plowing holes for Snell and protecting Namath. From the Colts, I almost said Tom Matte...until I read that 58 of his 116 yards came on one play and he had a fumble that led to Jets points. Sorry Tom- I know that sometimes losers can be winners, but alas my friend, there shall be no soup for you.
New Pick: Broadway Joe-you played well, and certainly didn't do anything poorly- but I feel like your accomplishments were a byproduct of the real Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl III- Matt Snell.
-Super Bowl IV
The outcome: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7
The MVP: Len Dawson, QB, Kansas City
Worthiness: 2
The why: Jeez, I'm starting to feel like 'Super Bowl MVP' is a misnomer for 'Who Had The Better Quarterback/Less Bad One'. Yes, yes, this was a different era, and I've spent the last few years partaking of an NFL where the forward pass is king and players are wussies. Still though- that's no excuse for one sided games and lowish statistics. Not when it comes to deciding who is the Most Valuable Player in the NFL's biggest game of the season. Dawson did have a sterling completion percentage (12 for 17)...but only 142 yards (46 of which came on one play) and 1 touchdown pass (which came late in the third quarter) that was offset by an interception.
Who else: Unfortunately for the sanctity of the award- there really was nobody else. Maybe the Entire Chiefs Defense should have got it- they forced 5 turnovers, had 3 sacks, and held the Vikings to 67 yards rushing and 7 points (20 points below their average). Jan Stenerud would have also been a candidate- if you honestly believe that a kicker is legitimately a football player. Honestly, the most impressive statistical performance came from wide receiver John Henderson from the Vikings- 7 catches for 111 yards. True, it's not the best wide receiver numbers ever- but golly gee it looks like a much better stat line for an MVP than the one that Dawson posted.
(It should be noted here that I understand the sway that numbers hold- they don't tell the whole story, and it's possible to be deceived by numbers- each way. Sometimes they are more impressive than the actual quality of the performance- and sometimes they aren't as remarkable as what just transpired. Also, I'm conducting this 'analysis' from boxscores and game recaps. Forget the grain of salt- you probably have to take this with a whole block. Nonetheless- you can't tell me that a true MVP at quarterback couldn't put up better numbers than Dawson did. I will not be convinced.)
-Super Bowl V
The outcome: Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13
The MVP: Chuck Howley, LB, Dallas
The worthiness: 0 (I know this goes against the scale- but Oh. My. Goodness. Nobody that played in this game deserved to be known as the Most Valuable Anything)
The why: Because 1971 is the most progressive year in history. It has to be- I don't even need to look at anything else that happened to know this. I mean, come on- not only was a non-quarterback named Super Bowl MVP for the first time- but he was a defensive player! On the losing team! Now THATS progressive. Howley picked off a pair of passes and recorded an undisclosed number of tackles and sacks.
Who else: Ugh. Just ugh. Turnover fest central. I couldn't even make it through the recap without making a run to the toilet- I can't imagine actually having to watch this. Whether all these turnovers happened because of sloppy football, advances on the defensive side of the ball, or the fact that the teams were still adjusting to belonging to the same league- this was not a pretty game, at all. I think the fact that a defensive player from the losing team was named MVP speaks volumes about this point.
New Pick: Jim O'Brien, K, Baltimore. For kicking the game winning field goal with 5 seconds left- the football equivalent of a mercy killing.
Well, that was Super Bowls I-V. Not too impressed with the Super Bowl MVPs up to this point- but fortunately there are still 40 Super Bowls to provide redemption!
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