They Wrote It

Excerpts from stories and columns originating from Super Bowl XXIX:

Remember that shadow over Steve Young that we have talked about for the past few years? The shadow Young couldn’t escape? The infamous shadow of Joe Montana? Well, if you were watching carefully, you might have seen that spectral image lifting off Young’s shoulders Sunday evening, rising through the mist and drizzle, and landing who knows where - maybe Kansas City. It happened with 4:44 left in the second quarter after Young had just thrown his fourth touchdown pass of the half, on his 14th completion in 18 attempts. Only an imbecile would ask seriously, “Joe Who?” But only a crank would deny that Young was out from under Joe’s shadow, and into his own white light. Nobody ever threw six touchdown passes in a Super Bowl before, not even the guy with the baby blues wearing No. 16.

- Tony Kornheiser, Washington Post

All week long, they talked about not giving up the big play, about keeping the ball in front of them instead of chasing it from behind.

All week long, they talked about how they would make the 49ers struggle for every point, about how they would keep it close by forcing San Francisco to make its way down the field by inches, not huge chunks of yards.

So much for the San Diego Chargers’ game plan, which held up for, oh, all of two plays in Super Bowl XXIX.

- Bob Glauber, Newsday

If you watched San Francisco’s 49-26 win over San Diego Sunday in the Super Bowl, what you saw in San Francisco quarterback Steve Young was a man at the height of his power.

This was Arthur on the day he pulled Excalibur from the stone, Elvis Presley before he got fat, Michael Jordan before he started swinging at baseballs.

- Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer

Hail, Steve. Hail, Jerry. Hail a cab. With apologies to the new NFL champions, was there ever a more pointless finale? Was there ever a Super Bowl where for two weeks every reporter, analyst, talk-show host and bartender said the exact same thing - the 49ers will eat ‘em for breakfast - and they were still understated?

This wasn’t football, it was a swearing-in ceremony. And no one dared interrupt, least of all the San Diego Chargers, who, near as we can tell, were sent to play this game because they insulted somebody very important in the NFL front office.

- Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press

It was all downhill after Kathie Lee Gifford turned the game over to her husband.

As dull as her rendition of the National Anthem was Sunday night at the Super Bowl, it was Streisand compared to the performance of the San Diego Chargers.

- John Nelson, Associated Press

The toughest thing for the San Francisco 49ers to win all day was the coin flip.

- Allan Malamud, Los Angeles Times

As expected, San Francisco and San Diego went at it hammer and thumb Sunday.

The NFL can’t say it wasn’t warned. Never have so many been so right about so little.

This was not a Super Bowl as much as a confirmed aroma, and the NFL better heed all the held noses today because no amount of air freshener can conceal the stench of this one.

- Bernie Lincicome, Chicago Tribune

Among the blizzard of records set Sunday was most Super Bowl parties deflated before dip of initial chip (14,813,414). The total would have been higher except an estimated 7 million parties were called off two weeks ago when the enormity of what happened Sunday became apparent to the realists.

- Art Thiel, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The San Francisco 49ers’ fifth Super Bowl ring is “One For The Thumb.” And it’s also “One For The Dumb” - that is, anyone who thought the San Diego Chargers had a tourist’s-chance-in-Miami of surviving.

- Mike Fisher, Fort Worth StarTelegram