Who will you root for next Sunday? A team stocked with old-timers seeking a Super Bowl as their careers wind down, or a younger assemblage of players who put their team on the Super Bowl map for the first time?
Each year I seem to get a little more into the NFL, but I never could claim to be an expert on it. It's been a part of my life, going back to middle school lunch and breakfast conversations that I overheard or was in the middle of.
Raised by a father who took great pride in not knowing the score of the Super Bowl until after it was over, I'd pick up on names of good players and teams and occasionally would rephrase what I'd heard or even watch a game with a good friend. Even so, one name that particularly stuck out, and still does, is wide receiver Jerry Rice of the Oakland Raiders.
Rice's mere presence is reason enough to tune in to next Sunday's Super Bowl matchup against Tampa Bay. Often called the greatest player ever to set his feet on a football field, Rice turned 40 last October and his level of play hasn't let up one iota over the last year. This season, in fact, the man from Crawford, Miss. has had his best single season yardage total in six years. In 1998 he overcame two knee surgeries that would have forced many 35-year-old athletes into retirement.
Rice is a workhorse, but we all know that. That is why, year in and year out, it was cliche to see the year-ending highlights of America's favorite wide receiver in a 49ers uniform. It almost didn't make sense to see Rice move across town to Oakland two years ago, but the man of consistency would be at his peak wherever he played.
What I eventually learned from football is that a good offense needs a bunch of quality role players and a strong combination of three different players: a thrower and a runner, a thrower and a catcher, or a runner and a catcher.
That's this columnist's point of view, but how could we remember Rice's spectacular end-zone catches without his ability to run the field?
Rice is one of the central stories of this Super Bowl, and one of the great players who has won everything and will not lose any points among football fans as long as he steps on the field and puts forth effort.
Putting the spotlight on Rice reminds me of when legendary quarterback John Elway was the MVP of the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos in 1999.
Wide receivers aren't expected to carry the load, which of course is why football is all about team, and Oakland certainly has the weapons. Rich Gannon has received as much publicity as any quarterback in the league this year, and he also is among the number of veteran Raiders who may be going for their last shot at the Super Bowl.
Gannon's accomplishments might not equal those of the former player on the initiating end of Rice's breathtaking plays in San Francisco -- Steve Young -- but he has a resume that is not too shabby among the NFL greats of today, and recently receiving the Most Valuable Player award.
Given the experience its leaders have, it's unlikely Oakland will overlook its opponent, undoubtedly having its best season ever.
Another part of my personal football history must come across to explain the irony of this year's Super Bowl. I have been a fan of teams who have either a great player or that quarterback-receiver or quarterback-runner combo I can recognize. Without looking much at the Tampa Bay squad, I've rooted against them.
But last week, when the savior of the game was corner back Ronde Barber, a former Virginia Cavalier, I had nothing but praise for the Bucs as they overcame the Tennessee Titans in the NFC championship game. Ronde's twin brother Tiki, also a Virginia alum, came up short on glory after a historic run to the Super Bowl with the New York Giants. It would be a storybook picture for Ronde and the Bucs to complete the task for the Barber twins. It'll also be great to see wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, always a hero when I used to root for the Jets, get his first Super Bowl ring.
So, in the end, with more knowledge on both teams, I originally picked Oakland but will be happy with either team winning, and even if you've been a Rice fan all your life, as fellow Wahoos, you should be too.
I figure we owe that much to Rhonde and Tiki, anyhow.
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