Super Bowl XXXIII: Encyclopedia II - Super Bowl XXXIII - Background

Super Bowl XXXIII - Background

Super Bowl XXXIII - Denver Broncos

After the Broncos won Super Bowl XXXII during the previous season, many wondered if 15-year veteran quarterback John Elway would retire now that he finally won a Super Bowl. But Elway decided to stay with Denver and see if he could lead them to a second consecutive championship. Under Elway's leadership, the Broncos stormed to the top of the AFC with a 14-2 regular record in 1998, winning their first 13 games before suffering their first loss to the New York Giants.

The Broncos' offense, under the leadership of Elway and running back Terrell Davis, had another outstanding regular season, ranking 2nd in the NFL with 501 points and gaining 6,276 yards (3rd in the league). Davis had one of the greatest seasons of any running back in NFL history, rushing for 2,008 yards, catching 25 passes for 217 yards, and scoring 23 touchdowns to earn him both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award. But Davis' rushing numbers did not reduce Elway's passing production. The 38-year old quarterback made the Pro Bowl for the 3rd year in a row and the 9th time time in his career, throwing for 2,806 yards and 22 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions. A big reason for Elway's passing success was that he had 2 Pro Bowl wide receivers and a Pro Bowl tight end to throw to. Wide Receivers Ed McCaffrey (64 receptions, 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns) and Rod Smith (86 receptions, 1,222 yards, 6 touchdowns and 66 rushing yards) provided the team with an outstanding deep threat, while tight end Shannon Sharpe (64 receptions, 786 yards and 10 touchdowns) was considered one of the best tight ends in NFL history. The Broncos also had 2 Pro Bowlers anchoring their offensive line: guard Tom Nalen and tackle Tony Jones.

The Broncos defense typically did not get as much attention as their offense, but it was still effective, giving up just 308 points (8th in the NFL). Up front, the line was anchored by defensive tackles Maa Tanuvasa and Trevor Price, who each recorded 8.5 sacks. Behind them, Pro Bowl linebacker Bill Romanowski was an expert in all aspects of defense, recording 55 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions. The defensive secondary was led by Pro Bowler Steve Atwater and Darrien Gordon, who led the team with 4 interceptions, which he returned for 125 yards and a touchdown. Gordon was also a great punt returner, returning 34 punts for 379 yards.

Super Bowl XXXIII - Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons advanced to their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Like the Broncos, they finished the 1998 regular season with a 14-2 record, including wins in all of their last 9 games. But unlike the Broncos, Atlanta's success in the 1998 season was very surprising to many because they had a 7-9 record in the previous season and a 3-13 record the year before that. In fact, the team recorded just 4 winning seasons in the last 20 years prior to 1998, and only 2 in the 1990's.

However, the Falcons's fortunes began to improve after Dan Reeves became their head coach in 1997. Reeves was Denver's head coach from 1981 to 1992 NFL season, leading the Elway-led Broncos to Super Bowls XXI, XXII, and XXIV. But they lost each one, including a 55-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV. After that, Reeves was in constant conflict with his coaching staff and some of his players for the next 3 years. He left Denver in 1993 and spent 4 seasons as the Giants head coach before joining the Falcons.

Pro Bowl quarterback Chris Chandler led Atlanta's offense extremely well, throwing for 3,154 yards, and 25 touchdowns, with just 12 interceptions, while also rushing for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wide receivers Tony Martin and Terance Mathis provided the team with a superb deep threat, each recording over 60 receptions and 1,100 receiving yards, while also combining for 17 touchdowns. But the biggest threat on offense was Pro Bowl running back Jamal Anderson, who rushed for 1,846 yards, caught 27 passes for 319 yards, and scored 16 total touchdowns. Rookie wide receiver Tim Dwight gave the team a great special teams attack, gaining a total of 1,236 yards and scoring a touchdown on kickoff and punt returns.

The Falcons defense ranked second in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed (1,203), eight in fewest total yards (5,009), and fourth in fewest points. Defensive linemen Lester Archambeau (10 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries) and Chuck Smith (8.5 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries) excelled at pressuring quarterbacks and stopping the run. Behind them, Atlanta had 2 outstanding linebackers, Pro Bowler Jessie Tuggle (65 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery) and Cornelius Bennett (69 tackles, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries). Bennett played with the Buffalo Bills when they suffered their 4 consecutive Super Bowl losses in XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXVIII; and thus was determined to finally get a championship ring that had eluded him in the past. Atlanta's secondary was led by Pro Bowl defensive back Ray Buchanan, who recorded 7 interceptions and 102 return yards, and Pro Bowl safety Eugene Robinson (4 interceptions), who was with the Green Bay Packers when they appeared in Super Bowls XXXI and XXXII.

Super Bowl XXXIII - Playoffs

The Broncos defeated the Miami Dolphins, 38-3, and the New York Jets, 23-10, in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Falcons were victorious against the San Francisco 49ers, 20-18, and the Minnesota Vikings, 30-27, in overtime.

Super Bowl XXXIII - Super Bowl pregame news

Much of the pregame hype before the game was centered around Elway confronting his former coach Reeves. Also, whether or not Elway would retire after the season (which he eventually did).

On the night before the Super Bowl, Falcons safety Eugene Robinson was arrested for the solicitation of prostitution the night before the game. While driving alone in a rented car along a downtown Miami street, he approached a female undercover police officer posing as a prostitute and offered $40 for oral sex. Although he was released from jail and allowed to play the game, he was widely denounced by the press and fans for the incident. Robinson's arrest was especially ironic because on the very morning of the day it happened, he had received the Bart Starr Award for his "high moral character".

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Background", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki