- Super Bowl XLI
Infobox SuperBowl
sb_name = XLI
visitor =Indianapolis Colts
home =Chicago Bears
visitor_abbr = IND
home_abbr = CHI
visitor_conf = AFC
home_conf = NFC
visitor_total = 29
home_total = 17
visitor_qtr1 = 6
visitor_qtr2 = 10
visitor_qtr3 = 6
visitor_qtr4 = 7
home_qtr1 = 14
home_qtr2 = 0
home_qtr3 = 3
home_qtr4 = 0
date = February 4, 2007
stadium = Dolphin Stadium
city = Miami Gardens, Florida
attendance = 74,512cite news|title=Super Bowl Scoring Sums|author=Associated Press|authorlink=Associated Press|publisher=MSNBC |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22825414|accessdate=2008-02-04]
weather = Rain
odds = Colts by 6½, over/under line 49½ [cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs06/news/story?id=2738589|title=Colts big odds favorites over Bears in Super Bowl XLI|author=Associated Press |accessdate=2007-02-06]
MVP =Peyton Manning ,Quarterback , Colts
anthem =Billy Joel , ASL performed byMarlee Matlin
halftime = Prince and the Florida A&M University Marching 100
network = CBS
announcers =Jim Nantz andPhil Simms
coin_toss =Dan Marino and Norma Hunt [cite web| url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs06/news/story?id=2752126|title=Goodell wants players held accountable|author=ESPN |accessdate=2008-01-17]
referee =Tony Corrente [cite web| url=http://www.superbowl.com/news/story/9966329|title=Corrente to referee first Super Bowl|author=NFL.com|accessdate=2008-01-17]
rating = 42.6 (national) [cite web|url=http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=55057|title=publications.mediapost.com|title=Blockbuster: Best Super Bowl Ratings In 7 Years|accessdate=2007-02-06] (est. 93.2 million viewers) [ [http://www.superbowl.com/news/story/9976864 Colts-Bears draws No. 3 audience of all time] "SuperBowl.com", February 5, 2007.] 50.2 (Chicago ) [cite web|url=http://www.suntimes.com/business/feder/244726,CST-FIN-feder06.article|title=www.suntimes.com/business/feder/244726,CST-FIN-feder06.article|title=Super Bowl ratings fall short of record|accessdate=2007-02-06] 55.5 (Indianapolis)
share = 64 (national) 77 (Chicago) 83 (Indianapolis)
commercial=$2.6 millioncite web|url= http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/03/news/funny/superbowl_ads/?postversion=2007010318|title=Super prices for Super Bowl ads|accessdate=2007-01-17|date=2007-01-03 ]
last = XL
next = XLIISuper Bowl XLI was an
American football game played on February 4, 2007, atDolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens,Florida , a suburb of Miami, to decide theNational Football League (NFL) champion following the 2006 regular season. Kickoff was at 6:27 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. TheAmerican Football Conference (AFC) championIndianapolis Colts (16-4) defeated theNational Football Conference (NFC) championChicago Bears (15-4), 29-17.This game featured two teams ending long
Super Bowl appearance droughts. The Colts made their first appearance in a Super Bowl game since winningSuper Bowl V in the 1970 season during the team's tenure in Baltimore; they moved to Indianapolis in 1984. Meanwhile, the Bears made their first appearance since winningSuper Bowl XX in the 1985 season. It was only the second time that two pre-expansion era (pre 1960) teams met in the Super Bowl. The first wasSuper Bowl XIV between thePittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams.Colts quarterback
Peyton Manning was named the game's Most Valuable Player, completing 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and atouchdown , with one interception. This was Peyton Manning's firstSuper Bowl title after being one of the league's most dominantquarterback s throughout his ten-year-old career.Nielsen Media Research reported 93 million viewers for Super Bowl XLI, making it the fourth most-watched program in U.S. television history (trailing only the "M*A*S*H" finale and Super Bowls XLII and XXX)." [http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/2/6/94833.shtml Super Bowl Draws Third-Largest TV Audience Ever] ". NewsMax.com, February 6, 2007.]Background
Host selection process
Dolphin Stadium won the bid to host Super Bowl XLI on September 17, 2003 after a campaign againstArizona , Tampa Bay,New York City , andWashington D.C. With this game, the Miami Metropolitan Area tiedNew Orleans, Louisiana as the city to host the most Super Bowls (9). [cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/6648786|title=Miami awarded 2007 Super Bowl|publisher= [http://www.nfl.com NFL.com] |date=2003-09-17 |accessdate=2006-12-10]This was the fourth Super Bowl at Dolphin Stadium, which has also been known as "Joe Robbie Stadium" and "Pro Player Stadium". The venue previously hosted Super Bowls XXIII (broadcast on
NBC ), XXIX (on ABC), and XXXIII (on FOX). Super Bowls II, III, V, X, and XIII were also in Miami, but held at theMiami Orange Bowl .In February 2006, the NFL and the South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee unveiled the slogan "one game, one dream" for the game, referring to the entire
South Florida region working together to present the event.cite news|first=Sarah|last=Talalay|title=Committee Unveils Logo, Theme|publisher=Sun-Sentinel |page=7C|date=2006-02-17 ] The Super Bowl XLI logo was also unveiled, featuring the colors orange (to represent the sun) and blue (for the ocean). The "I" in theRoman numeral "XLI" was drawn to resemble a pylon placed at each corner of anend zone because "the goal is to get to the game." This year's logo has the same shade of orange as the logo of the host city's home team, theMiami Dolphins . The "XL" part is similar to that ofSuper Bowl XL 's logo.Teams
Chicago Bears
Chicago finished the season with an NFC best 13-3 record and advanced to the second Super Bowl in franchise history. The team excelled on defense, ranking third in fewest points allowed (255) and second in fewest points allowed per drive. [http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/drivestats2006.php NFL regular season drive statistics] from
Football Outsiders ] They also ranked second in scoring (427 points), although only tenth in points per offensive drive thanks to a league leading 65 points scored on defensive or special teams plays.The Bears offense was led by quarterback
Rex Grossman , the team's first round draft pick in 2003. Over the previous three seasons, Grossman had played in just 8 regular season games due to injuries, but he recovered to start in all 16 games in 2006. By the end of the season, he finished with 3,193 yards and 23 touchdowns, the most by a Bears quarterback since 1995. Grossman had difficulty avoiding turnovers, however, and threw 20 interceptions and lost five fumbles during the year. In the last seven games of the season, he turned the ball over 18 times. Many fans and sports writers expected head coachLovie Smith to bench him at some point, but Smith insisted that Grossman would be the starter throughout the entire season.Receivers
Muhsin Muhammad (60 receptions, 863 yards, 5 touchdowns) andBernard Berrian (51 receptions, 775 yards, 7 touchdowns) provided the main deep threat on the team, along with tight endDesmond Clark , who caught 45 passes for 626 yards and 6 touchdowns. Chicago's running game was led by running backs Thomas Jones andCedric Benson . Jones rushed for 1,210 yards and caught 36 passes, while Benson rushed for 647 yards and scored 6 touchdowns.Chicago's defense allowed the 5th least total yardage, allowed less than 100 yards per game on the ground, [ [http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-RUSHING/2006/regular?sort_col_1=6 NFL.com rushing defense statistics] ] and allowed the fewest yards per drive of any NFL team. The line was anchored by
Adewale Ogunleye , who had 6.5 sacks, and Pro BowlerTommie Harris , who recorded 5, along with rookie Mark Anderson, who led the team with 12 sacks. Behind them, two of the three Bears starting linebackers,Lance Briggs , andBrian Urlacher , were selected to the2007 Pro Bowl . In the secondary, cornerbacksRicky Manning, Jr. andCharles Tillman each recorded five interceptions.The loss of Harris to injury after the twelfth game of the season coincided with a decline in defensive performance. Before his loss, the Bears allowed only two opponents to score more than twenty points (23 points to the
Arizona Cardinals in week six and 31 to theMiami Dolphins in week 9). [ [http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/492957/gamelogs/2006 Tommie Harris 2006 game logs] , [http://www.nfl.com nfl.com] ] After his injury, Chicago opponents scored more than 20 points in six of the seven remaining games, including two of three playoff games. Only theNew Orleans Saints in theNFC Championship game were held below 21 points. [ [http://www.nfl.com/teams/schedule/CHI/2006 Chicago Bears 2006 game results] , [http://www.nfl.com nfl.com] ]The Bears special teams unit was considered by many to be the best in the league. This unit sent 3 players to the Pro Bowl, including special teams ace
Brendon Ayanbadejo , kickerRobbie Gould (who led all NFL kickers with 143 points), and rookie return manDevin Hester , who gained 600 punt return yards with a 12.8 yards per return average, the second highest in the NFL. He also set a league record with 6 touchdowns on special teams.Indianapolis Colts
The Colts's first trip to the Super Bowl in 36 years was the culmination of a nine year long building process. In 1998, they drafted quarterback
Peyton Manning to lead the team. Over the next four seasons, Manning, along with other stars such as receiverMarvin Harrison and running backEdgerrin James , turned the Colts into one of the best offensive teams in the NFL, but the team struggled to find consistency on defense and always ended up with either a losing season or elimination from the playoffs in the first round. In 2002, Indianapolis fired head coach Jim Mora and replaced him withTony Dungy . Dungy had developed one of the best defenses in the NFL while coaching theTampa Bay Buccaneers , and it was hoped he could solve the Colts' defensive problems as well.Over the next four seasons, the Colts won 48 of 64 games, but still could not find much success in the postseason. In 2002, they were blown out 41-0 in the wildcard round by the
New York Jets . In 2003, they won their first two playoff games behind impressive offensive performances, and reached the AFC title game. There they lost to the eventual championNew England Patriots 24-14, with Manning throwing four interceptions. In 2004, the Colts had one of the most spectacular offensive seasons in NFL history, scoring 522 points and gaining 6,582 yards, while Manning set NFL records for most touchdown passes and highest passer rating. But again the Patriots defense (and snowy conditions) proved too formidable, as they lost 20-3 in the divisional round of the playoffs.In 2005, the Colts defense improved, making the team the clear favorites in the NFL. They won the first 13 games of the season and finished with a 14-2 record, while ranking second in the NFL in both points scored and fewest points allowed. But once again they lost in the divisional round of the playoffs, this time to the #6 seeded
Pittsburgh Steelers , 21-18. After another disappointing loss, Manning had developed a reputation of being unable to make it to a championship, a reputation that followed him from college after he was unable to win an NCAA title with theTennessee Volunteers (who won a title the year after he graduated). The Colts lost some key players after the 2005 season, including James, who departed the Colts for the Arizona Cardinals, and kickerMike Vanderjagt , the NFL's all-time leader in field goal percentage, who left for the Dallas Cowboys.Still, the Colts remained one of the AFC's top teams in the
2006 NFL season . Manning made the Pro Bowl for the 7th time in his career, completing 362 of 555 passes for 4,397 yards and an NFL best 31 touchdowns, with an additional 4 rushing touchdowns and with only 9 interceptions and 15 sacks. His favorite target was Harrison, who caught 95 passes for 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns. ReceiverReggie Wayne was also a major deep threat with 86 receptions for 1,310 yards and 9 touchdowns. Tight endsBen Utecht andDallas Clark were also reliable targets, each recording over 30 receptions for over 300 yards. On the ground, rookie running backJoseph Addai led the team with 1,081 yards and 4.8 yards per carry average despite not starting any games in the regular season. He also caught 40 receptions for 325 yards and scored 8 touchdowns. Running backDominic Rhodes was also a major contributor, rushing for 641 yards and catching 36 passes for 251 yards. The offensive line was led by Pro BowlersJeff Saturday andTarik Glenn . On special teams, the Colts signed kickerAdam Vinatieri to replace Vanderjagt. While Vinatieri's career field goal percentage was lower, the Colts considered him to be an improvement because of his reputation for making "clutch" kicks, a reputation aided by his game winning field goals inSuper Bowl XXXVI andSuper Bowl XXXVIII .Indianapolis' defense ranked second in the NFL in fewest passing yards allowed.
Dwight Freeney andRobert Mathis (who recorded 9.5 sacks and forced 4 fumbles) were widely considered to be among the best pass-rushingdefensive end s in the NFL. Behind them, linebackerCato June led the team in tackles (92) and interceptions (3). The Colts run defense, however, was a major problem, giving up 2,768 yards on the ground, an average of 173 per game and last in the NFL. Another major issue for the Colts was their coverage teams, as they ranked #30 out of 32 teams in average kickoff return yardage allowed and #31 in average punt return yardage allowed.Indianapolis started out the season winning their first nine games, but ended up losing four of their next seven and finished with a 12-4 record, giving them the #3 playoff seed. Thus, they would have to win three games to make it to the Super Bowl.
tatistical comparison
The chart below provides a comparison of regular season statistics in key categories (overall rank amongst 32 teams in parentheses). [ [http://www.nfl.com/stats/team?seasonId=2006&seasonType=REG&Submit=Find 2006 NFL team statistics] , [http://www.nfl.com nfl.com] ]
tarting lineups
Officials
*Referee:
*Umpire:
*Head Linesman: George Hayward
*Line Judge:
*Field Judge:
*Side Judge: John Parry
*Back Judge:
*Alternate Referee:
*Alternate Umpire:
*Alternate Line Judge:
*Alternate Field Judge:
*Alternate Back Judge:
Commercials
Advertising rates were reported as being slightly higher than in the year before, with CBS confirming a price of $2.6 million for some 30-second spots, compared with $2.5 million during The only major hype related to commercials in the months leading up to Super Bowl XLI involved various campaigns to allow consumers to be involved in the creation of Super Bowl ads, inspired by consumer-generated content sites like The annual One ad that drew criticism from the gay community was for the A different ad for Controversies prohibiting fan parties and presentations Prohibiting tailgating The NFL upset many fans by banning the traditional practice of tailgating at Super Bowl XLI. Originally, spokesmen for Dolphin Stadium announced that tailgating would be permitted as usual, however the NFL quickly contradicted this statement announcing an NFL owner-imposed ban on all tailgating and non-ticketed fans were forbidden within a two-block-radius of the stadium. [cite web|url=http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/super_bowl_xli/MI38526/|title=NFL Officials Ban Tailgating at Super Bowl XLI|publisher=WSVN.com|date= Prohibiting church display The NFL upset a large number of fans by threatening churches with lawsuits if they had Super Bowl parties. National Football League assistant counsel Rachel L. Margolies sent a letter to the Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis, ordering the church to cancel its party and remove the trademarked Super Bowl name from its website. [cite web|url=http://www.theindychannel.com/sports/10931886/detail.html|title="church": Indy Church Ignores NFL, Shows Game Despite Warning|publisher= After a long series of bad press, the NFL issued a written statement clarifying their policy, saying that they did not object to churches hosting Super Bowl parties so long as they did not charge admission and showed the game on "a television of the type commonly used at home". This statement did not attempt to forbid coordination of any other message with the game, something typically done by churches, nor did it attempt to forbid the use of the term "Super Bowl." [cite news|url=|title=No sanctuary for Super Bowl flock: Churches scramble to cancel parties after an NFL warning|publisher= References External links * [http://www.superbowl.com Official Super Bowl website]
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
* [http://www.superbowlxli.org/ Host committee website]
* [http://www.superbowl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20070204_IND@CHI Game summary] at
