The biggest Super Bowl upset ever? The most exciting Super Bowl ever?

Come on, guys. An upset? Yes. Exciting? Yes.

But, how can anyone with any sense say the New York Giants’ 17-14 upset over New England even comes close to the New York Jets’ 16-7 triumph over Baltimore in Super Bowl III? Without Joe Namath and his outrageous prediction of victory there may never have been the Super Bowl hype there is today.

The Jets were considered something less than a Pop Warner squad. The American Football League, in the minds of most, would never challenge for a world championship and the game most likely would go away. Namath and crew changed that in January of 1969.

Excitement is in the eyes of the beholder. We San Francisco 49er fans remember our five Super Bowl wins. All were exciting but the first, a 26-21 victory over Cincinnati in January of 1982 was unbelievable.

It was almost as exciting as the play that set up the trip to the Super Bowl. Do you remember “The Catch” by Dwight Clark in the playoff game against Dallas? Of course, you do. It was big for the Blofsky clan. Sons Mark, Matt and Marty were in attendance. It was not so very long ago wife Jan and I disposed of a piece of turf our sons had taken from Candlestick Park after the game. The divot gave up after more than 25 years in the freezer.

I smile when the pundits call Tom Brady the greatest quarterback ever. In our minds, Joe Montana was by far the greatest. Remember, he’s the one who threw the ball to Clark that great day and then guided the 49ers to the first four of five Super Bowl victories. In January of 1989 (Super Bowl XXIII), Montana completed eight of nine passes in the final minutes and San Francisco defeated Cincinnati 20-16. Talk about exciting!!!

It’s not that things have changed. In “olden days” we also thought everything was the best and the most exciting.

The fans in Denver will come back with John Elway. Green Bay counters with Brett Favre. Dallas not only had Troy Aikman but Roger Staubach. Terry Bradhaw was no slouch at Pittsburgh. What about Johnny Unitas in Baltimore. The list goes on and on. Today’s National Football League has unmatched popularity. Discussions (arguments) like those mentioned above contribute to the aura.

Most comparisons are subjectivel. Michael Jordan was a great basketball player and considered by many as the best ever. Jordan was fantastic but so were Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, etc., etc.

In his day, Rocky Marciano was considered to be the greatest heavyweight boxing champion who ever lived. He followed Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey and others. Now, Muhammad Ali is considered “best ever.”

When selecting the best baseball player ever who do you want? Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Barry Bonds (sans the steroid issue), Jackie Robinson or Roberto Clemente? Who is the all-time starting pitcher? Walter Johnson, Nolan Ryan, CyYoung, Sandy Koufax? In their day the starters usually were also the finishers. Managers now hope to get at least five good innings. Do modern pitchers deserve to get the same accolades?

I have bowed to the masses when it comes to golf. Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer made the game was it is today. I believed for a long time Jack Nicklaus was the greatest player ever. Fast forward to the present. Tiger Woods simply is the best. He does it all and has a knack of doing it when the pressure is on. Woods thrives on competition and only when he loses that quality will anyone else have a chance.

Posted for Ted Blofsky, Jr. by Ryan Olson.