America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions is an annual documentary series created by NFL Films (broadcast on the NFL Network and CBS). Its 43 installments profile the first 43 winning teams of the National Football League's annual Super Bowl championship game; each episode chronicles an individual team. A spin-off debuted on September 18, 2008, titled America's Game: The Missing Rings which chronicled five of the best teams to never win the Super Bowl.[1] [edit] Format America's Game weaves together archival NFL Films footage, videotape, audio clips, and interviews into a new program with new talking head style interviews from three or more of the winning team (players, coaches, or administrators) and narration from a celebrity. In instances of teams winning multiple Super Bowls closely together different people are interviewed for each episode. For example, though Bill Belichick coached the New England Patriots to three Super Bowls in four years (2001, 2003, and 2004) he was only interviewed for the episode on the 2004 team. However, Bill Curry was interviewed twice—as a member of the 1966 Green Bay Packers and the 1970 Baltimore Colts. Also, Joe Greene appeared twice - on the 1974 and 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers broadcasts. Ernie Accorsi and Rich Dalrymple are the only non-players or coaches to be interviewed for the series—both were team administrators. Of the "Blue Ribbon" top 20 teams, the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys are represented most often as a franchise with three championship teams each. The Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders are each represented twice. According to Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films, only 20 teams were ranked instead of 40 because they feared negative mail from fans of the franchise whose team was ranked the lowest.[2] Sabol stated that, while the panel chose the 1972 Dolphins as the #1 team, several voters hedged and said Miami's unbeaten season was "the greatest team achievement." Of the voting methods, Sabol said, "That's what I think people were voting on, rather than, 'Could this team beat the '85 Bears?'"[3] [edit] Airing For its initial airings the show was divided into two waves, with the first series being a weekly series counting down the top 20 winning teams, as selected by a 53 person panel of "Blue Ribbon" experts on the NFL.[2] The first 18 episodes aired on the NFL Network beginning in November 2006 and the final two programs on CBS the day before Super Bowl XLI in February 2007. The remaining 20 champions' episodes aired during the NFL's off-season, February through April, before the 2007 season begins. The first episode of the remaining 20 champions aired on Thursday, February 8, 2007. The show began its run with a one-hour "preview special" at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on November 17, 2006, followed by the first of the countdown shows the following week. The "official" premiere episode aired on November 24, the day after the first live regular season game telecast on NFL Network. After some speculation on the future of the series, the 2006 Indianapolis Colts, winners of Super Bowl XLI had their episode air on September 5, 2007, one night before the season opener. [4] The 2007 New York Giants also received an episode, signaling the series' will be annually renewed at the beginning of the next NFL season.[1] [edit] Unannounced episodes - The special of the 1971 Dallas Cowboys aired at 1 a.m. Eastern time December 30 (10 p.m. Pacific December 29) as part of the same preview, one week before the scheduled premiere. This was an hour behind schedule, as the Insight Bowl (that aired in place of what would have been a new episode) ended in overtime.
[edit] The Missing Rings A spinoff series, America's Game: The Missing Rings, debuted on September 18, 2008 and aired for five consecutive Thursdays after that, starting at 10 p.m. ET. In this series, the producers picked five teams that did not win the Super Bowl and devoted an hour to each of them. The basic format of the show was the same. However, it should be noted that the theme song cut off abruptly before the show started, symbolizing the unfinished goals of the teams being profiled.[6] [edit] Top twenty The following list compiles the top 20 Super Bowl teams, as determined by the experts. The teams listed below were revealed in countdown form in the weeks leading up to Super Bowl XLI. The first 18 episodes aired on the NFL Network, while the top two teams' specials was shown on CBS on February 3, the day before Super Bowl XLI. | Rank | Year | Team | Game | Narrator | Team Commentary | Air Date | | 20 | 1983 | Los Angeles Raiders | Super Bowl XVIII | Alec Baldwin | Marcus Allen, Todd Christensen and Howie Long | November 24, 2006 | | 19 | 1999 | St. Louis Rams | Super Bowl XXXIV | Martin Sheen | D'Marco Farr, Dick Vermeil and Kurt Warner | December 1, 2006 | | 18 | 1969 | Kansas City Chiefs | Super Bowl IV | Martin Sheen | Len Dawson, Willie Lanier and Jim Lynch | December 8, 2006 | | 17 | 1994 | San Francisco 49ers | Super Bowl XXIX | Bruce Willis | Steve Young, Brent Jones and Merton Hanks | December 15, 2006 | | 16 | 1996 | Green Bay Packers | Super Bowl XXXI | Kevin Bacon | Brett Favre, Mike Holmgren and Desmond Howard | December 22, 2006 | | 15 | 1971 | Dallas Cowboys | Super Bowl VI | Martin Sheen | Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, and Duane Thomas | January 5, 2007 | | 14 | 1991 | Washington Redskins | Super Bowl XXVI | Donald Sutherland | Joe Gibbs, Mark Rypien, and Charles Mann | January 12, 2007 | | 13 | 1986 | New York Giants | Super Bowl XXI | Laurence Fishburne | Bill Parcells, Phil Simms, and Lawrence Taylor | January 19, 2007 | | 12 | 1998 | Denver Broncos | Super Bowl XXXIII | Kevin Bacon | Terrell Davis, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Sharpe | January 26, 2007 | | 11 | 1977 | Dallas Cowboys | Super Bowl XII | Laurence Fishburne | Thomas Henderson, Tony Dorsett, Drew Pearson, and Charlie Waters | January 27, 2007 | | 10 | 1976 | Oakland Raiders | Super Bowl XI | Laurence Fishburne | John Madden, Ken Stabler, and Phil Villapiano | January 27, 2007 | | 09 | 2004 | New England Patriots | Super Bowl XXXIX | Laurence Fishburne | Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, and Bill Belichick | January 28, 2007 | | 08 | 1984 | San Francisco 49ers | Super Bowl XIX | Gene Hackman | Russ Francis, Keena Turner, and Dwight Hicks | January 29, 2007 | | 07 | 1975 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Super Bowl X | Bruce Willis | Lynn Swann, Dwight White, and Mike Wagner | January 29, 2007 | | 06 | 1966 | Green Bay Packers | Super Bowl I | Donald Sutherland | Bill Curry, Willie Davis, and Bart Starr | January 30, 2007 | | 05 | 1992 | Dallas Cowboys | Super Bowl XXVII | Alec Baldwin | Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and Ken Norton, Jr. | January 31, 2007 | | 04 | 1989 | San Francisco 49ers | Super Bowl XXIV | Gene Hackman | Tom Rathman, George Seifert, and Jerry Rice | February 2, 2007 | | 03 | 1978 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Super Bowl XIII | Bruce Willis | Rocky Bleier, Mel Blount, Randy Grossman, and Joe Greene | February 2, 2007 | | 02 | 1985 | Chicago Bears | Super Bowl XX | Alec Baldwin | Mike Ditka, Jim McMahon, and Mike Singletary | February 3, 2007 on CBS | | 01 | 1972 | Miami Dolphins | Super Bowl VII | Alec Baldwin | Manny Fernandez, Don Shula, and Larry Csonka | February 3, 2007 on CBS | [edit] Non-ranked episodes Beginning February 8, the NFL Network began to broadcast the remaining twenty champions' episodes. The 2005 Steelers and teams onward were not eligible to be in the Top 20 as the voting was done prior to Super Bowl XL. | Eps | Year | Team | Game | Narrator | Team Commentary | Air Date | | 1 | 1970 | Baltimore Colts | Super Bowl V | Ed Harris | Bill Curry, Mike Curtis, Bubba Smith and Ernie Accorsi | February 9, 2007 | | 2 | 1980 | Oakland Raiders | Super Bowl XV | Ed Harris | Jim Plunkett, Gene Upshaw and Matt Millen | February 16, 2007 | | 3 | 1990 | New York Giants | Super Bowl XXV | Alec Baldwin | Ottis Anderson, Carl Banks and Jeff Hostetler | December 29, 2006
re-aired February 15, 2007 | | 4 | 2001 | New England Patriots | Super Bowl XXXVI | Martin Sheen | Tom Brady, Lawyer Milloy and Adam Vinatieri | February 8, 2007 | | 5 | 1993 | Dallas Cowboys | Super Bowl XXVIII | Ed Harris | Bill Bates, Emmitt Smith, and Jimmy Johnson | February 22, 2007 | | 6 | 1979 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Super Bowl XIV | Ed Harris | John Banaszak, L.C. Greenwood, and John Stallworth | February 23, 2007 | | 7 | 1973 | Miami Dolphins | Super Bowl VIII | Ed Harris | Dick Anderson, Bob Kuechenberg, and Mercury Morris | March 1, 2007 | | 8 | 1987 | Washington Redskins | Super Bowl XXII | Gene Hackman | Doug Williams, Jeff Bostic, and Darrell Green | March 2, 2007 | | 9 | 1988 | San Francisco 49ers | Super Bowl XXIII | Ed Harris | Bill Walsh, Harris Barton, and Roger Craig | March 8, 2007 | | 10 | 1974 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Super Bowl IX | Ed Harris | Franco Harris, Joe Greene, and Andy Russell | March 9, 2007 | | 11 | 2000 | Baltimore Ravens | Super Bowl XXXV | Alec Baldwin | Brian Billick, Trent Dilfer, and Ray Lewis | March 15, 2007 | | 12 | 1995 | Dallas Cowboys | Super Bowl XXX | Ed Harris | Darren Woodson, Rich Dalrymple, Daryl Johnston and Larry Brown | March 16, 2007 | | 13 | 1982 | Washington Redskins | Super Bowl XVII | Alec Baldwin | Russ Grimm, Joe Theismann, and Rick Walker | March 22, 2007 | | 14 | 1981 | San Francisco 49ers | Super Bowl XVI | Gene Hackman | Dwight Clark, Ronnie Lott, and Randy Cross | March 23, 2007 | | 15 | 1997 | Denver Broncos | Super Bowl XXXII | Alec Baldwin | John Elway, Howard Griffith, and Neil Smith | March 29, 2007 | | 16 | 1968 | New York Jets | Super Bowl III | Alec Baldwin | Joe Namath, Gerry Philbin and Don Maynard | April 2, 2007 | | 17 | 2005 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Super Bowl XL | Tom Selleck | Jerome Bettis, Joey Porter, and Bill Cowher | April 9, 2007 | | 18 | 1967 | Green Bay Packers | Super Bowl II | Tom Selleck | Chuck Mercein, Dave Robinson, and Jerry Kramer | April 16, 2007 | | 19 | 2002 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Super Bowl XXXVII | Laurence Fishburne | Warren Sapp, Jon Gruden, and John Lynch | April 23, 2007 | | 20 | 2003 | New England Patriots | Super Bowl XXXVIII | Tom Selleck | Charlie Weis, Rodney Harrison, and Willie McGinest | April 30, 2007 | | 21 | 2006 | Indianapolis Colts | Super Bowl XLI | Donald Sutherland | Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, and Jeff Saturday | September 5, 2007 | | 22 | 2007 | New York Giants | Super Bowl XLII | James Gandolfini | Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin, and Michael Strahan | September 3, 2008 | | 23 | 2008 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Super Bowl XLIII | Jon Hamm | Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomlin and Troy Polamalu | September 9, 2009 | [edit] America's Game: The Missing Rings | Eps | Year | Team | Narrator | Team Commentary | Air Date | | 1 | 1981 | San Diego Chargers | Tom Selleck | Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow and Hank Bauer | September 18, 2008 | | 2 | 1969 | Minnesota Vikings | Tom Selleck | Joe Kapp, Jim Marshall and Bud Grant | September 25, 2008 | | 3 | 1990 | Buffalo Bills | Alec Baldwin | Marv Levy, Jim Kelly and Darryl Talley | October 2, 2008 | | 4 | 1988 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jeffrey Wright | Boomer Esiason, Sam Wyche and Tim Krumrie | October 9, 2008 | | 5 | 1998 | Minnesota Vikings | James Gandolfini | Cris Carter, John Randle and Dennis Green | October 16, 2008 | - America's Game is also a title of a book about NFL history, written by Michael MacCambridge in 2004. The book and show are in no way related and MacCambridge was not part of the panel of experts consulted for this show.
- Among those not interviewed for the program were Hall of Fame quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana; both were significant parts of the respective 1970s Steelers and 1980s 49ers dynasties. In February 2006, just before production began on this series, they had grabbed media attention when they did not show up at a reunion of Super Bowl most valuable players that was held before Super Bowl XL. Whether they actually refused to be interviewed for the series has not been disclosed, nor is it known if the events are connected.
- The series was spoofed on the latest NFL Films "follies" program, Legends of the Follies, that premiered on NFL Network on March 28, 2007. The parody featured highlights of a game between a Pop Warner youth football team and a group of NFL team mascots. According to the script, that the youth team won the game, but was later forced to forfeit due to a player "testing positive" for corn syrup, as found in a breakfast cereal.
[edit] Availability outside of the NFL Network - The final two episodes aired on CBS on February 3, the day before Super Bowl XLI. They were reshown on NFL Network, with slightly more footage, on February 5.
- On January 30, 2007, iTunes made twelve (#20 through #9 of the countdown) available for purchase at USD$1.99 an episode or USD$29.99 for the top twenty teams' episodes. All episodes are now available.
- During the top 20 countdown portion of the series, episodes were individually made available on DVD on the NFL's official web store, NFLShop.com, the day after their debut. Each episode's DVD art features a close up of the teams Super Bowl ring.
- Currently, the only format available is Full Frame DVD. The program was filmed and broadcast in high definition but the DVD collection has been formatted as full frame.
[edit] Ranking criticisms - Tom Flores, who coached the 1983 Raiders team that was ranked #20, released a statement on the Raiders official website calling the ranking "ridiculous" and "a disgrace." He contended that his team was easily among the top 5 Super Bowl winners.[7]
- On the December 21, 2006 edition of NFL Total Access on Location (from Green Bay), Marshall Faulk said he believed the 1999 St. Louis Rams (#19) was the best of all time, while Deion Sanders believed both his 1994 San Francisco 49ers (#17) and 1995 Dallas Cowboys belonged in the top ten. Sanders has also said, on numerous episodes of Total Access, that he believes that not only should the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, winners of Super Bowl XXXV, be included in the top twenty, but likely in the top five.
[edit] See also [edit] References - ^ a b "NFL Network and NFL Films win three sports Emmys". http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story?id=09000d5d8080fe91&template=without-video&confirm=true.. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
- ^ a b Stewart, Larry. "The most super of Super Bowl winners? NFL Network will rank the top 20". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/sports/custom/extras/la-spw-tvcol17nov17,1,3858969.column?coll=la-sports-extras&ctrack=1&cset=true. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
- ^ "The Great Debate: If they win, are Pats best ever?". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/patriots/2008-01-31-patriots-greatest-bonus_N.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ "Colts on the Air". Colts.com. http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=e2bf37bd-f7ac-45bc-af65-7e5a8d79e6f5. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
- ^ "NFL Network Freeview under way now!". NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9893219. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
- ^ Advertisement in the New York Post, Sep. 2, 2008
- ^ "Flores Calls Ranking 'Ridiculous'". Raiders.com. http://www.raiders.com/newsroom/newsroomNewsDetail.jsp?id=29225. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
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