What's more, they missed a historical turn for the league. Here was a matchup between two teams from small markets featuring no established national heroes. Two years after John Elway met Brett Favre, one year after Elway bounded into retirement with a second title in a row, we watched McNair against Warner, both with fascinating stories but neither yet part of our enduring sports fabric. But this is what the evolution of this sport is all about. Fueled by free agency and the salary cap, there no longer are established dynasties, nor are longtime, dominant stars controlling the pace of events.
Unpredictability is now the norm rather than a rarity.
At season's beginning, anyone who thought this Super Bowl would be about the Rams and Titans would have been branded eccentric at best. For so long now, the league has been churning out immense dollars and mind-boggling ratings, increasing even more tellingly its hold over the American sports fan. There was so much stability that the league could churn out a schedule for the next season, complete with marquee pairings for Sunday nights and Monday nights, and feel confident most, if not all, of those contests would unfold as anticipated once the season began. Bet you did not say this much this past December, especially when the 49ers and Falcons ended the Monday night schedule in what kindly can be described as a clunker of a contest. ABC and the NFL didn't, which is why those teams were seen lots nationally while the Rams, Titans and Colts did not have one Monday night exposure.