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Colts overcome to win Super Bowl title |
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Written by asap
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Monday, 05 February 2007 |
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 Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy are now the artists formerly known as can't-win-the-big one.
As time expired Sunday at the Super Bowl, Manning pumped a fist — one that's about to get a whole lot heavier with some serious bling — capping a 29-17 over the Chicago Bears on Sunday night.
The Colts, a team built for playing  indoors and jumping out to a lead, looked shaky in a rainy start, giving up the quickest touchdown in Super Bowl history. On the opening kickoff, sensational Bears rookie Devin Hester sped downfield, juked a couple of hapless defenders and tumbled in for a 92-yard touchdown.
But Indy found its footing on a soaked field and outplayed Chicago for the title that had eluded Manning for so long, making many wonder whether he'd ever put a stamp on his record-shattering career.
"It's hard to put into words," said Manning, the game's MVP after hitting 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards with one touchdown and one interception. "I'm proud to be part of this team. We stuck together, won this game for our leader, Tony Dungy."
It was a game of firsts: the first rainy Super Bowl, the first time an opening kickoff was run back for a touchdown, and the first time a black head coach was in it. In this case, it was both coaches: Dungy and Lovie Smith of the Bears.
"I'm proud to be representing the African-American coaches and the first African-American coach to win this," Dungy said.
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 UGLY START, LESS UGLY FINISH
The first half was a slop-fest, with six turnovers, three for each team (even football's most clutch kicker, Adam Vinatieri, missed a chip-shot field goal).
The second half wasn't quite so ugly, but when much-maligned Bears quarterback Rex Grossman's wobbler was picked off and returned 56 yards for a touchdown by Kelvin Hayden with 11:44 remaining, it was over.
Chicago (15-4), which led the league in takeaways this season, finished with five turnovers, including two interceptions by Grossman. The Colts (16-4) will take it. It's their first title since the 1970 season, when they played in Baltimore.
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 RAIN, PURPLE AND OTHERWISE
Prince took the field for halftime and put on a characteristically blistering performance, blazing through a number of his own hits, a sharp cover of "All Along the Watchtower" and finishing up with — what else? — "Purple Rain," as showers fell on Dolphin Stadium.
Unlike most Super Bowl performers past, Prince appeared to actually be singing and playing his guitar, and looked no worse for the drops raining on him (despite being famously vain about his hair, which was safely wrapped in a black bandanna).
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HOW THE COLTS DID IT
Indianapolis reached the pinnacle by winning four postseason games with a defense that made a complete turnaround in the playoffs. The Colts' new running game, a question mark this season with the departure of Edgerrin James, perfectly complemented Manning, thanks to Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes' combined 190 yards.
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HOW THE BEARS DIDN'T
Chicago was denied its first Super Bowl title since the powerhouse 1985 team.
Thomas Jones, forced to carry the Bears' entire rushing load when Cedric Benson was hurt in the first half, was Chicago's best player. But with Grossman ineffective, even inept, all the Bears managed in the second half was Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal late in the third period.
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