Buck reminisces about Super Bowl comeback
Veteran Fox announcer was in Foxboro to call Sunday’s game
FOXBORO – When Joe Buck conducted interviews in advance of last February’s Super Bowl, the veteran Fox Sports announcer predicted the Patriots and Falcons were destined to settle the outcome in overtime.
The crystal ball looked broken after New England fell behind 28-3, a blowout that could be described as deathknell for a broadcaster and the network producing the game. There’s still plenty of airtime left. How in heaven’s name do we fill it?
“It is your worst nightmare that you’re going to have a lopsided game and there’s nothing to talk about,” Buck said. “We got close in Super Bowl LI, but we never got all the way there.”
The presence of an NFC team at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon brought the lead Fox broadcast team of Buck and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman to town. Before the game, we caught up with Buck, who had the call for Super Bowl LI and therefore can speak to witnessing NFL history first hand.
“I didn’t think it was going to be a 25-point game, then go to overtime, but it was exhilarating” Buck said. “You find yourself catching your breath because things are going so fast in the second half.
“You leave a game like that wondering … did we do enough to show what Atlanta could have done to win this game? When you’re up 28-3, you should win. It’s easy to look back and go, ‘We should have talked more about why they are they trying to throw the ball when they’re up 25 points,’” Buck continued. “Then the greatness of Tom Brady takes over. For a Super Bowl, we couldn’t have had it any better.”
Buck and Aikman had the call for Super Bowl XLVIII in New York when the first play of the game saw the ball snapped over the head of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and the Seahawks were awarded a safety.
Seattle led 22-0 at halftime, yet Buck remembers being optimistic that Denver could make it a game because of Manning.
Those hopes went out the window when Seattle’s Percy Harvin ran back the opening kickoff of the second half. The rout was truly on and left Buck and Aikman little choice but to dig deep in their anecdotal bag before the final gun sounded and the Seahawks celebrated a 43-8 laugher.
“It became, ‘Oh my God, what are we going to do in the second half?’” Buck said.
Another Super Bowl rout for Buck, Aikman and rest of the Fox Sports football family appeared to be in the cards after Matt Ryan and his Atlanta teammates pinned New England in what many believed was an insurmountable hole. This time, the team on the wrong end of the score emerged from the ashes and provided the television booth with plenty to spellbinding material to work with.
“I’m glad we didn’t give up on it when it was 28-3. It would have been easy to start doing other stuff and be cute and funny, knowing 100-plus million people are watching. There’s pressure knowing you’re trying to entertain that big of an audience,” Buck said. “All of a sudden, the momentum switches. Before we knew it, we’re in a tie game.”
Football-wise, Buck rates the series of epic events that led to New England’s fifth Lombardi Trophy as his top broadcast moment in the sport. That’s saying something considering he was the broadcaster when the Giants thwarted the Patriots’ bid for a perfect season in Super Bowl XLII.
“You don’t get those walk-off moments in football. When you do, it’s because a kicker just made a field goal. Not a touchdown,” Buck said. “To see them not be denied is one of the greatest stories I’ve ever covered in my career.”
After last Friday’s practice, Buck was afforded the chance to trek down memory lane with several members of the Patriots. Upon the conclusion of the session he and Aikman had with Bill Belichick, the head coach let his guard down in a manner that seemed totally out of character for him.
“(Belichick) got up and said, ‘How about that Super Bowl?’ I was surprised that he was going back even that little bit,” Buck said. “I think Belichick is the best professional coach in sports, period. To be able to talk ancillary stuff like coaching philosophies with him is great.”
When Buck met with New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, he opened with a question. Looking back, who won the Super Bowl other than Brady? In Buck’s eyes, the answer is James White, the Patriot who scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
“He was just always there. When Brady needed an outlet, he was pretty much flawless,” Buck said. “I think he can get overlooked in a game like that, but not having done a lot of Patriots games, I came out saying to myself, ‘Man, this little guy is good.’”
It doesn’t get much better than broadcasting a game where Brady is the marquee attraction. Buck compared it to a Fox baseball telecast when Derek Jeter was playing shortstop for the New York Yankees.
“Those are two guys who are different from all the rest,” Buck said. “In my opinion, Brady is the greatest ever. On Sundays, I stand next to a guy who won three Super Bowls and he agrees that he’s the greatest ever.”