Dick Vermeil, Eric Dickerson bring up 'cheating' and 'Patriots' and here we go again
Since two of the final four teams left in the NFL playoffs are the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots, there’s a chance Super Bowl LIII could be a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI.
In case you’ve forgotten – and likely you haven’t – Super Bowl XXXVI saw a plucky, underdog Patriots team upset the then-St. Louis Rams, 20-17, on a last-second kick from Adam Vinatieri. Those Rams were praised as “The Greatest Show on Turf” and were 14-point favorites heading into the game.
But a few years later, the Boston Herald published a report – later retracted – that the Patriots had illegally taped a Rams’ pre-game walkthrough. No evidence has ever been produced showing that was the case, nor that any member of the Patriots at that time saw video of a walkthrough.
Still, however, those associated with the Rams in particular seem to refuse to believe that’s the case.
‘They cheated us’
Former Rams running back Eric Dickerson – who had been retired so long by the time SB36 was played that he’d been a Pro Football Hall of Famer for two years – was on FS1’s “Undisputed” on Monday and said he wants to see a rematch of that matchup from 17 years ago.
“I’ll say this to all the Boston fans, as I watch them on social media, they’re after me: We want a rematch in L.A. We wan them back again, because they cheated us,” he said. “They know they cheated us back in New Orleans [where Super Bowl XXXVI was played]. They watched our film. We want some more of them.”
Dickerson is an NFL analyst for FS1.
‘They’ve done it the right way’
Retired coach Dick Vermeil, who did coach the Rams from 1997-99 but was with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2001-05, was singing a similar tune to Dickerson on Wednesday.
While this is the eighth straight AFC title game the Patriots have appeared in, the host Chiefs haven’t been in the conference championship game since 1993 – aka before quarterback Patrick Mahomes was born.
But Vermeil thinks it’s the Chiefs’ time.
“I think they’ve [the Patriots] have met their match this time,” Vermeil said on Kansas City radio station 610 Sports KC. “It’s time for [the Chiefs] to win this one and the next one [the Super Bowl].”
As to why he’s rooting for Kansas City, Vermeil said in part, “They’ve done it the right way. They haven’t been accused of cheating!”
The 82-year-old Vermeil has been out of coaching since retiring after the 2005 season.
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