Only three of the 90 players who suited up for Super Bowl XXXVIII 14 years ago remain in the NFL. Two of them will square off this Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
Quarterback Tom Brady, who at age 40 is the oldest non-kicker/punter in the NFL, will lead his New England Patriots into action against Julius Peppers and the Carolina Panthers, who lost to Brady and Co. 32-29 in one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0_S2cP75jg
Peppers, 37, returned to Carolina this past offseason following stints with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. The defensive end no longer is the offense-wrecking force he was earlier in his career, but he still can play, leading the Panthers in sacks this season with 2 1/2 through three games.
“Julius was a tremendous athlete coming into the league,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Friday morning. “The guys that come in with that kind of rare ability generally seem to last longer than most others. But he’s been very productive for Carolina, then up in the AFC North and then back in Carolina again.”
Though he didn’t make much of an impact in Super Bowl XXXVIII (two tackles, zero QB hits), Peppers emerged as one of the NFL’s best defensive players the following season, earning first-team All-Pro honors and the first of his nine Pro Bowl selections in 2004.
Brady, meanwhile, was stellar in that game, finishing with his second-highest yardage total in a Super Bowl start (354, trailing only his 466 in Super Bowl LI) and throwing three touchdown passes, including one to linebacker Mike Vrabel. He was an easy pick for Super Bowl MVP, though Vrabel made a strong case for himself with the touchdown catch, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Ex-Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, now with the Indianapolis Colts, is the only other Super Bowl XXXVIII participant remaining in the league.
Thumbnail photos via Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY Sports Images; Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports Images
