PRO FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT / SUPER BOWL XXV AT A GLANCE : NO RUMORS, PLEASE

The season’s last wave of rumors came on the eve of Sunday’s game, and Bill Parcells did not seem pleased by the timing.

Parcells, 49, who has a year left on his contract to coach the Giants, made it clear in the postgame celebration that the speculation that he had already decided to leave the job was incorrect.

“The last time we won one of these these, there was a little controversy about me, and it didn’t allow my owners and general manager to enjoy this very much,” Parcells said. “They’re going to enjoy this one, I promise you. There’s not going to be any controversy.”

After the Giants’ Super Bowl XXI title, there was talk that Parcells wanted to leave the team to take over the Atlanta Falcons and was upset that owner Wellington Mara and General Manager George Young wouldn’t release him from his contract.

This week, there has been speculation that Parcells was about to leave the Giants to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or join some network’s broadcast booth.

THE VIEW FROM ANAHEIM

Ram Coach John Robinson analyzed the Super Bowl for the Associated Press. Here are some excerpts:

“The heroes of this game were Bill Parcells and his staff. That was clearly the best coaching job I’ve ever seen. They took a team and maximized the talents it had and got the team to play the kind of game it needed to win.

“The coaches took a quarterback (Jeff Hostetler) who had little experience and got him to play three great games in the playoffs. They didn’t ask him to do too much, and allowed him to do the things he could, like scrambling.

“I thought the Bills played a fine game, good enough to win most of the time. But they didn’t capitalize on some things. Thurman Thomas was fabulous--he is probably the best back in this league.

“I think we’ll probably see more of the no-huddle in the NFL in the future. I think it can be effective for teams in spurts, but to do it all season would be difficult. It’s hard to keep up that pace.

“It was a great game to watch, particularly because of the contrasting styles. It came down to use of the clock. That’s how the Giants won. It was a great team victory.”

TOLD YOU SO

Seven-point underdogs and feeling snubbed by the public, the Giants reacted as upset victors usually do in the aftermath of their defeat of the Buffalo Bills, who scored 95 points in their two previous playoff games.

“Nobody gave us a chance in hell, pardon my language, that we’d beat the San Francisco 49ers (in last week’s NFC championship game), and we did,” running back Ottis Anderson said. “And now we come here, we’re seven-point underdogs, not given a prayer, and we won.”

The Giants said they benefited from having to fight to beat the 49ers on a last-second field goal, while the Bills weren’t battle-tested after cruising past the Dolphins and the Raiders.

“We felt we could beat this team simply because they hadn’t been in a real dogfight throughout the playoffs,” Lawrence Taylor said. “We had been in situations where we had to play as a team and stay there for 60 minutes.”

HIS GAME, HIS TOSS

For 24 Super Bowls, Pete Rozelle, as NFL commissioner, chose the celebrities who flipped the coin. For Sunday’s 25th, the new commissioner, Paul Tagliabue, chose Rozelle.

Asked what he was thinking as he tossed the coin, Rozelle said: “I was thinking of a line I heard while watching the war news from the Middle East: ‘The Iraqis won the toss--and elected to receive.’ ”

Tagliabue described Rozelle as one of the most influential Americans of the century.

“Pete’s extraordinary contributions made the Super Bowl what it is,” Tagliabue said.

LAST CALL

In his last appearance as an NFL game official, Jerry Seeman refereed the game. He will take over as the league’s director of officiating, succeeding Art McNally, who will remain as a consultant.

Because there is always a chance for a major officiating blunder, many NFL people were surprised that Seeman decided to referee a high-profile event that, conceivably, could cloud his future as the boss.

Asked about that, McNally said: “If you belong in this game as the league’s top-rated (referee), you want to be there. And Jerry belongs. This isn’t a going-away present. He graded out No. 1.

“If you worry about (mistakes), you don’t belong in this business. If you’re a good official, it doesn’t even cross your mind (to decline). Jerry jumped at it.”

ALMOST, THURMAN

Had Buffalo won the game, Thurman Thomas no doubt would have been named most valuable player. Thomas led all rushers with 135 yards in 15 carries and also had five catches for 55 yards.

“We didn’t want (receiver) Andre Reed or Thurman Thomas to beat us,” Giant cornerback Everson Walls said. “But Thomas almost beat us anyway.”

The Giants held Reed to one five-yard catch in the second half. Reed finished with eight receptions for 62 yards.

In the final MVP balloting, Ottis Anderson received 7 1/2 votes, Jeff Hostetler received 4 1/2 votes, and Dave Meggett and Thomas received one vote each.

LAST LOOK

Giant quarterback Jeff Hostetler said he couldn’t look at Scott Norwood during his final-field goal attempt. Hostetler said he stared into the air and waited for the reaction.

“I was hoping he would miss, but I knew it was out of my control,” he said. “I just watched everybody. It’s something I’ll never forget. I watched the ball go up, but I had no idea where it was going.”

Someone asked Hostetler if Sunday’s game was a storybook ending for him.

“No,” he said, “it’s just the beginning.”

PLAYING IT SAFE

Because of tightened security, it took an average of about 20 minutes to get into the stadium before the game. Media members were force to wait about twice as long because of equipment checks.

Bob Smith, Tampa’s Public Safety Administrator, called the event a security success.

“The Tampa Bay community and the thousands of visitors are to be commended for their cooperation,” Smith said. “Although it was a difficult undertaking, it was fitting that the game was played before a worldwide television audience, especially the men and women of the Desert Storm Operation.”

TROPHY DASH?

Giant center Bart Oates, a six-year veteran, gave strong hints that he would soon retire to take a permanent job with a law firm.

“You start wondering whether it’s worth it any more to work as hard as you have to in the off-season,” Oates said, grasping the Vince Lombardi Trophy at a podium. “I’m not sure.

“But I’ll tell you what, if the Maras (the Giants’ owners) let me keep this thing, I’m definitely retiring. I’ll keep in the law office. Yeah, that’ll be fine.”

HE KNOWS, HE KNOWS

The man who probably felt the most for Scott Norwood was Giant kicker Matt Bahr.

“A 47-yarder is a tough kick under any situation,” said Bahr, who made a 42-yarder against the San Francisco 49ers last week to get the Giants to the Super Bowl and whose 21-yarder in the fourth quarter was the margin of victory. “It really was tough because you don’t want to root against an individual, but I’m estatic about getting another ring.”

Bahr also was on Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl team in his rookie season 13 years ago. Bahr now has the distinction of having won Super Bowls farther apart than any other NFL player.

TEAM RECORDS

With their victory, the New York Giants remain as one of six teams undefeated in Super Bowl play. The Buffalo Bills, making their first appearance, are joined by six other teams that are winless in the NFL’s showcase event.

A look at team records in Super Bowls:

Team W L Pct. Pittsburgh 4 0 1.000 San Francisco 4 0 1.000 Green Bay 2 0 1.000 N.Y. Giants 2 0 1.000 Chicago 1 0 1.000 N.Y. Jets 1 0 1.000 Oak.-L.A. Raiders 3 1 .750 Washington 2 2 .500 Baltimore 1 1 .500 Kansas City 1 1 .500 Dallas 2 3 .400 Miami 2 3 .400 Rams 0 1 .000 Buffalo 0 1 .000 New England 0 1 .000 Philadelphia 0 1 .000 Cincinnati 0 2 .000 Denver 0 4 .000 Minnesota 0 4 .000

IN QUOTES

Giant Coach Bill Parcells: “Buffalo was getting a little tired in the third quarter . Right then I thought we had a real chance.”

Add Parcells, on his players’ determination: “Every time I put my foot on their throats, they responded. Every time I patted them on the back, they responded.”

Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood, on his missed field-goal attempt: “Every swing of the leg is critical, and this one didn’t work out . You don’t get a second chance on a kick like that.”

Ottis Anderson, the game’s most valuable player, whom the Giants obtained to back up Joe Morris on their last Super Bowl team: “In 1987, I was nominated for the ‘Where-is-he-now’ trophy . No one gave me a chance in hell.”

Giant defensive end Leonard Marshall: “They talked about being able to score a lot of points. Nobody scores a lot of points against our defense.”

Giant quarterback Jeff Hostetler: “Thank the Lord. It’s done, and nobody can take it away.”

Giant running back Dave Meggett, on quarterback Hostetler: “Buffalo has a great defense, and they can do some things to rattle you. But Hoss stood in there and kept things cool and under control. We believed in him coming in, and we believe in him now.”

Giant center Bart Oates, on what Hostetler said on the drive that produced New York’s winning points: “He said ‘Let’s get it done. We’ve gone too far, we’ve done too much. We’re in a great position, so lets get it done.’ ”

KELLY GREEN WITH ENVY

Jim Kelly felt the Buffalo Bills didn’t run out of steam--they just ran out of time.

“We always know that sooner or later we’ll put the ball in the end zone. We just didn’t score the way we needed to. We didn’t get the ball enough,” the Buffalo quarterback said.

Kelly also promised that the Bills’ first trip to the Super Bowl will not be their last.

“It’s frustrating, but we’re here and we got a taste of what it takes. We got 50% of what we want the other 50% will have to wait,” Kelly said.

Kelly didn’t start thinking about next season until Buffalo’s last drive stalled on the Giants’ 29 and Scott Norwood’s 47-yard field-goal attempt went wide right.

“I knew we had to get the ball to the 30-yard line,” Kelly said. “I told the guys ‘This is what champions are made of,’ but I guess it was just not meant to be.”

NAMES AND NUMBERS

Buffalo’s Scott Norwood, wide on a 47-yard field-goal attempt in the final seconds that would have won the game, is one for six lifetime on grass fields from 40 yards and longer.

New York kept Buffalo’s no-huddle offense off the field by controlling the ball for 40:33, a Super Bowl record. . . . The Giants helped themselves by converting nine of 16 third-down opportunities while limiting the Bills to one of eight. . . . It was the first Super Bowl without a turnover; the previous low was one in 1987, when the Giants beat Denver 39-20. . . . The Giants played three postseason games without making a turnover and made only 14 in 19 games this

season.

The NFC has won seven Super Bowls in a row. The Raiders’

victory over Washington in 1984 was the AFC’s last victory. . . . Jeff Hostetler, who took over as the Giants’ starting quarterback when Phil Simms was injured in New York’s 17-13 loss to Buffalo on Dec. 15, is 7-0 lifetime as a starter.

Buffalo’s Bruce Smith became the fifth player in Super Bowl history to record a safety when he sacked Jeff Hostetler in the end zone in the second quarter. However, the Bills became the first team in Super Bowl history to lose a game in which it scored on a safety.

Giant Coach Bill Parcells joined Vince Lombardi, Tom Flores, Tom Landry, Don Shula and Joe Gibbs as two-time Super Bowl winners. Pittsburgh’s Chuck Noll leads with four and San Francisco’s Bill Walsh won three.

MILESTONES

Records set in Super Bowl XXV:

TEAM

Longest time of possession--40:33, New York (previous record: 39:31, San Francisco, 1990).

Longest touchdown drive--9:29, New York (previous record: 7:07, San Francisco, 1990).

Narrowest margin of victory--One point (previous record, three points, Baltimore vs. Dallas, 1971).

Fewest turnovers--0 (previous record, 1, New York Giants 0 vs. Denver 1, 1987).

INDIVIDUAL

Safeties--1, Bruce Smith, Buffalo (ties Dwight White, Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota, 1975; Reggie Harrison, Pittsburgh vs. Dallas, 1976; Henry Waechter, Chicago vs. New England, 1986; George Martin, New York Giants vs. Denver, 1987).

Fair catches--3, Al Edwards, Buffalo and Dave Meggett, New York Giants (held by many).

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

A sample of story leads from other newspapers around the nation:

Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News--For the second straight Sunday, the New York Giants looked toward a set of goal posts and hoped.

A week ago in San Francisco, the ball sailed through and they rejoiced. Sunday night in Tampa, the ball sailed wide to the right. They rejoiced once more.

Randy Galloway, columnist, Dallas Morning News--It was a Super Bowl adorned with football perfection. Two teams went before the nation, not to mention half the world, and gave us, well . . .

Duane Thomas, we finally have an answer for you. It was “the Sphinx from Dallas” who once uttered the immortal question, “If it’s the ultimate game, why will they play it again next year?”

Actually Duane, they should play this one again next week.

It took 25 years of Super Bowls to work out a boredom-proof script and weed out all those Broncos and Vikings. But this time they got it right, absolutely right.

Mickey Spagnola, Dallas Times Herald--It was Giant football until the final eight seconds.

Rock and sock. Grunt and grind. Stiff-arms. Throwbacks to Lombardi and Papa Bear, an era when teams huddled every down, busted the ball up the middle on runs, threw only when necessary and played hard-leather defense.

That’s what the Giants did before 73,813 who wore out the benches’ edge at Tampa Stadium on a wonderful Sunday evening.

Skip Bayless, columnist, Dallas Times Herald--After all the fear and guilt, the metal detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs and terrorist paranoia, something unexpected happened Sunday night at Tampa Stadium. Something wonderful. Something that reminded us of why life in America is worth dying for.

Sure, it was just a football game, but it provided us some of the rare pleasure a great football game can. And this was a great one--the most gripping Super Bowl ever. It definitely was the closest ever. Giants 20, Bills 19 was even better than the Bud Bowl for once.

Mark Bowden, Philadelphia Inquirer--The New York Giants played the steady tortoise to Buffalo’s rabbit-like offense last night, grinding out just enough yards, points and time to win one of the most closely fought of Super Bowls, 20-19.

George Willis, Newsday--In an event clothed in silver, the New York Giants found another ring of gold last night, winning in thrilling fashion the closest Super Bowl ever.

Don’t call Bill kicker Scott Norwood the goat for missing a 47-yard field-goal attempt with four seconds left that would have won the game for the Bills. Instead, credit Giant quarterback Jeff Hostetler, who did what many thought was impossible, leading the Giants to a 20-19 victory in Super Bowl XXV.

John Eisenberg, columnist, Baltimore Sun--It is a loss that is going to hurt. It is a loss that is going to play the devil, grab them in the guts and pull. The Buffalo Bills didn’t recognize that Sunday night; at least most of them didn’t. They talked about coming so close, playing so hard, using this as motivation for next season. They didn’t get it.

They didn’t understand that this one is going to hang around. . . . They didn’t understand that they are going to wake up in the middle of the night a month from now . . . and wonder how in the world they lost.

Steve Jacobson, columnist, Newsday--This is the real Disneyland. This is where dreams come true. The other place is the reality, which we already have too much of.

This is where Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride takes the most implausible twists, and the most competitive Super Bowl ever played turns out Ottis Anderson and Jeff Hostetler as most valuable player and his gentleman in waiting.

Larry Felser, columnist, Buffalo News--It was the greatest Super Bowl of them all, the game for which every football fan had waited for 25 years.

The catch is that it was also the greatest heartache ever for the Buffalo Bills and their loyalists.

Tom McEwen, columnist, Tampa Tribune--First of all, it was safe.

Thank God, it was safe, which is surely what a mixture of New York Giants and Buffalo Bills surrounding a U.S. Marine were praying about as they knelt at midfield after the great game’s end, and the 20-19 victory belonged to the underdog Giants Sunday night at Tampa Stadium.

Mike Freeman, Washington Post--One would think that as many big games as Giant cornerback Everson Walls has been in . . . that there would be very little that could faze him. But there he was after the game, crying like a baby. It got so bad that he temporarily had to leave the interview area. Of course these weren’t the tears of a loser. These were the tears of joy.

Walls had never been in a Super Bowl. Now, he has won one.

Staff writers Chris Dufresne, Tim Kawakami and Bob Oates and the Associated Press provided material for this page.