Vrabel the unsung hero

By Kevin Asseo BBC Sport in California

Mike Vrabel was everywhere for New England.

There was little doubt following Super Bowl XXXVIII that Tom Brady would win MVP honours - quarterbacks with 300-plus passing yards are virtually guaranteed winners.

But a player who may have been equally deserving was linebacker Vrabel.

His first sack of Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme forced the Panthers to punt from deep in their own territory.

Vrabel had two sacks and scored a touchdown for New England

His second sack resulted in a Delhomme fumble and led to the Patriots' first touchdown.

But there was more than just his defence.

Vrabel's performance also called to mind the ancient days of the NFL, when players stayed on the field for offence and defence.

As he did on occasion during the regular season, Vrabel entered the game as a tight end on offence to block for Patriots' running backs in short-yardage situations.

Then, with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter, Vrabel became the unlikeliest of offensive heroes.

Vrabel caught New England's biggest touchdown of the game, a one-yarder that put the Patriots ahead 29-22 with three minutes remaining.

Was the linebacker, who has never scored an NFL touchdown and had not caught a single pass all season, nervous as the ball was coming his way? Well, no.

"Catching the ball isn't something I worry about. I have decent hands," said Vrabel. "If I can get to it, I can catch it."

Super Bowl XXXVIII: New England 32-29 Carolina

It was a perfect moment for the player who epitomises the Patriots' 'no-name gang'.

An anonymous player for his first four years in the NFL, when he was a little-used reserve for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Vrabel came to New England and immediately won a spot in coach Bill Belichick's defence.

Belichick has the uncanny ability to see the talent and potential in players who cannot find a home elsewhere in the NFL - players like Mike Vrabel.

The fourth quarter was the best 15 minutes of football the Super Bowl has ever seen

Despite his rather unimpressive credentials prior to his arrival in New England, Vrabel has become a star for the Patriots and a man whose name will forever have a place in Super Bowl history.

In the aftermath of a dramatic Super Bowl, the question must be asked - where does that game rank on the list of the greatest Super Bowls ever played?

Super Bowls XXIII, XXXII, and XXXIV are hard to beat, but the Patriots-Panthers epic may have gone straight to the top of the list.

Certainly, the fourth quarter was the best 15 minutes of football the Super Bowl has ever seen.

Three lead changes, 37 points, and a wealth of big plays from both sides - the final period had more action than most Super Bowls have over the course of the entire game.

Heatley makes long-awaited return

The best sight in the NHL so far this season was that of the Atlanta Thrashers' Dany Heatley taking the ice last week.

It has been four months since the auto accident that claimed the life of Heatley's close friend and team-mate Dan Snyder, and left Heatley with a broken jaw and torn knee ligaments.

It was unclear if Heatley, the NHL's rookie of the year in 2002 and last season's All-Star Game MVP, would ever recover - emotionally and physically - from the accident, but there he was, back on the ice.

Heatley was the league's most promising young player prior to the accident and a return to his previous form would be a wonderful chapter in the story of the 2003-04 NHL season.