Cheap NFL Matchup of the Millennium (DVD) Price

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Customer Reviews of NFL Matchup of the Millennium

It is not only impossible, but horribly unfair, to compare teams of different eras, not to mention the dramatically different brands of football played in different eras (think of the dramatic changes in rules, differences in training regimens, technology, etc). Joe Montana and Jerry Rice could not have survived a pre-1980 style beating. Herb Adderley would have been booted out of the "modern" NFL for his vicious clothesline hits, and don't even talk about Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke. The examples are endless.

Such "greatest ever" debates always rage among sports fans as well as "authorities", but ultimately they cannot be settled. Undoubtedly, this new package will introduce new biases, favoring whatever today's fans want to see.

It's Fiction
Ok, so you want to see a computerized matchup of Rocky Marciano fight Muhammed Ali, or How about Babe Ruth hit on John Smoltz, well that is pretty much what you get here only with the NFL. A fictitous story that can not replace what makes all sports worth there true value, the human spirit. I guess if your a real fan, and you want to go on an imaginary trip on what ifs, I think a better solution is to throw on a Monatana Jersey, and place a few Packer Jersey's on your kids, and see if they can stop you. jk.

disappointing
I'm in my twenties, so I've only seen highlights of the 60s Packers and 70s Steelers, and I got this box set partially in hopes of learning more about them. If you have any similar interest, look elsewhere.

The editing and video reconstruction is impressive for the most part, but on many plays, there are annoying cuts in the action, so you see the quarterback release a pass, then a cut to the receiver catching it, without actually watching how the ball got there.

There's also virtually no opportunity to see the offensive line or the defense in action. You see the most important moments in the simulated plays, but you can't learn anything about HOW an individual played or what made him so great. For instance, I still couldn't tell you a thing about Jack Ham's style of play, and I didn't learn anything at all about Bart Starr. You could watch all three games and not even know Forrest Gregg or Larry Allen were in there. These are just four of many examples.

The simulated games are also horribly predictable and the drama is badly overdone: the announcers tell you someone hasn't made a catch yet, and the next play he does; squeezed into three little games are an overtime, a game-deciding replay challenge, a disputed coin toss, and about 50 4th-quarter drives that would put John Elway to shame. Last-minute rallies are fun when they're spontaneous, not when you know they're coming and that they're there for false drama.

There's very little actual football, but there's a lot of production. There are some nice interviews with players, good cuts of some old footage, and a LOT of cuts to the booth with Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Steve Sabol, and a simulated Howard Cosell.

The best part of this box set, if you can stand his abrasiveness, is Cossell. I'd only read about him, but I felt like I got a real flavor for why he inspired such intense feeling (positive and negative) from viewers. Even the Cosell hook is a little disappointing, though, as some quotes are reused up to three times, and a few themes are a little overdone. The producers thought some jokes were so funny, they used them in each of the three videos.

If you want to watch football, buy a Super Bowl or highlight video instead. If you want to learn about the past, read a book (Total Football II is a great resource). If you want to settle the debate about greatest team ever, this is helpful but hardly indisputable. And if you really like Theismann and Patrick and "Forrest Gump"-style editing, this might be right for you. But for a die-hard football fan, this is certain to be a disappointment. I do not recommend it.