EVEN Warren Moon found it ironic that he was named the MVP after leading the AFC to a comeback 29-24 victory over the NFC in yesterday's Pro Bowl. Last-minute details
suit MVP MoonAfter all, he was a last-minute replacement for John Elway, the Denver Broncos' no-show quarterback.
You won't find Moon skipping the National Football League all-star game. At his age (41), he figures every Pro Bowl might be his last.
Besides, said the Seattle Seahawks quarterback, who just completed his 14th season in the NFL, "It's an honor, playing in the Pro Bowl. And when you have an opportunity to come over here, you don't turn it away. If I was voted in, I would be here. I guarantee you. I might not be here on time, but I'll be here."
For Elway, skipping the Pro Bowl was a personal decision, Moon said.
"Well, he had a long year. He did everything he wanted to do as far as the season was concerned. He won the Super Bowl, something he wanted to do for a long time. I'm sure he's still basking in that glory and he just didn't want to play another football game," Moon said.
"It doesn't bother me because I got an opportunity because of it."
Given the opportunity as the AFC's third quarterback behind Jacksonville's Mark Brunell and New England's Drew Bledsoe, Moon was scheduled to play the fourth quarter. And he made the most of it.
The AFC came back from a 24-14 deficit to win the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl in the same season for the first time in 21 years.
"It was nice to be a part of both victories," Denver tight end Shannon Sharpe said.
FIRST, Moon connected with Oakland's Tim Brown on a 57-yard completion. That set up Eddie George's 4-yard touchdown run, cutting the AFC deficit to 24-23. AFC coach Bill Cowher of Pittsburgh decided to go for two points on the conversion, but Moon's pass fell incomplete.
Then Atlanta's Chris Chandler fumbled away the snap at the NFC 16. Moon sneaked in for the game-winning touchdown four plays later, becoming the oldest player to score a touchdown in the Pro Bowl. Earlier this season against Indianapolis, he became the oldest player in NFL history to score a touchdown.
Pro Bowl coaches generally abide by the unwritten rule that the guys who get voted into the game -- if they show up -- get most of the playing time. So Moon wasn't expecting to play a lot.
"I figured if I played the fourth quarter, that would be enough for me," he said. "But I knew I would be in the game at the end."
In the Pro Bowl, that's when camaraderie and good-natured joshing are put aside. If the game is close, the last few minutes suddenly become more meaningful, as it was yesterday.
MOON also found it ironic that his last-minute heroics snatched the MVP trophy away from San Francisco's Steve Young, who set a Pro Bowl record for most career TD passes (four) with scoring strikes to Detroit's Herman Moore and Arizona's Rob Moore.
Figuring the NFC was going to win, the media made Young the early leader for the MVP award.
"Steve played great in the first half and he was the front-runner if the NFC would have won," Moon said. "But I guess when you make the plays at the important time of the game, that has a lot to do with being the most valuable player. And I made a couple of important plays."
Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
Elway did show up in town, but not for the Pro Bowl. He played golf Thursday and Friday at the Waialae Country Club with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and coach Mike Shanahan.
Just as well. Elway's stand-in was a standout.