Super Bowl XLIX Set: Seahawk Magic v Patriot Might

It's the glory of sports: being there to see something that's never happened before.

And the NFL's Championship Sunday had it.

In both the AFC and NFC title tilts, an eligible offensive lineman caught a touchdown pass.

Yes, there was other stuff to mark the day, but watching big dudes carry the mail is a rare treat.

This is Seattle Seahawks rookie Garry Gilliam -- technically lined up as a blocking back on the edge -- scoring the first touchdown for the home team on a fake field goal attempt:

Then, running a more common variation on an unusual theme, New England Patriots tackle Nate Solder was an eligible receiver in Bill Belichick's jumbo package:

Solder's moment of glory was part of New England's systematic destruction of what had been the AFC's most overrated team all season long. Props to the o-line for giving punishing-yet-nimble rusher LaGarrette Blount his openings and Tom Brady time to put Shane Vereen on Front Street:

The air was taken out of the Colts' sails early and often. The lingering question now is, did cagey ol' Bill also take the air out of New England's footballs?

Oliver Stone awaits the call.

Quite another scenario took place over on the other coast.

It's not just that the Green Bay Packers blew it, it's why they did. This was a classic example of why it's refreshing to see the likes of Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly in the NFL. The innovative Eagles' leader will have his day, but now, it's the infectiously enthusiastic Seahawks coach whose joyful attitude toward the game is in stark contrast to the corporate approach espoused by so many NFL clubs.

And that includes the old-school Packers. Quickly, name something in that game that Mike McCarthy didn't do by the book. He set himself up to be the classic Niedermeyer to Carroll's Otter:

Call Seattle's winning pass the redemption play.

Russell Wilson had already started to step up when it counted. And fan favorite Jermaine Kearse -- Lakes High School in Tacoma, University of Washington Husky, and undrafted free agent -- atoned for a bumble that led to Wilson's fourth interception.

No Seahawks coach screamed at Kearse after that pick like a Pats coach did at Brandon Bostick. In the end, that contrast in attitude had as much to do with the result as anything else.

Seattle kept playing all afternoon. And had fun. Now they'll have more.

Click on a photo to enlarge.