NOTEBOOK | From Reliant Stadium in Houston

Been there, done that: Ricky Proehl, Adam Vinatieri and Super Bowls are starting to make a predictable trio. Here's how it works: First, Proehl makes a dramatic tying touchdown catch late in the Super Bowl against the Patriots. But alas, he does it a little too early, New England drives back and Vinatieri kicks the winning field goal. "You go from a hero to no one remembers," Proehl said. "You make a couple of big plays at the end like I did two years ago, you're high as a kite, and a minute later, it doesn't mean anything." Proehl has played 14 NFL seasons, but this Super coincidence -- with the Rams two years ago and now the Panthers -- is a legacy more bitter than sweet. "It must be a nightmare," he said. "Deja vu was happening all over again." He slid wide open over the middle for a 12-yard touchdown catch from Jake Delhomme to tie it at 29 with 1:08 to play, then laughed with his quarterback on the sideline as the game seemed headed for overtime. But he, more than anyone else in Reliant Stadium, should have known it was far too soon to celebrate. Two years ago, with Proehl's St. Louis Rams playing New England in New Orleans, the same scene unfolded. Proehl caught a 27-yard TD pass from Kurt Warner to tie it at 17 with 1:37 to go. Tom Brady moved the Patriots downfield against the Rams, then Vinatieri won it with a 48-yard field goal as the game ended.
Hail Columbia: The NFL honored the seven astronauts who died a year ago Sunday when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas. The on-field homage before the Super Bowl, punctuated by the rock band Aerosmith and crooner Josh Groban, included the seven members of the next planned mission. Some relatives of the Columbia crew attended the game, but stayed out of the spotlight. Eileen Collins, who will command Atlantis on the next shuttle mission as early as September, said she appreciated the tribute and was glad the space program went along with it. "I thought about them the whole time," Collins said. "I think they were with us today, and I think they're glad NASA didn't say no."
Getting his kicks: Vinatieri wants to be clear about something. He kicked the game-winning field goal. He did not win the game. There's a difference. "I was fortunate to be able to put the icing on the cake they worked so hard to build," said Vinatieri, whose late 41-yard kick marked the second time in three years he put up the deciding points at the end of the fourth quarter. "Tom [Brady] and the fellows moved the ball down the field and we had an opportunity to win the game," he said. Of course, Vinatieri did miss one kick earlier in the game and had another blocked, so he hadn't exactly been perfect until his game-winner sailed through the uprights with four seconds to go. So the kicker wisely put it on the big guys. "They fought for 59 minutes and 51 seconds," Vinatieri said. "It's only fitting that I do my part to help hoist that trophy up."
Whooping it up: New England receiver David Givens, who caught one of Brady's two touchdown passes, was in the middle of answering an interview question after the game when an earsplitting "Whoop!" erupted from nearby. He paused. "Come on, Mom. Act like you've been there before," said Givens, a second-year player who himself hadn't "been there before" until Sunday. Givens was born in Youngstown before his family moved west.
CBS apologizes: CBS apologized for an unexpectedly R-rated end to its Super Bowl halftime show, when singer Justin Timberlake tore off part of Janet Jackson's top, exposing her breast. "CBS deeply regrets the incident," spokeswoman LeslieAnne Wade said after the network received several calls about the show. The two singers were performing a flirtatious duet to end the halftime show, and at the song's finish, Timberlake reached across Jackson's leather gladiator outfit and pulled off the covering to her right breast. The network quickly cut away from the shot, and did not mention the incident on the air. "We were extremely disappointed by elements of the MTV-produced halftime show," Joe Browne, NFL executive vice president, said. "They were totally inconsistent with assurances our office was given about the content of the show. It's unlikely that MTV will produce another Super Bowl halftime."
China tunes in: China tuned in to an American tradition today, with millions turning from their morning routine to catch, for the first time, a glimpse of the Super Bowl as it happened with play-by-play and commentary in Chinese. The game was broadcast live on Central Television's cable sports channel, CCTV-5, although the network had earlier said it would run with an hour's delay. The estimated audience: 300 million. The game's start, 7 a.m. local time, precluded most members of the working population from sitting down to watch. The game was broadcast to a potential audience estimated by the league at 1 billion in 229 countries and territories, including China. It was carried in 21 languages, including Arabic, Cantonese, Icelandic, Russian, Serbian and Thai.
-- Staff/wire reports