When Colorization Goes Right

I have never knowingly sat through a colorized movie, but saw the computer-altered image above late last night on Deadspin and thought it was about the sweetest football-related image I've seen this week.

Clicking back to the source revealed the original, which is equally brilliant.

The pictured smoker, Len Dawson of the Kansas City Chiefs, had just gotten knocked around by Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I (which officially went by a much-less-catchy name, "The NFL-AFL World Championship Game) on Jan. 15, 1967.

Two weeks earlier, the Chiefs had knocked off the American Football League's two-time defending champions, your Buffalo Bills, at War Memorial Stadium to reach the first-ever contest between the rival circuits. So it could have easily been Jack Kemp relaxing with a smoke and a Fresca.

The Chiefs kept it close in the first half, trailing only 14-10 at intermission. Dawson's only interception came early in the third quarter, setting up the first of two touchdown runs by Green Bay running back -- and future Bills assistant coach -- Elijah Pitts and the Packers rolled, 35-10. If anyone ever needed a break after a long day at work, it was this guy.

However tonight's clash between Baltimore and San Francisco turns out, the post-game coverage will include plenty of staged euphoria and desolation -- at least one extended close-up of Ray Lewis crying is guaranteed.

Another sure thing -- you won't see anything like this.