For even the most casual New England sports fan — that would be, for example, me — the New England Patriots Super Bowl victory on February 3 was over too soon. It’s not that all the celebrating and highlight reels and team interviews weren’t gratifying. But I, for one, needed more than highlights. I had to see the whole game over again. Immediately. I needed to see it played once in real time, in its original broadcast form — and then again in sequence with maximum analysis. There were just too many moments to savor from too many angles. (For that matter, go back even to the Pittsburgh playoff game: how the hell did Troy Brown even think up that little post-fumble touchdown-scoring lateral to Antwan Harris? I mean, can something that profound even be called an idea?) Think about it: any movie DVD these days comes with the now-standard feature of the director’s commentary — the film all over again, but with the director’s simultaneous voiceover.

NFL Films, the Valhalla of sports fanaticism, seemed to answer our prayers with Super Bowl XXXVI Champions, available in both VHS and "enhanced" DVD editions. How, after all, could NFL Films fail us? NFL Films — both the sickness and the cure for sports insomniacs everywhere, for anyone who’s ever experienced those late-night binges on ESPN, where (now-deceased) announcer John Facenda intones over a swelling Ralph Vaughan Williams score about the history of the running back, or the quarterback, or even less-heralded positions (I remember one stirring paean to the nose tackle that ended with a particularly touching disquisition on the artistry of Howie Long). Surely, on the "enhanced DVD edition" we long-suffering Patriots-watchers would get our due — reliving again and again the glorious, improbable 2001 season, where (nearly) week in and week out, the Pats beat the better team for the simple reason that Bill Belichick is a genius.

But I digress. Sad to say, Super Bowl XXXVI Champions is something of a disappointment. It’s not necessarily that it does anything badly. Yes, there’s plenty of bombast, because, after all, post–September 11 we had to get back to the business of football, and so it was preordained that the Patriots (get it?) would triumph. The opening fantasy sequence is particularly embarrassing — a gridiron where our mighty heroes literally become helmeted knights of the Round Table. There’s the somewhat squirm-inducing "NFL Salutes America" tribute, culled from various post–September 11 games from around the league. All of it accompanied by the NFL Symphony Orchestra — or whatever it is — until we flick to the full halftime performance by U2 (terrific performances of "Beautiful Day" and "Where the Streets Have No Name"), as the names of the dead ascend to the heavens on a towering scrim behind the band and fans cheer with insane excitement. It’s a rock concert! It’s the WTC dead! Hoo-ray! As I say, we expect bombast from NFL Films, and was there ever a year to exploit the fact that there’s nothing more American than watching a football game?

No, my real problem with Super Bowl XXXVI Champions is that it’s too short. It’s not The Game, but the whole season — all 16 regular-season and three post-season games — in an hour. It’s over in a flash, with barely enough epic poetry about "Young Tom Brady" or Dylanesque verse about the once-hapless team that got to "go to the Big Easy/a team no longer easy/to overlook." It’s barely made up for by the feature on the Bear-bashed 1976 Super Bowl Patriots, or the featurettes on the careers of Steve Grogan and Gino Cappelletti (but hey, that is Fenway Park Gino’s playing in, believe it or not).

What we need is a true Francis Ford Coppola deluxe take on the 2001 season, available in multiple editions — the complete season, first game to last (six DVDs), or the more portable post-season special (two DVDs). Watch the games in real time with original Madden/Summerall commentary! Watch them with the "directors’" commentary — Belichick and his coaches analyzing every play as it unfolds! A Tom Brady edition! Tom, tell us again, what the hell is "30 Max All In"? And Troy, what was going through your mind when you pulled off that little Pittsburgh lateral? Did you really think anything, or did you just see a white light and hear the Voice of God?

Oh well, guess I’ll just have to wait for the games to show up on ESPN Classic.