HOUSTON — I’ve been a very lucky man.

Eighteen years ago, as the now-departed Portland Pirates were wrapping up their worst season, I told my sports editor at the time that I needed a change.

“Want to cover the Patriots?” he asked.

Sure. Why not? I mean, they weren’t great, but they weren’t the woeful Patriots teams of years past.

So in the fall of 1999, I began covering the New England Patriots, then coached by Pete Carroll. He was fired at the end of the year, replaced by a guy named Bill Belichick, who drafted some kid named Tom Brady in the sixth round in the next draft.

Timing is everything.

Sunday will be the seventh Super Bowl I will cover for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. I’ve seen great moments that made history. I’ve experienced moments that I will never forget.

And I’d like to share some of them with you. I have ranked my previous Super Bowl experiences, based on the game, the city and overall experience.

And we begin in …

1. New Orleans, Feb. 3, 2002 Super Bowl XXXVI Patriots 20, Rams 17

This has to be No. 1 for so many reasons. New England’s stunning upset of the heavily favored St. Louis Rams on Adam Vinatieri’s last-play 48-yard field goal – a final score I correctly predicted (go ahead, check the archives) – jump-started the dynasty. It was Brady’s first Golden Boy moment, a last-minute drive that defied conventional thinking. It was another perfect game plan by Belichick to slow down the Greatest Show on Turf.

Everything about that trip was spellbinding. I can still smell the beignets from Cafe du Monde. Bourbon Street, crowded, sweaty and intoxicating. Jambalaya (real jambalaya, I mean). The fortune teller in Jackson Square telling me that Adam Vinatieri would “play a major, major role” in the game. How did she know?

It was long-snapper Lonie Paxton doing snow angels in the red, white and blue confetti falling onto the turf.

Just months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, police and military were a presence on every corner with automatic rifles and bomb-sniffing dogs. Everyone was on edge yet everyone was celebrating America. It was Robert Kraft saying, “Today we are all Patriots.”

U2 performed at halftime, singing “Where The Streets Have No Name.” The names of those who died on Sept. 11 scrolled behind the band. No one was typing in the press box, everyone clearing their throats and wiping away tears.

I’ll never forget any of that.

2. Indianapolis, Feb. 5, 2012 Super Bowl XLVI Giants 21, Patriots 17

I had no expectations heading to Indianapolis. Boy, was I overwhelmed by how the city embraced the media, the fans, the game. The game itself was another thriller, with the New York Giants once again turning back the Patriots 21-17 on a late touchdown. It was a tense game throughout, and the Patriots led 17-9 at one point. But the Giants got the ball with 3:46 to play on their 12 and Eli Manning again completed a miraculous pass, finding Mario Manningham tiptoeing near midfield down the left sideline.

I got to visit Indianapolis Motor Speedway, though I resisted the urge to kiss the finish line, as many other sports writers did. I saw Butler University play at the hallowed Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The NFL Experience in downtown Indy included a zip line (which I declined because of long lines) and curling (which I certainly did because I think curling is cool).

3. Phoenix, Feb. 1, 2015 Super Bowl XLIX Patriots 28, Seahawks 24

Perhaps the greatest ending I’ve ever seen, certainly the most emotional. Malcolm Butler, tears streaming down his face after he saved New England’s victory over Seattle with a goal-line interception. Tom Brady leaping and whooping like a little kid who just got the greatest present.

I picked Seattle to win this game. No way the Patriots could beat that defense, right? Well, Brady won his fourth Super Bowl ring by spitting into the wind, tugging on Superman’s cape and pulling the mask off the Lone Ranger. Four touchdown passes, two in the fourth quarter to overcome a 24-14 deficit, against the vaunted Legion of Boom secondary. Greatest of all time? Ya think?

Had a great time with some of the younger Patriots beat writers who were experiencing their first Super Bowl. Took them to a great Mexican restaurant, not only once but twice. And it’s always amazing to see little lizards scrambling all over the place as you walk along palm-tree-lined streets.

4. Phoenix, Feb. 3, 2008 Super Bowl XLII Giants 17, Patriots 14

I know, there were probably a lot of you who thought this would be first or at least second. And while the New York Giants’ stunning, last-minute victory over the undefeated Patriots was historic, riveting and gut-wrenching, this is about the overall experience.

The game was the best part of this trip. No one gave the Giants a chance. But they battered Brady with a ferocious pass rush and, of course, David Tyree made the most sensational/improbable (take your pick) catch in Super Bowl history, somehow holding the ball against his helmet as Rodney Harrison slammed him to the ground. This came after Eli Manning somehow escaped a pass rush that twice had him in its grasp.

And then Manning threw a 13-yard pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left, and poof, the 19-0 season was gone.

As far as the week, well, I found that great Mexican restaurant I told you about earlier (and was glad it was still there seven years later), and went to an ECHL game. Nothing special.

5. Houston, Feb. 1, 2004 Super Bowl XXXVII Patriots 32, Panthers 29

This was a fun trip and I came home with the greatest Super Bowl baseball cap I still own – burnt orange, a longhorn skeleton logo. And the game was a blast.

The Patriots won their second title in three years, beating Carolina on another last-second field goal by Vinatieri, this one from 41 yards. Thirty-seven points were scored in a wild fourth quarter after an otherwise dull first three quarters.

Brady was magnificent again. Rodney Harrison broke his arm but stayed in the game for a couple more plays.

You left the game feeling very bad for Carolina’s Ricky Proehl. Two years earlier, with the Rams, his touchdown catch tied the Super Bowl before Brady went on his game-winning drive. This time, Proehl caught a game-tying touchdown pass with 1:08 remaining, only to have to watch Brady and Vinatieri do their thing again.

As a city, Houston was OK. A little too big and spread out for me. Getting around was difficult.

Great media party, however, at the Houston Aquarium. It included a train ride through a glass-walled tunnel. Sharks were swimming around it. Pretty cool.

6. Jacksonville, Feb. 6, 2005 Super Bowl XXXIX Patriots 24, Eagles 21

By far my least-favorite Super Bowl experience.

The city wasn’t ready for the horde of fans that arrived, especially from Philadelphia. They easily outnumbered Patriots fans, by maybe 3-to-1 – and there were Pats fans in good numbers, too. Everywhere was crowded. Restaurants. Sidewalks. Bridges.

The game itself was meh. The Patriots repeated as champs – the last team to do so. Vinatieri again supplied the winning points with a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. But there was no drama.

Deion Branch was spectacular, catching 11 of Brady’s 23 completions, and was named MVP. Donovan McNabb vomited. Hootie and the Blowfish played at the media party.

Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or:

mlowe@pressherald.com

Twitter: MikeLowePPH