posted February 2, 2009 at 18:40 EST in NFL Articles
The Ultimate Super Bowl Recap
by Charles Jay
At the risk of hyperbole, I will say that this may have been the best Super Bowl ever. I don't know how many times there has been a comeback from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter in the game's history (no team has come back from more than 10 points down to WIN the Super Bowl), nor do I think has there been a safety and two touchdowns in the Super Bowl in the last three minutes. We saw the longest play in Super Bowl history and two or three of the most dramatic. This was truly a game that was an inch or two away from going to the Cardinals, and an inch or two away from being a cover for the Steelers.
I knew that Ben Roethlisberger would run for his life in this game, but in terms of his ability as an escape artists, he was beyond sensational. Yes, you could have easily made a case for him as a Super Bowl MVP, because the list of quarterbacks who could have succeeded under that kind of pressure is very limited. Still, I agreed with the selection of Santonio Holmes, who made a lot of the big catches in the game, many of which he could have been forgiven if he hadn't come up with, including that game winner. What was especially important about Holmes' performance is that he came into the game knowing that Hines Ward, with his MCL problem, might not be close to 100%.
For the most part, Pittsburgh kept Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin out of the game for the first half and some point beyond. I suppose their strategy was that if they were going to get beat, it would be with something that was less than Arizona's best. Eventually Fitzgerald got through to make his big play, and he and Boldin combined for 15 catches. Kurt Warner did what he had to do. Only three quarterbacks passed for more than 200 yards against the Steelers all season. Warner threw for 195 yards in the fourth quarter alone. With 377 yards overall, he had well more than anyone else has against this defense.
One of the reasons Pittsburgh did not cover the spread is that it could not get it done in the red zone. Maybe it has to do with the fact that they don't have that big back to plow through the line, as they had with somebody like, say, Jerome Bettis the last time they won the Super Bowl. Of course, I think Ben Roethlisberger was probably in the end zone legitimately in the first quarter. The challenge was wrong. That may have changed the game from that point on, but we won't know. All I can say is that Roethlisberger, at 20/1 in the BetUS odds, was my choice to score the first touchdown, and I was ecstatic until the official went under the hood (Gary Russell, one of my alternative choices at 16/1, did managed to score the first TD eventually).
Pittsburgh made the Arizona running game irrelevant; just 33 yards in 12 carries isn't much. They could have gotten some more pressure on Warner, but the quick release of the Cardinal quarterback allowed him to get rid of the ball on underneath routes. Pittsburgh could have cheated and given Warner the outside routes, to where he doesn't throw all that often, but instead in the latter stages of the game they left the middle open and allowed for that catch-and-run by Fitzgerald.
The key play in the game, and the best case for James Harrison as the game's MVP, was his 100-yard interception return. That play had three ways to go; one of them was exactly the way it went, with Pittsburgh taking a ten-point lead into the locker room. Another would have been for Harrison to get stopped short of the goal line, with time in the half running out, and no impact on the scoreboard, as it easily could have been. The most damaging effect for Arizona, however, was that the Cards were ready to march into the end zone and it wound up being a 14-point turnaround. With a 14-10 lead and the opportunity to receive the second half kickoff (they deferred after winning the coin toss), they had a great chance to make Pittsburgh the team that had to play catch-up. I still can't believe how, after running 80 yards or so, that Harrison had enough coordination and presence of mind to cut back behind a block and out-race everyone to the goal line. That was truly classic.
Officiating certainly had an effect on this game. As I mentioned before, I still don't believe the call that was made after Roethlisberger's run was ruled a touchdown. there was a roughing the passer call on Arizona that was complete nonsense. That roughing call on Adrian Wilson on Jeff Reed's third-quarter field goal attempt was silly too. And it seems like I heard Wayne Gandy's name called for holding all night long.
What now? Well, I don't see Pittsburgh as the kind of dominant team that is going to steamroll into next season, although as long as that defense remains intact, and Willie Parker is healthy, it is a team that must be included on the short list of elite contenders. They'll have more than their share of competition in the AFC, namely a New England team that should have Tom Brady back, not to mention Indianapolis, San Diego, Tennessee, perhaps Miami and the Jets, Baltimore with a more mature Joe Flacco, even a healthier Jacksonville squad. The running back and wide receiver positions may be a little deeper, as Rashard Mendenhall comes back and Nate Washington assumes a bigger role. The Steelers are currently 9/1 to win the next Super Bowl in the BetUS NFL futures betting odds, making them a co-favorite with the Patriots.
Arizona is listed as a 25/1 choice in the BetUS odds, and there is good reason for that, aside from the fact that they will have a number of teams to contend with, including the Giants and Cowboys, maybe Minnesota, if they get a new quarterback, and a quartet of teams in the South division. Warner's contract is up, and he has made no secret over the fact that he may retire. That would leave Matt Leinart to pilot the offense, and this team would be different with him at the helm. Heck, this team WAS different with him at the helm. They are going to be in a weak division again, although San Francisco may have enough to make a bit of a move. The Cards have to address the running game and perhaps shop for a real tight end threat, and they could use a little more defensive help. They did show a lot of heart in the post-season, removing all doubts that they belonged.
To think that just two seasons ago, this was a team dedicated to finding creative ways to lose, and excuses to roll over (remember the titanic collapse against the Bears in a Monday night game?), you will realize that they have come an awfully long way.
That's something to be proud about, whatever yesterday's result.
(Charles Jay is a member of the NFL too - that is, "not for long" if you don't get results. He is now a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)
