SB 43 recap
Was last year’s game as exciting as this year’s? I didn’t particularly enjoy last year’s game - but that *could* be due to my affiliation with the Patriots… not sure. But let’s not focus on last year, cuz this year…
What a great game! I had no horse in this race. I was rooting for the Cardinals cuz (a) they were the underdogs, (b) the Warner story does intrigue me - from nowhere, to the top of the NFL mountain, then seemingly done, now (almost) back to the top of the NFL mountain, and (c) Larry Fitzgerald is simply out-standing. I thought the Steelers would be able to take him away, leaving Boldin to have to have the big day (as the Cardinals would need at least one of them to have a big day to win, to my mind). The Steelers did a great job taking Fitzgerald away in the first half… but they couldn’t keep him down all game. That quick slant, turn upfield (while the safeties each took steps towards either sideline to help cover deep outs… great play design and execution) for the go-ahead TD with 3 minutes to go in the game… what a play! Course, his first TD… the patented “throw it up to my big, athletic WR to outbattle the poor, defenseless DB” play… another great catch. (Btw, the DB on that play - Ike Taylor - is six-feet tall himself, and had a very good year. He also defended that about as well as one could reasonably expect… with Larry Fitzgerald, that’s still not enough.)
That said, I have no specific disdain for the Steelers. I think you have to respect that organization - for its long-term success and its blue-collar approach. And I can’t think of a Steelers player I particularly dislike, fwiw. Hines Ward is a gamer - a great player. I admit it…I enjoy watching him play - just a complete football player. Defensive Player of the Year Harrison made an *outstanding* play to end the first half. Even Big Ben - who I generally consider to be a bit overrated - came up big. I freely admit that I don’t think as much of him as most, but there’s no denying how great he played in that final drive (and indeed, much of the game… one tipped INT that preceded the Harrison Pick Six, but otherwise, a very good day moving the offense, eluding the defense, and coming up big when his team needed him to). Fwiw, he clearly put that Super Bowl XL stinker of a performance behind him. He actually earned his ring this time (and then some).
But the first half was about the Steelers defense pretty much doing its thing. Then the Cardinals (seemingly) adjusted, and did their thing in the second half… down 13, to *that* defense, and they came back to take the lead. Then the Steelers are 1st-and-20, less than 3 minutes left, and Santonio Holmes catches everything in his area code (often after Big Ben moved within, and out of, the pocket to evade the Cardinal rush). Heck, the Holmes catch on the safety - which thus made it a “no catch” - was terrific… ball was down and behind him, and he took it away from the DB. Fwiw, I agreed with Holmes as MVP. What a catch (and throw) for the GW TD with under a minute to go… what more could you ask for (unless you’re a Cardinals fan)?!?!
Then the Cardinals get the ball with two timeouts and about 30 seconds left with their high-powered offense trying to see if they do something against a great defense (hey - didn’t that happen *last* year?). They get over midfield (unlike last year, fwiw), but can’t get any closer… indeed, the defense doesn’t even let them get off a last-second Hail Mary (or two).
I admit it… when the Steelers took over with 3 minutes to go, I was hoping/expecting we’d see the first overtime in SB history… but the Steelers decided to just go win the darn thing in regulation. The Cardinals showed they very clearly belonged in that game, but the Steelers showed they were the better team and a deserved champ. What a terrific game! (Did I mention that yet?)
P.S. The best commercial was actually played during the pregame, IMHO (I wanna say around 6 PM EST or so). It was one of the E*Trade commercials with the talking baby. Something about an older guy complaining about a golf game between he and the baby, and the baby telling him how a ball on a cart path is played, concluding with, “Learn the rules, Shankopotomas!”. I don’t recall seeing it during the game - but that one was my favorite.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Great game, but not as great as last years in my opinion since a) last year was a classic David vs Goliath matchup, and b) this year’s game, while close, was between two teams that both committed an unforgivable number of critical mental errors that would have doomed either team against the many historically great Super Bowl teams. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that had New England faced either of this year’s teams in Super Bowl 42, the game would have been decided by halftime and there wouldn’t be a village somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa full of kids running around in discarded “Patriots 19-0″ t-shirts.
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:16 am
Agreed… and agreed. In a relative sense, there have been “greater” games than SB43 - and undoubtedly greater teams (in victory and defeat). However, taken on it’s own, SB43 was very exciting despite the errors you accurately point out. I had no rooting interest, but I thoroughly enjoyed the contest - especially the last half of the fourth quarter.