Last night, as I wore my lucky 75th anniversary Polamalu jersey (the black with gold numbers) the Steelers played yet another nail-biting, gut wrenching final 2 minutes to become the ONLY franchise in NFL history to win SIX, count’em, SIX Super Bowls.
Yes, it was again, not the prettiest thing to witness – but you have to give it to them – when it comes time for big plays, everyone on that team comes up strong. When I saw Larry Fitzgerald caatch that ball and streak through the middle of the field like people were chasing him (and they were, Polamalu and Harrison not too far behind) I saw all my Super Bowl dreams fade away…for only a second though. Because when I looked at the clock, I knew there was plenty of time for the return.Â
If there’s one thing I can count on from the Steelers it’s that in those final two minutes anything can happen. In this case, Ben drove 78 yards to get Santonio Holmes in the end zone in a crazy caatch. There were three defenders right there. ONLY Santonio could have caught that ball. I heard Ben say in an interview that he thought it was gonna be a pick, but it was outside, only Santonio could get to it.  Santonio had a great night – not the person I called to have a big night, I thought he was going to be too covered, but he did a great job with 4 catches for 73 of those final 78 yards. Overall, Santonio had 9 catches for 131 yards and 1 TD which was also the *Winning* TD.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Harrison’s 100 yard drive after picking a Warner pass. Not only was it the longest play in Super Bowl history, I would bet that it’s also the first time a lineman ran like that…I was just hoping someone would bring him some oxygen. I bet he’s never run that far that fast before! You also have to give credit to the rest of the defense for throwing the blocks that allowed him to get to the endzone. Also, Larry Fitzgerald, you almost got him. Almost.
Both Warner and Ben had respectable games. Warner threw 31 of 43 for 377 yards. Fitzgerald didn’t touch the ball until the second quarter. You have to give credit to Ike Taylor for staying tight on him, Ben threw 21 of 31 for 256 yards. This is Ben’s second Super Bowl championship in his first five years. He may not make a game pretty like Tom Brady or Payton Manning, but at least he gets the job done. To me, he’s like the Alan Iverson of football, scrappy and determined.
Coach Whisenhunt said after the game, “Penalties were something that was difficult to overcome.” Penalities can make or break a team. Arizona had three personal fouls against Pittsburgh on one drive. However, it only cost them 3 points in a field goal. At the end of the day, I think emotions ran high and there were some penalities that could have been avoided by both teams. Can’t say I wasn’t disappointed in James Harrison’s behavior for the personal foul called against him in the 4th quarter. I had flashbacks to Joey Porter. Not to condone his actions, but I think being held for an entire season and not getting the calls might do that to a person.Â
Regardless, this is a win for the history books. Dan Rooney was asked what it is that sets the Steelers apart, why are they winners?
“Just good players,” he said. “That is the big thing. Players are the ones that do it for you. The players are it. You can’t win without the players. Remember that.”
We won’t dan.
We love all of the Steelers. We support them day in and day out. And we appreciate the work they put in to make each of the fans happy today. And thanks for your dedication to the team as an owner. The consistency and the commitment you have shown through hiring only 3 coaches in the last 40 years let’s us know you are there for the team too, through good and bad.
We hope next year is another good year.
Go Steelers!
