Super Steelers

Well, in honor of our six time Super Bowl champs, I will offer six thoughts on the big game:

1. I am the original Santonio fan in Pittsburgh. Draft day 2006, I lived in Knoxville. I was watching while writing a paper, and the Giants were on the clock with the 25th pick. I called Keith and said "Dude, I have a feeling we're trading up here to take Santonio." As we were on the phone, Tags went to the podium and said, "With the 25th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Giants..." and I started to say the words with Tags..."trade the pick to the Steelers. The Steelers select..."and by now I'm shouting..."Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio State". I was ecstatic. I hate Ohio State, but I loved this guy, and one thing said all I needed to know. They showed Santonio in his living room, and somebody there busted out a Terrible Towel and started waiving it, and he was genuinely thrilled to be a Stiller. He had a rough rookie year (remember when he fumbled punts seemingly every week?) but ended that year with a long TD catch to keep the Bengals out of the playoffs, and he's been pretty good ever since. Breakout star waiting to happen.

2. Ben is very, very, VERY underrated. People talk about his ability to keep plays alive, and he's fantastic at that. But he has become great in the pocket, making his reads, checking down when he has to. He hasn't even reached his prime yet.

3. I love Coach Mike. I was very skeptical at first, and I still don't think he's reached his potential as an X's and O's guy or a game manager. There were lots of mistakes in the game yesterday that a more seasoned guy I hope wouldn't make (the admission that he would take a safety scared me - that's the wrong call there). Still, he pushes the right buttons and guys respond to him. He seems to have a great relationship with Ben, and that's important. And it said it all when Willie complained about running, and Mike responded: "I walk past 5 Lombardi's, not 5 rushing titles." Eat it, Willie.

4. Larry Fitzgerald is a man among boys. He's my favorite player in the league, bar none. Of course, he starred collegiately at Pitt, and that's why I love him. I started loving the Cardinals when they drafted him, and then obviously the Cards became Pittsburgh West. He's still the best in my book, and it was a Steeler/Pitt fans dream yesterday with Larry having a huge game, but the Steelers still winning. I have to admit, I wasn't crushed when he scored to go ahead with 2:30 left in the game.

5. It's not enough to win a Super Bowl anymore. You have to do it in an historic way. The 2005 Steelers became the first 6 seed ever to win the game. This years' team has a few marks in history. First of all, they overcame the hardest schedule in league history, with opponents winning percentage just below 60%. Second, the defense was impenetrable for most of the year. They got All Pro seasons from Polamalu and Harrison, but other guys stepped up so well too. Woodley was a terror on the edge. Aaron Smith remains one of the most underrated DEs in the game. Casey is a huge bowling ball in the middle. Timmons, Farrior, and Foote held the middle down. However, the most important aspect to me this season was the coverage skills of the DBs. This was the best defensive backfield that the Steelers have had since 1992. They had legitimately 7 DBs that could cover (Ike, Deshea, McFadden, Willie Gay, Polamalu, Carter, Clark). That allowed LeBeau to sit back and let the 3 or 4 rushers do their job, which they were able to do a lot of the time. The third historical factor is in our QB. Ben will end up in the HOF if he continues this pace.

6. The Boss was good at halftime. Not nearly as good as Prince in the (purple!) rain in Miami in 2007. But Bruce was still good. I was hoping for Glory Days, it's my favorite Bruce song, probably because I remember it as a 7 yr old, and I was pumped when he and Little Stevie introduced it ("It's Boss time!"). Who could possibly play the halftime show next year? I have no idea.

Well, that's enough from me. What did you think of the Super Bowl?