After a few days of recovery and celebration, we figure it’s time to close the book on the Super Bowl. We’ll take one more look back at the actual game itself with a bunch of quick-hit thoughts and obersvations.
- The Arizona defensive line was a LOT better than I expected. I anticipated the Steelers to generate a good push and run the ball effectively. But Darnell Docket did what he wanted pretty much all night and it made Bruce Arians job as playcaller a lot harder.
- Speaking of playcalling, I think the Steelers out thought themselves in goal to go situations. They were 1/4 when it came to converting TD’s off of 1st and goal. That isn’t good enough for any game, let alone the Super Bowl. I know that the offensive line sucks, but when you have 1st and goal from the 5 yard line, you have to pound the football straight ahead. The Steelers tried toss sweeps, QB draws, and play action passes, none of which worked. You have to trust your lineman and running backs to get 5 yards on 3 plays with the season on the line.
- I practically had the game wrap on lockdown until the last 10 minutes. The DB’s did a great job on Fitzgerald until the very end. Aside from the LONG TD catch and run, I still think they did an admirable job. All of Fitz’s other catches were short routes for minimal gains. Ike Taylor did all he could on Fitz’s first TD grab and even knocked the ball out of his hands for a second. On the long gainer, Ike got beat inside, but the real problem was the lack of support in the middle of the field. James Harrison got caught cheating upfield a bit and nobody was home. It’s a mute point now, but other than that play, you can’t ask for more from the Steelers pass defense.
- As a side point, Warner threw for almost 400 yards which seems like a lot, but the Cards basically stopped attempting to run the ball midway through the 2nd quarter.
- Kurt Warner can still play at a very high level. It helps having a pair of WR’s with HOF talent, but he’s one of the best QB’s out there.
- Speaking of QB’s, I really think the order of QB’s right now has to go Brady, Roethlisberger, Warner, Manning, Rivers/Brees. Winning trumps stats every day of the week.
- A lot of people forget that the Steelers played the Super Bowl and most of the year without two starters on the offensive line in Simmons and Smith. We all knew the line wasn’t going to be good, but they did an admirable job this year playing without two starters and giving up some talent to begin with.
- Santonio Holmes was all over the field during the entire playoff run. From his punt return against the Chargers to his TD grab in the back of the endzone, Holmes was a total beast. He’s still got maturing to do and he’s not yet a legitimate number one WR, but he’s very close.
- Another thing worth noting is that the Steelers won the Super Bowl without any contributions of note from their class of rookies. Sweed barely saw the field and we all know abou Mendenhall and Tony Hills. When was the last time a team one a Super Bowl without any rookies playing a role?
- LaMarr Woodley was just as explosive during the playoffs as Holmes was on offensive. 6 sacks during the three games. Guy is going to make a lot of money shortly and could go down as one of the all time Steeler greats. Remember, James Harrison is 30, Woodley is only 24. Granted, some measure of Woodley’s success is due to added attention paid to Harrison, but Woodley is capable of beating double teams himself already.
- Roethlisberger was great. His numbers, as usual, won’t jump out at you, but he made the plays when they needed to be made the whole game. He never panicked and never made any real mistakes with the football. Like Woodley, he is only going to get better and his already accomplished 10x more during his short career than most QB’s ever get done. I can’t say a bad word about the guy, he’s the perfect QB for the Steelers and plays the position like a RB. He’s fearless in any situation.
- Best Super Bowl ever? Only time will tell, but it’s up there. I think we all have to wait a few months at least until the emotions settle down before we make any claims. It was definitely my favorite Super Bowl though, pretty easily surpassing XL.
- The refs weren’t the greatest, but not any different than they were during the regular season. If this game was played in week 12, nobody bats an eye at any of the calls.
- James Harrison….best football play in the history of the NFL. If you want to know why he is special, only one LB in the NFL makes that interception and returns it 100 yards and it’s Silverback. He was responsible for the RB on that play, but listened to his instincts and read Warner’s eyes.
- Still in full celebration mode for the foreseeable future. Sixburgh indeed.
What will you take away from this Super Bowl win? What was your favorite moment?
