steeler vs az cardinals in the super bowl

[Pegaritaville]

I'm flying down to Vegas for the game and I can't decide how I'm going to bet. I'll be rooting for Arizona, but I can't base my wager on what I want to happen. I'm leaning towards betting the under, but maybe I'd be better off just betting on the coin flip.

 

[Showdown]

^I hope you're right. I also hope it's a good close game, like last year's super bowl.

Yep, good close game. IMO, this super bowl is more exciting than last year's.

Gratz Steelers.

 

[Captain Craig]

Great game. Knew that with 2:38 left after the Cards scored that it was likely too much time.

Still never heard why that last Warner play wasn't ruled an incomplete pass. Too much going on my party to get an explanation if they gave one.

 

[scottydog]

Great game. Knew that with 2:38 left after the Cards scored that it was likely too much time.

Still never heard why that last Warner play wasn't ruled an incomplete pass. Too much going on my party to get an explanation if they gave one.

You're right; the game ended on a mysterious note. Why wasn't it reviewed or challenged? Maybe the Cards were out of challenges, who knows. Seems like the entire game was weird in that way.

^I hope you're right. I also hope it's a good close game, like last year's super bowl.

Yep, good close game. IMO, this super bowl is more exciting than last year's.

Gratz Steelers.

The last 2 super bowls have been amazingly exciting and close. Wow!

 

[JM1776]

Funny how there's talk about questionable officiating in both the recent Steelers wins.

Things that (rightly) make you go, "Hmm."

If they'd been allowed to play, the Cards would have their trophy.

 

[Scout101]

That might be stretching it a bit. If the Cards' defense hadn't gone completely limp in the last minute or so, they'd also have their trophy.

Yet again, the "Prevent" defense proved to only prevent that team from winning. If they'd just kept doing the same thing they were doing, they'd have held them, it was working

 

[JM1776]

That might be stretching it a bit.

Obviously I disagree.

If the Cards' defense hadn't gone completely limp in the last minute or so, they'd also have their trophy.

Can't really argue that—though Ben's and Santonio's execution had something to do with it.

If they'd just kept doing the same thing they were doing, they'd have held them, it was working

Agreed, 100%.

If the officiating had been fairer, though, I don't think the Steelers are close enough to win with a last-second touchdown.

 

[Scout101]

You were up by 3, with a minute or so to play. Refs didn't do you any favors, but you were winning at the very end. Defense couldn't hold on. Don't look much deeper than that. The refs didn't give the Steelers the touchdown, the 3 Cardinals watching Holmes in the endzone did that. And the guys that couldn't stop Big Ben on 3 and long when they were outside of FG range.

 

[JM1776]

Don't look much deeper than that.

Sorry ... it's not in my nature to be content with the superficial view.

Bottom line: The officiating affected the game. Did the Cardinals fight back despite the bullshit heaped upon them? Yes, they did, and I'm proud of them for it.

Would the Steelers have been in the position to win with a final drive if the Cards hadn't been almost strategically hamstrung throughout? Doubtful.

 

[Scout101]

You're taking what should be a positive (it was a great effort, and a pretty damned good game when one was not expected by many), and sullying it with bellyaching and accusations that the refs fixed the game.

Wasn't a well-refed game, we all agree. Bad calls all around. None that were really a backbreaker, though.

And making a stop on 3rd down at the end would have won the game. When you come right down to it, the Cardinals were in position to win the game, and didn't execute on the big play when the time came. Warner not making a stupid decision at the half and trying to force a pass, rather than making sure it was good (they had time for a couple shots, and plenty of downs, so throw it away and try again if the TD isn't there) didn't help, and that was enough to decide the game right there. Or even failing that, having ONE guy make an open-field tackle would have prevented the 7 points. With 3 very fast WRs, and a couple TEs on the field, how could no one catch a big linebacker as he ran 100 yards? Diving in front of him and tripping him would have been enough...

Just like last year. As sick as thinking about the Pats blowing a 19-0 season makes me, can't blame anyone but the Pats themselves. Despite all the bad play, a few questionable calls (and non-calls, at times), they were in position to win with a minute left. Samuel dropped an easy interception, Harrison couldn't knock a ball off of a helmet, Merriweather couldn't hold onto HIS interception, and Hobbs blew a coverage on an endzone route. Despite the first 59 minutes of the game, ANY of those plays means the Pats win. They didn't, or couldn't execute when they needed to, so they lost. Sucks, but that's it. Blaming everyone but yourself diminishes what you accomplished.

 

[Captain Craig]

You were up by 3, with a minute or so to play. Refs didn't do you any favors, but you were winning at the very end. Defense couldn't hold on. Don't look much deeper than that. The refs didn't give the Steelers the touchdown, the 3 Cardinals watching Holmes in the endzone did that. And the guys that couldn't stop Big Ben on 3 and long when they were outside of FG range.

As much as one could question calls in a game this one did have it. The only one I'll question to the end is that last one.

I think our diehard Card fan is still coming off Cloud 9.
Despite the obstacles they were winning.
At least three things all within the Cards control could've made any ref call moot.

1-Warner doesn't thow that INT to close the half and you get points, any variety.
2-You show up for the 3rd quarter
3-Your defense stops the Steelers on the other side of the 50yd line with 2+min to play. Ball game, Superbowl champs are in the dessert.

 

[Scout101]

easier to blame someone else, anyone else, rather than admit that you failed. There are a few critical plays in every game that decide the outcome. You step up in enough of them, you win, regardless of everything else. Steelers just happened to prevail in the last couple big plays.

Cardinals were in a position to win, but couldn't stop the Steelers, so didn't deserve it at the end. 3rd and long, outside FG range, and they gave up a first down to save the drive. THREE defenders in the end zone corner, and Holmes comes down with the winning touchdown alone. In triple coverage, how does that happen? Only one defender even jumped, and you can see in the replay that he pulled up and half-assed his block. If you want to assign blame, i'd look at those two plays first. Or one of the couple plays where Big Ben runs around like a chicken with his head cut off, and no one can lay a decent tackle on him. Or all the WRs that couldn't catch up to a LB over a 100-yard sprint.

Cards were in the position to win, they just couldn't execute. And in the end, that makes them the runners up. The refs were bad, and flag-happy, but it wasn't that uneven.

Again, to use last year as an example:

I can get hung up that Manning should have been whistled down before the Tyree catch (forward progress stopped, getting pulled backwards), or the obvious facemask against Jarvis Green while in that pile trying to sack Manning, but when you look at it, the Pats STILL had 4-5 plays they they SHOULD have made that still would have won the game, and they didn't execute. That's the long and the short of it...

 

[scottydog]

You're taking what should be a positive (it was a great effort, and a pretty damned good game when one was not expected by many), and sullying it with bellyaching and accusations that the refs fixed the game.

Wasn't a well-refed game, we all agree. Bad calls all around. None that were really a backbreaker, though.

And making a stop on 3rd down at the end would have won the game. When you come right down to it, the Cardinals were in position to win the game, and didn't execute on the big play when the time came. Warner not making a stupid decision at the half and trying to force a pass, rather than making sure it was good (they had time for a couple shots, and plenty of downs, so throw it away and try again if the TD isn't there) didn't help, and that was enough to decide the game right there. Or even failing that, having ONE guy make an open-field tackle would have prevented the 7 points. With 3 very fast WRs, and a couple TEs on the field, how could no one catch a big linebacker as he ran 100 yards? Diving in front of him and tripping him would have been enough...

Just like last year. As sick as thinking about the Pats blowing a 19-0 season makes me, can't blame anyone but the Pats themselves. Despite all the bad play, a few questionable calls (and non-calls, at times), they were in position to win with a minute left. Samuel dropped an easy interception, Harrison couldn't knock a ball off of a helmet, Merriweather couldn't hold onto HIS interception, and Hobbs blew a coverage on an endzone route. Despite the first 59 minutes of the game, ANY of those plays means the Pats win. They didn't, or couldn't execute when they needed to, so they lost. Sucks, but that's it. Blaming everyone but yourself diminishes what you accomplished.

Very well said. A very mature response. Thank you.

 

[Scout101]

Doesn't mean I'm not still mad/disappointed, but the Pats had their chances, and couldn't get it done. Can blame the refs, injuries, bad luck, but in the end, just didn't get it done.

Same this year. Cards had it in their hands, just couldn't play well enough when it counted to hold on. Sucks, but blaming everyone else just makes you look bad...

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

The Denver sports cartoonist issued cartoons during the game yesterday. Here are a couple of his better offerings:

and he had to get a couple of shots in at Shannon Sharpe not being elected to the hall of fame

 

[CaptainStoner]

I didn't have any real problems with the Ref calls. It was that kind of game, and that's not their fault. The only call that seemed unfair was a "roughing the passer" call against Arizona.
There's a lot of talk about toes being down in the endzone. They only showed it once, a reverse angle, where you could clearly see both toes compress as they touched the ground and he topples forward. Then they kept showing 2 other angles, where it totally looks like only one foot touches down.
I was less disappointed in the Refs than the unsportsmanlike conduct between the teams by some players. It was a grinding, ugly game from halftime on.
Overall though, a good game dynamic. Props to the Cards for putting Pittsburgh on its ass, and giving us a game.
Sour grapes, well, suck 'em, I guess.

 

[GMac]

As a neutral observer, I can't have too many complaints about the game, especially the dramatic ending A few too many flags perhaps (especially the holding calls), but the Cards oh so nearly pulled it off. I always thought the Warner pick six at the end of the half would be a killer though and so it proved, even though Roethlisberger and the Steelers had to pull it out at the end (two last gaps TD drives in as many Superbowls - nice!). Have to feel sorry for Kurt though - I hope he comes back for another shot next year after comong so close this time....

GM

 

[scottydog]

As a neutral observer, I can't have too many complaints about the game, especially the dramatic ending A few too many flags perhaps (especially the holding calls), but the Cards oh so nearly pulled it off. I always thought the Warner pick six at the end of the half would be a killer though and so it proved, even though Roethlisberger and the Steelers had to pull it out at the end (two last gaps TD drives in as many Superbowls - nice!). Have to feel sorry for Kurt though - I hope he comes back for another shot next year after comong so close this time....

GM

As a Steelers fan, I also have to give a lot of credit to Arizona for a great season and a great super bowl game. Warner sounds like a great guy and I hope he comes back with a great season next year.

 

[JM1776]

Didn't see anything worth rebutting here.

They got hosed. The fact that they were in a position to win simply means they nearly overcame the desperate attempt to hand the Steelers a title.

They played like champions. That's the ultimate point.

 

[Scout101]

except for the 1st and 3rd quarters, the last play of the 1st half, and the last 3 minutes of the game.