Steelers win their fifth Super Bowl

[TiceMustGo]

Congraulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers in winning their fifth championship. This was well-deserved. To win all three road games against very good teams in a hostile environment definitely meant that the Steelers earned this championship. They played great in this playoff run. Congrats to Bill Cowher for finally getting his first championship. It's great to see that his coaching career is validated with a championship. The guy is a great coach and his work speaks for itself. The last two years has been his two best years as a head coach IMO. It's great to see Ben get his ring in just his second year. He definitely earned it for sure with his play. It's also beautiful to see that Jerome will end his career on a great note. I tip my hat to the Steelers.

As for the Seahawks, they got nothing to be ashamed of. They had a great season and I thought they did a good job tonight. It just didn't worked out. They will get there again and they will eventually win it. Their future is bright and their core players will be there for a long time (I expect Alexander to eventually re-sign with Seattle). They have a great front office and they got a heckuva of a coach in Holmgren. I think Hasselbeck is only going to get even better. This is definitely going to bode well for the Seahawks for years to come. They will be back and they will be better for it.

Seahawks lost this game because they just couldn't finish up their scoring chances in the first half. They miss easy catches and they couldn't hold on the ball. Matt threw great passes and guys like Jermey Stevens, who did not have a great night, couldn't get it done. Seahawks had opportunities to really enter the half with a big lead. They just didn't get it done which is why they lost this game.

Steelers made plays when they had to as usual. How did you like that flea-flicker play to Hines Ward? That was the difference maker here. Willie Parker found a way to score in the third quarter as he did not break a sweat while scoring. He just ran through them. Ben made clutch plays like he always does whether it's getting that first down via his legs or when he somehow throws the ball to his receivers when he is about to tackled. He just did it again like he always does. That's why he is the successful QB as he is. He just knows how to get it done. Him and Tom Brady definitely the 1 and 1A QBs of football. Pittsburgh just knew how to get it done while Seattle couldn't finish up their opportunities.

I thought both QBs played well overall. I talked about what Ben did. Matty played pretty darn good. He did his job. He threw as well as he could. Don't blame him if his receivers had butterfingers. He could sleep well tonight and this off-season. He has to feel good at what he did. He is only going to get better. I think him and Carson Palmer about to take the next step to excellence.

Both defenses did a good job was actually impressed with Seattle's D a lot more than Pitt's D. Seattle's defense did the best they could in stopping Ben and their running back monster. I am not sure how anyone can fault the job they did out there. They did a very good job IMO.

Shawn Alexander could have done a better job. He had a good game in the second half, but where was he in the first half. Maybe if he did well in the first half, Seattle could have scored some points in the first half and then make a difference.

Don't fault Josh Brown for missing the two FGs. He was in a horrible position to kick those FGs. It was a tough task for him.

Who knew Joey Porter was a prophet? Porter talked about Stevens being an underacheiver on Wednesday. Who knew? Jermey Stevens did not have that great of game outside of that TD catch. He missed some easy, passable balls. He should have gotten it done.

The refs were lousy. How was Darrell Jackson's touchdown was nullified was beyond me? How? Where was the offensive interference? My dad watched the game with me and he even wondered where was the interference. He does not even follow football and he knew the ruling was crap. Seattle got screwed in several instances. With that said, that was not the reason why they lost. They lost because their receivers couldn't finish up their scoring chances.

This score may indicate a blowout, but remember Seattle could have led if Matt did not get that interception at the wrong time. That interception set the stage for Pittsburgh to finish up the Seahawks with that flea-flicker play. I thought Seattle played well and I thought it was a good game.

Was it a boring game? I didn't think so. It wasn't the greatest either. I would give this game a 3. This game is something fans will likely not talk about for years to come like the Titans/Rams game from 2000. This game was similiar to Carolina/New England from two years ago. Good game, but not the best.

This is an excellent ending in what was a great story for the Pittsburgh Steelers this playoff season. As for the Seahawks, the best is yet to come.

 

[Crossbones]

I agree with most everything you say here TMG.

The word here in Seattle, as you might have guessed, is that the refs took the game from the Hawks.

Let me say this: in 40 yaears of watching the Raiders I've had a belly full of bad calls that cost my teams playoffs appearances, playoff games, chances to advance to the AFC Championship game, missed calls that would have sent my team to the Super Bowl... and on and on.

So I say to the Seattle front runners...get screwed and get over it. Been there and done that. It's football.

Pure and simple the Hawks didn't take advanatage of their opportunities. The Steelers did. The play that won that game IMO was the reverse to Randel El and the subsequent TD passs. Beautiful baby.

Although I picked Seattle to win I'm a little relieved that I don't have to go through a full year of Hawks a Champs and "what happened to your Raiders"?

PS- On the Jackson OPI call I belive that was the correct call. He pushed off and extended and straightened his arm at the elbow -- clearly OPI. JMO.

 

[Rupert]

Rep for TMG for his point for point "dead on balls" (it's an industry term - movie quote there) analysis of the game.

I can see why the ref made the OPI call. They're trained to look for the extended arm of the WR, but at full speed the hand was looking for the DB not pushing him off. It shouldn't have been called, but it's completely understandable why it was. I thought it was a late flag given to a whining DB, but in the slow mo replay the ref is reaching for the flag as Jackson is catching it, pretty much cause and effect.

I don't think the Steelers won it so much as Seattle choked it away. If they had caught passes with regularity, they'd have blown Pittsburgh out, pure and simple. They didn't and the Steelers played steady and solid and took the freebie.

The game had some tension, but every time Seattle had the ball I kept asking myself, "Will they put it together this drive?" Too often the answer was, "No."

 

[Angel]

Congrats to the Steelers....It was a great game!!