Super Bowl Action - sports

Steelers complete route to Super Bowl

noreply@blogspirit.com (tom1271) — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 20:09:55 +0100

Ben Roethlisberger was in tears when he made the promise to Jerome Bettis. It happened one year ago, in the final moments of the Steelers' devastating home loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

The young quarterback, his lip quivering, implored the Steelers' beloved old fogey to postpone retirement for another year. It might be the franchise's most famous young-old conversation since Mean Joe Greene tossed his jersey to that kid in the Coke commercial.

"He was boo-hoo-ing, and I was boo-hoo-ing," Bettis recalled Sunday at Invesco Field. "He turned to me and said, `Come back. I'll get you to a Super Bowl . . . Just give me one more chance.' "

Done.

Inspired by Bettis but galvanized by Roethlisberger, the Steelers completed an unprecedented journey to the Super Bowl, upsetting the Broncos, 34-17, for their third straight postseason win on the road. The Steelers became the first sixth seed in history to reach the Super Bowl, and they did it by knocking off the first, second and third seeds in the AFC.

The doubters have been silenced. "Everyone said we couldn't do it, being the sixth seed," linebacker Joey Porter said. "We just took the scenic route."

In a span of 14 days, the Steelers went from Cincinnati to Indianapolis to Denver. The Black-and-Gold Across America Tour concludes Feb. 5 in Detroit, home of Super Bowl XL. The four-time Super Bowl champions face the Seattle Seahawks with a chance to finally win one for the thumb, 25 years after capturing their last ring.

"We shocked the world," said wide receiver Hines Ward, sounding the underdog's battle cry.

Playing with no margin for error for nearly two months, the Steelers have won seven straight, including five on the road. At one point, they were 7-5, having started a different quarterback in three straight games.

"What they've done . . . is amazing," Broncos tight end Jeb Putzier said.

The most amazing player on the field was Roethlisberger. Only 23, he was nearly flawless, completing 21 of 29 passes for 275 yards, including two touchdown passes and one scoring run.

Big Ben showed savvy, fooling star cornerback Champ Bailey with a pump fake on a 12-yard touchdown throw to Cedric Wilson. He also fired a 17-yard, seeing-eye scoring pass to Hines Ward as he rolled to his left. The ball went through the hands of safety Nick Ferguson, who couldn't explain how he missed it.

Roethlisberger gave a terrific impersonation of his boyhood idol, Denver icon John Elway, who watched from a luxury suite as his old team was outcoached, out-blitzed and outperformed.

"We've got a young quarterback who didn't play young today," said coach Bill Cowher, who lifted a huge weight by snapping a three-game losing streak in conference championship games.

Roethlisberger, who wears No. 7 because of Elway, was deadly on third down, hitting 10 of 13 passes for 108 yards. On three straight third-down plays in the second quarter, he converted from 10, 10 and eight yards. That was the turning point as the Steelers scored twice in 1:48 to take a 24-3 halftime lead.

"Pittsburgh came in here and played the perfect game," Broncos linebacker Keith Burns said.

The Broncos, who took an undefeated home record into the game, committed four turnovers (two interceptions and two fumbles by Jake Plummer).

Conversely, the blitzing Steelers made Plummer (18-for-30, 223 yards) suffer the long-awaited implosion, which many locals had feared. Basically, the Snake ssssstunk.

Meanwhile, Roethlisberger is 26-4 as a starter, 1-0 in promises delivered. The Bus is heading home to Detroit for the final game of his career, and the kid QB couldn't be happier.

"It's been my driving force all year," Big Ben said. "I'm just glad I didn't have to cry and apologize to him that I couldn't get him there. I feel a lot better that I could keep my promise."

Seahawks meet Steelers in Super Bowl

noreply@blogspirit.com (tom1271) — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 20:05:30 +0100

The Seahawks couldn't help but notice that they were calling this the "City of Self-Doubt" on the front page of one of the local newspapers yesterday, evoking a not-so-storied sporting history.

In a town that hasn't cheered a top-tier championship since the Sonics won the 1979 NBA title; in a place where baseball's Mariners once won 116 games and missed the World Series, and where the local NFL team had built a decades-old reputation for big-moment wretchedness, it was as though no one could visualize victory in last night's NFC championship game against the Carolina Panthers.

But the 67,837 assembled at notoriously noisy Qwest Field let out a cathartic roar that never seemed to abate. And the Seahawks delivered a civic confidence boost by dominating the Panthers in a 34-14 win that set up one of the unlikeliest Super Bowl matchups in recent memory. The NFC champions will play the Pittsburgh Steelers, 34-17 winners over the Broncos in yesterday afternoon's AFC decider, at Detroit's Ford Field on Feb. 5.

Pittsburgh, though it has a gridiron legacy that Seattle can't claim, has developed its own inferiority complex of late. The Steelers haven't been involved in the sporting world's biggest spectacle since losing to the Dallas Cowboys a decade ago. And though Bill Cowher, the Steelers' 14-year coach, had taken them to five AFC championship games before yesterday's, they'd lost a record four times on their home turf.

The Steelers haven't won the Super Bowl since they were fitted for four rings in six fabled seasons between 1975 and 1980. And this edition of the club certainly wasn't expected to get to Detroit, the hometown of its bent-on-retirement running back, Jerome Bettis.

The showdown will be intriguing, pitting the cartoon-jawed Cowher against the prodigiously jowled Mike Holmgren, the Seahawks coach who won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers.

It'll stack Seattle's long-underrated defence — which had voiced its displeasure with being shut out of the Pro Bowl selections despite anchoring a 13-3 win-loss record in the regular season — against an offence led by the youngest quarterback in Super Bowl history, Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another TD yesterday.

While Roethlisberger is as rare a prodigy, Seattle's 30-year-old Matt Hasselbeck has matured slowly, famously clashing with Holmgren in the quarterback's hard-knock formative years.

And while Hasselbeck was nearly flawless last night, throwing for 219 yards and two touchdowns, he'll be challenged by the Steelers' vaunted blitz, which pressured Denver's Jake Plummer into two fumbles and two interceptions.

The Seahawks' defence was just as formidable yesterday, intercepting Jake Delhomme three times and stifling Carolina's star receiver Steve Smith. On a telling first-quarter play, Smith, who'd established himself as the most dangerous offensive player of the post-season, was quadruple-covered. Lofa Tatupu, the Seahawks' rookie linebacker, intercepted to set up a touchdown.

Victory was, indeed, reputation-shaping. Shaun Alexander, the Seahawks running back and league MVP, had his toughness questioned after he was knocked out of the victory over Washington with a first-quarter concussion. But Alexander rushed for 132 yards on 34 carries and his excellence helped cue a raucous celebration.

There was ticker tape and a grunge rock-worthy racket. And there was a sign hanging in the end zone — "Detroit Hawk City" — that spoke of uneasy pre-game optimism suddenly transformed into rare, welcome truth. Perhaps to no one's surprise in this self-deprecating port, the Seahawks were promptly installed as 3 1/2-point underdogs in the big game.

"I hope people are taking a lot of pictures so I can look back at this," Hasselbeck said, speaking for a city, "because I'm kind of a little bit in shock right now."

Super Bowl remains Colts' No. 1 goal

noreply@blogspirit.com (tom1271) — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 20:33:48 +0100

Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts would define perfection as winning a Super Bowl title. Anything more would be a bonus.

But with five weeks left in the regular season, the Colts' three-decade quest to return to the Super Bowl now carries an added burden - trying to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only unbeaten teams in NFL history.

The big question now is whether anyone can beat this team. Coach Tony Dungy wants everyone to keep things in perspective.

"Hopefully we win the next two because that means we will wrap up the division," he said Tuesday. "If we win them, we know there will be a lot of talk about, 'Can you go undefeated?' But that's never really been our goal."

Steelers

Hours after Pittsburgh's worst loss in more than two years, there were no apologies from coach Bill Cowher.

There was no mea culpa for the failed onside kick at the start of the second half that the unbeaten Colts quickly converted into a touchdown and a 16-point lead en route to their 26-7 win Monday night- the Steelers' second straight loss.

"The call was made to try to get us a spark and get us another possession," Cowher said. "That's my decision. If it works, it's a good play. If it doesn't, you're open to second guessing, which is the nature of this business."

Rams

Coach Mike Martz wants to return to the field after missing the past six games with a heart ailment.

Martz said he would ask his doctor for permission to return. The Rams are 3-3 under interim coach Joe Vitt since Martz stepped down.

Seahawks

The NFL denies telling the Seahawks that officials erred when they ruled two Giants touchdown receptions complete in Seattle's 24-21 overtime win.

Eagles

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) backed off a threat to have a Senate subcommittee investigate if the NFL and the Eagles violated antitrust laws in their handling of Terrell Owens.

Buccaneers

Tampa Bay kicker Matt Bryant's status for this week's game against New Orleans is uncertain because of a sore right hamstring, prompting the Buccaneers to sign Todd France to the practice squad.

Jaguars

Jacksonville placed backup linebacker Jamie Winborn on injured reserve because of a knee injury.

Raiders

Oakland claimed cornerback Lenny Walls off waivers from the Broncos and placed safety Reggie Tongue on injured reserve.

Bengals

Nate Webster was activated off the physically unable to perform list. .

Sportsbook.com lists SuperBowl champion New England Patriots with the best odds for week one

noreply@blogspirit.com (tom1271) — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 20:10:00 +0200

I'm gonna jump the gun here a bit. By about three months. I've figured out who the NFL's MVP is this season and I'm going to be the first one into the water on this. You ready?

Tom Brady, come on down and pick up your hardware.

Too early? Too bad. I've sat around and watched Brady get stiffed in the MVP balloting the past two years and I'm determined not to let it happen again. So I'm throwing all my considerable clout into this campaign and calling in all my markers. Both of 'em.

I happen to be one of the Associated Press MVP electors and I intend to vote Brady. Early and often.

Be it just three weeks into the season or playing it by the book and waiting three more months, it won't make a difference. Brady has been the NFL's most valuable player (no capital letters needed) for three years running and it's high time we all recognized him for it.

What exactly are we waiting for people? To make sure he's not a fluke? OK, that made sense in those heady days of 2001, but what about the rest of Brady's historic run? When will we have seen enough to realize we're watching the best there is at the game's most critical position? Better than Peyton Manning and Steve McNair, who have earned the past two MVPs. Better than the revered Brett Favre, or the prolific Daunte Culpepper, or the far-too-one-dimensional Michael Vick. Better than the proven Donovan McNabb and the proficient Ben Roethlisberger, the last two guys he out-dueled last season.

I've had it with the fantasy football approach to the MVP award: Who has the best numbers?

Brady loses out every year because he doesn't have eye-popping statistics, but in truth he has numbers galore; they're just not the kind that fall into one calendar year and win you MVP votes. A 9-0 record as a playoff starter; 18 wins when the Pats were either tied or trailing in the fourth quarter; a 7-0 mark in overtime; a record of 59-15 (.797) as a starter, the best mark of any quarterback in the Super Bowl era; going an entire season (2003) without throwing an interception at home.

Oh, yeah, and then there are those three Super Bowl rings he won before his 28th birthday. Those seven other quarterbacks I mentioned earlier? They own a combined one Super Bowl ring between them.

Consider that Roethlisberger has lost exactly two games in his meteoric NFL career, and, coincidentally, both have come when Brady was the opposing quarterback. Manning? Besides not being able to beat Brady head-to-head, he can only dream of doing what Brady has done three times over -- leading a team to a Super Bowl title.

2006 Super Bowl Predictions -- Hope Rings Eternal

noreply@blogspirit.com (tom1271) — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 18:17:33 +0200

As I write this, the silence surrounding the National Football League is deafening.

The stadiums are calm, with only the echoes of past conquests reverberating through the corridors. The talk radio lines are full of the excited whispers of eager fans. There is no clamoring for the backup. There are no coaches blowing gaskets in media sessions. And the talking heads are nearly out of stupid questions (for now).

Hope.

It's like Christmas Eve, New Year's Day, and that 15 minutes after Confession rolled into one. Right now everyone's record is perfect. There have no blown assignments or missed calls. No one has dropped a pass or mismanaged the clock during a two-minute drill.

Hope.

At this moment, endless possibility is coursing through the veins of all 32 teams in the NFL. Right now, players and fans across the nation are sitting somewhere thinking, "This is our year" or "Why not us?" Anyone can be the next Warner or Roethlisberger or Brady. Anyone can be a champion.

Hope.

But it won't last. It can't. Come Monday morning it will all have changed. The menacing vibrations will have overwhelmed the silence. Pride and desperation will sink in, and so many people will be wretched back into reality. Nature will take its course, and the fittest will survive.

Super Bowl 2005 Patriots reign again with 24-21 victory

noreply@blogspirit.com (tom1271) — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 18:11:13 +0200

Dynasty? Definitely. The New England Patriots don't have to proclaim greatness. The NFL record book does it for them.

The Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years -- 24-21 against the Philadelphia Eagles -- and now they are challenging history.

It was their ninth consecutive postseason victory, equaling Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers. It was coach Bill Belichick's 10th playoff victory in 11 games, one better than the great Lombardi. And it matched Dallas' run of three championships in four years in the early 1990s.

"We've never really self-proclaimed ourselves anything," said Tom Brady, who is 9-0 in the playoffs. "If you guys say we're great, we'll accept the compliment."

This one wasn't overpowering, and at times it was downright ugly. But not even Belichick seemed to care about that.

"To me this trophy belongs to these players," Belichick said. "They met all comers this year, a very challenging year. We're thrilled to win. These players played great all year, their best in the big games and they deserve it; they really deserve it."

With MVP Deion Branch tying a Super Bowl record for receptions with 11, Brady efficiently running the offense and Rodney Harrison sparking a smothering defense, the Patriots (17-2) didn't need a last-second field goal from Adam Vinatieri this time.

But his kick -- a 22-yarder with 8:40 left -- provided the points that made the difference.

This time, the Patriots sealed it with a stop.

Philadelphia (15-4) got the ball back at its 4 with 46 seconds remaining. It was hardly enough time and far too much territory to cover against such a formidable foe.

Harrison got his second interception with 9 seconds remaining to end it.

Playing before a sea of mostly green jerseys in the crowd of 78,125, the Patriots ended Philadelphia's chance of heading north with its first major pro sports title since 1983. Indeed, it has been 45 years since the Eagles won the NFL crown. And even though they made it to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1981 -- after three consecutive conference championship flops -- their sparkling season still ended in disappointment.

"We were too sloppy to win," receiver Terrell Owens said. "It was great to get back, but we made too many mistakes. We could have won, and that hurts." Corey Dillon, a newcomer to the championship game, scored the go-ahead points on a 2-yard run early in the fourth period. And when Branch wasn't catching passes, the Patriots flaunted their versatility by again using

linebacker Mike Vrabel to find the end zone.

Vrabel has caught TD passes in back-to-back Super Bowls and has five TDs in as many career catches, not bad for a linebacker -- or anyone else.

Brady wasn't as fluid as he was when he won the MVP awards in the 2002 and 2004 games, but he was 23-for-33 for 236 yards and two TDs.

"It doesn't matter who gets what," Branch said of taking the MVP away from his quarterback.

When the offense bogged down or turned over the ball, Harrison and his mates forced four turnovers, including a goal-line interception by the veteran safety. The Patriots also had four sacks, making Donovan McNabb look ordinary, even skittish at times.

And while Owens' return from a seven-week injury layoff was an individual success -- he had nine catches for 122 yards -- it was not nearly the star turn Branch made.

Branch was most instrumental on the opening drive of the second half, which set the tone for New England's 57th victory in its past 74 games.