Superbowl Victory
Superbowl XL was last Sunday and being in the city that hosts the winning team is definitely something special. After coming to Pittsburgh for college from the less football-oriented city of Portland, Oregon, it was quite a transition to respect how big of a deal football can be for people. Especially for this city, where when fans say they bleed Black and Gold, the official colors for their football team, the metaphor is not far fetched at all. From the beginning of football season and especially when the team pulls off a grand finish, fans proudly sported the Steelers jerseys, waved the yellow “Terrible Towel” signature fan accessory, and enthusiastic chanted their fight song of “Here We Go Steelers”.
These past years in Pittsburgh have left me awestruck on the football fan base in this city. The few times I found myself at the grocery store when a game was played, it was amazing how often I overheard people reporting the game scores, keeping people up to date. Streets practically emptied when games were on, where people had no doubt either glued themselves to whatever media reported on the game, or were cheering them on in person if the team happened to be playing at Heinz field, the city stadium that symbolizes the ultimate Steelers fan stronghold.
I got infected with Steeler-mania last year when the team was practically undefeated and made it to the conference championship game, the last qualifying one before the Superbowl. The journey to the biggest sport event in America was unfortunately blocked then, by the defending champion New England Patriots. Sad at the time, but it gave hope for the next season. The rookie quarterback would gain more experience under his belt and appropriate coaching and practices could strengthen the Steelers’ potential; *maybe* enough to win it all.
The 2005-2006 Season was not as successful as the previous. A few close games slipped through their fingertips and a knee injury to the now second year quarterback was detrimental to the games of his absence. Upon his return, little time was available to ease him back into the line up as the challenge was then to take on the undefeated Indianapolis Colts and then the division leading Cincinnati Bengals. With losses on both games, the season seemed all but over. The Pittsburgh Steelers had to win every game for the rest of the season, just to squeeze into the last place Wild Card spot in the NFL playoffs.
To inspire his players, I read that the coach recited some American history–Christopher Columbus’s journey to America in 1492 to be exact, and how many told him it was an impossible trip. The article reported:
“There’s a lot of people telling you that you can’t do it but, you know what, that doesn’t mean you don’t go try,” said Coach Cowher. “Don’t let your journey be defined by history, let your journey make history.”
And what a mark in history they made. First the Steelers avenged the loss to Cincinnati by rallying back from 10 points down and continued on the playoffs. Then after a wild up-and-down game against Superbowl favorite Indianapolis, they escaped with a 3-point win. Sympathies go out to the fan that had a heart attack while watching that crazy game. The next week, the victory at Denver promoted the Pittsburgh Steelers to be the first 6th seed team to make it to the Superbowl, all of which of course, being the visiting team. They surpassed last year’s barrier and were going to the trophy game. I happened to head out for a late dinner after the Denver win and was surrounded by hordes of fans cheering down the streets, honking their horns, and waving their Terrible Towels. Who knew that a game could bring so much happiness, unity, and goodwill among complete strangers? Fan or not, the feelings of joy and pride was spreading across the city.
For the Superbowl game itself against the Seattle Seahawks, I might have to take a slightly negative direction into this entry. From an unbiased stand point, it would have been more gratifying if the referees didn’t seem to favor the Steelers so much. Previously in the Indianapolis playoff game, the referees appeared to be against the Steelers when they didn’t call pass interference for Randal El and took away Polamalu’s interception. The Steelers made it to the Superbowl regardless of the referee attempts to thwart them and they should have the opportunity to win it without their help. Favored rulings do not balance out from game to game. Let the players play and the real champions will step up to the challenge. Give back the Seahawks’s touchdown by Jackson, voided by his pass interference “push”. Take away Roethlisberger’s barely line-crossed touchdown, and Jeff Reed would have punted for 3 points. With those two changes, the score would have been Steelers 17 to Seahawks 14, and a more nerve-racking football game may have emerged.
Instead, the game came out the way it did. The Seattle Seahawks deserved credit for dominating the Steelers in the first half, but unfortunately, they lacked the resilience to shake off the referee calls in the second. The referees may not be whistling in your favor, but they did not allow the Steelers’s Willie Parker to make the Superbowl record 75-yard rush to score the touchdown. The referees did not help Randal El become the first Superbowl wide receiver to throw a touchdown pass to Most-Valuable-Player Hines Ward. And the referees can not help much when the Seahawks are in a must-score situation with time running out and they did not look seasoned enough to make the necessary executions. Though I applaud Herndon’s Superbowl record 76-yard interception return by Seattle, in the end, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the better team. And it was classy of the Seattle coach to tell his players to make sure they gave Pittsburgh credit.
For a final rant, in the game of football, part of me feels that the game clock takes away the momentum of the sport. The way it continues after a down is completed in bounds has become a key formula for successfully holding onto a lead, but sure makes for boring football to watch. The effectiveness for the team with the lead to implement the aforementioned strategy has forced many to implement it without question. In my ideal world, the time a team can take between plays and let the clock run out should be more constricted, encouraging more football and having additional opportunities for the trailing team to make a comeback. Not sure if I’m alone on this sentiment, but perhaps a more seasoned football fan could someday enlighten me on the situation.
After all is said is done, the Superbowl is over, and the time now is for the celebration. The Steelers team, their organization, and the fans all join together to cherish the title that was so hard to achieve. People filled the streets that night, cheering and dancing twice as much as they did after the previous victory. Fireworks brightened the night sky, streets were blocked off, and tears streamed down the faces of fans who were rewarded for always believing. With much pride, Head Coach Cowher awarded the Steelers Organization Chairman, Daniel Rooney, for staying loyal to him for 14 years, where over 90 head coaches have been exchanged in other football organizations. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to ever win a Superbowl. Jerome Bettis, who ranks 5th in the league’s all-time rushing list announces his retirement after winning his first Superbowl ring at his hometown of Detroit. Today, two days after the victory, a parade was held by the city to honor the athletes who have brought so much love and joy to the fans. May the players soak up the love completely, for they have truly created a fairy tale football season for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
February 7th, 2006 at 3:41 pm
Very well written and thought out blog, Jack. It was really good to see you back with all of us. I wish Becca could have been there but I felt her in spirit.