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DETROIT--The
Pittsburgh Steelers finally have "one for the thumb"
and they did it in front of a sea of terrible-towel waving fans
at Detroit's Ford Field. Thanks to three big offensive plays and
a defense that was able to bend without breaking, Pittsburgh
rolled to a 21-10 victory in Super Bowl XL and its first title
in 26 years. "It's surreal right now," said head coach
Bill Cowher about bringing the city its fifth Lombardi Trophy.
"It is a rewarding feeling to give that trophy to Mr.
Rooney. That's what he brought me here to do. It really does
complete a void that's been there."
Helped by just a
285-mile drive from Pittsburgh to Detroit, Steelers fans decked
out in black-and-gold jerseys lit up the streets of Motown all
weekend. From the NFL Experience to the Winter Blast to the vast
array of parties held each night, chants of "Go Steelers
Go" rang out from every nook and cranny of the city. In
fact, some reports listed the advantage inside the stadium at 25
to 1 while places such as the Hockeytown Café and Chef Steff's
served as headquarters for hordes of Steelers fans without
tickets. Six minutes into the fourth quarter, with the Steelers
leading 14-10, Antwaan Randle El threw one of the Super Bowl's
all-time greatest passes to Hines Ward for a touchdown that
secured victory. "I was so open," said Ward, who was
named the game's MVP, "that I just kept thinking, 'Please,
ball get here, huh!' It just seemed like it happened in such
slow motion, you know? But it was a great play call, at just the
right time, something that we had run before and had some
success with, and it worked again... It was kind of typical of
the night. We sputtered some, and gave the ball away a few
times, but we made big plays. And big plays in big games is what
it's all about."
In addition to
dominating the Detroit landscape in the days leading up to
kickoff, Pittsburgh also dominated the Super Bowl XL storylines.
The Steelers, the AFC's No. 6 seed, became the first team in NFL
postseason history to go on the road and beat the No. 1, No. 2,
and No. 3 seeds. The three-game run was enough to make
Pittsburgh a four-point favorite over the Seahawks, the NFC's
top seed. Even the pre-game Super Bowl MVP celebration had a bit
of a Western, Penn., controversy as Joe Montana (raised in
Monongahela) and Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw were both no
shows. The duo combined for eight Super Bowl wins and five MVPs,
yet chose to pass on participating for their own reasons. Of
course, there was also some local griping about the Rolling
Stones playing halftime as well as the National Anthem pairing
of Aaron Neville and Aretha Franklin. But no story was bigger
than Jerome Bettis returning to his hometown of Detroit to
compete for an NFL Championship in his final game. Bettis, the
NFL's fifth all-time rushing leader, is headed to Hall of Fame
and considered retiring a year earlier. However, he chose to
come back for one more season. "It's been an incredible
ride," said Bettis after the game. "I came back to win
a championship, and now I have to bid farewell."
In 1933, Art
Rooney purchased the Steelers for $2,500; about the same price
many folks paid for their Super Bowl XL ticket. And while the
game may not be remembered for its on-field brilliance, it will
be long remembered for its big plays and the Steelers earning
"one for the thumb." In addition to Randle El's pass,
there was Willie Parker's Super Bowl record-setting 75-yard
touchdown run just 22 seconds into the second half as well as a
37-yard pass from Roethlisberger to Ward on a third-and-28 play
that set up the team's first score. Yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers
are Super Bowl Champions for the fifth time and no NFL team has
won more. "We got the win, and that's all that
matters," Roethlisberger said. "It was absolutely
awesome to come up here and win one for Jerome."
About the
Author
Keith Gentili is an award-winning sports writer and editor
with ThatsMyTicket.com,
a manufacturer of Sports and Concert Ticket Frames. Their
products capture the experience and memory of attending
significant events by combining elements such as stats, stories,
headlines, and licensed photography with actual tickets and
personal pictures.
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