2/1/09 - Super Bowl XLIII - Arizona Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Steelers

WesDawg

'Burghapologist
My lasting memory will forever be watching Fitz's braids flopping around as he's outrunning my #1 ranked defense and thinking "How can a Pitt guy do this to me?" LOL
I don't have the available bandwidth over here (middle east) to peruse all the night's posts, but I can imagine there's plenty of hater messages a la' 3 years ago. At any rate, all I can say is what a game!, and if that wasn't THE most thrilling SB I've ever watched, it's no worse than top-3.
I can't say enough about the Steelers' ability to rebound after so many 4th quarter miscues, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge one of the gutsiest underdog performances ever by Arizona in this game. As gutwrenching as the ending was, somewhere deep down I was actually proud of Coach Whis and the Cardinals for leaving it all on the field.

Good lord, what a game.
 

Sgt John

Sith Lord of T&A
Some of the poorest officiating Ive seen in a title game on any level. Hats off to the Cards for almost overcoming it all. I hope they can keep that team together and make one more run.

Still, probably ranks at #2 behind the Texas/USC title game as the best Ive seen.
 

Birdman

Ready For Some Football
Even though I was pulling for the Cardinals I thought this was a really good game and one of the better Super Bowls I've seen.

I was arguing that Larry Fitzgerald should have knelt the ball down at the 1inch mark instead of running it in for the score. Everyone disagrees with me on this... but I say you give yourself four downs to get a TD. You at least take it to the 2minute mark and start putting the strangle on Pitt's time.
 

Da Bomb

Guilty As Hell
i disagree. they were down 4. down 3 or less? maybe i buy that. but when you HAVE to have the td, you had the worst run game in the entire league, and youre playing a historically great defense... you take the TD.

to be fair, pitt shouldve used a full minute+ off the clock before zona even got that ball back, and if they'd played it properly, they wouldnt have had time for their own drive. so.. pretty strange how it worked out.
 

Birdman

Ready For Some Football
i disagree. they were down 4. down 3 or less? maybe i buy that. but when you HAVE to have the td, you had the worst run game in the entire league, and youre playing a historically great defense... you take the TD.

See I just don't understand this line of thinking. It seems to stem from the idea that the TD isn't a "sure thing" if you will.

But which is the easier scenario? Having 4 chances to get a few inches...

or stopping an offense with a defense that is tired (you scored very fast) when all the chips are on the line and the opposing offense has plenty of time?

As long as people don't consider kneeling at the inches "cheating" or "unsportsmanlike" etc. you do it. You maximize your chances of winning the game that way. If Arizona had done that I believe they are SB champs right now.
 

Da Bomb

Guilty As Hell
See I just don't understand this line of thinking. It seems to stem from the idea that the TD isn't a "sure thing" if you will.

But which is the easier scenario? Having 4 chances to get a few inches...

or stopping an offense with a defense that is tired (you scored very fast) when all the chips are on the line and the opposing offense has plenty of time?

As long as people don't consider kneeling at the inches "cheating" or "unsportsmanlike" etc. you do it. You maximize your chances of winning the game that way. If Arizona had done that I believe they are SB champs right now.

1) arizona has no run game
2) pittsburgh has the best run defense in... well, awhile
3) if you pass from the "inch" line, you have very little time to operate with
4) if you pass from the "inch" line, you are going to be running like 5 seconds off the clock MAX on each pass play
5) james harrison 100 yard INT
6) arizona's defense had effectively shut down the steelers offense since the first quarter (it had been 10-7 and pitt had the pick 6 plus one FG from a drive that stalled with about 6 plays inside the five yard line)
7) arizona would be protecting a FG lead, meaning the defense is most likely either ending the game or sending it to OT where you have all the momentum

i think thats about enough for me. i dont buy your logic at all. arizona's defense really stepped it up this postseason, but with a championship on the line, they simply couldn't make one final stop. it was that, and not the decision to not stop inches from the endzone, that cost them a title.
 

The Ram

Half Man, Half Amazing
Arizona gambled by shutting down the run (with help from a subpar offensive line) and making Ben win the game. He did and life is good.
 
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