The 43rd Super Bowl was truly one for the ages. The Steelers and Cardinals battled down to the final seconds for the right to hold the Lombardi Trophy. It featured everything you could possibly want from a Super Bowl – great plays, last-minute comebacks, and of course, great audio clips captured mostly by the great folks at NFL Films. This week’s America Loves Countdowns® series looks at the ten best quotes heard from Tampa Bay during Super Bowl XLIII.
Built for Holding in the Endzone
If you watch the Steelers Super Bowl DVD or the countless other NFL Films highlights of the game, you will no doubt see a great clip of Max Starks saying, “We are built for this!” right before the Steelers went on their epic game-winning drive. But if you watch the clip closely, the game clock is visible behind Starks and it clearly reads “5:28″, which means that Starks actually made this comment right before the o-line gave up a safety via the holding in the endzone call. Oops.
Arizona’s Grace in Defeat
After the game, Kurt Warner waded thru the throng of media and confetti just to make sure he could congratulate Ben Roethlisberger (to which Ben replied, “It was an honor to be on field with you.”). Ken Whisenhunt talked about how great the Steelers had played when he was interviewed in the locker room. Arizona reacted to one of the most gut-wrenching losses in Super Bowl history with nothing but class. It stood in stark contrast to recent Super Bowls, where Mike Holmgren whined about the refs or Bill Belichick walked off the field before the final play. The Cardinals may have been the NFL’s laughingstock for years, but they have clearly built an admirable organization that is deserving of the title “Steelers West”.
Let’s Get This Thing Into the Endzone!
After the Steelers put together a long first half drive, Mike Tomlin was overheard saying, “Let’s get this thing into the endzone. How about that?” It had a fairly sarcastic tone to it and rightfully so. After all, “Stuffed at the Goal Line” could have easily been the title for the 2008 Steelers highlight film. Time after time the team was stopped on short yardage situation. It was their achilles heel and it should have lost them multiple games, but their ability to overcome it was part of what made this ballclub so very special. As John Facenda once famously said of the 1970′s Steelers, “Great teams aren’t always great – they’re just great when they have to be.”
Farrior’s Take on the Harrison Interception
As James Harrison was inhaling oxygen on the sideline after his amazing 100 yard interception, teammate James Farrior told him, “That was the greatest runback in NFL history.” Granted, Farrior was caught up in the moment and is more than a little biased, but that play seriously has to rank up there with the greatest defensive returns ever. It was a 14-point swing in an incredibly tight game. The runback itself, with Harrison somehow shedding tacklers and out-running the entire Arizona offense, will be shown on highlight reels forever. Most importantly, it happened on the game’s biggest stage. In terms of pic-six’s, was there ever a more memorable one? I can’t think of too many. Hmmm…. sounds like an idea for a future countdown!
Tomlin Jokes with Refs
The Steelers appeared to score an early touchdown when Ben Roethlisberger dove into the endzone, but the play was challenged and ultimately reversed. As it was being reviewed, Tomlin bantered with the referee who was standing next to him on the sidelines. “Brace yourself for if you guys take this touchdown off of the board!” he joked. There are few people who could be that loose during the biggest moment of their lives. Tomlin is so poised and steady. Nothing seems to phase him. When the Rooney’s talked about how he blew them away during his interview two years ago, I think this is the kind of stuff they meant.
Michaels and Madden Show Some Spunk
Al Michaels and John Madden are generally viewed the top announcing team in football, but they are definitely not the most exciting. Their style is a steady, calm approach to announcing. Michaels seems to narrate plays rather than call them. In Super Bowl XL, he somehow managed to mention that Antwaan Randel El was a former college QB in the middle of the play where he threw the game-winning TD pass to Hines Ward. Madden is mostly analytical and not one to get giddy about anything that doesn’t involve Brett Favre. But when Santonio Holmes made that catch, they both couldn’t help but be caught up in the moment. “UNBELIEVABLE!!” yelled Madden. “Incredible!!” said Michaels. You know when those two get excited, something big just happened.
Hines Mentors Santonio
As Santonio Holmes’ last-second touchdown catch was being reviewed, Hines Ward talked to him on the sideline. Ward told him that thanks to his hard work, he was about to make a name for himself. There were two things I loved about that moment. One was seeing the veteran mentor the young guy. Hines really has been a great role model, and Santonio has always struck me a guy who really needed one. The other thing I loved was how Ward said, “We score here and you brought us our sixth world championship.” Not second championship, which it would have been for Ward and most of the other players, but sixth. It shows that these players really understand the history, pride, and mystique of the franchise they play for.
Nick Eason’s Elation
The Steelers overcame so much during the 2008 season to return to and win the Super Bowl. When the moment officially came, no player summed up the collective joy among the team and its fans better than Nick Eason. Playing in his first Super Bowl after spending several miserable years in Cleveland, Eason stumbled around in a joyous daze after the final whistle had blown. As confetti rained down on him, Eason looked up to the sky with tears in his eyes and said, “Oh my goodness, we did it, baby! We did it!! We did it!!!” Good stuff.
Tomlin Encourages Defense
The 2008 Steelers defense was one of the best defensive units ever. They dominated games and made so many huge plays throughout the year. That is why it was such a huge letdown for them to give up the long score to Fitzgerald. Fortunately, Ben and the offense retook the lead, but there was still time left on the clock for Arizona. Mike Tomlin gathered the defense together and gave them a simple pep talk. He told them that “style points” do not matter. It was one of the many Tomlinism’s that he had repeated during the year, but it never meant more than it did at that moment. Indeed, the defense wasn’t going to get the game-winning pic-six like they did against Dallas and Baltimore. They weren’t going to pitch a shutout like they did against Cleveland. They weren’t going to force five turnovers like they did against New England. But they were going to go out one final time and secure a championship, and LaMarr Woodley’s sack of Kurt Warner did the job. Nothing fancy like Tomlin said, just great defense.
“I Want the Ball”
When the Steelers traded up to draft Santonio Holmes in 2006, fans hoped that he would prove to be a great NFL player. However, things went sour almost right from the start. Holmes was arrested multiple times before even playing in his first game with the Steelers. He was underwhelming on the field in his first two seasons, and just when his play seemed to pick up in 2008, he was arrested again, this time for stupidly having pot in his car. After the team suspended him for the Giants game, many fans and probably some of his teammates were pretty much ready to give up on this guy, thinking that he would never be able to live up to his potential. But somehow it all changed from that point forward. It would have been one thing if Holmes came back and played well. Instead, he quickly became the most dominate threat on the team. He made HUGE plays in the game at Baltimore that won the division, the playoff game against San Diego, and the AFC title game. When the Steelers offense huddled on the sideline in Tampa after Larry Fitzgerald had just given the Cardinals a 23-20 lead, Holmes went right up to Ben and said, “I want the ball.” Ben was busy trying to coordinate with the coaches and didn’t seem to hear him, so Santonio made sure to get his attention this time. “Hey!” said an emphatic Holmes, “I want the ball.” Those four words will be forever etched in Steelers lore. He didn’t just say it either. As proven on that final drive, he meant it. That was the moment that Santonio Holmes grew up. That was the moment he completed the transformation from disappointing bum to Steelers legend. No matter what happens for the rest of his career, he will always be a Pittsburgh sports hero for that final drive.